The Seymour Rubinstein collection of MicroPro International Corporation records consists of records that Rubinstein retained for his own use from his tenure at MicroPro International Corporation. Rubinstein was the founder and CEO of MicroPro, and an influential innovator in the software industry. Rubinstein was the lead developer of MicroPro’s flagship product WordStar, which was one of the first commercially successful software applications for the personal computer (then called a microcomputer). This collection includes records about MicroPro’s financial, legal, and personnel history as well as the marketing, sales, and development of MicroPro products, especially WordStar. It also includes a small amount of Rubinstein’s personal papers.

Seymour I. Rubinstein, an influential innovator within the software industry, was born in 1934. He grew up in New York, received a B.S. from City University of New York and an M.B.A. from the Baruch School of Business. Rubinstein ran his first program on an IBM mainframe 1620 in 1963, which sparked his interest in a career in computing. In 1964, Rubinstein was hired at Sanders Associates as their Manager of Programming Development for the Data Systems Division. At Sanders he developed a telecommunications software interface for CRT terminals. He went on to work as a computer programming manager, and as a consultant to a variety of firms. He designed several telecommunication software systems in the fields of banking, law firm management, and online credit card authorization. He was also Director of Marketing for IMSAI Manufacturing Corporation, providing leadership on management and product development strategies.

3.75 Linear feet, 3 record cartons

The Computer History Museum (CHM) can only claim physical ownership of the collection. Users are responsible for satisfying any claims of the copyright holder. Requests for copying and permission to publish, quote, or reproduce any portion of the Computer History Museum’s collection must be obtained jointly from both the copyright holder (if applicable) and the Computer History Museum.

The collection is open for research.