s , ▁focus ers ▁and ▁imag ing ▁devices ▁in ▁a ▁Microsoft ▁Windows ▁environment . ▁ ▁History ▁AS COM ▁was ▁invent ed ▁in ▁late ▁ 1 9 9 7 ▁and ▁early ▁ 1 9 9 8 ▁by ▁Bob ▁Den ny , ▁when ▁he ▁released ▁two ▁commercial ▁programs ▁and ▁several ▁fre ew are ▁util ities ▁that ▁show c ased ▁the ▁technology . ▁He ▁also ▁induced ▁Doug ▁George ▁to ▁include ▁AS COM ▁capabilities ▁in ▁commercial ▁C CD ▁camera ▁control ▁software . ▁ ▁The ▁first ▁observ atory ▁to ▁adopt ▁AS COM ▁was ▁J unk ▁Bond ▁Observ atory , ▁in ▁early ▁ 1 9 9 8 . ▁It ▁was ▁used ▁at ▁this ▁facility ▁to ▁implement ▁a ▁robot ic ▁teles cope ▁dedicated ▁to ▁obser ving ▁astero ids . ▁The ▁successful ▁use ▁of ▁AS COM ▁there ▁was ▁covered ▁in ▁an ▁article ▁in ▁Sky ▁& ▁T eles cope ▁magazine . ▁This ▁helped ▁AS COM ▁to ▁become ▁more ▁widely ▁adopted . ▁ ▁The ▁AS COM ▁standards ▁were ▁placed ▁under ▁the ▁control ▁of ▁the ▁AS COM ▁In iti ative , ▁a ▁group ▁of ▁astronom y ▁software ▁developers ▁who ▁volunte ered ▁to ▁develop ▁the ▁standards ▁further . ▁Under ▁the ▁influence ▁of ▁Den ny , ▁George , ▁Tim ▁Long , ▁and ▁others , ▁AS COM ▁developed ▁into ▁a ▁set ▁of ▁device ▁driver ▁standards . ▁In ▁ 2 0 0 4 , ▁over ▁ 1 5 0 ▁astronom y - related ▁devices ▁were ▁supported ▁by ▁AS COM ▁device ▁drivers , ▁which ▁were ▁released ▁as ▁fre ew are . ▁Most ▁of ▁the ▁drivers ▁are ▁also ▁open ▁source