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Copyright © 1998
Athena Design, Inc.
All trademarks herein
are the property of
their respective owners.
PRESS RELEASE
March 9, 1998
Contact:
Kurt Foeller
Dave´& Bairey Communications
(415) 882-9164
kurt@dbcomm.com
Athena Design Unveils Breakthrough Real-Time Spreadsheet Component for Application Servers
Company's Integer Spreadsheet Seen as Key Technology for Next Generation Distributed IS Applications
March 9, 1998 -- San Francisco -- Athena Design, Inc., a pioneering developer
of application server software, today introduced Integer, the industry's
first real-time collaborative spreadsheet component for application servers.
Integer is based on JavaBean and Enterprise JavaBean technology, enabling
corporations to easily integrate sophisticated spreadsheet functionality
into distributed client/server application environments.
Integer provides the sophisticated functionality that corporate developers require, including real-time data feeds; distributed, collaborative functionality; integration with JDBC databases; and compatibility with legacy spreadsheets. Unlike single-user spreadsheet applications that run solely on the desktop PC, Integer is optimized for the emerging Java application server deployment model. Designed as a distributed application component, Integer gives corporate developers the flexibility of deploying the spreadsheet on the most efficient platform -- either a client or server. In many corporate environments, Integer will be deployed on high-speed servers, increasing performance and data security, while decreasing application development and support costs.
"This is a breakthrough announcement for the Java application development community," said David Pollak, president of Athena Design. "The spreadsheet is a key application technology, both because of its computation capabilities, and because of its ability to quickly and easily capture business logic. Plus, it's a familiar tool for both corporate users and developers. Yet, while the spreadsheet is an essential corporate application, until now there has not been a production-class spreadsheet technology for application server developers. Integer is the first application server to bring the benefits of component-based development to a mainstream application."
Integer is the industry's only spreadsheet technology that allows multiple users to collaborate on a single server-based spreadsheet in real time. The spreadsheet server is composed of two components: a real-time spreadsheet engine that can be implemented either as a JavaBean or an Enterprise JavaBean, and a JavaBean-based user interface. The user interface JavaBean runs on the individual client systems, either traditional PCs or thin clients. The spreadsheet engine can be deployed either on a server or a PC client. Because Integer is based on JavaBean and Enterprise JavaBean technology which is compatible with leading Java Application Servers (JAS) and Java Integrated Development Environments (IDE), corporations can quickly add spreadsheet functionality to their existing application server environment.
"Integer is unique because it was designed for distributed component systems from the ground up," continued Mr. Pollak. "Integer is the third-generation of Athena Design's award-winning object spreadsheet technology, and the company has over five years of application component design experience. There are other products in the Java application market, but they're still focused on the client. Corporations are looking for production-class server-based applications."
"Athena Design's Integer spreadsheet and WebLogic's Tengah Java Application Server provide corporations with an ideal solution for reducing the time and cost typically associated with corporate application development," said Paul Ambrose, Chief Technical Officer and founder of WebLogic. "Integer provides an additional layer of off-the-shelf technology for developers who want to incorporate spreadsheet functional into their application. We are pleased to work with Athena Design as a strategic partner."
Integer is one of the most powerful, easy-to-use Java spreadsheet components available. Integer not only offers access to real time feeds and JDBC databases but also includes the ability to import and export legacy data from Excel and Lotus 123. Integer has over 300 formula functions and supports millions of rows, thousands of columns, and hundreds of layers of data.
Integer implements the JavaBean and Enterprise JavaBean object standards and integrates with a variety of Java IDE tools including JBuilder, Visual Cafe and SuperCede; leading application servers from WebLogic, SilverStream, Lotus, and Netscape/Kiva; and Novell's forthcoming NetWare 5.0 network operating platform.
Product Details, Pricing
and Availability
There are two versions of Integer in beta testing, and will be available
for customer shipment within 30 days. Integer IDK, a non-distributed version
ideal for local application development, is priced at $279-799 per developer
with no run-time royalties. Integer Server IDK is designed for multi-tier
application development in distributed computing environments, is priced
at $999 per developer, and ranges from $4,999-14,999 per server.
About Athena Design,
Inc.
Since 1992, Athena Design has developed and deployed award-winning spreadsheet
technology including the best selling NEXTSTEP spreadsheet - Mesa™.
In the past five years, Athena Design has provided spreadsheet objects
for a Fortune 500 customer base, such as Salomon Brothers, powering custom
applications for the financial services, banking and transportation industries.
Athena's Board of directors includes industry luminaries Mike Thoma, Senior
Vice President of Worldwide Marketing at Brightware, and Alan Henricks,
consultant and former CFO of Documentum. The company recently secured
a first round of venture financing from Brushfire Ventures, LLC. Athena
Design's Web site is located at www.athena.com.
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All trademarks and registered trademarks are acknowledged. Excel is a registered trademark of Microsoft Corporation. Lotus 123 is a registered trademark of IBM Corporation. NetWare is a registered trademark of Novell Corporation.
