About Andrew Fluegelman
Lived 1943 – 1985 (aged 41). Andrew Fluegelman was an American programmer, lawyer, inventor, journalist, computer scientist and engineer.
Andrew Cardozo Fluegelman (November 27, 1943 – July 6, 1985) was an American publisher, photographer, programmer and attorney best known as a pioneer of what is now known as the shareware business model for software marketing. He was also the founding editor of both PC World and Macworld and the leader of the 1970s New Games movement, which advocated the development of noncompetitive games.
Early life Fluegelman was raised in White Plains, New York. He graduated from Yale University in 1969. He resigned in 1972 without any particular plan about his future. despite never having used a computer before that year. He recalled "I spent the first month [programming], and I loved it".
Shareware In 1982 Fluegelman developed PC-Talk, a very popular and successful communications program. He marketed it under a system he called "Freeware" and became known as shareware, which he characterized as "an experiment in economics more than altruism". PC-Talk was licensed under terms that encouraged users to make voluntary payments for the software, and it allowed users to copy and redistribute the software freely as long as the license terms and text were not altered. He collaborated with PC-File developer Jim Knopf to adopt similar names (PC-File was originally "Easy-File"), and prices, for their initial shareware offerings; they also agreed to mention each other's products in their program's documentation.
Magazine editor Fluegelman edited PC World magazine from its introduction in 1982 until 1985, and Macworld magazine from its introduction in 1984 until 1985.
Works Books edited The Headlands Press produced books and negotiated publishing contracts for them with major publishers. Many of the books were designed by Howard Jacobsen and produced by his company, Community Type and Design. This list is arranged by year of book publication: The New Games Book Edited by Andrew Fluegelman and Shoshana Tembeck. A Headlands Press Book, Dolphin/Doubleday (1976).
A Traveler's Guide to El Dorado & the Inca Empire By Meisch, Lynn. A Headlands Press Book. Publisher: Penguin Books New York (1977).
Familiar Subjects: Polaroid SX-70 Impressions By Norman Locks. A Headlands Press Book. HARPER & ROW, PUBLISHERS, San Francisco (1978).
How to Make and Sell Your Own Record By Diane Sward Rapaport. A Headlands Press Book. Putnam, Prentice-Hall (1979).
How to watch a football game By Frank Barrett; Lynn Barrett. Publisher: New York: Holt, Rinehart, and Winston (1980).
Worksteads: Living and Working in the Same Place By Jeremy Joan Hewes. The Headlands Press, Inc., San Francisco. Doubleday (1981).
More New Games By The New Games Foundation. Main Street Books New York: Dolphin Books/Doubleday & Company (1981).
SUSHI By Mia Detrick, Illustrated by Kathryn Kleinman A Headlands Press Book. Chronicle Books LLC (1983)
Books co-authored Writing in the Computer Age: Word Processing Skills and Style for Every Writer By Andrew Fluegelman and Jeremy Joan Hewes. Anchor Press/Doubleday Publishing Group (1983)
Photography Mime: A Playbook of Silent Fantasy By Kay Hamblin. The Doubleday Publishing Group (1978)
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Important facts
People in Andrew Fluegelman's life
Named in this biography and alive at the same time
Contemporaries
People whose lives overlapped Andrew Fluegelman's
Frequently asked questions
Who was Andrew Fluegelman?
American publisher (1943-1985)
When was Andrew Fluegelman born?
Andrew Fluegelman was born on 27 November 1943.
When did Andrew Fluegelman die?
Andrew Fluegelman died on 6 July 1985 in Tiburon.
What was Andrew Fluegelman's occupation?
Andrew Fluegelman was a programmer, lawyer, inventor, journalist, computer scientist and engineer.
What nationality was Andrew Fluegelman?
Andrew Fluegelman was American.
Sources & further reading
· Wikipedia: Andrew Fluegelman
Cite this page
APA: Biography.guide. (2026). Andrew Fluegelman. https://biography.guide/andrew-fluegelman/
MLA: "Andrew Fluegelman." Biography.guide, https://biography.guide/andrew-fluegelman/.
Chicago: "Andrew Fluegelman." Biography.guide. https://biography.guide/andrew-fluegelman/.
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