STAGECAST TO BRING APPLE’S COCOA
TECHNOLOGY TO MARKET
Startup Licenses Proven Authoring Technology for Kids
Palo Alto, Calif., October 13, 1997 — Stagecast Software, Inc., a K-12
software company, announced today that it will develop commercial products
based on Apple Computer Inc.’s Cocoa technology. Due to recent changes at
Apple, the computer company discontinued commercial development of Cocoa.
Members of the original Apple development team formed Stagecast to further
their dream of creating a product line that takes advantage of the simple
graphical programming technology first demonstrated in Cocoa.
David Smith and Allen Cypher, two of Stagecast’s founders, were key Cocoa
researchers and inventors while at Apple. “We designed Cocoa to be as much
fun as a video game, but with challenges that develop thinking and
communication skills,” said Smith. “Our products will exercise kids’ minds,
not their thumbs.” Cypher alluded to studies indicating that children are
spending less time in front of the television and more working with
computers. “Our goal is to develop products that replace watching time with
thinking time,” he said.
“A child having fun with Cocoa is exercising skills that will be useful in
school, life, and career,” said Larry Tesler, president of Stagecast and
former chief scientist of Apple. “Stagecast will develop cross-platform
products that strike a balance between the fun factor required by children
and the skill development factor desired by parents and teachers.”
Mike Lorion, vice president of education, Apple Computer, Inc., said,
“Apple has demonstrated Cocoa research prototypes to many educators and the
response was enthusiastic. By working with Stagecast to bring Cocoa
technology to market we are delivering a great tool for educators and are
confident that Stagecast will fully realize the great promise of this
technology.”
Cocoa is an authoring tool and player for desktop and web-based children’s
software. Apple Computer currently distributes a research prototype of the
software tool. Apple’s latest design release of Cocoa for the MacOS,
version DR2, has been available as a free, unsupported prototype from
Apple’s web site since July 1997. Version DR2 is now available for free
download from Stagecast’s web site at http://www.stagecast.com and from
Apple’s web site http://cocoa.apple.com.
Stagecast Software, Inc., headquartered in Palo Alto, California, develops
and markets software for K-12 learning activities.
To arrange interviews or for more information, contact Marsha Keeffer or
Bruce Roseman at Brough Communications by phone or e-mail.
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Bruce Brough/Marsha Keeffer/Bruce Roseman
Brough Communications
Tel: (408) 430-0100
Fax: (408) 438-0204
Email: bruce@brough.com / marsha@brough.com / brucer@brough.com
Karl May
Stagecast Software, Inc.
Tel: (650) 614-9111 ext 3
Fax: (650) 614-9119
Email: kmay@stagecast.com