Graffiti 2
| Company type | Software |
|---|---|
| Industry | Handwriting recognition |
| Predecessor | Graffiti |
| Founded | 2003 |
| Products | Handwriting recognition system for Palm OS |
| Owner | PalmSource, Inc. |
Graffiti 2 Powered by Jot was launched in 2003 as an updated iteration of the original Palm OS handwriting recognition system Graffiti. In January 2003, PalmSource declared that Graffiti 2, which utilized Jot technology from Communication Intelligence Corporation (CIC), would succeed the initial Graffiti. This version first appeared in Palm OS 4.1.2 for Motorola DragonBall-based devices and Palm OS Garnet 5.2 for handhelds running on ARM processors.
History
The transition originated from a legal dispute initiated in 1997 when Xerox sued PalmSource, Inc. concerning the technology behind Graffiti. Although the case was initially dismissed, a 2001 decision by the U.S. Court of Appeals overturned that ruling, compelling PalmSource to implement a different handwriting recognition system.
PalmSource marketed Graffiti 2 and Jot as more user-friendly systems, designed to closely match conventional letter and number formations to simplify learning and appeal to new users. Nevertheless, many veteran Palm users considered the new system less effective than the original Graffiti.
One major point of contention was that Graffiti 2 required multiple stylus strokes for certain characters, unlike the original system which enabled all alphanumeric inputs with single strokes. For example, frequently used letters such as "i" and "t" needed two strokes by default. Although customization options allowed some letters like P, T, Y, and $ to be adjusted, none could fully replicate the single-stroke input method of the original Graffiti.