Phar Lap

Phar Lap Software emerged in April 1986 during a period when personal-computer software was moving from the limitations of 16-bit DOS toward protected-mode and 32-bit computing. The company was established by Richard M. Smith, Robert Moote, and John M. Benfatto. Its name was taken from Phar Lap, the famous racehorse, rather than from a technology term. Its first major commercial and technical success was 386|DOS-Extender, released in November 1986. The product gave DOS developers access to 32-bit protected-mode execution and memory above the conventional 640 KiB boundary. This addressed a major problem for programmers building increasingly sophisticated applications on IBM PC-compatible hardware. Phar Lap's role was not simply to supply a runtime component; its tools helped developers compile, link, and execute programs that could use capabilities unavailable to ordinary real-mode DOS applications. The company subsequently developed a broader collection of development technologies. 386|VMM supplied virtual-memory support through an add-in driver. LinkLoc combined linking and locating functions relevant to embedded development, and Phar Lap also produced cross-development tools for embedded systems. The 286|DOS-Extender targeted software associated with OS/2 by providing OS/2 API emulation together with protected-mode execution. This differed from Microsoft's Family API emulation, which operated in real mode and supported a narrower portion of the OS/2 interface. As a result, Phar Lap's extender could be used with certain OS/2 applications that needed extended memory and broader API compatibility while running under DOS. The later TNT DOS Extender extended the same general concept toward Win32 compatibility. It emulated a flat address space and threading model, enabling some Win32 applications to operate in a DOS-based environment. Early versions of development products connected with Windows NT, including a 16-bit Visual C++ release and MASM 6.1, were associated with this technology. Compatibility depended on the particular beta-era Windows NT interfaces involved, and later Microsoft tool releases corrected or changed those dependencies. Phar Lap's influence also extended to standards. Working with Quarterdeck Office Systems, the company developed VCPI, a specification intended to let DOS extenders operate alongside expanded-memory managers and multitasking products such as DESQview. Phar Lap was subsequently part of a twelve-company committee that designed DPMI. These interfaces provided shared rules for protected-mode DOS applications and helped different memory-management and multitasking technologies work together. The company received several PC-industry awards recognizing VCPI and its 386|DOS-Extender and 286|DOS-Extender products. The importance of DOS extenders declined as 32-bit Windows became the dominant application platform and could directly address the memory supported by the computer. This reduced the need for a separate extender layer and weakened the original market rationale for Phar Lap's core products. The Phar Lap technology and name later became associated with Ardence and then IntervalZero. IntervalZero's product portfolio includes Phar Lap ETS, a real-time operating system used in contexts such as LabVIEW real-time targets. Available reference material does not provide a complete corporate timeline or clarify the precise legal status of the original Phar Lap Software corporation; accordingly, the original company's current status remains unconfirmed.

1. 1986Company founded

   Richard M. Smith, Robert Moote, and John M. Benfatto founded Phar Lap Software in April.

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2. 1986386|DOS-Extender released

   The company released its first major success, a 32-bit protected-mode development tool for DOS, in November.

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3. VCPI developed

   Phar Lap and Quarterdeck Office Systems developed the Virtual Control Program Interface to support coexistence between DOS extenders, expanded-memory managers, and multitasking environments.

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4. Participation in DPMI design

   Phar Lap joined an industry committee of twelve companies that designed the DOS Protected Mode Interface.

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5. Association with IntervalZero

   Phar Lap became associated with IntervalZero, formerly Ardence, whose products include the Phar Lap ETS real-time operating system.

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Specialist provider of low-level development tools and runtime technologies that extended DOS beyond its conventional memory and execution limits, later associated with real-time operating-system software.

• 386|DOS-ExtenderDOS extender and protected-mode development tool1986

  Released in November 1986, 386|DOS-Extender was Phar Lap's best-known early product. It enabled developers to build 32-bit protected-mode DOS applications and access memory beyond the conventional 640 KiB limit. The product addressed the gap between the capabilities of contemporary PC hardware and the restrictions imposed by standard DOS execution.

• 386|VMMVirtual-memory driver

  386|VMM was an add-in driver that supplied virtual-memory functionality for Phar Lap's DOS-oriented development environment. It formed part of the company's effort to let applications use memory resources more flexibly than conventional DOS programs could.

• LinkLocEmbedded-development tool

  LinkLoc was a linker-locator tool aimed at embedded development. It supported the build and placement stages needed for software targeting embedded systems and complemented Phar Lap's wider collection of cross-development tools.

• 286|DOS-ExtenderDOS extender and OS/2 compatibility layer

  286|DOS-Extender provided an OS/2-compatible programming environment under DOS. It emulated the OS/2 API and supplied protected-mode operation, offering broader compatibility for some OS/2 applications than Microsoft's real-mode Family API approach.

• TNT DOS ExtenderDOS extender and Win32 compatibility layer

  TNT DOS Extender was a later evolution of 386|DOS-Extender. It emulated key aspects of a Win32 environment, including a flat address space and threading, and was used with certain early Win32 development applications intended for the Windows NT transition period.

• Phar Lap ETSReal-time operating system

  Phar Lap ETS is the Phar Lap-branded real-time operating-system technology associated with IntervalZero. It has been used as a real-time target environment, including in applications connected with LabVIEW real-time systems.

• 1986Launch of 386|DOS-ExtenderProduct launch

  DOS developers needed access to protected mode and memory beyond the conventional 640 KiB application limit as PC software became more demanding.

  What changed. Phar Lap released 386|DOS-Extender as a 32-bit protected-mode development tool in November 1986.

  Aftermath. The product became the company's first major success and established its reputation in DOS development technology.

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• Expansion into OS/2 and Win32 compatibilityStrategy

  Developers needed ways to run or build software associated with OS/2 and the emerging Win32 environment while DOS and early Windows platforms remained widely used.

  What changed. Phar Lap introduced 286|DOS-Extender for OS/2 API compatibility and later created TNT DOS Extender for a Win32-like environment.

  Aftermath. These products extended the company's relevance beyond basic DOS memory expansion, although the rise of native 32-bit Windows reduced the long-term need for extender technologies.

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• Participation in PC protected-mode standardsStrategy

  DOS extenders, expanded-memory managers, and multitasking environments required common interfaces in order to coexist reliably.

  What changed. Phar Lap worked with Quarterdeck on VCPI and participated in the twelve-company committee that designed DPMI.

  Aftermath. The standards helped formalize interoperability for protected-mode DOS software and contributed to Phar Lap's industry recognition.

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1. Phar Lap Software