IBM to License Software from NeXT, Adobe Systems, and Stepstone

San Francisco -- October 12, 1988 -- PRN -- IBM today announced that it has entered into software licensing agreements with NeXT Inc., Adobe Systems, Inc., and Stepstone, Inc., and that it intends to use the software to provide customers with a color, graphical user interface and application development toolkit for workstations running the IBM AIX(TM) operating system.

The agreements cover UNIX(R)-based application development tools and end-user interface software, called: NextStep(R), developed by NeXT; the Display PostScript(TM) system, from Adobe Systems, Inc.; and Objective-C(TM), from Stepstone, Inc.

"We continue to work toward enhancing our operating system solutions," said George H. Conrades, IBM senior vice president and general manager, U.S. Marketing and Services. "We already offer state-of-the-art user interfaces on Operating System/2(TM) with Presentation Manager(TM) and on DOS 4.0 with the new DOS Shell. And we are committed to providing a leadership interface for our AIX workstation customers as well."

With its family of AIX operating systems, IBM has made a major commitment to an enhanced UNIX strategy. This family, which includes AIX PS/2(R), AIX/RT and AIX/370, provides a consistent series of operating system solutions that support a broad range of IBM hardware architectures. This family approach lets customers select the IBM system whose performance, capacity and price best match their requirements, while maintaining compatibility.

These agreements will permit IBM to support the same application programming interfaces (API) as NextStep. Applications that have the same API will be compatible and can have the same screen appearance. This is intended to help customers learn to use new applications quickly, thereby reducing the time and cost of training.

The software licensed from NeXT consists of four components: Window Server; Application Kit(TM); Interface Builder(TM); and Workspace Manager(TM). This set of software tools is designed to increase both programmer and end-user productivity.

The Window Server manages all on-screen image drawing using the Display PostScript system. The PostScript(R) language is widely used for high-quality computer printing. The Display PostScript system is an advanced graphics software component that implements the same imaging model used in PostScript printers, thus giving users the ability to view PostScript output interactively on their displays.

CONTACT -- Scott R. Brooks of International Business Machines Corporation, 201-930-5231