August 7, 1991

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Media Contact: Dave Boswell, (519) 886-3700



    IBM-WATCOM Agreement for OS/2 2.0 FORTRAN, C


Today WATCOM announces an agreement with IBM under which WATCOM
will develop and market OS/2 2.0 versions of 32-bit optimizing
compilers for FORTRAN-77 and C.  The compilers will support the
development of 32-bit applications for OS/2 2.0, and will also
support the use of OS/2 2.0 as a host system enabling 32-bit
cross-development for a large set of target environments including
Windows, DOS and embedded systems.

"IBM and WATCOM are working together closely to integrate these compilers
with the OS/2 2.0 Programmer's Workbench", said John Soyring,
Director of OS/2 Software Developer Programs with IBM in Austin, Texas.

"OS/2 2.0's support for several different execution environments makes
it an ideal platform for these multi-target compilers." explained Ian
McPhee, President of WATCOM. The tools are intended to work with the
OS/2 2.0 Programmer's Workbench to enable development and debugging
of 32-bit OS/2, DOS and Windows applications totally within the OS/2
environment. WATCOM's remote debugging support will further enable
development and debugging under OS/2 for other supported target
environments.

All system functions of IBM's 32-bit OS/2 2.0 will be directly
accessible from both FORTRAN-77 and C, including the complete
Presentation Manager API. This will enable development of advanced
applications which exploit the 32-bit power, graphical user interface
and multitasking capabilities of OS/2 2.0.

These tools will facilitate porting of applications from other
32-bit environments such as UNIX workstations. In particular, the
32-bit FORTRAN-77 optimizing compiler will serve the needs of users
who want to move resource-intensive programs to 32-bit Intel 80X86
systems. FORTRAN-77 includes a multi-window system for FORTRAN
input/output units that simplifies initial adaptation to OS/2 2.0.
Graphics capabilities will be directly available to both FORTRAN and
C programs as part of the Presentation Manager API library.

WATCOM FORTRAN-77 and C

The WATCOM C compilers were introduced in 1988 and have received
numerous awards including PC Magazine's Editor's Choice, InfoWorld's
Best in Class and The Computer Language Jolt Product Excellence Award.

WATCOM's 32-bit FORTRAN-77 shares much in common with the C product
line including code optimization technology and support tools such
as the debugger, linker, profiler and object librarian. The FORTRAN-77
compiler is run-time compatible with the C compiler, simplifying both
direct inter-language function calls and mixed-language debugging.

Language support includes IBM's SAA FORTRAN specification, the full
ANSI FORTRAN 77 standard, as well as VAX and Microsoft extensions.
WATCOM FORTRAN-77 is also language compatible with WATFOR-77, WATCOM's
fast "load and go" debugging compiler which is widely used at
universities and in the engineering/scientific community for quick
problem-solving applications.

Pricing and Availability

The OS/2 2.0 version of the 32-bit WATCOM compilers are planned for
general availability later this year.  Pricing and upgrade policies
will be announced at availability.

WATCOM

Founded in 1974, WATCOM is a leading supplier of programming and
information tools.  WATCOM is located at 415 Phillip Street, Waterloo,
Ontario, Canada, N2L 3X2. Phone (800) 265-4555, or fax (519) 747-4971.


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