Flash presentation

Web 2.0 is causing a splash as it stretches the boundaries of what Web sites can do. But in the rush to add features, security has become an afterthought, experts say. The buzz around the new technology echoes the '90s Internet boom--complete with pricey conferences, plenty of start-ups, and innovative companies like MySpace.com and Writely being snapped up for big bucks. And the sense of deja vu goes even further for some experts. Just as in the ***

update Competition in the growing Web conferencing market picked up Monday, with market leader WebEx announcing a partnership with Salesforce.com and Macromedia offering free trials of its new Breeze service. WebEx Communications, the leading provider of services for presenting multimedia presentations and other business communication functions over the Web, announced its MediaTone communications network will be integrated with services from Salesforce.com, which sells Web-based customer relationship management (CRM) services. WebEx said that by integrating communications capabilities with its CRM services, Salesforce.com can cover a broader range of sales-related activities. ***

Macromedia announced Monday the first products to incorporate software it acquired from Presedia, a specialist in online training tools. Breeze training, based on Presedia's Express Trainer, and Breeze Presentation, based on Presedia's Express Presenter, use Macromedia's Flash animation language and common business tools such as Microsoft's PowerPoint presentation program to deliver online courses. The Breeze products are part of Macromedia's new Information Convenience division, specializing in tools that help average office workers create and share information. Pricing for Breeze Training starts at $15,995, while Breeze Presentation is available for $9,995 and up. ***