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REDMOND, Wash., March 6 /PRNewswire/ -- Synon Corp. and Microsoft Corp. (Nasdaq: MSFT) announced today that they have entered into a development relationship intended to extend Synon® Obsydian(TM) into the first full-service client-server application development environment designed to produce applications based on the Microsoft® BackOffice(TM) family automatically. Obsydian, a model-based, fully integrated application development environment, will be the first toolset capable of automatic delivery of native applications based on Microsoft BackOffice that also qualify for the Microsoft BackOffice logo and make full use of OLE technology.

Under the terms of the development agreement, Microsoft and Synon will work together to build a generator for Obsydian based on the Windows NT(TM) Server operating system that will enable corporate developers, independent software vendors (ISVs) and Microsoft Solution Providers to create robust, business-critical applications for Microsoft BackOffice cost-effectively. The two companies will also begin to work together on research and development to incorporate the Visual Basic® programming system, OLE object technology and additional Microsoft technologies into the Obsydian development environment.

"Microsoft is very pleased to enter into a development effort with Synon," said Bill Gates, chairman and CEO of Microsoft. "Obsydian for Windows NT will provide a fast-path growth vehicle for Windows NT in the midrange space. By specifically designing this product for Microsoft BackOffice, Synon will help developers deliver applications more quickly and easily with performance well-tuned for the Windows NT environment. We think Obsydian for Windows NT will play a leading role in driving well-designed and well-performing client-server applications throughout the rest of this decade."

"Strong market acceptance of the Windows NT operating system is fueling a tremendous demand for well-crafted Microsoft BackOffice-based applications running in this computing environment," said Richard Goldberg, president and CEO of Synon Corp. "We see a tremendous business opportunity in delivering the tools and services that corporate developers and ISVs need to create scalable, enterprise-strength Microsoft BackOffice-based applications. We are delighted that Microsoft has chosen Obsydian as a technology to help build the next generation of client-server applications for Windows NT and Microsoft BackOffice. Our close working relationship with Microsoft helps ensure that users of Obsydian for Windows NT will be able to create great applications that are designed for Microsoft BackOffice."

The Designed for Microsoft BackOffice Logo Program
The Designed for Microsoft BackOffice logo program provides a seal that clearly identifies a product as having been integrated and tested with the Microsoft BackOffice family of server products. Corporate developers using Obsydian for Windows NT will have the assurance of tight integration with Microsoft BackOffice. ISVs and Solution Providers using the product will be able to add innovative functionality to their products easily and go to market with applications ready to be tested and stamped with the Designed for Microsoft BackOffice logo. VeriTest, an independent firm that tests applications for compliance with Microsoft Office, Microsoft BackOffice and the Windows® 95 operating system, provides the certification.

"One of the key reasons Microsoft has chosen to work with Synon is that Obsydian, being model-based, can accelerate the Designed for BackOffice certification process," said Morris Beton, group manager of developer relations at Microsoft. "Microsoft BackOffice specifications can be easily embedded in both the model and in the business objects used to construct the application, resulting in the highest degree of compliance with the Microsoft BackOffice logo requirements. Also, the combination of Obsydian technology and Synon's experience guiding thousands of customers in the delivery of large-scale business applications is unique in the industry."

"We see the opportunity for tremendous business advantage by using Obsydian to deploy business-critical applications on the Microsoft BackOffice platform," said G.W. (Wynne) Powell, senior vice president and chief operating officer of London Drugs Ltd., British Columbia, Canada.

About Obsydian
Obsydian is a model-based, fully integrated application development toolset that uses class libraries of business objects to accelerate the design and delivery of scalable, business-critical applications. The first toolset to ship with large-scale reusable business-class libraries, Obsydian version 2.0 has the richest set of these business objects in the industry. Obsydian's more than 300 prebuilt large-scale objects include reusable business objects representing patterns commonly found in commercial applications and reusable application frameworks for standard application functionality, such as calendaring and security.

Availability and Pricing
Obsydian and the Windows NT-based generator will be sold by Synon's direct sales force and by Synon-affiliated distributors, sales agents and ISVs worldwide. Obsydian is priced at $8,750 per license, with a minimum order of two licenses. The purchase price includes the design environment (which features a team repository, graphical modeler, business logic and user interface designer), a suite of class libraries, and the choice of one application generator. Additional class libraries and generators are available for AS/400-Windows Client-Server, AS/400(R) 5250, Open Database Connectivity (ODBC) and the upcoming Windows NT- based generator.

About Synon
Synon Corp., a privately held company with headquarters in Larkspur, Calif., is a leading provider of model-based, integrated development tools for custom and commercial application development. The company's 5,000 customers in over 80 countries have generated more than 30,000 business-critical applications. Synon can be reached by visiting its home page at http://www.synon.com.

About Microsoft
Founded in 1975, Microsoft (Nasdaq: MSFT) is the worldwide leader in software for personal computers. The company offers a wide range of products and services for business and personal use, each designed with the mission of making it easier and more enjoyable for people to take advantage of the full power of personal computers every day. Microsoft can be reached by visiting its home page at http://www.microsoft.com.

Microsoft, BackOffice, Windows NT, Visual Basic and Windows are either registered trademarks or trademarks of Microsoft Corp. in the United States and/or other countries. Synon is a registered trademark and Obsydian is a trademark of Synon Corp. in the United States and/or other countries. AS/400 is a registered trademark of International Business Machines Corp.

NOTE TO EDITORS: If you are interested in viewing additional information on Microsoft please check out the Microsoft Web page at http://www.microsoft.com/corpinfo/pr.htm on Microsoft's corporate information pages.

To receive Microsoft press releases by fax, please call 1-800-859-5915 within the U.S. or 201-333-0314 internationally.

CONTACT: Colleen Fleming, Waggener Edstrom, 206-637-9097 or colleenf@wagged.com; or Amy Ballou of Synon Corp., 415-461-5000 or ajb@synon.com; or Jim Smith of YCHANGE Group, 707-528-9029 or jsmith@ychange.com

Copyright (c) 1996 PR Newswire Received by NewsEDGE/LAN: 3/6/96 6:31 AM

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