TurboLinux Releases Newest High Performance Linux Product for U.S. Market; TurboLinux Workstation 3.6 Based on Latest 2.2.9 Linux Kernel

Business Wire, June 29, 1999

SAN FRANCISCO--(BUSINESS WIRE)--June 29, 1999--

TurboLinux, the leader in high-performance Linux, today announced it is shipping its newest English language offering, TurboLinux Workstation 3.6.

Based on the 2.2.9 Linux kernel, TurboLinux Workstation 3.6 retails for $49.95 and is currently available from the company's web site at www.turbolinux.com. It will be available in North America through retail outlets and resellers later this summer.

"TurboLinux is best known as the Linux leader in the Pacific Rim through our Japanese and Chinese language products," said Cliff Miller, president and CEO of TurboLinux. "TurboLinux Workstation 3.6 is the first of a series of forthcoming Linux offerings that are designed to meet the needs of high performance Linux users in North America and illustrate our ongoing commitment to this market. On TurboLinux Workstation 3.6 we've also improved the installer that Forbes Online and other reviewers described as the best in the market."

TurboLinux Workstation 3.6 includes Netscape's latest version 4.6 browser and an easy-to- install RPM version of Corel's popular WordPerfect 8 for Linux. Other popular office productivity software for Linux and a comprehensive suite of developer tools are also included. For increased flexibility, TurboLinux Workstation 3.6 users can choose between the default TurboDesk desktop environment or the latest GNOME or KDE windows managers.

TurboLinux Workstation 3.6 ships with an all-new 300-page user's guide. In addition to the installation and source CDs, users also receive a Companion CD packed with popular Linux applications and utilities, including Tripwire, Staroffice 5.0 and X-win32. TurboLinux provides 60 days of free installation support.

TurboLinux, formerly called Pacific HiTech, is quickly emerging as a dominant, global player in the Linux industry with offices in the U.S, Japan, China and Australia. It recently announced major alliances with IBM, Computer Associates and Hewlett-Packard. The company has shipped more than two million units of its Linux products in the past 18 months. After TurboLinux 3.0's December 1998 introduction in Asia, it rapidly outsold Microsoft's Windows NT (2000) at Japanese retail point of sale outlets, according to the Asia-Pacific high technology analyst firm, Computer News. Further, the product was voted "Editor's Choice Best Software Product for 1998" by Byte Magazine in Japan.

According to International Data Corporation (IDC), there are more than 12 million Linux users worldwide. In 1998, the Linux market grew by 212 percent and nearly 18 percent of all server hardware licenses sold last year were Linux, according to IDC. Another consulting firm, NetCraft, estimates that Linux or other Open Source Software currently runs on more than half of all web servers worldwide.

About TurboLinux

TurboLinux, formerly Pacific HiTech, was founded in 1992 and has emerged as the world's fastest growing Linux company. Since 1998, TurboLinux has shipped more than two million units of Linux globally and is the Pacific Rim's dominant supplier with a marketshare of more than 50 percent, according to Business Computer News in Japan. TurboLinux offers the only version of Linux designed for the "double byte" character sets of the Japanese and Chinese alphabets as well as European languages. The company's high-performance consumer and business Linux products are designed for Intel workstation and server platforms and supported globally by IBM and Hewlett-Packard. Headquartered in San Francisco, TurboLinux has offices in Tokyo, Beijing and Sydney. It can be found on the Internet at www.turbolinux.com or, in Japanese, at www.pht.co.jp.