Developed by: Borland (Philippe Kahn)
Launched: 1984

This was a personal information manager (PIM) type program for MS-DOS that stayed resident (TSR) and allowed computer users to activate the program using a hotkey combination (default: Ctrl - Alt) while working in other programs.

It included a personal calendar, a text editor (with a command interface similar to WordStar), a calculator, an ASCII table, an address book, and a telephone dialer.
According to Borland, Sidekick sold more than 1 million copies in its first three years.

According to its creator, Philippe Kahn, Borland did not originally intend to sell Sidekick. He developed the utility to help small business employees. After several months of use, Borland realized he had a marketable product.