MAYNARD, Mass., and REDMOND, Wash., March 11, 1997 — DIGITAL Equipment Corp. and Microsoft Corp. today announced an agreement under which DIGITAL will license the Microsoft® Developer Studio
™
visual development system. DIGITAL’s first product under the arrangement, DIGITAL
™Visual Fortran 5.0 for the Microsoft Windows® 95 and Windows NT® operating systems, can be ordered beginning March 19 for shipments starting next month. It features the combined strengths of DIGITAL’s Fortran 90 compiler technology and Microsoft Developer Studio. Microsoft is discontinuing sales of its own Fortran PowerStation 4.0 to the channel effective April 1, 1997, and is recommending DIGITAL’s Visual Fortran 5.0 as the approved upgrade for current scientific and engineering customers.
Microsoft and DIGITAL will ensure a smooth migration path and support for existing Microsoft Fortran PowerStation customers. Microsoft will continue to provide current levels of support until Oct. 1, 1997, and subsequent paid support until April 1, 1998. DIGITAL will provide 90-day warranty support and post-warranty service options for DIGITAL Visual Fortran 5.0 customers.
The move enables DIGITAL to extend its line of development tools for high-performance scientific and engineering computing and enables Microsoft to continue to focus on corporate- and ISV-oriented development tools, including the Visual Studio
™
97 suite of development tools.
“DIGITAL’s reputation as a leader in quality Fortran compilers, along with its global distribution capabilities, commitment to high-quality support and strong technology alliance with Microsoft, was key to our decision,”
said Paul Gross, vice president, developer tools at Microsoft.
“We are confident that DIGITAL’s proven expertise in the high-performance computing, scientific and engineering market will benefit the large installed base of Microsoft Fortran PowerStation customers.”
“Today’s announcement is further evidence of the strong alliance between DIGITAL and Microsoft,”
said Jesse Lipcon, DIGITAL vice president of systems product management and development.
“DIGITAL Visual Fortran combines leadership technologies from DIGITAL and Microsoft in an integrated desktop product that is unrivaled in the technical marketplace. With the introduction of DIGITAL Visual Fortran, we now offer the most scalable set of solutions for the technical marketplace of any vendor in the industry.”
DIGITAL’s Proven Excellence in Fortran Technology
DIGITAL is a leader in Fortran technology, establishing its VAX Fortran product as the de facto standard during the 1980s. Today, the company provides high-quality Fortran compilers for its 64-bit DIGITAL UNIX and OpenVMS
™
operating systems. In 1995, DIGITAL extended its compiler technology to the Windows NT-based desktop with the release of DIGITAL Fortran for Windows NT on Alpha systems. The explosive growth in use of the Windows NT and
Windows 95 operating systems has resulted in increasing demand from the high-performance, scientific and engineering market for the same technology to be available for Intel-based systems.
Smooth Migration for Microsoft Fortran PowerStation Users
Microsoft and DIGITAL have been working closely to ensure that users of Microsoft Fortran PowerStation can easily upgrade to DIGITAL Visual Fortran 5.0. The DIGITAL compiler has been enhanced to provide compatibility with Microsoft Fortran PowerStation 4.0 and to include enhancements proposed in the ISO/ANSI Fortran 95 language standard. Because it shares the same integrated development environment, DIGITAL Visual Fortran 5.0 can be used with other Microsoft development tools that are integrated in Developer Studio, an integrated development environment.
DIGITAL will offer current customers of Microsoft Fortran PowerStation a low-cost upgrade option to the standard edition kit of DIGITAL Visual Fortran 5.0. The upgrade price of $360 (U.S.) will be available to users of Microsoft PowerStation as well as current users of any PC-based Fortran product from any vendor until Aug. 31, 1997. DIGITAL will provide continued support and future product enhancements to DIGITAL Visual Fortran.
DIGITAL also announced today that DIGITAL Visual Fortran, Professional Edition, will be available later this year. This product will include the popular Fortran 77 and Fortran 90 IMSL mathematics libraries from Visual Numerics Inc.
DIGITAL Visual Fortran, Standard Edition, for Windows NT for Intel systems and Windows 95 is list priced at $599 (U.S.). Special pricing is available for academic versions, in addition to the upgrade price for customers of Microsoft and other PC-based Fortran products. For additional information on DIGITAL Fortran, please visit the company’s Web site at (http://www.digital.com/fortran/)
The DIGITAL Microsoft Alliance for Enterprise Computing, formed in August 1995, combines Microsoft client/server products with DIGITAL’s leadership in enterprise systems, service, support and systems integration. Customers can deploy business solutions on the Microsoft Windows and Windows NT operating systems with assurance of integration into the most complex business environments (for more information, refer to (http://www.alliance.digital.com/) ).
DIGITAL Equipment Corp. is a world leader in open client/server solutions from personal computing to integrated worldwide information systems. DIGITAL’s scalable Intel and Alpha platforms, storage, networking, software and services, together with industry-focused solutions from business partners, help organizations compete and win in today’s global marketplace.
Founded in 1975, Microsoft (NASDAQ
“MSFT”
) is the worldwide leader in software for personal computers. The company offers a wide range of products and services for business and personal use, each designed with the mission of making it easier and more enjoyable for people to take advantage of the full power of personal computing every day.
DIGITAL, the DIGITAL logo and Open VMS are trademarks of Digital Equipment Corp.
Microsoft, Developer Studio, Windows, Windows NT and Visual Studio are either registered trademarks or trademarks of Microsoft Corp. in the United States and/or other countries.
Other product and company names herein may be trademarks of their respective owners.
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