Powersoft announces shipment of PowerBuilder for Macintosh; Addition of Macintosh version establishes PowerBuilder as the Leading cross-platform application development tool.

CONCORD, Mass.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Dec. 19, 1995--Powersoft Corporation today announced the shipment of PowerBuilder for Macintosh, the newest release of Powersoft's industry-leading family of scalable client/server development tools.

PowerBuilder for Macintosh extends the functionality of Powersoft's flagship product to the Apple Macintosh operating system and establishes PowerBuilder as the leading cross-platform application development tool. PowerBuilder's multi-platform architecture reduces development costs and boosts productivity by enabling developers to build a single application, deploy it across a heterogeneous environment and provide users with a native look and feel in each environment. PowerBuilder for Macintosh includes a single-user version of Watcom SQL 4.0 for Macintosh. In addition, Powersoft announced the shipment of a Macintosh version of its complete personal data access and information management tool, InfoMaker.

Powersoft and Apple will co-market PowerBuilder for Macintosh through joint sales and marketing activities. The two companies will demonstrate PowerBuilder for Macintosh at the upcoming MACWORLD Expo in San Francisco on January 9-12.

Macintosh is an important addition to the platforms already supported by PowerBuilder -- Windows 3.x, Windows 95, Windows NT (Intel), Windows NT (Alpha) and UNIX -- that strengthens users' ability to develop, deploy and maintain PowerBuilder applications throughout the enterprise.

"The delivery of PowerBuilder for Macintosh strengthens Powersoft's ability to meet the significant customer demand for an application development solution suited to heterogeneous computing environments," said David Litwack, president of Powersoft. "With PowerBuilder supporting Windows, Windows NT, UNIX and now the sizable and important Macintosh user community, the industry's leading application development tool has become the industry's leading cross-platform application development tool."

"As client/server computing is becoming the platform of choice for the business, government, education and scientific communities, we are seeing a significant need for robust development tools that can deliver the same application to both Macintosh and Windows users," said Jim Buckley, president of Apple Americas. "Apple is pleased to be working with Powersoft to co-market PowerBuilder as a powerful and flexible client/server tool available to Macintosh users."

"We've been eagerly anticipating the Macintosh version of PowerBuilder," said beta tester Martin Devon, associate director of Label Systems for MCA Inc.'s Music Division. "We have many Macs deployed in the organization, so cross-platform support is a key feature we look for in our development tools. The later beta versions have looked solid, so we look forward to putting the commercial release through its paces."

Enabling Client/Server on the Macintosh

PowerBuilder 4.0 for Macintosh includes the following features for easy development and deployment of client/server applications:

o DataWindow -- Allowing database manipulation without coding SQL, the intelligent DataWindow understands the unique functionality of each supported database. A developer simply selects a data source and presentation style, and the DataWindow directly manages the interaction and manipulation of the database.

o DoScript( ) function in PowerScript -- With DoScript( ) incorporated into the PowerScript language, a developer can compose AppleScripts and issue them to the target application.

o Apple SourceServer -- PowerBuilder's support for the Apple SourceServer as a repository for source-code management and version control provides registration of PowerBuilder objects, and check-in/check-out of those objects.

o PowerBuilder Libraries -- PowerBuilder objects are automatically stored in PowerBuilder Libraries which can be shared among members of a development team. A built-in, comprehensive library of reusable objects is included in PowerBuilder for Macintosh for rapid implementation of common business functions.

o Enhanced Database Connectivity for Sybase and Oracle, and support for MacODBC -- Using Sybase Open Client and Oracle PLSQL, the Enhanced Database Connectivity is available to client applications in all of PowerBuilder's supported platforms. With support for all major databases through MacODBC, PowerBuilder for Macintosh will enjoy widespread data access.

o Connectix Corp.'s RAM Doubler -- Ram Doubler doubles the user's effective system memory for enhanced system performance and allows users to open multiple applications.

The single-user version of Watcom SQL 4.0 for Macintosh, included with both PowerBuilder for Macintosh and InfoMaker for Macintosh, is optimized for mobile, desktop and workgroup environments. Watcom SQL for Macintosh includes client-side connectivity to the multi-user versions of Watcom SQL, so PowerBuilder for Macintosh applications will be able to access Watcom SQL on NetWare, DOS, OS/2 and Windows NT, using TCP/IP or IPX protocols.

InfoMaker for Macintosh is Powersoft's complete personal data access and information management tool. It provides a robust feature set for developing queries and presentation-quality reports with advanced data management capabilities, enabling users to extend their applications without programming. InfoMaker includes the single-user version of Watcom SQL 4.0 for Macintosh, connectivity to a variety of departmental and enterprise data sources and a data migration and replication utility, the Data Pipeline. InfoMaker is designed to complement PowerBuilder applications and desktop productivity suites.

"With the delivery of PowerBuilder for Macintosh, Powersoft becomes a strong contender in the cross-platform development tools market," said Evan Quinn, senior analyst at International Data Corporation. "PowerBuilder's approach to multi-platform development enables users to build a single application and deploy it throughout their organizations on multiple platforms, while retaining a native look and feel in each environment."

Pricing and Availability

PowerBuilder for Macintosh is available immediately at a suggested retail price of (a)$3,295. InfoMaker for Macintosh is available immediately at a suggested retail price of $249.

Powersoft is a division of Sybase, Inc., a worldwide leader in client/server software. The company's mission is to provide customers with an open, adaptable information systems architecture that enables them to develop and deliver complete information systems solutions to facilitate rapid business change. Focusing on four major market segments: on-line transaction processing, data warehousing, mass deployment and electronic commerce, Sybase and its Powersoft division provide market leading products in three major software categories -- database, middleware and tools -- enabling customers to implement desktop-to-enterprise solutions. Headquartered in Emeryville, California, Sybase is the sixth largest independent software company in the world.

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(a)All prices quoted are suggested retail price (SRP) and in U.S. dollars.

PowerBuilder, InfoMaker, Powersoft, the Powersoft logo, Sybase, Open Client and Watcom are trademarks of Sybase, Inc. or its subsidiaries. Apple, the Apple logo and Macintosh are registered trademarks of Apple Computer, Inc. registered in the USA and other countries. All other products mentioned are trademarks or registered trademarks of their respective companies or organizations.

CONTACT: Kathleen Quirk or Robert Beauregard

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