Industry's first software tool suite that makes distributed development with Java™ technology as easy as creating software for one machine now available

TORONTO - March 12, 1999 -- Symantec Corporation (Nasdaq: SYMC) has announced immediate general availability of its VisualCafé Enterprise Suite, the industry's first Integrated Development Environment (IDE) for the creation of distributed Java™ technology-based applications. Only VisualCafé Enterprise Suite features unique technology that acts as 'intelligence' by automating many development tasks such as configuring applications for interoperability across different platforms, including multiple application servers. Designed using an open approach, VisualCafé Enterprise Suite gives users the flexibility to choose best-of-breed tools for their tasks and to leverage existing resources and platforms.

A major innovation, unveiled for the first time in VisualCafé Enterprise Suite, is Symantec's unique Single-View technology. Single-View maintains a single image of the distributed development environment, masking the complexities of a multi-platform computing environment and making distributed development as easy as creating software for one machine.

Distributed applications are difficult to create because they entail the use of multiple, often geographically dispersed, computers. Building such software has required developers to write code for each machine separately, sometimes even travelling to each computer one at a time, even though these systems may be separated by thousands of miles. Because distributed applications are typically divided into chunks of code across multiple machines, developers also faced tedious and time-consuming 'bookkeeping' activities, manually tracking information about the code on each machine for use in debugging their application. By maintaining this information automatically, VisualCafé Enterprise Suite significantly reduces the time for building, debugging and deploying distributed applications in the enterprise.

"The ability to do what is truly remote, distributed debugging simultaneously across a variety of platforms and machines saves an incredible amount of time and frustration for the Java developer," said Richard Holman, HP Performance Delivery R&D Manager. "With VisualCafé Enterprise Suite, debugging tasks that would otherwise take days can be reduced to hours, and developers can efficiently create and deploy distributed Java applications across heterogeneous servers including HP/UX systems."

"VisualCafé Enterprise Suite provides the technology breakthrough many companies have been waiting for to implement Java applications that are most critical to their business," said Mansour Safai, vice president of Symantec's Internet Tools Division. "Distributed applications such as credit card electronic business applications or complex inventory control systems that can be accessed from anywhere in the world can be created using the Java technology in VisualCafé Enterprise Suite."

Symantec also announced today that it has reached an agreement with IBM to interface VisualCafé Enterprise Suite with IBM's new eNetwork On-Demand Server. The IBM software, which works as an extension to Tivoli Enterprise systems management, gives Web administrators the ability to tailor applications to individual users, groups and devices, and to deliver Java client applications from anywhere on the network. A plug-in module developed by IBM using Symantec's Open API framework makes it easy for administrators to incorporate applications built using VisualCafé Enterprise Suite into their managed environment.

"VisualCafé's Open API allows the IBM eNetwork On-Demand Server toolkit to fully integrate with the VisualCafé user interface, making it simple to exploit On-Demand Server's central management of access and preferences for users and groups," said Vic Nyman, Brand Manager, On-Demand Server, IBM eNetwork Software. "The combination of this powerful development environment, along with the easy enablement of On-Demand Server, lets VisualCafé users create enterprise-ready solutions for heterogeneous, multi-platform customer environments."

VisualCafé Enterprise Suite builds on Symantec's proven and industry-leading VisualCafé Version 3, which features the fastest JIT and byte-code compilers. VisualCafé Enterprise Suite introduces support for client and server development using object request brokers (ORBs) based on the industry standard CORBA and Remote Method Invocation (RMI) architectures for distributed computing.

VisualCafé Enterprise Suite employs wizards that simplify the development of client and server objects. A client adapter wizard streamlines the creation of software that communicates with a remote object, based on either CORBA or RMI. A servant class wizard simplifies the creation of CORBA or RMI server objects. By supporting multiple ORBs, VisualCafé Enterprise Suite provides unmatched flexibility for creating powerful enterprise Java applications.

"This latest offering in the VisualCafé family should establish Symantec as a premier provider of enterprise application development environments for Java," said Sally Cusack, an analyst with International Data Corporation. "A key feature supporting this position is distributed debugging, which is an essential criteria for IT shops looking to truly leverage the Java platform portability promise across their corporation."

All the unique features of VisualCafé Enterprise Suite -- its Single-View system image, distributed debugging, and facility for creating client and server JavaBeans components with multiple ORB support - have been developed with an open approach, making them independent of the actual ORB or networking infrastructure used. This allows VisualCafé Enterprise Suite to remain open and extensible, giving it the capability of supporting any hardware platform, operating system, application server or ORB. Specific advantages VisualCafé Enterprise Suite provides include:

• Deployment platform independence. Developers can write Java applications that can be deployed on virtually any platform. The resulting platform independence will allow debugging across multiple platforms and virtual machines, including Sun Solaris, Hewlett-Packard HP/UX, Compaq's Tru64 UNIX, IBM AIX, Windows NT/9x and Linux.
  
  
• Leveraging distributed object technologies. VisualCafé Enterprise Suite provides a rich environment for quickly and easily building, deploying and managing distributed systems based on the leading software architectures for distributed computing. VisualCafé Enterprise Suite supports popular Object Request Brokers (ORBs) including Iona Technologies' OrbixWebr 3.1 and VisiBroker 3.3. As the market leader, VisualCafé Enterprise Suite enjoys the widest industry support, including support from application server vendors such as BEA (WebLogic), Persistence, Netscape, Sun NetDynamics, Novera, and others. Customers can use this support to deploy working EJB solutions today.
  
  
• Extensive database applications without editing code, and offers a convenient way to bind visual components to databases. These features are usable with the distributed capabilities of VisualCafé Enterprise Suite, allowing developers to create complex, n-tier applications. VisualCafé Enterprise Suite supports all major databases, including IBM, Oracle, Informix, Sybase and Microsoft, using standard JDBC drivers.
  
  
• Open APIs. Symantec's Open API enables developers to integrate, extend and enhance VisualCafé Enterprise Suite with popular enterprise development tools including CASE, modelling, testing, source code management, documentation and project management that are written in C, C++ or Java. Hundreds of software vendors currently support VisualCafé Version 3, including Rational, KL Group, Visa, Merant (formerly Micro Focus\Intersolv), and PLATINUM technology International, inc.

VisualCafé is the most open enterprise Java development environment backed by extensive industry support. Unique Single-View technology delivers platform independence allowing VisualCafé Enterprise Suite applications to be deployed on virtually any system on any platform, including non-Java legacy systems in other languages including C, C++, Cobol, etc. Adherence to Java and industry standards like RMI and CORBA offers developers the unparalleled flexibility to accommodate new JDKs, JavaBeans and Virtual Machines across multiple platforms. Symantec's Open API approach enables third-party software providers to enhance, extend, and integrate the VisualCafé environment with popular enterprise development tools.

"From the beginning, Symantec has been way ahead in understanding that development environments contain a wide variety of platforms and virtual machines," said Curtis Palm, CEO, of EH SofSolutions, Inc. "Now VisualCafé Enterprise Suite demonstrates that Symantec has an extremely accurate view of the real-world enterprise, where machine diversity is the rule, where legacy systems need to be integrated, and where development time and reliable tools are critical." "VisualCafé Enterprise Suite is convincing evidence of the advantages of using Java technology for building and deploying distributed applications within the enterprise," said Jon Kannegaard, vice president and general manager of the Java platform at Sun Microsystems, Inc. "With this new offering, Symantec is demonstrating the ability to provide solutions for the real-world, heterogeneous enterprise."

VisualCafé Enterprise Suite is the ideal solution for enterprise Java development for heterogeneous computing environments. Companies have flexibility to leverage existing resources and legacy systems and the flexibility to integrate new technologies as they become available. No other development solution offers mature, Java technology with powerful distributed debugging across multiple platforms, extensive industry partnerships, support for the latest standards and a published Open API interface.

A full list of the VisualCafé Enterprise Suite features can be found at http://www.visualcafe.com.

Availability and Pricing
VisualCafé Enterprise Suite is available from Symantec's reseller network for an estimated retail price of CDN $4,095. Information about VisualCafé Enterprise Suite can be obtained by calling 888-822-3409.

About Symantec in Canada:
With 250 employees, Symantec's Canadian operations are headquartered in Toronto with offices in Montreal, Ottawa and Vancouver. For information on Symantec products or current promotions, contact the Canadian office at (416) 441-3676 or access Symantec's Canadian Web Site. Symantec is an active member of the Canadian Alliance Against Software Theft (CAAST).

About Symantec
Symantec is the world leader in utility software for business and personal computing. Symantec products and solutions help make users productive and keep their computers safe and reliable anywhere and anytime. Symantec offers a broad range of solutions and is acclaimed as a leader in both customer satisfaction and product brand recognition. Symantec is traded on Nasdaq under the symbol SYMC. More information on the company and its products can be obtained at www.symantec.com.

Founded in 1982, the company's global operations span North America, Europe, Japan and several fast growing markets throughout Asia Pacific and Latin America. Traded on Nasdaq under the symbol SYMC, Symantec Corporation is based in Cupertino, Calif., and employs more than 2,000 people. Information on the company and its products can be obtained by calling (800) 441-7234 toll free, (541) 334-6054 or accessed on the World Wide Web.

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