Computer Usage Company (CUC)

Computer Usage Company (1955�1986), sometimes called Computer Usage Corporation, was the first independent company to market computer software. Computer Usage Company (CUC) was founded in March 1955 by Elmer C. Kubie and John W. Sheldon. They had formerly worked together at IBM, and planned to offer services to help develop computer programs. The initial investment of US$40,000 supported the founders and a staff of five. Although the term software had been coined earlier as a prank, it did not appear in print until later. Before this time, software was developed either by the users of the computers, or the few commercial computer vendors of the time. CUC is generally considered the first company to develop software independently