Melbourne, Australia-based internet tools outfit Sausage Software Ltd received a financial boost by winning a distribution deal with Netscape Communications Corp. The deal will see Sausage’s Jackhammer program included in the retail version of Netscape Communicator. The Jackhammer helps web surfers access busy websites by automatically making multiple requests to enter a site until a successful connection is established. Financial details of the arrangement were not disclosed. Sausage shares – which had lost more than 80% of their value since they started trading last October – reacted joyfully to the news, gaining 30% to close at 26 Australian cents. The Netscape deal is the second with a US company in less than a month, after July’s agreement with MindSpring Enterprises Inc which will make Sausage’s entry- level web editor available to MindSpring subscribers (CI No 3,212).
