Karelia Software
Encyclopedia
Karelia Software, or Karelia is a software company with a headquarters in Alameda, California
that claims to pioneer the desktop Web application market. It was founded by Dan Wood and later joined by Terrence Talbot. The company derives its name from the Karelia Suite
of classical music by Jean Sibelius
. The name can also refer to Karelia
, a historical province in eastern Finland
.
Wood was later invited to a meeting at Apple, in which he was shown a demo of Sherlock 3, which incorporated the same look and nearly all of the modules featured in Watson. After voicing his displeasure to Apple Developer Relations, Wood received a phone call from Steve Jobs
, during which Jobs indicated that he saw Karelia as the handcar in the way of the steam train that owns the tracks (a very similar experience to that of Cabel Sasser of Panic Software
). Despite this setback, Karelia Software has continued to create popular Mac software and has since incorporated the train tracks and handcar into their logo.
When Apple introduced Sherlock 3 at the World Wide Developer's Conference the following May, the similarities to Watson were striking. User support for Karelia and the Watson program remained high, due in part to the poor user response to the slow speed and restrictions of Sherlock 3.
Dan Wood worked with Sun Microsystems in late 2003 in an attempt to develop to port Watson to Java. The project was later cancelled, allowing Wood and the Karelia team to return full time to the development of Mac OS X applications.
Karelia's next Macintosh application was the popular and well-received Sandvox
for web design. Sandvox was released as a public beta in January 2006, Sandvox 1.0 was announced in May 2006, and Sandvox 1.2 won the runner-up Apple Design Award
for Best Mac OS X User Experience in 2007.
Alameda, California
Alameda is a city in Alameda County, California, United States. It is located on Alameda Island and Bay Farm Island, and is adjacent to Oakland in the San Francisco Bay. The Bay Farm Island portion of the city is adjacent to the Oakland International Airport. At the 2010 census, the city had a...
that claims to pioneer the desktop Web application market. It was founded by Dan Wood and later joined by Terrence Talbot. The company derives its name from the Karelia Suite
Karelia Suite
The Karelia Suite, Op. 11, is a collection of orchestral pieces composed by the Finnish composer Jean Sibelius.The pieces in this suite are drawn from several independent works he wrote in 1893 for a patriotic historical pageant to be presented by students of the University of Helsinki in Viipuri,...
of classical music by Jean Sibelius
Jean Sibelius
Jean Sibelius was a Finnish composer of the later Romantic period whose music played an important role in the formation of the Finnish national identity. His mastery of the orchestra has been described as "prodigious."...
. The name can also refer to Karelia
Karelia
Karelia , the land of the Karelian peoples, is an area in Northern Europe of historical significance for Finland, Russia, and Sweden...
, a historical province in eastern Finland
Finland
Finland , officially the Republic of Finland, is a Nordic country situated in the Fennoscandian region of Northern Europe. It is bordered by Sweden in the west, Norway in the north and Russia in the east, while Estonia lies to its south across the Gulf of Finland.Around 5.4 million people reside...
.
Active products
- SandvoxSandvoxSandvox is a WYSIWYG template-based website creation tool by Karelia Software, based around WebKit. Released May 16, 2006, it competes directly with Apple's iWeb and Realmac's RapidWeaver. Sandvox can be purchased with either a Regular or Pro license...
, a new website creation tool for Mac OS XMac OS XMac OS X is a series of Unix-based operating systems and graphical user interfaces developed, marketed, and sold by Apple Inc. Since 2002, has been included with all new Macintosh computer systems...
, released in May 2006. - iMedia Browser, a freeware media library program for Mac OS X 10.4 or later.
Discontinued products
- WatsonKarelia WatsonWatson is a software program released by Karelia Software for the Apple Macintosh on November 27, 2001, which provided Internet content through a familiar Mac OS X-like interface through the use of plug-ins....
, an Internet browsing and searching utility for Mac OS X, similar to AppleApple ComputerApple Inc. is an American multinational corporation that designs and markets consumer electronics, computer software, and personal computers. The company's best-known hardware products include the Macintosh line of computers, the iPod, the iPhone and the iPad...
's SherlockSherlock (software)Sherlock, named after Sherlock Holmes, was a file and web search tool created by Apple Inc. for the Mac OS, introduced with Mac OS 8.5 as an extension of the Mac OS Finder's file searching capabilities. Like its predecessor, it can search for local files and file contents, which it does using the...
. - TuneFinder, a melody finder for Mac OSMac OSMac OS is a series of graphical user interface-based operating systems developed by Apple Inc. for their Macintosh line of computer systems. The Macintosh user experience is credited with popularizing the graphical user interface...
and Mac OS X (issued as an early development preview).
Company History
The Karelia logo was inspired by events that occurred shortly after Dan Wood created Watson. The application was designed as a complement to Apple's existing Sherlock 2 application, providing users various plug-ins to view specific internet content. Watson was released in November 2001, and the popularity of the program grew quickly.Wood was later invited to a meeting at Apple, in which he was shown a demo of Sherlock 3, which incorporated the same look and nearly all of the modules featured in Watson. After voicing his displeasure to Apple Developer Relations, Wood received a phone call from Steve Jobs
Steve Jobs
Steven Paul Jobs was an American businessman and inventor widely recognized as a charismatic pioneer of the personal computer revolution. He was co-founder, chairman, and chief executive officer of Apple Inc...
, during which Jobs indicated that he saw Karelia as the handcar in the way of the steam train that owns the tracks (a very similar experience to that of Cabel Sasser of Panic Software
Panic (company)
Panic is an Oregon-based American software company that specializes in shareware applications for Mac OS X. It was founded by Steven Frank and Cabel Sasser....
). Despite this setback, Karelia Software has continued to create popular Mac software and has since incorporated the train tracks and handcar into their logo.
When Apple introduced Sherlock 3 at the World Wide Developer's Conference the following May, the similarities to Watson were striking. User support for Karelia and the Watson program remained high, due in part to the poor user response to the slow speed and restrictions of Sherlock 3.
Dan Wood worked with Sun Microsystems in late 2003 in an attempt to develop to port Watson to Java. The project was later cancelled, allowing Wood and the Karelia team to return full time to the development of Mac OS X applications.
Karelia's next Macintosh application was the popular and well-received Sandvox
Sandvox
Sandvox is a WYSIWYG template-based website creation tool by Karelia Software, based around WebKit. Released May 16, 2006, it competes directly with Apple's iWeb and Realmac's RapidWeaver. Sandvox can be purchased with either a Regular or Pro license...
for web design. Sandvox was released as a public beta in January 2006, Sandvox 1.0 was announced in May 2006, and Sandvox 1.2 won the runner-up Apple Design Award
Apple Design Awards
The Apple Design Awards is a special event hosted by Apple Inc. at its annual Worldwide Developers Conference. The event is meant to recognize the best and most innovative Macintosh and iOS software and hardware produced by independent developers, as well as the best and most creative uses of...
for Best Mac OS X User Experience in 2007.