Mavis Beacon Teaches Typing
Mavis Beacon Teaches Typing is an application software program designed to teach touch typing.
 1987 box art | |
| Original author(s) | Norm Worthington,[1] Walt Bilofsky, Mike Duffy[2][3] |
|---|---|
| Developer(s) | The Software Toolworks |
| Initial release | Late 1987 |
| Stable release | 20
|
| Operating system | macOS, Windows |
| Platform | cross-platform |
| License | Proprietary |
| Website | mavisbeacon |
History
The typing program was initially released in late 1987 by The Software Toolworks and has been published regularly ever since. The original version was written by Charles R. Haymond, an independent computer programmer living in Berkeley, California, who later worked for the Department of Homeland Security.[4] The first version written for MS-DOS was created by Norm Worthington, Walt Bilofsky, and Mike Duffy.[2] Editions of Mavis Beacon are currently published by Encore Software (hybrid Mac and Windows) and Software MacKiev (macOS only) and are available throughout the retail sales world. An early version supported both QWERTY and the alternative Dvorak Simplified Keyboard layout. Later versions supported only QWERTY until the 2011 Ultimate Mac Edition from Software MacKiev which returned full Dvorak keyboard lessons to the product. Earlier versions were made for Apple II, Commodore 64, Atari 8-bit family (version 1 only), Apple IIGS, Atari ST, Mac OS, Microsoft Windows, Palm OS (version 16), and Amiga. The current Windows and Mac versions are published under the Broderbund trademark by both Encore and Software MacKiev.
Features
The program includes a number of speed tests and constantly tracks the user's words-per-minute typing speed. It also includes a number of typing games of which some versions have been included since the first release. (The 2011 Ultimate Mac Edition for macOS, published by Software MacKiev, also includes two-player competitive typing network games, integration with iTunes, Dvorak keyboard support, practice typing song lyrics, RSS news feeds and classic novels.) A certificate of achievement can be printed by the user upon the completion of tests.
Name
Mavis Beacon is not a real person. The original photo of Mavis Beacon was of Caribbean-born model Renee L'Esperance. She was introduced to Les Crane, the former talk-show host, while he was shopping at Saks Fifth Avenue in Beverly Hills. Crane, who was then a partner in The Software Toolworks, invented the sobriquet.
Mavis Beacon's first name was taken from Mavis Staples, lead vocalist for the Staple Singers. The surname derives from beacon, as in a light to guide the way.[5]
Reception
A favorable review[6] in 1987 by Peter Lewis, technology writer for The New York Times, gave the program an early boost.
Compute! favorably reviewed the program in 1989, stating that children, adults, and experienced typists would find it useful, and citing its support of Dvorak training.[7]
References
- Norman Worthington: Executive Profile & Biography, Bloomberg, ...One of Mr. Worthington's earliest ventures was Software Toolworks, one of the first highly successful consumer software companies...
- Biersdorfer, J. D. (31 December 1998). "Next They'll Say Betty Crocker Isn't Real, Either". The New York Times.
- Walt Bilofsky's Home Page - Software Publisher, ... I was one of three programmers who designed and created the perennial software hits The Chessmaster and Mavis Beacon Teaches Typing...
- Codex Gamicus:Mavis Beacon Teaches Typing Retrieved October 31, 2019.
- MACKLIN, William (November 19, 1995). "Supertypist Mavis Beacon Is A Creation Of Marketing". Seattle Times.
- Lewis, Peter H. (17 November 1987). "PERSONAL COMPUTERS; Feedback In Typing Program". The New York Times.
- Randall, Neil (January 1989). "Mavis Makes It Easy". Compute!. p. 70. Retrieved 10 November 2013.
External links
- Mavis Beacon Teaches Typing by Encore (Windows and Mac editions)
- Mavis Beacon Teaches Typing by Software MacKiev (Mac OS X edition)