History of Open Systems Inc.
Daniel Webb was the co-founder and CEO of Open Systems Inc. (OSI), a pioneering accounting software company based in Minneapolis, from its founding in 1976 to its acquisition in 1983.
"From startup to stardom" is how the Minneapolis Star Tribune described the trajectory of Open Systems. Daniel's co-founder and chief marketing officer was the now-well-known Silicon Valley venture capitalist, Ann Winblad.
Open Systems developed the first application software for the first business microcomputer (CADO). Daniel has been an innovative developer on the cutting edge of technology, including in those simpler days.
Open Systems was the first company with packaged accounting software sold to small businesses to publish (in 1978) its application source code to licensees to enable customization of the accounting applications.
Principals of Open Systems Inc. — Ann Winblad, Timothy Dickinson, Daniel Webb, Gary MacHalec (1983)
Due to the many subsequent companies that either spun off from Open Systems Inc. or used the term "open systems" in their names, in the context of the software industry, the term "open systems" has become a generic term for software that is open to customization by the user.
