Netscape and Be Debut Netscape FastTrack Server For BeOS

Netscape and Be Debut Netscape
FastTrack Server For BeOS

RELEASED MAY 10, 1997

For more information contact

Kate Sellers, kates@netscape.com
(415) 937-3859

Alex Osadzinski, alex@be.com
+1 (650) 462-4126

NETSCAPE AND BE DEBUT NETSCAPE
FASTTRACK SERVER FOR BeOS
First Netscape Server Software For BeOS Extends Netscape's
Cross-Platform Web Server Strategy To PowerPC

SANTA CLARA, Calif. (May 10, 1997) -- Netscape Communications Corporation (NASDAQ: NSCP) and Be, Inc. today announced that they have signed an agreement to adapt and release Netscape FastTrack Server software for the Be Operating System (BeOS ). The new software is the first Netscape server available on the BeOS, extending Netscape's cross-platform Web server strategy to the Power PC. Be plans to distribute Netscape FastTrack Server in combination with the BeOS beginning this fall, presenting customers with a ready-to-run solution for high-performance Web publishing. The announcement was made at the Be Developers Conference, where Be is providing the first public viewing of the BeOS Preview Release.

Netscape FastTrack Server software is easy to setup and use Web server software designed to let users quickly build Web sites and applications on the Internet, Intranet or Extranet. Netscape FastTrack Server for the BeOS leverages the unique capabilities in the Be operating system -- such as a symmetric multiprocessing design and pervasively-multithreaded architecture -- to help deliver an exceptionally fast Web server with very high data throughput. In addition, Be's 64-bit, multithreaded, journalling file system helps enable Netscape FastTrack Server to provide users with rapid access to volumes of large data files and enhanced protection of stored data.

"Netscape FastTrack Server on the BeOS enables Be developers to build Crossware applications, a new class of applications that span operating systems and reach beyond the enterprise to include customers and partners into business processes," said Marc Andreessen, senior vice president of technology at Netscape. "This announcement further extends Netscape's cross-platform strategy to include the high-performance, media-rich BeOS and Power PC platforms."

"We've designed the BeOS to be a premiere media and communications rich platform, for both developers and users," said Jean-Louis Gassee, president and CEO of Be. "We see Netscape's software products and the BeOS as an ideal combination -- providing users with an operating system designed for today's generation of microprocessors and systems, and powerful server software for publishing and managing Web-based content."

With support for Java(TM) and JavaScript, Netscape FastTrack Server provides an open, fast and easy-to-administer platform for publishing and serving Web documents, as well as developing network applications. Netscape FastTrack Server is designed to help businesses, workgroups or individuals quickly establish a presence on the Internet or deploy Intranet solutions.

"Netscape's server expertise and Be's operating system are a winning combination for the Power PC platform," said Steve Kahng, founder and CEO of Power Computing Corporation. "But more importantly, we think that the first-time presence of a Netscape server solution for Power PC will be a boon to Power Computing customers. We're looking forward to the combination."

The BeOS is a new operating system environment designed to meet the high-performance needs of digital content design and Internet communications, removing the limitations and complexity of the aging architectures of current mainstream operating systems. The engineering team at Be did not start with an existing OS and transform it, but rather with a concept called the "Media OS" and optimized every portion of a new OS -- the BeOS -- for handling digital media.

Be is releasing an advance-access version of the BeOS Preview Release to developers today at the conference, and expects to release the public preview release on CD next month. Netscape FastTrack Server for the BeOS is expected to be available in the fall. The companies plan to distribute Netscape FastTrack Server with the BeOS on CDs, electronically and through BeOS OEMs.

About Netscape
Netscape Communications Corporation is a leading provider of open software for linking people and information over enterprise networks and the Internet. The company offers a full line of clients, servers, development tools and commercial applications to create a complete platform for next-generation, live online applications. Traded on NASDAQ under the symbol "NSCP," Netscape Communications Corporation is based in Mountain View, California.

About Be
Be, Inc., founded in 1990 by Jean-Louis Gassée, is a software company focusing on building new foundations for the next generation of digital content and media design tools. With a team of industry-leading engineers and business executives in the United States and Europe, the company is dedicated to removing the limitations of existing computer architectures and delivering a new level of price performance. In 1997, Be is publishing the first public releases of the Be Operating System (BeOS(TM)), the core product of this strategy. Be, Inc. is headquartered in Menlo Park, California. More information about Be and the BeOS can be found online at http://www.be.com.

Additional information on Netscape Communications Corporation is available on the Internet at http://home.netscape.com, by sending email to moreinfo@netscape.com or by calling 415/937-2555 (corporate customers) or 415/937-3777 (individuals).

Netscape is a registered trademark of Netscape Communications Corporation in the United States and other countries. Netscape's logos and Netscape product and service names are also trademarks of Netscape Communications Corporation, which may be registered in other countries. Be is a registered trademark, and BeOS is a trademark of Be, Inc. Other brand or product names are registered trademarks or trademarks of their respective holders. All rights reserved.