SmartWare is an office suite, originally developed for MS-DOS and Unix, and later Microsoft Windows, including a database, word processor, spreadsheet, and a (now obsolete) "communication" module for communication via a modem .[1] [2] [3] [4]
The user interface consists of a window in which documents, spreadsheets and database views are displayed and can be manipulated via a command line at the bottom of the window. Significantly the product includes a complete and powerful programming language enabling developers to build complex applications. The spreadsheet and word processor modules are proprietary, but the database is built on a FairCom database engine.
Started in 1983, it was developed for many years, with SmartWare 4.5 released in 2004 and VisualSmartWare being released in 2006.[5] The later versions include features such as the capability to communicate with SQL servers, use Microsofts Dynamic-link library and ActiveX technologies, and optionally provide a less 'Dossy' looking user interface.
Smartware is still widely used and has an active online Smartware Users Group - Smug.[6]
Similar and competitive packages included Lotus Symphony, Microsoft Works, Context MBA, Framework, Enable and Ability Office.