For Immediate Release
STARNINE SHIPS WEBCOLLAGE, AN INDUSTRY-FIRST CONTENT-CREATION DATABOT
— Revolutionary New Product Automates the Creation of Dynamic Infographics —
BERKELEY, Calif., April 28, 1996 — StarNine Technologies, Inc., a
subsidiary of Quarterdeck Corporation, today announced it is shipping
WebCollage, a new product that automatically builds dynamic Web graphics
containing up-to-the-minute data, and uploads them to any Web server on any
platform on a scheduled basis. The Mac OS version of WebCollage is
available today from StarNine for the special introductory price of $199.
The introductory price is good until June 30, 1997, after which time
WebCollage will cost $249.
“StarNine’s known for innovative, leading-edge Internet products and our
new WebCollage is no exception,” noted Avi Rappoport, product manager at
StarNine. “WebCollage makes Web sites truly come alive by constantly
refreshing the data being served – without anyone having to lift a finger
to do it. Since the data can be automatically gathered from databases as
well as Web sites, we anticipate WebCollage will be a huge hit with content
creators for Internet sites as well as corporate intranets.”
“One of the obvious uses of WebCollage is to track the stock prices Nasdaq
has been publishing for the Internet community for some time,” continued
Rappoport. “They’ve been extremely cooperative in working with us to
develop a template for WebCollage users to freely re-distribute Nasdaq
quotes in a attributed manner acceptable to everyone. The template shows
how much Nasdaq truly understands Internet culture.” (See related press
release dated April 28, 1997.)
“The AppleScript-ability of StarNine’s WebCollage allows for awesome
creativity with dynamic data,” agrees Rick Valdez, publishing luminary and
leader of Fearless Color. “WebCollage allows me to both pull data from any
source and send data to any application. My client’s web sites are peppered
with animated charts and graphics that update every 15 minutes. These pages
are always fresh and interesting. Once the scripts are written, it is so
easy to teach my clients to use and maintain WebCollage they never go back!”
“Adding up-to-the-minute content to a site, such as local weather, traffic
reports, stock price, etc., create a much higher impact, and help create
repeat visitors to the site.” explained Rappoport. “The power of automating
customized ads, or grabbing the latest headlines, or even just checking on
network traffic is huge when it comes to really making a site lively.
Anything a Webmaster does with WebCollage is automatically the kind of
interactive experience that makes the Web different from any other medium.
Already we’ve seen beta testers come up with radical new uses for
WebCollage we never even imagined, such as showing a snapshot of a public
chat server session.”
How WebCollage Works
WebCollage consists of two easy-to-use applications — an Editor and an
Assembler — that work together to build dynamic infographics without the
tedium and expense of doing it manually, or the difficulty of heavy
scripting and programming. The WebCollage Editor is a draw-based program
used to design graphical templates that the WebCollage Assembler builds
into GIF files. A template consists of any number of graphical shapes such
as lines, rectangles, pictures, text, plus WebCollage’s unique URL and
Script shapes whose content comes directly from the World Wide Web, local
databases, or from simple script execution.
The WebCollage URL and Scripting functions work together with the other
elements of the template to render information graphically. The WebCollage
Assembler automatically builds templates into GIF files on a schedule set
by the user, and places the results in a local directory or uploads to any
Web server, using a built-in FTP client. Each element of the graphic is
linked to its original source so clicking on any figure will take the user
to the Web site from where the data came. The result is up-to-the-minute
information with the Webmaster’s graphic design.
The WebCollage Editor and Assembler each require a Mac OS-compatible
computer with 2.5 MB of free RAM and each require 1 MB free hard disk
space. Users need either a PowerPC or 68040. WebCollage is compatible with
OpenTransport. QuickTime is required. More information on WebCollage can be
found at (http://www.starnine.com/webcollage/). WebCollage can be
purchased online at (http://www.starnine.com), or by calling 800-525-2580.
About StarNine
StarNine Technologies, Inc. is a subsidiary of Quarterdeck Corporation
located in Berkeley, California, leading the development of Internet server
software and email connectivity products for the Mac OS. Best known for its
WebSTAR Web server software, StarNine also offers ListSTAR list server
software, Quarterdeck Mail and Mail*Link Internet email gateways. Further
information on StarNine may be obtained by calling 510/649-4949, accessing
StarNine’s Web site at (http://www.starnine.com/), or by emailing
info@starnine.com.
Quarterdeck Corporation, StarNine’s parent company, is a developer and
marketer of utilities and Internet software for small business, home
office, corporate, government and individual personal computer users. Its
worldwide headquarters are in Marina del Rey, California, with Dublin,
Ireland serving as its European headquarters. Further information on
Quarterdeck may be obtained by calling 800/354-3222, accessing
Quarterdeck’s Web site at (http://www.quarterdeck.com/), or by emailing
info@quarterdeck.com.
Media Contact:
Naomi Pearce
Pearce Communications
510/528-0824
Email: naomi@well.com
Investor Contact:
Fiona Ross
The Financial Relations Board, Inc.
(310) 442-0599
Email: far@la.frbd.com
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Quarterdeck, StarNine and WebSTAR are registered trademarks of Quarterdeck
Corporation or its subsidiaries. ListSTAR is a trademark of Quarterdeck
Corporation. WebCollage is a trademark of Pensee Corporation. All other
brands and products referenced herein are the trademarks or registered
trademarks of their respective holders.