Companies to integrate and co-market Bluestone XML Suite(TM) and

Object Design's eXcelon(TM) XML data server to help customers deploy

XML e-business applications

Object Design(R), Inc. (Nasdaq:ODIS), the leading provider of object data-management solutions for Java-, XML- and C++-based applications, and Bluestone(R) Software, Inc., the independent leader in Enterprise Interaction Management, today announced a strategic partnership to integrate and jointly market Object Design's eXcelon XML data server and the Bluestone XML Suite.

When used together, Bluestone XML Suite and eXcelon provide a highly effective, fully integrated XML data-management solution for companies seeking to build and deploy new XML e-business applications in areas such as electronic data interchange (EDI), enterprise application integration, supply chain management, thin-client device, and business-to-business and business-to-consumer e-commerce. Object Design and Bluestone will demonstrate product and provide details of the integration in booth #538 at Spring Internet World, April 14-16 at the Los Angeles Convention Center.

The Bluestone XML Suite comprises Bluestone XML-Server(TM), Bluestone Visual-XML(TM), and XwingML(TM). Bluestone XML-Server is the first generally available dynamic XML server, defined as the middle-tier link that integrates legacy and new-age data sources with XML documents. Bluestone Visual-XML is a developer toolkit that helps companies build XML-based applications through graphical drag-and-drop programming that generates pure Java and pure XML code. Bluestone's XwingML is a public domain contribution from Bluestone labs that accelerates the learning curve for early adoptors of XML/Java tools.

Object Design's eXcelon is the industry's first dynamically extensible data server for caching, managing and extending XML in distributed e-business application environments. eXcelon lets users define, manage and extend the XML driving their applications without compromising performance, thus enabling them to fully leverage the simplicity, extensibility, flexibility and portability of XML.

"Our products are a natural fit because the Bluestone XML Suite provides the means to access and translate existing corporate information into XML, and eXcelon provides a high-performance data server for managing and serving XML to e-business applications," said Larry Alston, vice president of marketing for Object Design. "Together we solve two major problems for customers seeking to capitalize on the benefits of XML: back-end connectivity with legacy systems, and industrial-strength data management in the middle tier."

The key benefits of using Bluestone XML Suite and eXcelon together include:

--High Performance--By dynamically exposing, interpreting, generating, parsing and caching XML documents in memory, the Bluestone XML Suite/eXcelon solution eliminates the need to redundantly translate legacy data into XML, thus improving application performance by orders of magnitude.

--Better Security--Allowing disparate business systems to interact and update one another across departmental and corporate boundaries raises a variety of security concerns. By using Bluestone XML Suite and eXcelon together, users can allay these concerns by having Bluestone XML Suite coordinate and control interaction between these systems, using eXcelon as an intermediary data store and preventing users from directly accessing back-end systems.

--Improved Productivity--Bluestone XML Suite provides customers with ready-to-use, bi-directional connectivity to legacy and enterprise systems. This eliminates the cost and time required to custom-develop back-end connectivity solutions, thus enabling customers to deliver their eXcelon-based applications to market quickly and cost-effectively.

"Bluestone Software and Object Design are pioneers in the new XML e-business application market, and this strategic partnership will provide our respective customers with the industry's most powerful integrated XML data-management solution for building e-business applications," said John Capobianco, senior vice president of marketing for Bluestone Software.

As part of the new partnership, Bluestone is building an integration between Bluestone XML-Server and eXcelon. Furthermore, the companies will engage in a variety of collaborative sales, marketing and educational programs in the coming months, including joint XML and e-business seminars, and joint trade show, advertising and direct mail programs.

Special Pricing Promotion

As part of the partnership, Bluestone and Object Design are offering special promotional pricing for each product. Through April 30, 1999, Bluestone is offering a special "sneak peek" price of $995 to Object Design's eXcelon customers, and Object Design is offering Bluestone XML Suite customers a special eXcelon developer license price of $695.

For more information, visit Bluestone's Web site at www.bluestone.com or Object Design's Web site at www.objectdesign.com.

About Bluestone

Bluestone Software, Inc. is the independent leader in Enterprise Interaction Management -- the controlled exchange of enterprise information. The company enables enterprises to seamlessly integrate their business applications into a Web-enabled environment and to smoothly and reliably manage information interactions. Bluestone's Sapphire/Web(R) is recognized as one of the most powerful, secure, and manageable Java Web application server framework in the world. Bluestone XML Suite includes the industry's first dynamic XML server and an approachable and easy-to-use developer's toolkit. These leadership products form the core of Bluestone's XML/Java strategy to help companies quickly and easily integrate legacy and new age applications within their organizations, as well as more efficiently exchange data with the external world. Bluestone has formed strategic partnerships with leading software companies, such as Computer Associates, Hewlett-Packard, IBM, Informix, Microsoft, Open Market, Oracle, Sun Microsystems, and others. Major accounts include Dreyfus Corporation, Eli Lilly, MCI, Reliance National, Conexant, and Time, Inc. Bluestone Software, Inc. is located at 1000 Briggs Road, Mount Laurel, New Jersey 08054, phone 609-727-4600. The company's Website can be found at http://www.bluestone.com.

About Object Design

Object Design, Inc. (http://www.objectdesign.com), the leading provider of object data management solutions for Java-, XML- and C++-based applications, develops and markets the ObjectStore database management system and related tools, the ObjectStore PSE Pro suite of small-footprint embeddable databases and the eXcelon XML data server. All of Object Design's products provide superior performance and scalability for Java, XML and C++ applications. The company backs its products with comprehensive training, services and support. Headquartered in Burlington, Mass., Object Design sells and supports its products through branch offices across the United States, international subsidiaries in the United Kingdom, Belgium, France, Germany, the Netherlands, Japan and Australia, and a worldwide network of distributors.

Bluestone and Sapphire/Web are registered trademarks, and Bluestone XML Suite, Bluestone XML-Server, Bluestone Visual-XML, and XwingML are trademarks of Bluestone Software, Inc. Object Design, the Object Design logo and ObjectStore are registered trademarks of Object Design, Inc. eXcelon is a trademark of Object Design, Inc. All other trademarks are the property of their respective owners.

     

     CONTACT: Object Design, Inc.          
              Andy Murphy                  
              781/674-5300                 
              amurphy@objectdesign.com     
              or
              Technology Solutions, Inc.              
              Brian Schwartz            
              617/742-5520              
              bschwartz@tsipr.com       
              or
              Bluestone Software, Inc.
              Anastasia Bullinger, 609/727-4600 x1001
              ab@bluestone.com