MOUNTAIN VIEW, Calif. – November 7, 2000 – Eazel Inc., the developer of
software and services to make computers easier to use, announced today
that it is unveiling its Network User Environment, which includes a
“sneak preview” of its Internet-based Eazel Services integrated with
the
company’s new preview of the Nautilus software environment. This
unveiling brings computer users significantly closer to a new era of
computing that naturally extends the user environment by embracing and
leveraging the possibilities of the Internet. The sneak preview is
available for the GNOME environment on Linux and is available for free
download at http://www.eazel.com.
See also, a press release saying Eazel has selected Linuxcare for quality support.Making things easy is hard to do
With this announcement, Eazel has reached a key milestone in delivering
on its mission to make computers easier to use. The integration of the
Nautilus software environment with Eazel services is a major first step
towards improving the way people maintain their systems, manage
information, and interact with others.
“A decade ago most people used computers to write papers and build
spreadsheets,” said Mike Boich, chief executive officer of Eazel Inc.
“Today we’re using them to send email and instant messages, shop online
and hold virtual business meetings. This shift in mainstream computing
towards the network has provided Eazel with an opportunity to deliver
an
entirely new and much richer experience to the user. With the delivery
of Eazel Services and the Nautilus environment, we have taken the first
step towards achieving that goal.”
Eazel Services: Placing new possibilities in the hands of the user
The release of Eazel Services signals a new wave of innovation in
computing by providing users with an enriched computing environment.
Eazel is providing users with a sneak preview of the first two of these
services today, the Eazel Software Catalog and Eazel Online Storage.
Both services are free and available to Linux users.
The Software Catalog provides users with easy, one-click installation
of
applications from a comprehensive Linux software library. The Catalog
includes free software that has been certified by Eazel Labs, Eazel’s
software installation certification group. Unlike traditional download
sites, when an Eazel user clicks the download button for software
listed
in the Catalog, the installer reviews the user’s distribution, version
and current system and automatically installs the chosen program as
well
as any necessary dependencies. Not only does this service make
installing upgrades dramatically easier, it also ensures continuity and
stability across the entire system.
Eazel’s Online Storage makes Web storage transparent to the user by
integrating it with the user’s local desktop allowing the user to
safely
back-up files online and access them from any computer with a browser.
Eazel is offering each Nautilus user 25 MB of free online disk space.
This storage space allows users to seamlessly move files, folders or
even entire directories of information smoothly between their desktop
environment and external storage areas hosted by Eazel.
The Nautilus Environment: Delivering a richer user experience
Nautilus is the window to a network user environment that integrates
access to files, applications, media, Internet-based services and the
Web to deliver a dynamic and rich user experience. Nautilus is an open
source project being developed under the GPL (GNU Public License) and
is
a core component of the GNOME desktop project. Eazel is a member of
the
GNOME Foundation.
The Nautilus environment makes it easy to manage and find information.
As opposed to other static user interfaces that only give glimpses of
information content through icons associated with their file type,
Nautilus “thumbnails” most file types by displaying the content of a
file in the file icon. For example, if the file contains an image, the
icon is a miniature version of the image, if the file contains a
document, the icon displays the first few lines of text; or if the file
contains music, the music is played when the user passes the cursor
over
the icon.
Nautilus also helps users manage and organize their files more easily
by
letting them “zoom in” to see more file detail, such as name or type.
In addition, the Nautilus environment makes locating items an easy and
intuitive process by employing a browser-based navigation and search
system for both local and remote files.
The comprehensive customization features of Nautilus allow end users to
personalize their system to their individual preferences.
Nautilus allows users to simplify their user environment by adjusting
the amount of system and file detail that Nautilus displays. For
example, while computer professionals or hobbyists may be interested in
seeing detailed system and file data, novice users may prefer to view
basic information only. Additionally, for users to further personalize
their computing environment, Eazel has created a polished look and feel
for Nautilus by providing users with high quality fonts and graphics
and
enabling them to customize their desktop by allowing simple drag and
drop customization for color and design.
Availability
Users who download the software at http://www.eazel.com/download will
also be given a sneak preview of Eazel Services. Eazel encourages end
users, system administrators and developers to download the software
and
provide their feedback. Eazel also welcomes developers who want to
help
contribute to Nautilus to join the Nautilus project at
http://www.eazel.com/developer.
About Eazel
Eazel (http://www.eazel.com) develops software and services to make
computers easier to use. Eazel Services and its Nautilus environment
provide a superior user experience that embraces and leverages the
possibilities of the Internet. Eazel is a private company
headquartered
in Mountain View, California, and is backed by Silicon Valley venture
investors Accel Partners. In May of 2000 Eazel was listed as one of
Red
Herring Magazine’s “Ten Companies To Watch.”
Privacy
Eazel is committed to maintaining the privacy and security of its
customers’ information. The information collected from an individual
or
from an individual’s networked computer will be used only for purposes
approved by the user prior to the collection of any data. For more
information on Eazel’s commitment to privacy please read our privacy
statement located http://www.eazel.com/aboutus/terms_of_use.
