Phoenix Technologies
Phoenix Technologies is a manufacturer of BIOS software.
History
In 1979, Neil Colvin the Phoenix Software Associates after his previous employer unanimous that ceased its service. Neil asked Dave Hirschmann, a former Xitan - workers to. 1980 to 1981, the two rented at an office for the first headquarters of Phoenix.
During this period, Phoenix bought a non-exclusive license for 86- DOS from Seattle Computer Products. Phoenix develop customized versions of QDOS (sometimes PDOS for Phoenix DOS called ) for various microprocessor platforms. Furthermore, Phoenix has developed libraries for the C programming language on which PForCe were called. These products offered only a small income for Phoenix during the 1980s. The company grew not significant at this time.
With the success of the IBM PC in 1983, Phoenix decided to create an IBM- PC ROM - BIOS-compatible computer. A licensable ROM BIOS would allow PC manufacturers to execute the same applications. Even MS- DOS was used by IBM. To realize this, but Phoenix would need a strategy to defend themselves against violations of law by the court. Because donations to the nature of low- level programming in two well-written code parts which perform the same functions that would make some correspondence inevitable, it would be impossible for Phoenix to defend themselves, due to the fact that no part of their BIOS to IBM fits. As a result, Phoenix has developed a clean room implementation that strictly isolated the developers that were contaminated with the reading of the program lists. The contaminated developer wrote specifications for the BIOS APIs and found this clean available to developers who have not seen the source code. These clean developers code developed by Doodle to the shape of the BIOS APIs. This technique provided Phoenix IBM PC compatible ROM BIOS, which were defensible and non- vulnerable. Due to the fact that programmers who wrote the Phoenix code, never read IBM program lists, nothing could be copied from what they wrote, from the IBM code, no matter how close together they were. The first Phoenix was launched in May 1984 and helped the growth of the PC industry. The availability of an IBM PC-compatible ROM BIOS helped the 70% growth in sales which Phoenix 1988 tested. Phoenix also developed the BIOS for the IBM Personal System / 2, the ABIOS and the EISA - compliant BIOS enclosed in the years 1988 to 1989. Began in 1987 Phoenix with the first growth cycles. Phoenix acquired the company Soft Style Inc and Softset Inc and began to emulate a printer series and a Phoenix publication department. In addition, Phoenix tripled the number of employees by the end of 1986 until 1989.
Expansion in the 1990s
Around 1992, Phoenix was financially strong enough to start another expansion and a new growth cycle. 1992 acquired Phoenix Quadtel, a leading BIOS vendors. The Quadtel BIOS code was newer than the Phoenix ROM BIOS code base. Therefore, the development focus was placed on the Quadtel products. It was renamed in PhoenixBIOS. The original ROM BIOS code base is used as a development interface, but developed Phoenix no longer the original code.
Next Phoenix expanded its presence in foreign markets. 1993 acquired Phoenix SRI KK a Phoenix dealer and formed the Japanese Phoenix -KK subsidiaries. In addition, the expanded offices in Taipei and Europe in size. 1996 Phoenix acquired the company Virtual Chips, a manufacturer of cores for peripherals.
Consolidation in 2001
Phoenix grew steadily from the end of 1990 and experienced a significant growth of revenue by the Y2K bug. However, the computer industry experienced a further downturn in mid-2001, which Phoenix forced to limit the less profitable product lines. Phoenix focused for the next few years again the BIOS business.
Expansion in 2003
Between late 2002 and 2003, Phoenix began to develop specialized applications that are based on firmware. These applications often had components that were embedded in the BIOS, what this offered the opportunity to work in a damaged PC. This integrated security applications served to hide passwords and authentication, as PC backup and restore programs and diagnostic programs. The PC BIOS, business was steady, but slow, yet the share price fell heavily.
Consolidation in 2006
The end of 2005 it was clear that the BIOS income could not cover the losses from the application sector. The cash flow through income was largely debt-financed by fully paid licenses. From the beginning of 2006 to this model, however, was no longer profitable. Phoenix announced the biggest losses in company history and continued a further consolidation cycle. Some offices were closed and laid off more than 70 % of the employees. The end of 2006, according to changes in the senior management team, the company refocused back to the BIOS business and the few potentially profitable applications.