I Was PEEKed and POKEd by Beagle Bros
In 1989, my dream of becoming a programmer for Beagle Bros, Inc.—one of the most innovative Apple software companies—became reality. I was thrilled to join a team whose products and culture I had admired for years. Beagle cultivated an enthusiastic fan base with its brilliantly executed software and packaging, thanks to the creative minds of Bert Kersey and Tom Weishaar.
But the dream was short-lived. After the company was sold to one of its programmers, it became rich in talent with an amazing lineup of rockstar Apple II developers. But management struggled with an increasingly challenging software market while transitioning from Apple II to Macintosh development. Some of our team began to leave and layoffs followed. On the day I was let go, I made a vow: never again would I work for someone else.1
For more on my early computer history, including insights about Beagle Bros, check out this 1992 GEnieLamp newsletter interview, originally posted on the GEnie online service.
Booting Up MDG
As Beagle wound down, I launched the Morgan Davis Group (MDG). Over the next six years, MDG developed and distributed several software products worldwide. I wore many hats:
- Development - Conceived and wrote all software, including business support systems.
- Customer Care - Provided tech support by phone and email, and ran ProLine, our 24-hour BBS.
- Marketing - Designed and wrote documentation, ad copy, newsletters, and press releases.
- Operations - Handled printing, packaging, disk duplication, manual binding, bulk postal mailings, retail distribution, and shipping.
Each day felt like three full-time jobs, but it was an incredible time of creativity. MDG’s products stood out for their quality—something few solo operations could match.
MDG Products Are Here
You can explore the products MDG sold commercially—all free to download along with their manuals. Pay attention to the meticulously crafted manuals—something nobody does anymore. Those were typeset, printed on paper, bound, and boxed for delivery. They served as a hallmark of MDG’s commitment to quality when people did such things.
This is only a short introduction. There are more stories and anecdotes about MDG in many of the articles in this blog.
I really miss my Apple //gs running proline and the flexibility that that system had! It was so far ahead of its time!
Alas power had not reached my old Apple since it went to the attic where it still sits today!
What a great experience that was!
Thank you!