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Subject: OS2News: Lotus Previews Five SmartSuite for OS/2 Warp Apps
   
   
   Lotus PRESS RELEASE
   
     
  Lotus Previews Complete Line of Native Applications for OS/2 Warp
  
     
     
     Demonstrates Support for OS/2; Open32 Development Tool Eases
     Development of Native OS/2 Warp Applications
     
     SAN FRANCISCO, Calif., Sept. 25, 1996 -- At the IBM OS/2 Warp 4
     launch event, Lotus Development Corp. today conducted the first
     public preview of five of its upcoming native SmartSuite for OS/2
     Warp applications, including Lotus Word Pro, Freelance Graphics,
     1-2-3, Approach and Organizer. With these applications users will be
     able to leverage OS/2 Warp 4's strength as an integrated
     out-of-the-box connectivity solution for major networks and servers,
     including the Internet. As further evidence of its commitment to the
     OS/2 platform, Lotus will also be among the first companies to bring
     OS/2 Warp products to market using IBM's new Open32 development
     tools for OS/2 Warp.
     In addition to today's preview, Lotus issued pre-release versions of
     Word Pro 96 and Freelance Graphics 96 Edition for OS/2 Warp. The
     pre-release software will be available for download from the Lotus
     Web site (http://www.lotus.com, see the "What's New" area of the web
     site for additional information). Word Pro and Freelance Graphics
     will ship in the United States as part of SmartSuite 96 Edition for
     OS/2 Warp by year end.
     
     Lotus' native OS/2 Warp applications will include numerous
     productivity enhancements, breakthrough Team Computing features,
     extensive Internet access and publishing functionality and support
     for Warp 4's new speech navigation and dictation technologies, as
     well as native OS/2 features such as drag and drop, integration with
     the Workplace Shell and support for the REXX programming language.
     
     "Lotus' new generation of OS/2 Warp business applications are a key
     part of our strategy to provide our customers with cross-platform
     solutions that leverage the particular strength of every platform in
     the typical customer's systems environment," said Steve Sayre,
     Lotus' vice president of marketing. "We recognize significant
     opportunities for providing business solutions using OS/2 Warp 4 in
     conjunction with the collaboration and Internet functionality built
     into Lotus SmartSuite for OS/2 Warp."
     
     SmartSuite for OS/2 Warp Offers Breakthrough Enhancements in
     Personal Productivity, Team Computing and Internet Functionality
     
     SmartSuite for OS/2 Warp combines powerful applications with a focus
     on workgroup collaboration. SmartSuite's team computing tools offer
     an effective way for workgroups to communicate, collaborate and
     coordinate on documents and projects while providing users with
     seamless and secure access to shared information, regardless of file
     format.
     * TeamMail allows users to send an entire file or selected pages
       from a file via e-mail. Routing allows users to view, edit or
       comment on a document, one at a time, so that each user on the
       route receives the document with all the edits and comments of the
       previous team members.
     * TeamReview streamlines the manual task of reviewing and editing
       files. Simple and accessible mark-up tools allow reviewers to make
       edits or suggestions electronically, and authors to quickly and
       easily incorporate them.
     * TeamConsolidate enables users to combine edits made by multiple
       people into one file.
     * TeamSecurity helps users maintain document security with ease and
       flexibility by enabling them to provide customized access
       privileges for individual team members or entire groups.
     * Internet support allows users of OS/2 Warp to open files directly
       from an FTP or Web server without having to first save them
       locally with a browser. Using support for HTML file formats, Word
       Pro 96 and Freelance Graphics 96 for OS/2 Warp allow users to save
       documents and presentations directly to HTML format for posting on
       a Web site - allowing users to create Web pages or Web-based
       presentations without having to learn and type cryptic HTML tags
       and codes.
       
     
     
     "SmartSuite for OS/2 Warp is the business application solution for
     us now and in the future," said Virgil Pittman, CIO, Fireman's Fund.
     "The efficiencies inherent to the collaborative features, Internet
     integration and OS/2 Warp 4's voice recognition functionality will
     help us improve our business processes and will provide cutting edge
     solutions to our organization."
     
     Scheduled to ship in the first half of 1997, Lotus SmartSuite 97
     Edition for OS/2 Warp marks the delivery of the first complete set
     of native OS/2 Warp applications including Word Pro, Freelance
     Graphics, 1-2-3, Approach, Organizer and ScreenCam.
     
     Open32 Development Tool Eases Development of OS/2 Warp Applications
     
     Lotus has adopted a technology strategy for its OS/2 development
     efforts in which major portions of the SmartSuite for OS/2 Warp
     applications are developed using IBM's Open32 development tool.
     Open32 allows developers to create native OS/2 Warp applications
     using the same code base as their Windows 95 and Windows NT
     counterparts by addressing the most critical Win32 APIs,
     streamlining the development process of creating native OS/2 Warp
     applications. Lotus has found that as much as 90 percent of the code
     can be reused in writing OS/2 Warp, Windows 95 and Windows NT
     applications.
     
     As native OS/2 Warp applications, SmartSuite will leverage OS/2's
     strength as a stable and reliable, third generation, 32-bit
     operating platform. Workplace Shell integration will provide
     intuitive ways for users to work with information, including
     drag-and-drop file printing and management. Additionally,
     SmartSuite's programming language, LotusScript, includes support for
     REXX, to enable more powerful application development on the OS/2
     platform.
     
     Pricing and Availability
     
     Lotus SmartSuite 96 Edition for OS/2 Warp is scheduled to ship in
     the U.S. by year end and will include the native OS/2 Warp versions
     of Word Pro 96 and Freelance Graphics 96, as well as the Windows 3.1
     versions of 1-2-3, Approach and Organizer. Available on CD-ROM only,
     users of any Lotus or competitive suite, word processor,
     spreadsheet, database or presentation graphics application can
     upgrade to SmartSuite 96 for OS/2 Warp for $149 (the non-upgrade,
     full product estimated retail price will be $399). Registered users
     of SmartSuite 96 for OS/2 Warp will automatically receive SmartSuite
     97 for OS/2 Warp which is expected to ship in the first half of
     1997.
     
     As part of Lotus' Global Product Strategy, Danish, French, German,
     Italian, Spanish and International English versions of Word Pro 96
     and Freelance Graphics 96 for OS/2 Warp will ship within 30 days of
     the U.S. English versions. Additional information regarding
     international pricing and availability of Lotus Word Pro and Lotus
     Freelance Graphics 96 Edition for OS/2 Warp will be made available
     closer to shipment.
     
     Lotus Development Corporation, founded in 1982, is a subsidiary of
     IBM Corporation. Lotus offers high quality software products and
     services that reflect the company's unique understanding of the new
     ways in which individuals and businesses must work together to
     achieve success. Lotus' innovative approach is evident in a new
     class of applications that allow users to access and communicate
     information in ways never before possible, both within and beyond
     organizational boundaries. Lotus now markets its products in more
     than 80 countries worldwide and provides numerous professional
     consulting, support and education services through the Lotus
     Services Group.
     
     ###
     
     All prices and terms are for the USA only. Lotus, IBM, Lotus
     Organizer, 1-2-3, Word Pro, Approach, Freelance Graphics and
     SmartSuite are registered trademarks, and ScreenCam and SmartCenter
     are trademarks of Lotus Development Corporation. Other brands and
     products are the property of their respective owners.
     
     EDITOR'S NOTE: All Lotus news releases and other SmartSuite
     collateral are available on the Internet, via the Lotus Development
     Corp. Home Page at http://www.Lotus.com. The Lotus Home Page is an
     easy way to find information about Lotus and its business partners'
     products and services.
     
     A copy of this release and other company information is also
     available via fax by dialing 1-800-57-LOTUS within the U.S. and
     Canada or 201-946-2336 outside the U.S. and Canada.