Borland® JBuilder™ To Include Droplets User Interface Server™ and SDK

NEW YORK, July 8, 2002 - Droplets, a software infrastructure provider, and Borland Software Corporation, a leading provider of technology used to develop, deploy and integrate software applications, today announced that the companies have worked together to integrate the Droplets User Interface Server™ and SDK with Borland® JBuilder™, the leading Java development environment to test Java applications. A trial evaluation copy of Droplets UI Server and SDK will be distributed with the JBuilder 7 Companion CD.

This integration enables JBuilder users to start a Droplets project wizard within their Java-based development environment and build applications that feature the user experience of typical local client applications, such as browser-independent windows, component based interfaces, asynchronous data, and dedicated application icons, while preserving the convenience and control of central server deployment. The Droplets platform maintains all business logic on the server, allowing enterprises to easily maintain and upgrade applications while preventing virus and security breaches common in today’s client/server and HTML-based browser deployments.

“Borland technology partner Droplets was easily able to take complete advantage of the highly extensible architecture of JBuilder to develop their innovative solutions,'' said Tony de la Lama, vice president and general manager of Java Solutions at Borland Software Corporation. “Our JBuilder customers now have an application platform on which to build highly interactive, highly portable, real-time Java applications to a wide variety of client devices."

Droplets provides superior user interface functionality and simplified deployment by enabling intelligent applications to be administered from a central server, over thin bandwidth connections, and accessed from a desktop icon, wireless device or portal Web top. Droplets-based applications feature the usability and productivity advantages of local software, while maintaining all application code centrally, and using 1/10th the bandwidth of HTML-based applications.

"Developers today have to make a critical decision upfront about the deployment architecture, and it’s largely depending on how interactive and mobile the application needs to be," said Rikki Kirzner, research director, IDC. "Fortunately, new technologies are coming out with a combined value proposition of client/server functionality, and the centralized deployment of the Web. Now, developers can build server-side applications with all the charisma, ease of use and speed of client-side software, and use industry standard languages and tools that are familiar and widely supported.”

Earlier this year, Droplets joined the Borland Technology Partner Program as it began its integration with JBuilder. Louis Franco, chief architect with Droplets, Inc. said, “More and more customers have been asking for IDE integration to make it faster and easier to start development projects. The choice to focus first on Borland JBuilder was easy. JBuilder is the easiest to use, most robust in terms of functionality, and the most popular among Java developers.”

Pricing and Availability
The evaluation license of Droplets User Interface Server and SDK for Borland JBuilder will be available from Droplets and Borland in 30 days. The integration with Borland JBuilder is offered at no extra charge. Borland JBuilder is available for purchase in three editions: Enterprise, Professional, and Personal. For additional information, please visit http://www.borland.com.

About Borland® JBuilder™ 7
Borland JBuilder is the leading cross-platform environment for building industrial-strength enterprise Java applications. JBuilder 7 adheres to the latest Java standards and shortens the development cycle. Enterprise JavaBeans™ (EJB™), Web, XML, and database application development are simplified with JBuilder's two-way visual designers and rapid deployment to more J2EE platform application servers than any other Java development environment. JBuilder 7 combines UML™ code visualization, unit testing, and support for multiple platforms and version control systems with improved refactoring to enhance developer productivity. With toolbar access to Optimizeit Suite and TeamSource DSP, JBuilder 7 seamlessly connects key aspects of application development lifecycle to the development environment. JBuilder 7 includes Web Services capabilities and compliance with current mobile application standards. Customized tasks and build processes can easily integrate with centralized Apache™ Ant-based build processes. JBuilder 7 is available in three versions: Enterprise, the newly available SE, and Personal. For more information, visit http://www.borland.com/jbuilder/.

About Borland
Borland Software Corporation is a leading provider of technology used to develop, deploy, integrate and manage software applications. Delivering best-in-class technology solutions dedicated to interoperability, Borland allows enterprises of all sizes to move into Web based computing while leveraging legacy systems. From the Fortune 1000 to the Borland Developer Network comprised of millions of developers around the world, Borland provides customers the freedom to develop applications, deploy them anywhere, and integrate and manage them across the enterprise. Borland solutions enable organizations to increase productivity and deliver higher performance projects faster and on budget, while lowering total cost of ownership.

Founded in 1983, Borland is headquartered in Scotts Valley, California with operations worldwide. To learn more, visit Borland at http://www.borland.com, the community site at http://community.borland.com, or call Borland at (800) 632-2864.

About Droplets
Founded in May 2000 and headquartered in New York City, Droplets, Inc. provides an application platform and standards-based Java and C++ development tools for deploying highly interactive, real-time applications. The Droplets platform provides the full GUI capabilities of fat client software, directly from the desktop or through a Web browser, while maintaining all application code on your servers. Droplets provides significant bandwidth savings over Web-based applications, while increasing end-user productivity, customer intimacy and partner loyalty. Strategic partners include Borland, PricewaterhouseCoopers, and Sun Microsystems. Visit www.droplets.com.

Contact
Bill Power
Droplets, Inc.
+1 212.691.0080 x140
bpower@droplets.com

© 2002 Droplets, Inc. All rights reserved. Droplets, User Interface Server, Dripline, Universal User Interface and the Droplets logo are trademarks of Droplets, Inc. All Borland brand and product names are trademarks or registered trademarks of Borland Software Corporation, in the United States and other countries. All other brand or product names are trademarks or registered trademarks of their respective holders.