SOPHIE 2.0 IN DEVELOPMENT!

Sophie is software for writing and reading rich media documents in a networked environment. Initially designed and developed under the auspices of the Institute for the Future of the Book, Sophie is currently being significantly revised and improved, thanks to a generous grant from the Mellon Foundation in the fall of 2008. Sophie 2.0, with added features and improved stability, will debut October 15, 2009.

Sophie’s goal is to open up the world of multimedia authoring to a wide range of people and institutions and in so doing, redefine the notion of a book or academic paper to include both rich media and mechanisms for reader feedback and conversation.

Sophie 2.0 is being rewritten in Java, and the Sophie Reader will be browser-based, offering even easier access to – and sharing of - Sophie projects. Sophie 2.0 will also allow the embedding of Sophie Books as applets on any Web page, and the new version will support Adobe Flash. In addition, Sophie 2.0 will be accompanied by full-scale support for an emerging Sophie user community. We are excited about Sophie’s future, and look forward to continued opportunities for rethinking the nature of reading and writing in the 21st century.

Version 1.0 is available for download now. This version runs on Mac, Windows and Linux operating systems

Basic documentation is available now (PDF, 2.3 Mb).

Questions about Sophie may be directed to the Holly Willis at the University of Southern California’s Institute for Multimedia Literacy. For updates and information regarding Sophie’s progress, sign up for the Sophie Newsletter.

Funded by grants from the Mellon and Macarthur foundations and the University of Southern California, Sophie is free and entirely open-source.