Fog Creek Software
Encyclopedia
Fog Creek Software is a software company specializing in project management tools. Its main products are FogBugz
, a web-based project management tool, Fog Creek Copilot
, a remote assistance tool, CityDesk
, a desktop-based content management system
, Kiln, a source control
and code review
tool built around Mercurial
, and StackExchange, which allows anyone to create Q&A-style website
s using the same underlying platform as Stack Overflow
.
Based in New York City
, Fog Creek was founded in 2000 as a consulting company by Joel Spolsky
, author of the blog
Joel on Software, and his friend Michael Pryor. As the consulting market started to dry up due to the collapse of the Dot-com bubble
, Fog Creek moved to a product-based business, releasing FogBugz and CityDesk in 2001.
In 2005, Fog Creek released Fog Creek Copilot, along with a documentary detailing the development process of the interns who created it.
Manhattan
, was custom designed by architect Roy Leone. It featured angled walls to allow programmers a window next to their computer monitor to reduce eye strain
.
Fog Creek's new offices, located in the Financial District
of Manhattan
have been similarly designed, this time with adjustable height desks, a library
, and fully stocked kitchen
.
FogBugz
FogBugz is an integrated web-based project management system featuring bug/issue tracking, discussion forums, wikis, customer relationship management, and Evidence Based Scheduling developed by Fog Creek Software....
, a web-based project management tool, Fog Creek Copilot
Fog Creek Copilot
Fog Creek Copilot is a remote assistance service offered by Fog Creek Software. It launched on August 8, 2005.Originally known as Project Aardvark, Fog Creek Copilot was developed by a group of summer interns at Fog Creek Software...
, a remote assistance tool, CityDesk
CityDesk
CityDesk is a proprietary Content Management System created by Fog Creek Software, which was founded by well-known blogger, author and software usability specialist Joel Spolsky....
, a desktop-based content management system
Content management system
A content management system is a system providing a collection of procedures used to manage work flow in a collaborative environment. These procedures can be manual or computer-based...
, Kiln, a source control
Revision control
Revision control, also known as version control and source control , is the management of changes to documents, programs, and other information stored as computer files. It is most commonly used in software development, where a team of people may change the same files...
and code review
Code review
Code review is systematic examination of computer source code. It is intended to find and fix mistakes overlooked in the initial development phase, improving both the overall quality of software and the developers' skills...
tool built around Mercurial
Mercurial
Mercurial is a cross-platform, distributed revision control tool for software developers. It is mainly implemented using the Python programming language, but includes a binary diff implementation written in C. It is supported on Windows and Unix-like systems, such as FreeBSD, Mac OS X and Linux...
, and StackExchange, which allows anyone to create Q&A-style website
Website
A website, also written as Web site, web site, or simply site, is a collection of related web pages containing images, videos or other digital assets. A website is hosted on at least one web server, accessible via a network such as the Internet or a private local area network through an Internet...
s using the same underlying platform as Stack Overflow
Stack overflow
In software, a stack overflow occurs when too much memory is used on the call stack. The call stack contains a limited amount of memory, often determined at the start of the program. The size of the call stack depends on many factors, including the programming language, machine architecture,...
.
Based in New York City
New York City
New York is the most populous city in the United States and the center of the New York Metropolitan Area, one of the most populous metropolitan areas in the world. New York exerts a significant impact upon global commerce, finance, media, art, fashion, research, technology, education, and...
, Fog Creek was founded in 2000 as a consulting company by Joel Spolsky
Joel Spolsky
Avram Joel Spolsky is a software engineer and writer. He is the author of Joel on Software, a blog on software development. He was a Program Manager on the Microsoft Excel team between 1991 and 1994. He later founded Fog Creek Software in 2000 and launched the Joel on Software blog...
, author of the blog
Blog
A blog is a type of website or part of a website supposed to be updated with new content from time to time. Blogs are usually maintained by an individual with regular entries of commentary, descriptions of events, or other material such as graphics or video. Entries are commonly displayed in...
Joel on Software, and his friend Michael Pryor. As the consulting market started to dry up due to the collapse of the Dot-com bubble
Dot-com bubble
The dot-com bubble was a speculative bubble covering roughly 1995–2000 during which stock markets in industrialized nations saw their equity value rise rapidly from growth in the more...
, Fog Creek moved to a product-based business, releasing FogBugz and CityDesk in 2001.
In 2005, Fog Creek released Fog Creek Copilot, along with a documentary detailing the development process of the interns who created it.
Offices
Fog Creek is known for its unique offices. One of the company's main goals is to make the best programming work space possible. Its first large office, in MidtownMidtown Manhattan
Midtown Manhattan, or simply Midtown, is an area of Manhattan, New York City home to world-famous commercial zones such as Rockefeller Center, Broadway, and Times Square...
Manhattan
Manhattan
Manhattan is the oldest and the most densely populated of the five boroughs of New York City. Located primarily on the island of Manhattan at the mouth of the Hudson River, the boundaries of the borough are identical to those of New York County, an original county of the state of New York...
, was custom designed by architect Roy Leone. It featured angled walls to allow programmers a window next to their computer monitor to reduce eye strain
Asthenopia
Asthenopia or eye strain is an ophthalmological condition that manifests itself through nonspecific symptoms such as fatigue, pain in or around the eyes, blurred vision, headache and occasional double vision...
.
Fog Creek's new offices, located in the Financial District
Financial District, Manhattan
The Financial District of New York City is a neighborhood on the southernmost section of the borough of Manhattan which comprises the offices and headquarters of many of the city's major financial institutions, including the New York Stock Exchange and the Federal Reserve Bank of New York...
of Manhattan
Manhattan
Manhattan is the oldest and the most densely populated of the five boroughs of New York City. Located primarily on the island of Manhattan at the mouth of the Hudson River, the boundaries of the borough are identical to those of New York County, an original county of the state of New York...
have been similarly designed, this time with adjustable height desks, a library
Library
In a traditional sense, a library is a large collection of books, and can refer to the place in which the collection is housed. Today, the term can refer to any collection, including digital sources, resources, and services...
, and fully stocked kitchen
Kitchen
A kitchen is a room or part of a room used for cooking and food preparation.In the West, a modern residential kitchen is typically equipped with a stove, a sink with hot and cold running water, a refrigerator and kitchen cabinets arranged according to a modular design. Many households have a...
.