Shapeware Unveils Visio 2.0 

The Emerging Corporate Standard for Business Drawing and Diagramming

SANTA CLARA, Calif.--Sept. 16, 1993--Shapeware Corporation today announced
Visio 2.0, the latest version of its award-winning drag and drop drawing
program. Designed specifically for business professionals who need to
create drawings and diagrams but are not graphics specialists, Visio 2.0
makes it easy to incorporate job-specific drawings into everyday
activities.

"In our first year, the need for a drawing and diagramming solution
tailored specifically to business users fueled our success," said Jeremy
Jaech, president of Shapeware. "Positive user feedback and the
introduction of competing products validates our initial belief in this
market. With this new version, Visio continues to lead."

Visio 2.0 includes significant enhancements to the product's usability and
extensibility as well as its integration with other programs. "The
improvements in Visio 2.0 are designed to address the needs of Visio's
target market--the business user," said Morgan Brown, Visio product
manager. "Because Visio is readily accessible to both first-time and
infrequent users, meets multiple business drawing needs and is
customizable, it is rapidly gaining acceptance as the corporate standard
for business drawing. Visio 1.0 is already being used in corporate
environments such as Hewlett-Packard, EASTMAN KODAK, Tandem, EXXON and
many others."

Improved Usability--New SmartShapes and Features

Visio 2.0 includes a variety of new features that make the product more
flexible and easier to use, including a new toolbar, double-click actions,
dynamic distribute, context-sensitive pop-up menus, and optional stencil
views (including icons-only view). In addition, Visio 2.0 includes new and
improved SmartShapes' stencils that are designed specifically for business
and technical professionals.

The most significant new usability feature is control handles, which are
built into Visio SmartShapes and make the shapes more intuitive and useful
in version 2.0. Control handles are used, for example, to drag out smart
connectors from shapes and to directly control the parameters and behavior
of Visio's SmartShapes, previously accessible only through the ShapeSheet
window.

"Innovative enhancements to Visio's SmartShapes, like control handles,
provide business users with even more flexibility," said Ted Johnson,
Shapeware vice president of product development. "With Visio 2.0, it's not
how much clip art you have, but how few SmartShapes you need."

Improved Integration--Working Seamlessly With Other Windows-based Programs

Visio 2.0 provides extensive support for Microsoft's Object Linking and
Embedding (OLE) version 2.0, including in-place visual editing, drag and
drop across applications, and OLE Automation. As one of the first OLE
2.0-compliant applications available, Visio 2.0 enables users to work
seamlessly with other Windows operating system-based applications to
easily integrate Visio drawings and diagrams into their reports, memos,
letters, presentations, spreadsheets and newsletters.

"Visio 2.0 is an excellent example of what can be done with OLE 2.0," said
Jonathan Lazarus, vice president of systems strategy at Microsoft.
"Through OLE 2.0, a wide variety of Windows-based applications can take
advantage of Visio's powerful drag and drop drawing capabilities as if
Visio were a native part of the application."

Shapeware's early commitment to OLE technology has made Visio 2.0 a
leading-edge OLE 2.0 application. With OLE 2.0's visual editing, Visio
users can change embedded drawings in-place by simply double clicking on
the embedded Visio object. Visio will replace the toolbar and menu of the
container application with those of its own, allowing the user to update
the Visio drawing directly where it is positioned in the document.

Visio 2.0 also supports a new feature of OLE 2.0 that allows users to drag
and drop objects across applications. Users can drag shapes, portions of
drawings or entire drawings from an open Visio window into a window of
another program and automatically embed or link the object. This feature
also enables users working on an embedded Visio drawing, to simply open a
new Visio stencil and drag additional shapes across applications into the
embedded drawing.

Improved Extensibility Through OLE Automation

New to Visio 2.0, OLE Automation provides corporate users and system
integrators with the ability to further customize Visio 2.0 to meet
specialized drawing and diagramming needs. With OLE Automation, users can
take advantage of high-level programming languages like Microsoft Visual
Basic 3.0 to write code that accesses Visio 2.0 through a standard
scripting interface. This innovative feature greatly simplifies the
process of writing Visio add-ons and integrating Visio into specific
system solutions.

Special Introductory Pricing Through December 1993

Visio 2.0 will be available in the United States in October 1993 through
leading national distributors, corporate resellers, retail channels and
direct marketers. For an introductory period through December 1993, Visio
2.0 will be available at a special suggested retail price (SRP) of $129
(U.S.), including 90 days of free technical support and a 60-day
money-back guarantee. The SRP will return to $299 (U.S.) beginning January
1, 1994.

Registered users of Visio 1.0 can upgrade to Visio 2.0 for $79. Users who
purchased Visio 1.0 after July 31, 1993, can upgrade to Visio 2.0 at no
charge. Both upgrade options are available direct from Shapeware. To place
an upgrade order or obtain more information on Visio, customers can
contact Shapeware at (800) 446-3335.

International versions of Visio 2.0 will be available in October 1993 with
the release of an international English version. German and French
language versions will soon follow and are expected to be released before
the end of the year. Specific pricing and upgrade options can be obtained
from Shapeware International Customer Service at (303) 743-9533.

System Requirements

Visio 2.0 requires Microsoft Windows 3.1 or higher; a 386SX, 386, 486SX,
486 or Pentium processor running at 20 MHz or faster; and 4MB of RAM. It
also requires a VGA, Super VGA, XGA or 8514/A graphics card and monitor,
plus a Microsoft Mouse or other Windows 3.1-compatible pointing device.
Visio takes advantage of a math coprocessor if one is present, but a
coprocessor is not required.

Visio supports all Windows 3.1-compatible printers, including the HP
LaserJet family, HP DeskJet family and PostScript printers.

Visio 2.0 transparently opens all drawing files and stencils created with
Visio 1.0, Visio Home, and Visio Sampler. No separate conversion utility
is required.

About Shapeware

Shapeware was founded as Axon Corporation in October 1990 to develop and
market mainstream business graphics software products for personal
computers. The Seattle-based company's co-founders include Jeremy Jaech
and Dave Walter, two of the founders of Aldus Corporation, and Ted
Johnson, the lead developer of Aldus PageMaker for Windows. Prior to the
release of Visio 1.0, Shapeware received venture financing from Technology
Venture Investors (TVI) and Neiner Perkins Caufield & Byers.

Shapeware Corp
1601 Fifth Ave, Suite 800, Seattle, WA 98101-1625
206-467-6723,  fax 206-467-7227

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