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280 North, Inc.

Open-knowledge reference entry

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General referenceInterpretive dossier study · Crown Archives visual atlas
Record originEnglish Wikipedia
Text licenseCC BY-SA 4.0
Source revisionJul 7, 2026
Entity authorityQ4632676
Source-derived summary

280 North was a web software development startup company formed in 2008 by college friends Tom Robinson, Francisco Tolmasky, and Ross Boucher. It was purchased by Motorola in 2010. Tolmasky and Boucher both previously worked for Apple, on the iPhone and iTunes respectively.

History

They created a software stack that includes Objective-J, which relates to Javascript in the same way that Objective-C relates to C, and Cappuccino, which is a port of the Apple Cocoa API. Cappuccino and Objective-J have been released as open source software. Their first major release was 280 Slides, which is presentation software similar to Apple's Keynote or Microsoft's PowerPoint, but that works entirely in a web browser using JavaScript. Their next project was a drag-and-drop visual integrated development environment for web applications named Atlas, which could work with the iPhone API. Atlas was to be open-sourced, but, after acquiring 280 North, Motorola decided to keep Atlas private.

Editorial summary

This brief starts where responsible research should: with the source description of “280 North, Inc.” as open-knowledge reference entry. Everything that follows is an evidence route, not borrowed authority.

Editorial reviewA dependable orientation record for establishing vocabulary, names and a first evidence trail. The current lead gives the account dated anchors—2008, 2010—that can be checked directly. The linked authority record independently contributes the date 2008. The account is most persuasive where North, Open-knowledge and entry can be independently traced.
Editorial analysis

Why this record matters

The subject matters to the general reference register because the source frames it as open-knowledge reference entry. Its deeper value depends on whether names, dates, institutions and citations support that framing.

Evidence profile

Vocabulary and entity names are the principal evidence signals here, because they determine the precision of every later search. The source revision retrieved here is dated Jul 7, 2026. The linked authority identifier is Q4632676. 1 of 1 selected statements include explicit references; 0 carry qualifiers and 0 use preferred rank. The first chronological checks are 2008 and 2010.

Critical limits

A concise general-reference account can conceal disagreements about scope, terminology or the weight assigned to individual sources. The lead is largely declarative, so disagreement and counter-evidence require a deliberate search beyond the opening account. Authority statements aid reconciliation but still require their own references, qualifiers and ranks to be checked.

How to read it

Use the entry as an orientation point, then follow its citations and revision history. Names, dates and institutional relationships should be checked against the original record.

Best used for
  • Subject orientation
  • Search vocabulary
  • Locating named sources
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The closest primary source, responsible institution and strongest cited specialist reference.

Three-step research path

  1. Establish the record: confirm the title “280 North, Inc.”, its source revision and the description used here.
  2. Expand the search: follow 280 North, Inc. primary sources, 280 North, Inc. archive and North research across catalogues and specialist indexes.
  3. Test the account: compare the strongest cited source with the responsible institution’s current record and note any disagreement.

Questions for further research

  1. Which source most directly establishes the central claim about “280 North, Inc.”?
  2. Which institution is responsible for the underlying evidence?
  3. Which cited source is closest to the event, object or claim?
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Source & attribution

This entry incorporates text from 280 North, Inc.” on English Wikipedia. Contributors are listed in the page history. Text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 License. Selected authority identifiers and statements are retrieved from Wikidata under CC0; their references and qualifiers remain part of the verification path.