Palo Alto, CA, May 18, 1992 -- Micro Focus is shipping Micro Focus COBOL
Workbench 3.0, a comprehensive suite of COBOL development tools designed
to facilitate the development, debugging and testing of a wide variety of
business applications for operating systems such as MVS, VM, DOS/VS(E),
MS-DOS, OS/2, Microsoft Windows and all major UNIX environments. New
features include support for DOS/VS(E) COBOL, improved Windows support, a
special "probe" which allows programmers to actually see a COBOL program
as it interacts with other COBOL programs in an application, and improved
file management tools. Workbench continues to offer EBCDIC data support,
file transfer support and mainframe file conversion support, providing a
rich mainframe development environment.

Enterprise Computing 

Micro Focus COBOL Workbench provides a strong basis for true Enterprise
Computing with a robust development environment for applications running
on systems ranging from PCs to mainframes and the ability to port
applications from one environment to another easily and efficiently.
Workbench facilitates programming productivity and the development of
quality applications. It is suited ideally for developing business and
financial applications with extensions to cover many other types of
applications. Workbench supports development of these systems whether they
are batch, interactive or cooperative processing applications.

"Enterprise computing involves developing and running applications on a
wide range of machines, from mainframes to PCs," said Doug Brown,
divisional products manager, Micro Focus.

"Workbench has the scope to address all these platforms. For example, with
this latest release, we are continuing to expand the range of target
platforms by adding support for DOS/VS(E) COBOL, complementing the
existing set which includes IBM Systems Applications Architecture (SAA),
X/Open and several PC platforms."

DOS/VS(E) COBOL Support 

DOS/VS(E) support now opens the door for mainframe DOS shops to take
advantage of the benefits of Micro Focus development tools and the cost
savings of developing on the PC with Micro Focus COBOL.

Improvements for Microsoft Windows Users 

With this release of Workbench, Micro Focus has ported the Run Time
Environment (RTE) to Windows. This has decreased the memory requirements
for Windows users by up to 80% for components like Structure Animator. As
an alternative to using the Micro Focus Memory Extender (XM), developers
now can run Workbench as a true Windows application. They also can create
Windows applications that have a message cue in COBOL, for the development
of true GUI Windows applications. In addition, Workbench now provides
Windows clipboard support to enable developers to cut, copy and paste in
text mode.

"The impact of all these changes for corporations that have standardized on
Windows is that Micro Focus Workbench is faster, more reliable, and easier
to install," said Dan Gilliland, Workbench Product Manager for Micro
Focus.

Probe: Graphical Tools for Performance Tuning 

Micro Focus Workbench 3.0 includes Probe, a new graphical tool for
performance tuning. Probe is an application monitor that provides resource
usage and event data for COBOL applications. Like its name implies, Probe
allows programmers to examine the interaction of their application
programs, libraries and system resources in real time. It is especially
useful for programmers who need to familiarize themselves with an
application they did not develop, or for project teams who need to ensure
their programs are working together efficiently. From OS/2 it is even
possible to Probe applications running on DOS workstations, allowing
remote performance tuning.

Improved File Management Tools 

Micro Focus has improved support for mainframe style printing. Programmers
can now create a print file on the PC with PC control characters and have
it converted so that it will print on the mainframe. They can also
download print files created on the mainframe and convert them to use a PC
printer. In addition, they can create mainframe-like print files on the PC
and convert them for use on a PC printer. The convenience of being able to
convert reports back and forth between PC and mainframe formats means
programmers can choose which platform is most appropriate for their
printing needs.

Micro Focus Data File Editor (DFED) now supports OCCURS DEPENDING ON data
structures, the common means for describing variable length records. This
support means users can see and edit variable length records formatted
according to their COBOL source descriptions. In addition, DFED and the
file converter now support Btrieve file formats. Micro Focus has
streamlined the DFED user interface so that fewer steps are required for
editing data files in formatted form.

Packaging, Pricing and Availability 

Micro Focus COBOL Workbench includes the Micro Focus COBOL Compiler, the
industry leading PC COBOL compiler, Micro Focus Toolset and Micro Focus
Operating System Extensions (OSX). The entire Micro Focus COBOL Workbench
package is list priced at $2500. Micro Focus Workbench 3.0, as an add-on
to the COBOL, Toolset, OSX combination, is list priced at $1250. Both are
available for immediate delivery. Maintenance and Upgrade programs are
available for both products.

Micro Focus is the leading developer of COBOL compilers and programmer
productivity tools for business application development. Micro Focus
products are available on micro, mini and mainframe computer systems and
support many standard and proprietary operating systems. The company
developed the first National Bureau of Standards-certified ANSI'85 COBOL
compiler. Micro Focus COBOL also conforms to the IBM Systems Applications
Architecture (SAA) standard, the X/Open standard, and is FIPS PUB 21-2
compliant. Micro Focus is a member of the IBM International Alliance for
AD/Cycler.

Micro Focus Inc. 2465 East Bayshore Rd, Palo Alto, CA 94303
(415) 856-4161    Fax: (415) 856-6134

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