10.03.05
CorelDRAW
CorelDRAW is a vector graphics editor developed and marketed by Corel Corporation of Ottawa, Canada.
CorelDRAW was originally developed for Microsoft Windows but a Macintosh version was released some years later.
CorelDRAW came into its own with Microsoft’s release of Windows 3.1. Although a 16-bit application, the inclusion of TrueType in Windows 3.1 transformed CorelDRAW into a serious illustration program capable of quality typography.
At one time, a Linux version of CorelDRAW was available, but it was subsequently discontinued. The latest version 12 is available for Windows only.
In 1984, Dr. Michael Cowpland founded Corel and hired software engineers Michel Boullion and Pat Beirne to develop a vector-based illustration program (1987 start, 1989 release) to bundle with the Intel-based desktop publishing (DTP) systems Corel was selling. The program was well received and Corel soon focused on software alone.
Several innovations to vector-based illustration originated with CorelDRAW: a node-edit tool that operates differently on different objects, fit text-to-path, stroke-before-fill, quick fill/stroke color selection palettes, perspective projections and complex gradient fills. Corel also pioneered the inclusion of a large range of fonts and clip-art with the package.
Around the same time, as additional components were developed and acquired (Corel Trace, Corel Texture, Corel Photo-Paint, etc.) CorelDRAW was marketed as a graphics software suite.