WinHelp 2000, the HTML Generation of Microsoft WinHelp; The no-risk alternative to HTML-based Help.Toronto, Canada--(BUSINESS WIRE)--May 12, 1997--Blue Sky Software, a leading provider of state-of-the-art Help authoring tools, today announced WinHelp 2000. WinHelp 2000 extends the Windows Help Microsoft WinHelp is a proprietary format for online help files that can be displayed by the Microsoft Help browser winhelp.exe or winhlp32.exe. The file format is based on Rich Text Format (RTF). It remained a popular Help platform from Windows 3. engine with HTML HTML in full HyperText Markup Language Markup language derived from SGML that is used to prepare hypertext documents. Relatively easy for nonprogrammers to master, HTML is the language used for documents on the World Wide Web. functionality. WinHelp 2000, formally announced as HtmlWinHelp, is a technology breakthrough that allows Help authors to add HTML content directly into any new or existing Windows Help system Windows provides a help system that most software developers use to provide immediate help to the users of their Windows applications. The help is displayed by pressing F1 or selecting the Help menu in the application. . With WinHelp 2000, users can also browse HTML pages and the Web -- directly from within WinHelp. WinHelp 2000 provides the best of both worlds: the best of WinHelp and the best of HTML -- all in one product. WinHelp 2000 integrates WinHelp and HTML so tightly that it is hard to tell where WinHelp ends and the Internet begins. This is exciting news for the 70 million users that have Windows Help installed on their PCs! Add Cool HTML Features to Standard WinHelp ------------------------------------------ With WinHelp 2000, Help authors do not need to leave WinHelp to access sophisticated HTML features. WinHelp 2000 lets Help authors take advantage of HTML features such as:
-Internet & Intranet links -GIFs and animated GIFs -Video and sound
-HTML 3.2 -Interactive forms -ActiveX controls
-HTML tables w/borders -Scrolling text -Java applets
-HTML extensions -Acrobat documents -Up-to-date topics
-JPGs -ShockWave -Netscape plug-ins
and more
Leverage existing investments -- No need to rewrite code -------------------------------------------------------- WinHelp 2000 offers a smooth migration path from standard WinHelp to HTML. WinHelp 2000 allows Help authors to continue to use WinHelp for their Help systems and take advantage of both standard HTML and advanced HTML features without leaving WinHelp. Both Help authors and Help users won't have to learn a new Help interface. With WinHelp 2000, Help authors do not need to rewrite Help API (Application Programming Interface) A language and message format used by an application program to communicate with the operating system or some other control program such as a database management system (DBMS) or communications protocol. calls from their application to the Help system saving valuable programming and testing time. Help authors can leverage existing Windows Help files for online Help and include jumps to local HTML pages, the Internet, or Intranet Web sites without launching a separate Web browser The program that serves as your front end to the Web on the Internet. In order to view a site, you type its address (URL) into the browser's Location field; for example, www.computerlanguage.com, and the home page of that site is downloaded to you. . View HTML and the Web inside WinHelp ------------------------------------ With WinHelp 2000, HTML can now be displayed in a standard Windows Help system, complete with browser navigation buttons and allows for popular WinHelp non-scrolling regions. WinHelp 2000 fully integrates all the HTML content and functionality into your standard Windows Help system. WinHelp 2000 supports local HTML files as well as any URL URL in full Uniform Resource Locator Address of a resource on the Internet. The resource can be any type of file stored on a server, such as a Web page, a text file, a graphics file, or an application program. on the World Wide Web. Access to live Web Information ------------------------------ WinHelp 2000 is invaluable for any company wanting to provide easy access to live Web information from within Windows Help. This is an excellent way for keeping Windows Help files current at all times and providing up-to-the-minute Help for your users. One good example is to include access to the Technical Support Web page from within any Windows Help file. The Technical Support Web page can continuously be updated to include the latest tips and tricks, work arounds, patches, or any new timely information valuable to the end user. There is no need for the user to open a separate Web browser to display the HTML or Web pages. Support for 32-bit and 16-bit Windows Platforms ----------------------------------------------- The WinHelp 2000 functionality can be easily deployed to all Windows platforms. WinHelp 2000 will first be available in a 32-bit version for Windows NT (Windows New Technology) A 32-bit operating system from Microsoft for Intel x86 CPUs. NT is the core technology in Windows 2000 and Windows XP (see Windows). Available in separate client and server versions, it includes built-in networking and preemptive multitasking. and Windows 95 and later in a 16-bit version for Windows 3.1. Based on Open Industry Standards -------------------------------- WinHelp 2000 is based on the standard Windows Help API currently used by all commercial Windows applications A program that is written to run under Microsoft's Windows operating system. Such applications typically run under all 32-bit versions of Windows, but earlier applications might also run under the 16-bit versions (Windows 3.x) as well. See Windows. . As a result, Help authors can take advantage of HTML functionality within WinHelp without needing to rewrite the API calls from the application to the Help system or modify any application code. There is no risk involved as no infrastructure change is required. WinHelp 2000 also supports all the latest HTML and WWW WWW or W3: see World Wide Web. (World Wide Web) The common host name for a Web server. The "www-dot" prefix on Web addresses is widely used to provide a recognizable way of identifying a Web site. standards and uses the same HTML display engine as Microsoft HTML Help. WinHelp 2000 versus Microsoft HTML Help --------------------------------------- WinHelp 2000 is a safe alternative to the new emerging HTML Help format, Microsoft HTML Help, as it offers the equivalent HTML Help functionality while remaining in Windows Help. Unlike HTML Help, WinHelp 2000 is built on WinHelp the proven industry standard installed on more than 70 million PCs. WinHelp 2000 enhances the standard Windows Help engine with HTML functionality. WinHelp 2000 represents low risk and low incremental costs Costs which are additional costs to the Service appropriations that would not have been incurred absent support of the contingency operation. See also financial management. for any company wanting to provide access to live and timely Web information from within their Windows Help files. WinHelp 2000 is available now, where as the new HTML Help format is not yet available from Microsoft. Microsoft HTML Help ------------------- Microsoft is proposing a new Help architecture called HTML Help that uses a different API than WinHelp. Moving to the new Microsoft HTML Help architecture requires using a new API New API (also referred to as NAPI) is an interface to use interrupt mitigation techniques for networking devices in the Linux kernel. Such an approach is intended to reduce the overhead of packet receiving. which will involve rewriting and retesting all existing applications and their Help systems. Microsoft HTML Help uses the SiteMap specification. To support Help-specific features in HTML Help, Microsoft has extended the functionality of standard HTML with the multipurpose mul·ti·pur·pose adj. Designed or used for several purposes: a multipurpose room; multipurpose software. multipurpose Adjective HTML Help ActiveX control A software module based on Microsoft's Component Object Model (COM) architecture. It enables a program to add functionality by calling ready-made components that blend in and appear as normal parts of the program. . An HTML Help file will be a compressed single file, similar to a current Windows Help file but resulting from the compilation of several HTML files instead of RTF (Rich Text Format) A document format from Microsoft for encoding text and graphics. It was adapted from IBM's DCA format and supports ANSI, IBM PC and Macintosh character sets. files. Unlike HTML Help, WinHelp 2000 does not involve the high cost and risk of switching to a new Help architecture and rewriting code. Availability ------------ WinHelp 2000 will be available in May `97 as a standalone product. WinHelp 2000 list price is $129. RoboHELP 4 and WinHelp Office 4 users will benefit from a $30 manufacturer rebate on the WinHelp 2000 list price. WinHelp 2000 is redistributable royalty-free. For additional information, please contact Blue Sky Software at 1-800-459-2356 - International: 1-619-459-6365 - Fax: 1-619-459-6366 E-mail: info@blue-sky.com - http://www.blue-sky.com . CONTACT: Blue Sky Software Corp. Marylin Guarino, Public Relations public relations, activities and policies used to create public interest in a person, idea, product, institution, or business establishment. By its nature, public relations is devoted to serving particular interests by presenting them to the public in the most Manager Tel: 619-551-2485 - Fax: 619-551-2486 MCI (1) (Media Control Interface) A high-level programming interface from Microsoft and IBM for controlling multimedia devices. It provides commands and functions to open, play and close the device. (2) (Microwave Communications Inc. : 701-1737 - http://www.blue-sky.com CompuServe: 71052,1641 INTERNET: maryling@blue-sky.com |
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