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News

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Contact:     Emily Brower
             Allison Thomas Associates
             (415) 780-3786

NeXT Ships NeXTSTEP Release 3.0, Third Generation of the Complete
Object-Oriented Environment

REDWOOD CITY, Calif., September 8, 1992 -  NeXT Computer, Inc. today
announced the shipment of NeXTSTEP Release 3.0, the third generation
of the only object-oriented environment available today.  Release
3.0, which adds to the power and ease of use of earlier NeXTSTEP
releases, features important new capabilities for both developers and
users. 

"NeXT is now shipping our third refinement of the industry's leading
object-oriented environment NeXTSTEP 3.0 while our competitors
are still years away from even sampling their first versions," said
Steven P. Jobs, chairman and CEO of NeXT.  "The maturity and richness
of NeXTSTEP is really evident in Release 3.0, especially in some of
the new objects such as the Database Kit."

NeXTSTEP Release 3.0 Increases NeXT's Object-Oriented Lead
NeXTSTEP Release 3.0 preserves all the features of the previous
version, while adding improved mission-critical custom application
development tools; greater interoperability; sharing of information
across documents and applications; enhanced graphics; global
computing; and general usability features.

"The general environment of NeXTSTEP 3.0 is extraordinarily stable
for pre-release software and we are quite intrigued with what we
see," said Hadar Pedhazur, vice president of UBS Securities, Inc. and
a Release 3.0 beta user.  "The two added features in 3.0 that offer
the most potential for us are DBKit, because it will allow us to
standardize our database work, and Distributed Objects, because it
will give us even more flexibility with the object-oriented custom
work we do."


Custom Application Development

NeXTSTEP Release 3.0 adds four new object kits to its application
development environment.  These new kits include the following:

   - Database Kit (DBKit).  DBKit can dramatically shorten the time
needed to create client/server database-driven applications.  It also
provides a single, consistent interface to SQL databases from
multiple vendors, including Sybase and Oracle.

   - 3D Graphics Kit (3DKit).  Based on Pixar's RenderMan standard
(both Interactive and PhotoRealistic RenderMan), it allows developers to easily  
add three-dimensional graphics to new or existing NeXTSTEP applications.

   - PhoneKit.  This kit includes support for ISDN (Integrated
Services Digital Network) and POTS (plain old telephone service) and
enables a whole new generation of telephony applications, such as
smart answering machines and conferencing.

   - Indexing Kit.  It provides tools for efficiently storing,
indexing and retrieving textual or record-based information in any
application.


Interoperability

NeXTSTEP Release 3.0 adds bundled Novell Client and AppleShare Client
software, for accessing file servers and PostScript printers on
NetWare and AppleTalk networks, respectively.  The new version of
NeXTSTEP also includes additional Macintosh and DOS file support and
expanded ability to share files, printers (from various vendors), fax
modems and CD-ROM drives among networked users.  Built-in ISDN
capabilities provide WAN (wide-area network) connections.

In addition, Hayes Microcomputer Products, Inc. provides Hayes ISDN
Extender, a telecommunication network interface module that provides
ISDN Basic Rate Access as well as analog telephone connectivity to
NeXTSTEP computers.  Hayes ISDN Extender, when used in conjunction
with the PhoneKit, can be used for point-to-point communications and
remote LAN access.  Third-party software is expected to support
high-speed, digitized voice, data and multimedia applications.


Sharing Information Across Documents and Applications

Release 3.0 introduces Distributed Objects:  While previous versions
of NeXTSTEP provided messaging between objects within a single
NeXTSTEP application, Distributed Objects extends this simple yet
powerful messaging model to include messaging between objects in
different applications and across different computers on a network.
Distributed Objects makes possible Object Links, which is a
multimedia hyperlinking system that enables documents of different
applications to share dynamic information.


Enhanced Graphics

Among the new standards supported in Release 3.0 are PostScript Level
2 integration, which adds support for calibrated color output,
imaging filters for faster printing and pattern support; and the
Pantone Matching System, the premier standard for specifying colors
in printed output.


Global Computing

Users can localize their NeXTSTEP Release 3.0 interface, setting
system text and sounds in any of seven languages:  English, Spanish,
French, German, Italian, Swedish and Japanese.  Also, as
communications standards such as ISDN become implemented globally,
NeXTSTEP will be able to easily take advantage of the expanded
communication capabilities.


General Usability

Release 3.0 introduces an integrated, multimedia on-line hypertext
Help system.  The Help system is used by all documentation that NeXT
bundles with NeXTSTEP, and also consists of Help objects that all
third-party developers can use to create consistent Help systems for
their NeXTSTEP applications.  In response to customer requests, the
new version of NeXTSTEP also includes more color in the user
interface.

Importantly, any application written under NeXTSTEP Release 2 will
run in Release 3.0, and will automatically take advantage of many
Release 3.0 features, such as access to Pantone Colors, improved fax
capabilities and color text (provided via the addition of color to
the NeXTSTEP text object).


Object Orientation:  The Stakes are High

The fact that NeXTSTEP is an object-oriented environment is crucial
for a number of reasons.  Object-oriented technologies are being
hailed as the answer for corporate and government organizations
seeking to create more competitive computing environments.  These
organizations want faster means of developing mission-critical custom
applications traditionally the domain of mainframe computers and
to move to distributed client/server computers.  They have also
discovered that shrink-wrapped software alone cannot provide tools
that closely match companies' own, unique work processes.

The object-oriented NeXTSTEP provides not only the best and fastest
environment for creating mission-critical custom applications, but
also the "glue" to integrate the custom functionality with
shrink-wrapped applications and with standard networking and
connectivity tools.  Significantly, while most major computer and
software companies talk at great length about their plans to offer
object-oriented solutions, NeXTSTEP is the only fully object-oriented
environment available today.  By virtue of its three years as a
commercially marketed product, it has already achieved the status of
de facto industry leader in object-oriented computing.


System Requirements and Pricing

NeXTSTEP Release 3.0 will be included automatically with all NeXT
computers shipped after today, and will also be provided on a CD-ROM
for back-up.  Release 3.0 runs on any NeXT workstation with a minimum
of a 100 MB hard disk and 8 MB of RAM.  For optimum performance,
however, NeXT recommends that Release 3.0 not be run on 68030-based
NeXTcube systems.  Further, due to the added functionality of Release
3.0, NeXT recommends at least 12 MB of RAM on monochrome systems and
at least 16 MB of RAM on color systems.

Registered owners of NeXTSTEP Release 2 can upgrade to Release 3.0
for $XXX; upgrades will be shipped on a CD-ROM disk and as a
right-to-use license.


About NeXT

NeXT Computer, Inc. designs and markets the industry-acclaimed
NeXTSTEP object-oriented software environment, and designs,
manufactures and markets UNIX-based workstations that run NeXTSTEP.
NeXTSTEP and NeXT workstations are used by medium and large
organizations to develop and deploy mission-critical applications,
using both custom and shrink-wrapped software.  NeXT is headquartered
at 900 Chesapeake Drive, Redwood City, California, 94063.

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NeXT, the NeXT logo, NeXTSTEP and NeXTcube are trademarks of NeXT
Computer, Inc.  All other trademarks mentioned belong to their
respective owners.