Corel draws the Internet line
Corel launches the latest version of its flagship graphics program, CorelDraw 7 for Windows 95 and NT, with Java and Web-ready features.
Due to ship in mid-November for $695, Version 7 will bundle the main CorelDraw program with Photo-Paint and Dream 3D. It will also add utilities for file management, optical character recognition and conversion, texture paints, scanning, attachable comment fields, and screen capture.
To help Web publishers, Draw 7 documents can also now be converted to Java using Corel's Barista technology. Once converted, a Draw 7 document can be viewed from any Java-enabled Web browser.
Draw 7 can also assign publish files as HTML documents, create GIF or JPEG image maps, and even assign separate Internet addresses to objects in a document. The company has also added color palettes for Netscape Navigator and Microsoft Internet Explorer.
The upgrade also includes the WordPerfect spell checker, thesaurus, grammar checker, and a tool that automatically fits text into a selected area.
The version released today is a standalone version. Draw may eventually show up as part of a Java-only incarnation of Corel's Office Professional application suite, although the company hasn't finalized the lineup for the Java release. The company will also continue its regular cycle of non-Java upgrades, according to company spokeswoman Sandra Catana.
Starting next year, Corel is counting on delivering its all-Java Office Pro suite to several platforms to help the company cut into Microsoft's lead in the desktop application market. Corel accounts for approximately 7 percent of the application suite market compared to Microsoft's 66 percent, according to the latest report from research firm Dataquest.