BAPCo Debuts SYSmark 2001; First Benchmarking Software to Measure Performance of Realistic Business Usage Model On Windows Operating Systems.

Business Editors/High-Tech Writers

SANTA CLARA, Calif.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--April 18, 2001

The Business Applications Performance Corporation (BAPCo(R)), a non-profit consortium of leading computer industry publications, independent testing labs, PC hardware manufacturers, semiconductor manufacturers and software publishers, announces the release of SYSmark(R) 2001. SYSmark 2001 will extend BAPCo's leadership in industry standard benchmarks by providing an application-based benchmark that accurately reflects usage patterns for business users in the areas of Internet Content Creation and Office Productivity. SYSmark 2001 will support Microsoft(R) Windows(R) operating systems: Windows(R) 98 SE, Windows(R) 2000 and Windows(R) Millennium Edition. SYSmark 2001 is the third product being introduced under the successful strategic alliance between BAPCo and MadOnion.com. MadOnion.com, a leading provider of web services and e-commerce solutions, will provide marketing support and distribution for SYSmark 2001.

SYSmark 2001 can be used by:

      --  PC OEMs, hardware and software developers, IT departments,
        system integrators, publications, testing labs, Fortune 500
        companies, online publications, and end-users interested in
        measuring and/or comparing PC performance based on real
        applications.

      --  Information technologists and others to accurately forecast
        present and future desktop computing needs.

Key SYSmark 2001 features include the following:

      --  SYSmark 2001 is organized as scenarios, which are designed to
        reflect snapshots of "a day in the life" of an Internet
        content creator and office productivity applications user.

      --  A robust set of 14 application benchmarks covering a wide
        range of Internet Content Creation and Office Productivity
        application categories. The applications emulate usage
        patterns of today's desktop business user that includes
        concurrent execution of applications.

      --  New applications have been added covering the areas of e-mail,
        file compression, virus protection, web authoring and web
        animation.

      --  Internet Features: Tests performance of a PC executing a wide
        range of popular operations using leading Internet Content
        Creation applications.

      --  Average response time metric: Response time of applications to
        user interaction is used as a performance metric rather than
        end-to-end run time. Users care most about the response time
        of the application to input.

      --  Concurrency performance: BAPCo has extended its
        state-of-the-art benchmarking technologies by devising methods
        (first introduced with WebMark 2001) for accurate and
        realistic measurement of concurrent tasks. SYSmark 2001 uses
        scenarios where background applications that detect viruses,
        compress files, encode video and convert speech to text run
        concurrently with other business applications.

      --  Realistic execution speed: The benchmark runs at realistic
        execution speed, with visible pauses between application
        interactions, in order to accurately emulate a desktop user's
        interaction with the operating system and applications.
        Operating system behavior is more realistic when application
        interaction has realistic user pauses as the OS can devote
        this time to book keeping activities (memory management,
        scheduling, etc.).

      --  Standardized testing through an automated, point-and-click
        Benchmark Manager with reporting guidelines to ensure
        reliable, repeatable results.

      --  Multiple OS Support: Supports Windows(R) 98 SE, Windows(R)
        2000 and Windows(R) Millennium Edition.

      --  Non-US English OS Support: Supports European Windows operating
        systems (Dutch, French, Finnish, German, Italian, and
        Spanish), Japanese and Chinese.

      --  Ability to collect and store performance data for
        user-specified projects; ability to compare user results with
        a wide range of vendor and testing lab results available
        publicly on BAPCo's web site at www.bapco.com.

      --  Automated generation of BAPCo's Full Disclosure Report (FDR)
        for ensuring consistent reporting of results.

      --  Comprehensive system performance testing: Benchmark workload
        content carefully developed to reflect accurate and realistic
        usage patterns covering a wide range of functionality within
        each application.

      --  Extensive validation across multiple hardware and software
        configurations to ensure consistent and reliable performance
        measurement results.

To define the benchmark workload, BAPCo identified application areas and benchmarking methodologies that address evaluation and characterization requirements of the industry. In addition, BAPCo conducted research to understand the PC segment trends in the year 2000. These efforts led to the development of comprehensive and scientifically designed workloads applications covering a wide range of Internet Content Creation and Office Productivity applications. SYSmark 2001, with extensive validation across multiple hardware and software configurations, helps ensure consistent and reliable performance results. Moreover, BAPCo's benchmarks are cooperatively designed and developed by top performance engineers from a wide cross-section of industry-leading online publications, testing labs, PC manufacturers, semiconductor manufacturers, and software developers.

SYSmark 2001 incorporates the following Internet Content Creation and Office Productivity applications:

INTERNET CONTENT CREATION

Adobe Photoshop(R) 6.0, Adobe Premiere(R) 6.0, Microsoft Windows Media Encoder 7, Macromedia Dreamweaver 4, and Macromedia Flash 5.

OFFICE PRODUCTIVITY

Microsoft Word 2000, Microsoft Excel 2000, Microsoft PowerPoint 2000, Microsoft Outlook 2000, Microsoft Access 2000, Netscape Communicator(R) 6.0, Dragon NaturallySpeaking Preferred v.5, WinZip 8.0, and McAfee VirusScan 5.13.

SYSmark 2001 is available for $199.95 USD. Please visit the SYSmark 2001 order link (Powered by MadOnion.com) on the BAPCo.com and MadOnion.com web sites to order SYSmark 2001. The benchmark was developed and is fully supported by the current BAPCo membership. For a list of members please visit www.bapco.com

About the Business Applications Performance Corporation (BAPCo(R))

BAPCo stands for Business Applications Performance Corporation and its current members include Adaptec, Amdahl Corporation, CNET, Compaq, Dell, Federal Computer Week, Hewlett-Packard, IBM, InfoWorld, Intel, Microsoft, NEC, VNU Business Publications Limited (UK), and ZDNet. BAPCo is a non-profit consortium with a charter to develop and distribute a set of objective performance benchmarks for personal computers based on popular software applications and operating systems.

About MadOnion(TM)

MadOnion is a leading provider of PC benchmark software and performance information services. Powered by an Internet-based engine, MadOnion is known around the world for its benchmark products including, the 3DMark Series and Video2000, as well as the BAPCo/MadOnion products WebMark2001 and the SYSmark Series. MadOnion has offices in Helsinki and San Jose. For more information, please visit www.madonion.com.

For more information, please refer to www.bapco.com or www.MadOnion.com.

Note to Editors: BAPCo and SYSmark are registered trademarks of The Business Applications Performance Corporation. MadOnion.com(TM) is the trademark of MadOnion.com formerly Futuremark Corporation, Ltd. All other names mentioned are trademarks, or registered trademarks of their respective companies.