Microsoft Acquires Softway Systems To Strengthen Future Customer Interoperability Solutions

REDMOND, Wash., Sept. 17, 1999 — Microsoft Corp. today announced that it has acquired the assets of Softway Systems Inc., a San Francisco-based, privately held maker of Interix products for interoperability between UNIX- and Microsoft® Windows NT® operating system-based systems. Corporations, government institutions and other customers will benefit from this acquisition through future expanded and integrated tools and utilities, via products such as Microsoft Services for UNIX, which provide interoperability between UNIX- and Windows® operating system-based systems. This acquisition means customers can more easily benefit from the lower TCO and easier manageability of Windows-based systems while using their existing UNIX-based infrastructure.

Interix products, a comprehensive suite of utilities and developer tools for UNIX, allow developers to port UNIX-based scripts and applications to the Windows NT platform with minimal changes while they migrate their code to run natively on Windows. Softway’s products provide a subsystem on Windows NT that is POSIX.1-compliant and offers many features of UNIX operating systems, such as POSIX.2 support, thereby providing substantial compatibility between Windows- and UNIX-based solutions. With technologies such as POSIX.1 and POSIX.2 in Interix, federal customers with POSIX requirements can have confidence in using Windows NT and Windows.

“Our acquisition of Softway’s assets is a demonstration of our commitment to provide interoperability for applications and other solutions between UNIX and Windows,”
said Keith White, director of marketing, Business and Enterprise Division at Microsoft.
“While we recommend that customers migrate their software solutions to native 32-bit Windows, today’s announcement allows certain customers to move rapidly to a Windows NT-based solution during that transition process.”

Microsoft also works with other companies in furthering interoperability between UNIX and Windows to meet customer needs.

“MKS products are designed to assist customers in migrating their applications to run natively on the subsystem of 32-bit Windows, where Windows- and UNIX-based applications can take full advantage of Windows Distributed internet Architecture (Windows DNA),”
said Pat Higbie, executive vice president at Mortice Kern Systems (MKS) Inc.
“MKS looks forward to continuing to work with Microsoft in finding the best solutions for customers interested in migration and interoperability.”

Financial terms of the acquisition were not disclosed. Many members of Softway’s development team and other key employees will join Microsoft. The company did not announce specific product configurations or pricing for the new technologies.

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.

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