New WebMapper unfolds

At Internet World today, NetCarta announced a beefed-up version of its WebMapper site management software, as well as future support for an emerging technology from Apple Computer called the HotSauce Meta Content Format.

The announcements come one day after Microsoft (MSFT) announced that it would acquire NetCarta from parent company CMG Information Services for $20 million.

WebMapper is designed to streamline the process of managing a Web site, simplifying tasks such as finding broken hyperlinks, locating outdated Web pages, and finding missing images. The new version of the application, WebMapper 2.0, enhances the product's ability to display a graphical view of a Web sites structure and organization. The product also generates more detailed reports than its predecessor on the status of a Web site.

NetCarta's endorsement of Apple's HotSauce MCF could provide a boost for the technology, particularly if Microsoft supports MCF when it merges WebMapper with its BackOffice, FrontPage, Visual InterDev, and other products in the future.

HotSauce MCF is a language that is used to describe the relationship between information on a Web site, in a database, or data within other applications. One of its chief uses is to create visual displays of information such as 3D environment or a hierarchical set of folders and documents.

NetCarta will support HotSauce MCF in a future version of WebMapper. Users can download a free beta version of the WebMapper 2.0 from the company's home page.