Inso Unveils the First Commercially Available ICE Application at CNET's Web.Builder Conference

The DynaBase Command Line Interface Leverages Inso's XML Expertise to Provide Controlled Exchange and Management of Online Assets Between Web Servers Today


SAN FRANCISCO, April 14, 1998 - At CNET's Web.Builder Conference in San Francisco today, Inso Corporation announced the availability of the DynaBase® Command Line Interface (CLI), the first commercially available Information and Content Exchange (ICE) application. The DynaBase CLI is a Java application that is available for free download by qualified developers for evaluation.

The DynaBase CLI supports the eventual goal of ICE by enabling DynaBase Web publishers today to define, implement, and operate automatic, controlled exchange and management of online assets between any server on the Internet and any Web server operating the DynaBase Web Server Plug-in. This functionality will allow content publishers, for example, to exchange data between content sources and to proactively send instantaneous updates and expirations to Web site subscribers without the need to wait for the next refresh cycle.

Developed in cooperation with newspaper, magazine, and financial publishing clients, the DynaBase CLI also enables strategic DynaBase Web publishing teams to link various editorial systems such as SII, Quark, and Notes, together with content sources including newswire feeds and partners' content, in a single, automated Web publishing application.

"Linking legacy editorial systems and Web data servers together with eXtensible Markup Language (XML)-based Web publishing is a natural fit," said Kim Shah, General Manager and Vice President of Inso's DynaBase unit. "As the ICE specification is still in development, Inso has utilized its unparalleled XML expertise and devised an interim approach that will allow customers to create ICE applications today. Our solution will also enable publishers to migrate to the ICE protocol when it is ratified."

The stated goal of the ICE ad-hoc working group is to develop an XML-based, standard protocol that enables the automatic, controlled exchange and management of online assets between business partners' Web servers. The ICE ad-hoc working group is comprised of technology firms including Adobe, Firefly, JavaSoft, Microsoft, National Semiconductor, and Vignette, as well as asset exchanging companies including CNET, Hollinger International, News Internet Services, Preview Travel, Tribune Media Services, and ZD Net. Submission of ICE to a standards organization for consideration is expected in mid-summer.

DynaBase is an award-winning Web publishing system that provides an integrated solution for developing, managing, and dynamically publishing high-impact Web content. DynaBase two main capabilities are sophisticated content management and powerful dynamic publishing.

For content management, DynaBase includes the Data Server, a secure, version-controlled repository for Web site components that keeps XML and HTML content, media files, and scripts well organized and managed, while also enabling remote access to the production environment. The Data Server includes an embedded object-oriented database from Object Design, Inc. for storing Web application components, as well as an ODBC-compatible scripting language for storing transactional data in relational databases such as Oracle, Sybase and SQL Server.

DynaBase's dynamic publishing environment constructs highly functional, animated Web pages on-the-fly from relational databases queries, as wellas from XML, HTML, graphics, applets, or multimedia files. DynaBase provides for either real-time or cached delivery of pages and executes Visual Basic-compatible scripts that dynamically generate high-impact Web pages.

DynaBase 2.1.5 is currently available for use with Microsoft Internet Information Server running Windows NT 4.0 and Netscape Enterprise and FastTrack Servers running Windows NT 4.0 and Sun Solaris 2.5. For teams operating in new media publishing organizations, starting pricing for a DynaBase installation is $49,995. Call Inso at 800-733-5799 for specific pricing and configuration information and for access to the CLI download site. For additional information visit the DynaBase area of the Inso Web site at www.inso.com.

Inso Corporation has five significant contributors to the development of XML and related initiatives eXtensible Linking Language (XLL) and eXtensible Style Language (XSL). Most notable are Steve DeRose, a member of the XML Working Group and the co-editor of XLL, and Sharon Adler, a member of the XML Special Interest Group and the co-chair of the XSL Working Group. Inso has translated its XML expertise into products that provide unparalleled support for XML today. In December 1997, Inso demonstrated the industry's first end-to-end XML publishing solution for creating, converting, storing, managing, indexing, searching, and publishing XML content to the Web, CD-ROM, and print.

Inso Corporation (Nasdaq: INSO) is a leading global supplier of software solutions for sharing and publishing electronic information. Inso provides solutions for effective distribution of all forms of electronic information, from the simplest memo to the most complex technical manual, in environments ranging from computer desktops to the Internet. Inso's "Dyna" family of electronic publishing products are built upon a stable and high performance set of technologies that dynamically serve million+ page Web sites for industry leaders including Sun Microsystems, Silicon Graphics, Novell, Siemens Nixdorf, and Sybase. Information about Inso and its products can be found on the Web at www.inso.com.

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Inso, the Inso logo, and DynaBase are registered trademarks of Inso Corporation. Java is a trademark of Sun Microsystems. All other company and product names herein may be trademarks of their respective holders.

Media Contact:

Paul Lamoureux

Inso Corporation
Tel: (617) 753-6854
Email: plamoureux@inso.com