Micro Focus Makes Object COBOL a Reality

Unveils History-Making First Windows and OS/2 Object COBOL Product, Marking
Major Step for the Future of COBOL Development

May 9, 1994, Micro Focus User Conference, San Francisco, CA -- Here, at its
sixth annual User Conference, Micro Focus ZD unveiled the first
Object-Oriented COBOL product for Windows and OS/2. The Object COBOL
Option brings object technology for the first time to the largest group of
developers in the world, empowering them to more easily take advantage of
emerging technologies with a minimized learning curve. An add-on to the
Micro Focus COBOL Workbench v3.2, the Object COBOL Option is a general
release of this introductory product. The Micro Focus Object COBOL Option
marks the first entry into this exciting new market. It provides
developers with a comprehensive object-oriented development environment
and class library, and enables the development of GUI applications using
Object COBOL. The Object COBOL Option is unique in that it allows
application developers to migrate existing code to object-orientation
incrementally because it allows object and procedural code to co-exist and
cooperate.

The Object COBOL Option is designed for anyone interested in evaluating and
deploying object technology. As a General Release product, it will be
available to all Micro Focus v3.2 COBOL Workbench maintenance program
customers for a nominal handling fee. In addition, Micro Focus is expected
to release a 32-bit version of the product later and remove the
"introductory" label.

First Entry into Object COBOL Market

The Object COBOL Option is the industry's first entry into the Windows and
OS/2 Object-Oriented COBOL market. It is revolutionary not only in the
fact that it is the first product of its kind, but also in that it allows
true object-oriented programming using the Micro Focus COBOL compiler.
Because Object COBOL syntax is processed by the COBOL compiler (as opposed
to a preprocessor), the Micro Focus Object COBOL Option debugs code at the
source level, increasing programmer efficiency and reducing the room for
error.

"The Object COBOL Option to the Micro Focus COBOL Workbench v3.2 represents
the first thread to be woven into Micro Focus' vision of the future of
enterprise application development tools," said Peter Katz, vice president
of marketing for Micro Focus. "We are committed to objectoriented
development, and have developed the Object COBOL Option in response to the
demands for increased productivity and the burgeoning requirement for
Rapid Software Development."

First True OO COBOL Applications

The availability of the Object COBOL Option will enable the development of
true object-oriented COBOL applications in a familiar environment. The new
product also offers users the ability to develop GUI applications using
Object COBOL with the GUI class library, making it easier to develop GUI
applications. Use of the GUI class library will increase productivity as
it encapsulates the complexity involved in dealing with event-driven
windowing systems. In addition, applications developed with the GUI class
library are portable across the popular Windows and OS/2 Presentation
Manager environments.

Supports ANSI Object COBOL Standard

The Object COBOL Option supports Object COBOL syntax via a recent
"snapshot" of the ANSI Object-Oriented COBOL standard. Early access to the
ANSI Object-Oriented COBOL standard allows for incremental migration of
existing code to object orientation, and ensures that application
developers are moving along the same path as the standards committee. This
will be of particular importance when the X3J4 Technical Committee for
COBOL standardization issues its design for Object-Oriented COBOL in
1997.

"With the standard constantly evolving, it is important that application
developers have a relevant reference point," said Dan Clarke, OO products
manager for Micro Focus and participant on the X3J4.1 Technical
Sub-committee. "By recognizing what the standard is today, we are giving
them a head start. It's also important for early Object COBOL adopters to
know that what they are working with now will continue to be supported in
the future. The functionality in this "snapshot" will be
upwardly-compatible with future Micro Focus releases. And, of course, we
will support the final standard when it is published, as a separate, but
inclusive, Object COBOL dialect."

Supports Requirements-based Vocabulary

The Object COBOL Option contains a unique feature that differentiates it
from other object-oriented languages -- the Requirements-based Vocabulary.
Invented by Micro Focus, this feature makes programs easier to both read
and write by allowing the requirements statement to be used directly in
programs. Requirements-based Vocabulary allows the writer of a new class
to specify how the operations on the class are to be written. For example,
the programmer writing an accounting class can say, "Here is how programs
specify that money is to be added to the account: 'Deposit an amount into
an account."' As a result, the code written by Object COBOL applications
have statements that are similar to those in a requirements statement, and
can be understood by nonprogrammers.

Pricing and Availability

The Object COBOL Option (Introductory Product) to the Micro Focus COBOL
Workbench v3.2 will begin shipping in June of 1994. It will be available
to release 3.2 Workbench customers on the maintenance program for a
nominal handling fee of $40.

Micro Focus provides state-of-the-art programming tools and technology that
empower application developers while leveraging available resources. Micro
Focus is a leading provider of tools for rightsizing, cross-platform
development and deployment, client/server computing and off-loading
mainframe development and maintenance of mission-critical applications.
Micro Focus is located at 2465 East Bayshore Road, Palo Alto, Calif.
94303. Telephone: 415-856-4161.

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