It was formed in April 1987, and for a time, it was considered as the most popular trade organization for independent software developers and vendors.
[1] The ASP developed and maintain the Portable Application Description (PAD) format used to allow software authors to provide product descriptions and specifications to online sources in a standard way.
The PAD system is popular because web sites can pull updated data from a single file stored on the software author's site.
The ASP also played a role in making FILE_ID.DIZ files a de facto standard.
[2] After a 34-year run, the ASP announced on their website about their decision to cease operations on December 31, 2021, following a membership decision to dissolve the organization.