FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Media Contact:
Susan Whitney
Xplain Corporation
marketing@xplain.com
805-494-9797 x105

NETPROFESSIONAL MAGAZINE SELECTS EDITORIAL ADVISORY BOARD
-- Professional Journal for Network Administrators and Webmasters
draws from ranks of Mac Internet tools developers, net administrators

WESTLAKE VILLAGE, Calif., April 21, 1998 -- Xplain Corporation, publisher
of NetProfessional magazine, today unveiled the editorial team creating the
new magazine. The Editor and Editorial Advisory Board have collectively
more than 100 years of experience in Internet publishing, LAN management,
and networking Macs in cross-platform environments, and they said they are
eager to share their knowledge with readers.

Leading the team is Editor Raines Cohen, Founding Editor of NetProfessional
under the previous publisher for the magazine's first year of publication.
Cohen has 19 years of experience in the computer industry, fifteen years as
an online publisher, nine years in Computer Journalism, and four years as a
Webmaster and Mac network manager. He helped start the Berkeley Mac Users
Group (BMUG) in 1984, and edited and wrote for MacWEEK for nearly five
years, covering technical topics.

"It's great to be working with Xplain on the new NetProfessional," Cohen
said. "The company has been uncompromising on maintaining editorial
independence while providing the resources and support to ensure that the
content will be technically rich and deep, with substantive coverage of
real-world solutions, providing answers for Mac Webmasters, internet
publishers, and net admins."

In addition to Cohen, Xplain has named Jessica Courtney as Managing Editor,
and Neil Ticktin as Publisher. This brings the long-standing experience of
MacTech Magazine, NetProfessional's sister publication, to the new
NetProfessional.

Working with The initial membership of the NetProfessional Editorial
Advisory Board (EAB), which helps write, select, and edit articles for the
magazine, are:

Richard V. Ford, Apple
Manages many of Apple's internet and networking engineering teams

Jeff Ganyard, consultant
Web database and systems developer, former Apple Internet evangelist

Ilene Hoffman, consultant
Online talk-show host, community manager, and Web publisher

Chris Kilbourn, Digital Forest
Runs a Mac-savvy ISP

Mark Kriegsman, Clearway
President of Boston's leading publisher of Mac Web server tools

Peter N. Lewis, Stairways Software
Publisher of many essential Mac internet applications

Robert Lettieri, consultant
Coauthor of BMUG's "Little QuickTime Page"

Terje Norderhaug, Media*Design-In-Progress
Publisher of Mac-based HTML/XML authoring tools

Nathan Nunn, Purity
Publisher of WebSiphon and other Mac Web server tools

Jim O'Connor, consultant
Web database publisher and site designer

John O'Fallon, Maxum Development
President of leading Mac Web server toolsmaker

Alan Oppenheimer, Open Door Networks
Inventor of many AppleTalk standards; now tools publisher

Avi Rappoport, Search Tools Consulting
Former Starnine product manager, now info-retrieval advisor

Brad Schrick, VeronaWeb
Web database publisher and Mac Web guru

Chuck Shotton, BIAP Systems
Original MacHTTP (now WebStar) author, still creating great Web tools

Ty Shipman, Kagi
Integrating Java, WebObjects, HyperCard, and net commerce

Cal Simone, Main Event SW
Spiritual leader of the AppleScript community

Judith Stern, consultant
Coauthor of BMUG's "Little QuickTime Page"

Michael Swan, Neon Software
President of leading Mac net management tools maker

Jon Wiederspan, Meridian Partners Limited
Coauthor of "Providing Internet Services with the Macintosh", Web
developer

Bill Woodcock, Zocalo
Runs Mac/AppleTalk-savvy ISP and is longtime IETF contributor

Eric Zelenka, StarNine
Product Manager for WebStar, the leading Mac Webserver

The editorial team is busily preparing the first issue of the new
NetProfessional, with a release of the bi-monthly print magazine scheduled
for the July/Aug '98 issue at Macworld Expo/New York. Xplain acquired
publishing rights to the magazine last month.

Like Xplain's other flagship title, MacTech, NetProfessional will present
high-level, professional, technical, journal style content. Every issue
will feature how-to articles, technically oriented product reviews, as well
as the high quality editorial content that MacTech has built its reputation
upon. The magazine will continue to have a Mac focus, yet will discuss
cross-platform issues like fitting into a multi-platform world and creating
cross-platform solutions.

Authors interested in writing for NetProfessional should submit proposals
to mailto:editor@netprolive.com. Letters-to-the-Editor should go to:
mailto:letters@netprolive.com. For a ratecard and other advertising info,
contact mailto:adsales@netprolive.com.

All current subscribers to NetProfessional will automatically receive the
new NetProfessional with the same number of copies that they have left on
their previous subscriptions. Subscribers with email addresses on file have
already been contacted about their subscription. If you haven't received
an email, please contact the magazine at mailto:custservice@netprolive.com.

The new NetProfessional will be available at Macworld Expo/New York, July
'98. NetProfessional is available for only $19.95 for six issues for U.S.
subscribers -- a savings of 53% off the cover price! (US$44.95
International, US$25.95 Canadian)

If you're not a current subscriber to NetProfessional, sign up today. Just
visit the NetProfessional web site at (http://www.netprolive.com) and sign
up RISK FREE for NetProfessional. There's no risk to you, so act now!

Corporate Background:

Xplain Corporation has three divisions -- publishing, mail order and custom
services. The publishing division includes MacTech Magazine
(http://www.mactech.com), NetProfessional Magazine
(http://www.netprolive.com), and THINK Reference. The mail order division
operates DevDepot (http://www.devdepot.com), Depot Store, and the
Depot. Custom services provides custom publishing and trade show services
including such projects as Developer Central 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
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of Xplain Corporation. Depot, The Depot, Depot Store, Video Depot,
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