XML Press Release

It is with great pleasure that I submit the following:

==============================================================
SoftQuad and Other Web Technology Leaders Microsoft, 
Sun, NCSA and Dow Jones Interactive Publishing
Hail XML as the Basis of a New Generation of Web-based 
Knowledge Publishing Applications.


Tuesday, March 11, 1997 -- San Diego, California. Today, 
at the Graphic Communications Association's XML conference, 
SoftQuad, a leading provider of content publishing tools 
for corporate intranets and the Internet, announced its
support of a broad industry initiative to entrench 
eXtensible Markup Language (XML) in Web-based Knowledge 
Publishing tools.

XML, developed by online publishing experts from industry and 
academia under the auspices of a World Wide Web Consortium (W3C) 
working group, promises to become the next significant enabling 
technology for the Web. XML will provide Web publishers, information
consumers, and knowledge workers with unprecedented power, flexibility 
and control over the creation of and access to internet and intranet 
content. The XML working group includes members from SoftQuad, 
Adobe, IBM, HP, Microsoft, Lockheed Martin, NCSA, Novell, Sun, 
Boston University, Oxford University, and the Universities of Illinois 
and Waterloo.



eXtensible Markup Language Will Allow For 
New Features Inside Smarter Client Applications

XML provides a standard way of adding custom markup to 
information-rich documents, so that complex documents can 
be rendered and published in any way. Today, HTML provides 
a very limited way of representing and publishing structured 
information.  While HTML is easy to use, its inherent 
simplicity places serious constraints on the degree to which 
publishers and users can utilize business-critical documents 
and databases. XML provides the means to publish and receive 
any information, regardless of format or origin, in any way 
that they wish.  

"With XML and web-based Knowledge Publishing tools, Web users
will have even greater power to create, manage and access 
dynamic, personalized and customized content on the Web and 
on corporate intranets," said Murray Maloney, SoftQuad 
Technical Director and a member of the W3C working group 
responsible for the XML specification. "And with XML, end 
users will be able to dynamically manipulate documents in 
the browser, creating a whole new paradigm for presenting 
highly targeted and dynamic web-based information."

XML makes this possible by allowing information providers 
to encode data using a markup language that is designed to 
meet their business requirements. In effect, businesses will 
be able to distribute structured databases that consumers 
can manipulate at will. Dynamic processing on a Web browser
will dramatically reduce the network delays that the current 
breed of server solutions have caused. 

"XML is poised to solve the problem of integrating structured 
information, such as that in SQL databases, into the fabric 
of Web pages," said John Ludwig, VP of Internet Client & 
Collaboration Division, Microsoft. "Knowledge consumers will 
now have immediate, personalized access to information that 
customizes itself on the fly to suit their specific needs."

For example, a single mouse click might transform overall sales 
figures from a database into an annual report, or into a pie chart 
showing regional breakdown or a bar graph showing a breakdown of 
products sold. XML, together with dynamic HTML, CSS, Java and 
other Web technologies, make almost anything possible.



Industry Leaders SoftQuad, Microsoft, NCSA, Sun, 
and Dow Jones Interactive Publishing Share Vision 
of Dynamic Content for the Web.

"We're very excited about this new Web initiative," said 
David Gurney, Chief Executive Officer, SoftQuad International. 
"By implementing XML technology in SoftQuad's Knowledge Publishing 
tools, we broaden our ability to offer customers strong, integrated 
publishing solutions that can tap the corporate knowledge base 
in ways that no other solutions can, making corporate intranets 
richer, more active sources of information." 

"As a leader in the effort to bring the advantages of structured 
data to Web publishing, Sun applauds SoftQuad's commitment to 
XML-based product development," said Jon Bosak, SunSoft's Online
Information Technology Architect and Chairman of the W3C working
group responsible for the XML specification. "Standardized extensible 
markup makes possible a new generation of Web applications that 
use richly structured data to exchange information and drive Java 
programs. SoftQuad's initiative represents the first wave of what 
we expect to become a large and important body of high-level 
applications based on the XML model of data representation."

"Microsoft is excited by SoftQuad's initiative in promoting 
the development of eXtensible Markup Language to enable 
dynamic content on the Web," said John Ludwig, VP of Internet 
Client & Collaboration Division, Microsoft. "XML is a powerful 
means to provide data awareness, giving users the ability to 
manipulate and input data efficiently, with minimal load on 
the server. The result will be faster, richer and more 
interactive information on the Web." 

"As developers of the NCSA Mosaic(tm) web browser, and long-time 
supportersof research on the World Wide Web, NCSA is very excited 
that SoftQuad hascommitted to providing support for the eXtensible 
Markup Language," said Larry Smarr, Director.  "XML is a simple, 
truly extensible method for creating arbitrary structured markup, 
yielding an enormous potential for businesses and institutions to 
supply more sophisticated and usable structured content on the 
World Wide Web."

"At The Wall Street Journal Interactive Edition, we've had to 
deal with a host of proprietary extensions to HTML in order to 
make use of new features in Web browsing and casting software," 
said Alan Karben, Manager, Multimedia, The Wall Street Journal 
Interactive Edition. "With the advent of XML I hope will come an 
acknowledgment in the industry that one doesn't have to shoehorn 
new tags into a quasi-HTML framework to create useful and novel 
Web client applications. What XML stands for, eXtensible Markup 
Language, can actually mean more for Internet users than new ways 
to make information look pretty. Maintaining the intelligence of 
documents all the way to the point of delivery allows for new 
features inside smarter client applications. And that's exciting 
news for Web publishers and surfers alike."


About SoftQuad

SoftQuad is the leading provider of multi-platform, standards-based 
Knowledge Publishing applications that enhance business processes.  
SoftQuad is recognized worldwide for its pioneering work in structured
document publishing and, through its newly-acquired Alpha Software unit,
structured databases.  SoftQuad is a founding member and active 
participant in the World Wide Web Consortium, the Internet Engineering 
Task Force and Editorial Review Boards.  Based in Toronto, Canada, 
SoftQuad International employs more than 200 people with additional 
sales offices across North America, and European operations based in 
London, with offices in Paris and Munich.

Electronic access to SoftQuad's press materials can be accessed at 
http://www.softquad.com/press/ and through Newsdesk International at
http://www.newsdesk.com or 1-800-636-6092.


Forward-looking statements in this release are made pursuant to the 
safe harbor provisions of the Private Securities Litigation Reform 
Act of 1995.  Investors are cautioned that all forward-looking 
statements involve risk and uncertainties, including without limitation 
risks of intellectual property rights and litigation, risks in 
technology development and commercialization, risks in product 
development and market acceptance of and demand for the Company's 
products, risks of downturns in economic conditions generally, 
and in the software application development tools and business 
intelligence tools markets specifically, risks associated with 
competition and competitive pricing pressures, risks associated with 
foreign sales and high customer concentration and other risks detailed 
in the Company's filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission.


Murray Maloney	
Technical Director  
SoftQuad Inc.

Received on Tuesday, 11 March 1997 14:58:32 UTC