Lotus Announces Lotus Notes ViP For Windows

Provides Developers with Sophisticated Visual Programming Environment for
Building Strategic Groupware Applications

New York, June 28, 1994 - - Lotus Development Corp. today announced the
immediate availability of Lotus Notes ViP for Windows, a visual
application development environment that combines the power of Lotus Notes
with unique Visual Linking tools to enable corporate developers, Lotus
Business Partners and ISVs to build a new class of strategic groupware
applications.

Notes ViP extends the market-leading Notes groupware platform in four key
areas: integration of Notes and corporate data stores; building of
sophisticated graphical user interfaces; enhanced programmability in the
Notes development environment; and the ability to create complex reports,
charts and graphs.

Notes ViP's Visual Linking brings true rapid application development (RAD)
capabilities to Notes by allowing Notes ViP developers to move easily from
prototype to completed application quickly and efficiently. Notes ViP
applications are "sketched" or "drawn" using Visual Links. Notes'
replication capabilities also are available to the Notes ViP developer for
deployment of the completed application.

The tight integration between Notes and Notes ViP allows developers to
leverage Notes' rich object store and replication facilities to manage and
distribute Notes ViP applications. Notes ViP developers also can leverage
additional capabilities in Notes, including full-text search capabilities;
replication; input validations; data encryption; remote access; and
updates through Notes forms. Additionally, Notes ViP developers can access
Notes document hierarchies. To allow easy deployment of enterprise
applications, Notes ViP data connection information can be stored in Lotus
Notes databases.

"Notes ViP is an important cornerstone in our strategy to provide a wide
range of application development tools and world-class strategic business
solutions for our customers ranging from end users to programmers," said
Jeff Papows, vice president of the Lotus Notes Division. "Anyone familiar
with the Windows GUI paradigm and similar front-end application
development tools will find Notes ViP a friendly and familiar way to
develop Notes applications that integrate and manipulate the strategic
data of Notes and the operational data of transaction-based systems."

"Notes ViP is extremely fast, flexible, and easy to learn," said Paul
Hantla, president of Corporate Solutions Group. "Within 16 hours, we were
able to successfully build a sophisticated reporting application for our
client to provide graphical executive information for human resources time
management and reporting, which would have taken us 14 days to build
before Notes ViP." Added Hantla, "With Notes ViP, we were able to meet our
client's tight deadline with a powerful, integrated solution."

Integrate with Notes Data and Corporate Data Sources

Corporate developers using Notes ViP can access more than 14 different
SQL-based relational database systems, offering the ability to link Notes
applications to corporate data sources. This allows developers enhanced
flexibility to share and update information in both Notes and relational
databases, thereby ensuring consistency and availability of corporate
data. It also avoids the necessity to duplicate data in either the Notes
or corporate databases. Using the Notes ViP Data Object, developers can
access data on mainframes, minicomputers or networked database servers
without having to navigate the complexity of the underlying network as
well as local data sources. Supported databases include SQL Server,
Oracle, Informix, DB/2 and DB2/2.

Build Sophisticated Graphical User Interfaces

With Notes ViP, developers can create graphical user interfaces to enhance
the capabilities of Notes applications. Developers have access to a wide
variety of tools from the Notes ViP toolbox with which to create
interfaces that can conform to corporate standards or which replace the
Notes user interface. Objects provided include command buttons, list
boxes, combo boxes, and scroll bars. Developers also have direct access to
the Windows API via LotusScript for complete control of the user interface
in Notes applications.

Programmability and Extensibility

Notes ViP includes LotusScript 2.0, a BASIC-compatible language that has
been enhanced to allow development of event-driven applications.
LotusScript supports object-oriented development by giving developers
access to classes, methods and object concepts. It also allows developers
to access routines written in C or which are available from standard
DLLs.

Notes ViP's development environment is extensible through the Designer Tool
Extension (DTx) technology. DTxs allow developers to create recursive
LotusScript routines that allow automation of repetitive programming
tasks. Notes ViP ships with a full suite of DTxs, including an object
browser, a single record display object, a properties browser and several
visual alignment tools, to speed applications development.

Reporting and Charting

Notes ViP gives application developers a complete report writer. The
WYSIWYG Report Designer allows Notes ViP developers to create reports that
contain groups, breaks and subtotals. Developers also can create new
aggregate data values to be used in their reports. These reports can be
viewed either on-line or printed.

Notes ViP also gives developers new capabilities to graphically display
Notes and relational data in charts and graphs. Using the Lotus Common
Chart object, developers can display graphical charting, including pie and
bar charts. Developers also can allow end users to modify the chart at
runtime.

Working Together

Lotus Notes ViP is composed of a Designer and a Runtime version. The
Designer version is used by developers to create and test full
applications; it uses the common look and feel of Lotus desktop
applications, including customizable SmartIcons and a Smart Status Bar.
End users can launch Notes ViP applications from a Lotus SmartIcon on the
Notes Desktop or from the Windows Program Manager. End users do not need
to have the Designer to run Notes ViP applications.

For developers and end users, Notes ViP also has a series of sample
applications and designer tools to get started easily and quickly.

Availability, Pricing, Packaging and System Requirements

The Lotus Notes ViP for Windows Designer is available immediately from
Lotus Business Partners and corporate resellers for a suggested retail
price of $995. Additionally Lotus is offering a promotional bundle that
includes Notes ViP and a Notes Windows client in the same box for only
$995. The Lotus Notes ViP for Windows Runtime version will be available at
no charge for all licensed Notes workstations within 60-90 days.

Lotus Notes ViP includes access to the following data sources via Lotus
DataLens for Windows and NotesSQL or ODBC drivers: Btrieve; dBASE III Plus
and dBASE IV; FoxPro 2.0 and 2.5; IBM OS/2 Database Manager, DB2/2 AS/400
and SQL/DS; Informix Online versions 4.10 and 5.0, Informix-SE; Microsoft
SQL Server 4.2 and Sybase SQL Server Version 4.9; Microsoft Access; Oracle
6.x and 7; Paradox Release 4.0 and lower; ASCII Text; and WK* and XLS
worksheet files.

Minimum system requirements for the Lotus Notes ViP Designer are a 80386 or
higher at 33 Mhz with 6MB required (12MB recommended) and 12MB of disk
space. Software requirements include Lotus Notes Release 3.x client and
Lotus Notes Release 2.1 or higher server, MS or PC DOS 5.0 or above;
Windows 3.1 or above.

Minimum system requirements for the Lotus Notes ViP Runtime are a 80386 or
higher at 25 Mhz with 6 MB (8 MB recommended) and 12 MB of disk space.
Software requirements include Lotus Notes Release 3.x client and Lotus
Notes Release 2.1 or higher server, MS or PC DOS 5.0 or above; Windows 3.1
or above. For more information, contact Lotus at 1 -800-343-5414.

Lotus Development Corp
55 Cambridge Parkway
Cambridge, MA 02142
617-577-8500

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