SovTech Launches Interactive Timeline of The History of Software.

The timeline can be navigated by your voice

JOHANNESBURG, SOUTH AFRICA, 3 June 2016 – A South African software company has sought to compile the entire history of software in a single website for public interest and education. SovTech, a Johannesburg based software development company is responsible for thehistoryofsoftware.com. This initiative is in collaboration with Deloitte Exponentials South Africa and PaperPlane. Together, they have just released a website which aims at creating a single source of information for all internet users to be able to access information on the development of software.

The history of software has previously been fragmented and opinionated, with conflicting information being prevalent. thehistoryofsoftware.com was aimed at disseminating fact from opinion, without losing vital information that shaped software as we know it today. Gerald Neves, co-founder and CEO at SovTech, saw the need for such a site after attempting to do his own research on the topic. Neves says: “Internet users are notorious for the consumption of information. Having a platform that would interest visitors and serve as a record of the rapid development of software was the aim of the site”. The timeline takes a historical approach and begins from the development of the Difference Engine by Charles Babbage in 1822 to the current day and predictions into the future of software development.

While information was the core of the site, SovTech understood that if it wasn’t conveyed attractively it would likely lose the potential audience that would find the information useful. Jamie Chennells, CTO at SovTech, understands the need for an attractive interface: “With the design of thehistoryofsoftware.com we really needed to find a way to draw readers in and retain them throughout the timeline, without them getting bored”. The developers at SovTech achieved this by implementing a dynamic and animated timeline that could be activated and navigated by voice commands. This added a layer of interaction that the developers hoped would keep users interested throughout the timeline. Users can also add events they think are significant to the timeline.

While the site is not aimed at promoting any specific company, SovTech encourages other companies to contribute to thehistoryofsoftware.com in a meaningful way, for the benefit of the reader who wants to learn about this incredible field. To encourage companies to support this initiative, SovTech offers a service where they create a History of Software timeline, similar to the parent site, that can feature a specific tech company that would be placed on their own website.

http://thehistoryofsoftware.com/

The timeline is interactive and informative, with each circle representing an event in history.