HiSoftware Releases the HiSoftware accessible Rich Text Editor v1.0 for SharePoint

Solution to support an accessible development framework through special Microsoft licensing arrangement

Nashua, N.H. — March 17, 2009 — HiSoftware (www.hisoftware.com), a leading provider of software, services and managed operation solutions that monitor and optimize Web content, quality and regulatory compliance for accessibility and privacy content, today announced the release of the HiSoftware accessible Rich Text Editor™ (HiSoftware aRTE™) v1.0, an accessible, feature rich text editor for content creation and editing in the Microsoft Office SharePoint® Server (MOSS) 2007 and Windows SharePoint Services (WSS) 3.0 environments.

Microsoft Senior Product Manager for ECM, Ryan Duguid, said, “HiSoftware are leaders in the accessibility space and have invested significantly in products to address accessibility requirements for SharePoint customers. The HiSoftware Accessible Rich Text Editor (aRTE) is a natural extension to the Accessibility Kit for SharePoint (AKS) v2.0 that was released last week. Microsoft is pleased to announce that we have reached an agreement with HiSoftware to make the aRTE available to all licensed SharePoint customers at no cost.”

HiSoftware aRTE (aRTE) is a lightweight text editor for MOSS / WSS designed to help the user create more accessible Web content. With aRTE a user can write text, format text, create tables and much more. The editor is installed on a SharePoint server and requires no changes to the browser or user agent. aRTE is extremely configurable and its functions are customized by the developer or system administrator. Through a licensing agreement with Microsoft, HiSoftware aRTE for SharePoint will be available for download at no charge for use in the SharePoint environments of MOSS and WSS. End-user support will be provided through a no charge one year subscription, as well as through the SharePoint accessibility community (https://aks.hisoftware.com). 

Scott Tucker, president and CEO Planet Technologies, stated, “The HiSoftware accessible Rich Text Editor is a nice complement to the end-to-end accessibility and compliance offering of HiSoftware. At Planet Technologies we look forward to implementing the feature-rich solution for corporate customers and government entities on a world-wide basis.”

Key features of HiSoftware aRTE v1.0

HiSoftware aRTE will provide the following:

• Accessible input for users of assistive technologies (i.e. screen readers, magnifiers, alternative keyboard devices, etc.).
• Capable of creating accessible output such as tables, images, objects and characters.
• Capable of creating XHTML compliant output to increase accessibility and usability.
• Cross-browser alternative to the default rich-text editor in MOSS and WSS allowing content authors to work across multiple Web browsers and operating systems.
• ARIA Compliant - Follows the specification for Accessible Rich Internet Applications set forth by the W3C’s Protocols and Formats Working Group.
• Supports a keyboard accessible interface for creating rich document content on the web. aRTE follows the guidelines supplied by the DHTML Style Guide.
• Tool Bar and Context Menus similar to standard text editors for ease-of-use.
• Cut, Copy and Paste from Microsoft Word time-saving feature.
• Undo and Redo for easy editing.
• Find and Replace feature allows content authors to search for partial or full search strings, minimizing false positives.
• Integrated Spell Checking for efficiency.
• Text and Character formatting to help users organize their text.
• Paragraph formatting to easily create style templates.
• HTML source editing to allow advanced users to view and edit HTML code created by aRTE.

Additional commercial licensing options are available to allow for the customization of aRTE configurations by end-user and partner organizations:

• aRTE Developer entitles a single developer to install, customize and use the product on a single machine.
• Domain and Enterprise licensing allow for the distribution of modifications across the SharePoint environment.
• Source Code is also available and includes the full C#, ASPX and available custom Java Script code of the control. It includes all of the benefits of the Enterprise license and is best for companies that plan to modify the control or simply wish to have access to the code for security reasons.

HiSoftware aRTE will integrate directly into HiSoftware Compliance Sheriff™ for MOSS (commercial offering) which provides on-going compliance and accessibility validation prior to publishing. It provides browser based testing in the Web editor console of MOSS, allowing content authors to check their work for accessibility and/or compliance issues before they submit it to the workflow engine. Beyond accessibility, Compliance Sheriff™ for MOSS provides an end-to-end solution to address other Web governance issues including privacy, PII, profanity, search engine optimization. HiSoftware solutions for MOSS provide an integrated, full Web project life cycle approach that allows customers to start accessible and stay accessible.

HiSoftware President and CEO, Kurt A. Mueffelmann, stated, “We are pleased to release HiSoftware aRTE for SharePoint. This release of aRTE, paired with the Accessibility Kit for SharePoint (AKS), makes it easier than ever for SharePoint users to create accessible Web sites. Adding HiSoftware’s commercial offering for MOSS to an implementation allows organization to not only start accessible - but stay accessible - despite constantly changing and evolving content.”

Pricing and Availability
HiSoftware aRTE™ is available for download at no charge through a licensing agreement with Microsoft for use with the SharePoint and WSS environments at http://aks.hisoftware.com. Additional commercial licensing options are available through HiSoftware. Various levels of support will be offered at no charge and extended services for a fee. For more information on the HiSoftware aRTE commercial products and services call +1.603.578.1870, email info@hisoftware.com or visit https://aks.hisoftware.com/aRTE.aspx.

About HiSoftware
Founded in 1998, HiSoftware (www.hisoftware.com) is a leading provider of software, services and On-demand solutions that test, repair, monitor and enforce Web content, quality and regulatory compliance. The company’s solutions empower content developers, Web site architects and executives to work collaboratively to create and manage corporate Web standards for accessibility, privacy, security, search engine optimization (SEO), site quality and performance, branding and application transaction testing.

Media Contact
Irena Mroz, Marketing
HiSoftware Inc.
+1.603.578.1870
irena@hisoftware.com

Company Contact
John Rogers, CFO
HiSoftware Inc.
+1.603.578.1870
jr@hisoftware.com