History of Stok Software
Stok Software, Inc. has had a unique start in the early 1980's by having shared in the development of software for home computers when the IBM PC was first announced. They have developed the hard disk backup procedure that has become part of Concurrent PC-DOS. As pioneers in the Voice Mail programming field, Stok had written the original Speech Editor, called VBASE/40, sold by Dialogic Corporation (now owned by Intel) under licensing agreements with Stok. Stok's specially developed file structure for handling multi-prompt speech files, and the VBASE (VAP) format, has become an industry standard format. Companies such as Dialogic, Intel, Expert Systems, Compass Technology, Pika Technologies, Bitworks, Bicom, Cascade Technologies, and Voice Information Systems had chosen to use Stok's file structure for Voice and Prompt files in their own software products.Developing Voice Mail Software in the 1980's has led Stok Software to continue their focus on offering many creative Telephone Communications solutions for small and large businesses, as well as individuals. Stok's partnerships with providers, along with their own programming expertise and problem solving skills, have combined their energies to provide cost effective telecommunications and value-added services.
Here is a history of Stok Software's product launches and distribution channels...
1981 ~ STOK PILOT ~ First Software Product
Stok Software's first product was STOK PILOT, a screen based menu system for the control of PC resident programs. Morrow Design, an early pioneer of personal computers, included STOK PILOT on thousands of their machines under the name MORROW PILOT.
1984 ~ Audio Date ~ First Talking Classifieds
In 1984 STOK PILOT was released with a speech instruction set for speech recording and playback, allowing the first PC based voice mail systems to be written using store and forward of digitized speech files. To put this new technology to use, Stok began the first telephone dating service, called Audio Date. Audio Date was operated in New York City in 1985 and 1986. It allowed people to place recorded personal ads, browse and listen to other ads, and leave private messages for one another with voice mail. It was before the days of "pay-per-call" such as 900 and 976.1985 ~ WFAS Radio Interview
Glenn Stok, president of Stok Software, was interviewed on WFAS radio in New York in October 1985 by news reporter Kathy Karpin for an on-the-air report of "Audio Date" as a new and exciting technology: the first talking classifieds!1983 ~ BackRest ~ File Backup Program
Meanwhile, other software development was in the works.
In 1983, BackRest was released to protect critical data on the
growing number of home and business computers.
1984 ~ Stok Software's part in Concurrent PC-DOS
In 1984, Digital Research Corporation (DRI)
licensed BackRest from Stok Software to include it with Concurrent PC-DOS as the operating systems
vital file system backup program.
DRI also contracted with Stok Software for the development of the "Program Manager" routines in Concurrent PC-DOS,
later used on millions of computers.
1984 ~ Sony Sells Computer With Stok's Software
Also in 1984, Sony Corporation chose BackRest to protect their SMC-70 computer's hard drive.1985 ~ Speech Editor becomes industry standard
By 1985, Stok released VBASE/40,
the first speech editor on the market. Their proprietary VBASE/40 file format quickly became
a worldwide industry standard due to the need for a speech file indexing structure.
It has been used and/or distributed by voice application manufacturers
such as Dialogic Corporation, Expert Systems, Compass Technology, Pika
Technologies, Bitworks, Bicom, Cascade Technologies, and Voice Information
Systems. Stok Software Inc. was, essentially, the software behind the voice!
1985 ~ Voice Mail and Application Toolkits
In 1985, Stok Software began marketing two major voice systems...- COMET ~
a full-featured PC based voice mail, auto attendant, and audiotex software
package. COMET has grown to include complete support for the
profitable Telephone Answering Service (TAS) Business with many unique and
necessary features. Stok Software knew what was needed since they used
their own software to run a Telephone Answering Service, known as Private Line, in New York City.
- Contact Caller ~ a Programming toolkit for the development of Interactive Voice Response (IVR) applications with a built in script based language. It included a ready-to-use Autodialer for Telemarketing and other Message Delivery applications.
1993 ~ Voice Mail Service
Using their own software, Stok began offering an Automated Voice Mail Service in New York City with custom Automated Attendant features.1998 ~ Virtual Services Offered
Stok began offering Voice Mail and Automated Attendant services nationwide, by partnering with vendors who provide great service and customer support.2000 ~ Y2K Compatibility
Y2K upgrades were made available in advance for all effected software. Stok Software's customers got through the millennium with no problems at all. Old software was written with Y2K in mind so those who did not upgrade were safe.2002 ~ All In One Voice Mail/Phone System
In an effort to make it easier and more cost effective for small business owners to have the same features of a full voice mail automated attendant, without the expense of a computer and voice hardware, Stok included the VoicePro in their product line. The VoicePro is a complete Self-Contained Voice Mail, Automated Attendant and PBX phone switch, supporting up to four incoming lines and 12 extensions. Stok wrote their own version of the installation manual to better support their customers.2003 ~ Long Distance and Cellular Search Engines
With direct relationships with over a dozen carriers, Stok has implemented Search Engines to locate the best pricing on Long Distance and Cellular Services, allowing customers to get quotes, pick the best, and order on-line.2005 ~ Installation and Programming Manuals Published
 
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In 2005 we began publishing bound printed manuals for all our products.
The COMET Installation and Programming Manual is still available direct from our publisher even though we no longer sell the COMET software that we created back in the mid 1980's. The manual remains a useful resource for any user of Intel/Dialogic based applications. The manual for the Voice Pro has been completely re-written. It includes easy-to-follow instructions, which walk you through the setup process with detailed programming examples of various auto attendant scenarios. The Manuals for Contact Caller and our VBASE/40 Speech Prompt Editor are no longer available since these old DOS based software applications have been discontinued. |
 
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