The Guitar of Doc Watson
Scorch Tabs will be replaced on this website; continue reading to learn why . . .
Ever since we started DocsGuitar.com, we have used Scorch to display tabs on our web pages. Scorch was developed by Sibelius and was an innovative product able to display sheet music via the Internet. It offered superior control and flexibility for both viewing and playback. It was a great teaching tool. Sibelius has since been purchased by AVID, the company that produces ProTools.
Recently, browser software publishers like Microsoft and Mozilla have moved towards a new generation of browsers. MIcrosoft introduced their Edge browser, and Mozilla published new versions of their Firefox browser. These new browsers do not support NPAPI plug-ins (Netscape Plugin Application Programming Interface). Unfortunately, Scorch is one of those plug-ins.
This trend is actually a good thing because it reflects movement towards better, safer and more secure browsing. Delivery of streaming video, advanced graphics, and gaming features is transitioning from the use of NPAPI plug-ins to native Web APIs. This requires content providers to develop new websites where the content can be hosted and delivered.
Fortunately, AVID (the company that publishes Sibelius and Sibelius Scorch) is bringing out a new content delivery system. It's called Sibelius Cloud Sharing, and it promises to be a huge improvement. This platform will allow us to have a simple delivery of our tabs that is universal for all browsers and devices (PCs, pads, phones, etc.).
We are excited about implementing the new Cloud Sharing system and hope to have our tabs on it by the end of 2017!