Short history of SuperMemo

1982 - Application of the recall principle

1984 - Application of the minimum information principle

1985 - First ever application of the optimum spacing of repetitions

1987 - First computer implementation. SuperMemo 1.0 introduces the concept of E-factor

1988 - SuperMemo 2 and SuperMemo 3

1989 - SuperMemo 4 - optimization based on the matrix of optimal intervals

SuperMemo 5 - optimization based on the matrix of optimal factors

1990 - Optimization of learning with its enthusiastic predictions about the future of SuperMemo provides an inspiration and incentive to commercialize the method. It also includes a comprehensive theoretical analysis of the learning process conducted with SuperMemo and presents the model of intermittent learning

1991

July 5, SuperMemo World is formed by recent graduates of computer science: Piotr Wozniak and Krzysztof Biedalak. The real capital: one 286 personal computer.

SuperMemo 6 - optimization based on approximation of forgetting curves

November, SuperMemo 6 becomes a finalist of the Software for Europe 1992 Award Competition

1992

March, SuperMemo World displays its products at CeBIT '92

September, SuperMemo 6 receives the first degree award at Softarg '92, Katowice, Poland

September, SuperMemo 6 receives a special award of the Polish Computer Science Society

December, SuperMemo 6 is awarded in the Product of the Year 1992 competition organized by PC Kurier, Poland

1993

January, releasing SuperMemo 7.0 for Windows, one of the first Polish Windows software products

March, releasing SuperMemo 5 as shareware

March, SuperMemo World displays its products at CeBIT '93

May, releasing AudioVisual SuperMemo 7.2 for Windows

August, releasing SuperMemo for Amiga

September, SuperMemo tops the chart of best Polish software applications for Amiga (Amiga Magazine)

September, SuperMemo 7 is awarded at Softarg

December, SuperMemo becomes the first ever Polish software reviewed in Byte International

December, SuperMemo 7 is awarded in Product of the Year 1993

1994

January, SuperMemo is voted 4-th most popular Polish software by readers of Polish PC World (behind anti-virus and word- processing products)

March, SuperMemo for Amiga is voted the Product of the Year 1993 among Polish software for Amiga by readers of Amiga Magazine

March, SuperMemo World displays SuperMemo 7.3 at CeBIT '94

March, SuperMemo is awarded for the best value/price ratio by the CENA/VYKON journal, Czech Republic

May, SuperMemo 7 is awarded a prestigious Gold Medal at Infosystem Computer Fair in Poznan

July, 10,000-th copy of SuperMemo has been sold

August, SuperMemo USA, Inc. publishes SuperMemo 7.4 on CD-ROM, including the audio release of Advanced English best-seller. This title becomes the first Polish Windows software title on CD-ROM ever

September, SuperMemo World is granted the special award of the fair's president at Softarg and receives a free display at Softarg 1995

September, SuperMemo World signs its first OEM bundling deal with JTT, second largest computer-maker in Poland

October, SuperMemo World publishes the European release of SuperMemo on CD-ROM

October, SuperMemo 7.2 tops the ranking of best-selling software sold on illegal software market, ahead of Microsoft Word 6.0 and Microsoft Works 3.0 (PC World Komputer, Vol. 11, 1994)

November, Economics of learning lays the theoretical foundations for SuperMemo 8

December, SuperMemo for Windows receives the Reader's Choice distinction from PC World Komputer (Vol. 12, 1994) by being voted second most popular Polish software in Poland and the most popular Polish software for Windows in Poland

1995

January, Borland’s Delphi 1.0 is chosen over Borland C++ and Visual C++ as the development language for SuperMemo 8.0

January, SuperMemo 6 is released as freeware

February, SuperMemo receives a positive review in the most prestigious European journal: German Chip

March, releasing SuperMemo for MacIntosh

March, SuperMemo Worlds displays its Multilingual SuperMemo 7.5 CD-ROM at CeBIT'95

April, SuperMemo World signs a comprehensive OEM deal with Optimus, the greatest computer-maker in Poland

May, 30,000-th copy of SuperMemo has been sold

September, five hundred beta-testers get their hands on a Pre-Release CD-ROM with the first hypermedia precursor of SuperMemo 8.0.

November, SuperMemo World is the first Polish company ever to display its products at Comdex in Las Vegas

1996

January, SuperMemo is voted the best Polish application by readers of PC World, Komputer

January, first SuperMemo hypermedia CD-ROM title is released: Video English (with Genius 1.0, early precursor of SuperMemo 8.0)

September, Cross Country hypermedia best-seller CD-ROM is released (with Genius 2.0, precursor of SuperMemo 8.0)

Septemer, precursor of SuperMemo 8, Genius 2.0, receives its first award as the hypermedia authoring tool at Softarg, Poland

October, 60,000 readers of CHIP in Poland receive a CD-ROM with the full version of the hypermedia authoring SuperMemo with a demo of Cross Country

November, first Polish multimedia encyclopedia CD-ROM is released together with hypermedia SuperMemo as an integrated tool for learning selected encyclopedic material

1997

January, Polish PWN Encyclopedia with SuperMemo is voted the most popular Polish software product by readers of PC Kurier

January, SuperMemo World, Polish vetaran of CeBIT and the first Polish company present at Comdex makes a strategic conversion towards Internet away from major software fairs

January, SuperMemo Web site is inaugurated (www.SuperMemo.com)

February, SuperMemo 8.0 enters beta-testing.

May, releasing SuperMemo 8.0 (first commercial title: Deine Chancen in Deutsch)

November, releasing Advanced English 97 with SuperMemo 8.3 - the best SuperMemo product ever

1998

January - SuperMemo 8 is chosen Product of the Year by journalists of PC Kurier, Poland (ahead of Internet Explorer 4.0PL!)

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