LiveCode Launches Campaign to go Open Source

RunRev Launches First Kickstarter Campaign for an Open Source Programming Language, Empowering Everyone to Code

RunRev will Democratize App Development with Open Source Version of LiveCode

EDINBURGH, UK - January 29, 2013 - RunRev, maker of the award-winning LiveCode cross-platform programming environment, plans to introduce an open source version of the LiveCode platform free to anyone interested in programming. The company’s Kickstarter campaign launching today represents the first Kickstarter project to create an open source programming language, and the first to take a commercial product to the open source community. A successful campaign will bring one of the easiest languages to learn, teach and use to even more small businesses, students, educators, entrepreneurs and major enterprises through open source development collaboration.

The Logical Approach to Coding

LiveCode works the way people think, enabling users to create apps for mobile devices or desktops whether they are professional programmers or not. The visual development environment is easy to learn and use, delivers fast results and lets users write software once to deploy across all major computing platforms—iOS, Android, Mac, Windows and Linux. Students as young as 12 and professional programmers alike use LiveCode to create mobile and desktop apps, and RunRev hopes to further support educators and ready small to medium businesses for the explosion in software and app development opportunities.

Open source LiveCode will be uniquely suitable for the following development projects:

• 1. Creating and distributing open source apps, games and utilities
  2. Learning and teaching computer programming and logical thinking
  3. Building in-house business systems
  4. Automating business processes
  5. Creating utilities to process data
  6. Creating server applications for use internally or by the general public

LiveCode customer David Beck, CEO of Rotunda Software, said, “LiveCode enables non- programmers to do things that previously only programmers could do, making it possible for ordinary people with no computer background to sit down and within a day or two get a real program running on Mac, Windows and mobile, which is awesome! With LiveCode they can see how to solve their problem or create their vision by putting it onto the screen. The prospect of LiveCode going open source is very exciting.”

The Move to Open Source LiveCode

LiveCode is currently available as a commercial, closed-source product. With a successful Kickstarter campaign, the LiveCode open source edition will include the entire code base for all platforms, including the development environment and documentation. RunRev also will offer LiveCode Commercial for closed source application development. More information on the new versions is online here.

With Kickstarter funding, RunRev will begin immediate updates to the LiveCode platform with a final delivery goal of fall 2013. Platform updates will include:

• Organizing the Code: RunRev will reorganize some 500,000 lines of C++ code, running on six platforms—Windows, Mac, Linux, iOS, Android and Server.
  
• Extending the Platform Easily: LiveCode will have a dedicated team extending the functionality and language, and will engineer a new feature called “Open Language” that allows anyone to create a new command or function without having to touch the core—a first for an open source programming language.
  
• Creating an Engaging, Modern User Experience: RunRev will include a new, modernized drag-and-drop editor that lets users create applications in record time.

“This is exactly the right time for us to open our development environment to the community, allowing us to support educators and small businesses further and empower anyone in the world to code,” said Kevin Miller, CEO of RunRev. “Our aggressive goal of £350,000/$500,000 in just 30 days will give us the resources we need to open the entire LiveCode language and visual development environment, and we’ll reward every supporter at various levels -- from teacher training webinars and academies that teach people to build an app from start to finish, to full commercial licenses.”

About RunRev Ltd.

RunRev makes the LiveCode cross-platform programming environment for building sophisticated mobile, Web, desktop and server applications. The company aims to open doors with technology by empowering people to create apps through an intuitive and easy-to-learn programming language. The LiveCode English-like language and focus on instant results appeals to a wide range of users, from individuals and educators to corporate and enterprise developers. Considered a modern descendent of HyperCard, LiveCode offers a robust yet flexible path to cross-platform app creation. For more information, please visit http://www.runrev.com.

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Media Contact:
Samantha Steinwinder | The Concept Agency | 206-760-9809 | samantha@conceptagency.com