<s>
PC-File	B-Application
was	O
a	O
flat	B-Application
file	I-Application
database	I-Application
computer	B-Application
application	I-Application
most	O
often	O
run	O
on	O
DOS	B-Device
.	O
</s>
<s>
It	O
was	O
one	O
of	O
the	O
first	O
of	O
three	O
widely	O
popular	O
software	O
products	O
sold	O
via	O
the	O
marketing	O
method	O
that	O
became	O
known	O
as	O
shareware	B-License
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
program	O
was	O
usually	O
distributed	O
for	O
the	O
cost	O
of	O
diskettes	B-Device
by	O
local	O
PC	O
user	O
groups	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
There	O
was	O
no	O
copy	B-Application
protection	I-Application
and	O
a	O
manual	O
was	O
distributed	O
as	O
a	O
file	O
on	O
the	O
same	O
diskettes	B-Device
as	O
the	O
program	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
It	O
ran	O
on	O
just	O
about	O
any	O
PC	O
,	O
while	O
competing	O
commercial	O
products	O
costing	O
hundreds	O
of	O
dollars	O
were	O
often	O
picky	O
and	O
full	O
of	O
bugs	B-Error_Name
.	O
</s>
<s>
Knopf	O
originally	O
wrote	O
the	O
software	O
for	O
his	O
own	O
use	O
to	O
manage	O
a	O
church	O
mailing	O
list	O
,	O
on	O
an	O
Apple	B-Device
II	I-Device
.	O
</s>
<s>
Later	O
,	O
he	O
ported	O
it	O
to	O
CP/M	B-Application
,	O
and	O
then	O
to	O
DOS	B-Device
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
response	O
was	O
overwhelming	O
,	O
and	O
when	O
his	O
income	O
from	O
PC-File	B-Application
exceeded	O
"	O
ten	O
times	O
"	O
what	O
he	O
was	O
making	O
from	O
his	O
job	O
at	O
IBM	O
,	O
he	O
decided	O
to	O
turn	O
Buttonware	O
into	O
a	O
full-time	O
business	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
After	O
PC-File	B-Application
version	O
3.0	O
,	O
Buttonware	O
released	O
PC-File/R	O
,	O
which	O
had	O
limited	O
"	O
relational	O
"	O
capabilities	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
In	O
1987	O
,	O
PC-File	B-Application
+	O
was	O
rewritten	O
to	O
use	O
the	O
popular	O
dBASE	B-Application
III	I-Application
file	O
format	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
PC-File	B-Application
for	O
Windows	B-Application
v8	O
was	O
published	O
by	O
Outlook	O
Software	O
/	O
Ace	O
Software	O
(	O
previously	O
Good	O
Software	O
)	O
in	O
1994	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
This	O
version	O
works	O
on	O
Windows	B-Application
3.1	O
,	O
95	O
,	O
98	O
,	O
and	O
XP	O
,	O
but	O
uses	O
the	O
8.3	O
file	O
naming	O
convention	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
PC	O
File	O
will	O
not	O
run	O
on	O
Windows	B-Application
7	O
64	O
bit	O
,	O
even	O
in	O
the	O
XP	O
compatibility	O
mode	O
,	O
but	O
will	O
run	O
in	O
'	O
XP	O
Mode	O
 '	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
In	O
a	O
1984	O
review	O
of	O
databases	O
,	O
PC	O
Magazine	O
found	O
that	O
"	O
quite	O
a	O
few	O
...	O
rough	O
edges	O
"	O
existed	O
,	O
but	O
concluded	O
that	O
"	O
on	O
a	O
performance/price	O
basis	O
,	O
[	O
PC-File	B-Application
III ]	O
may	O
be	O
the	O
best	O
money	O
you	O
'll	O
ever	O
spend	O
"	O
.	O
</s>
