The Micro Focus acquisition of Borland marks the end of one of the more bizarre companies that I’ve dealt with for Software Development Times.

I’ve written a number of stories in the last two-and-a-half years about Borland, mostly about the company’s Open ALM products and other announcements. While the company's individual PR folks were usually friendly, their overall accessibility always seemed a bit inconsistent. Borland representatives would leap across buildings to get you information about “happy” Borland news, but they would close up like a castle gate if it was something that wasn’t as positive (and there were plenty of those stories).

As soon as I began as an editor with SD Times in late 2006, I remember my colleagues going on about how Borland’s message was constantly changing. I heard and read about how the company’s product revenues were declining even while other technology companies were rebounding. There was also talk about a lack of innovative products and poor marketing.

There were a number of questionable acquisitions and business decisions through Borland’s history. In early 2006, Borland divested its IDE business to become fully involved in the ALM dance. 

Analyst and SD Times columnist Andrew Binstock called the acquisitions of database provider Ashton-Tate and Ansa Software “disastrous.”

Additionally, there was a wacky name change, with the Artist Formerly Known as Borland becoming Inprise Corp. (short for “Integrating the Enterprise”). That lasted until 2001, when the Inprise name was abandoned—although it’s not as easy to abandon embarrassment. During that time, there was also a bit of CEO musical chairs, with Del Yocam and Dale Fuller both taking up the title for periods of time.

Through much of the current decade, Borland made numerous spinoffs and acquisitions, but none more prominent than the one announced today.

So it has been a turbulent 26 years for a company that SD Times bossman Alan Zeichick said “once had the best brand in software development.” And onward this cat shall go into its next life. It seems to have used up the previous nine.

Borland: 1983-2009 R.I.P.