Comprehensive Electronic Office (CEO)
Developer(s)Data General
Initial release1981 (1981)
Operating systemAOS and AOS/VS
TypeOffice suite

Comprehensive Electronic Office, often referred to by its initialism CEO, was a suite of office automation software from Data General introduced in 1981. It included word processing, e-mail, spreadsheets, business graphics and desktop accessories. The software was developed mostly in PL/I on and for the AOS and AOS/VS operating systems.

Overview

CEO was considered office automation software, which was an attempt to create a paperless office. CEO has also been cited as an example of an executive information system[1] and as a decision support system.[2]

It included a main program known as the Control Program, which offered a menu driven interface on the assorted dumb terminals which existed at the time. The Control Program communicated with separate "Services" like the Mail Server, Calendar Server, File Server (for documents). There was also a Word Processor and a data management program which was also accessible from the Control Program. In 1985, Data General announced a complementary product, TEO (Technical Electronic Office), focused on the office automation needs of engineering professionals.[3]

In later years, CEO offerings grew to include various products to connect to CEO from early personal computers. The first such product was called CEO Connection. Later a product named CEO Object Office shipped which repackaged HP NewWave (an object oriented graphical interface).

CEO code was heavily dependent on the INFOS II database. When Data General moved from the Eclipse MV platform to the AViiON, CEO was not ported to the new platform as the cost would have been prohibitive.

CEO was often compared with IBM's offering, commonly called PROFS.

CEO offered integration with DISOSS and SNADS.[4] CEO also supported Xodiac, Data General's proprietary networking system.[2] In 1989, Data General unveiled an email gateway product, Communications Server, which provided interoperability of CEO with X.400 email systems and X.500 directories.[5]

One early CEO site, Deutsche Credit in Chicago, first installed CEO while it was under beta in 1980, and by 1986 had 80 users of the product.[4]

Other users included the U.S. Forest Service, who installed CEO in 1983, and whose CEO system fell victim to a hacking attack in December 1984.[6] CEO was also formerly used by Health and Welfare Canada as its departmental email system.[7]

References

  1. ↑ Carlisle, J.P.; Alameddine, K.D. (1990), "A study evaluating existing executive information systems products", Proceedings of the Twenty-Third Annual Hawaii International Conference on System Sciences, vol. iii, pp. 160–169, doi:10.1109/HICSS.1990.205341, S2CID 61168995
  2. 1 2 Eriksen, Denise C. (1984). "A synopsis of present day practices concerning decision support systems". Information & Management. 7 (5): 243–252. doi:10.1016/0378-7206(84)90048-X. ISSN 0378-7206.
  3. ↑ Connolly, James (25 November 1985), "Eclipse MV additions leapfrog DEC", Computerworld, IDG Enterprise, vol. 19, no. 47, p. 6, ISSN 0010-4841, DG also announced the following: Technical Electronic Office (TEO), an integrated software package with the functions of DG's Comprehensive Electronic Office (CEO), but with graphics, windowing and artificial intelligence support through DG/Standard Applications and Graphics Environment for engineering and other technical users.
  4. 1 2 Sullivan-Trainor, Michael (30 June 1986), "Integrated OA systems: New software reflects needs in multivendor shops", Computerworld, IDG Enterprise, vol. 20, no. 26, p. 37, ISSN 0010-4841
  5. ↑ Smith, Tom (27 November 1989), "DG unveils E-mail gateway that supports X.400, X.500", Network World, IDG Communications, vol. 6, no. 47, p. 2, ISSN 0887-7661
  6. ↑ Kelleher, Joanne (30 June 1986), "Managers take steps to secure their integrated office data", Computerworld, IDG Enterprise, vol. 20, no. 26, p. 44, ISSN 0010-4841
  7. ↑ International Validation Forum (10 April 1996), Validation Compliance Biannual 1996-1997, CRC Press, p. 373, ISBN 978-0-8247-9746-1, Comprehensive Electronic Office (CEO) is the name of Data General's office automation software and is an integrated package comprised of electronic message, document transfer, list processing, calendaring, work processing and a reminder facility. It has been adopted by Health and Welfare Canada as its department-wide Office Communication system...
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