Gaussian is a
computer program for
computational chemistry initially released in 1970 by
John Pople and his research group at Carnegie-Mellon University as Gaussian 70. It has been continuously updated since then. The name originates from Pople's use of
Gaussian orbitals to speed up calculations compared to those using
Slater-type orbitals, a choice made to improve performance on the limited computing capacities of then-current computer hardware for
Hartree–Fock calculations. The current version of the program is Gaussian 09. Originally available through the Quantum Chemistry Program Exchange, it was later licensed out of
Carnegie Mellon University, and since 1987 has been developed and licensed by Gaussian, Inc.