Press Release, 01.12.1996
For immediate release

HexCafé XT, a new XTension adds JAVA support to QuarkXPress!

HexCafé XT enables QuarkXPress to support JAVA Applets inside the pages and in separate JAVA Palettes. Click the image above to get a larger screenshot of an interactive page.

HexCafé XT brings new exciting capabilities to your favourite layout program. Run JAVA Applets inside your pages and in floating JAVA Palettes.

With the release version of HexCafé XT, you will even be able to use HexWeb XT to convert the interactive pages to HTML.

What can I do with JAVA in QuarkXPress?

Being able to run JAVA Applets with network capability inside your pages or in palettes gives you new possibilities, for example to update your data from databases, run calculation programs within QuarkXPress and update the newly calculated data in your pages.

In our vision, Multimedia Designers, which are using QuarkImmedia, the new exciting Web and CD-ROM design tool, can embed JAVA Applets into Immedia Documents, being able to design highly interactive, "living" documents.

For Web Designers, which design the mockups for Web projects in HTML, can embed interactivity in the design from the beginning. After the project is ready to be translated to HTML, they just use HexWeb XT to do so.

What exactly is Java?

It is commonly thought of as a way to make Web pages sexy -- incorporating stock tickers, sound or video into Web pages. It has evolved into much more. It is becoming known as a computing platform -- the base upon which software developers can build applications. Developers can build a variety of applications using Java -- traditional spreadsheets and word processors in addition to mission critical applications used by the biggest companies: accounting, asset management, databases, human resources and sales.

Java applications, or applets, are different from ordinary applications in that they reside on the network in centralized servers. The network delivers the applet to your system when you request them. For example, let's say that you want to check your personal financial portfolio. You'd dial in to your financial institution and use your Web browser to log into the bank's system.

The portfolio data will be shipped to you along with the applet needed to view it. Let's assume that you're considering moving your money from one account to another. No need to perform a series of cut-and-paste exercises. The system will also send you an applet that will allow you to change the rate of interest and length of investment to perform a series of "what-if" scenarios.

From the corporations' point-of-view, Java will simplify the creation and deployment of applications thus saving money. Applications created in Java can be deployed without modification to any computing platform, thus saving the costs associated with developing software for multiple platforms. And because the applications are stored on centralized servers, there is no longer a need to have people insert disks or ship CD's to update software.