walden-family.com/interleaf/bohn- interview.pdf history.computer.org/annals/dtp history.computer.org/annals/dtp/interleaf
[email protected] Department: Anecdotes Department editor: David Walden,
[email protected] Interleaf, Inc.|1981 to 2000 Mark Dionne David Walden Interleaf, Inc. was an early entry into the computer- to replace traditional manual integration of text and based publishing business, initially based on com- graphics into documents; money could be saved by puter workstations and focusing on technical publish- using workstations to combine text and graphics into ing. The company was formed in 1981, shipped its a high-quality printed documents. Boucher says that first product in 1984 which included a variety of hard- for their business plan they focused on consulting ware and software innovations, and was in a strong firms where they could calculate the potential av- position to go public in 1986. In the later 1980s, erage dollar savings per page over manual methods other companies entered the business in competi- which would be compelling data when seeking financ- tion with Interleaf, and personal computers then had ing. Boucher and George started Interleaf (as in the power that once required an expensive worksta- interleaving text and graphics), Inc., in January of tion; there was also standardization around window 1981. Boucher was president and George was chief systems such as the X Window System, Motif on financial officer, and their equity interests were equal. top of X, and Microsoft Windows. Also some of Boucher says that initially they believed that they Interleaf's innovations were no longer competitive had to develop a workstation and appropriate printer, advantages as the industry coalesced around alter- and to begin work on these they hired Jon Barrett native technologies such as PostScript and Acrobat and Allen Anderson.