CONTACT
Sherry Harwin
Catalyst Development Corporation
(760) 228-9653
(760) 369-1185 (fax)
sherry@catalyst.com

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

ActivePatch provides a better solution for generating and applying product updates and upgrades.

Yucca Valley, CA, August 1, 2001 - Catalyst Development Corporation, publisher of the popular SocketTools TCP/IP components, today announced the release of ActivePatch, a new idea in patch technology.

If there's a need to distribute files over the Internet or a corporate intranet, ActivePatch can help conserve bandwidth, reduce download times, increase reliability, and reduce costs. ActivePatch is a software development toolkit that enables a developer's application to reduce the size of updated files, in some cases by more than 90%, significantly reducing network load and the amount of time that users must spend downloading files. More than simple file compression, ActivePatch analyzes the differences between files at the byte level, and only stores the information that has changed. Whether the developer needs to provide automatic updates for software over the Internet, distribute modified databases over a corporate WAN, or reduce the storage requirements for archived files, ActivePatch can be used to integrate this functionality directly into the software without depending on external tools or complicated batch files and proprietary scripting languages.

Using ActivePatch has a number of important advantages over the common methods of software re-packaging or incremental updates.

  • REDUCED UPDATE SIZE. ActivePatch analyzes the original and updated file at the byte level, generating the smallest size patch file required to perform the update. This results in a significant reduction in the size of the patch which translates into lower bandwidth usage, shorter download times, and increased reliability.
  • FASTER UPDATE CREATION AND DISTRIBUTION. Unlike re-packaging or creating incremental updates, generating a patch does not require the developer to create another program or modify an existing script (such as an InstallShield installation script) for each update that is released.
  • IMPROVED TECHNICAL SUPPORT AND CUSTOMER SATISFACTION. With the ability to easily generate patches for updated software, there is no reason to keep customers waiting for the next version. They always have the latest version of the software, reducing the number of technical support issues for those defects which have already been corrected.
  • LOWERED MEDIA AND DISTRIBUTION COSTS. The ability to distribute a small patch, rather than re-packaging the complete product, can significantly reduce the costs associated with creating and shipping media. In addition, the smaller size of the patch files means bandwidth savings when making the update available for download.
  • COMPLETE INTEGRATION WITH THE APPLICATION. The ActivePatch SDK allows the developer to fully integrate the patching process within the application. This provides the flexibility to implement custom user interfaces, specialized processing on updated files or any other customization required during the patching process or after the patch has been applied.
  • SAFETY AND SECURITY. The patching process is designed to be completely safe, committing the update only if no problems are encountered during the process. The original and updated file version, checksum, and digital signature (if any) are checked to ensure that the file was patched correctly. A patch may be encrypted so that a password is required before it can be applied. Because a patch consists only of the changes to a file, it requires that the user actually have the software installed on their system and can help protect against illegal distributions of updates for your software.

ActivePatch includes both a standard dynamic link library (DLL) and an ActiveX component, and can be used with virtually any Microsoft Windows development language or scripting tool. The ActivePatch API is designed to be simple enough to easily integrate into existing products, as well as offer a great degree of power and flexibility. ActivePatch comes with sample programs written in Visual Basic and C++ and includes utilities that simplify the creation and application of patches.

A fully functional evaluation copy is available for free download from the Catalyst web site. Once purchased, the insertion of a serial number allows for an uninterrupted development process. Catalyst provides unlimited, free technical support through their website and by e-mail. For-fee voice support is also available. All Catalyst products come with a 30-day money-back guarantee and are free of runtime licensing or royalty fees. Site licenses are available. A single developer license for ActivePatch is $247.