ArtSci, Inc.
ArtSci, Inc.
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| Address | P.O. Box 1428 Burbank, CA 91507 |
| Country | United States of America |
| Founded | 1980 |
| Phone | (818) 843-2345 |
Founding of ArtSci, Inc.
History
Origins in Softape
Artsci, Inc. was founded in 1980 as the successor to Softape, one of the first independent software publishers for the Apple II. Softape, co-founded in 1977 by William V. R. Smith, Bill Depew, and Gary Koffler, had released dozens of titles during the early Apple II cassette and floppy disk eras—ranging from games to utilities and productivity software.
After a business split among the founders— reportedly involving both professional differences and personal conflict— Smith and Depew reorganized the company under the Artsci name, while Koffler went on to work for Datamost, another prominent early software house.
Software and Word Processing Innovation
As Artsci, the company continued releasing software for the Apple II, with a notable product being the Magic Window word processor, co-developed by Gary Shannon and Bill Depew. With its innovative scrolling method and optional spell checker and mail merge utility, Magic Window was one of the most popular word processors of the early 1980s and was voted #1 Word Processor of 1981 in Softalk magazine’s reader poll. ALthough voting might have been skewed by Artsci's affiliation with Softalk.
Artsci continued to produce and support Apple II software well into the 1980s, also dabbling in Macintosh titles.
Expansion Into Publishing and Internet Services
In later years, Artsci transitioned into a different role under the continuing leadership of William Smith. The company became a publisher of amateur radio and technical books, including FCC study guides and licensing manuals. It also operated as an Internet service provider and sold web hosting and domain services, primarily catering to hobbyists, educators, and radio operators.
One of its notable services was the callsign-based e-mail and domain forwarding for ham radio operators, a niche yet valuable offering for the amateur radio community.
Legacy and Modern Presence
Although no longer a software publisher in the traditional sense, Artsci has continued to exist well into the 21st century. Its historical roots as a pioneer in Apple II software, coupled with its later pivot into independent publishing and communications, make it one of the few companies from the original home computing revolution to survive in any form.
Artsci remains a quiet but lasting legacy of the early personal computing era, a testament to the adaptability and persistence of its founders— particularly William V. R. Smith.
Logos
People
William V. R. Smith, Founder
William Depew, Founder
