Open Software Foundation Membership Grows By Six

LAWRENCE, Mass., Sept. 14, 1988 -- PRNewswire -- The Open Software Foundation (OSF) today announced the addition of five companies and one educational institution as new members to the international organization.

OSF is dedicated to the development and delivery of an open, portable software environment for the benefit of the information processing industry. OSF's mission is to provide the industry's first member-sponsored research and development organization aimed at bringing global acceptance to a single standard for open software. OSF is developing and will deliver within 18 to 24 months an open, standard operating system environment with extensions and utilities, using core technology from a future version of IBM's AIX as a development base. OSF membership provides vendors and users with input into the development process and early access to specifications and code.

The new member companies are: Concurrent Computer Corporation (NASDAQ: CCUR), Data Logic Ltd., Interactive Systems Corp., Interfirm Graphic Systems, Mentor Graphics Corporation (NASDAQ: MENT), and the University of Southern California.

"The addition of these new members -- which range from systems and services suppliers to a leading research university -- demonstrates the growing and wide-ranging interest in open systems," noted Henry Crouse, president of the Open Software Foundation. "As a group, these new members bring unique and much needed perspective to our organization, particularly in the area of real-time systems, networking, user interfaces, and future systems technology."

Concurrent Computer Corporation, based in Tinton Falls, N.J., is a leading specialist in real-time computer systems for time-critical applications. The company develops, manufactures, markets, and services high-performance computer systems geared to applications demanding high availability and immediate response. The company serves selected aerospace, scientific, and financial service markets worldwide.

Data Logic Ltd., a Harrow, United Kingdom-based computer systems company, is one of Europe's leading specialists in the design, implementation, and support of networked computer systems. The company has been committed to open systems since 1980, and this technology underpins its core business strategies. Its major markets are in trading-room systems for the financial world, system software development for computer manufactures, secure networks for government, and management systems retailers. Data Logic currently employs more than 900 people, with offices in London, New York, Paris, Amsterdam and Tokyo, and has the largest independent system software development team in Europe. Data Logic is a wholly owned subsidiary of Raytheon Inc., one of the largest electronics manufacturers in the world.

Interactive Systems corp., based in Santa Monica, Calif., supplies UNIX products and development services to the computer industry. Founded in 1977, Interactive was the first company to offer a fully supported, commercial version of the UNIX operating system. Interactive's product line comprises enhanced versions of the UNIX systems software, including IN/ix, based on UNIX System V; and most recently, the 386/ix product family, based on the current UNIX standard (System V, Release 3), which provides a standard integrated platform for 386-based workstations and multiuser systems. The company has developed UNIX systems on a complete range of architectures, including mainframes, minis, engineering workstations, and personal computers.

Interfirm Graphic Systems, located in Santa Clara, Calif., is the leading developer of hardware and software products that combine UNIX system V.3 and Interfirm's enhanced X Window System, Version 11.2, to create a family of products for the XENVIRONMENT. The XENVIRONMENT family consists of desktop utilities, the User Interface Management System (U.I.M.S.), and application development and porting tools in a complete desktop graphics solution. Interfirm markets its products through a national network of manufacturers representatives, VARs and OEMs.

Mentor Graphics Corporation, Beaverton, Ore., was established in 1981 to design, manufacture, market and service electronic design automation (EDA) systems. The company is the leader in worldwide sales in EDA, with more than 13,000 workstations installed, and has reported revenues of more than $257.1 million in the last 12 months. The company currently employs more than 1500 people. In addition to its corporate offices in Beaverton, Mentor Graphics has sales and support offices in 45 locations worldwide. The company's headquarters are located at 8500 S.W. Creekside Place, Beaverton, Oregon, 97005.

The University of Southern California is a research-oriented university with a broad range of instructional programs in computing and computer science. USC enrolls more than 15,175 undergraduate and 11,450 graduate students. With an annual research budget in excess of $147 million, USC has more than 27 research centers, including The Information Sciences Institute, The Center for Laser Studies, The Center for Photonics Technology, Institute for Manufacturing and Automation Research, The Signal and Image Processing Institute, The Neural Engineering Institute, The Advanced Computing Support Center, and The Communication Sciences Institute.

OSF membership is available to computer hardware and software suppliers, educational institutions, government agencies, end users, and organizations around the world. Memberships are $25,000 a year for profit-making organizations and $5,000 a year for not-for-profit organizations. Members contribute ideas on both technical and policy matters, are informed of foundation activities on a regular basis, and receive numberous technical benefits and services relating to new product participation including early and equal access to new development activities.

OSF will hold its first membership meeting in Andover, Mass., Sept. 26-29. A significant portion of this meeting will be directed to securing member commentary on candidate technologies submitted by the industry for consideration as the user interface for OSF's system.

The formation of OSF was announced on May 17, 1988. The foundation has a management organization, staff and a funding commitment in excess of $100 million over the next three years. Its initial development will be based on technologies offered by the industry and on its own worldwide research efforts. OSF's new headquarters will be located at Eleven Cambridge Center, Cambridge, Mass., effective Nov. 1.

/CONTACT: Paula Slotkin of the Open Software Foundation, 508-683-6803; Janice Brown of Hill & Knowlton, Advanced Technology Division, 617-642-5907 (office) or 617-965-1846 (home), for the OSF/