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Bellevue, WA: September 14th, 1998 -- DataChannel, Inc. the leader in usability infrastructure for corporate Intranets, and Microstar (TSE:MSS) today announced a partnership to provide XML-based information distribution solutions to the Canadian Government and corporate accounts. Microstar, on its own, provides Content Management System (CMS) products and services with a specialty in SGML (Standard Generalized Markup Language) and XML (Extensible Markup Language). Utilizing DataChannel's flagship product, DataChannel RIO with its Save to the Web ^TM capabilities, Microstar offers a solution providing instant publishing, routing, and management of critical corporate information directly from the desktop using familiar desktop tools.

"Microstar's depth and knowledge of the Canadian marketplace and of XML makes them uniquely qualified for this exciting application of DataChannel RIO," said Jay Foreman, Vice-President of Sales & Professional Services at DataChannel. "Using RIO in combination with their extensive expertise will give Microstar’s customers an unbeatable and economical solution for web-enabled content publishing and distribution management."

About the Microstar Solution

Microstar is a Content Management System (CMS) solutions company specializing in the design and implementation of innovative solutions for managing and distributing corporate knowledge assets. They are a leader in using SGML and XML to reduce the cost of publishing the same content in many formats from a single source. Microstar provides unique products to speed SGML and XML content analysis and design and content conversion. These products are, respectively: Near & Far® Designer and FastTAG®.

"The Microstar-DataChannel relationship allows us to offer our current customers a web-enabled information distribution solution combined with the critical distribution management component," said Shawn P. Ling, Vice-President of Sales & Marketing at Microstar. "With both of these components built on a solid and flexible base of XML, our corporate and government accounts will finally be able to achieve the full potential of the Web."

Microstar will provide sales, services and support for the DataChannel products and services including DataChannel's flagship product, DataChannel RIO with its Save to the Web technology. Microstar will be the exclusive reseller of DataChannel Technology to the Canadian Federal Government.

Microstar and DataChannel can be found at XML World ’98 in Hull, Quebec, Canada at booth # 141. For more information about DataChannel products, please contact DataChannel sales at (425) 462-1999 or call Microstar at (613) 596-2233.

About Microstar Software Ltd.

Microstar Software Ltd. provides Content Management System solutions comprised of technology and services for Global 2000 companies. These solutions enable Microstar's customers to effectively and economically create, manage and distribute their corporate knowledge assets. The company is recognized for its innovative standards-based solutions based on SGML and XML. Microstar's technology expertise includes the development of XML and SGML tools such as Near & Far® Designer, FastTAG® and the Ælfred XML parser. The company is listed on the Toronto Stock Exchange (MSS). Information about Microstar Software Ltd. is available on the World Wide Web at www.microstar.com.

About DataChannel, Inc.

DataChannel, Inc., based in Bellevue, Wash., is the leader in usability infrastructure for corporate Intranets. Founded in 1996, DataChannel increases user productivity by allowing for easier publishing, distributing, and searching in the corporate Intranet. DataChannel's flagship product, DataChannel RIO, combines the power of an XML-driven database engine with real-time TIBCO notification (Nasdaq: RTRSY) working with Netscape's Communicator (Nasdaq: NSCP) or Microsoft Exchange (Nasdaq: MSFT). DataChannel RIO simplifies the process of delivering critical information to the right people at the right time through the instant distribution of organized content including external newsfeeds such as NewsEdge (Nasdaq:NEWZ); search engines such as Yahoo! (Nasdaq:YHOO), Excite (Nasdaq: XCIT), InfoSeek (Nasdaq: SEEK), and Lycos (Nasdaq: LCOS); relational databases from companies such as Informix Software (Nasdaq: IFMX), Sybase (Nasdaq: SYBS), and Oracle (Nasdaq: ORCL); Enterprise applications, such as SAP, PeopleSoft (Nasdaq: PSFT), and Baan (Nasdaq: BAANF); and enterprise corporate data from companies such as Wall Data (Nasdaq: WALL) and IBM (NYSE: IBM) - all within a customizable employee desktop environment.

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