Episode 21 Great Challenges

Serious bugs Heartrending recall　
Development of Ichitaro Ver. 4 was “too rushed”

As I mentioned previously, we adopted the strategy of releasing updates of “Ichitaro” successively based on user feedback from the very beginning of its release, so that other companies would not be able to catch up. Each update was devised and improved upon, but the most memorable for me was Version 4, or to be more precise, its improved version, i.e., Version 4.3.

The number “4.3” is still the first thing that comes to mind when I think of Ichitaro.

“Lights are usually followed by shadows.” is certainly well said. Although we had established ourselves as a market leader in the development of Japanese word-processing software, what followed was a great challenge for us.

Ichitaro Version 3, nicknamed “Santaro,” was a huge hit, selling 310,000 units. Version 4, released in April 1989, nearly two years after the release of Version 3, included features that set it apart from Ichitaro’s previous versions.

Version 4 features a window system named “Just Window,” which allows users to simultaneously use the “Hanako” graphics software and the “Goro” database management software on a single screen. With Ichitaro at the center of the system, various applications could be added later.
It is by no means a condensed idea of various functions. Users of word processors may want to use the mouse to draw pictures, and they may find it even more convenient to be able to use spreadsheet software. Ichitaro Version 4 anticipated such user needs.

We had already envisioned and developed this ambitious software for the kind of use that is commonplace in today’s personal computers. However, there was one major problem.
At that time, most PCs had 640 kilobytes of internal memory as the mainstream. Although this was sufficient for features up to Version 3, it was not enough to enable full use of Version 4, which had evolved to a level similar to that of basic OS-like software.

Therefore, we developed and released our own memory board, which cost 80,000 yen and was subject to much criticism. This was the result of Version 4’s functions being a little too far ahead of its time. Nevertheless, Version 4 sold well from its initial release. The users who supported the ambitious features we included were a major driving force for us.

But the problem we faced was not only a lack of hardware capacity. A more serious situation was about to occur.

Shortly after the release of Version 4, the support center began receiving complaints from users one after another. Most of them reported that their PCs suddenly stopped working while they were using Ichitaro on their PCs. This was due to several bugs in the Ichitaro Version 4 program.

As the day wore on, the phone rang off the hook. The support center and sales staff helped us deal with the situation, but all we could do was apologize to the users.

In fact, we had circumstances that compelled us to rush the development of Version 4. This was because it had been decided that this would be installed as a standard program on the “PROSET” personal computers manufactured by Hitachi, so we needed to develop it in time for its release date.
But that is no excuse. I gathered all the employees and bowed my head, saying, “I am responsible for all this because I rushed the release. I apologize to everyone.”

Thus, the decision was made to recall Version 4 from the stores. It was a heartrending decision to make, but the true value of a company should be demonstrated in responses in times like these. Then began a concerted effort by all the employees to recover the lost ground.

A concerted effort by all the employees to fix the bugs.