Borland Sidekick

Esalen Institute

Borland Sidekick was a personal information manager (PIM) application developed by Borland in the 1980s. It was one of the first successful PIMs and was notable for its ability to run as a terminate and stay resident program (TSR) in DOS, allowing users to quickly access its features without leaving their current application.

Features

Borland Sidekick included several key features that were innovative for its time:

• A text editor for writing and editing documents.
• A calculator for performing basic arithmetic operations.
• A calendar and appointment scheduler to manage dates and events.
• A card file for storing and organizing contact information.
• A notepad for jotting down quick notes.

History

Borland Sidekick was first released in 1984 and quickly gained popularity due to its utility and ease of use. It was designed to be a companion tool that could be accessed instantly, making it a valuable addition to the productivity software of the era.

Versions

Over the years, several versions of Borland Sidekick were released, each adding new features and improvements:

• Sidekick 1.0 - The original version, released in 1984.
• Sidekick 2.0 - Introduced in 1986, with enhanced features and better integration.
• Sidekick for Windows - A version designed for the Microsoft Windows operating system, released in the early 1990s.

Legacy

Borland Sidekick set the standard for personal information managers and influenced the development of later PIMs and office suites. Its ability to run as a TSR was particularly innovative, allowing users to multitask in a time when operating systems did not natively support this functionality.

See also

• Borland
• Personal information manager
• Terminate and stay resident program
• DOS
• Microsoft Windows