FOR RELEASE JANUARY 4, 1995 Contact: Alan Oppenheimer (503)488-4127 alan@opendoor.com OPEN DOOR NETWORKS TO PROVIDE EASY-TO-USE INTERNET ACCESS FOR MACS SAN FRANCISCO, CA -- January 4, 1995 -- Open Door Networks Inc., a new company dedicated to providing easy-to-use dial up Internet access for Macintosh computers, announced today that it was beginning operations. The announcement was made as part of the "Connect Anywhere Networking" session at MacWorld Expo here. "The Macintosh has led the way in easy-to-use networking for a decade now, but it is still just about impossible for a typical Macintosh user to connect to the Internet from a location of their choice," said Alan Oppenheimer, president of Open Door Networks and one of the creators of the AppleTalk network system. "We started Open Door with the single goal of making it as easy to dial in to the Internet from a Macintosh as it is to connect up a printer or an external hard disk." Although many Macintosh users have had access to the Internet at work or at school, most of these users lose that access when they travel or go home. Many other Macintosh users have had no practical means of getting on the emerging "Information Superhighway." The few solutions which have been available have been either too limited or too difficult to use. Open Door's goal is to merge the ease-of-use of the Mac's native networking system, AppleTalk, with the tremendous reach and wealth of information of the Internet. Up until now, Macintosh users have gotten on the Internet in one of three ways. Many users have had Internet access through their work or school. Others have obtained limited access through information service providers like America Online or CompuServe. And finally, a few highly technical Mac users have been able to obtain full access through a generic Internet access provider. Open Door Networks was founded to provide Mac users with another option. For business and school users, Open Door will provide a no-fuss alternative for use when they're not at their principal place of access. For information service users, Open Door will provide "the real thing" in a manner which is as easy to access as their information service. And, for "the rest of us," Open Door intends to lower the complexity of getting started on the Net to the point where any Mac user with a modem feels comfortable getting on. Open Door Networks is able to simplify dial up Internet access because it will provide such access only for Macintosh computers. Focusing on the Mac allows Open Door to take advantage of all the work that Apple Computer has undertaken to make the Mac the easiest computer to connect to a network. Other Internet access providers have concentrated on a more generic approach, resulting in a least-common-denominator type of solution. Although Macs have generally been able to access the Internet through such providers, this access has been no easier than access from a DOS/Windows or Unix machine, effectively precluding many users from these solutions. Open Door's Mac focus allows it to utilize AppleTalk technology in providing Internet access for its customers. There are many advantages to this approach. For instance, all access is based on Apple Remote Access (ARA), the easy-to-use dial up product from Apple, as opposed to either Unix commands or complex Internet protocols like Serial Line Internet Protocol (SLIP) or Point-to-Point Protocol (PPP). Additionally Open Door will be able to make available traditional Internet applications through the Mac's native AppleShare file service, as opposed to through the Internet's File Transfer Protocol (FTP). The sign up process is also greatly simplified through use of AppleTalk technology. While simplifying access, Open Door Networks still enables its customers to serve as full participants on the Internet and to access all available services through standard Internet applications. Open Door even provides e-mail accounts to those customers who do not have e-mail accounts through other sources. Open Door's pricing structure is also meant to be simple, consisting of a one-time sign up charge and a per-minute-connected rate. There is no monthly charge or minimum, except for those users to whom Open Door provides an e-mail account. Open Door's pricing structure is especially tailored towards those customers who want occasional or experimental access to the Internet. Open Door Networks is currently accepting sign ups for its Internet access service. Open Door anticipates that actual access will be available starting on January 11. Customers will not be billed until access is available. Customers can sign up by using Apple Remote Access, version 2.0 or later, to dial in to Open Door's ARA server at 503-482-3181, connecting as a "guest." They will then be prompted to mount the Open Door AppleShare server and run a HyperCard stack which will lead them through the sign up process. Open Door currently accepts VISA or MasterCard as part of this process. Open Door is also making available a Macintosh "alias" file which automates the sign up process even further, requiring only a simple double-click to dial Open Door, mount the server and run the sign up stack. Details on Open Door's features, prices and sign up process are available on Open Door's World Wide Web server at http://www.opendoor.com or by sending a request to Open Door's traditional or e-mail address. Open Door Networks is based in Ashland,Oregon. Open Door Networks is a service mark of Open Door Networks, Inc. All other trademarks are owned by their respective companies.