NETSCAPE LICENSES OBJECTSTORE PSE FOR JAVA AND WILL BUNDLE OBJECT DESIGN'S JAVA DATABASE WITH NETSCAPE COMMUNICATOR

BURLINGTON, Mass., and MOUNTAIN VIEW, Calif., December 9, 1996 -- Object Design, Inc. (NASDAQ: ODIS) and Netscape Communications Corporation (NASDAQ: NSCP) today announced that Netscape has licensed ObjectStore PSE for Java, royalty free, and plans to bundle it with Netscape Communicator client software. Written entirely in Java, ObjectStore PSE for Java is a high-speed, small-footprint database that provides portable, transparent Java object persistence. ObjectStore PSE for Java will enable developers using the Netscape ONE open network environment to build powerful applications and applets that store Java objects locally.

"Netscape is committed to providing leading development environments and tools to enable developers to build the next generation of Java applets and applications," said Rick Schell, senior vice president of the client product division at Netscape. "By incorporating ObjectStore PSE for Java in Netscape Communicator, we will meet customers' and Netscape developers' demands for small-footprint, portable persistence for their Java objects so they can leverage the distributed computing environment of the Web."

Netscape ONE is a standards-based platform for creating a new generation of distributed client/server applications. Netscape ONE unifies into a single platform standards of the Internet, such as HTTP, HTML, LDAP and Java, and a tool chest of open, cross-platform software and technologies for creating rich, distributed applications on the Internet and Intranets.

Netscape Communicator is an integrated client software product, providing users with the ability to communicate, share data and access information on Intranets and the Internet. Netscape Communicator provides open email, groupware, editing, calendaring and Web browsing on Intranets and the Internet. The product builds on and includes Netscape's award-winning Netscape Navigator software.

ObjectStore PSE for Java provides class libraries that extend Java with transparent object persistence, enabling developers to build lightweight, portable applications that can be easily distributed across the Internet, and which can run in the client or on the server.

"We are delighted to be working with Netscape to provide an important Java data management solution for the Netscape developer community," said Bob Goldman, president and CEO at Object Design. "Netscape's bundling of ObjectStore PSE for Java directly into Netscape Communicator will give Java and Netscape ONE developers not only a simple way to write highly functional, persistent applets, but will also give them a big performance edge running these applets in the browser."

ObjectStore PSE for Java, the industry's first Java database, gives Java developers low-cost, small-footprint storage management for Java objects. Written entirely in Java, ObjectStore PSE products are seamlessly integrated with the Java language, include the same API as the ObjectStore database, and are easily portable across the Internet.

Netscape Communications Corporation is a leading provider of open software for linking people and information over enterprise networks and the Internet. The company offers a full line of clients, servers, development tools and commercial applications to create a complete platform for next-generation, live online applications. Traded on NASDAQ under the symbol "NSCP," Netscape Communications Corporation is based in Mountain View, California.

Object Design, Inc. (http://www.odi.com), the leader in object data management software, develops and markets the ObjectStore database management system and related tools. The company's products are used to build and deploy Internet, intranet and other distributed computing applications, and are designed to handle the data types and data relationships found on the rapidly expanding World Wide Web. Headquartered in Burlington, Mass., Object Design sells and supports its products through branch offices across the U.S., international subsidiaries in the United Kingdom, France, Germany and Japan, and a worldwide network of distributors.

Additional information on Netscape Communications Corporation is available on the Internet at http://home.netscape.com, by sending email to info@netscape.com. Corporate customers can call 415/937-2555 while consumers can call 415/937-3777 for more information.

Object Design, the Object Design logo, ObjectStore, Leadership by Design and Object Exchange are registered trademarks of Object Design, Inc. Object Manager and ObjectForms are trademarks of Object Design, Inc. All other trademarks are the property of their respective owners.

Netscape, Netscape Communications, Netscape Communicator, Netscape ONE and Netscape Navigator are trademarks of Netscape Communications Corporation.