book.chapter The start of something great

In 1977, Bruce Bastian, a student at Brigham Young University in Provo, Utah, completed a Master of Science thesis on 3-D computer graphics. Bastian, an enthusiastic member of the university's marching band, the Incomparable Cougar Marching Band, was driven to explore 3-D graphics to visualize the band's formations from any stadium seat. His thesis drew the attention of Alan Ashton, a Computer Science Professor at the university. Upon Bastian's graduation, Ashton persuaded him to join a new company he was establishing to develop word processing software. Ashton was highly qualified to start a software company. He had earned a Ph.D. at the University of Utah, one of the first universities globally to offer a doctorate in computer science. His peers included several computer pioneers like John Warnock (Adobe's founder), Bob Evans (of Evans and Sutherland), and Alan Kay, who later worked at Xerox PARC and Apple Computer. In the early days of computers, most word processors used embedded codes with formatting instructions, making it difficult to visualize the final printed document. Ashton's idea was to create a word processor that would display a document on the screen exactly as it would appear when printed. He also proposed other innovative ideas like scrolling through multiple pages, using function keys for different features, and eliminating different modes. These concepts, now industry standards, were significant advances at the time. The new software company's real beginning came when Ashton received a call from Don Owens, a salesman from a California leasing company. Owens, a classic entrepreneur with many creative ideas but no money, suggested they form a company to develop word processing software for Data General computers. The ownership structure was never formalized, but it was agreed that Owens would initiate and fund the company, while Ashton and Bastian would develop the software. They named the company Satellite Systems Inc., choosing the name for its catchy acronym, SSI. However, before Ashton and Bastian could get started, Owens informed them he couldn't raise the necessary funding. Ashton helped Bastian secure a programming job at Eyring Research in Provo, Utah. There, Bastian discovered that Eyring Research had a contract to deliver a Data General computer with a word processing package to the Orem City Council. Ashton and Bastian renegotiated Bastian's employment contract with Eyring Research, who agreed to pay Bastian's salary while he developed the word processing package. In return, Bastian and Ashton could keep the software's ownership. With Eyring Research's help, Ashton and Bastian began working on their word processing software. Ashton focused on the printing part of the software, while Bastian worked on the screen part. By early 1979, Eyring Research felt the software was advanced enough to deliver to the Orem City Council, although Bastian and Ashton wanted to improve it further. The Orem City Council allowed them to use its computers for free, provided they received a free copy of any new software developed. Bastian and Ashton continued to work on a commercial version of the word processing software. Bastian borrowed money from his father to cover expenses while he worked tirelessly, and Ashton continued to work full time at the university and on the software during evenings and weekends. To generate some income, they developed a simplified version of the word processing software, which they called P-Edit. Lacking experience in software sales, they once again turned to Don Owens for help. They decided to establish a company to sell the software, with each owning one-third of the new company, which they named Satellite Software International. They chose the acronym SSI, hoping to emulate the success of companies like IBM, NCR, DEC, or HP.