March 26, 2002 For Immediate Release Editorial Contact: Channa Watson Marketing Communications Manager Empress Software, Inc. (301) 220-1919

Empress and Tilcon combine solutions to empower QNX® developers

Greenbelt, MD, March 26, 2002 - Empress Software, developers of Empress, "The Embedded Real-Time Database", and Tilcon Software Ltd, "the Graphical Interface Company", combine forces to deliver a new development environment to the embedded and real-time community of QNX developers. Now engineers using the QNX RTOS can tie Tilcon's graphical engine to the Empress data management system via a choice of two powerful Application Programming Interfaces. The first API is via ODBC and the second API is via the Empress C-API MR Routines. The ODBC interface provides ease of use and convenience, while the lower-level MR Routines allow for real-time data ingest into the database and real-time output of stored data into the graphical engine.

"The collaboration of Empress Software and Tilcon eliminates the developer's guesswork of trying to match one software system to another, saving time and improving efficiency, " comments Ivor Ladd, vice president of technology at Empress Software.

Tilcon Software has extensively tested the Empress ODBC interface and now includes the Empress ODBC client libraries with its graphical engine on all product distribution media. This ensures an immediate connection between the Tilcon graphical engine running on the QNX RTOS and the EMPRESS RDBMS in both local and remote modes using the ODBC API.

"The Empress data management system and Tilcon's graphics tools are a natural combination, resulting in an integrated, multi-faceted development environment for embedded and real-time users," states Ernest Hollander, vice president, engineering at Tilcon Software.

Empress Software also modified Tilcon's Dashboard demonstration program to include data ingest and data output routines using the Empress C-API MR interface. These routines are posted in source code format, so that developers can use them as examples for generating similar routines. These programs are published in Hyper-Text Markup Language at www.empress.com to make the alterations to the original code clearly discernible. An executable copy of the Dashboard demonstration program supported by the Empress embedded real-time database engine is available upon request from both Tilcon Software and Empress Software.

"Empress Software and Tilcon Software are proven performers with a history of serving the complex needs of real-time and embedded developers in the QNX marketplace. This unique collaboration will provide an integrated development solution for QNX RTOS developers. Empress and Tilcon demonstrate their continued contributions in support of the QNX community," states Linda Campbell, vice president of strategic alliances at QNX Software Systems.

About Tilcon Software Ltd.

Tilcon has over 14 years' experience in developing exceptional graphics solutions for the QNX community and the result is an effective development kit used worldwide in highly demanding, interactive applications such as medical devices, transportation systems, and industrial automation. Product information and customer comments are available at Tilcon's web site, www.tilcon.com.

About Empress Software, Inc.

Empress Software develops and supports the Empress embedded real-time data management system. EMPRESS RDBMS is a full-featured, high-performance database engine especially designed for developers operating on UNIX, Windows or real-time environments. Empress has been utilized successfully in diverse fields including image and voice management, telecommunications, medical systems, telephony systems, geographical information systems and network management. For more information, please call 301-220-1919. Check our web site at www.empress.com send e-mail to info@empress.com.

Empress Software Inc.                 Empress Software Inc.
6401 Golden Triangle Drive            3100 Steeles Ave East
Greenbelt, MD 20770, USA              Markham, Ontario, Canada
Phone: (301) 220-1919                 Phone: (905) 513-8888
Fax:   (301) 220-1997                 Fax:   (905) 513-1668 
http://www.empress.com/               http://www.empress.com/
sales@empress.com                     sales@empress.com