John Maguire

Abstract: In this interview, John Maguire describes the environment for independent software vendors in the 1970s as the industry was adjusting to IBM’s decision to unbundled the price of its software. He covers his background prior to founding Software AG North America and what led him to believe that there were opportunities in the software products business. He talks why he decided to price ADABAS significantly above other software products on the market at $120,000 and why he charged customers for demos and 90-day trials. He describes his approach to marketing software products internationally, pioneering the concept of establishing an escrow for source code, and the sales approaches he used.

Oral History of John Maguire

Return to Index