StoryServer hits Mac; Version 3.2 gets XML support

MacWeek, Feb 16, 1998 by Andrea Dudrow

Vignette Corp. this month released a Mac client for StoryServer 3 Version 3.2, the latest incarnation of the company's large-scale Web publishing application.

StoryServer 3 Version 3.2 will also include a component called XML Services, which the company said will distribute Extensible Markup Language-enabled content and applications over the Web. The XML component is now available for developers; full XML support will appear by the second quarter of this year, Vignette said. XML was recently adopted as an official recommendation of the World Wide Web Consortium (see story, next page).

StoryServer 3, which is built on a component-based architecture, is a client-server system aimed at companies that want to deliver personalized interactive content over the Web. Examples of StoryServer applications include large-scale electronic commerce environments, Vignette said.

The software's Production Center, which allows users to contribute content and make changes to Web documents, is now available for Mac OS 8; it was previously available only for Windows 95 and NT and Solaris. In addition, Vignette said Production Center now performs up to 20 percent faster for routine tasks.

Other new features in Version 3.2 include an integrated WYSIWYG HTML-authoring environment, a visual debugging component that the company said will reduce template debugging time by two to three times and expanded support for legacy systems.

StoryServer 3 Version 3.2 is available now. Pricing starts at $20,000. Upgrades are free to existing users. The software comes with a copy of Macromedia Inc.'s Dreamweaver Web authoring tool.

Vignette Corp. of Austin, Texas, can be reached at (512) 502-0223 or (888) 608-9900; fax (512) 502-0280; info@vignette.com; www.vignette.com.

Vignette's StoryServer 3 Version 3.2, a high-end Web publishing system, includes a Production Center that runs under Mac OS 8.