Item 2766701 93/04/28 15:10 From: CONRAD_GEIGER@NEXT.COM@INET# Internet Gateway Subject: NeXT Announces NEXTSTEP 3.1 for Black Hardware News FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE Contact: Brett Bachman NeXT (415) 780-3807 NeXT Announces NEXTSTEP Release 3.1 for NeXT Computers REDWOOD CITY, Calif., April 26, 1993 - NeXT Computer, Inc. today announced NEXTSTEP Release 3.1, an upgrade to Release 3.0, for owners of NeXT workstations. In a related announcement, NeXT also named Bell Atlantic Business Systems Services as the official service provider for NeXT workstations and printers worldwide. (Please refer to separate release.) NEXTSTEP Release 3.1 is the newest version of the industry's leading object- oriented software for developing and deploying client/server applications. It provides new features, performance enhancements and bug fixes. The same version will run both on existing NeXT 68040 workstations and on computers powered by Intel 80486 and Pentium microprocessors. "NeXT is committed to continuing support for our installed base of NeXT workstation customers," said Brett Bachman, NeXT's director of product marketing. "We also want to make sure that customers with mixed installations of NeXT computers and Intel-based PCs can interoperate seamlessly on a network." NEXTSTEP Release 3.1 for NeXT 68040 Hardware NEXTSTEP Release 3.1, the newest version of the industry's leading object- oriented software for client/server application development and deployment, will be available as separate user and developer products. The user product, called NEXTSTEP, includes everything needed to use NEXTSTEP applications, including electronic mail (the multimedia NeXTmail), built-in NetWare and NFS networking capabilities, transparent database access and system administration tools. NEXTSTEP Developer, the development environment, contains all the visual application construction tools needed to develop NEXTSTEP applications including distributed object messaging to facilitate building client/server applications. Significantly, Release 3.1 supports Multiple-Architecture Binaries. As a result, the same application compiled under Release 3.1 will run on existing NeXT 68040 workstations and on PCs powered by Intel 80486 and Pentium microprocessors. In addition, Multiple-Architecture Binaries enable in-house and commercial NEXTSTEP developers to create and deploy a single version of an application for mixed hardware environments from either NeXT or Intel computers. One copy of an application dynamically loads the correct binary automatically, depending on the computer on which it is running. Third-party developers have found that porting existing NEXTSTEP applications to NEXTSTEP for Intel processors is extremely simple. "NEXTSTEP is the ideal environment for cross-platform development," said Tom Mallory, vice president, development for WordPerfect Corporation. "It took one day to port WordPerfect from NEXTSTEP on the Motorola 68040 to NEXTSTEP on the Intel486. No other development environment is as fast or flexible." Network Interoperability NEXTSTEP users of both NeXT and Intel computers can interoperate transparently over a network. For example, a NEXTSTEP Release 3.1 document created using an Intel PC can be opened by a NeXT workstation user simply by double-clicking on the document's icon. NEXTSTEP also includes support for transparent access to NetWare and NFS servers. Compatibility with DOS and Windows Applications Using technology developed and sold by Insignia Solutions in Mountain View, Calif., NEXTSTEP offers interoperability and compatibility with Microsoft DOS/Windows environments, including file transfer and the ability to run these environments within NEXTSTEP via PC emulation. NEXTSTEP users will enjoy the same level of Windows emulation as NT users because Insignia Solutions is providing the same technology used to emulate Windows under NT. Using SoftPC, NEXTSTEP users can expect to remain current with the latest versions of DOS and Windows, as well as enjoying progressive compatibility with earlier versions of the Microsoft operating systems. "Our Windows compatibility is way ahead because this is exactly the same technology that Insignia and Microsoft are working together to provide for Windows NT," said Margaret Chan, manager of NEXTSTEP product marketing at NeXT. "We want to leverage these applications in the NEXTSTEP environment. Our added value is to integrate mission-critical custom applications on the desktop with these software applications." As a service to its customers, NeXT has arranged with Insignia a special promotion of SoftPC with Windows for owners of NEXTSTEP for NeXT hardware. The promotion reduces the price of SoftPC for Windows, regularly $695, to $499. This special promotion runs until May 25, when NEXTSTEP Release 3.1 begins shipping. Interested customers should contact Insignia directly. Additional Enhancements to Release 3.1 NEXTSTEP Release 3.1 has been performance tuned, yielding performance enhancements of 10 to 15 percent compared to Release 3.0. It contains bug fixes and other quality improvements. The new release also provides enhanced support for the C++ object-oriented programming language. Release 3.1 is compliant with POSIX (Portable Operating System Interface), a standard that is mandated in most computer procurements by the federal government. GOSIP support, another government-mandated standard, will be available as an add-on product. AppleTalk client support and AppleShare server support in NEXTSTEP Release 3.1 will be offered through a third-party specialist, Information Presentation Technologies, Inc. (IPT), of San Luis Obispo, Calif. IPT is the leader in cross-platform connectivity between UNIX and Macintosh platforms, and is the only provider of peer-to-peer UNIX-to-AppleTalk solutions. Upgrade Price and Availability NEXTSTEP Release 3.1 for NeXT 68040 workstations will be available beginning at the 1993 NeXTWORLD Expo, being held May 25 through 27 in San Francisco. Registered owners of Release 3.0 can purchase an upgrade to the user environment of Release 3.1 for $75 per individual machine, or $50 per machine for a Right-to-Use License. Users of earlier releases of NEXTSTEP can upgrade to Release 3.1 for $495. NEXTSTEP Developer will also be available at NeXTWORLD Expo in May, for $1,995. Upgrades to this new developer environment on NeXT workstations will cost $99 for owners of NEXTSTEP Release 3.0, and $495 for owners of Release 1.X or 2.X. Service and Support NeXT has signed an agreement with Bell Atlantic Business Systems Services under which Bell Atlantic will be the official service provider for NeXT workstations and printers in the U.S. Beginning May 15, Bell Atlantic will assume responsibility for servicing NeXT hardware under warranty, as well as offering post-warranty support services. Bell Atlantic Business Systems Services, headquartered in Frazer, Penn., is well suited to service NeXT hardware. It is the world's leading independent computer service organization, supporting more than 640 brands of hardware and software, and servicing some 650,000 units for 60,000 customers worldwide. About NeXT NeXT develops and markets the industry-acclaimed NEXTSTEP object-oriented software for industry-standard computer architectures. NEXTSTEP is used by customers to develop and deploy client/server applications, using both custom and shrink-wrapped productivity software. NeXT is headquartered at 900 Chesapeake Drive, Redwood City, Calif., 94063. NeXT, the NeXT logo and NEXTSTEP are registered trademarks of NeXT Computer, Inc. Intel486 and Pentium are registered trademarks of Intel Corp. All other trademarks mentioned belong to their respective owners.