Telescript Technologies at Heart of Next-Generation Electronic Services
SAN FRANCISCO — January 6, 1994 — General Magic Thursday announced Telescript, a breakthrough communication technology that enables people to send electronic agents into the worldwide grid of information highways.
These agents navigate through multiple networks and across diverse computer systems to perform tasks for their owners. The Telescript platform is open-ended to support a variety of communicating applications: agents will carry out numerous functions, from sorting and organizing electronic correspondence to shopping for goods and services.
AT&T, a member of the General Magic alliance, made public today its plans for PersonaLink Services, the first to deploy Telescript technology. PersonaLink Services is the foundation for large and small vendors to offer services beginning with smart messaging and custom news delivery and growing rapidly to include services as diverse as personalized travel arrangements and electronic shopping.
People using Telescript-based services will be able to take advantage of agents' power through communicators and computer software equipped with Telescript technology. General Magic's Magic Cap software environment is the first to integrate Telescript technology and AT&T PersonaLink Services.
Telescript technology is being deployed in products and services under development by AT&T, eShop, Matsushita, Mead, Motorola, Philips and Sony. Apple and EO are licensees of Telescript technology and will incorporate it into their future products.
Telescript software is General Magic's implementation of an object-oriented, remote programming language. Telescript technology simplifies the task of distributed application development by abstracting the underlying complexity of communication — naming, addressing, routing and security — into a high-level, platform-independent language.
In Telescript technology, mobile agents go to places, where they perform tasks on behalf of a user. Agents and places are completely programmable, but they are managed by security features such as permits, authorities and access controls.
Telescript technology is portable, allowing it to be deployed on any platform, over any transport mechanism, and through assorted media — wireline and wireless. Telescript technology can also handle different content types, including text, graphics, animations, live video and sounds. Telescript technology turns a network into an open platform.
Simplified development, portability and support for rich message content make the technology applicable to a range of communicating applications, from workflow automation to information services and from network management to electronic markets.
As the communication, computer, information and entertainment industries converge, customers will use the power of Telescript agents to navigate diverse services and obtain what they want.
Marc Porar, General Magic's cofounder, chairman and chief executive officer, said: "We all have too much to do and too little time to get it all done. Telescript technology lets people offload work to helpful electronic assistants called agents. These agents keep us in touch, notify us of certain events, and discover the goods, services, and information we want."
Using Telescript technology, vendors have the opportunity to make their services more accessible and useful to customers. General Magic will continue to license Telescript technology to network vendors, computer platform providers, applications developers and information and service providers to broaden the range of Telescript services available to users.
General Magic was founded in May 1990. Its mission is to create personal intelligent communication products and services by developing and licensing technology to equipment manufacturers, network and information service providers, and software and entertainment companies.
General Magic has teamed with standard-setters in the entertainment, information and communications fields to ensure that its technologies reach the widest possible audience.
CONTACT:
General Magic, Mountain View, Calif.
Jane Anderson, 415/966-6271 or
Tom Hershenson, 415/966-6707