About
Runtime86 is run by Gary, who learned to program when these systems were new.
I started on GW-BASIC and BASICA, then moved through dBase III and IV, Clipper '87, and FoxPro from version 1.02 through to 2.6. When Windows arrived, I built in Delphi from version 1 to 7. In other words, I wrote the kind of software many UK businesses still depend on today.
Alongside that, I spent years building integrations with Sage, from Sage Line 50 and Sage 200 through to the enterprise systems, Sage Line 500 and Sage 1000, connecting accounts to the rest of the business.
Since then my work has moved on to modern platforms: Python and web applications, Odoo, CRM systems, telephony and call-recording integrations, and workflow automation. That's the combination that makes Runtime86 different. I can read how your old system really works, and I know what modern tools can replace it with.
I set up Runtime86 because I kept meeting businesses in the same position: a system that has quietly run the company for twenty or thirty years, nobody left who understands it, and no-one offering a sensible, affordable way forward. The answer is rarely a big, expensive rewrite. Usually it's a careful, step-by-step plan, done by someone who knows both ends.