Oriole Systems Renews IBM SanFrancisco License Agreement

Business Wire, August 16, 2000

Business Editors

VANCOUVER, B.C.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Aug. 16, 2000

Oriole Systems Inc. (CDNX:OOL.) today announced that it has renewed its SanFrancisco technology license agreement with IBM for a one-year term.

IBM's SanFrancisco project develops Java-based business process components. Oriole, which has been a member of this project since January 1999, is engaged in the development of e-business enterprise wide Internet software.

The SanFrancisco project has become fundamental in IBM's recently announced initiative to enhance its WebSphere software platform with "component technologies", designed to speed the development of e-business applications. To this end IBM has created the IBM WebSphere Business Components product line, which includes new tools and Enterprise JavaBean components designed to improve developer productivity, speed product cycles and simplify the process of getting e-business applications to market. The SanFrancisco components and WebSphere Business Components product line can be readily customized for a variety of markets including distribution, manufacturing, telecommunications and banking and work in e-commerce, supply chain management, accounting, and enterprise resource planning environments.

Frank Stama, Director, Oriole Systems Inc. said that the integration of IBM's Internet Web tools and the SanFrancisco technology for back office applications will allow Oriole to be among the first to market in B2B enterprise wide Internet applications with Oriole's Emart SW product suite. He also noted that the renewed selection of Oriole to contribute to this project is a vote of confidence from IBM in the Company's ability to participate in the development of leading edge programming technology.

The WebSphere Business Components, which will begin to ship later this year, include more than 1,000 Java components that are widely used by independent software vendors as well as corporate developers. IBM SanFrancisco business logic is a key part of IBM's component strategy and continues to be a long-term strategic commitment. According to a Gartner Group study, the market for pre-built components will grow from $1.4 billion in 1997 to more than $8 billion in 2002. By 2003, at least 70% of all new applications will be assembled primarily from components.

In addition to many new features, IBM WebSphere Business Components provide the valuable business logic of SanFrancisco in an Enterprise JavaBean environment, offering a simpler, yet more powerful programming model. It leverages the industry-wide investment in Enterprise JavaBean, and transfers SanFrancisco functionality to a wider variety of environments as the "IBM WebSphere Business Components, SanFrancisco Edition".

Oriole Systems Inc. is engaged in the design, development and support of e-business and Internet software through its proprietary product Emart SW, a suite of software products that perform e-business transactions and will eventually allow for all business functions in an enterprise to work together. Oriole provides its Internet software solutions focused on e-commerce with its partners including: IBM http://www.software.ibm.com/ad/sanfrancisco/ and MAGIC Software http://www.magic-sw.com.

For Further Information Please Contact:

Ellen Leesti or Jon Kieran
Investor Relations
Hume, Kieran Inc.
(416) 868-1079

Or phone or fax one of the Oriole message centers:

New York      (212) 504-2818;   Toronto   (416) 352-5899
San Francisco (415) 707-2170;   Vancouver (604) 608-5600

The Canadian Venture Exchange has not reviewed and does not accept responsibility for the accuracy of this news release.