The Object Management Group's CORBA Standard Named a Finalist by Network Computing for 1999 Well-Connected Award.

FRAMINGHAM, Mass.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--April 20, 1999--

The Object Management Group announced today that the CORBA 2.0 specification has been named a finalist by CMP Media Inc.'s Network Computing for a 1999 Well-Connected Award in the category of Middleware Technology Development. The product was chosen for its innovative object-oriented standardization and interoperability. CORBA (Common Object Request Broker Architecture) is an open, vendor-neutral standard for interoperability. A result of the OMG's standards process, which includes input from the OMG's approximately 800 members, CORBA allows developers to gain access to information transparently, without having to know what software or hardware platform it resides on or where it is located on an enterprise's network. The communications heart of object-oriented systems, CORBA brings true interoperability to today's computing environment.

"The OMG is celebrating our tenth anniversary this year", said Bill Hoffman, the OMG's president. "In the past few years, we've seen a lot of hard work pay off as CORBA has really been adopted by major players across a number of industries. Major ISVs and solutions providers in an ever-widening number of areas ranging from healthcare to telecommunications are recognizing the value of open standards. This award proves that CORBA has truly been accepted as a success."

CORBA is the Object Management Group's answer to the need for interoperability among the rapidly proliferating number of hardware and software products available today. Simply stated, CORBA allows applications to communicate with one another no matter where they are located or who has designed them. CORBA 1.1 was introduced in 1991 by Object Management Group (OMG) and defined the Interface Definition Language (IDL) and the Application Programming Interfaces (APIs) that enable client/server object interaction within a specific implementation of an Object Request Broker (ORB). CORBA 2.0, adopted in December of 1994, defines true interoperability by specifying how ORBs from different vendors can interoperate. The OMG is expected to soon release CORBA 3.0, which will include the CORBA Component Model.

"Our Network Computing editors worked at length to research and test the best products in the networking area," said Fritz Nelson, Editor-in-Chief, CMP's Network Computing. According to Nelson, the products singled out in the Well-Connected Awards are unique because "they are not a measure of popularity-- they are quality products tested over a networked enterprise firsthand by editors themselves. So we know that CORBA 2.0 by the Object Management Group is truly an innovative solution."

The Well-Connected Awards will be revealed at a gala event on May 10, 1999 during the NetWorld+Interop 99 Las Vegas trade show. All Finalists will be highlighted in the May 17th issue of Network Computing and also on Network Computing Online at http://www.networkcomputing.com.

(Note to editors: This release is available for download from http://www.omg.org/news/pr.html.)

About The OMG

With the support of its membership of software vendors, software developers and end users, OMG's CORBA is "The Middleware That's Everywhere(tm)." Since 1989, OMG has been "Setting The Standards For Distributed Computing(tm)" through its mission to promote the theory and practice of object technology for the development of distributed computing systems. The goal is to provide a common architectural framework for object oriented applications based on widely available interface specifications. OMG is headquartered in Framingham, MA, USA and has international marketing offices in Australia, Bahrain, Brazil, Germany, India, Italy, Japan and the UK, along with a healthcare representative in Pelham, AL, USA and a government representative in Washington, DC., USA. Additionally, OMG is a sponsor of the COMDEX Enterprise series of Trade Shows and Conferences.

For information on joining OMG or additional information, please contact OMG headquarters by phone at [phone], by fax at [phone], or by email at [e-mail]. OMG provides current information and services for Distributed Object Computing through The Information Brokerage(r) on the World Wide Web at: www.omg.org.

Note to editors: CORBA(r), The Information Brokerage(r), CORBA Academy(r), and the Object Management Group logo are registered trademarks of the Object Management Group. OMG(tm), Object Management Group(tm), The CORBA Logo(tm), ORB(tm), Object Request Broker(tm), The CORBA Academy Design(tm), IIOP(tm), XMI(tm), OMG Interface Definition Language (IDL)(tm), CORBAservices(tm), CORBAfacilities(tm), CORBAmed(tm), CORBAnet(tm), UML(tm), the UML Cube Logo(tm), and Unified Modeling Language(tm) are trademarks of the Object Management Group. All other products or company names mentioned are used for identification purposes only, and may be trademarks of their respective owners.