Trellix (1995–2004)
| Company type | Private |
|---|---|
| Industry | Software |
| Founded | 1997 |
| Founder | Dan Bricklin |
| Defunct | 2004 |
| Fate | Acquired by Interland (Web.com) and shut down |
| Headquarters | Concord, Massachusetts , United States |
| Products | Trellix, Trellix Web, Trellix Web Express, Trellix Site Builder |
Trellix was a software firm focused on creating online publishing solutions that allowed individuals to build their own websites.<ref name=Trellix.BuildNYT>Headquartered in Concord, Massachusetts, the company was established in 1997 by Dan Bricklin. Its product lineup featured Trellix (for intranet management), Trellix Web (a client-based web publishing application), Trellix Web Express (a web-based publishing platform), and Trellix Site Builder.<ref name=Trellix.NYT>
In 2003, Interland (currently known as Web.com) acquired Trellix and subsequently shut down the subsidiary in March 2004. Despite this closure, Web.com continued to utilize Trellix’s patented technologies.<ref name=INTERLAND>
Trellix Web
Trellix was founded in 1995 by software innovator Dan Bricklin, initially offering a product designed to help businesses create and manage corporate intranet content. Responding to growing demand for personal website creation tools, the company developed Trellix Web (internally called "Brooklyn"), a downloadable client application. Multiple versions were released:
- Free editions (2.0–2.7) that published exclusively to select web hosts through strategic partnerships with providers such as Fortune City and Tripod. Numerous co-branded free versions were distributed bundled with Dell, HP computers, and Corel’s WordPerfect version 2.0.
- Commercial editions sold via online channels and packaged with the Trellix Web Site Creation Kit book (which included a CD-ROM). Key variants included:
- The Prentice Hall Edition of 2.7PA, which permitted users to publish to any host.
- The Prentice Hall Edition of 2.7, which limited publishing to certain hosts, similar to the free versions.
Among these, only version 2.7PA was available for direct consumer purchase and remains the exclusive Trellix release capable of publishing to arbitrary sites. This version was not part of any bundled offerings.
Eventually, development on "Trellix Web" ceased as focus shifted to the web-based "Trellix Web Express." The rights for "Trellix Web" were sold to GlobalSCAPE, Inc., who marketed it under the name CuteSITE Builder (CSB). Versions 3 through 5 of CSB continued sales until the product line was discontinued on June 30, 2006, marking the end of PC-installed Trellix software availability.
Support for both free and paid PC versions continues through user-run forums and complimentary support websites.
Trellix Web Express
Introduced in 2001, Trellix Web Express represented a web-hosted evolution of Trellix Web, incorporating technology acquired from Lycos’ Tripod.com division. Tripod served as the original licensee, capitalizing on its position as a prominent homepage provider. Built using JavaScript, this platform enabled users to edit their sites instantly without needing substantial client software downloads, thereby improving accessibility. Several free Web portals still operate using co-branded versions of Trellix Web Express that do not display the Trellix name.
At its height, Trellix Web Express supported multiple languages including English, Spanish, and Portuguese; however, non-English editions were discontinued following the 3.x release due to lack of profitability.
By 2003, EarthLink provided "Trellix Site Builder" services to its users. By 2007, "Trellix Web Express" was rebranded as either "Site Builder" or "Trellix Site Builder," with www.trellix.com redirecting visitors to Web.com’s offerings.
In addition, Trellix licensed rights to Blogger, a widely-used blogging platform, in April 2001.
Interland
In 2003, the web hosting firm Interland, which subsequently adopted the Web.com name after acquiring the company with that title, acquired Trellix and continues to employ its patented technologies. By mid-2006, Web.com terminated its licensing arrangement with GlobalSCAPE concerning the PC-installed version of Trellix Web software, which had been rebranded as CuteSITE Builder (CSB), as communicated on GlobalSCAPE’s support forum.