it begins
SoftQuad Introduces HoTMetaL PRO 5.0; Update of
Award-Winning HTML Authoring Tool Offers New Power,
Speed, Flexibility for Professionals and New Users
TORONTO--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Sept. 14, 1998--
New Version Features Improved Performance, New Source Editing
Capabilities and Unique Resource Manager
SoftQuad, Inc. (NASDAQ:SWEBF; TSE:SKI), a leading provider of content
publishing tools for the Internet, today introduced HoTMetaL PRO 5.0, the most powerful version yet of the company's award-winning HTML
development tool. Aimed at empowering both professional Web developers
and people new to HTML, HoTMetaL PRO 5.0 now offers users expanded
features and an integrated suite of authoring and site management tools in one application.
For professional productivity unmatched by any other Web authoring tool,HoTMetaL PRO 5.0 offers users three editing views: a WYSIWYG view for quickly prototyping pages, a source code view for total control over a page's HTML, and SoftQuad's unique Tags On view for the precision of source editing with the convenience of WYSIWYG.
In addition, HoTMetaL PRO 5.0's advanced site management tools are
completely integrated within the application and include powerful link-checking and management; site-wide search and replace for text, tags, URLs and meta data; easy site navigation; and an FTP client for one-button publishing to single or multiple servers.
"HoTMetaL PRO 5.0 is designed to help users quickly and easily develop
modern Websites," said Roberto Drassinower, General Manager, SoftQuad
Inc. "Professional Web developers will find HoTMetaL PRO 5.0 faster and more powerful than ever, speeding up the process of authoring and maintaining complex sites."
HoTMetaL PRO 5.0's new professional features include expanded source
code editing capabilities like soft text-wrap, line numbering, and syntax coloring; accurate WYSIWYG display; an integrated browser preview; and a flexible new Resource Manager to easily use and manage digital assets, including JavaScript codelets, whether they reside on a user's hard disk or network.
For new users seeking to be productive without delay, HoTMetaL PRO 5.0
offers a powerful Site Maker wizard. Users simply choose page types, a
layout and a graphic theme; Site Maker will automatically customize the entire site, ready to accept text and graphics.
"HoTMetaL PRO 5.0 is perfect for users new to HTML," Drassinower said.
"You can easily progress from creating a site with Site Maker to developing pages from scratch using our three-view approach and the comprehensive HTML resources we provide. Because the product is designed for both experienced Web developers and new users, you can never outgrow HoTMetaL PRO."
HoTMetaL PRO 5.0 also includes the HoTMetaL Power Pack, a complete
off-line development and testing solution for HoTMetaL Application Server.
Using the easy-to-master, tags-based Miva Markup Language, developers
can quickly create secure, interactive Web applications, like an e-commerce storefront, a bulletin board or an online survey, directly within HoTMetaL PRO 5.0.
HoTMetaL PRO 5.0 will be available beginning on October 1 for the
Windows 95/98 and NT 4.0 operating systems, at a special introductory price of $99.00 (US) with an upgrade price of $49.00 (US) to registered users of HoTMetaL PRO. The list price for the full product is $129.00 (US). System requirements include a Pentium processor, 16MB of RAM, 256 color/SVGA display with minimum 640 x 480 resolution, and a CD-ROM drive.
HoTMetaL PRO 5.0 In Depth
------------------------- Three Powerful Editing Views
HoTMetaL PRO 5.0's unique three-view approach to editing HTML pages
provides productivity unmatched by any other Web authoring tool. Users can
seamlessly switch between WYSIWYG, HTML Source, and Tags On views
without switching applications.
The improved WYSIWYG view lets users quickly create or prototype pages
by adding tables, text, and images to a document while HoTMetaL PRO 5.0
writes the underlying HTML code automatically.
The HTML Source view provides total control over HTML code and adds
new professional features like drag-and-drop element lists, automatic tag
completion, syntax coloring for HTML and JavaScript, auto-indent and block
indent, line and column numbering, word wrap, and automatic source layout.
Users also have the ability to open a page in HTML source view, thus
bypassing the HTML parser and bringing in completely unmodified text.
HoTMetaL PRO 5.0's unique Tags On view lets users view and edit both a
page layout and HTML code in the same interface, combining the precision of
source code editing with the convenience of WYSIWYG display.
"Our users tell us that Tags On view quickly becomes their favorite way of
working," said Drassinower. "You simply move the mouse over an HTML tag
to instantly see all its attributes."
Both WYSIWYG and Tags On views also feature the Attribute Inspector,
which gives Web developers convenient access to all attributes of an element
through a context-sensitive display that shows valid elements and attributes.
Users can also drag and drop text, URLs and more, directly onto the Attribute
Inspector
HoTMetaL PRO 5.0's other HTML authoring enhancements include an
integrated browser preview to quickly check HTML documents without
opening up a separate application, the industry's easiest drag-and-drop frame
creation, and comprehensive support for cascading style sheets (CSS).
Integrated Site Management Tools
HoTMetaL PRO 5.0 now integrates its site management and editing functions
within one application, resulting in a significant performance boost.
HoTMetaL PRO 5.0's powerful site management features enable users to
visualize an entire site with easy-to-understand and navigate site views,
automatically check and fix broken links, import, edit and manage sites created
with other applications, and even generate advanced summary information like
image size and download times. HoTMetaL PRO 5.0 also offers one-button
publishing of an entire site, or just newly-changed pages to single or multiple
servers. The Resource Manager
New to HoTMetaL PRO 5.0 is the Resource Manager, the next generation of
the FX Chooser, which first appeared in HoTMetaL PRO 4.0. Designed to
increase productivity and customizability, the Resource Manager provides
drag-and-drop digital asset management by combining the FX Chooser, the
Project Panel from the Information Manager, and a Windows Explorer-like
view, all in one utility.
The Resource Manager is an ideal tool for collecting, managing and using Web
effects--graphics, animations, backgrounds, applets, scripts and more. Users
can easily add special effects to their sites without programming, simply by
dragging and dropping effects directly onto a page. Even better, users can add
their own assets to the Resource Manager by dragging them from a page to
the new facility. Once there, assets are instantly ready to be dropped into
future pages.
"The Resource Manager provides a one-stop shop to manage an entire site,
with hooks into the editor, " Drassinower said. "In HoTMetaL PRO 5.0, users
will find this to be the single largest improvement in the way they work."
Advanced DHTML Support
To make it easy to create dynamic Websites, HoTMetaL PRO 5.0 provides
advanced support for DHTML. HoTMetaL PRO 5.0's HTML Source view
offers developers a comprehensive JavaScript editing environment, complete
with syntax coloring. When using the Attribute Inspector, users will find event
attributes separated out for easy access.
In addition, HoTMetaL PRO 5.0's Resource Manager contains dozens of
useful pre-built DHTML scripts, ready to drag and drop onto documents. The
Resource Manager also allows users to save JavaScript codelets onto
customizable asset pages for convenient access for future projects. Improved
Interface for Greater Productivity
HoTMetaL PRO 5.0's new improved interface allows users to customize their
entire workspace for greater productivity. The application's new "Workbook
Mode" makes it easy to switch between documents by just clicking on a tab at
the bottom of the display. Using customizable toolbars, floating and dockable
windows, and detachable objects, users can modify and save various
workspaces to suit different tasks. Additionally, keyboard macros enable users
to automate repetitive operations 100% Valid Markup for Sites that Work
Unlike other HTML authoring applications, HoTMetaL PRO 5.0 writes 100%
valid HTML, 100% of the time. When authoring in WYSIWYG or Tags On
view or using the Site Maker wizard, HoTMetaL PRO 5.0 will always
produce valid HTML code.
HoTMetaL PRO 5.0 features a "Check HTML" command for content
developers who write or modify their own HTML code in Source Code view.
HoTMetaL PRO 5.0 will validate documents against all versions of the HTML
specification, including HTML 2.0, 3.2, 4.0, as well as proprietary tags for
Microsoft and Netscape. When the validator finds an error in the HTML, it
automatically informs the user and pinpoints the source of the error for
correction.
The validation feature even informs users when they have used tags that are
supported only on specific versions of the HTML specification or by particular
browsers. This is essential for developers who are interested in designing
documents accessible to the broadest possible audience. This information
assists in identifying and removing unsupported tags and helps determine when
it is advisable to create a different version of a document for certain browsers.
"HoTMetaL PRO 5.0 is simply the best way to develop 100 % valid HTML,"
said SoftQuad's Lauren Wood, Chair, W3C Document Object Model
Working Group and member of the XML Working Group. "With HoTMetaL
PRO 5.0, markup is completely under the control of the author. Version 5.0
even helps developers clean up invalid code produced by other HTML
editors." Validating for Accessibility
As part of the AdaptAble Technology initiative, SoftQuad is committed to
ensuring that all users have access to content and content-authoring
applications. HoTMetaL PRO 5.0 integrates these technologies to make it and
the content it creates accessible to everyone, including those with disabilities.
HoTMetaL PRO 5.0's accessibility features and general level of support for
accessibility are unique in the industry. These features include SoftQuad's
Visual Dynamic Keyboard, a technology that provides support for alternative
pointing devices for users who are unable to use traditional keyboard and
mouse devices, auto prompting on how to create fully accessible content for
the Web, and an accessibility checker. Bundled Software
HoTMetaL PRO 5.0 comes bundled with a clip art library of more than 5,000
images, backgrounds and animated GIFs; the award-winning PhotoImpact SE
and image tool suite, optimized for Web graphics, from Ulead Systems,
enabling users to create their own custom graphics; DHTML Scripts from
webreference.com; the Complete HTML Reference Guide from
index.dot.html; and Microsoft Internet Explorer 4.01a and Netscape
Communicator 4.05. Rounding out the package is a special offer for Miva
Merchant, Store Front and Cataloguing System, and hosting discounts from
HoTMetaL Power Partners. About SoftQuad Inc.
SoftQuad Inc. is a leading provider of standards-based content publishing
tools for the Internet and corporate Intranets. Based in Toronto, Canada,
SoftQuad Inc. is a founding member and active participant in the World Wide
Web Consortium, the Internet Engineering Task Force and Editorial Review
Boards. SoftQuad Inc. is a division of SoftQuad International Inc., which also
owns Alpha Software Corporation, of Burlington, Mass.
SoftQuad HoTMetaL PRO and SoftQuad HoTMetaL are trademarks of
SoftQuad International, Inc. All other trademarks are the property of their
respective owners.
CONTACT: Press inquiries:
Edge Communications, Inc.
Ken Greenberg, 818/591-1173
edgepress@mindspring.com
or
Investor relations inquiries:
SoftQuad International Inc.
Steven Schneider, 781/229-2924
investor@softquad.com
or
SoftQuad Inc.
Roberto Drassinower, 416/544-9000
roberto@softquad.com
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