Electron Image, Inc.

Electron Image, Inc.
Alberta, Canada

1990, during the Windows 3.0 BETA, Electron (as e-Image) published (as shareware) RecRun, a Windows 3.0 utility which allowed the creation of Program Manager icons which ran macros to automate GUI tasks. At the time, creating shortcuts in Windows Program Manager was something of black art and involved the use of a bizarre technology called DDE (dynamic data exchange) which was one of the predecessors to OLE (ActiveX). Also in 1990, Electron created a tool for creating Windows Help files, and in 1991, exclusively licensed it to Blue Sky Software Corporation who published it as RoboHelp (-> Macromedia -> Adobe ).In 1991, Electron (as e-Image) published (as freeware) Zoomer, a Windows 3.0 utility emulated the zooming rectangle feature of Mac Finder for the Windows desktop. Zoomer required hooking the message chain for the entire system and subclassing the draw mechanism.

History | 80s | 90s | 00s |

In 1991, Electron was incorporated in Edmonton, Alberta, Canada. The company formalized its previous activities under the new corporation.

In late 1991, Electron performed consulting activities for NuMega software, maker of SoftIce and BoundsChecker. Kiyooka designed a Windows application for SoftIce which loaded program symbols from the Windows UI into SoftIce. As a bonus, the programmer could save the action as a 'macro' or icon in Program Manager to make it quick and easy to load the symbols again when Windows restarted. This program was NuMega's first GUI program.

In 1993-1994, Electron contributed multiple modules (animated wallpaper) to a consumer application called Crystal Walls which animated the Windows 3.1 desktop. This product would eventually be turned into a contract to become the Theme Switcher for Microsoft Plus Pack for Windows.

1994 - RoboHelp 2.0 (developed entirely by Electron) named one of TOP 100 products of the year by Windows Magazine.

In 1995, Electron and Blue Sky Software entered into legal disputes which ultimately resulted in the legal battle of Electron Image vs. Blue Sky. Electron was successfully represented by Pillsbury Winthrop (then Pillsbury Madison and Sutro) and Blue Sky by Cooley Godward LLP.

Between 1996-1999, founder Kiyooka sells a wide variety of products he has developed through ESD services such as C|NET, Software.net, NetSales and Digital River. Experiences ongoing dissatisfaction with state of the art in ESD fufillment and licensing services...

History | 80s | 90s | 00s |