Berkeley Systems
Encyclopedia
Berkeley Systems was a San Francisco Bay Area
software company co-founded in 1987 by Wes Boyd
and Joan Blades
. It made money early on by performing contract work for the National Institutes of Health
, specifically in making modifications to the Macintosh so that it could be used by partially sighted or blind people. Several of these Access http://www.mug.jhmi.edu/mirrors/infoalley/0196/29/apple.html programs were licensed by Apple Computer
and added to the operating system. Perhaps the most ambitious of these technologies was a program that could read the Macintosh screen, called Outspoken, which won a technology award from the Smithsonian in 1990.
The first commercial success for Berkeley Systems was a virtual desktop
product for the Macintosh called Stepping Out. Given the small size of the first Macintosh screens, this product had some use and the idea was widely copied. The much bigger success was After Dark, a modular screen saver
and the first of its kind to be sold. The idea was brought to Berkeley Systems by Jack Eastman and Patrick Beard. Eastman was later put in charge of software development at Berkeley Systems.
Berkeley Systems' best-selling product, the trivia game You Don't Know Jack, was developed by Jellyvision
, based on their award-winning children's educational film "The Mind's Treasure Chest". YDKJ brought that program's model of interactive learning, engaging structure and pacing, and host character into the commercial mainstream. It also brought graphics, sound editing, and marketing to Berkeley; production of the show continued at Jellyvision's Chicago studios.
Based in the old Pacific Bell
building on Rose Street at Shattuck Avenue in Berkeley, California
, Berkeley Systems grew to 120 employees and US$30 million annual revenue before it was acquired by the Sierra On-Line division of CUC International
in 1997 for $13.8 million. Vivendi Universal’s subsequent acquisition of Sierra, and a host of similar enterprises, enjoined diverse competing sales and marketing departments with one sole directive: sell Web banner advertisements. As a result, Berkeley Systems became the U.S. headquarters of French-owned Flipside.com. In early 2000, Berkeley Systems was folded into the fledgling Los Angeles-based gambling site iWin.com, per the terms of that site's acquisition by Vivendi.
The toasters were the subject of two lawsuits, the first in 1993, Berkeley Systems vs Delrina
Corporation, over a module of Delrina's Opus 'N Bill screen saver in which Opus the Penguin
shoots down the toasters. Delrina later changed the wings of the toasters to propellers in order to avoid infringing the trademark
. The second case was brought in 1994 by 1960s rock group Jefferson Airplane
who claimed that the toasters were a copy of the winged toasters featured on the cover of their 1973 album Thirty Seconds Over Winterland
. The case was dismissed, because the cover art had not been registered as a trademark by the group prior to Berkeley Systems' release of the screen saver.
Boyd and Blades went on to found the liberal
political group MoveOn.org in 1998. Blades also later co-founded MomsRising.org with Kristin Rowe-Finkbeiner in 2006.
San Francisco Bay Area
The San Francisco Bay Area, commonly known as the Bay Area, is a populated region that surrounds the San Francisco and San Pablo estuaries in Northern California. The region encompasses metropolitan areas of San Francisco, Oakland, and San Jose, along with smaller urban and rural areas...
software company co-founded in 1987 by Wes Boyd
Wes Boyd
Wes Boyd is an American businessman. In 1987, he and his wife Joan Blades were the co-founders of Berkeley Systems, a San Francisco Bay area software company. After selling the company in 1997, Boyd and Blades went on to found the progressive political group MoveOn.org.-External links:...
and Joan Blades
Joan Blades
Joan Blades was the cofounder in 1987 with her husband Wes Boyd of Berkeley Systems, a San Francisco Bay area software company known for marketing the After Dark screensaver and the You Don't Know Jack trivia game...
. It made money early on by performing contract work for the National Institutes of Health
National Institutes of Health
The National Institutes of Health are an agency of the United States Department of Health and Human Services and are the primary agency of the United States government responsible for biomedical and health-related research. Its science and engineering counterpart is the National Science Foundation...
, specifically in making modifications to the Macintosh so that it could be used by partially sighted or blind people. Several of these Access http://www.mug.jhmi.edu/mirrors/infoalley/0196/29/apple.html programs were licensed by Apple Computer
Apple Computer
Apple 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...
and added to the operating system. Perhaps the most ambitious of these technologies was a program that could read the Macintosh screen, called Outspoken, which won a technology award from the Smithsonian in 1990.
The first commercial success for Berkeley Systems was a virtual desktop
Virtual desktop
In computing, a virtual desktop is a term used with respect to user interfaces, usually within the WIMP paradigm, to describe ways in which the size of a computer's desktop environment is expanded beyond the physical limits of the screen's real estate through the use of software, This saves space...
product for the Macintosh called Stepping Out. Given the small size of the first Macintosh screens, this product had some use and the idea was widely copied. The much bigger success was After Dark, a modular screen saver
Screensaver
A screensaver is a type of computer program initially designed to prevent phosphor burn-in on CRT and plasma computer monitors by blanking the screen or filling it with moving images or patterns when the computer is not in use...
and the first of its kind to be sold. The idea was brought to Berkeley Systems by Jack Eastman and Patrick Beard. Eastman was later put in charge of software development at Berkeley Systems.
Berkeley Systems' best-selling product, the trivia game You Don't Know Jack, was developed by Jellyvision
Jellyvision
Jellyvision is a multimedia production company, founded by Harry Gottlieb, and is best known for making the You Don't Know Jack games. Originally named "Learn Television," it produced a number of edutainment titles, such as "That's A Fact, Jack!", before branching out into pure entertainment...
, based on their award-winning children's educational film "The Mind's Treasure Chest". YDKJ brought that program's model of interactive learning, engaging structure and pacing, and host character into the commercial mainstream. It also brought graphics, sound editing, and marketing to Berkeley; production of the show continued at Jellyvision's Chicago studios.
Based in the old Pacific Bell
Pacific Bell
The Pacific Telephone and Telegraph Company was the name of the Bell System's telephone operations in California. It gained in size by acquiring smaller telephone companies along the Pacific coast, such as Sunset Telephone & Telegraph in 1917...
building on Rose Street at Shattuck Avenue in Berkeley, California
Berkeley, California
Berkeley is a city on the east shore of the San Francisco Bay in Northern California, United States. Its neighbors to the south are the cities of Oakland and Emeryville. To the north is the city of Albany and the unincorporated community of Kensington...
, Berkeley Systems grew to 120 employees and US$30 million annual revenue before it was acquired by the Sierra On-Line division of CUC International
CUC International
CUC International Inc. is a membership-based consumer services conglomerate with travel, shopping, auto, dining, home improvement and financial services offered to more than 60 million customers worldwide based out of Stamford, Connecticut and founded by Kirk Shelton and Walter Forbes...
in 1997 for $13.8 million. Vivendi Universal’s subsequent acquisition of Sierra, and a host of similar enterprises, enjoined diverse competing sales and marketing departments with one sole directive: sell Web banner advertisements. As a result, Berkeley Systems became the U.S. headquarters of French-owned Flipside.com. In early 2000, Berkeley Systems was folded into the fledgling Los Angeles-based gambling site iWin.com, per the terms of that site's acquisition by Vivendi.
The toasters were the subject of two lawsuits, the first in 1993, Berkeley Systems vs Delrina
Delrina
Delrina was a Canadian software company founded by four individuals, Dennis Bennie as CEO and chairman, Mark Skapinker as president, Bert Amato as executive vice president and chief technical officer and Lou Ryan as executive vice president of world wide sales...
Corporation, over a module of Delrina's Opus 'N Bill screen saver in which Opus the Penguin
Opus the Penguin
Opus the Penguin is a character in the comic strips and children's books of Berkeley Breathed, most notably the popular 1980s strip Bloom County. Breathed has described him as an "existentialist penguin" and the favorite of his many characters...
shoots down the toasters. Delrina later changed the wings of the toasters to propellers in order to avoid infringing the trademark
Trademark
A trademark, trade mark, or trade-mark is a distinctive sign or indicator used by an individual, business organization, or other legal entity to identify that the products or services to consumers with which the trademark appears originate from a unique source, and to distinguish its products or...
. The second case was brought in 1994 by 1960s rock group Jefferson Airplane
Jefferson Airplane
Jefferson Airplane was an American rock band formed in San Francisco in 1965. A pioneer of the psychedelic rock movement, Jefferson Airplane was the first band from the San Francisco scene to achieve mainstream commercial and critical success....
who claimed that the toasters were a copy of the winged toasters featured on the cover of their 1973 album Thirty Seconds Over Winterland
Thirty Seconds Over Winterland
-Personnel:Personnel credits from original Vinyl release.*Jack Casady – bass*Paul Kantner – vocals, rhythm guitar*Jorma Kaukonen – lead guitar, vocals*Grace Slick – vocals*Papa John Creach – electric violin*John Barbata – drums, percussion...
. The case was dismissed, because the cover art had not been registered as a trademark by the group prior to Berkeley Systems' release of the screen saver.
Boyd and Blades went on to found the liberal
Liberalism
Liberalism is the belief in the importance of liberty and equal rights. Liberals espouse a wide array of views depending on their understanding of these principles, but generally, liberals support ideas such as constitutionalism, liberal democracy, free and fair elections, human rights,...
political group MoveOn.org in 1998. Blades also later co-founded MomsRising.org with Kristin Rowe-Finkbeiner in 2006.
External links
- Archived versions of official website (berksys.com) at the Internet ArchiveInternet ArchiveThe Internet Archive is a non-profit digital library with the stated mission of "universal access to all knowledge". It offers permanent storage and access to collections of digitized materials, including websites, music, moving images, and nearly 3 million public domain books. The Internet Archive...
- Berkeley Systems games listing from MobyGamesMobyGames-Platforms not yet included:- Further reading :* Rusel DeMaria, Johnny L. Wilson, High Score!: The Illustrated History of Electronic Games, McGraw-Hill/Osborne Media; 2 edition , ISBN 0-07-223172-6...