Software Bisque History, Innovations, and Milestones

The table below shows a timeline of Software Bisque benchmarks since 1983.

YearEvent
2021TheSky Professional for Windows OS 64-bit released
Paramount Taurus 700 equatorial fork mount
Paramount Apollo 800 altazimuth mount
2019TheSky Imaging bundle
TheSky Fusion
Paramount Taurus 500/600 equatorial fork mount
Paramount Apollo 500/600 altazimuth mount
2017Software Bisque acquires TPoint Software
2016– TheSkyX Professional Edition for Linux and TheSky Professional Edition for Raspberry Pi -released (December).
– Paramount Taurus Model 400 Equatorial Mount introduced at the Society for Astronomical Sciences Symposium and the Southern California Astronomy Exposition (June).
2015– Paramount Taurus Equatorial Fork Mount Models 500 and 600 introduced at the AMOS Conference (September).
– Software Bisque telescope mirror covers demonstrated at the AMOS Conference (September).
– Paramount MYT reviewed in the November, 2015 issue of Sky & Telescope Magazine.
2014-Paramount MYT begins shipping (November).
-Paramount MX+ begins shipping (June).
-Software Bisque introduces and demonstrates TheSky Pro for embedded Linux at RTMC.
2013 – Paramount ME II begins shipping (March).
– TheSky HD for iPad is released (October).
2012– TheSky Professional with autoguiding released at AIC (November).
2011– Paramount MX begins shipping.
– The TPoint module to TheSky released.
– The Dome module to TheSky Pro released.
2010-TheSky Professional Edition for Mac and Windows released. (May)
-TheSky’s Databases module introduced. (June)
2009TheSky Serious Astronomer for Mac released at Macworld (January)
2008 TheSky Student Edition for Mac released at Macworld (January)
2007– Seeker 3D solar system simulation software released (January 08 at MacWorld).
– Software Bisque issued patent US7313763 B1: “A system for operating an astronomical observatory in real time using http.”
– The Software Bisque technologies and team members are featured in Timothy Ferris’ Seeing in the Dark documentary.
2004 TheSky Version 6 released (April 16).
2002 Paramount ME begins shipping (April 9).
2001– CCDSoft Version 5 released (May 25).
– Dr. Charles Jules names the first of his 475 minor planet discoveries after the Bisque brothers.  The official IAU designation for this object 12934 Bisque (1999 TH16).
– The Minor Planet Bulletin, Volume 28, Number 4, A.D. 2001 October-December issue, publishes Software Bisque’s “Automated Minor Planet Light Curve Generation” article which satisfied both aspects of the Richard P. Binzel Challenge proposed in 1992.

Editor’s note: As of May 2023, Software Bisque has yet to take possession of the offered prizes.
2000– Paramount GT-1100S begins shipping
– TheSky Pocket Edition for Windows CE devices released.
1999Software Bisque presents the technical paper, “Leveraging Software To Make Highly Productive Robotic Telescope Systems” at the first Air Force Maui Optical Surveillance Technical Conference (AMOS) in Maui, HI.
1998TheSky Version 5 for Mac and Windows released (December).
1997– TPoint version 1 for Windows released.
– AutomaDome dome control software for Windows released.
1996– The Paramount GT-1100 is introduced at the first Advanced Imaging Conference in Santa Barbara, CA. (July 11, 1996)
– Software Bisque co-sponsors the Advanced Imaging Conference (AIC) with Santa Barbara Instruments Group (SBIG).
– TheSky Version 4 released.
– Orchestrate Automation and Scripting Software released.
1995CCDSoft Version 4 released.
Software Bisque publishes the Focus, Optics, Seeing, Tracking, Experience, and Review (FOSTER) CCD Imaging book.
1994 TheSky Version 2 released.
1993– CCDSoft Version 1 released.
– Software Bisque remotely controls the Mt. Wilson Observatory 24-inch telescope and camera via modem from Golden, Colorado.
1992TheSky for Windows ad appears in Sky & Telescope Magazine.
1990 TheSky version 1 for Windows 3.0 released.
1989– Computer-Assist Services incorporates as Software Bisque, Inc.
– Steve Bisque invents the push to or software-guided telescope (SGT) by mounting optical encoders to both axes of a telescope.  A serial decoder (Software Bisque’s BBox) fed the encoder’s positions to TheSky.
1983Steve Bisque releases The_Sky version 1.0 for MS-DOS.
1981Steve Bisque founds Computer-Assist Services that focuses on developing custom financial software.