Applix Inc, the Marlborough, Massachusetts-based developer of the Aster*x graphical office software line, has relaunched its products under the new name of Applixware. The company, which now claims to have some 200,000 users worldwide, has also updated the look of its software so that it is more familiar to users of personal computer-based products, and is positioning the range as a set of adaptive, mail-enabled applications and tools. According to Applix, the new software is based on an information object architecture, with information objects defined as any data source relating to the desktop or the enterprise. These include applications, data sources, development tools, multi-media information, messaging application programming interfaces and external and personal business applications. The software is designed to provide the integration key to all of these objects. The software set consists of the ELF scripting language, Applix Data graphical front-end to SQL databases, plus Applix Word, Spreadsheet and Graphics applications. All are mail-enabled through Applix Mail, and Hewlett-Packard Co OpenMail X400 system. Users can exchange and edit multi-media compound documents, messages and data files from applications or from the Applix Mail facility. Each application features live links with other components. Live links with third party products can also be set up using ELF scripts. This means, for instance, that users can launch or link to other spreadsheet applications (such as 1-2-3 or Excel) directly from Applix Spreadsheets or Applix Words applications. The company promises to add a graphical user interface builder to the set by the fourth quarter of this year, and is working on an NT version of the product set. Applix Words and Applix Graphics, a combined package that includes ELF, is sold in the UK for UKP500 and Applix Spreadsheets is sold for UKP400. Applix Data is sold at UKP1,000 per sheet, and sets of filter packs offering import-export options to third party products cost UKP125. Applix Mail costs UKP150 and Open Mail is UKP235.