About BitWise Communications, LLC

BitWise Communications, LLC was founded in 2003, but BitWise IM began in 2002. Conceived on February 17th, 2002, the first public release of [what was then called] BitWise Chat was on March 17th, 2002. After almost two years of development, Version 1.0 was released on March 2nd, 2004 for Windows, Linux and Mac OS X.

If you like, we also have a long version of our history.

Our philosophy

These are the tenets that we hold in highest regard:

• Easy to install and uninstall: BitWise requires only one or two files to run, and is easy to download and use anywhere.
• Small: Instant messaging programs are often bloated with underpowered, unuseful "utilities." BitWise provides powerful peer-to-peer communication tools, without the junk.
• Private: BitWise provides automatic encryption for all client-to-client interactions--conversations, file transfers, whiteboards--everything!
• Reliable: Software that doesn't work correctly is counter-productive, which is why we have a thorough testing period before all new releases.
• Dedicated to the community: We have an established community of BitWise users and developers that can quickly address problems. In addition, the user community provides a constant source of feedback and constructive criticism to improve BitWise.
• Free for personal use: We recognize that private, reliable instant messaging is a valuable communication tool, and are dedicated to maintaining a free, ad-free instant messenger for personal use.

BitWise and a lightbulb?

BitWise's name and "logo" both have stories that reflect its philosophy and background. When brainstorming for a name, we wanted to select a name that was logical, yet also somewhat clever and memorable. No one is exactly sure what sequence led to BitWise, but the thinking was that when using BitWise, you are communicating wisely in a way using bits (i.e. in a bit-wise manner).

When it came time to create status icons, we picked a lightbulb because the light represents the presence of your contacts, and the presence of a bright idea in instant messaging: private, reliable, easy-to-use instant messaging. The lightbulbs have been through three iterations: an original set without much depth or detail, a later set that added some depth and sleekness, and the modern set used now that matches the feel of the new icons used on the web site and in the client.

Want to know more?

For more news about BitWise, Kevin Hock (one of BitWise's creators) writes a blog about BitWise, instant messaging, technology and more. Kevin is also author of Cross-Platform GUI Programming with wxWidgets, which is used in BitWise.

You may contact us via email or snail mail.