RDB Sold ... just forwarded the announcement...

ORACLE ACQUIRES DIGITAL'S RDB, REPOSITORY AND DBA WORKCENTER BUSINESSES Oracle Retains Digital's Rdb Employees and Support Services Worldwide Companies Expand Strategic Relationship

Redwood Shores, Calif., Sept. 1, 1994 -- Oracle Corp. and Digital Equipment Corporation today announced the signing of agreements providing for the acquisition by Oracle of the assets of Digital's Rdb database, CDD/Repository and the DBA Workcenter suite of database administration tools and all corresponding support businesses for $108 million in cash. The acquisition will be accounted for as a purchase transaction.

   As part of the agreement, Oracle is making every effort to retain the employees related to these businesses. Employment and incentive offers have been extended to approximately 250 Digital engineers, management and support employees responsible for the development and maintenance of the Rdb database and repository businesses. To facilitate a smooth transition of the Rdb development team, continue product delivery commitments, and provide continuity for Rdb customers worldwide, Oracle announced that it will create the Oracle New England Development center, the first such facility for Oracle in the U.S. based outside California. Oracle will also a Colorado Springs Rdb support center to its worldwide customer support and services network. Employees in other worldwide locations will be integrated with existing Oracle operations in those countries. These steps ensure that customers will continue to benefit from substantially the same products, support and service that they receive today.

   Oracle's intention is to make significant investments in the Rdb technology set. Oracle will continue to enhance its capabilities and quality and will extend the existing gateway technology for connectivity between Rdb and Oracle7 to ensure interoperability between the two database server products. In addition, Oracle will complete announced porting plans for Rdb to operating systems such as DEC OSF/1 and Windows NT for Alpha AXP. Oracle will create an Rdb Customer Advisory Council to ensure an open forum on Rdb future directions.

"We are extremely pleased to welcome the Rdb product line and its world-
 customer base into the Oracle family," said Raymond J. Lane, Oracle's executive vice president and president of Worldwide Operations. "As exhibited by our commitment to the development and support centers and their employees, we are ensuring a seamless and professional transition for customers worldwide.

"This agreement strengthens our partnership with Oracle and confirms our
business strategy to focus on our core competencies and to cooperate with our partners. Even more importantly, it guarantees the continued development and support for Rdb and a smooth transition for our customers," said Enrico Pesatori, vice president and general manager of Digital's Computer Systems Division. "We are confident that our customers will be pleased with the level of commitment Oracle brings to the database product set, and we look forward to our future work together."

   Digital will continue to be responsible for all existing contracts through expiration or for fifteen months (whichever is shorter) while Oracle will act as the service provider. Thereafter, customers will be able to take direct advantage of Oracle's service and support offerings. Digital will continue to offer consulting services for the Rdb product set, and will add consulting support for Oracle7 products.

   All agreements will be effective upon the close of the transaction, pending government approvals.

   Rdb third-party vendors and many existing Rdb resellers will have the opportunity to join Oracle's Business Alliance Program, enabling them to take advantage of a variety of programs and services designed to make them more successful in creating complementary products and selling Oracle technology.

"As the vendor of PowerHouse, the leading 4GL development tool for Rdb
environments and also as a supplier of tools for Oracle7, we know what a powerful combination these products provide to customers," said Ron Zambonini, president, Cognos, Inc. "Cognos has long-standing relationships with both Digital and Oracle, and we are enthusiastic about the agreement."

"We think Oracle's acquisition of Rdb is very positive for third-party
developers such as IBI and for customers," said Gerald D. Cohen, president, Information Builders, Inc. "As a leading provider of tools for both the Oracle and Rdb databases, we see a high degree of synergy in the technologies and the emphasis of both these companies enterprise-wide applications."

EXPANDED STRATEGIC RELATIONSHIP
As part of the agreements, Oracle and Digital outlined an expanded strategic relationship encompassing the availability of Oracle's major product lines on Digital systems; the availability of the Oracle Media Server on Digital's video server hardware; and reseller agreements. In addition, Oracle and Digital reaffirmed their commitment to continue the joint development and marketing activities previously announced in July as part of the Enterprise Solutions Program.

Expanded Oracle Product Availability
To further integrate product offerings, Oracle will port Oracle7, Oracle Cooperative Development Environment (CDE) and Oracle Cooperative Applications to Digital's Windows NT for Alpha AXP platform. These Oracle products already support Digital's OpenVMS VAX , OpenVMS AXP, DEC OSF/1 AXP. Oracle will also make available its low-end Oracle Workgroup Server product on Digital's Windows NT for Intel platform.

Oracle Media Server
Oracle and Digital will collaborate to bring the Oracle Media Server to the DEC OSF/1 AXP platform. The companies will include each others products on a nonexclusive  basis in "information highway" business proposals.    The Oracle Media Server, introduced by Oracle in Feb., 1994 is a digital "multimedia library" that stores, retrieves and manages all forms of information: video, audio, images, text and tables. It has been chosen for the delivery of interactive services by BT (formerly British Telecom), Bell Atlantic, Bell South, and US West. It is also a part of the first deployment of interactive multimedia services in Ipswich, Suffolk County, UK by BT.

Reseller Agreement
Under the agreements, Digital will resell and distribute Oracle software products as part of Digital's hardware server sales efforts as well as its Multivendor Customers Services offerings. Digital's sales force will be compensated to sell both Oracle7 and Rdb offerings in addition to Oracle CDE development tools and Oracle Cooperative Applications. Oracle will resell Digital's transaction processing and data integration software products.

   Oracle sales training and certification programs will be extended to the Digital sales force. As well the companies will work on joint marketing activities including advertising and direct marketing to promote their solutions.

Digital Equipment Corporation is the world's leader in open client/server solutions from personal computing to integrated worldwide information systems. Digital's scalable Alpha AXP platforms, storage, networking, software and services, together with industry- focused solutions from business partners, help organizations compete and win in today's global marketplace.

Oracle Corp., a $2 billion company with headquarters in Redwood Shores, Calif., is the world's leading supplier of information management software. Oracle develops and markets the Oracle7 family of software products for database management; Cooperative Development Environment (CDE), a complete set of CASE and application development tools for enterprise-wide, client,/server computing; and Oracle Cooperative Applications, packaged client/server solutions for human resources, accounting and manufacturing. Oracle software runs on personal digital assistants, PCs, workstations, minicomputers, mainframes and massively parallel computers. The company offers its products, along with related consulting, education and support services, in more than 90 countries around the world.

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Note to Editors:	The following are trademarks of Digital Equipment 
   			Corporation: Rdb, CDD/Repository, DEC, Digital, Alpha,
   			Alpha AXP, OpenVMS, VAX 
			
   			The following are trademarks of Oracle Corp.: Oracle, 
   			Oracle7, Cooperative Development Environment,
   			Cooperative Applications, Oracle Media Server 
			
   			Intel is a trademark of the Intel Corporation
			Windows NT is a trademark of Microsoft Corporation
			OSF/1 is a registered trademark of Open Software 
   			Foundation, Inc.