Windows '97: Software puts Web sites on CD-ROMs

"Web CD's key features are its speed of multimedia delivery, its localisation potential and its portability," according to John Boyle, senior partner with Oxford Computer Consultants, the UK representative for the firm.

Web CD's packager lets developers place the relevant parts of a Web site including large graphics, static data, multimedia content onto a CD along with the Web CD Viewer ready for duplication.

The Web CD viewer works within Netscape and Microsoft browsers and lets users jump between CD-based data and live links to a Web site as appropriate. The viewer includes graphical bookmarks to show where data is held as well as a full-text search engine. A typical use would be for a product catalogue to be shipped on CD-ROM with a live link to the price list.

The product is available now at £999 for the development tool as well as a per-disk royalty for distribution of sites on CD-ROM.