ArborText Announces ADEPT Version 7; Global Software for Structured Knowledge Capture and Delivery Includes XML and Java Support.

SAN FRANCISCO--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Sept. 30, 1997--ArborText, the world's leading provider of knowledge capture and delivery tools for enterprise publishing systems, today announced the availability of ADEPT 7.

This new release adds XML and Java support, two critical technologies for deploying serious knowledge management applications on intranets and extranets. ADEPT 7 has been selected by Seybold Reports as a Seybold Hot Pick -- a "must see" product at the Seybold Seminar San Francisco (see September 30, 1997 Media Advisory). Demonstrations of ADEPT 7 are being provided on the show floor in the ArborText booth (No. 3203).

ADEPT software is based on Standard Generalized Markup Language (SGML), an international standard for the exchange of structured text and document information. ADEPT 7 also supports the emerging Extensible Markup Language (XML), a simplified version of SGML that addresses the shortcomings of both SGML and Hypertext Markup Language (HTML) for delivering highly intelligent and interactive information over intranets and extranets.

"ADEPT 7 dramatically advances the vision we share with our customers," said Jim Sterken, president, CEO and founder of ArborText, "which is to capture knowledge with perfect efficiency, personalize and deliver it at Web speed, and integrate it seamlessly with other IS applications. In short, our vision is to leverage the potential of the Web for increased ROI by running powerful business applications on intranets and extranets."

Phased XML Support

ADEPT 7 reads and writes native, non-proprietary XML and can automatically convert documents between XML and SGML. "As the various XML-related standards mature, such as XSL (Extensive Stylesheet Language) and XLL (Extensible Linking Language), ArborText will rapidly incorporate those standards in subsequent releases," said Mike McEvoy, vice president of Engineering for ArborText.

Mark Walter, senior consultant with Seybold, stated, "The availability of XML-compatible authoring tools is a vital step in the continued development of the Extensible Markup Language. XML has tremendous potential for Web distribution of structured information, and it is good to see ArborText, a long-time SGML player, supporting this emerging language."

Introducing Java

ADEPT 7 provides the first phase of ArborText's plans for supporting Java. Its user interface can be extensively modified and enhanced through the use of JavaBeans, which increases user productivity and receptiveness. Through dialogs and a new collapsible and expandable region of the window, authors can use forms widgets such as check boxes, list entries, radio buttons and text boxes to enter data into a document. Forms can be created using either JavaBeans or Visual ACL (ADEPT Command Language) ADEPT 7 includes run-time support for both.

Compound Document Solution

ADEPT 7 also introduces ArborText's groundbreaking "Willow" technology, which provides the capacity, performance and user interface to support the editing and distribution of extremely complex compound documents consisting of hundreds or even thousands of objects. These objects (reusable, intelligent, enterprise-critical information components) are stored in an access-controlled and revision-controlled repository.

Through ADEPT 7, teams of authors can work simultaneously on the same compound document, each creating or revising different document objects concurrently. ADEPT respects repository permissions and locks to prevent two authors from changing the same object at the same time.

ADEPT 7 can automatically deliver limitless combinations of those objects in print and on-line. Furthermore, the Willow API supports seamless integration and operation between ADEPT and Willow Partner document management systems (DMS) and databases. Through "DMS Adapter" software, authors can access all of the commonly-used functions of their DMS from directly within the ADEPT environment.

Simplifying Structured Authoring

ADEPT 7 has been dramatically enhanced to eliminate the tagging complexity typically associated with SGML and XML. The new "Document Map" view provides hierarchical viewing, editing, and quick navigation of a document. The Document Map can be viewed and edited simultaneously with the Edit View, ADEPT's familiar word processing style of interface, with changes showing up in real-time in both windows. Also new in ADEPT 7 is support for "drag and drop" editing within the same view, across different views, and across multiple windows.

"The customized capabilities of ADEPT allow for faster on-line views, Q&A, and delivery of information," said Maria Miller, senior project manager, Information Communications, Sybase, Inc. "Ultimately, ADEPT 7 will allow us to produce more intelligent information and deliver electronic information faster."

Global Reach

ADEPT supports the Danish, Dutch, English, Finnish, French, German, Italian, Norwegian, Portuguese, Spanish, Swedish and Swiss German languages. ADEPT's Global version includes Unicode support to offer the option of languages that do not use Latin characters, including Japanese, Korean and simplified Chinese. ArborText is committed to offering ADEPT's benefits of faster development, lower costs, higher quality and greater flexibility worldwide.

Pricing and Availability

ADEPT.Editor 7 will be available for OS/2 3.0 and 4.0, Windows 3.1, 3.11, '95, NT 4.0 and for UNIX platforms from Sun Microsystems, IBM, Digital Equipment Corporation, Hewlett-Packard, and Silicon Graphics. ADEPT.Publisher, which provides an automatic publishing engine, currently runs on UNIX platforms.

The cost is $1350 for a single-user license of ADEPT.Editor running on Windows or OS/2.

About the ADEPT Software Series

ArborText's ADEPT family of adaptable standards-based software allows users to create and maintain textual and graphic information as reusable elements independent of formatting, media, and computer software or hardware.

Reusable document elements make document preparation and publication more efficient and effective in a wide variety of applications ranging from technical publications to website management. ArborText's authoring, editing and publishing software is tightly integrated with third party document management software to enable high performance, enterprise-wide knowledge processing solutions.

About ArborText

Based in Ann Arbor, Michigan, ArborText develops and supports software that makes the process of capturing and delivering knowledge more effective. Global 5,000 organizations use the company's products to create, manage, and reuse information stored in document databases.

In production use since 1991, ArborText software is the keystone of high-volume document assembly systems at companies such as Boeing, Caterpillar, Digital Equipment Corporation, Ericsson Telecom, Ford, Grolier's Encyclopedia, Lockheed Martin, National Semiconductor, and Sun Microsystems.

For more information about ArborText's products, consulting services and training programs, contact ArborText at 313/997-0200, send email to [e-mail], or visit the ArborText Web site located at http://www.arbortext.com. -0-

Note to Editors: ADEPT, ADEPT.Editor, ADEPT.Publisher, and ADEPT Command Language are trademarks of ArborText, Inc. All other products or service names mentioned herein are trademarks or registered trademarks of their respective owners.

CONTACT: ArborText Inc.

PG Bartlett, 313/997-0200

[e-mail]

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Phase Two Strategies

Carolyn Holck Brown, 415/772-8415

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