New Micro Focus Family of Products Bridge COBOL to Fourth Generation Tools

BridgeWare Leverages the Productivity of PowerBuilder and VisualBasic with
the Strengths of COBOL

Micro Focus User Conference - Philadelphia, PA - May 15, 1995 - At its
seventh annual User Conference, Micro Focus announced the BridgeWare
family of products, the first suite of development and runtime tools to
provide seamless access from GUI (graphical user interface)
fourth-generation languages (4GLs) such as PowerBuilder and VisualBasic to
Micro Focus COBOL and CICS applications. BridgeWare generates a complete
interface from 4GL applications to COBOL with no manual coding, rewriting
or retesting required. It extends 4GL client/server applications with true
multi-tasking, server-based business logic for development and deployment
on a wide range of environments, including Windows, OS/2, DOS and a range
of popular UNIX platforms.

The BridgeWare family of products includes Micro Focus DeskTop BridgeWare
(PowerBridge and VisualBridge) and the Micro Focus BridgeWare Server
Enabling Kit, both ideally suited for rehosting and partitioning COBOL and
CICS applications for reuse within a client/server architecture.
BridgeWare generates complete external function calls, including all 4GL
presentation logic, from existing legacy and newly developed COBOL source
without requiring developers to reengineer or rewrite the program
interface.

"Micro Focus BridgeWare allows developers to leverage the strengths of
COBOL and fourth generation language products such as PowerBuilder and
VisualBasic in the same environment," said Peter Katz, vice president of
marketing for Micro Focus. "One of the products greatest attributes is the
ability to reuse production code without the need for expensive and
time-consuming reengineering and retesting. BridgeWare makes it easy to
rehost, upgrade or extend any existing COBOL application by automating
these processes and increasing programmer productivity."

DeskTop BridgeWare

DeskTop BridgeWare is a windows-based, client/server "code-construction
middleware" toolset that generates API requests, in the form of 4GL script
language "external function calls". Unlike other middleware architecture
solutions which require developers to manually code script, BridgeWare
generates all 4GL script necessary to provide access to COBOL from GUI 4GL
applications in a single, non-procedural (point-and-click) development
process. This allows programmers to maintain the productivity level
expected of the native PowerBuilder or VisualBasic development
environment. Applications developed using Desktop BridgeWare may be
deployed as single-user or Windows clients on any 4GL-COBOL supported
platform across the enterprise without requiring additional runtime
license fees.

DeskTop BridgeWare expedites the process of creating COBOL-Windows Dynamic
Link Libraries (.DLLs) through a GUI Administration System that allows
developers or project administrators to customize their COBOL-Windows
executables and organize the COBOL and CICS components. A GUI compile and
link facility generates Windows .DLLs in a simple point-and-click process.
This simplifies and automates the process of building and properly
organizing executable libraries, effectively circumventing potential
version control and copy book problems which could arise.

DeskTop BridgeWare includes a single-user, general-purpose, multi-program
COBOL application server which enables developers to test GUI-COBOL access
and execution running completely on the desktop. This standalone
development environment further enhances the productivity, flexibility and
ease-of-development offered through the BridgeWare products.

BridgeWare Server Enabling Kit

The BridgeWare Server Enabling Kit allows developers to connect
PowerBuilder and VisualBasic client applications to networked COBOL
application servers and off-load cpu-intensive processing in a true
scalable, distributed-processing environment. The BridgeWare Server
Enabling Kit requires DeskTop BridgeWare and Micro Focus Transaction
System, a multi-user, multitasking, multi-platform online transaction
processing (OLTP) system, providing a flexible environment for designing
and deploying distributed client/server systems. Alternatively, it is also
possible to interface with IBM CICS for OS/2 for OLTP support. The Server
Enabling Kit allows Windows-based PowerBuilder and VisualBasic
applications to access COBOL and CICS processes and associated legacy data
on the operating systems and hardware platforms supported by Micro Focus
Transaction System, including host-based mainframe systems.

What Users Are Saying:

Steve Barber, information specialist, system development for Amway
Corporation, a direct sales company, stated, "I am really impressed with
the BridgeWare product; it fits perfectly into PowerBuilder. Finally we
have a tool that automatically creates .DLLs for the programmer instead of
having to create them manually from the command line. For someone who
knows COBOL and PowerBuilder, Micro Focus BridgeWare is a natural fit; it
handles development activities the same way you would expect PowerBuilder
to handle them."

Ted Hughes, program analyst for The FREEDOM Group, an independent insurance
software company, said, "BridgeWare ties COBOL and PowerBuilder together
seamlessly, making it possible for both languages to communicate on the
same platform. Micro Focus BridgeWare handles all datatype conversions and
script-specific incompatibilities, allowing programmers to concentrate on
more important development tasks."

Greg Wennyk, consultant for London Life, an individual life and health
insurance provider, said, "'There is a learning curve for PC knowledge
that is not a factor with BridgeWare for VisualBasic. It is easy to
understand and employ the product to realize significant productivity
gains. I definitely see the benefits the product provides having been
through the pains of manual coding without it. We will definitely pursue
BridgeWare in the future. For future VisualBasic-COBOL developers,
BridgeWare is their ticket to easy implementation."

Pricing and Availability

Micro Focus Desktop BridgeWare is currently available for $399 per
programmer. The Micro Focus Server Enabling Kit requires Desktop
BridgeWare and will be available in June for $500 per server.

Micro Focus DeskTop BridgeWare, PowerBridge and VisualBridge solutions are
also currently available coupled with consulting services for $7,500.
Customers will receive ten copies of DeskTop BridgeWare and four days of
onsite consulting services which include BridgeWare installation,
configuration, integration and product training for up to 10 developers.

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.

 ============================================================
 From the  'New Product News'  Electronic News Service on....
 AOL (Keyword = New Products) & Delphi (GO COMPUTING PRODUCT)
 ============================================================
 This information was processed from data provided by the 
 company or author mentioned. For additional details, please 
 contact them directly at the address/phone number indicated.
 All trademarks are the property of their respective owners.
 ============================================================
 All submissions for this service should be addressed to:
 BAKER ENTERPRISES,  20 Ferro Dr,  Sewell, NJ  08080  U.S.A.
 Email: RBakerPC (AOL/Delphi), rbakerpc@delphi.com (Internet)
 ============================================================
