Macromedia Segments Generator 2

Recognizing that two distinct user groups exist for Web site data updating tool Generator 2, Macromedia Inc. Monday revealed that the product will be relaunched in two editions.

Generator 2 Enterprise Edition is geared for companies which run very large Websites and thus need to optimize performance. The Enterprise Edition accomplishes this through a caching system which stores frequently generated pages, fonts, images, files and global settings in memory or disk cache, reducing the need for the server to generate pages for each visitor. This can reduce the load on network bandwidth by as much as 200 percent, the company said.

In addition, the Enterprise Edition’s new Administration Servlet provides Web producers with real-time feedback on server load and types of graphical content served, enabling optimum caching levels and server response times to be set remotely.

Generator 2 Developer Edition is geared for high-impact Websites that require frequent offline content updates. It allows developers to create Web prototypes for customers whose requirements may scale to include real-time and personalized content. Development time is reduced through automatic, data-driven updates. The Developer Edition includes new objects and an extensible API. However, because the Developer Edition processes requests one at a time and does not scale across multiple processors, the company recommends the Enterprise Edition for high-traffic online use.

“In surveying our existing Generator customers, we found that developers wanted to automate their Macromedia Flash workflow while e-businesses needed scalability for mission-critical applications,” said Diane Rogers, vice president of product management for Macromedia .

A new Software Development Kit and open API is available with both editions. These allow developers to extend the functionality of Generator by creating custom objects.

Both products are expected to ship in June. Macromedia Generator 2 Enterprise Edition will start at $30,000, which includes support and maintenance. Professional services and 24 hour a day, 7 days a week support are available at additional cost. Enterprise Edition runs on Windows NT/2000, Sun Solaris and Red Hat Linux platforms.

The Developer Edition is priced at $999 per server. It runs on Windows 95/98/NT/2000, Sun Solaris and Red Hat Linux platforms.