LASSO 2.5 NOW AVAILABLE
Major Upgrade Includes Plug-in Architecture and Advanced Data Handling
Capabilities

Bellevue, WA - December 17, 1997 - Blue World Communications, Inc. today
announced the immediate availability of Lasso 2.5, the new version of the
company's award-winning solution for Web- and Java- enabling FileMaker Pro
for Mac OS from Claris Corporation. Released just five months after Lasso
2.0, Lasso 2.5 represents a significant upgrade further positioning Lasso
as the tool which sets the standard for Mac OS dynamic Web database
publishing.

"With Lasso technology embedded within FileMaker Pro 4.0 and included with
Symantec's Visual Cafe Pro Database Edition, Lasso technology is widely
deployed on a rapidly growing number of Web sites," said Bill Doerrfeld,
President & CEO, Blue World Communications. "Now with Lasso 2.5, Web
masters have unprecedented creative control and flexibility to develop even
more powerful Web database applications."

Lasso 2.5 is the ultimate Web database development tool for creating online
stores, discussion groups, response forms, page counters and other robust
Web applications that can handle hundreds of thousands of hits per day.

Key among the new features in Lasso 2.5 is a plug-in architecture that
supports external drop-in modules. Included is a module which provides
support for FileMaker Pro 4.0 tag syntax. Customers who have developed
solutions using FileMaker Pro 4.0 can easily move to Lasso 2.5's extended
features without modifying their current solutions.

Lasso 2.5 includes more flexible methods to submit user information
securely and combined with an SSL Web server, Lasso facilitates secure
e-commerce. For increased performance, Lasso 2.5 Plug-in and Server
editions are fully multi-threaded, processing multiple actions
simultaneously, all independent of concurrent operations within FileMaker
Pro.

Available in three editions, namely, CGI, Plug-in and integrated Web
Server; Lasso 2.5 offers more options than any other solution for
Web-enabling FileMaker Pro. Lasso 2.5 Server is one of the first Mac OS Web
server applications to ship providing multihoming capabilities using
Apple's Open Transport 1.3.

Robust New Features
With a feature set described as "incredible", Lasso 2.5 is the perfect Web
database publishing solution for businesses and organizations creating Web
sites that require complex search criteria and secure data handling. Lasso
2.5 Server is particularly optimized for blazing fast performance,
outperforming other leading Mac OS Web servers by a factor of 100%. New
features in Lasso 2.5 include the following:

- Plug-in architecture supporting external drop-in modules
- FMP4 Tags module for direct CDML support
- Field-level logical operators (AND, OR, NOT)
- Relative path names for easier format file creation and management
- String and Math tags for powerful text parsing, data manipulation and
arithmetic functions
- Loop tag for repeated display of select data; While tag for conditional
looping display
- Substitute values based upon global variables
- Post-Inline to process embedded operations at scheduled intervals
- Securely reference format files stored anywhere on an AppleTalk network
or within a database
- Process format files by customizable suffix maps
- Enhanced conditional controls for multiple bidirectional concatenated
comparisons
- Lasso Startup Items folder to selectively launch files and databases at
startup
- Lasso tags can now be embedded within other Lasso tags as parameters and
values
- Selectively process information within HTML comment tags
- Plug-in edition supports PIXO for communication with other plug-ins
- Compatible with certain Mac OS Web server secure realms techniques
- Supports usernames and passwords embedded securely within format files
- Option to display database structure information
- Disable/enable the following via drop-in modules: Apple Event
communication, database info display, relative vs. non-relative path names
- Enhanced activity logging and error reporting
- Enhanced ScriptMaker controls; process scripts in foreground or
background and before or after sorts
- Enhanced Apple Event communication; control post-Apple Event routines
- Enhanced character encoding and decoding
- Improved memory handling and streamlined code increase performance and
stability
- Server edition supports multihoming, enabling a single machine to
seamlessly serve multiple domains
- Server edition supports Keep Alive convention for enhanced performance

Supporting Resources
Lasso 2.5 includes the following new resources which allow Web masters to
utilize Lasso more effectively:
- Lasso Tag Converter BBEdit extension allows one to quickly upgrade Lasso
format files and convert format files from CDML to LDML.
- New FM Link 1.2 provides more ways to drag-and-drop FileMaker Pro
information into Lasso format files.
- The LDML 2.5 Reference Database documents the Lasso Dynamic Markup
Language (LDML) in an easy to manage database.
- Updated, rewritten and fully indexed 250 page User Guide provides
complete information and examples demonstrating how to use Lasso in real
world solutions.
- Discount on "Mastering Lasso" training courses provided by Chris Moyer
Consulting, Inc. (http://www.fmpro.com/lassotraining/).

Pricing and Availability
Lasso 2.5 is immediately available from select resellers and direct )from
Blue World Communications (http://www.blueworld.com/lasso/order/) and will
be demonstrated at the Blue World booth (#240) at the upcoming Macworld
Expo in San Francisco. Special introductory pricing is available now
through January 31, 1998 at $100 off the suggested retail price.

Effective February 1, 1998 Lasso 2.5 will be priced from $449 and $599
respectively for the electronically downloaded CGI/Plug-in and Server
editions. The full boxed edition, available for an additional $50, includes
a printed User Guide, CD-ROM with supporting resources and third party
software demos, and a discount coupon for Lasso training.

Registered customers who purchased Lasso 1.x and 2.x prior to September 8,
1997 qualify for special upgrade pricing starting from $179 and $329
respectively for the CGI/Plug-in and Server electronically downloaded
editions with the full boxed edition available for an additional $50.

Customers who purchased editions of Lasso 2.0 after September 7, 1997
qualify for a free* upgrade.

About Blue World Communications, Inc.
Blue World Communications (http://www.blueworld.com/) provides a complete
line of Internet business solutions with a special emphasis on FileMaker
Pro as part of its mission of "bringing business to the internet." Blue
World's products include Lasso 2.5, the FMPro.Net service, and custom
programming services for complete Web site solutions. Blue World, based in
Bellevue, WA, is a privately held company founded in 1992.

Lasso and Blue World Communications are trademarks of Blue World
Communications, Inc. Claris and FileMaker Pro are trademarks of Claris
Corporation, registered in the U.S. and other countries. All other
trademarks or trade names are the trademarks or trade names of their
respective holders.

* $39 processing fee and shipping fees apply. Offer expires January 31, 1998.

Media Contact:
Bill Doerrfeld, President & CEO
Blue World Communications, Inc.
425.646.0288, bill@blueworld.com