Cumulus (software)
| Developer(s) | Canto Software |
|---|---|
| Initial release | 1992 |
| Stable release |
9.1
/ May 2014 |
| Platform | Mac OS, Windows, Linux |
| Type | digital asset management |
| Website |
www |
Cumulus is a digital asset management software designed as a client/server system developed by Canto Software. The product line includes editions targeted to smaller organizations and larger enterprises. The product makes use of metadata for indexing, organizing, and searching.
Cumulus servers run on Mac OS, Windows, and Linux systems. Cumulus client software is available for Mac, Windows and web browsers.
History
Cumulus was first released as a Macintosh application in 1992, and was named by Apple Computer as the "Most Innovative Product of 1992".[1] Cumulus introduced search capabilities beyond those available in the Macintosh at the time, particularly relating to thumbnails.
Cumulus 1.0 was a single-user product with no network capabilities.
Cumulus 2.5[2] was available in five different languages and received the 1993 MacUser magazine Eddy award for "Best Publishing & Graphics Utility".[1]
Cumulus 4 was the first version that was network-ready, and was available for Macintosh, Windows and UNIX operating systems allowing for cross-platform file sharing.
Cumulus 5 modified the software core to use an open architecture providing an API to external systems and databases. The open architecture of Cumulus 5 also enabled a more functional bridge between Cumulus and the Internet.
Cumulus 6 introduced Embedded Java Plugin (EJaP) which allowed system integrators to build custom Java plug-ins to extend the functionality of the Cumulus client.[3]
Cumulus 6.5 marked the end of the Cumulus Single User Edition product, which was licensed to MediaDex for further development and distribution.
Cumulus 7 was introduced in the Summer of 2006.[4]
Cumulus 8 was released in June 2009, including new indexation technologies and taking advantage of multicore/multiprocessors systems, and able to manage a wider variety of file formats.[5]
Cumulus 8.5 was released in May, 2011. Support was added for multilingual metadata, sometimes referred to as "World Metadata." Cumulus Sites was updated to support metadata editing and file uploads.
Cumulus 8.6 was released in July 2012, and contains an updated user interface for the administration of Cumulus Sites and additional features for web-based administration of Cumulus. Other additions include features for collaboration links, multilanguage support and automated version control.
An integration tool – the Canto Integration Platform – that allows integration into existing systems and business processes with other enterprise solutions and web applications was released by Canto in June 2012.
Cumulus 9 was released in September 2013 and introduced a new Web Client User Interface and the Cumulus Video Cloud. The Cumulus Web Client UI was redesigned to provide users with a modern, easy-to-use interface to support and guide the user while addressing modern business needs. The Cumulus Video Cloud extends the Cumulus video handling capabilities to add conversion and global streaming. Cumulus 9 also saw the addition of upload collection links which allow external collaborators to drag and drop files directly into Cumulus without needing a Cumulus account.
Cumulus 9.1 was released in May 2014 and introduced the Adobe Drive Adapter for Cumulus which allows users to browse and search digital assets in Cumulus directly from Adobe work environments such as Photoshop, InDesign, Illustrator, Premier and other Adobe applications.
See also
References
- 1 2 Canto Company History, Canto.com
- ↑ DeLisio, Fred. Canto's Cumulus database: a cloud with a silver lining. InfoWorld, Apr 29, 1996
- ↑ Canto aims EJaP at Cumulus integrators, developers, MacWorld, Oct 1, 2003
- ↑ Canto's Cumulus 7 to support Intel Macs, MacNN.com, April 5, 2006
- ↑ Canto Cumulus 8 Released, PCWorld, May 28, 2009