https://placing.technology/more-media-archaeology-mapinfo-mapxpress-2-0-1996-and-mapinfo-pro-1996 I blogged about using Windows 95 GIS software (some very good screenshots of crunchy graphics included)
@ingrid
So I started on MapInfo Pro 6.5, with deciBel Planner as an overlay back in 2002. I used the standard Street Pro data sets along with some 20m elevation grid data for terrain analysis. I think we also used MapXtreme to create some web maps and online geocoding for coverage analysis.. Whew that was a while ago!
Current MapInfo tab files should still work in older versions, or at least MID/MIF import will work for sure! I still have to use MapInfo at my current job. Not much at all and unusually lean to QGIS if I can but sometimes it is actually easier to do things in MapInfo (for me anyway).
@paulgatling wow! What were the Street Pro data sets? And do you know why your job(s) went with using MapInfo?
@paulgatling oh the wireless coverage simulator is an interesting angle! I know Avenue afforded users some customized functionality for ArcView but it does seem like MapInfo had a pretty robust third-party tools ecosystem (moreso than Esri? unclear)
@ingrid
StreetPro was their product name for their various map layer data sets they'd sell. I found it was split up into an individual State level or the entire USA. I did not deal with datasets outside of the USA. So it would be things like roads, highways, interstates, county and city boundaries, zip codes maybe? State boundaries, airports, bodies of water, railroads.. This sort of thing.
I assume price was a factor for choice but also their were looking for a wireless coverage simulator and I'm guessing at that time there were not many choices.