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Data Becker GmbH & Co. KG was a German publisher of computer books and a company for software and computer accessories based in Düsseldorf. The company ceased operations in March 2014.


History

It was founded in
Düsseldorf Düsseldorf ( , , ; often in English sources; Low Franconian and Ripuarian: ''Düsseldörp'' ; archaic nl, Dusseldorp ) is the capital city of North Rhine-Westphalia, the most populous state of Germany. It is the second-largest city in th ...
on January 7, 1981, by Dr. Achim Becker and Harald Becker, initially as a specialist shop for computer accessories, entered the publishing business in 1983 after home computers such as the C64 became commercially successful,  and since then has published software, IT literature and computer trade journals. Data Becker was mostly well known for its web publishing software, ''Web to date''.


The 1980s: Home computing

In the beginning, Data Becker catered primarily to users of
Commodore 64 The Commodore 64, also known as the C64, is an 8-bit home computer introduced in January 1982 by Commodore International (first shown at the Consumer Electronics Show, January 7–10, 1982, in Las Vegas). It has been listed in the Guinness ...
and C128 home computers, publishing an extensive range of books as well as
programming tool A programming tool or software development tool is a computer program that software developers use to create, debug, maintain, or otherwise support other programs and applications. The term usually refers to relatively simple programs, that can b ...
s and
application software Application may refer to: Mathematics and computing * Application software, computer software designed to help the user to perform specific tasks ** Application layer, an abstraction layer that specifies protocols and interface methods used in a c ...
. The most advanced of the company's books delved deeply into the internals of the aforementioned computers and their peripherals, often revealing features that were undocumented by the manufacturer.


The 1990s: Licences abroad

In the
United States The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 states, a federal district, five major unincorporated territorie ...
, English editions of Data Becker's home computing books and software were published by Abacus Software. In the
British British may refer to: Peoples, culture, and language * British people, nationals or natives of the United Kingdom, British Overseas Territories, and Crown Dependencies. ** Britishness, the British identity and common culture * British English, ...
market, initially First Publishing Ltd, did the same job, followed by Data Player Ltd t/a Data Becker UK from 1993 to 2001. The
Danish Danish may refer to: * Something of, from, or related to the country of Denmark People * A national or citizen of Denmark, also called a "Dane," see Demographics of Denmark * Culture of Denmark * Danish people or Danes, people with a Danish a ...
and
Norwegian Norwegian, Norwayan, or Norsk may refer to: *Something of, from, or related to Norway, a country in northwestern Europe * Norwegians, both a nation and an ethnic group native to Norway * Demographics of Norway *The Norwegian language, including ...
markets were supplied with Danish language editions of the software and books by publishing house Nordic Computer Software (NCS). The French editions were published by Micro Application. In the late 1990s, in Germany, Data Becker also marketed Chessbase's Shredder and
Fritz Fritz originated as a German nickname for Friedrich, or Frederick (''Der Alte Fritz'', and ''Stary Fryc'' were common nicknames for King Frederick II of Prussia and Frederick III, German Emperor) as well as for similar names including Fridolin a ...
chess programs as 3D Schach Genie or Schach Genie.


2000: International failure

In an attempt to become a worldwide publisher, Data Becker UK ltd. was established in 1999. Data Becker Companies in the US, Spain and the Netherlands followed. Data Becker UK had initial success with their music-software range (Music Center was voted "Music Production Software of the Year" in 2000 by ''
Future Music ''Future Music'' (stylised as ''FutureMusic'') is a monthly magazine published by Future plc in the UK. It was founded in 1992 and is aimed primarily at record producers working in the electronic music field. ''Future Music'' includes hardware a ...
'', Music CD Recorder, MP3 Wizard) but it soon vanished as the publisher pressed for a more family-oriented portfolio with titles like "3D Home Designer", "Becker Draw', Becker CAD 3d' and "Becker Chart" and credibility in professional markets was lost. Overall this strategy did not prove successful and the offices of Data Becker UK and Data Becker USA (in Boston) were closed down in 2003. . In 2001, Data Becker employed around 160 people. The company headquarters of Data Becker was in Düsseldorf-Bilk, the magazine editorial office and the book publisher were in the immediate vicinity. The shop was given up in 2011.


2014: Closure of all business operations

In October 2013, the head company in Germany announced it was going to suspend all business activities at the 31st of March 2014. The online shop was closed on February 17, 2014.


Products

In the area of software, ''Data Becker'' recently published programs for Internet projects (website, online shop, community) and private users (system tools, print applications and planning software, "Golden Series"). The last products in the software segment were Web to date and PDF Professional. In 2000, the computer game America: No Peace Beyond the Line, developed by Related Designs, was released. PC accessories such as ink cartridges and cleaning products were also offered. The company's products have been distributed in several European countries as well as the United States.


External links


International company websiteCompany website

Milestones in the company's history


References

{{Authority control Book publishing companies of Germany Software companies of Germany Publishing companies established in 1980 Mass media in Düsseldorf 1980 establishments in West Germany