computer science

Harvard Graphics

Harvard Graphics is a computer science topic covered in the lgStudy science library. This page brings together a partial reference excerpt, illustrations, worked examples, real-world applications and a short study plan, so you can understand Harvard Graphics rather than just read about it. In short: Harvard Graphics was a graphics and presentation program for IBM PC compatibles. The first version, titled Harvard Presentation Graphics, was released for MS-DOS in 1986 by Software Publishing Corporation (SPC) and achieved a high market share.

Key takeaways

Harvard Graphics belongs to computer science; place it in that map before memorising details.
Learn the definition first, then one example that makes the definition concrete.
Connect Harvard Graphics to a quantity you can measure, compute or draw — that is where exam questions come from.
Reproduce the core statement of Harvard Graphics from memory before moving on to harder problems.

Reference excerpt

Harvard Graphics was a graphics and presentation program for IBM PC compatibles. The first version, titled Harvard Presentation Graphics, was released for MS-DOS in 1986 by Software Publishing Corporation (SPC) and achieved a high market share. It was taken off the market in 2017.

History Harvard Graphics was one of the first desktop business application software programs that allowed users to incorporate text, information graphics, and charts into custom slideshow presentations. The original version could import data from Lotus 1-2-3 or Lotus Symphony, charts created in Symphony or PFS Graph, and ASCII text. It could export text and graphics to Computer Graphics Metafile and to pfs:Write, also manufactured by SPC. Its use of vector graphics produced mixed results on the Color Graphics Adapter (CGA) and Enhanced Graphics Adapter (EGA) displays common at the time, but output was usually sent to a slide printer or a color plotter. "Presentation" was dropped from the name for the second release, which came in 1987, developed by Mario Chaves, Carl Hu, Lenore Kirvay, and Dana Tom. With Harvard Graphics 2 one was able to export graphics as Encapsulated PostScript, which allows to use graphics created by the software until the present day. Harvard Graphics 2.0 also added the ability to import the latest Lotus 1-2-3 spreadsheet data before generating graphics, as well as drawing and annotations for graphs. Version 3.0 was not released until 1991, offering improved editing functions, but its graphics and export capabilities were being outperformed by competitors like Aldus Persuasion and Lotus Freelance. Harvard Graphics was used as bonus product with Windows 95 by Australian Retailer Harvey Norman. The market leader through the late 1980s, Harvard Graphics struggled as the market shifted to Microsoft Windows. SPC released a version for Microsoft Windows 3.0 in 1991, but its market share never approached the 70% it had previously commanded. The Windows market came to be dominated by Microsoft PowerPoint and then the bundle of PowerPoint into Microsoft Office. In 1996, Serif purchased exclusive marketing rights to the product line of Harvard Graphics, Inc., and assumed product support responsibilities. Serif continued to market Harvard Graphics 98 for Windows and other software under the Harvard Graphics brand until mid-year 2017, when the product was taken off the market.

Reception Computer Intelligence estimated in 1987 that SPC had 6% of the Fortune 1000 PC presentation software market. A 1990 American Institute of Certified Public Accountants member survey found that 12% of respondents used Harvard Graphics, second to 1-2-3 (42%) and ahead of Borland Quattro (11%).

References

External links Official Website Website of Serif Graphic Design

Illustrations

Worked examples

Example 1 — a first encounter with Harvard Graphics

Start with the simplest possible case. Write down what Harvard Graphics claims or describes in one sentence, then invent the smallest concrete situation in which that sentence is true. In computer science, the smallest case is usually a single object, a single equation or a single measurement. Check that every symbol or term in your sentence has a meaning in that case.

Example 2 — changing one variable

Take the situation from Example 1 and change exactly one quantity: double it, halve it, or set it to zero. Predict what should happen to Harvard Graphics before you calculate. Comparing your prediction with the result is the fastest way to find out whether you understand the idea or only the words.

Example 3 — an exam-style question

Typical questions about Harvard Graphics ask you to (a) state it precisely, (b) apply it to given data, and (c) explain a limitation. Practise writing all three answers in under five minutes; the third part is what separates a full-mark answer from an average one.

Applications of Harvard Graphics

In research: Harvard Graphics appears in computer science research whenever the underlying quantities have to be modelled precisely. Papers usually cite it as a starting assumption and then explore where it breaks down.
In technology and industry: Engineering practice reuses Harvard Graphics in design rules, simulations and safety margins. Knowing the idea lets you read a specification sheet and understand why the numbers look the way they do.
In the classroom: Harvard Graphics is common in secondary-school and first-year university syllabi. It links to neighbouring topics 1986 software, DOS software, Presentation software, so understanding it makes those chapters shorter.
In everyday life: Look for Harvard Graphics outside the textbook — in sport, cooking, traffic, electronics or the sky above you. An example you found yourself is remembered far longer than one you were given.

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How to study Harvard Graphics in 20 minutes

Read the reference excerpt below once, without taking notes.
Close the page and write down what Harvard Graphics means in your own words.
Compare your version with the excerpt and mark what you missed.
Work through the three examples above with pen and paper.
Explain Harvard Graphics out loud to somebody else — or to Teacher Smith in the lgStudy chat.

Frequently asked questions

What is Harvard Graphics in simple terms?

Why does Harvard Graphics matter?

Because it connects several computer science ideas at once: it gives you a definition you can apply, a quantity you can calculate, and a way to check whether a result is plausible.

How should I study Harvard Graphics?

Read the excerpt, restate it from memory, then work through the examples and applications listed on this page. The five-step study plan above takes about twenty minutes.

What does this page cover?

It gives you a compact reference excerpt plus original lgStudy explanations, examples, applications and study material on Harvard Graphics.