Softway Systems Releases New Products in the OpenNT Product Line; Users and developers have a new way to run UNIX applications natively on Windows NT.

SAN FRANCISCO--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Aug. 27, 1996--Softway Systems, Inc., developer of OpenNT for Microsoft(r) Windows NT, today announced the immediate availability of three new OpenNT products that extend UNIX technology to the Windows NT platform. The products are: -0-

-- OpenNT Commands and Utilities, Release 1.1: a substantially enhanced version of the previously released UNIX-style operating system environment including command shells and a suite of POSIX and UNIX utilities.

-- OpenNT Software Development Kit , Release 1.1: a complete environment for developing and porting UNIX applications on Windows NT.

-- OpenNT Telnet Server, Release 1.0: a multi-user telnet service for Windows NT.

The OpenNT product family addresses the integration, migration and portability issues of users and developers that use, manage and maintain UNIX and Windows NT application environments. Softway Systems is building the OpenNT product line under a long term agreement with Microsoft Corporation.

"Our goal is to provide a complete product line that gives corporate developers, systems integrators and ISVs an easy way to solve their UNIX-Windows NT application dilemma," said Douglas Miller, CEO of Softway Systems, Inc. "By enabling developers to quickly and easily run UNIX applications on their Windows NT platforms, we will ultimately save customers millions of dollars in engineering, deployment and training costs."

The OpenNT Products

The OpenNT family is bringing the traditional benefits of UNIX to the Windows NT environment. Softway Systems is releasing the three products immediately on Intel and Digital Equipment Corporation's Alpha systems. All products run on Windows NT 3.51 and Windows NT 4.0 -- both Workstation and Server versions.

OpenNT Commands and Utilities, Release 1.1 is a UNIX-style operating system environment including command shells and a suite of POSIX and UNIX utilities. OpenNT Commands and Utilities is the only commercially available product that provides complete conformance to POSIX.1 and POSIX.2 standards for Microsoft Windows NT. Some of the new features added in this release of OpenNT Commands and Utilities include:

-- The popular KornShell (ksh) as well as a POSIX command shell (sh). The OpenNT KornShell supports all the features found in UNIX versions of the KornShell, such as command line editing, extended shell scripting facilities and pathname completion.

-- The OpenNT shells can now run Win32 command line and graphical applications as well as POSIX/UNIX applications. This allows users to "mix and match" commands from the traditional UNIX world and the Windows world.

-- Additional UNIX utilities have been added including ctags, expand, unexpand, split and flip.

-- Enhanced documentation now comes as both printed and online manuals. Support for the UNIX man documentation system is also included.

-- Substantial performance enhancements -- especially in the area of file access.

-- Easier and faster installation and customization.

Pricing starts at $199 for a single processor license.

OpenNT Software Development Kit, Release 1.1 is a complete environment for developing and porting UNIX applications on Windows NT. It includes libraries for system services as well as standard UNIX development tools and utilities. Applications built with the OpenNT Software Development Kit run as native, 32-bit Windows NT binaries -- no emulation or runtime interpretation is used. Utilities such as lex, yacc, make and rcs are included with the product.

The OpenNT Software Development Kit is tightly integrated with the Microsoft Visual C/C++ development system, allowing the use of Microsoft's compiler and linker technology. In combination with the OpenNT Command and Utilities product, this development environment includes all of the tools necessary for providing a development platform consistent with today's leading UNIX operating systems. Pricing starts at $99 for a single processor license.

OpenNT Telnet Server, Release 1.0 is a multi-user telnet daemon service for Windows NT. The product allows multiple users to log into a Windows NT system over intranet and internet connections from remote workstations and terminals. Remote users can access the OpenNT POSIX/UNIX shells or the Windows NT command shell and simultaneously run a variety of OpenNT, POSIX and Win32 character-based applications.

When coupled with the OpenNT Commands and Utilities environment, the OpenNT Telnet Server can provide a powerful method for allowing remote administrators to run complex shell scripts and administrative tools. OpenNT Telnet Server includes a complete set of configuration options for the Windows NT system administrator, allowing user access and permissions to be defined for individual users and groups of users that log into the system. Windows NT C2 security and user authentication features are maintained without compromise. Pricing starts at $99 for a single user license.

About Softway Systems

Softway Systems, Inc. is quickly establishing itself as the leading provider of UNIX operating system products for Microsoft Windows NT. It was founded in 1995 by a team of open systems and UNIX industry veterans. The company has offices in San Francisco, CA, Vienna, VA, Paris, France and Kitchener, Canada. Softway Systems is a privately held, venture capital backed company.

For more information, contact Softway Systems at:

        Softway Systems, Inc.
        185 Berry Street, Suite 5514
        San Francisco, CA  94107
        Telephone:  [phone]
        Fax:        [phone]
        Sales:      800/438-8649
        Email:      [e-mail]
        WWW:        http://www.softway.com/OpenNT

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Note to Editors: OpenNT is a trademark of Softway Systems, Inc. Microsoft is a registered trademark and Windows NT is a trademark of Microsoft Corporation in the United States and other countries. UNIX is a registered trademark in the United States and other countries, licensed exclusively through X/Open Company Limited. All other trademarks and registered trademarks are the property of their owners.

CONTACT: Softway Systems, Inc.

Sylvia McCleary, 415/896-0708

[e-mail]