MAXQDA - The Art of Text Analysis


The history of MAXQDA

MAXQDA2007 is the youngest member of the MAX programs family and belongs to a handful of pioneer programs which gave qualitative researchers a computer based tool to analyze their data with. Today, MAXQDA is one of the leading programs for Qualitative Data Analysis worldwide and indispensable within the spectrum of professional tools.

A short timeline:

   
2008 An extensive licensing reform gives the users unparalleled flexibility: Aside from single-user- and network-licenses, which can be purchased as either unlimited (one-time purchase) or leasing versions, there are portable licenses which are based on an external hard drive (e.g. USB Flash drive). MAXQDA is available on any PC where the flash drive is plugged into.
2007 MAXDictio Version2 is released with heavily extended functionality.
2007 MAXQDA2007 is released: Aside from considerable extensions this version offers some sensational, innovative possibilities for the visualization: the TextPortrait, the Codeliner, and the Text-Comparison-Chart offer new insight into the data and supply the researcher with exciting potential for methodological innovation. The MAXQDA Visual Tools are second to none within the spectrum of QDA Software!
2005 MAXMaps is released, an add-on module for the graphical interpretation and presentation of the results of the analysis; it is completely integrated into MAXQDA.
2004 MAXQDA2 – with this version MAXQDA offers some elaborate visual tools for data presentation for the first time: The Code-Matrix-Browser and the Code-Relations-Browser. Furthermore, there are numerous export functions for HTML format available.
2003 MAXDictio is released: A program for dictionary based content analysis. As an optional add-on module, MAXDictio is completely integrated into MAXQDA.
2001 The sixth version is released: MAXQDA – this new version brings, aside from substantial extensions, the change to the .rtf format – and the change of the programs name
1998
bis
2000		 Continuous upgrading of the functionality with free Updates (implementation of drag&drop functions, shortcuts, and many others)
1997 The fifth version is released: winMAX 1997; this is the first version which contains visualization functions (e.g. the display of coding strips in the text margin).
1996 The fourth version is released with considerably extended functionality: winMAXpro
1995 The first English version is released.
1994 The third version is released: winMAX. This way, MAX switches from the DOS- to the more user-friendly Windows-level.
1992 An improved and extended version is released: MAX.txt. Within the context of the presentation of the Freie University Berlin it is being presented to a broad public during the renowned international computer fair CEBIT in Hannover, Germany.
1989 The first version is released under the name MAX. After multiple years of development the first PC program version (for the DOS Windows System) is released under the name MAX.

Our philosophy: From the beginning it has been one of the central ambitions to provide a user-friendly software. Even with all the priority on the functionality it was, and still is, important to us to make our tool easily accessible and as intuitive as possible. This includes a clearly structured, easy to comprehend user interface, taking-over established terminology from qualitative research, the provision of the program in different languages (German, English, Italian, Spanish, French, and Japanese), an excellent service, and many other things. Our constant goal: to provide a tool with MAXQDA that is leading the market in both technical AND academical aspects. The development of technical possibilities (especially hardware), as well as the development of the perspectives in empirical research, the convergence of different academic methodical paradigms (as, for example, “Mixed Methods” approaches) has been, and still is, an important catalyst for the development of MAXQDA.
Conclusively it can be said without boasting that MAXQDA is leading in terms of user-friendliness, methodically-reflected functionality, and innovation.

A short view on the history from the perspective of the author of MAXQDA, Prof. Dr. Udo Kuckartz:

“Everything began in the mid-eighties, a time when there were no PCs yet and one was still working with the generation of so-called Großrechner. Then, in the spring of 1989, the first version of MAX was released for the Personal Computer. The program was based on database technology (dBase and Clipper) and looked like it was customary for a DOS-program to look like at the time. With Lichtbalken, Escape- und Return-key, as well as the function keys and their virtuous application the program was tolerably manageable, at least more so than some programs for text analysis still are today. Almost annually, new and improved program versions were released.
In 1992, MAX was exhibited for the first time at the Computer Fair Cebit in Hannover at the “Research Market Berlin” booth and in the same year the book “Textanalysesysteme für die Sozialwissenschaften” by Udo Kuckartz was published by the Gustav Fischer Verlag Stuttgart.
The DOS-time was edging towards its end and the mouse became more and more of a helpful tool for working with computers. MAX was keeping up with the times - in contrast to the developers of the database software, on which MAX was based. Ashton Tate and Nantucket missed the signs of the time and because a Graphical User Interface was not possible with this technology, MAX was completely re- programmed as a C++ program.
In the fall of 1994 the first German Windows version of MAX was released under the name of winMAX – MAX for Windows, at the time the idea to keep devoloping the DOS-Version still existed.
A year later, in 1995, the English version of the program was released and, at the end of the year, an extended version, which also arranged for Teamwork-Functions and entering of Memos. The new program was called winMAXpro 96 - the older, slightly revised version was still available under the name of winMAX Basis.
winMAX 1997 was launched 18 months later with, among others, the innovation that Codings were displayed at the text. The English version appeared almost at the same time and was since distributed by Sage Publications London/Thousand Oaks. Between 1998 and 2000 regular updates were released with improved features that, among others, contained the moving of Codes via Drag-and-Drop.
MAXqda, similar to winMAX in 1994, presented a leap forwards because it was based on an extended text format: Rich Text Format (RTF). The decision for RTF caused a complete re-programming. Kept was not only the inner logic of the program which had been gradually developed over the course of 15 years but also the structure of the screen into four main windows. Everything else was new, with the integration of the program into the world of MS Office and Internet Explorer as the core focus.
In September of 2004 MAXqda2 was released - the new version was the consistent development of the program, based on the many experiences, feedback from workshops, and wishes of our users.
In February of 2007 finally, MAXQDA 2007 was presented.”