HP Announces Common Desktop Environment (CDE) Availability.

DALLAS--(BUSINESS WIRE)--March 14, 1995--Hewlett-Packard Company today announced the availability of its Common Desktop Environment (CDE), a new industry-standard graphical user interface for UNIX(R) system-based and X Window System-based desktop computers. HP is one of four sponsor companies that contributed key technologies to, and developed CDE, which was unveiled here at the UniForum tradeshow.

CDE is an easy-to-use desktop computing environment that delivers a consistent "look and feel" for end users, software developers and system administrators, and provides application compatibility and portability across UNIX system-based operating systems. CDE consists of HP's Visual User Environment (VUE) and will support thousands of applications currently available under HP-UX(1), AIX, DEC OSF/1, Solaris, UnixWare and other operating systems.

"CDE's consistent look and feel is based on HP's proven and accepted HP-VUE technology, and we are confident that it will rapidly become a de facto industry-standard user interface," said Bernard Guidon, general manager of HP's Workstation Systems Division. "HP has maintained a long-standing commitment to open-systems standards, and the completion of the CDE demonstrates our ability to work with other leading suppliers to deliver the technologies that our customers require. We are looking forward to offering CDE to our workstation customers."

CDE is expected to be available for HP's PA-RISC(2)-based HP 9000 workstations using the HP-UX 9.0 operating system beginning in the second quarter of 1995. HP is expected to begin shipping HP-UX 10.0 bundled with CDE in the fourth quarter of 1995.

HP will continue to support HP-VUE on the HP-UX 9.0 and 10.0 platforms to allow HP customers to choose between HP-VUE and CDE. Both HP-VUE and CDE offer customers a common look and feel and application support, thereby ensuring interoperability between the two environments. Tools will be made available to assist customers in making a seamless transition to CDE in accordance with their individual requirements.

Through a licensing agreement with TriTeal Corp., HP has furthered the availability of a common desktop by having TriTeal develop, market and sell HP-VUE on AIX, Solaris, Sun, DEC OSF/1 and AT&T GIS operating systems. HP also has licensed to TriTeal its CDE source code, and TriTeal is making this HP technology available on multiple platforms, including AT&T GIS, Network Computing Devices, RDI, Siemens Nixdorf Information Systems, Silicon Graphics, Solaris, SunOS, Tektronix and UnixWare. In addition, TriTeal will be responsible for the sales and support of CDE to HP-UX 9.0 customers. HP is the second-largest computer supplier in the United States, with computer-related revenue of $19.6 billion in its 1994 fiscal year.

Hewlett-Packard Company is a leading global manufacturer of computing, communications and measurement products and services recognized for excellence in quality and support. HP has 98,200 employees and had revenue of $25 billion in its 1994 fiscal year.

-0-

(1) HP-UX is based on and is compatible with Novell's UNIX(R) operating system. It also complies with X/Open's(tm) XPG4, POSIX 1003.1, 1003.2, FIPS 151-1 and SVID2 interface specifications. UNIX is a registered trademark in the United States and other countries, licensed exclusively through X/Open Company Limited. X/Open is a trademark of X/Open Company Limited in the UK and other countries.

(2) PA-RISC stands for Precision Architecture-reduced-instruction- set computing.

CONTACTS: Copithorne & Bellows for HP

Tim Hurley, 617/252-0606 Ext. 237

Hewlett-Packard

Jim Barbagallo, 508/436-5049