For Immediate Release
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
STARNINE RELEASES MAJOR UPGRADES FOR WEBCATALOG AND WEBMERCHANT
— High-Powered, Customizable Internet Commerce Tool-Set Now More Flexible,
Even Easier to Administer —
BERKELEY, Calif., June 2, 1997 — StarNine Technologies, Inc., a subsidiary
of Quarterdeck Corporation, today announced the version 2.0 Upgrades to
WebCatalog and WebMerchant, Internet commerce applications formerly
marketed by Pacific Coast Software of San Diego, Calif. Available within a
week on the Mac(tm)OS with NT versions expected to ship by early-July, both
applications are dramatically more flexible and customizable, with greater
configurability of databases, and support for multiple storefronts.
WebCatalog 2.0 can now dynamically generate pages simultaneously from
multiple WebCatalog database files, with additional features added to
further improve ease-of-administration and customization. StarNine will
publish, market and support both WebCatalog and WebMerchant, based on an
exclusive publishing agreement with Pacific Coast Software (see related
release dated June 2, 1997), while Pacific Coast and StarNine will continue
to collaborate on the development of future upgrades.
“Simple, yet powerful online commerce software is the Holy Grail of the
Internet,” explained Rusty Rahm, president and StarNine. “WebCatalog and
WebMerchant, are high-performance, yet easy-to-use tools that turn a
WebSTAR server or an NT Web server into a fully functional online store,
ready to conduct transactions through your standard merchant transaction
account. It’s very fast, and the HTML administration makes it easy to
configure.”
Available for the MacOS and Windows NT platforms, WebCatalog is the first
database designed exclusively for the Web, with integrated connectivity to
Web servers — no additional CGI, Plug-in or database server is required.
This unique architecture yields performance far beyond traditional
solutions involving a separate CGI and back-end database application.
WebMerchant is a companion application that automatically clears credit
card transactions using the most popular automated methods such as
MacAuthorize, PCAuthorize and ICVerify. FirstVirtual payments are also
supported on both platforms. WebMerchant is architected so that future
payment methods, such as CyberCash, can be added quite easily.
Search No Further for Power and Flexibility
As a high-speed, multi-threaded application, WebCatalog’s extremely
efficient RAM-caching database algorithm allows a multitude of requests to
be processed much more quickly than they can with alternative solutions
that link to external database applications. Administering WebCatalog is
made easy through simple HTML template files, either locally or remotely
via the Web. WebCatalog’s robust search capabilities are fully
customizable, including multi-field searches with results displayed
according to relevance.
The WebCatalog 2.0 Upgrade now offers template support for WebCatalog’s
embedded WebDNA command language; support for sophisticated look-ups of zip
code, tax, and shipping databases for complex invoice calculations; and
support for all standard “cloaking” functions. WebCatalog 2.0’s increased
flexibility in configuring database fields results in greater RAM
efficiency.
“WebCatalog was built from the ground up as a Web database tool, which
makes it far faster and more flexible than competing products,” said beta
tester Karl Schroll of Digital Frontier. “Due to the fact that the database
is served directly from RAM, pages created through WebCatalog are served
faster than conventional HTML pages. I have yet to find a shopping site
that processes information as quickly as WebCatalog.”
“WebCatalog makes it easy for customers to search product inventory,” added
Schroll. “It also takes the headaches out of maintaining the product
database. With WebCatalog, you can easily alter price, descriptions, and
all other fields associated with a product’s database record via simple,
Web-based forms. This database approach to traditional Web development
makes our job much easier and it allows us to leverage our existing work
because we can reuse our WebCatalog 2.0 templates for new clients, making
us much more productive and profitable.”
Complete HTML template files are included with WebCatalog ranging from easy
set-up templates defining the look and action of the site to more complex
capabilities such as built-in support for creating custom shopping carts.
“The great thing about the software is you can start simple,” agreed
Schroll. “The store templates that come with WebCatalog 2.0 can be easily
adapted to fit an individual store’s needs, so smaller vendors can have
their sites up and running in no time. There is plenty of room to grow too,
since field limitations present in earlier versions have been eliminated,
which means you can likely build any application you can dream up.”
Add Immediate Transaction Execution
WebMerchant 2.0 conducts the transaction generated by WebCatalog
immediately or in batches and can send confirmation back to the customer
once the process is complete. Simultaneous to the transaction, WebMerchant
also logs and tracks the transaction through final product delivery,
significantly increasing an online store’s level of customer service.
Retailers with existing merchant accounts can use those accounts to execute
the transaction. Retailers setting up new transaction accounts can choose
from all of the popular automated methods such as MacAuthorize, PCAuthorize
and ICVerify, and can expect WebMerchant to support future payment methods.
Pricing and Availability
The WebCatalog and WebMerchant Upgrades are free to users who purchased
after May 1st of 1996, and $895 to customers who purchased before May of
’96. Both WebCatalog and WebMerchant 2.0 Upgrades are available within a
week on the Mac(tm)OS, with NT versions of both products expected to ship
by early-July.
For new customers WebCatalog 2.0 is priced at $2,495 and WebMerchant 2.0 is
$995. WebCatalog and WebMerchant are available for both Mac and NT
platforms. More information on WebCatalog and WebMerchant can be found at
(http://www.starnine.com/webcatalog/). WebCatalog and WebMerchant are
available for purchase online at (http://www.starnine.com), or by calling
800/525-2580.
About Pacific Coast Software
Pacific Coast Software, located in San Diego County, California, is a
privately held company specializing in software consulting, software
development, Web site creation and Web site hosting. Currently available
software includes Internet utility products such as SiteCheck, SiteEdit and
PhotoMaster. A wide array of Web site hosting and creation services are
supported on a dedicated high-speed connection, safeguarded to eliminate
down-time. Further information on Pacific Coast Software can be obtained
by calling 619/675-1106, accessing Pacific Coast’s site at
(http://www.pacific-coast.com/), or by emailing info@pacific-coast.com.
About StarNine
StarNine Technologies, Inc. is a subsidiary of Quarterdeck Corporation
located in Berkeley, California, leading the development of Internet server
software, content creation tools, and email connectivity products. Best
known for its WebSTAR Web server software, StarNine also offers ListSTAR
list server software, WebCollage automated content creation 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.
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Quarterdeck, StarNine and WebSTAR are registered trademarks of Quarterdeck
Corporation or its subsidiaries. ListSTAR is a trademark of Quarterdeck
Corporation or its subsidiaries. WebCatalog and WebMerchant are trademarks
of Pacific Coast Software. All other brands and products referenced herein
are the trademarks or registered trademarks of their respective holders.