From: Darren_Smith@NeXT.COM (Darren Smith) Subject: PRESS RELEASE: BLaCKSMITH INC. SHIPS CHaRTSMITH 1.1 Date: 3 Jun 1994 23:25:35 -0400 FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE Contact: Angela Smith BLaCKSMITH, Inc. 800.619.6147 703.250.1741 703.250.1744 Fax info@blacksmith.com BLaCKSMITH INC. SHIPS CHaRTSMITH 1.1 with API - CHARTING AND GRAPHING SOLUTION FOR NEXTSTEP WASHINGTON, D.C. --- June 1, 1994 --- BLaCKSMITH, Inc. today announced the release of CHaRTSMITH 1.1, the presentation-quality charting and graphing application for NEXTSTEP. This latest release of CHaRTSMITH comes complete with a simple and intuitive user interface and a Distributed Objects API. Now users and application developers have easy access to the CHaRTSMITH charting engine. The release of CHaRTSMITH 1.1 marks its transition from a charting application to an enterprise-wide, charting solution. For integrating charts and graphs into presentations and reports, CHaRTSMITH offers professional graphics and a simple and intuitive user interface. When charting is a requirement of Mission Critical Custom Applications, CHaRTSMITH provides a robust API through which charts are easily produced. With its ability to solve charting problems from anywhere in the NEXTSTEP environment, CHaRTSMITH is now more than an application, it's a solution. "When we talked to customers about their requirements for charting and graphing, the message was loud and clear. They wanted a charting solution that would provide charts to both Mission Critical Custom Applications and users," said Tony Rennier, President of BLaCKSMITH. "By providing both an intuitive user interface and a Distributed Objects API to the CHaRTSMITH charting engine, we have given customers a charting and graphing solution that works for everyone in their organization, users and developers alike." Simple and Intuitive - CHaRTSMITH allows users to easily create charts from any application by selecting data and choosing the desired chart type from the CHaRTSMITH Services Menu. Users can drag-and-drop colors, images, and annotations to instantly enhance the impact of charts. Modify chart features with the CHaRTSMITH Inspector panel - just click the feature and the Inspector displays the relevant set of controls. Export charts from CHaRTSMITH by dragging them directly to any application that accepts images. "CHaRTSMITH has taken the best of all worlds in charting and combined them into one great program," said Chris Ralph of BJK&E, Inc., Chicago. "Some of the features of CHaRTSMITH that have made it #1 in our Chicago office are the self explanatory inspector panels, chart templates, easy data manipulation, and the variety of charts types available." Distributed Objects API - CHaRTSMITH provides Mission Critical Custom Applications direct access to its powerful charting engine. Through CHaRTSMITH's Distributed Objects API custom applications can create sophisticated, full-featured charts without user interaction. Charts created through the CHaRTSMITH API may be viewed in CHaRTSMITH, or displayed directly in Mission Critical Custom Applications. "Using CHaRTSMITH as a Distributed Object server, we quickly added stable graphing functionality to our application," said Guy Roberts, of The SwisKey team, Swiss Bank, London. "Working this way was easier, cheaper and more fun than using equivalent class libraries." Powerful Features - CHaRTSMITH provides features that save time. For example, users can quickly duplicate the look-and-feel of any chart using CHaRTSMITH templates. Color changes can be viewed before they happen by using the CHaRTSMITH color preview feature. And, CHaRTSMITH's object links make data and chart updates a snap. CHaRTSMITH's powerful features make it easy and fun to use. "We evaluated CHaRTSMITH against a number of other leading NEXTSTEP charting packages and CHaRTSMITH came out the clear leader for our MIS charting requirements," said Bob Marshall, Modula Systems, Consultant to Group Finance IT, Barclays Bank PLC. Its impressive API was particularly significant". Professional Graphics - CHaRTSMITH sets the standard for presentation-quality charts and graphs. Users can create spectacular charts with a stunning array of special effects including gradient fills, text shadowing, and sophisticated 3D effects. Full support for transparency allows users to add a polished look to their presentations and reports. CHaRTSMITH's high quality graphics bring the data to life. "In every one of our enterprise customer sites around the globe, CHaRTSMITH is regarded as the premier charting solution," said Dain Ehring, Director of Sales, Lighthouse Design LTD. Availability - CHaRTSMITH 1.1 is available today for all NeXT and Intel computers running NEXTSTEP 3.0 and later. BLaCKSMITH is committed to making CHaRTSMITH available on all future releases of NEXTSTEP and OpenStep. Pricing - CHaRTSMITH 1.1 with API is priced at $495 per user. Volume and academic discounts are available. Registered users of CHaRTSMITH 1.0 will receive a free upgrade to CHaRTSMITH 1.1. About BLaCKSMITH - Founded in 1992, BLaCKSMITH, Inc. is dedicated to providing software solutions to customers who wish to capitalize on the advantages of object-oriented software. BLaCKSMITH develops and markets CHaRTSMITH, the presentation-quality charting and graphing solution for NEXTSTEP. Additionally, BLaCKSMITH provides consulting services for organizations seeking object-oriented development expertise. ### NEXTSTEP is a registered trademark of NeXT Computer, Inc. in the U.S. and other countries. CHaRTSMITH is a trademark of BLaCKSMITH, Inc. 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