FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Media Contact:
Nick DeMello
Xplain Corporation
marketing@xplain.com
805-494-9797 x105

THE MACTECH CD-ROM VOL 1-14 NOW SHIPPING
-- CD includes the most comprehensive Mac developer resource available

SAN FRANCISCO, CA -- January 5, 1999 -- Xplain Corporation, the
publisher of MacTech(r) Magazine, today announced that it is shipping
the latest release of the MacTech CD-ROM, Volumes 1-14, at the
Macworld Expo in San Francisco (January 5-8, 1999). The new CD
includes the first release of the THINK Reference(tm) Compiler.

As one of the first CD-ROM publishers, MacTech Magazine has updated
its historical CD each year. The CD has become an essential reference
tool for Macintosh programmers, containing a wealth of programming
information, hundreds of megabytes of source code, special offers,
preview demos of new programming tools, and much more.

The MacTech CD, Volumes 1-14, includes every article published in
MacTech Magazine (from November, 1984 through December, 1998). It has
the entire history of Apple's develop technical journal (over eight
years of articles most by Apple's own system engineers and
programmers). The CD also includes Apple's original Inside Macintosh
technical documentation (Volumes I-VI), and the most complete set of
Frameworks archives known (the publication of the late Software
Frameworks Association) making the MacTech CD-ROM the single most
extensive collection of Macintosh programming literature available.

All of this information is presented in the form of THINK Reference
databases readable by the THINK Reference Viewer provided on the CD.
THINK Reference is one of the most beloved developer resources ever
available for the Macintosh. Metrowerk's CodeWarrior, Bare Bones'
BBEdit, Symantec C++, and other Macintosh application development
environments offer a transparent interface between their editors and
THINK Reference, allowing programmers to simply hilight text and then
search THINK Reference databases for that text with a simple key
combination.

The THINK Reference Viewer, version 2.6, released on the MacTech CD
offers powerful search tools. Users can now employ boolean
expressions ("and", "or", "not", "near" and others) to refine and
focus their searches. The latest search engine also offers
performance improvements, making searches up to 10 times faster than
in previous versions. Also, with this release the viewer supports
embedded URLs -- allowing users to access references on the world
wide web with a single click.

This release of the MacTech CD includes a public release ever of the
THINK Reference Compiler. This tool allows programmers to convert
their own HTML file collections into personal THINK Reference
databases. The power and versatility of the THINK Reference Viewer
can now be applied to whatever reference information programmers
choose to create and collect -- allowing them to organize, expand and
customize their personal Macintosh reference library. Commercial
licenses are available as well.

The MacTech CD has a list price of $129, but will be available for a
limited time at the introductory price of only $99. The introductory
price will only be available until January 31st. All customers who
purchased the MacTech CD 1-13 after December 1, 1998 will
automatically receive the new version at no charge and other
customers who have purchased earlier versions of the MacTech CD-ROM
will be able to upgrade for $49. All orders and customer service
questions are handled through DevDepot, MacTech's primary
distributor. Sales: 800-MACDEV-1, Voice: 805-494-9797, Fax:
805-494-9798, orders@devdepot.com.

The MacTech CD is available at the DevDepot area within
Developer Central during Macworld Expo San Francisco, January 5-8,
1999. The MacTech station will be located within Developer Central at
the Moscone Center in San Francisco.

For more information on these products, see us on the web at:
Xplain Corporation (http://www.xplain.com/)
THINK Reference (http://www.xplain.com/thinkreference/)
MacTech Magazine (http://www.mactech.com/)
MacTech CD-ROM (http://www.mactech.com/cdrom/)

Corporate Background:

Xplain Corporation has three divisions -- publishing, mail order and
custom services. The publishing division includes MacTech(r) magazine
(http://www.mactech.com), NetProfessional(tm) magazine
(http://www.netprolive.com), and THINK Reference(tm). The mail order
division operates DevDepot(r) (http://www.devdepot.com), Depot
Store(sm), and the Depot(sm). Custom services provides custom
publishing and trade show services including such projects as
Developer Central(r), Net Innovators, LinuxWorld Greenhouse, ICe
Greenhouse, and fulfillment services. Founded in 1984, the company
has its offices in Westlake Village, California. For more information
on Xplain Corporation or any of its products/services, point your
browser to (http://www.xplain.com/), call the main offices at
805-494-9797, fax at 805-494-9798, send an e-mail to
mailto:info@xplain.com, or send snail mail to PO Box 5200, Westlake
Village, CA 91359-5200, USA.
****

All contents are Copyright 1984-1998 by Xplain Corporation. All
rights reserved. MacTech, DevDepot, and Sprocket are
registered trademarks of Xplain Corporation. Depot, The Depot, Depot
Store, Video Depot, MacDev-1, THINK Reference, NetProfessional,
NetProLive, JavaTech, WebTech, BeTech, and the MacTutorMan are
trademarks of Xplain Corporation. Other trademarks and copyrights
appearing in this printing or software remain the property of their
respective holders. Not responsible for typographical or other errors.