FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE Contact: Kindle DiGiusto NeXT Software, Inc. 415-780-3781 or Nicole Overson Copithorne & Bellows 415-975-2219 NeXT ANNOUNCES WebObjects (tm) PRODUCT LINE TO DEVELOP DYNAMIC SERVER-BASED WEB APPLICATIONS Customers can download free beta via the World Wide Web WEBMANIA, San Francisco -January 30, 1996-NeXT Software, Inc. today announced its multi-product solution for building interactive server-based Web applications for both the Internet and the Enterprise. NeXT's WebObjects product suite is designed to meet a variety of business needs- WebObjects (tm), the free entry-level product, allows organizations to start building dynamic Web sites today, WebObjects Pro gives developers the ability to build reusable Web components, and WebObjects Enterprise brings a corporation's entire computing infrastructure to the Web. Addressing the need for real Web-based solutions, NeXT's WebObjects product line is designed to deliver quantifiable results to organizations investigating custom Web development tools. In this volatile marketplace, businesses are often confused by the new technologies, emerging standards, and how to benefit from the Web while leveraging their current investment in technology. NeXT's goal is to cut through the confusion and deliver solutions-based Web tools that offer a competitive advantage that translates into increased revenues and greater marketshare. Leverage current technology investment Companies today have already invested thousands, if not millions, of dollars in their information technology. WebObjects is designed to work with this existing infrastructure enabling corporations to expand the reach of their systems to the Web without having to rewrite data and applications. *WebObjects works with industry standard data sources such as Oracle, Informix, and Sybase databases and, through third party software, can support mainframe and legacy access. *WebObjects is browser independent working with standard browsers such as Netscape, Internet Explorer, and Mosaic. * WebObjects is operating system-independent spanning both UNIX and Windows environments. * WebObjects is HTTP server independent, OLE compatible, takes advantage of native server APIs, such as Netscape's NSAPI, and can use existing programming languages such as PERL, C, and C++ languages. WebObjects supports current and emerging Web technologies The Web offers marketers and corporations the promise of ubiquitous availability and new and exciting technology that brings their messages to life. WebObjects offers highly interactive, dynamic Web-based applications and is designed to interoperate with emerging technologies such as VRML, Shockwave, Real Audio, Java, and JavaScript standards. WebObjects will allow you to reach people with real-time information about flights, personal banking accounts, and product demonstrations, all while capturing data for future marketing programs. WebObjects delivers real power to the World Wide Web NeXT's WebObjects solution brings real value to the World Wide Web. Using component technology, WebObjects allows Web developers to deliver dynamic Web-based applications faster than with traditional development tools. Customers can reuse components and can modify several applications at once by editing a single component. This environment translates into a large competitive advantage that leads directly to increased revenues and greater marketshare. WebObjects also enables corporations to scale and manage their Web sites. Webmasters simply plug in additional resources without having to take their machines and applications off line-this is critical for corporations experiencing "grid lock" on their site due to increased traffic. WebObjects facilitates this by managing incoming HTTP requests and distributing Web application processes across multiple machines. Security solution WebObjects offers a secure solution for corporations building commerce-enabled applications for the Web. NeXT has leveraged existing security standards such as Netscape's SSL on the HTTP server. NeXT also provides authentication services via Security Dynamics' SecurID software, offering enterprise network security through one-time password identity verification. "The WebObjects product line offers Web developers an easy entry point to the world of dynamic services," said Steve Jobs, chairman and CEO of NeXT Software, Inc. "NeXT has a long history with the Web and now, through WebObjects, we are able to deliver real value to enterprises wanting to exploit the promise of the Web." "At Dreamworks Feature Animation, we were faced with the situation of getting our production management system, a vital tool for organizing and monitoring the work on a production, up and running much sooner than we had originally anticipated," said Dylan Kohler, co-head of the animation technology division. "Fortunately, our discovery of WebObjects enabled us to quickly rethink our design. WebObjects will enable us to build a production management system elegantly and efficiently, with an interface second-nature to anyone who has ever surfed the Web, and with our users able to benefit from changes to the system as soon as they are put on the server. With our new plan, drawing on WebObjects, we will be up and running much sooner than before, and with, quite frankly, a better and more future-oriented design." THE WEBOBJECTS PRODUCT FAMILY WebObjects The base product, WebObjects, offers an easy entry point for building dynamic Web-based applications. With WebScript you can easily build interactive applications using the pre-built components supplied with the product. This free download, is designed to introduce developers to NeXT's powerful environment and includes the Dodge Virtual Showroom application, allowing Web developers to get started today. The WebObjects beta release is available today for free download via NeXT's Web site at http://www.next.com. Future components and upgrades will also be available via the Web. WebObjects Pro WebObjects Pro answers the needs of Web developers wanting to move beyond script-based development to build more complex applications. The WebObjects Pro version includes the ability to incorporate C, C++, and Objective C code into Web-based applications and, through OLE connectivity, the Pro product enables developers to access data stored in Windows applications such as Excel spreadsheets. WebObjects Pro also provides for distributed Web application servers allowing organizations to add more power as there system grows. WebObjects Pro product will be available for $2,999 through NeXT's telesales organization who can be reached at 1-800-TRY-NeXT. WebObjects Enterprise WebObjects Enterprise is NeXT's complete dynamic Web development solution. Targeted to customers who want a solution that encapsulates their existing data and applications, the Enterprise solution allows corporations to preserve their technology investment while building new internal and external Web applications. WebObjects Enterprise will be sold through NeXT's direct salesforce for prices starting at $24,999. NeXT Software, Inc. NeXT delivers an open development environment for building custom applications for both the World Wide Web and the Enterprise. NeXT's development software adds value to today's business by shortening the development cycle, working with an organization's existing technology, supporting current and emerging standards, and enabling organizations to grow and change with ease. Providing its customers with a combination of award-winning software and professional services, NeXT delivers real-world solutions. NeXT Software, Inc. is headquartered in Redwood City, California, and has offices in North America, London, Paris, Munich, and Tokyo. For more information please visit NeXT's Web site at http://www.next.com or call 1-800-TRY-NeXT. Trademark Info: NeXT, the NeXT logo, OPENSTEP, WebObjects, PDO, Portable Distributed Objects, Enterprise Objects Framework, D'OLE, and NEXTSTEP are trademarks or registered trademarks of NeXT Software, Inc. All other trademarks mentioned belong to their respective owners. ###