Stanford, California, USA -- 15 November, 1997 -- KlepHacks Shareware announced today the release of version 2.5 of NetBots, the popular Internet agent software for the Mac OS.

What is NetBots?
NetBots is a suite of customizable Internet "robots" that can be easily configured for various diagnostic and monitoring purposes. NetBots can be used to find out when a user logs on, keep track of web page updates, monitor Internet hosts for problems, and much more. NetBots is ideal for system administrators, webmasters, ftp admins, and casual surfers alike.

NetBots 2.5 includes five built-in bot types, which can be fully customized. NetBots supports the execution of AppleScripts by individual bots, allowing bots to communicate with other Mac OS programs. The excellent documentation contains tutorials for Internet novices and several examples of how NetBots can be used effectively and ethically.

The shareware version of NetBots allows the user to create up to three bots. The full version costs US$15 and allows an unlimited number of bots. A list of download sites is available at <http://www.printerport.com/klephacks/download.html>. Registered users previous versions are entitled to free upgrades upon request.

System Requirements: Any Mac OS computer with an Internet connection running System 7.0 or later. System 7.5 or later is recommended. NetBots is OS 8-savvy.

What is new in NetBots 2.5?
Version 2.5 introduces the FTPBot, which lets users monitor FTP directories for updates. The FTPBot is a great way to check for new files in FTP dropboxes. The popular PingBot module has been revamped to be more compatible and flexible. Numerous new preferences like "mute mode" and "verbose logging" allow users to configure how NetBots reports errors. A host of additional features and bug fixes make NetBots 2.5 a more stable and useful application.

Features in NetBots 2.5
NetBots 2.5 supports the following types of bots:

• FingerBot - Find out when users log in
• WWWBot - Find out when a web page changes
• PingBot - Find out when a host crashes, comes online, goes down, etc.
• FTPBot - Find out when an FTP directory changes
• PortBot - Receive and monitor data from any host on any TCP port

AppleScript support permits bots to talk to other applications.
The Bot manager allows easy editing, configuration, and management of bots.
NetBots is multithreaded and many bots can run concurrently.
Bots are saved so NetBots can easily be used as a "Startup Items" program.

Availability
NetBots 2.5 is available from the KlepHacks Shareware web site at <http://www.printerport.com/klephacks/>

About KlepHacks Shareware
KlepHacks Shareware is a one-man company run by Scott J. Kleper, a 3rd year Computer Science student at Stanford University. KlepHacks has been providing Internet software to the Mac community since 1992.

Kleper is the author of such products as HTML Markup, HTML Markdown, and MacFolklore. As a teaching assistant, he teaches a weekly discussion section for one of Stanford's introductory Computer Science classes. Kleper has worked for several companies including Be, Inc., Xerox Corp., and Apple Computer, Inc. His shareware programs have won awards from MacWorld, Cool Tool of the Day, and many others.

Contact Information
KlepHacks welcomes questions and comments about NetBots 2.5.

Scott J. Kleper <klephacks@kagi.com>
Press Contact <klep@cs.stanford.edu>
World Wide Web <http://www.printerport.com/klephacks/>
Phone information is available for members of the press upon request.