System Builder originally owned by Computermatic PL was started in a garden shed in
South Africa by first cousins Neill and Derek Miller in 1982. The popularity of the
Pick database system, combined with a lack of a good development framework led them to develop a tool to build standard menus and screens. The product was very successful and after expanding into international markets and after a few versions they began to re-develop the product from the ground up. This was to become SB+ and was released in early 1990. Traditionally, up to this time, Pick systems were accessed using green-screen terminals like the
Wyse60 or
VT100 but with the rise of the
PC a new paradigm presented itself and so around the end of 1991 the product was enhanced with the addition of a specialised terminal emulation client called Termulator! This was able to tightly integrate the server and the PC to allow for facilities like downloads direct from the server into
Lotus 1-2-3 or the new kid on the block,
Microsoft Excel. Shortly after, the client program was renamed SBClient and the ability to develop and render screens in either character or
GUI mode. Having been bought by Unidata Corporation in 1996, and following Unidata's merger with
VMark Software Inc to form Ardent Software in 1998, the SystemBuilder product set came under the ownership of
Informix in 2000 following their purchase of Ardent Software for its
Datastage product. Subsequently, in 2001 Informix themselves were bought by
IBM, and the U2 and SystemBuilder products eventually found their way to become part of IBM's Data Management portfolio. Development of the SystemBuilder and
RedBack products continued in Sydney until 2005, when they were merged with the U2 development team located in
Denver, United States. On 1 October 2009, Rocket Software announced the purchase of the entire U2 suite, which includes SystemBuilder, from IBM. ==The SystemBuilder Development Environment==