Chrystal Software Launches Cutting-Edge XML Product, Eclipse 1.1.

Technology Editors

SAN DIEGO--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Dec. 21, 2000

For all of the hype and hoopla surrounding most new products for doing business on the Web, real innovation seems to come around only once in a blue moon.

Enter Eclipse 1.1, a bold, new tool for personalizing Web site content created by Chrystal Software, a pioneer in content management solutions. Eclipse 1.1 allows online companies to precisely tailor their information delivery in ways never before possible.

"Companies that can offer dynamic content creation, management and delivery for their Web sites have a tremendous opportunity," said David E. Garnett, president and CEO of Chrystal Software, a Xerox New Enterprise Company. "Literally every business Web site will need to incorporate personalization capabilities to remain competitive. Eclipse is the answer."

An impressive array of early customers agree, among them: The Electronic Telegraph, Lightspeed Interactive, Adam.com and Mercedes Chrysler USA.

Eclipse is based upon a tool called XML (eXtensible Markup Language), a new standard that enables businesses to create or modify their Web site content, regardless of format -- whether it be a Web page, a spreadsheet, database file or graphic -- on the fly. Just as important, this work is achieved simply, quickly and cleanly, at just a fraction of the cost of competing programs and without their inherent headaches.

"XML continues to be a key platform for two technology titans as well: Microsoft and Oracle," said Bradlee Chang, vice president of engineering at Chrystal. "It appears that the Web services vision of both Oracle and Microsoft is a Web standard for exchanging XML data.

"Eclipse 1.1 can read content from all relational databases including Oracle and Chrystal's own XML-based software product, Astoria," continued Chang. "Our three-tier architecture is particularly appealing to webmasters and integrators because it provides support for content layout and design authoring, as well as full support for XML and HTML data types."

Other features in Eclipse 1.1:

-- The XSLT Switch module enables users to change style sheets, depending on
the delivery device. Such device independence means that the same content can
be transmitted to the Web or a wireless personal communicator.

-- The Lingua Switch module permits users to alternate the source of content
from one language to another. Think of it as your universal translator.

-- Replication allows users to synchronize content between an authoring server
and a delivery server. Here's how it works: The user takes a "snapshot" of the
server, capturing all of the content at that point in time. This material is
moved to a delivery server so it can then be delivered to browsers, CDs, paper,
etc. Meanwhile, the authoring server can continue to be worked upon, with those
updates transmitted elsewhere automatically or on demand.

-- Scalability is fully supported, from small Web sites to large portal sites
hosting hundreds of thousands of visitors a day.

What makes all of this work, of course, is incredible flexibility - and ease-of-use. Eclipse requires few additional resources because it supports the use of already existing and familiar tools and applications. It provides full content management and is compatible with current Web pages, Web design tools, Internet browsers, Web servers and XML authoring software.

"The functionality contained within Eclipse supports Unicode and multilingual applications, which out of the box adds value to businesses marketing and supporting a worldwide customer base," said Garnett.

Headquartered in San Diego, Chrystal Software focuses on delivering high-performance content management for Web-based applications, as well as traditional publishing and high-end, single-source authoring environments. Eclipse is just the latest in a line of dynamic products, among them Astoria, for preserving high-value, long-lived structured documents on the Web.