MathSoft Introduces Mathcad Client; New Cost-Effective Tool Enables Dynamic Workgroup Collaboration and Web Capabilities for Distributing Mathcad Content.

Business/Technology Editors

CAMBRIDGE, Mass.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Aug. 7, 2001

MathSoft Engineering & Education, Inc., the leading provider of interactive math, science and engineering software products and content, today announced Mathcad(R) Client, a low-cost deployment solution for sharing and collaborating on Mathcad-created content across and throughout organizations. With over 1.5 million users in math, science and engineering worldwide, Mathcad is the most widely used software application for applying mathematics.

"A growing number of technical organizations are recognizing the value of the Internet and corporate intranets for exchanging technical information," said Ken Versprille, research director for D.H. Brown Associates. "Tools like Mathcad Client provide a cost-effective method for large, wired organizations to collaborate and share their work to speed the design process."

Mathcad Client offers organizations new flexibility for sharing a wealth of Mathcad-created applications and content. Using the Mathcad software as an authoring tool, users can easily deploy and publish new material that reaches a broader technical audience. Some examples of this include:

-- Using Mathcad Client as a standalone interactive viewer for Mathcad documents--Engineers can share their Mathcad-created designs and calculations with anyone who has the Mathcad Client software. Mathcad and Mathcad Client fully support the MathML standard for both presentation and content of mathematics online. As a result, both packages uniquely provide the interactivity afforded by the Mathcad environment and new functionality for publishing math on the Web.

-- Embedding Mathcad calculations and content in other applications--Mathcad Client supports popular Mathcad add-ins for Excel, Visio, and AutoCAD, as well as standard OLE embedding and support for other applications. Mathcad Client can even be used to support embedded uses in applications developed in Visual Basic and C++.

-- Using Mathcad Client as a browser plug-in for Internet Explorer or Netscape to view Web-based live math content--Users can combine the navigation capabilities of their favorite Web-browser with the math display and calculation capabilities of Mathcad Client to create a powerful solution for publishing technical material on the Web.

New, Versatile Publishing and Application Uses for Mathcad

With the addition of Mathcad Client, MathSoft now offers a publishing solution for sharing math on the Internet and corporate and institutional extranets and intranets. Ideal for organizations with offices, contractors, and customers in multiple locations, Mathcad Client provides the power to dynamically interact with technical documents and applications, including Mathcad worksheets, electronic books and MathML documents. With the full Mathcad Professional calculation engine built into Mathcad Client, as well as the support for Mathcad's most popular extension pack functions and add-ins for Excel, AutoCAD, and Visio, engineers and other technical professionals can now offer colleagues and clients the ability to exchange worksheets and ideas dynamically.

Mathcad Client benefits both authors and consumers of technical content. Authors can share their work with a large audience that may not typically have had access to Mathcad functionality in the past. Mathcad Client provides consumers with cost-effective access to a wealth of Mathcad technical content available from the Web and in more discrete areas, such as corporate databases and intranets. Mathcad Client does not provide functionality for creating new Mathcad worksheets. Instead, it enables users to freely interact with, save and print existing documents with their own annotations. Mathcad Client automatically restricts changes to the structure of original documents, and authors can add further restrictions to help protect the integrity of their work.

"My work with several of the top automotive companies often requires me to send Mathcad documents directly to my clients. Many of my contacts at these corporations do not have access to Mathcad," said Thomas Richards, electronics design engineer for Invensys Sensor Systems. "As a result, I'm forced to either send a fax of my work or wait several days for feedback. Mathcad Client has the potential to save this wasted time by enabling me to walk my contacts through my Mathcad worksheets interactively--and at minimal cost impact--which is essential in this economy."

Through the integration of MathML (Mathematical Mark-up Language), the first XML standard to be approved by the World Wide Web Consortium (W3C), Mathcad Client offers organizations new options for publishing and communicating technical content. Users can both save worksheets in MathML format as well as read MathML files back into Mathcad Client as active documents. Mathcad Client is the first tool of its kind to offer bi-directional support for MathML. In combination with IBM techexplorer(TM) Hypermedia Browser, Mathcad and Mathcad Client are the only tools to fully support both the presentation and calculation standards of MathML.

"Collaboration is an essential part of innovation in any technical organization," said Chris Randles, president and CEO of MathSoft Engineering & Education, Inc. "Until now, individuals and organizations were restricted by the technical limitations of the Internet and related technologies for sharing their calculations and mathematics-based designs. With Mathcad Client, MathSoft is offering unlimited collaboration possibilities through the integration of new, standards-based, cutting-edge technology."

About Mathcad

With over 1.5 million users worldwide, Mathcad is the industry-standard mathematics-based technical calculation solution for applying mathematics to engineering and application-specific projects. Ideal for workgroup settings, Mathcad unites and streamlines the design process by combining the power of advanced calculation, computer-aided design and graphical analysis tools with the ability to easily document, share and publish calculations in cooperation with colleagues. It also includes newly integrated modeling and simulation functionality fueled by VisSim LE from Visual Solutions. New HTML/MathML support offers users new options for collaboration by enabling them to post dynamic math content on corporate intranets, the Internet or via e-mail worksheets to colleagues. IBM techexplorer Hypermedia Browser, Professional Edition, is included in all Mathcad 2001 editions.

Mathcad also integrates with a variety of applications such as the Microsoft Office suite, Visio(R), AutoCAD(R), SmartSketch(R), Axum(R), MATLAB(R), Microsoft Access and any other ODBC-compliant database, to enable users to easily exchange data between applications and even drive other applications with Mathcad design specifications.

Pricing and availability

Later this month, Mathcad Client will be made available to those organizations currently holding a volume licensing agreement for Mathcad 2000 or 2001. Pricing is dependent upon existing number of full Mathcad licenses and requested number of Mathcad Client seats. For further pricing and availability information, contact MathSoft at 1-800-628-4223 or via e-mail at [e-mail].

About MathSoft Engineering & Education, Inc.

MathSoft Engineering & Education, Inc., is the leading provider of interactive math, science, engineering and educational software products and content. The company's Mathcad and StudyWorks!(R) product lines use patented technology to combine rich, interactive content with powerful tools for learning, communicating and applying mathematics in real-world technical applications. Mathcad, the internationally recognized standard for technical calculation and applying mathematics, is deployed at 90% of the Fortune 1000 companies, over 500 government installations, and more than 2,000 colleges and universities. StudyWorks, a market leader with over one million licensees, enhances the teaching and learning of math and science online and in secondary education, helping students explore and understand key subjects. Based in Cambridge, Mass., MathSoft Engineering & Education, Inc., has additional offices in the U.K. and Germany and distributors in over 50 countries. The company can be found on the Web at www.mathsoft.com.

Mathcad and StudyWorks! are registered trademarks of MathSoft Engineering & Education, Inc. IBM and IBM techexplorer Hypermedia Browser are trademarks of IBM in the United States and other countries and are used under license. All other names or marks may be registered trademarks or trademarks of their respective owners.