February 22, 1999 -- San Francisco -- Athena Design today announced the release of Integer 2.1, the newest version of its real-time collaborative spreadsheet server. Integer 2.1 supports synchronized spreadsheet models, is compatible with Swing, permits objects to be placed in spreadsheet cells, enables security control of specific levels of spreadsheet access among various users, takes better advantage than ever before of the speed and power of multiple CPUs and enables developers to easily add their own custom formula functions to the over 400 that already ship with Integer. Integer permits system administrators to deploy Integer across the enterprise without writing a single line of code. However, many corporations will want to take advantage of Integer's logically structured, open APIs to build customized Integer-based applications that fit their needs exactly.

With Integer, corporations can integrate sophisticated spreadsheet and analytics functionality into distributed, multi-tier application environments. Corporations are using Integer to enable geographically distant staff, or staff and customers, to work together in real-time on spreadsheets via Intranets, Extranets and the Internet. Users can update spreadsheet information with real-time data feeds, populate their spreadsheets from JDBC data sources and import and export from legacy spreadsheets. Corporations are also finding Integer's server-based technology ideal for publishing spreadsheets to employees who work at multiple locations nationally and internationally.

"Integer release 2.1 demonstrates Athena Design's continued commitment to making Integer a robust, scalable, enterprise-class complement to the suite of software financial services companies deploy of their servers," said David Pollak, President of Athena Design, Inc. "We've listened to our customers and implemented the features that they've asked for while continuing to enhance Integer's performance and scalability. We've been able to beat Lotus in accounts like Nuveen because of Integer's power and flexibility."

"We evaluated Athena Design's Integer spreadsheet and Lotus' eSuite spreadsheet for an important internal financial application," said Steven Lotz, Project Manager, John Nuveen, and Co. "We chose Integer over eSuite because of Integer's superior functionality, Swing support, and performance. In addition, we've been impressed with the quality and responsiveness of Athena Design's technical support team."

• Synchronized spreadsheet models -- spreadsheet models can be synchronized and only changes to content will be exchanged among synchronized models. Synchronized spreadsheets facilitates more efficient use of network bandwidth, more efficient use of local processing power, and fault-tolerant/fail-over capabilities.
• New formula functions including WORKDAY(). Integer supports over 400 native formula functions. A rich set of formula functions allows efficient expression of business logic as well as enhanced compatibility with existing spreadsheet models.
• Improved logging and error recovery. Integer 2.1 has improved logging of errors and system status. 2.1 will also recover from transient network outages between client and server more effectively. Enterprise customers can better integrate Integer into their system management solutions to enable more seamless functionality of enterprise applications.
• Compressed network communications. Integer 2.1 supports optional compressed network communication streams for more efficient network usage.
• Enhanced access to Integer's parsing and dependency tree information. Custom applications can access Integer's dependency tree information to assure that formulas are valid and will not result in errors or determine the cells accessed by a formula in a given cell.

• The Integer real-time collaborative spreadsheet server can now be deployed without writing any code. With Integer, Athena Design has further increased the already groundbreaking speed and ease of development using Integer. System administrators can now publish huge spreadsheets and let users collaborate in real-time with no programming.
• Swing (JFC) compatibility enables developers to build applications with the latest user interface technology.
• Network interfaces can be mixed and matched with pluggable transport between client and server. Users can access Integer Enterprise Servers via TCP/IP (works great in Internet Explorer), RMI, and secure transports including CORBA.
• Custom formula functions, in addition to the over 400 that ship with Integer, extend Integer's calculation capabilities with in-house analytics packages or other custom packages, even C and C++ libraries.
• Objects can be placed in cells, as well as numbers and strings. With objects in cells, corporations set up business models that reflect all the complexity of financial instruments and other industry-specific objects. Examples of such objects are currency values and derivative instruments.
• Compatibility with COM enables developers to use Visual Basic and C++, as well as Java, to access Integer spreadsheet objects. This means all the power of Integer, including real-time collaborative functionality, can now be accessed from Visual Basic and C++.
• Floating components, such as check boxes and pull-down menus, make it easier for users to enter data into shared spreadsheets. Floating components may be placed anywhere on the spreadsheet to control specific cells.
• Security controls enable corporations to secure their confidential formulas from prying eyes and protect their spreadsheets against corruption. Access to specific spreadsheet sections and functions may be limited according to the level of authorization of the individual user.

Integer 2.1's new features are welcome additions to Integer's previously existing real-time collaboration and real-time, multiple source data feed capabilities. These real-time interactive capabilities, along with the ability of users to quickly download only what they need from the Integer spreadsheet server, are the core of Integer.

"Integer is really quite remarkable," said Jon Kannegaard, General Manager of the Java Platform, Sun Microsystems.

"Athena Design is taking the concept of the spreadsheet to a new level," said Anne Thomas, Senior Analyst, Patricia Seybold Group. "Putting a spreadsheet on the server allows early-adopting customers to collaborate on business logic across the enterprise in real-time. We've just begin to understand what a product like Integer can do."

There are three versions of Integer 2.1, all available for immediate shipment. Integer Plus, a non-distributed version ideal for local application development, has over 400 formula functions and imports and exports Lotus 1-2-3 and Microsoft Excel files and has JDBC database access. Integer Plus is priced at $2,499 per developer with no run-time royalties. Integer Server has all the features of Integer Plus, but is designed for multi-tier application development in distributed computing environments of up to 50 users. It is priced at $999 per developer and $4,999 per server. Integer Enterprise Server has all the features of Integer Server. In addition, it supports synchronized spreadsheets, huge worksheets, unlimited simultaneous users, multiple CPU recalculation, objects in cells and many other features. It is priced at $999 per developer and $14,999 per server.

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All trademarks and registered trademarks are acknowledged. Excel is a trademark or registered trademark of Microsoft Corporation. Lotus 1-2-3 is a trademark or registered trademark of IBM Corporation. NetWare, Novell Directory Services and NDS are trademarks or registered trademarks of Novell Corporation. JBuilder is a trademark or registered trademark of Inprise Corporation. Java is a trademark or registered trademark of Sun Microsystems, Inc. Integer, Integer Server and Spreadsheet Server are trademarks of Athena Design, Inc. All other company and product names may be trademarks of the company with which they are associated.