FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

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

THE MACTECH CD-ROM VOL 1-13 NOW SHIPPING
-- CD now includes the first release of the THINK Reference Compiler

NEW YORK CITY -- July 8, 1998 -- Xplain Corporation, the publisher of
MacTech(r) Magazine, today announced that it is shipping the latest release
of the MacTech CD-ROM, Volumes 1-13, at the Macworld Expo in New York (July
7-10). 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 1-13, includes every article published in MacTech
Magazine (from November, 1984 through May, 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 and a new version of the THINK Reference Viewer is 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 new THINK Reference Viewer, version 2.6, released on the MacTech CD
offers new search tools. Users can now employ boolean expressions ("and",
"or", "not", "near" and others) to refine and focus their searches. The new
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 the first 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 July 31st. All customers who purchased the
MacTech CD 1-12 after March 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 Developer Central during Macworld Expo New
York July 7-10, 1998. The MacTech station will be located within Developer
Central at the Jacob K. Javits Center in New York City.

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(tm)
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 remain the property of
their respective holders. Not responsible for typographical or other errors.