Collection context
Summary
- Title:
- Peter R. Jennings papers
- Dates:
- 1974-2005
- Creators:
- Jennings, Peter R., 1950-
- Abstract:
- The Peter R. Jennings papers are made up of the corporate and financial records of companies Jennings was involved with, most notably VisiCorp, Gavilan, and Vasona. These records are largely concerned with the marketability of products and company strategies. There are also a number of published materials collected by Jennings, and commercial software unrelated to Jennings' companies but retained by him as part of this collection.
- Extent:
- 33.5 Linear feet 22 record cartons, 5 software boxes, and 3 periodical boxes
- Language:
- Preferred citation:
-
[Identification of Item], [Date], Peter R. Jennings papers, Lot X7876.2017, Box [#], Folder [#], Catalog [#], Computer History Museum.
Background
- Scope and content:
-
The Peter R. Jennings papers consist of business records, financial documentation, legal correspondence, published manuals and documentation, software, and a small amount of audio-visual material.
Much of the collection consists of business records from companies that Jennings founded, including Micro-Ware, Personal Software, and VisiCorp, ranging in date from 1976 to 1985. Types of documentation include internal memos, internal and external correspondence, communication with shareholders, board of director meeting minutes, trademark registration documents, and administrative and staffing records. There are also materials pertaining to company strategy, such as market research reports and business plans. Other records include financial statements, quarterly reports, stock option and offering information, legal agreements regarding licensing and distribution, newspaper and article clippings, and notebooks belonging to Peter and Jane Jennings. There is information on the merger of VisiCorp and Paladin, as well as records from the lawsuit and settlement between VisiCorp and Software Arts. While most of these records pertain to Personal Software and VisiCorp, materials related to Microchess and Micro-Ware are scattered throughout the collection.
A smaller portion of the collection relates to companies that Jennings worked with, in roles ranging from chairman to board member to investor. This section consists primarily of shareholder documentation, since Jennings became an investor in a number of technology companies. Other types of documentation include business plans and board minutes. Companies represented in this section of the collection include Gavilan, Vivid Systems, Vasona, Personics Corporation, Datawatch, Cosmos Computer Corporation, CrystalVision, Quantum Magnetics, Apple, Objective Software, AZ Technology, Associated Venture Investors (AVI), and j.com.
Published documentation, such as books and manuals, comprises another significant portion of the collection. Examples of materials include manuals and textbooks about programming and programs on the Apple Macintosh, programming in UNIX, and documentation that accompanied hardware and software. There is also a box of material related to Forth, such as newsletters, manuals, and FORML proceedings, as well as PEAC documentation. There are also resources for personnel relations and management, including topics such as compensation guidelines, industry salary surveys, policy handbooks from other companies, and management and hiring workbooks. A small amount of audiovisual materials, such as VHS tapes of product demos and shareholder meetings, are scattered throughout.
Finally, about a quarter of the collection consists of software. There are approximately 600 3 ½ inch floppies and 120 5 ¼ inch floppies, most of which are commercial programs for Apple II, Mac, and IBM PC. In addition, there are several boxes of packaged software.
- Biographical / historical:
-
Peter R. Jennings, born in Bedford, England, in 1950, is an inventor, personal computing software pioneer, entrepreneur, and venture capitalist perhaps best known for having created Microchess, the first commercially successful chess program for microcomputer. Jennings moved with his family to Ontario, Canada in the early 1960s. He attended McMaster University from 1968 to 1971, where he earned a bachelor's degree in Physics. He received an MA in Physics from SUNY Stony Brook in 1972 and his MBA in Finance and Marketing from McMaster University in 1974. Jennings married his wife, Jane Barle, in 1973.
Microchess, a chess playing application released in 1976, was one of the earliest and most successful commercially sold personal computing programs. Jennings started Micro-Ware Limited in 1977 to distribute Microchess. He then co-founded Personal Software in 1979 with Dan Fylstra. Personal Software was one of the first commercial personal computer software companies. Personal Software “published” – that is, manufactured, documented, packaged, marketed, and sold – programs written by program “authors” on a royalty basis. This software publishing, on the model of book publishing, was an important business approach in the personal computing industry. Personal Software was renamed VisiCorp in 1982 after it began publication of the first spreadsheet, the wildly successful VisiCalc. VisiCalc had been developed by Software Arts and the two companies would later be involved in a lengthy lawsuit. VisiCorp merged with Paladin Software Corporation in 1984 a few short months after the lawsuit was settled out of court. Paladin Software faced stiff competition and invested heavily in an ambitious integrated graphical software environment, VisiOn. The company faded at the end of the 1980s. After selling VisiCorp, Jennings remained a primary shareholder and board member. Jennings took part in a number of other business ventures ranging from founder to chairman to angel investor. He was involved with Gavilan Computer, Associated Venture Investors (AVI), Vasona Corporation, Vivid Systems, Personics Corporation, and Quantum Magnetics. He founded j.com in 1989 to market ham radio products, which was later sold to Ramsey Electronics. Jennings continues to advise and invest in technology companies and startups.
- Acquisition information:
- Gift of Peter Jennings, 2016.
- Processing information:
-
Collection surveyed by Sydney Gulbronson Olson, 2017. Collection processed by Jack Doran, Pennington Ahlstrand, and Elena ColĂłn-Marrero, 2020.
- Arrangement:
-
The collection is arranged into 4 series:
Series 1, VisiCorp corporate records, 1974-1984, bulk 1978-1984
Series 2, Gavilan and other companies, 1980-1997 bulk, 1980-1990
Series 3, Published materials, 1975-1996, bulk 1980-1989
Series 4, Software, 1978-2005, bulk 1984-1994
- Physical / technical requirements:
-
The collection contains media that has not been read by CHM staff. Contact the CHM archives staff for more information.
- Rules or conventions:
- Describing Archives: A Content Standard
Indexed terms
About this collection guide
- Sponsor:
- Processing of this collection was made possible through generous funding from the National Archives' National Historical Publications Records Commission: Access to Historical Records grant.
- Date Prepared:
- August 2020
- Date Encoded:
- This finding aid was produced using the Archivists' Toolkit 2020-08-24T12:21-0700
Access and use
- Restrictions:
-
The collection is open for research.
- Terms of access:
-
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.
- Preferred citation:
-
[Identification of Item], [Date], Peter R. Jennings papers, Lot X7876.2017, Box [#], Folder [#], Catalog [#], Computer History Museum.
- Location of this collection:
-
1401 Shoreline Blvd.Mountain View, CA 94043, US
- Contact:
- (650) 810-1010