Akimbo Systems Ships Globetrotter Web Publisher
Third-Generation Web Site Publishing Product
Allows Users to Publish as Quickly as They Can Write
Web Site: http://www.akimbo.com/globetrotter
See also previous announcements:
Akimbo Systems Announces Globetrotter Web Publisher
http://www.akimbo.com/press_releases/globetrotter_announced.html
User Groups to Get Free Copies of Globetrotter Web Publisher
http://www.akimbo.com/press_releases/user_group_program.html
(Somerville, MA – September 11th, 1996) Akimbo Systems announced today
that it is now shipping its Globetrotter Web Publisher package for Mac OS
computers, the first third-generation web publishing product.
Globetrotter, one of the “MacWEEK HOT Picks” from the August MacWorld
Expo, has been anxiously awaited by web publishers and is shipping about
a month ahead of schedule. Effective immediately, users may get complete
information about the product and purchase it on the company’s web site
http://www.akimbo.com.
Revolutionary Product for World Wide Web
Globetrotter is a revolutionary product in an exciting market area.
“Unlike all existing products for authoring content on the world wide
web, Globetrotter was designed around the content, rather than designed
around HTML,” said Bruce Leban, Akimbo Systems’ president. Globetrotter
differentiates itself in two major areas: Globetrotter is a true
publishing product rather than an HTML Editor, and Globetrotter is
designed to publish web sites rather than web pages.
Until today, people who wanted to publish on the web were forced to
learn HTML or hire an expert. HTML Editors helped a little, but users
were still forced to understand HTML concepts and structure. HTML was
never designed to be edited by hand. As a publishing product,
Globetrotter shields users from HTML, just like the average word
processor shields users from the PostScript needed to print a page.
Globetrotter also automatically converts text, formatting, pictures and
sounds to the formats necessary for display on the web. Globetrotter
users can even create Java, ActiveX and other objects within their
documents without typing HTML.
Globetrotter excels at taking care of the details, according to beta
tester Crawford Kilian, chair of the Media Technology division of
Capilano College in Vancouver , Canada, “I’m an inexpert Web designer,
but it was extraordinarily easy to put together what amounts to a short
book using Globetrotter. I didn’t even have to think about HTML.”
Unique Features
By going beyond the limits of HTML, Globetrotter is able to publish
multiple pages from a single source document, provide page headers and
footers on each page, automatically create a navigation bar and next and
previous buttons, as well as automatically fix links when a document is
republished. Navigation buttons may be published as text or in a
graphical style chosen from a Button Library. When a user creates a form,
Globetrotter will automatically name the form elements and create the CGI
(Common Gateway Interface) script necessary to process the form on the
server. These are all features that no competing program has, due to
their overdependence on HTML.
In addition, Globetrotter is unique in its ability to automatically
determine the appropriate format and options for publishing pictures,
which are published as either GIF or JPEG format. Globetrotter creates
pages which may be viewed in all browsers, ranging from Netscape to
Internet Explorer to the character-based Lynx. Old versions of browsers,
including browsers that don’t support tables, ActiveX or JavaScript, are
supported automatically without the need to publish multiple versions of
pages, as users frequently need to do with competing programs.
“Globetrotter is a great leap for web publishing,” said beta tester
Scott Boyd, VP, Engineering at QKS, Inc., “Creating forms is amazingly
easy and it was a tremendous help in quickly turning around high-quality
Smalltalk Agents release documentation.”
Documentation Available Online
Globetrotter documentation will be available at all times on the
company’s web site. The documentation, produced completely with
Globetrotter, has been designed especially for the web, providing quick
answers to common questions with links to and between pages. Unlike
static paper manuals, the documentation will be updated periodically
based on feedback and technical support questions from users. At any
time, users can access the web site for the most recent documentation.
Users will also be able to download the documentation for local access
from their hard disk.
Ordering Information
Globetrotter has a MSRP of $249, but will be available at an
introductory internet-only promotional price of $99 for the first sixty
days, through November 13th, 1996. Users may purchase and download the
product directly through Akimbo’s web site, which was created completely
with Globetrotter. E-mail queries should be directed to sales@akimbo.com.
Customer support for Globetrotter will be provided directly on the web
site, as well as through electronic mail and the company’s support forum
on America Online (keyword: Akimbo).
Akimbo Systems, founded in 1991, is a privately-held firm based in
Somerville, Mass. The company develops, produces, and markets powerful,
general-purpose easy-to-use Internet and Intranet productivity software.
Akimbo Systems may be contacted at: Akimbo Systems, 11 Rose St.,
Somerville MA 02143, USA; http://www.akimbo.com; sales@akimbo.com;
617-776-5500; fax: 617-776-5512.
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Globetrotter, Akimbo Systems and the distinctive logos, icons, and
graphics are trademarks of Akimbo Systems Inc. Other names may be
trademarks of their respective holders.
