Groove Networks Announces Add-In Toolkit For Microsoft Visual Studio .NET That Enhances Developer Productivity.

Business Editors/High-Tech Writers

BEVERLY, Mass.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Aug. 19, 2002

Groove Networks Inc., the leading provider of desktop collaboration software, today announced the design preview version of its Groove Toolkit for Microsoft Visual Studio .NET, making it easier for developers to create collaborative applications in this language-independent, rapid application development environment. Developers can download the toolkit at http://www.groove.net/devzone.

"The Groove Toolkit for Visual Studio .NET is going to be an extremely important tool for .NET developers who can now build truly collaborative applications in the same time it takes them to build any WinForms application today," said Sam Gentile, a .NET development expert who helped Groove Networks create its toolkit. "Developers can use the same technologies they already know - C# or Visual Basic .NET, WinForms and such - to add collaborative capabilities to their applications in a very straightforward, easy to follow manner."

"When we began this project earlier this year, we felt our Groove Toolkit for Microsoft Visual Studio .NET might cut the time it takes developers to build Groove tools or applications by about 75 percent. We may have exceeded that goal," said Jack Ozzie, Groove Networks' vice president of developer services. "Sam and others tell me that in some simple, straightforward cases, they've actually created a lightweight application with just a few mouse clicks. With this toolkit, we have taken a significant step forward in helping developers spend less time on the mechanics and more on the business rules."

A Groove IDE

Developers can now create and test Groove applications without leaving the Microsoft Visual Studio .NET environment, in which they spend much of their day. With the Groove Toolkit for Microsoft Visual Studio .NET, developers can use any of the languages supported by the Microsoft .NET-connected software, including Microsoft Visual Basic .NET and Visual C# .NET, to create unique, collaborative applications. Applications created with this design preview version of the toolkit can be deployed for pilot projects.

When Groove Networks' founders began working on the Groove software platform in 1997, they had developers in mind from the outset. The platform's component-based architecture is based on the Component Object Model (COM) and the Extensible Markup Language (XML). The company has added the capability of hosting .NET managed-code applications using the Common Language Runtime (CLR) with languages such as Microsoft Visual Basic .NET and Visual C# .NET. Using any language supported by the Microsoft .NET-connected software, developers can create collaborative applications that take advantage of Groove software's unique services, including support for on- and off-line use, continuous data synchronization, transparent end-to-end security, and automatic firewall and network address translator (NAT) traversal.

"We're delighted that Groove Networks has taken advantage of our Microsoft Visual Studio .NET Integration Program to give millions of Microsoft developers worldwide the opportunity to create new -- or revise existing -- applications that take advantage of the Groove software's cutting-edge collaboration services," said David Lazar, group product manager of the Developer and Platform Evangelism Division at Microsoft Corp. "This toolkit is another example of how developers can take advantage of Visual Studio .NET and the .NET Framework to be far more effective and productive than ever before since they can focus less on code issues and more on creating real value for their customers."

Availability and System Requirements

The design preview version of the Groove Toolkit for Microsoft Visual Studio .NET is available for free download at http://www.groove.net/devzone. To utilize the toolkit, developers must already have installed Groove Workspace v2.1and Microsoft Visual Studio .NET (any edition). It's recommended, though not required, that developers also install the Groove Development Kit to take advantage of additional documentation. The design preview version of the toolkit supports Microsoft Windows NT, Windows 2000 and Windows XP. An updated version of the toolkit that will support broad-scale deployment of applications will be available later this fall.

Updated Groove Development Kit

Groove developers can visit the Groove Developer Zone (http://www.devzone.groove.net) to download the latest Groove Development Kit (GDK) and API references for the Groove client and platform. The updated GDK features documentation, tech notes, code samples and a new Tool Programmer's Guide that describes how to develop tools using the design preview version of the Groove Toolkit for Microsoft Visual Studio .NET.

About Groove Networks

Founded in October 1997 and headquartered in Beverly, Mass., Groove Networks Inc. provides software for secure, intra- and cross-organization collaboration that provides a 10x improvement over email alone for getting work done. For more information about Groove Networks, visit http://www.groove.net.

Groove Networks and Groove are registered trademarks of Groove Networks Inc. All other trademarks are owned by their respective companies.