Mike, Just found this at CyberWhispers: SYD:VSE Sideware Systems, Inc. This The Week? Spring Internet World '98
Posted by SYD's Kid on March 08, 1998 at 14:05:20:
SYD:VSE Sideware Systems, Inc. sideware.com reality,http://events.internet.com/spring98/index.html
Spring Internet World '98 will make your Internet strategies a reality.
Sideware Systems, Inc.
events.internet.com
Introduction
From other Web pages.....
This document describes the technical aspects of Hot
Notions.
User's running Hot Notions and connected to the same
work group database will see the same note annotations for common applications, documents, web pages, etc. When a user
receives a message that a shared document has changes, he simply clicks on the message and it will launch the browser and
retrieve the document. All of the shared notes associated with that document will automatically be displayed.
Concurrent Enabling
Technology Fundamental to Hot Notions is the patented concurrent technology that allows the program to "magically" attach
notes to documents and web pages. All work group users can see the same note annotations attached to documents and web
pages as long as they use common applications to view the documents and a common web browser to view web pages.
TCP/IP Network Protocol Compatibility
All communication between the Server and Client is
carried out using TCP/IP sockets. Both applications are built using Winsockets version 1.1. This implementation allows Hot
Notions to be used over LAN's, Internet and Intranet architectures. The Hot Notions Client even works well over dial up
connections as long as a Winsockets version 1.1 protocol stack is available on the client machine.
Client/Server Database Model
Hot Notions incorporates the traditional client/server
model for database access. Two applications comprise the Hot Notions software. The first application is the Hot Notions
Server and the second application the Hot Notions Client.
Hot Notions Server
The Hot Notions Server application provides note
storage and replication for each Hot Notions Client
connected to the server hosted work group. The Hot
Notions Server can host multiple work groups
simultaneously.
The Hot Notions Server has the following features:
Windows 95 / Windows NT compatibility
TCP/IP network protocol support
Paradox compatible database
Multiple Simultaneous work groups
Secure work group access
Client note replication
Media Streaming
Activity log
Hot Notions Client
Hot Notions Client saves the note annotations to the
shared work group database via the Hot Notions Server application.Hot Notions Client has a Note Replication Module
which replaces the local file I/O used in Tagalongs single user version.
The Hot Notions Client has the following features:
Windows 3.1 / Windows 95 compatibility (GUI differs
for Windows 95 version)
TCP/IP network protocol support Concurrency
Message notification of document changes
Web Courier Agent for document retrieval
Work group database access
Work group messaging
E-Mail
Note Exchange
Automatic note locking
Media Streaming
Add-On support
Automatic Note Locking
When a user creates a new note, the server will not only allocate a new empty note in the database but the note will be
automatically locked as well. This feature
assumes that new notes will usually be modified in some manner soon after being created by the user.
E-Mail
The Hot Notions Client has the ability to sent individual
notes via a MAPI compatible electronic mail system if one is installed on the Client machine. Due to the implementation
specifics of the Media Streaming system only the note text is sent via e-mail.
User Messages
This feature allows Hot Notions Client users to send
messages to other Hot Notions users currently
connected to the same workgroup. A user will type their
message, select the recipients from a list of current users and then send the message. When the message is received a dialog
box containing the message will be displayed on the user's screen.
The server application will also have this feature which
is useful for broadcasting shutdown messages, etc.
Paradox Database Compatibility
The Hot Notions Server application is built using a
Paradox Version 7.0 database. This database was
chosen for its ease of use and good performance.
Security
The Hot Notions Server provides the option of
password protecting each work group. The password
must be entered correctly by the Hot Notions Client user to successfully attach to a protected work group on the server.
Note Replication
Note replication is the system used to keep the Hot
Notions Clients in sync with the Hot Notions Server
work group database. Each time a new note is added or a note is changed by a client within a work group, the
changes are sent or replicated to each connected client belonging to the work group.
Note Change Log
Each time a user makes a change to a note an entry will be placed into the change log on the server. This log specifies who
changed the note and when it occurred.
Note Exchange
This feature gives the Hot Notions Client user the ability to copy and move notes from their current workgroup into other
workgroups hosted by the same server. This allows users to connect to their own personal workgroups for private notes and
still have the option of publishing notes in a shared workgroup.
Note Passwords
In addition to the password required to connect to a
workgroup database, there is an additional password
option for individual notes. When a password has been specified for a particular note, a user will not be able to change the
note until the correct password is entered during the locking phase.
Media Streaming
Hot Notions uses media streaming technology to embed sound and voice clips into note annotations. This replaces the old
sound attachments in Tagalongs single user version which required Wave files to be created in addition to the notes
themselves.
One huge advantage of Media Streaming is the ability to avoid transferring large Wave files between the Hot
Notions Server and Clients. All the sound clips will be
created and played on the Hot Notions Server via a
network stream connection with the client.
Add-On's
In order to add custom support for special features of
specific applications an Add-On architecture has been
designed into the Hot Notions Client. Add-On's for Hot
Notions the "C" programming language, built to a
custom specification.
An example of a Hot Notions Add-On would allow
notes to be attached to pages of a Microsoft Word
document or a single cell in a Microsoft Excel
spreadsheet. Internet Web browsers are another
category which could exploit the Hot Notions Add-On's
architecture in many ways.
----------------------------------
Register yourself and take a look around.....the pages
smell of IBM all over it.........
Referals>http://www.hotnotions.com/
Installation Files - Demonstration and Evaluation Only>
net.lotus.com
Lotus Development Corporation
55 Cambridge Parkway, Cambridge, Massachusetts
02142 U.S.A.
__________________________________________________________________
Since the SYD press release on Friday and our
subsequent follow-up report, we have been monitoring
this thread for your comments and questions. We
recorded all the comments and sent the ones which best summarized the subjects in question to SYD this
morning. President Owen Jones had an opportunity to
review those comments and then provided us with
feedback in a conference call Tuesday afternoon.
Pursuant to our bulletin yesterday, please find enclosed the following report. For your convenience, the topics of discussion
have been broken down into sub-headings as follows:
1] Hot Notions - clarifications and further detail;
2] Dr. Bean - current status and initiatives;
3] IBM/Lotus - update current status;
4] Concerns regarding AGM - strategic shift in
marketing;
5] Latest Microsoft article - relevance and comments;
and
6] Agora Internet Relations Corp. - role in
shareholder/database communications
1] HOT NOTIONS
a) General
HN is a product that allows users to chat in context to a
web page. This is accomplished by being able to drop a chat-box and linking it to a web page. The key to HN is navigation.
HN knows who is connected and provides navigation tools to allow users to find each other and travel the web together. Net
Notions, on the other hand, allows a user to leave a message that future users can see after being told to go to a particular
address.
Sideware Systems is quite aware that more and more
chat systems are being developed but none of these
offer the ability to chat in context. Hot Notions was
developed and is now being introduced for the purposes of accelerating visibility of Sideware products. The underlying
premise is that industry personnel, end users and the investment community, including shareholders, will be able to use the
product and experience it's power. The underlying goal is that such a grass roots initiative will lead to increased product
sales, increased industry exposure and an increasing share price.
In reviewing the Internet comments provided by Agora,
Owen Jones stated the following summary by Geoff
(Krone) was very accurate:
" It's said that the service provided at the Hot Notions
website will be FREE, and it also says that there is a
"complimentary download" which appears to have the
same name as the website itself. The download is
evidently some kind of Hot Notions client, which, when
connected TO THE HOT NOTIONS WEBSITE,
would allow the user to do all the cool things that Net
Notions can do (and maybe a little more?) The cool
thing appears to be that, even though they are giving
away Hot Notions, they are not giving away Net
Notions. So, any network administrator who tries out
Hot Notions will come away with a vivid impression of
what Net Notions could do within his/her own system.
Great way to boost interest in the Net Notions server
and client."
The company also stated the initial strategy behind Hot Notions was to support the Net Notions storefront and possibly
generate advertising revenues, as a result of the anticipated traffic. In addition to these two revenue streams, it has now
become apparent that a third stream is now a reality. Specifically, over the last few days, Sideware Systems has been
receiving requests from corporations to incorporate HN into their web sites. This would be accomplished by purchasing the
server and granting use of Hot Notions under specific license. An example of such an application is an auto manufacturer that
arranges on-line customer tours of it's web site at a specified time.
With respect to " a detailed assessment on the
implication of Hot Notions both positive and negative
(not being) posted", the company advised that such an
assessment is pre-mature and can not be made until the product has been released and in use for a short time.
b) Marketing and Visibility
The company advises there are two (2) key elements to increasing visibility of any small company and their
products. The first is strategic partnering. The company is satisfied with their accomplishments to date in this regard. The
second is product positioning. It is this latter initiative the Storefront and Hot Notions were created to support. The company
firmly believes that product positioning will provide the necessary support to progress it's current strategic partnering
arrangements.
2] DR. BEAN
The company advises that Dr. Bean is a strategic and
specific product that will only be completed once IBM
has signed a definitive deal. Owen Jones advises the
Alpha version of Dr. Bean was well accepted by IBM
and that initiatives are now being taken to determine
whether an agreement and requisite financing can be
reached in order to complete the final version. For
obvious reasons, the specifics of such an initiative can
not be discussed at any length.
Suffice it to say, this initiative is very active but the
company will not dedicate anymore of it's limited
resources to the project until an agreement is signed.
The company has identified the fact that it's Storefront
and Hot Notions initiatives hold great potential and that
progress in each is in the control of Sideware. As such,
all resources are being dedicated to these initiatives.
3] STATUS OF IBM/LOTUS DEALS
To date, discussions with IBM/LOTUS have been on
two fronts. The first is Dr. Bean, which was discussed
above. The second is Net Notions. The latest moves by Lotus have served to revitalize Net Notions in terms of integration.
Specifically, the Lotus decision to integrate DB2 to Domino, as well as, their new focus on using an NT operating system,
were both positive moves for Sideware in that both make Net Notions more useful and viable within the Domino product
line. IBM/Lotus have been struggling to find the right mix and this latest shift, announced only last week, seems to be the one
they are going to go with.
Until recently, attempting to use Lotus Notes as the
database made it very difficult for Sideware and Lotus
to convince clients that Net Notions was a unique
product. As such, the company believes this was a
major reason for an agreement not being signed with
Lotus as of yet. Specifically, the Lotus Notes database
engine was originally meant for managing documents in a network, while Domino extended the sharing of
documents over the Internet.
Today, the DB2 database engine represents a superior database engine for Net Notions due to the fact it supports all NN
functions and future features, thus
increasing the viability and utility of NN as a Domino
product. Some examples of these include voice, sound and audio/visualfeatures. The end result is that NN can now be
integrated much easier, as well as, increasing it's ability to mine information. This latter advantage adds the ability to
provide many value-added services inherent in better mining i.e. the ability to query the database for more specific
information.
Conclusion: In light of these developments, Sideware is dedicating it's resources to the Net Notions and Hot
Notions initiatives and maintaining to work closely with
IBM. Many of you have asked why the company is not
shopping it's technology amongst other industry
participants, to which the company responds that
current developments have translated into Sideware
products impacting and giving value to Lotus initiatives, as well as, IBM Internet initiatives. Until these initiatives and this
relationship is exhausted, the company does not see the benefit of putting them at risk. The company will concentrate first on
releasing Hot Notions at Internet World, including demonstrating the product to IBM/Lotus and, secondly, it's advertising
and storefront campaigns commencing April 1.
4] CONCERNS REGARDING AGM.
There was concern expressed with respect to the fact
Sideware did not announce at the AGM, it's decision to
change marketing strategies. Owen Jones commented
that he made the following statement at the AGM:
"We will be shifting our focus and that event will be a
major one that is pre-mature to discuss in detail at this
time".Mr. Jones acknowledged this statement was
ambiguous and probably went relatively unnoticed, in
light of the fact those present were understandably more interested in discussing issues such as the status of the Lotus
arrangement. Having said that, Mr. Jones'
statement was clear that nothing more could be said
about Hot Notions at the time.
5] LATEST MICROSOFT ARTICLE
For those of you unfamiliar with the article in question,
we provide the headline and the opening paragraphs for your reference.
Microsoft Bags Instant Messaging Company
(02/23/98; 2:27 p.m. EST)
By Barbara Darrow, Computer Reseller News
Microsoft continued its messaging buying spree with the acquisition of Flash Communications.Flash, based in Boston, makes
instant messaging technology, that
enables workgroup members to instantly contact each
other over the computer. Typically instant messages pop up in an onscreen Window.Such software applications, often called
buddy lists,are one of the leading indicators of what the computer interface of the future will be, said Jerry Michalski,
managing editor of Release 1.0, a New York-based industry newsletter.
Sideware advises this is another buddy list chat product that substantiatesthe fact that real-time chat is useful. However, this
is not a context chat system with the ability to navigate, therefore, it is not a competitive
product. Such chat products serve to create discussions in a void and do not function like Net Notions, which is a
workgroup-intranet product with the ability to leave contextual messages for others. Hot Notions is even more superior due
to it's navigational abilities.
6] AGORA INTERNET RELATIONS CORP.
We have seen much discussion on the Internet with
respect to the role Agora will play at Sideware. Unequivocally, Sideware has made it very clear that Agora's primary
responsibility is to re-establish an
effective communication link between the company and it's shareholders.
In accomplishing this task, Agora will be responsible for the flow of information both to and from shareholders. With
respect to information flowing from the company, Agora will be responsible for ensuring that information with respect to
company activities is disseminated as soon as it is eligible for public discussion. As you all know, Sideware is currently
involved in many activities that can not be discussed openly at this time. Nonetheless, Agora is being kept fully informed of
each initiative and their progress for the purpose of
determining the point at which information is eligible for
dissemination.
It is also important at this time to discuss the scope of
information disseminated to shareholders. Specifically,
Agora and Sideware are both in agreement that
shareholders must be updated on all initiatives,
regardless of the outcome. Agora was very clear, in it's
initial discussions with Sideware, that it had to serve a
function beyond that of a buffer between shareholders
and the company. Agora is of the philosophy that
shareholders must be provided with all company
information, both positive and negative, in order to be
able to make informed investment decisions. We believe that, in the long run, despite the implications of negative news, a
company will maintain a much more stable investor base when shareholders are confident they will be kept fully apprised of
company events and in a contemporaneous manner. Sideware management fully agrees with this philosophy.
With respect to information flowing from the investment
community, Agora will be responsible for ensuring the
company is kept apprised of shareholder sentiment,
questions and concerns. In these preliminary stages of
our relationship with Sideware, this task is simple from
the point of identifying issues but challenging in terms of their volume. Agora has already released one special report
discussing Hot Notions and it's implications, which served to touch on some other outstanding issues. This second report
deals more broadly with outstanding issues of primary concern to investors. We anticipate a third report to be released next
week, which will update investors with respect to remaining outstanding concerns i.e. status of Beta testing Sideware
products at larger corporations.
At that point, we feel that investors will have been
adequately updated with respect to the current status of all Sideware initiatives. The task will then turn to
maintaining investor knowledge Sideware initiatives in a timely manner. In order to avoid the long gaps of silence which
plagued the company previously, Agora will deliver an update of company affairs on average of once every two weeks, no
matter how big or small those changes might be. In addition, Agora will continue to produce follow-up reports to any press
releases issued by Sideware.
Finally, Agora will establish an e-mail address which
investors will use for the purposes of asking specific
questions. Both Agora and Sideware realize and
acknowledge that updates may lead to further questions from investors, to the extent the company is able to answer them. We
anticipate making such an e-mail address available after our next report. Having said that, Sideware has made it very clear
that it will not answer questions pertaining to the current share price, projected share price, advice with respect to purchase
and sale of Sideware stock, matters not available for public discussion and issues relating to wild speculation or
conspiracies. The company has concluded and Agora is in agreement that company resources in the past were wasted on
matters that were both frivolous and beyond the company's control and that future resources must be used to enhance
shareholder knowledge with pertinent information.
We also wish to advise that Agora is not a promoter in
the true sense of the word. That is, Agora responsibility
does not include any activity that directly relates to the
price or volume of Sideware stock. For further
clarification, kindly refer to the disclosure statement
included at the end of each report. With respect to
issues regarding insider information both Agora and
Sideware wish to advise that Agora is privy to such
information and, as all persons privy to insider
information, are bound by contract and law to not act
upon such information.
We thank you for taking the time to review our report
and look forward to your feedback, as well as, further
meaningful discussions.
Regards,
Agora Internet Relations Corp.
DISCLOSURE STATEMENT
AGORA INTERNET RELATIONS CORP. receives a
monthly monetary fee from Sideware Systems Inc. for
the purposes of communicating with Internet
shareholders - both current and prospective - to increase awareness of and interest in Sideware Systems Inc. AGORA
INTERNET RELATIONS CORP activities are aimed purely at keeping their clients' shareholders and prospective
shareholders informed about their company. These activities consist of providing investors with previously disclosed factual
information concerning the company, comments from company principals, copies of material that has been filed with
regulatory authorities, comments prepared by registered brokers or investment dealers and material published in
newspapers, magazines or journals.
AGORA INTERNET RELATIONS CORP does not
participate in the maintenance of an orderly market in
their client's securities, nor is required, or receives an
incentive for, the maintenance or achievement of a price or tradingvolume for their client's securities at a certain level, for a
specified period of time or by a certain date. AGORA INTERNET RELATIONS CORP. may,at anytime, own shares in the
company.
Please direct any questions, concerns or comments to
jennifer@sideware.com or ir@sideware.com
sideware.com
>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>
Later...Gator |
