Freedom...That's What askSam Is All About!

askSam, the Product

The basic philosophy of askSam is FREEDOM ... freedom from rules, restrictions and traditions.  In 1983, the creator of askSam, Dr. Mack McKinney, searched for a better way to handle information -- especially the kind that was frequently updated and reported.  Traditionally, databases were highly structured and text-retrieval systems required indexing,  which for volatile information in those days of limited hardware, took too much time.   Dr. McKinney's free-form database, askSam, that began shipping in April of 1985, exhibited speed and flexibility without indexing.  

Today, askSam continues to offer you the opportunity to combine both free-form and structured information in databases, search for information on the fly and create a variety of reports.  Enhancements to askSam for Windows include a report generator that arranges your retrievals in the design of your choice. With the askSam Professional version and the askSam Web Publisher, askSam Systems now offers what we believe is the fastest indexer in the industry.  With on-going development, the askSam products of today continue to reflect Dr. McKinney's basic philosophy -- freedom for you to organize your information, regardless of the source, according to your own vision.

askSam, the Name

Mack McKinney, who created the software and his wife, Bea, created the name, askSam.  After doing a bit of research, Bea came up with the term "ask" for accessing stored knowledge.Mack, however, wanted an acronym that sounded friendly yet described the product -- so, he came up with the term "askSam" as if one were asking someone or something for information. Today, as was true then, the name "Sam" may bring to mind a special friend, relative or even a  pet.  In askSam's case, we think of "Sam" as our dolphin who leads you through the sea of information.  

askSam, the acronym  =  

Accessing Stored Knowledge (via) Symbolic Access Method

askSam, the Logo

askSam Systems is represented by a dolphin jumping over a quarter moon!  Mack McKinney selected the dolphin jumping over the moon as the company logo in 1984.  Mack was also using the same symbol as his sailboat's ensign. When he began Seaside Software, Inc. (which now uses the dba, askSam Systems) he chose this design for good reason.  The dolphin, like askSam, represents that which is fast, friendly, flexible and a known helper to people everywhere.  Our logo, the dolphin jumping over the quarter moon, symbolizes that which is out of the ordinary -- something magical and imaginative. askSam today continues to offer you a unique unrestricted approach to information management.      

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