Nexgen offers Year 2000 solution for BPCS® users with DBCS requirement

Naperville, IL — April 3, 1998 — Nexgen today announced the release of Focus/2000 for Double-Byte Character Sets (DBCS), a software tool that automates Year 2000 date conversion and compliance for BPCS® applications with a double-byte character user interface.

Commercial Software Services Ltd. (CSSL) Hong Kong will include the new version as one of the tools used by its LAB 2000 service. Appointed as distributor by developer Nexgen Software Technologies Inc. last year, CSSL Hong Kong is already using the single-byte character set Focus/2000 Version 3.2 tool for automating date field changes in BPCS® applications.

Focus/2000 for BPCS® , was specifically designed to century-enable older versions of the BPCS® software package from System Software Associates, Inc. Focus/2000 has gained widespread market acceptance and is currently licensed in every BPCS® marketplace around the world. Dozens of sites have already gone live with their converted systems.

DBCS is a graphical character set in which each character occupies two bytes. A DBCS interface is needed to present complex written languages such as simplified or traditional Chinese, Japanese, Korean and Thai, which contain more symbols than can be represented by the 256-code combination used by single-byte software. Focus/2000 for DBCS will address the Year 2000 needs of licensees worldwide using Chinese and other double-byte versions of BPCS® , including more than 1,500 sites in the Asia-Pacific region, of which more than 100 are in Hong Kong.

"CSSL is committed to help customers in solving Year 2000 issues," said Frank Yiu, General Manager of CSSL Hong Kong. "We have set up LAB 2000 which has a dedicated professional team to offer services in the area of risk assessment, bug fixing, implementation and testing."

"We welcome the new offering which will assist BPCS® customers with DBCS environments. The new Focus/2000 for DBCS module extends the functionality of Focus/2000. The tool can convert BPCS® applications with a double-byte character set user interface, making date fields input and display comply with the century date change. With this tool, we can enable DBCS applications to comply to Year 2000 requirements very quickly."

CSSL set up LAB 2000 in August last year to help organizations in Hong Kong ready their IT systems for the Year 2000. LAB 2000 services include professional consultancy, impact analysis, implementation of code changes, conversion or reprogramming, testing, certification that a system is Year 2000 compliant, software licensing of tools like Focus/2000, and training for customers who have bought these tools.

About CSSL

Founded in Hong Kong in 1983, the CSSL Group is Asia's leading supplier of advanced computer software and consultancy services. As one of the most successful remarketers of IBM midrange systems in the region, CSSL delivers a comprehensive spectrum of midrange software solutions as well as consulting and training services to meet the needs of different industries, supporting them to achieve rapid business growth. The CSSL Group employs over 350 people and maintains 12 offices in eight countries, serving nearly 1,000 customers. CSSL's Web site is at www.cssl.com.

About Nexgen

Nexgen Software Technologies, Inc. is headquartered in Naperville, Illinois, a Chicago suburb in the area's High Technology Corridor. Since 1990, Nexgen has focused on providing implementation and custom modification services to BPCS® users. Since 1997, Nexgen has marketed millennium solutions for the BPCS® marketplace through its affiliated companies Nexgen 2K, Inc., Nexgen Asia/Pacific, Inc., and Nexgen Europe, Inc. For more information, contact Focus/2000 Sales at +1 (630)300-6000, via fax at +1 (630)300-6122 or via email at info@nexgeninfo.com.

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Focus/2000 is a trademark of Nexgen Software Technologies, Inc.
BPCS® is a registered trademark of System Software Associates, Inc.