Open Source Shakespeare
Open Source Shakespeare is a non-commercial
History
The idea of a free online resource compiling Shakespeare's works was conceived in 2001 by Eric M. Johnson, then working as a web designer and theater reviewer for the
"The ones that were comprehensive were not free, and the free ones were not comprehensive" Johnson recalled.[2]
Johnson started to create just such a free and comprehensive digital collection as part of his graduate program, unveiled as the Open Source Shakespeare website in December 2003.[3] The site was formally announced to the scholarly community in February 2004.[3]
According to the site's founder, about 77,000 people made use of the resource in 2005, with a further 170,000 anticipated to visit the site in 2006.[3] The operating costs of the site were minimal; through 2006, these were paid out of pocket by the site's creator.[3] Subsequently, a grant application was made to the National Endowment for the Humanities by Johnson and three members of the English Department of George Mason University to provide funding for the project.[2]
Site structure
Shakespeare's works are divided on the site into three genres: plays, sonnets, and poems. The site also includes a concordance, search engine, and information about basic usage statistics.
The site has gained functionality over time, with a "Version 2.0" released in 2005 which added the capability for users to search for word stems or phonetically and to save and print search results.[4]
In the middle of 2009 a site version designed for portable devices was unveiled, called Mobile Open Source Shakespeare.[2]
Footnotes
- ^ Johnson, Eric M. "Introduction: The History of Open Source Shakespeare". Open Source Shakespeare: An Experiment in Literary Technology. Retrieved 19 April 2012.
- ^ a b c d e Taylor, Art (14 February 2011). "Alumnus Makes Shakespeare's Works Easy to Search". George Mason University News.
- ^ a b c d Call for Advisors: Open Source Shakespeare. SHAKSPER: The Global Electronic Shakespeare Conference. 1 December 2006.
- ^ Johnson, Eric M (7 March 2005). "Open Source Shakespeare 2.0 Released". Catholic Light.