General Magic Announces Tabriz Agent-Based Software for the Web; Offers Free Product and Support Promotion for a Limited Time
SAN FRANCISCO — June 25, 1996 — General Magic, Inc. (Nasdaq: GMGC) today announced the availability of two agent-based products for the Internet: Tabriz(TM) AgentWare and Tabriz(TM) Agent Tools, based on the Telescript(TM) language. Together, the products comprise a deployment and development environment for creating agent-based Internet services and solutions. For the first 90 days after shipment, customers can receive one free copy of Tabriz AgentWare, including a deployment license, which has a suggested price of $4,995. Tabriz Agent Tools provide developers components for creating agent-based Internet applications, and are available for free as an extension of an early pre-release offer.
The products announced today are available for UNIX servers. The company also announced that a Tabriz AgentWare NT beta version product is expected in the Fall of 1996. All announcements were made during a General Magic Internet presentation in the Yerba Buena Gardens, San Francisco.
"Tabriz is expected to deliver on our commitment to quickly move our agent technology to the Internet and intranets, providing customers with the kinds of tools they need to develop agent-based solutions and services," said Lucia Hicks-Williams, Vice President and General Manager of General Magic's Active Internet Products Division. "Tabriz-based agents can continually work on a user's behalf, even when they're no longer on-line."
Tabriz Keys In On Agent Technology
Tabriz is based on Telescript, an object-oriented development language with more than four years of industrial strength testing in large communications networks. Tabriz AgentWare contains all the components necessary for deploying agent-based applications on the Internet and intranet, including Web management tools. Key features and components of the products include, but are not limited to:
* Persistence: Agents can continually process and update user's requests, even when the user is no longer connected. Now, Web page state can be preserved, providing users the flexibility to log in and out of the network while their agent continues to work on their behalf.
* Active & Mobile Agents: Agents can travel anywhere on any type of network — interacting with other agents, gathering information, monitoring changes to that information, performing tasks and automating transactions.
* Built-in Security: Tabriz is inherently designed for security. Authentication, access control, privacy, and resource allocation features are built in, ensuring that each agent goes only where it's supposed to go and does only what it's supposed to do.
* Java Support: Tabriz and Java are complementary. Tabriz agents can set parameters for Java applets and Java applets can call Tabriz operations on the server. This interoperability allows developers to create solutions that leverage the power of the two environments. Java can be used to create compelling user experiences on the client, while Tabriz AgentWare can manage the interaction of transactions, instructions, events, and processes on the server.
* Standard Browser Support: Applications can be accessed by any standard Web browser, including Netscape Navigator(TM), Microsoft(R) Internet Explorer(TM), and others, allowing access to virtually any client on the Internet or intranet.
* Standard HTTP Server Support: Tabriz AgentWare enhances the functions of standard Web servers that provide a CGI interface, including Netscape, NCSA, and Apache, so applications are supported by most Internet servers.
* Administrative Management Tools: Tabriz AgentWare provides comprehensive management facilities via an easy-to-use browser interface. The management console allows for simple application installation, user registration management, subscriber activity tracking, system backup checks and restorations, as well as easy server traffic monitoring.
* Web Class Libraries: A full set of Web Class libraries, including HTML Support Libraries and HTTP Web Accessing Libraries, ease development time and effort.
* Object-oriented Language and Graphical Development Tools: The Telescript language simplifies the creation of active, persistent services over other languages such as C/C++ or Perl. The language and graphical development tools together provide an easy-to-use rapid application development environment.
Broad Industry Support
"General Magic will now play well with others (Java, for example) and should finally be rewarded for its significant technology investment," said Adrian Bowles, Vice President & Research Director at GIGA Information Group. "Active agent-based applications using Tabriz will be the state of the art for Web development by the end of 1996."
"At Fujitsu, we have been doing research and development projects using General Magic's agent-based technology, and believe it provides a unique and sound architectural foundation for building a wide range of information service offerings in the ever-changing and competitive Internet business environment," said Akira Kamakura, General Manager of Lifemedia Development Project at Fujitsu Limited.
"The technology attributes in Tabriz, combined with a dynamic Java user interface, has enabled us to secure important clients such as Ernst & Young," said Marvin Scaff, President of Kinetoscope, a developer of interactive Internet-based applications. "The integration of Tabriz and Java provide us the ability to rapidly create and modify agents using a visual Java interface."
"General Magic has been creating cutting edge software for several years, and we are very excited and particularly interested in Tabriz AgentWare, which will further complement our Internet software sold," Jason Johnson, Manager, Internet Products at Merisel, Inc. "Merisel is committed to carrying the leading product lines required by Value Added Resellers and System Integrators, and we believe that carrying General Magic's products in the future will help us meet this goal."
Pricing, Availability and Support
For the first 90 days after shipment, customers can receive a promotional copy of Tabriz AgentWare for free. Tabriz AgentWare has a suggested price of $4,995. Tabriz Agent Tools are freely available as an extension to an early pre-release program. Both products are currently scheduled to be available in July, and require a $14.95 domestic shipping and handling cost. All prices are in U.S. dollars. For more information or to order the products, customers can visit General Magic's Web site at http://www.genmagic.com/ or by calling 888-266-5873.
General Magic is offering various support programs for user's needs. Free Web-based support is available to all customers for the first 30 days. Four additional levels of support programs may be purchased via the Web, including Basic Support, Premium, Second Line Support, and Custom Engineering Services.
General Magic has created new programs to facilitate developers' knowledge and deployment of agent technologies for the Web. Developers can find additional information at General Magic's Web site.
In accordance with U.S. securities law, General Magic notes that this press release contains forward-looking statements. There are risks that may cause actual results to vary materially. These risks include, but are not limited to, reliance on key technical and management personnel, potential schedule changes, competitive pressures and emerging Internet standards. Additional risk factors are detailed in General Magic's 1995 10-K and its first quarter 1996 10-Q filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission.
General Magic, Inc. was founded in 1990 and provides engaging, active Internet software for business professionals, developers, device manufacturers, service providers and enterprises. General Magic is headquartered in Sunnyvale, California, with offices in Paris and Tokyo. For more information on General Magic and its products, visit General Magic's Web site at http://www.genmagic.com/.
NOTE: Tabriz is a registered trademark of General Magic, Inc. General Magic acknowledges the rights of the trademark owners for all trademarks referred to herein.
CONTACT:
Susan Nicolls, 408-774-6901, or [email protected], or Tom Hershenson 408-774-4343, or [email protected], both of General Magic Inc.