Z-CODE'S Z-MAIL COMES TO WINDOWS, MACINTOSH SYSTEMS; POPULAR UNIX E-MAIL
SOFTWARE NOW OPERATES ACROSS MULTI-VENDOR ENTERPRISE NETS

ANAHEIM, Calif., Apr.18,1994 -- The first cross-platform electronic-mail
system based on Internet-standard networking and messaging protocols has
been introduced by Z-Code Software, a division of Network Computing
Devices (NCD).

Z-Code has brought its Z-Mail e-mail system and Z-Script messaging engine
-- used by more than 30,000 UNIX users -- to Microsoft Windows and Apple
Macintosh systems as well as character display terminals. This represents
the first time an Internet-style peer-to-peer model of e-mail has been
available to provide a common mail environment to every desktop in the
enterprise -- character and graphics terminals, desktop computers and
workstations -- without the need for costly and cumbersome gateways.

Networks Outgrowing Traditional E-mail Systems

"Traditional PC-based e-mail systems such as Microsoft Mail and Lotus
cc:Mail were originally designed for LAN-based workgroups," said Dan
Heller, general manager of NCD's Z-Code Software division. "But as e-mail
has evolved from a departmental requirement to an enterprise necessity,
several problems have arisen with PC LAN solutions. They're not inherently
scalable to thousands of users dispersed among multiple locations, and
they can't tie into non-PC or non-Mac desktops, such as workstations, X
terminals and character terminals. And -- what is becoming increasingly
important -- they can't communicate directly with the Internet. Doing any
of these things requires the addition of gateways that add cost and
management overhead, and reduce reliability."

Z-Mail differs from LAN-based e-mail systems in two ways. First, it is
architected using a layered approach which separates the "mail user agent"
(the user interface) from the "mail transport agent" (the entity
responsible for distributing mail over the network); LAN-based systems, on
the other hand, use a network file server to share e-mail among users.
Second, Z-Mail implements this approach through the use of key standard
Internet protocols -- TCP/IP, SMTP (Simple Mail Transfer Protocol) and
MIME (Multipart Internet Mail Extensions) -- as opposed to the proprietary
protocols used by LAN-based systems.

"Because Z-Mail lets users send and receive messages to and from a network
messaging 'backbone', and not to shared file-system disks," Heller said,
"no gateways are needed to pass mail from one platform to another, or to
send mail through the Internet. Z-Mail uses the mail-transport and routing
capabilities already embedded in all UNIX systems as the standard delivery
mechanism." Z-Mail also can be used with other commercial message backbone
products that run on UNIX servers, such as Retix's X.400 Software.

Advanced Features Across the Enterprise: Scripting, Attachments, Flexible
Directories

With the expansion of Z-Mail to multiple platforms, the entire enterprise
can take advantage of advanced features previously unavailable to
Macintosh and PC platforms.

Z-Mail's Z-Script, a powerful scripting language, today provides users with
the rich functionality and flexibility that products such as General
Magic's TeleScript have promised for the future. Z-Script can be used, for
example, to customize the Z-Mail user interface to the needs of different
users or organizations. It also can be used to develop a "smart messaging"
capability that lets applications make decisions about processing
information, automatically filtering or re-directing messages based on
user-specified criteria. By encapsulating Z-Script commands in Z-Mail
messages, the user can create remote messaging agents that facilitate
workflow automation.

Z-Mail supports the MIME standard message protocol, which allows users to
send and receive all types of documents, including audio, video, graphics
and application data such as spreadsheets and schedulers, as attachments
to messages. An unlimited number of files can be attached to a message.

With Z-Mail the user is not limited to a single specific directory service.
The highly flexible system can be configured to provide access to
virtually any directory service already in use in the enterprise,
including X.500, NIS (Network Information Services), even an
organization's own databases or flat files of directory information.
Because Z-Mail establishes a network connection with the directory server
to access data, the problem of distributing and synchronizing directory
information is reduced.

Remote access and management is supported through widely-available remote
access protocols: POP (Post Office Protocol) or SMTP over PPP, SLIP or
UUCP (UNIX-to-UNIX Copy). UUCP is available on all UNIX systems; POP is
offered by Internet service providers as a method for subscribers to
download mail to home computers. Z-Mail also offers extended remote access
functionality with the Z-Mail Synchronization protocol sync), which
provides remote users the ability to reduce connect time to the message
store.

Z-Mail System Requirements for Windows, Mac, Terminals

Z-Mail for Windows requires a minimum 25-MHz Intel 386 PC running Windows
3.1 in enhanced mode or Windows NT; 6 megabytes of RAM; 3 MB of available
hard-disk space; and a TCP/IP stack for network connectivity.

Z-Mail for Macintosh requires a minimum 680x0 16-MHz system with 4 MB of
RAM and 3 MB of available hard-disk space. For network connectivity,
MacTCP 2.0.4 is bundled with Z-Mail.

Z-Mail Lite, for users of character terminals, is a full-screen character
display version of Z-Mail with full system functionality.

Z-Mail is available on most UNIX platforms, including Digital Ultrix,
HP9000/HP-UX, IBM RS/6000/AIX, SCO UNIX, Univel/UnixWare and
SunSPARC/SunOS/Solaris, and is the basis for MediaMail, the standard
multimedia e-mail system used on Silicon Graphics workstations. Z-Mail
also operates on Windows/NT, DEC OSF/1, Apollo, NCR's SVR4, Pyramid,
Sequent, Data General and other platforms. The UNIX version is Motif-based
and can be used on workstations or accessed via X terminals.

Pricing/Availability

Z-Mail for Windows and Z-Mail Lite will be available in June, and Z-Mail
for Macintosh in July. All products will be available from Z-Code Software
or from NCD and its standard distribution channels. For 100 users the
license fee is $ 150 each in the U.S., S 190 internationally; the
single-user fee is $295 in the U.S., $370 internationally. All prices
include technical support.

Network Computing Devices, Inc., formed in February 1988, provides
information-access solutions for client-server computing environments. NCD
is the leading worldwide supplier of X Window System terminals, with a
broad family of color and monochrome units, and makes PC-X server software
products which Integrate Microsoft Windows- and DOS-based PCs into X/UNIX
networks. The company's Z-Code division supplies the Z-Mail family of
cross-platform electronic-mail and messaging software for open-systems
environments.

NCD is publicly traded over the counter on the NASDAQ National Market
System under the symbol NCDI.

Z-Code Software Corp
101 Rowland Way, Ste 300
Novato, CA 94945
415-898-8649,  fax 415-898-8299

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