TUCOWS.com Announces a New Proactive Channel for Software Updates

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June 7, 2000

Fixlet Technology Automatically Targets Updates to the Appropriate Users without Violating their Privacy

Toronto, Canada, June 07, 2000 — TUCOWS.com, Inc., one of the Internet's leading distributors of digital content, today debuts an innovative service to automate the delivery of software and updates. Subscribers to this free service receive instant notification when there is an update to software that is currently installed on their PC, or when security and bug patches are released for their configuration. With minimal user input and without any invasion of privacy, individual and corporate subscribers to the service can keep their computer current and secure without the need to continuously scour the Internet for updates and bug fixes. In a true technological coup, the service provides these updates without sending any information out of the user's PC. Under no circumstances will users' privacy or security be compromised.

The new service uses Fixlet technology from BigFix, Inc. a Berkeley, California Internet company. Fixlets are special messages that are able to deduce whether a subscriber needs the information they contain, based on the subscriber's computer configuration. Each TUCOWS Fixlet describes a software update and targets itself to the users who need the update. It also contains the cow rating (one-to-five cows) for that software title and a download button, so the update is just a mouse-click away.

"We know how hard it can be to stay current, so we're excited by the potential of the Fixlet technology," said Elliot Noss, President and CEO of TUCOWS.com, Inc. "The TUCOWS Fixlets tap into our extensive database, targeting downloads to just those users who need them. It makes the process totally dynamic and completely painless. It will give both our individual and corporate users great peace of mind to know that they can automatically receive notification as soon as their applications are updated. It's hard to imagine a more efficient way to stay on top of this rapidly changing content."

To subscribe to the service, users can download the BigFix client software at the TUCOWS web site for free. The program comes with a free, pre-installed subscription to the Tucows Fixlet site. BigFix automatically gathers the latest Fixlets from the site every day to make sure users never miss an important update or bug fix.

According to David Hindawi, President and CEO of BigFix, Inc., "Fixlet technology turns the software update process on its head: instead of users looking for updates, updates look for users. The entire process is done in complete privacy — neither BigFix nor Tucows needs to know the user's PC configuration in order to offer the precise updates that the user needs. BigFix is the first technology that truly makes relevance-mediated information reach its intended audience while preserving their privacy and anonymity. It's the quickest and safest way to keep PCs healthy."

For computer users who want to ensure that they are running the latest software — without having to search the entire Internet — the TUCOWS Fixlet site provides an unprecedented level of convenience and privacy.

About Tucows.com Inc. (www.tucows.com)

Tucows is a leading distributor of e-business services and applications on the Internet. With a network of more than 3,700 Internet Service Providers, Web hosting companies and Domain Name Resellers in more than 90 countries around the world, we believe Tucows to be the largest network of its kind. The Tucows site offers over 40,000 software titles in libraries located around the world, providing users with a fast local download. Tucows.com Inc. is an ICANN accredited registrar. The Tucows Names division is the leading provider of wholesale domain name registrations and related services.

About BigFix, Inc. (www.BigFix.com)

BigFix, Inc., a Berkeley-based software company, is launching a new industry aimed at significantly reducing the cost and pain of operating personal computers. It has created a new branch of the Internet designed to connect experts directly to those users who need their expertise. It is working with software and hardware manufacturers to set up Fixlet sites in order to better serve their customers and cut their technical support burden by 50% or more — all while guaranteeing users' privacy and anonymity.