FutureWave Software

FutureWave Software, Inc.
Company typePrivate
FoundedJanuary 22, 1993; 31 years ago (1993-01-22)
FounderCharlie Jackson
Jonathan Gay
DefunctDecember 1996 (1996-12)
FateAcquired by Macromedia
HeadquartersSan Diego, California, U.S.
Area served
United States

FutureWave Software, Inc.[1] was a software development company based in San Diego, California. The company was co-founded by Charlie Jackson and Jonathan Gay on January 22, 1993.[1][2] VP of Marketing was Linda Michelle Alsip, who also came from Silicon Beach Software, then Aldus Corporation.[3][4][5][6]

The company's first product was SmartSketch, a drawing program for the PenPoint OS and EO tablet computer. When pen computing did not take off, SmartSketch was ported to the Microsoft Windows and Macintosh platforms.[7]

As the Internet became more popular, FutureWave realized the potential for a vector-based web animation tool that might challenge Macromedia Shockwave technology.[3] In 1995, FutureWave modified SmartSketch by adding frame-by-frame animation features and re-released it as FutureSplash Animator on Macintosh and Windows.[3][8] By that time, the company had added a second programmer Robert Tatsumi, artist Adam Grofcsik, and PR specialist Ralph Mittman.[3]

In December 1996, FutureWave was acquired by Macromedia, who renamed the animation editor Macromedia Flash.[8]

  1. ^ a b "FUTUREWAVE SOFTWARE, INC. :: OpenCorporates". opencorporates.com. Retrieved 2019-01-02.
  2. ^ "The History of Flash: Back to Graphics". Archived from the original on 1 Jan 2015.
  3. ^ a b c d "Grandmasters of Flash: An Interview with the Creators of Flash". Cold Hard Flash. Archived from the original on 3 May 2008.
  4. ^ MACROMEDIA FLASH BACK, Digital Archaeology
  5. ^ PC Graphics & Video, Volume 6, Issues 1-6, Advanstar Communications, 1997
  6. ^ Personal Computer Magazine, PC Communications Corporation, 1995
  7. ^ Chris Kaplan; Paul Milbourne; Michael Boucher (10 March 2009). The Essential Guide to Flash CS4 with ActionScript. Apress. pp. 6–. ISBN 978-1-4302-1812-8.
  8. ^ a b "Macromedia - Showcase : The Dawn of Web Animation". Adobe. Archived from the original on 2006-07-17. Retrieved 2016-09-04.