Informix Wingz

Wingz was a spreadsheet program sold by Informix in the late 1980s and early 1990s. Originally developed for the Macintosh, it was later distributed on Microsoft Windows, OS/2, NeXTSTEP and several other commercial flavors of Unix. In spite of many positive reviews, including one calling it "clearly the spreadsheet of the future", the market was rapidly entrenching Microsoft Excel. Informix eventually gave up on the desktop market and reverted solely to database sales in the mid-1990s. Claris licensed and sold an extensively cleaned up version as Claris Resolve in 1991, but it was far too late to market to have any effect.

History

Wingz was originally written solely for the Macintosh by Innovative Software in Lenexa, KS (publishers of the SmartWare Suite on the PC) and was ready for release in late 1988. Informix wanted to enter the desktop software market with products that could link to their back-end databases, and Wingz seemed like a good fit. They purchased the product and released it largely as-is in early 1989. The release was built up by extensive promotion on the part of Informix, including giving away a then-unprecedented array of "convention swag," including high quality Wingz red canvas tradeshow bags. For nearly a year, the buildup was focused around the "Wingz Time Shuttle," an enclosed theatre which traveled MacWorlds in 1988 and 1989. The focal creatives included a video narrated by Leonard Nimoy and automated demos of the product. The video took attendees into "the future of spreadsheet design, past the legacy of failed old products [like Excel]".

Wingz (company)

Wingz is a peer-to-peer marketplace that connects local drivers with travelers who schedule their private, fixed price rides to and from the airports. During the booking process, travelers define the number of passengers and luggage items to transport.

The company is based in San Francisco, California.

History

Wingz (originally known as Tickengo) was founded by Geoff Mathieux, Jeremie Romand, Fred Gomez and Christof Baumbach in April 2011. Tickengo was a ride-sharing platform matching drivers and passengers going to the same destination.

In November 2013, California regulators formally legalized ride-sharing services, classifying them as “Transportation Network Companies”. In 2014 Tickengo changed its focus to scheduled airport rides only and rebranded as Wingz.

Product

Wingz publishes mobile applications iPhone and Android devices, adapting existing ride-sharing software for pre-scheduled rides. The company has a pending utility patent for its scheduled rides technology.