In The Press
New Help Authoring Tool Launched by MadCap Software
MadCap Flare released to industry anticipation following Microsoft showcase
San Diego, CA, USA – March 1, 2006 — MadCap Software, Inc., today announced that its flagship help authoring software, MadCap Flare, is now available. The commercial release of Flare has been highly anticipated ever since the software was chosen by Microsoft (Nasdaq: MSFT) for showcase at the global launch of Visual Studio 2005 and .NET 2.0 late last year. Flare is a new XML-based authoring tool that empowers technical writers, Help authors, and other documentation professionals to compose content in XML format without requiring any knowledge of the XML language or XML programming. MadCap Flare features a unique visual editor that allows users to compose content similar to how they would in Microsoft Word. The software maintains the content in pure XML format, allowing users to easily reuse and repurpose the content to virtually any format, standard, device, or operating system.
This is an historic day not only for MadCap Software, but for the help authoring industry in general, said Bjorn Backlund, CTO and founder of MadCap Software. MadCap Flare revolutionizes technical communication by offering technical writers the power of XML without requiring XML expertise.
MadCap Software also announced today that Anthony Olivier, former senior vice president and general manager at Macromedia, Inc., has joined the company as its chief executive officer. Its clear that MadCap Software is poised to become the new leader in help authoring by continuing to innovate beyond where existing tools left off, said Olivier. This company has a very bright future, and Im pleased and humbled to be a part of it going forward.
MadCap Flare combines established Help authoring standards with a host of unprecedented features. Users can import existing content from a variety of sources, including Microsoft Word, RoboHelp, other help authoring tools and HTML pages. Content can be created, edited and enhanced using the patent pending visual editor, a real time WYSIWYG XML editor. Advanced features such as conditional tags and variables allow authors to easily repurpose content, and automated wizards make it easy to create a Table of Contents, Index and Search. The software includes multi-language support, including Unicode support. Users can generate and distribute content in a variety of standard formats, including cross-browser, cross-platform Help, Microsoft HTML Help (.chm) and DotNetHelp, a new format for .NET applications. Users can also create printed documentation in Microsoft Word format. Additionally, Flare is designed to support the new help technology that Microsoft will include in Windows Vista (upon its release).
Pricing and Availability
MadCap Flare is available for purchase as an electronic download or boxed software at www.madcapsoftware.com or by calling + (858) 320-0387. The price is US $799 for a single Flare license or, for a limited time only, US $499 for an upgrade to Flare from a competing product. Volume discounts are available.
About MadCap Software
MadCap Software is a trusted resource for thousands of companies around the globe for single-source, multi-channel authoring and publishing solutions designed to streamline the process of developing and delivering training content, learning and development programs, technical documentation, online Help, knowledge bases, and more. From authoring, publishing and translation, to cloud-based content management system, to contribution and review in the cloud, you can streamline content delivery and manage the entire content development lifecycle with MadCap Software. MadCap Software’s services include product training, consulting services, translation and localization, and an advanced developer certification program. Headquartered in San Diego, California, with offices in Austin, TX, MadCap Software is home to some of the most experienced software architects and product experts in the content development industry.
