SoftQuad Software, Ltd. announced the availability of SoftQuad XMetaL 2.1, which adds transparent Unicode-conformant editing and display capabilities to their XML content creation solution. With Unicode support, companies can now develop XMetaL authoring applications that allow users to easily create XML content in any left-to-right language. In addition, those with multilingual content requirements can now share XML documents internationally, ensuring the accuracy of the information exchanged between systems using different languages, such as German, Russian and Japanese. XMetaL 2.1 provides the following Unicode support and features: Transparent Unicode-conformant display and editing behaviors, UTF-8 and UTF-16 encoding in conformance with Unicode 3.0 for all left-to-right languages, Unicode support in both the main document window and in the customizable interface elements – menu items, toolbar names, etc. – as well as the macro script editing interface. XMetaL 2.1 with Unicode support requires Windows NT 4.0 (with Service Pack 6) or Windows 2000. XMetaL 2.1 is also available for Windows 95/98/ME, but does not include Unicode support. XMetaL 2.1 is available now for $495.00 (U.S.) per single user license. Registered owners of XMetaL 2.0 can upgrade to XMetaL 2.1 free of charge via Web download. The product is sold directly and through VARs and OEMs. Volume discounts, site licenses, partner programs and on-site training are all available. www.softquad.com