Release Includes Both Full Product and Low-Cost Personal EMPRESS for Linux
Greenbelt, Maryland -- May 1, 1995 -- Empress Software Inc. announces immediate availability of the EMPRESS Relational Database Management System (RDBMS) Version 6.6 for Linux, the freely distributed Unix-like operating system for PCs used by thousands of independent developers and programmers worldwide. The successful port to Linux provides customers a choice of two levels of product: the single user Personal EMPRESS for Linux and the full-function EMPRESS RDBMS available through the company's established distribution channels.
Personal EMPRESS for Linux is a low-cost, single-user version designed especially for the rapidly growing Linux users community. It includes Version 6.6 of the EMPRESS RDBMS and 4GL application generator; SQL, Dynamic SQL and host language C interface; and the EMPRESS GUI Builder for Motif. The EMPRESS GUI Builder, which allows rapid development of user-friendly graphical front-ends to EMPRESS applications, requires OSF Motif. Personal EMPRESS for Linux is available on CD-ROM for US$80 (in the U.S. and Canada; US$120 outside of North America), including tax and shipping, and can be ordered directly from Empress Software through the Empress Software World Wide Web home page (http://www.empress.com/). Technical support is available for US$250 a quarter, which includes telephone support, software updates, Internet access to Empress Technical notes and a quarterly subscription to the users' newsletter Empressions.
The full-function, multi-user version provides heterogeneous distributed processing capabilities. Options include the EMPRESS ODBC Interface for allowing PC applications to access EMPRESS databases. Other features and functions include shared library and memory, math library functions, FORTRAN and host language C interfaces. Full technical support is provided. Standard product pricing and licensing terms apply.
Linux was created by principal author Linus Torvalds and many other programmers around the world who hold copyright to their particular portions of the code. It is an independent implementation of a superset of the POSIX specification with which all true versions of Unix comply and can run software written for many different flavors of Unix. Used for software development, networking, and as an end-user platform, Linux is gaining popularity as a cost-effective alternative to more expensive Unix systems. Linux is distributed free, primarily through numerous Internet sites, but is protected by the GNU Public License which requires that the source code always be freely available. Individuals may sell Linux as long as they make no attempt to limit its redistribution.
"EMPRESS was born out of the same spirit of independence that has fueled the growth and popularity of the Linux operating system", said John Kornatowski, Empress Software president. "We feel a part of that community and are excited to be bringing it the sophisticated development tools needed to speed the creation of high quality applications. As Linux gains acceptance in traditional markets, we'll already be there with an established development platform."
Mr. Kornatowski and Empress Vice President of Technology Ivor Ladd developed a prototype of the EMPRESS RDBMS in 1979 as graduate students working together at the University of Toronto. Their company has always actively acknowledged its roots in academia by making the EMPRESS RDBMS and 4GL available to university computer science programs, maintaining a presence on the Internet and now by providing a low-cost RDBMS to Linux users.
Empress is the world's most advanced RDBMS, 4GL and GUI Builder with features such as ANSI standard SQL, a "C" callable RDBMS kernel, a full function report writer and 4GL application generator. Offering advanced functionality, including object-oriented capabilities and multimedia data types, EMPRESS delivers high performance applications that can be prototyped, developed and executed in local or distributed mode with true location independence. With its user-defined functions, the EMPRESS GUI Builder stores and displays binary data using Motif with mouse support.
Applications developed with EMPRESS include mapping, weather forecasting, voice messaging, multimedia, image processing, medical systems and CAD/CAM, as well as traditional RDBMS and 4GL solutions. Empress' Sales and Marketing offices are in the Washington, D.C., suburb of Greenbelt, Maryland, and in San Jose, California. Toronto, Canada, is the site of the company's Research and Development Center as well as International Sales and Marketing.
For more information, contact Empress Software Inc., 6401 Golden Triangle Drive, Suite 220, Greenbelt, MD 20770. Call 301-220-1919. Fax 301-220-1997. For Canadian and international inquiries, call 905-513-8888. International fax 905-513-1668.