Los Angeles, Sept. 22, 1997 - At Oracle Open World today, Oracle Corp. and Fujitsu Ltd. announced that Fujitsu has developed a COBOL cartridge that will be bundled with Oracle Web Application Server. The Fujitsu COBOL cartridge makes it possible for the first time to exploit the vast legacy of COBOL applications now in production at major enterprises worldwide in the development of next-generation Internet and intranet systems. Oracle plans to include the Fujitsu COBOL cartridge and a trial-use version of the high-performance, mission-critical Fujitsu COBOL compiler as standard components of Oracle Web Application Server beginning with the next release.

The Fujitsu COBOL Cartridge extends the wide range of language choices that are supported by Oracle Web Application Server beyond Java, C/C++, PL/SQL, Perl and VRML to now include COBOL as well. Oracle Web Application Server provides innovative cartridge technology for hosting shared application logic in a scalable, manageable and language independent environment. As organizations encounter difficulty implementing more complex systems with traditional HTTP servers, the Web Application Server offers a unique solution with application cartridges.

"Each time our industry undergoes a change of paradigm, from mainframes to minicomputers to PCs and now to Network Computing, a key challenge has been to preserve, exploit and extend existing legacy enterprise systems in the new paradigm. In each past transition, Oracle has successfully addressed that challenge," said Beatriz Infante, Senior Vice President of Oracle's Internet Servers Division. "The powerful combination of Oracle Web Application Server and Fujitsu's COBOL Cartridge will enable developers to take advantage of legacy systems to deliver compelling Web applications."

The Fujitsu COBOL Cartridge comprises a set of standard COBOL APIs that allow Oracle Application Server functions to be invoked directly from within COBOL programs and to use thin HTML-based clients such as Web browsers and Network Computers to access and execute COBOL programs. Oracle Web Application Server then provides the reliable, scalable platform for deploying these COBOL applications on intranets and the Internet.

"Enterprise companies worldwide have standardized for decades on COBOL as the cornerstone of their mission-critical computing solutions," said Todd Yancey, General Manager of Fujitsu Software Corporation Developer Tools Group. "Fujitsu's COBOL Cartridge opens new deployment options for legacy COBOL applications, allowing programmers to easily and cost effectively reuse legacy COBOL applications and lower the cost of intranet and Internet application development and maintenance."

Along with the Fujitsu COBOL cartridge, the Web Application Server delivers complete legacy integration. Whether migrating legacy COBOL, or gaining access to mainframe applications through the OpenConnect cartridge, Oracle customers are able to extend and leverage their investments forward into network computing.

The COBOL cartridge will initially be supported on Windows NT, Sun Solaris, HP-UX and Fujitsu UXP/DS operating systems with other platforms to follow.

The Fujitsu group of over 400 technology, software, and service companies posted global revenues of more than $36 billion in the fiscal year ended March 31, 1997. Fujitsu's World Wide Web Address is: www.fujitsu.co.jp/index-e.html. For more information about Fujitsu COBOL, please call (408) 428-0500 or visit www.adtools.com.

Oracle Corporation is the world's leading supplier of software for information management, and the world's second largest software company. With annual revenues of $5.7 billion, the company offers its database, tools and application products, along with related consulting, education and support services, in more than 140 countries around the world.

For more information about Oracle, please call (415) 506-7000. Oracle's World Wide Web address is www.oracle.com.

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