# Enable Software

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> Markdown URL: https://mediated.wiki/source/Enable_Software.md
> Source: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Enable_Software
> Source revision: 1352697694
> License: Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/)

{{Short description|American software company, 1984–1997}}
{{About|the office automation developer|the software used by the oil and gas industry|EnABLE software}}
{{Infobox company
| name = Enable Software, Inc.
| type = Private
| industry = Software
| founded = 1984
| founder = Ron Quake, Bob Hamilton
| defunct = 1997
| location_city = [Ballston Lake, New York](/source/Ballston_Lake%2C_New_York)
| location_country = United States
| products = Enable (office suite), PowerLine
}}

'''Enable Software, Inc.''' was a privately held [software development](/source/software_development) company based in [Ballston Lake, New York](/source/Ballston_Lake%2C_New_York), founded in 1984 by Ron Quake and Bob Hamilton.<ref>{{cite web|last=New York Companies, USA|title=ENABLE SOFTWARE, INC.|url=https://www.nycompaniesindex.com/enable-software-inc-iva4/|accessdate=Feb 16, 2014}}</ref><ref>{{Cite news|url=https://www.pcmag.com/article2/0,2817,1167685,00.asp|title=Profiles In Technical Excellence (1985)|work=PCMAG|access-date=2017-09-23|language=en}}</ref> The company's flagship product was ''Enable'', an integrated [office suite](/source/office_suite) for [IBM PC compatible](/source/IBM_PC_compatible)s that combined a [word processor](/source/word_processor), a three-dimensional [spreadsheet](/source/spreadsheet), a [relational database](/source/relational_database) and communications software in a single package. The company ceased operations in 1997.

==History==
Enable Software launched its integrated suite in the mid-1980s, positioning it as a comprehensive productivity package for the IBM PC market at a time when most office software products were sold separately. The multi-dimensional spreadsheet component was a notable feature, allowing users to work across layered sheets rather than a flat grid.

In 1992, ''Enable Office'' was updated to add [electronic mail](/source/electronic_mail) and [calendaring software](/source/calendaring_software). The company claimed at that time that its products had more than one million users.<ref>{{cite web|last=Enable Software|title=Press release|url=http://textfiles.com/computers/PRESSRELEASE/enable.txt|accessdate=Feb 16, 2014}}</ref> Enable 4.5, released in April 1992, added support for [OS/2](/source/OS%2F2) 2.0.<ref>{{cite news|last1=Hamilton|first1=Rosemary|title=Enable 4.5 application package ships|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=ioRslYZXVkAC&q=%22Enable+Software%2C+Inc.%22+-wikipedia&pg=RA1-PA42|accessdate=May 3, 2016|work=Computerworld|date=April 6, 1992}}</ref>

In 1993, the company introduced ''JetForm for Enable'', a mail-enabled forms designer for [Microsoft Windows](/source/Microsoft_Windows),<ref>{{cite news|last1=Hammett|first1=Jim|title=Enable debuts workflow line with forms designer|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=OjsEAAAAMBAJ&q=%22Enable+Software%2C+Inc.%22+-wikipedia2&pg=PA52|accessdate=May 3, 2016|work=Infoworld|date=June 21, 1993}}</ref> and ''PowerLine'', a multi-protocol terminal client for Windows comparable to [HyperTerminal](/source/HyperTerminal).<ref>{{cite news|last1=Hammett|first1=Jim|title=Windows package offers keyboard chatting feature|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=ODwEAAAAMBAJ&q=%22enable+software%22+powerline&pg=PA41|accessdate=May 3, 2016|work=InfoWorld|date=April 5, 1993}}</ref>

Enable Software ceased operations in 1997. At that point approximately 190,000 active users remained on Enable products.<ref>{{cite web|last=Promises Kept, LLC. |title=Enable Integrated Software Support |url=http://www.promises-kept.com/Support/Enable.aspx |accessdate=Feb 16, 2014 |url-status=dead|archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20140222142134/http://www.promises-kept.com/Support/Enable.aspx |archivedate=2014-02-22 }}</ref>

==References==
{{Reflist}}

==External links==
* [http://en.igbts.net/dig/view/0123bce868e90000.shtml Review of Enable O/A 4.0] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140222220740/http://en.igbts.net/dig/view/0123bce868e90000.shtml |date=2014-02-22 }}

{{Authority control}}
Category:Defunct software companies of the United States
Category:Defunct computer companies based in New York (state)
Category:Software companies based in New York (state)
Category:Software companies established in 1984
Category:1984 establishments in New York (state)
Category:Defunct companies based in New York (state)
{{US-software-company-stub}}

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Adapted from the Wikipedia article [Enable Software](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Enable_Software) by Wikipedia contributors ([contributor history](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Enable_Software?action=history)). Available under [Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International](https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/). Changes may have been made.