Fifth Generation Systems

Fifth Generation Systems, Inc. was an American software company established in October 1984 in Baton Rouge, Louisiana, by Robert Mitchell, Leroy Mitchell, Roger Ivey and Bruce Ray. The company operated during the formative period of the personal-computer utility market, when users and businesses increasingly needed specialized tools to protect data, manage disks, improve file handling, control fonts and printers, and maintain the reliability of DOS- and Macintosh-based systems. The company became best known for FastBack, an early hard-disk backup utility available for both PC and Macintosh environments. FastBack competed with products such as Symantec's Norton Backup and helped define Fifth Generation Systems as a supplier of practical system-maintenance software rather than a general-purpose applications publisher. Its catalog subsequently broadened to cover file compression, disk management, access control, encryption, virus scanning, font management, printing, copying and other forms of computer housekeeping. Fifth Generation Systems' Macintosh portfolio included DiskDoubler, which compressed data on the fly to extend available hard-disk capacity, and CopyDoubler, a utility intended to make file copying more efficient by managing copy operations and queues. The company also marketed DiskLock for PC and Macintosh security, Suitcase for font management, PowerStation, the Pyro! screensaver, and printing utilities including Super Laser Spool and Super Spool. Some products were developed internally, while others entered the portfolio through acquisitions or relationships with other software developers. Public Utilities, for example, was associated with Sentient Software, and the Super Spool products were acquired from Supermac Technology in 1990. The company grew into a significant publisher of system utilities during the late 1980s and early 1990s. Its product range reflected the market's transition from simple command-line utilities toward integrated desktop tools for backup, compression, security and system administration. Search&Destroy extended the company's security presence into virus scanning for DOS and Windows and was included with Novell DOS 7. Direct Access provided a menu-system environment for DOS users, while ABC SnapGraphix represented an additional software offering in the company's broader catalog. The company's later history included a change in control and controversy involving Barry Bellue, who was accused of fraud and theft from company accounts. The four founders subsequently departed following the acquisition of Fifth Generation Systems by Symantec. On 4 October 1993, Symantec acquired the company for US$53.8 million. Symantec absorbed Fifth Generation Systems' product lines into its Symantec and Norton portfolio, ending Fifth Generation Systems as an independent operating company. The brand is therefore historically important as a specialist utility-software publisher, but it is no longer an active standalone brand.

Fifth Generation Systems was founded in October 1984 in Baton Rouge, Louisiana, by Robert Mitchell, Leroy Mitchell, Roger Ivey and Bruce Ray. Its emergence coincided with the rapid expansion of the personal-computer software market, when DOS and Macintosh users needed tools to protect data, reclaim disk capacity, improve system performance and manage increasingly complex desktop environments. The company developed a broad portfolio of utility and security software for PC and Macintosh platforms. Its most prominent product was FastBack, an early hard-disk backup utility that competed directly with Symantec's Norton Backup. Backup software was particularly important as personal computers moved from floppy-disk storage toward hard disks containing larger and more valuable collections of business and personal data. FastBack gave Fifth Generation Systems a recognizable position in the system-utilities category. During the late 1980s and early 1990s, Fifth Generation Systems expanded beyond backup. DiskDoubler provided on-the-fly compression for Macintosh hard drives, while CopyDoubler focused on faster and more manageable file-copy operations. DiskLock addressed access control and encryption on PC and Macintosh systems. The company also offered Public Utilities for Macintosh, developed by Sentient Software, and Macintosh products such as PowerStation, Pyro! and Suitcase. Pyro! was a screensaver featuring fireworks and selectable animations, while Suitcase addressed font organization and management, an important need for Macintosh publishing and design users. The company's catalog also included printing utilities. Super Laser Spool and Super Spool were associated with products acquired from Supermac Technology in 1990. On the PC side, Direct Access supplied a menu-system environment for DOS, and Search&Destroy provided virus scanning for DOS and Windows. Search&Destroy was included in Novell DOS 7, extending the company's reach through a major operating-system distribution. ABC SnapGraphix was another product in the wider portfolio. Fifth Generation Systems grew into a significant publisher of system utilities, competing in a field that included Symantec and other specialist software companies. Its products addressed discrete but complementary problems: backing up files, compressing data, copying files, managing disks, controlling access, scanning for viruses, handling fonts and improving printing. This breadth made the company a notable independent utility-software vendor rather than a producer of a single narrowly defined application. The later period of the company's independent history was complicated by a change in control involving Barry Bellue. Bellue was subsequently accused of fraud and theft from company accounts. The four founders eventually departed following the acquisition of the company. On 4 October 1993, Symantec bought Fifth Generation Systems for US$53.8 million. Symantec absorbed its product lines into the Symantec and Norton portfolio, bringing the independent Fifth Generation Systems operation to an end. The company is consequently remembered as a predecessor utility-software business whose products contributed to the development of mainstream backup, compression and computer-security software.

• 1993

  Symantec acquisition ends independent operation

  [1]Fifth Generation Systemsen.wikipedia.org

  Symantec acquired Fifth Generation Systems on 4 October 1993 for US$53.8 million and absorbed its products into the Symantec and Norton portfolio.

• 1990

  Super Spool products enter the portfolio

  [1]Fifth Generation Systemsen.wikipedia.org

  The company acquired Super Laser Spool and Super Spool from Supermac Technology, expanding its Macintosh printing-utility offerings.

• 1984

  Fifth Generation Systems is founded

  [1]Fifth Generation Systemsen.wikipedia.org

  Robert Mitchell, Leroy Mitchell, Roger Ivey and Bruce Ray founded the company in Baton Rouge, Louisiana, in October 1984.

A specialist publisher of practical utility and security software for Macintosh and PC users, focused on backup, storage efficiency, system management, access control, printing and virus protection.

• Backup utility

  FastBack

  FastBack was an early hard-disk backup utility for PC and Macintosh computers. It was Fifth Generation Systems' flagship offering and competed directly with Symantec's Norton Backup. The product represented the company's central focus on protecting user data and maintaining recoverable copies of files as hard-disk-based personal computing became more widespread.

• File-compression utility

  DiskDoubler

  DiskDoubler was Macintosh software that compressed data on the fly. Its purpose was to increase the effective capacity of a hard drive without requiring users to manually compress and decompress individual files. It addressed the storage constraints of early Macintosh systems and formed part of Fifth Generation Systems' broader disk-management portfolio.

• File-management utility

  CopyDoubler

  CopyDoubler was a Macintosh system utility designed to accelerate file-copying operations and manage copy queues. By improving the handling of repeated or large file transfers, it targeted users who needed more efficient day-to-day disk management than the standard operating-system tools provided.

• Computer-security software

  DiskLock

  DiskLock was security software for PC and Macintosh systems. It incorporated access-control and encryption capabilities, addressing the need to restrict unauthorized use of computers or access to stored information. The product broadened Fifth Generation Systems' identity from general system utilities into computer security.

• Macintosh disk utility

  Public Utilities

  Public Utilities was a Macintosh utility package developed by Sentient Software and associated with Fifth Generation Systems' product range. It focused on disk optimization, repair and data-recovery functions, complementing the company's backup, compression and file-management products.

• Macintosh utility

  PowerStation

  PowerStation was a Macintosh software product in Fifth Generation Systems' utility catalog. The available reference material identifies the product but does not provide enough detail to specify its principal functions or release history without risking invention.

• Screensaver

  Pyro!

  Pyro! was a Macintosh screensaver that displayed animated fireworks and offered user-selectable animations. It represented the more recreational side of Fifth Generation Systems' catalog, alongside the company's predominantly functional products for backup, security and system maintenance.

• Virus scanner

  Search&Destroy

  Search&Destroy was a virus-scanning product for DOS and Windows. Its inclusion with Novell DOS 7 gave the software distribution reach beyond Fifth Generation Systems' direct retail channels and placed the company within the early PC antivirus market.

• Font-management utility

  Suitcase

  Suitcase was a Macintosh font-management utility. It addressed the organizational and activation needs of users working with multiple typefaces, particularly in Macintosh publishing and graphics environments where font collections could become difficult to control.

• Printing utility · 1990

  Super Laser Spool and Super Spool

  Super Laser Spool and Super Spool were printing and print-spooling utilities associated with products acquired from Supermac Technology in 1990. They extended Fifth Generation Systems' Macintosh range into printer-job management and complemented its other performance-oriented system tools.

• DOS menu-system software

  Direct Access

  Direct Access was menu-system software for DOS computers. It provided a more structured way to launch programs and navigate a command-line-oriented environment, reflecting the market's demand for easier access to commonly used applications and utilities.

• Computer software

  ABC SnapGraphix

  ABC SnapGraphix was one of the products associated with Fifth Generation Systems. The available reference material identifies the title but does not establish its precise function, platform coverage or release date.

• Accusations involving Barry Bellue

  Following a change in control, Barry Bellue was accused of fraud and theft from Fifth Generation Systems' company accounts. The available reference does not provide a sufficiently detailed chronology or final legal disposition.

  Source

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• 1993

  Symantec acquisitionM&A

  Background

  Fifth Generation Systems had become an established publisher of backup, compression, disk-management and security utilities for PC and Macintosh platforms.

  Action taken

  Symantec acquired Fifth Generation Systems on 4 October 1993.

  Aftermath

  Symantec absorbed the company's product lines into its Symantec and Norton portfolio, and Fifth Generation Systems ceased operating as an independent company.

  Acquisition price. US$53.8 million (4 October 1993)

  Source

• 1990

  Acquisition of Super Spool productsM&A

  Background

  Fifth Generation Systems was expanding its Macintosh utility catalog beyond backup and storage tools.

  Action taken

  The company acquired Super Laser Spool and Super Spool from Supermac Technology.

  Aftermath

  The acquisition added print-spooling software to Fifth Generation Systems' product portfolio.

  Source

1. 1Fifth Generation Systemsen.wikipedia.org