Attention: Technology Editors

New Standard for Tcl Programming Tools Now Available from ActiveState:
Tcl Dev Kit 3.0 Most Technically Advanced Tcl Toolset Ever

VANCOUVER, BC - DECEMBER 8, 2003 - ActiveState, a leading provider of
professional tools for programmers, today announced the release of Tcl
Dev Kit 3.0, with a series of powerful new features for the rapid
development and delivery of professional quality Tcl applications on a
range of platforms.  The advanced suite of tools for Tcl sets a new bar
for developer productivity and performance for in-depth code analysis,
management, debugging, and deployment.   

Tcl is a multi-purpose scripting language used by over half a million
programmers in leading organizations such as AOL, Cisco, Cornell
University, Ericsson, Kodak, Motorola, NASA, NBC, National Institute of
Standards and Technology (NIST), Raytheon, Siemens, Synopsys, Sun
Microsystems, and UC Berkeley. 

Tcl is the standard for automated testing, and Tcl/Tk is among the most
heavily used languages for building cross-platform graphical user
interfaces (GUIs).  The scripting engine's embeddability and
extensibility enable test engineers to quickly integrate a wide range of
technologies.  Tcl is also a standard in EDA and CAD applications
requiring an extensible, embedded command language.  

The Federal Aviation Administration is another organization that depends
on Tcl.  "Tcl is so versatile-it's the perfect language for the utility
programs I develop for our air traffic control systems.  Unlike many
other languages, Tcl is cross-platform and doesn't require compiling, so
I'm able to do my work faster and execute my programs on numerous
operating systems," said Keith Wetherill, Nation Field Support Lead, FAA
Second Level Engineering Systems Support Group.  "It's also extremely
cost-effective, which is naturally an issue for all government agencies.
There is no need to purchase special licenses or compilers; as an open
source language, it's free.

"For complex programming, I rely on the Tcl Dev Kit, using the Debugger,
TclApp, and Compiler.  ActiveState has also been very responsive to my
suggestions for the 3.0 release, incorporating some of the changes I
recommended.  Their team has been great to work with."

New in Tcl Dev Kit 3.0

* Expands Tcl developer capabilities - create higher quality Tcl
applications with the Tcl Dev Kit's new analysis capabilities.  A
complete set of tools provides enhanced code coverage for thoroughly
testing applications; true time-based code profiling ensures that code
bottlenecks are easily identified for optimal performance; and the new
static analysis cross-reference tool reveals code dependencies. 

* Easily manage Starkits and Starpacks - the standard deployment
mechanisms for Tcl now have a new cross-platform Virtual File System
Explorer that enables the visual inspection of Starkits and Starpacks
contents, ensuring the existence of correct components and versions
while saving time and avoiding deployment problems.
 
"Since TclPro development stopped, there has been pent-up demand for an
advanced Tcl toolset, particularly among the major hardware test
automation and embedded systems companies.  Tcl Dev Kit is the
much-needed upgrade from TclPro," said Matt Herdon, director of product
management, ActiveState.  "With the 3.0 release, our customers now have
a wicked set of professional Tcl tools, and tighter integration with our
flagship IDE, Komodo. New Tcl programmers will be blown away by the
breadth of Tcl Dev Kit."

For a limited time, Tcl Dev Kit is available at a special launch price
of $265, a savings of $30.  Launch pricing for upgrading from previous
versions is $59.95; Educational licenses are $49. The launch special
also extends to ActiveState's complete Tcl solution suite, ASPN Tcl,
priced at $445, a savings of $50. ASPN Tcl also contains a Tcl-enabled
version of ActiveState's Komodo IDE for open source programming
languages, and online access to Tcl resources including the Safari
bookshelf.  Free trials and more details are available at:
http://www.ActiveState.com/Tcl.

Other ActiveState Tcl initiatives include hosting of the primary Tcl
community website and ActiveTcl, the free, quality-assured distribution
of Tcl.  ActiveState also provides comprehensive support for Tcl
applications and internals through the TclDirect support package.

About ActiveState
ActiveState, a division of Sophos, is the leading provider of software
solutions that increase developer productivity and organizational
efficiency through the innovative use of open source technology. Over
two million developers rely on ActiveState's open source language
programming tools, language distributions, and enterprise support
services. More information is at http://www.ActiveState.com

Media & Analyst Inquiries:

Lori Pike, ActiveState, a division of Sophos 
LoriP@[...].com 
1.604.808.6655

Melissa Wong, Horn Group
mwong@[...].com
1.415.905.4046

ActiveTcl, ActiveState, ASPN Tcl, Komodo, and Tcl Dev Kit, are
trademarks of ActiveState, a division of Sophos. All other company names
herein may be trademarks of their respective owners. 

Copyright 2003 ActiveState, a division of Sophos.

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