Quarterdeck WebCompass 2.0 to be free download in UK

Quarterdeck will delay shipping a second retail release of its WebCompass Internet search software, instead pushing free downloads of the product from its Web site. Web Compass, a tool that combines searches from engines such as Yahoo!, Excite and Lycos, won rave reviews on its first full release; the 2.0 revision includes faster operation, offline collation of searches, and a revamped user interface.

The beleaguered utilities company will look to release WebCompass 2.0 in the summer, despite shipping it this week in the US for a $50 price tag. Martin Pickering, European sales and marketing director, said that Quarterdeck wants to concentrate on a smaller number of product releases in the short-term. Areas of focus will include disk partition utility Partition-It, deletion utility Clean Sweep and remote access software Rapid Remote.

Quarterdeck has had a tough 1996 as it has moved from utilities vendor to a broader focus through a series of acquisitions. For fiscal 1996, Quarterdeck made a $76 million loss and this month was at the receiving end of a class action suit by disgruntled shareholders.