ANDOVER.NET LAUNCHES GIFWORKS 3.0;
FREE ONLINE WEB DESIGN APPLICATION BULKS UP

Over 20 New Effects and Editing Tools Added to Latest GIFWorks Release

ACTON, Mass.-October 12, 1999--Andover.Net (www.andover.net), the leading
Linux and IT destination, today announced GIFWorks 3.0. GIFWorks is a free
online application that allows Web builders to select, process and create
animations online with a standard Web browser-at absolutely no cost. Based
on the feedback and requests from hundreds of GIFWorks users who access the
application each month, Andover.Net developers have created 20 new visual
effects and over seven new editing tools to help Web designers spice up
their sites. For a demo of the power of GIFWorks 3.0 users can view the
Effects Gallery found in the GIFWorks 3.0 help menu. The Effects Gallery
shows just a fraction of the effects enabled by this unique application.

GIFWorks (www.gifworks.com) is one of the Internet's first free online
software applications that uses the Web as a powerful and cost-effective
computing platform. On the GIFWorks Web site, Web builders can animate,
optimize and apply special effects to any GIF, easily adding it to their
own Web pages. Since all processing is done on Andover.Net servers-at a
rate faster than the average PC-there is no time-consuming download or
complicated installation. With GIFWorks' Windows-like interface, the latest
versions are always used and new animations are created in seconds. Because
GIFWorks uses the Internet as a computer, it supports Linux, Mac and PC
platforms. In fact, even people without computers, such as Web-TV users,
can create animations with GIFWorks.

"Andover.Net sees the software industry as a highly collaborative and
interactive environment, whether a company is developing an Open Source
Linux application or a free, online software tool," said Bruce Twickler,
president and CEO of Andover.Net. "The new effects, features and functions
found in GIFWorks 3.0 have all come from the feedback of our greatest
asset-the Andover.Net community."

New GIFWorks Functions and Benefits
GIFWorks 3.0 includes 20 new effects similar to those found in expensive
packaged graphic design applications such as chalk, emboss, oil paint and
watercolor. In addition, GIFWorks 3.0 sports a number of new editing tools
such as:

* Insert text-Add text from six fonts customizing font size and color
to both animated and still GIFs.

* Smart crop-Automatically crop the background out of a GIF leaving
just the image.

* Replace color-Select a color anywhere in the GIF and replace it with
another to match a page's border or background.

* Add/remove transparency-Click a color anywhere in a GIF to make that
color transparent or return it to its original color.

* Optimize to a "Web-safe" Palette-Reduce the colors of a GIF to
"Netscape only" colors to ensure that images will appear true-to-form
in any browser.

Pricing and Availability
GIFWorks 3.0 is available now at no cost and is accessed through a standard
Web browser at www.gifworks.com or www.andover.net.

About Andover.Net
Andover.Net (www.andover.net) is the leading Linux destination. Serving
over two million users and over 40 million page impressions on a monthly
basis, Andover.Net includes a unique combination of news and reviews;
resources for buyers, developers and programmers; and e-Tools for Web
builders. For the latest open source and Linux news, reviews and resources
visitors go to Slashdot(tm) (slashdot.org) the leading site for open source
programmers; Freshmeat.net (tm) (freshmeat.net), a downloadable Linux
software application repository; FreeCode(tm) (www.freecode.com), where
users can easily view and use free code and DaveCentral-Linux (tm)
(linux.davecentral.com) with over 1,500 downloadable Linux products.
MediaBuilder(tm) (www.mediabuilder.com) is the largest online Web-building
resource with unique e-Tools including GIFWorks(tm) (www.gifworks.com) and
HTMLWorks(tm) (www.htmlworks.com) and it also includes Animation
Factory(tm) (www.animfactory.com), the Internet's largest proprietary GIF
image library. Corporate buyers, developers and programmers download
products at DaveCentral(tm) (www.davecentral.com) and Slaughterhouse(tm)
(www.slaughterhouse.com), which provides over 6,000 free downloadable
Windows software products. For the latest technology news, reviews and
resources visitors go to AndoverNews(tm) (www.andovernews.com); The IT
Managers Journal(tm) (www.itmanagersjournal.com); the Internet Traffic
Report(tm) (www.internettrafficreport.com), providing Internet performance
data every 15 minutes; TechMailings(tm) (www.techmailings.com) with over
3,900 free e-mail newsletters and discussion lists, TechSightings(tm)
(www.techsightings.com), reviews of the Web's best sites and Ask Reggie(tm)
(www.askreggie.com), which enables users to search domestically and
internationally for available Internet domain names.