Aptex delivers international, multiplatform Convectis document categorization server.

SAN DIEGO--(BUSINESS WIRE)--March 24, 1997--

Award-winning intelligent server adds multilingual,

Windows NT support with Java-based Web interface

Aptex Software Inc., a leader in intelligent Internet information analysis, Monday announced Convectis 3.0, a multiplatform, multilingual version of the award-winning document categorization server.

Convectis now supports both the Microsoft Windows NT and Sun Solaris operating systems and provides a new Java-based Web interface.

"We listened to our customers' requests for a multiplatform, multilingual version of Convectis," said Michael Thiemann, president and chief executive officer of Aptex. "We're now delivering a powerful global solution to information management across diverse operating platforms."

With its new multilingual capability, Convectis can understand and categorize documents in any language, including ideographic languages such as Japanese, making it easy to create and maintain international document directories.

With Convectis' unique neural network learning capability, a single document categorization scheme can easily be implemented and maintained across any number of languages. English, Spanish and Japanese are available now, and additional languages can easily be added.

Convectis' new Java-based interface provides point-and-click category creation and tuning via the Internet and intranets. Anyone who can categorize documents manually -- from content experts to administrative personnel -- can now access Convectis via Web browser to automate the categorization process.

For information retrieval applications, Convectis now provides lists of keywords closely associated with specific categories. This feature can be used for automated "query expansion" to enhance the capabilities of existing text engines, and provides continuous improvement in keyword precision as Convectis categories are created and tuned.

Individual category tuning is dramatically faster in the new version, with neural network learning selectable by category. A new Tcl scripting capability also makes it easy to control any Convectis capability from within other applications and processes.

Convectis is fast, objective and consistent, accurately processing more than 150,000 documents per day in minimum configuration. Convectis integrates easily with Web servers, e-mail systems and newsfeeds. After reading each document, Convectis returns a ranked list of categories most closely related to the document plus an adjustable length summary and keyword list extracted directly from the document.

Convectis intelligently assigns documents to multiple categories, improving user access to information and easing integration with existing categorization schemes. Any combination of original and Convectis-generated information can be published on-line, dispatched to interested users or stored in data warehouses. Convectis categories can also be used to select automated responses to customer e-mails and Web response forms.

Convectis uses patented neural network techniques and Context Vector (tm) technology to learn word relationships directly from unstructured text, eliminating the need for external knowledge bases and avoiding the update and maintenance problems associated with databases, dictionaries, thesauri and Boolean queries.

Because it understands words based on their context, Convectis is tolerant of misspellings. And since Convectis can learn word relationships directly from customer and industry-specific document collections, Convectis also understands and leverages acronyms and jargon.

Aptex Software is a subsidiary of HNC Software Inc. and develops intelligent software solutions which "mine" content to enhance mission-critical decisions and processes. Aptex uses proprietary neural network techniques and Content Mining (tm) technology to learn relationships in unstructured information, correlate and select content, and initiate effective action based on predicted behavior and trends.

With headquarters in San Diego, HNC Software (NASDAQ:HNCS) is a leader in the application of neural network technology in client/server environments. The company develops, markets, integrates and supports advanced decision software based on computational intelligence. HNC provides practical solutions in the areas of electronic payment, financial services, retail, insurance, educational publishing, direct marketing and market research.

For more information about Aptex, visit the company's World Wide Web site at http://www.aptex.com or contact Jane Leonard, marketing communications manager, at Aptex Software Inc., 9605 Scranton Road, Suite 240, San Diego, Calif. 92121; phone: [phone]; fax: [phone]; email: [e-mail].

CONTACT: Aptex Software Inc., San Diego

Jane Leonard, 619/646-0121