Company Press Release

Zero G Joins Java Standards Group for Multi-Platform Installation Technology

Expert Group to Publish Specs by Year's End; Progress Report Schedule for JavaOne Conference

SAN FRANCISCO, June 7 /PRNewswire/ -- Zero G Software, Inc., the leading provider of multi-platform software deployment solutions, today announced it is one of four Java industry experts selected to create and publish technical standards for multi-platform software installation.

The industry group, which was formed in response to the Java Specification Request (JSR) 38 for Application Installation API Specifications, is a cooperative effort by software industry leaders with specific expertise in deployment solutions. The group's objective is to establish open standards for multi-platform installers. JSR 38 is part of the Java Community Process(SM), an industry-wide endeavor to develop and revise Java technology specifications. The JSR 38 group plans to issue the draft specifications by the end of 2000 for general review by the Java developers' community.

The JSR 38 group will present an update on its progress on Friday, June 9, during a session at JavaOne, Sun's Worldwide Java Developer Conference. JavaOne takes place this week at San Francisco's Moscone Convention Center.

``In a business environment that changes as rapidly as the software industry, it is imperative that our customers can rely on a consistent standards for the installation of their software, regardless of the platform or operating system,'' said Eric Shapiro, Zero G's CEO. Shapiro is one of Zero G's representatives on the JSR 39 group, reflecting the high level of importance Zero G is giving the effort. Zero G's Tech Lead, Tim Miller, also serves on the group.

``As a leader in multi-platform deployment technologies, Zero G has considerable expertise in deployment issues I believe that Zero G's participation will provide substantial benefit to the standardization process. It is our intention to be a major contributor to the JSR 38 group and to help develop these specifications in a relatively short time-frame,'' said Shapiro.

Since its introduction in 1997, Zero G's award-winning InstallAnywhere® line of products has set the standard for multi-platform deployment solutions and is used by many of the world's leading software providers.

Currently, four companies are actively working on the JSR 38 specifications: IBM, Sun Microsystems, Zero G, and NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory, which is as part of the Defense Information Systems Agency (DISA). The group recently met at Zero G's San Francisco offices to map out their plan for publishing draft specifications for public review by this fall.

``We are very pleased about Zero G's enthusiastic participation in the JSR. Their technical expertise and marketing know-how in the area of multi-platform application installation is extremely helpful,'' said Paul Wolgast, specification lead for JSR 38 and a senior software engineer at Jet Propulsion Laboratory. ``Securing wide-spread industry support for this specification is a major goal of our group. Working closely with industry leaders like Zero G helps to ensure that goal.''

About the JSR 38 JavaOne Session

The JavaOne discussion session covering JSR 38 is schedule for Friday, June 9, from 12:30 - 1:30 p.m. in the Gateway Rooms102/103, Moscone Center. Participating on the session's panel are: Paul Wolgast; Eric Shapiro; and Paul Lovvik, a software architect at Sun Microsystems, Inc.

About JSR 38 -- Application Installation Specification

Java Specification Request 38 -- Application Installation API Specification is intended to establish industry standards for software installation by providing a consistent approach to installing software across a variety of platforms. It supports the installation of software products ranging from a single software component to a collection of highly interdependent components developed by different vendors.

JSR 38 was formally proposed in fall of 1999, by the Jet Propulsion Laboratory/DISA and Sun Microsystems. The Program Management Office that runs the Java Community Process formally approved the JSR in December of 1999. The current participants in the group were selected in January of this year. Commercial installer products, such as Zero G's InstallAnywhere, which are built with Java technology, will be able to take advantage of the new standards while continuing to provide developers with enhanced capabilities and functionality. JSR 38 will provide an industry strength specification, reference implementation of the SDK, and a compatibility test suite.

About Zero G

Founded in 1996, Zero G is the leading developer of multi-platform software deployment and updating solutions for use by enterprise and commercial software developers and information system professionals. InstallAnywhere, the company's award-winning flagship product, has become the de facto standard for multi-platform deployment and installation, creating professional installers for virtually any operating system. Some of the company's customers include Adobe, AT&T, FedEx, IBM, Intel, Novell, and Sun Microsystems. Privately held, Zero G is headquartered in San Francisco, California, and can contacted at 415-512-7771 or found on the Internet at http://www.ZeroG.com.

NOTE: Zero G, Zero G Software, PowerUpdate, and InstallAnywhere are trademarks or registered trademarks of Zero G Software, Inc. All other trademarks and registered trademarks are the property of their respective owners.