PROGRAMMING AND ENGINEERING PEOPLE:
===================================
- >JEFFREY C. JOHNSON has been Software Engineer at ESI/XTree Company since 1983. He is the one who did the code of the very first versions of XTree and furthermore has been working on every subsequent DOS releases of the program. He also wrote the XTreePro/Gold text editors "1Word" and "Zedit", as well as the JFC ("Jeff's File Compare") utility, supplied with XTreeGold/XTreeNet 3.0x, and, together with Michael J. Karas, the "XTreeLink" utility.
- JAMES R. PICKERING has been for six years a senior software engineer at the XTree Company and Central Point Software, he contributed, amongst other things, the graphics viewers to seven commercial, shipping Windows, NetWare, UNIX, and DOS software products.
- MICHAEL J. KARAS has, already in 1981, written a file manager named "}WASH" for the >CP/M system; he was running a very successful consulting company called Micro Resources, before he joined XTree Company in 1988 to start working on the new XTreeProGold versions. His contributions to XTree development up to version 3.0x included, among others, the extensive rewriting and implementation of the acquired ARC and ZIP code, the Graft, Batch, Format Disk and New Date commands, the XTreeLink utility (together with Jeffrey C. Johnson), and more. Currently he is operating a consulting company called Carousel Design Solutions and doing work developing high performance video conferencing systems.
- MICHAEL A. CHUISES was responsible at XTree Company as a Project Manager for the XTreeNet product line, which was, in 1992, awarded the product of the year from LAN Times.
Mike Chuises is now president of Endurance Software Engineering, a firm specializing in custom software development and contract programming services.
Prior to founding Endurance Consulting, he was a Senior Software Engineer for GoAmerica, which acquired OutBack Resource Group in 2001. Formerly, Mike was founder and principal engineer for OutBack Resource Group Inc.
He has also worked and done consulting for some of the industry's largest software companies, including Symantec, McAfee, Motorola, Intel, Quarterdeck, Spyglass, and Platinum Technologies.
- JOHN P. MCGAHEY started to join the XTree development with the implementation of the PKARC code in XTreeProGold. He also worked on the Application Menu System and implemented the DBASE and Lotus 123 database viewers. Furthermore he wrote the ZIP functionality working as virtual folders in XTreeWin.
DR. BARRY CLINE, DAVE GERSON, RUSS BARRET, DEBBIE CARDINELA, CHARLES LYNCH
were all members of the XTree for Windows development team
- >KEN W. BROOMFIELD has been Software Architect and Consultant at ESI/XTree Company from 1983 to 1993, where he was involved in making the original XTree versions run stable and bug-free, later on he played a major role in product definition of XTree for Windows for which he designed and coded major user interface components and created graphics for icons, buttons, etc. He also counseled on XTreeLink bug-fixes and evaluated the XTreeMac version. Also he wrote an advanced DOS GUI attempt named XTreeTools, which unfortunately never has been released. After the XTree Company dissolution he became consultant to OutBack Resource Group.
Currently, he runs a start-up named >"Wymea Bay" as founder and Chief Technology Officer. The company is based in San Luis Obispo, California and focusing on developing advanced yet simple tools for Internet-based document and information access. Their flagship product is the highly innovative browser >iRider.
- HAROLD E. COOK joined XTree Company as a senior software engineer in 1989, became project manager of the iridescent, unfortunately never released, "XTreeTools" project. He also developed the XTree application scanner for the XTree Gold product as a part of the installation package. From 1990-1993 he was project manager for the release of "Xtree for Unix Systems", also assumed responsibility for the marketing of the product. Furthermore, as test and quality engineer from 1992 to 1993 he planned and managed the test cycles of 7 product releases.
- JAMES D. RAMLOCHAN has been working on the network-specific part of the XTreeNet versions
- RUSS BARRETAND has been working on the "XTreeTools" project.
- JOHN FERGUSON has been working at Executive Systems Inc. (ESI) in the mid 1980's, mainly on utility software for various Epson systems (together with |Ken W. Broomfield and |Michael J. Karas), right at the time XTree just came into existence. Aside from his ESI employment he wrote a Shareware program called "XRAY" and worked for the disk/tape manufacturer "Tallgrass Technologies".
- >TODD WALKER worked at the Technical Support at XTree company from 1989 to 1993, where he was responsible for a team 5 technicians. After the XTree takeover by Central Point Software in 1993 he maintained the Network Product Technical Support, being a lead technician for XTreeNet, until the time Symantec finally acquired the brand the same year. Later he worked at Moon Valley Software and Seagate Software, both San Luis Obispo CA.
- ROB JUERGENS is an experienced software developer, who has early been specializing in Unix. Rob Juergens is the one who has born the xtree for UNIX versions on contract programming basis in 1990/91. He was employed at XTree company from 1991 to 1993. Prior to this, he was working at >Sun Microsystems, where he did the port of dBase IV to Unix. Currently, he is Software Engineer at >VSI. Rob Juergens is also lecturing on Unix subjects at various occasions and has been teaching programming at Stanford for a year. His involvment in the XTree idea is now continuing through developing the >UnixTree clone.
- >KEVIN PACKARD , although never an XTree company employee, played his role in the XTree history as the programmer of the Macintosh System product that finally got known as "XTreeMac". Kevin Packard has been working at a company called "Custom Software Inc.", where he was programming between 1986 and 1989 on the code of the software, that in 1988 has been licensed to XTree Company, and then released under the name "XTreeMac". Kevin Packard is now running >"Blackfrog Software, Inc.", which is "specializing in QuickTime, Drivers, and Network development for MacOS, Unix, and Windows NT/98/95".
MANAGEMENT AND ADMINISTRATIVE PEOPLE:
=====================================
- HENRY HERNANDEZ was the one
who founded Executive Systems Inc. (ESI) in 1978 together with
R. Thomas Smith Jr. and Dale Sinor, later to become XTree Company.
He was actively involved in management and lead the team that
developed the highly successful XTree product. He was also responsible for
initiating and spearheading the move into the networking arena by fundamental
internal research, which resulted in products like XTreeNet and XTreeTools for Networks.
- R. THOMAS SMITH JR. co-founder of Executive Systems,
was principally responsible for developing the unequaled consistency of the XTree user interface.
- DALE SINOR co-founder of Executive Systems.
Without Dale, XTree would never have seen the light of day, the product and many of its
innovative and powerful features were basically his idea.
- KING R. LEE has been president and
chief executive officer of XTree Company. The company's revenues grew 1,700 percent during his tenure.
Later he also has been CEO of Wynd Communications and Quarterdeck.
- BOB KIMBALL has been vice president
and general manager of network management products at Central Point
Software. In his fifteen years of diverse high-tech management experience,
Mr.Kimball also served as the vice president of marketing
at XTree Company and business unit director at Ashton-Tate.
- MICHAEL CAHLIN as president of the marketing agency Cahlin/Williams
Communications, was responsible for providing the packaging and PR functions from the very start
of the product. He is also founder of The Chocolate Software Company and The Financial Software Company.
- BOB CABEEN actually designed the first XTree package.
- MARV HOFFMAN did the first deal with Epson that funded the effort of the
company, also he is said to have been given the inspiration for the name "XTree".
- PETE RYAN started as Product Manager of XTree in the fall of 1985,
and later on became the company's Marketing Vice President.
- CLAIRE JOHNSON was heavily involved in keeping ESI running in the
early years of XTree.
- PENNY OLENDER was XTree's salesperson for a couple
of years during some very crazy times in that office. She hustled the product
to distributors and spent countless hours on trips all over the country during
those times. She left the company about 6 months before |King R. Lee
and |Suzanne Dickson joined ESI/XTree.
She was a very calming influence in the office, and the relations she built up
with the major distributors helped the company in countless ways.
- SUZANNE DICKSON served as Director of Marketing for XTree Company.
Later she held several product and marketing management positions with Symantec and Quarterdeck.
- CECELIA LOBDILL has reported from 1988 through 1993 to the CEO at
Xtree Company in her role as controller. While at XTree, Ms. Lobdill was responsible
for all areas of finance, human resources and MIS.
- LINDA SILBERG has been Public Relations Manager of XTree Company.
- THERESE SOLIMENO has been Marketing Communications Manager of XTree Company.
- >SHEL PRINCE was QA manager at XTree Company from 12/92 to 8/93,
where he introduced automated testing to improve productivity, developed test
plans and executed tests for several of the products, including third-party software
(XTreeGold 2.55, XTree for Windows 1.5, XTreeNet 2.55, XTree Tools for Networks 1.0 and ViruSafe 5.0).
Some of the above mentioned one
time XTree people shortly after the sale of ESI founded the
>OutBack Resource Group Inc.
in 1994, "forming a team that had worked together
well for five years as the Network Products Architect and Development Team
of XTree Company. The Principals found the opportunity to regroup as a
new engineering design and consulting team as a result of the XTree, Central
Point Software, and Symantec Corporation mergers".
However, OutBack Resource Group Inc. has
nothing whatsoever to do with making file managers, but is "developing and
delivering Web-Based Network Management Solutions utilizing advanced technologies
such as Java, CORBA and other emerging standards. Under contract to Wynd
Communications Corporation, OutBack is developing the framework for delivering
content rich applications wirelessly". Their motto is:
"Bridging the gap between today's reality and tomorrow's technology".
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The XTree Fan Page also says thanks for providing some interesting
information on the subject of this page to these people:
Pete Ryan
Al Hartman
and of course to all the XTree people
who provided information about themselves !
Also, another portion of the above text is based upon
staff biographies and other data from the
(late) OutBack Resource Group web site.
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Important note:
The introduction of XTree people given here is based upon information I've collected
and compiled from various sources in course of time. I have used my best efforts in pleasing every major
person ever being involved in the XTree product. However, it is in the nature of things, that I can't
promise there will be everybody taken into account appropriately. So if it should happen anyone coming
across this page that might feel not being mentioned at all, or not adequately, I do apologize and
kindly ask you to
]
me. Thanks for your understanding !
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Last updated 05-22-18
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