ForeFront, Inc. announced the release of its ForeHelp Premier 2000 product line which supports JavaHelp, HTML Help, WinHelp 3.1 and WinHelp 95, ForeFront’s InterHelp and Windows CE Help formats. ForeHelp Premier 2000, which includes ForeHelp 4 and ForeHTML Pro 4, simplifies the creation of professional online Help, electronic newsletters, online catalogs and product or company information. ForeHelp Premier 2000 can also be used to develop reference materials that are delivered to the end user in a variety of ways including CD-ROMs, intranets, extranets, even Web sites. Learning WinHelp or HTML codes and macro syntax is not necessary because of ForeHelp’s WYSIWYG authoring environment. The most significant new and enhanced features found in ForeHelp 4 include: the ability to import FrameMaker .mif files; set up, add, import, export and maintain headers/footers that can include replaceable stamp fields. ForeHelp 4 can also import selected topics, keywords, macros, styles and/or windows from other ForeHelp projects in order to support multiple authors and projects; plus it enables live edits within a topic list for easy organiza

E-Sync Networks, Inc. announced that a beta version of TotalChain, its new end-to-end web supply chain solution, would be available for testing in February. The company also confirmed that the product would be available commercially during the second quarter of this year. TotalChain will enable companies to collaborate over the Internet with their business partners, suppliers, service providers, manufacturers, distributors, and customers, by facilitating the secure exchange of information among disparate systems. For example, a manufacturer’s material resource planning system will be able to transparently communicate with a supplier’s planning system in a seamless and integrated manner. E-Sync Networks will initially focus on two vertical markets, insurance and distribution. www.e-syncnet.com

CrossWorlds Software, Inc., announced product support for XML. Concurrently, the company announced its membership and support for RosettaNet, an independent consortium dedicated to developing and deploying industry standards for enabling eBusiness interoperability. With its XML-compliant eBusiness product, development tools and infrastructure, CrossWorlds will enable companies to conduct eBusiness transactions in RosettaNet formats. This announcement further demonstrates CrossWorlds’ capabilities in providing a robust eBusiness integration solution. CrossWorlds is offering an XML Connector, a pre-defined and extensible cross-application interface designed specifically for handling XML-based messages. The Connector allows for the integration of XML data to multiple legacy and packaged front-office, back-office and supply chain applications including Baan, Clarify, Manugistics, Oracle, PeopleSoft, SAP, Siebel, Trilogy and Vantive via CrossWorlds hub-and-spoke architecture. The XML Connector is tightly integrated with CrossWorlds’ business process modeling capabilities and Collaboration modules. As part of its support of RosettaNet, CrossWorlds’ architecture complements the RosettaNet standards by providing a real-time integration environment for trading partners through automatic answer-back, cross-referencing and persistent transaction services. As a result, trading partners can avoid manual tasks such as transaction voiding if an order acknowledgment is not received after a specified number of hours. www.crossworlds.com

HotOffice Technologies announced that its subscription-based intranet service is now also available for free. Designed to improve the way teams communicate and collaborate, HotOffice offers both a subscription-based and free Web-based teamware service with identical features, allowing any team member to connect via a private intranet with colleagues and clients from any Internet connection. With free document and contact management, free email, free calendaring, and other tools, the HotOffice service helps teams maximize productivity with improved communications and real-time collaboration. The free version, is supported by ads. The rates for the subscription service are $12.95 per person, per month for up to 20 people, $11.95 per person, per month to 50 people and $9.95 per person, per month for 50 or more people. www.hotoffice.com.

Sterling Commerce, Inc. announced the availability of Edifecs’ SpecBuilder as a value-added optional component for its GENTRAN business process integration offering. Using GENTRAN and SpecBuilder, corporations can set up E-business relationships that support the integration of business information in XML, EDI, and other proprietary business formats. Companies can now define a partner relationship and export the guidelines via the Web to their entire E-business communities for rapid deployment. www.sterlingcommerce.com, www.edifecs.com.

Bitlocker announced the launch of its official public beta, opening its site to everyone interested in organizing, sharing and publishing data online. Bitlocker makes it easy for consumers and businesses to organize, share and publish information anytime, anywhere by using the company’s free online database service, which is available today. Bitlocker allows Internet users to quickly get their data online and share it with others at no cost. Using Bitlocker, individuals and businesses can create secure, scalable databases with complete functionality using only a Web browser. Bitlocker.com offers a place for people to easily access or “grab,” sort, share and publish information on a Web site or store it in a Bitlocker. During public beta, members of Bitlocker can utilize pre-built templates, take a tour of the site and create their own Bitlockers to store a variety of topical information. www.bitlocker.com