FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Lotus Launches Notes Release 5 for the Macintosh

Designed to Provide Cross Platform Support By Delivering
Full-featured Notes Client Specifically Tailored for the Macintosh

NEW YORK, July 21, 1999 -- At MACWORLD Expo today, Lotus Development
Corp. announced plans for the availability of Lotus Notes Release 5
(R5), the latest version of the world's leading client software for
information management, messaging and collaboration, for the
Macintosh operating system. By offering Notes for the Macintosh
operating system, Lotus will provide businesses and enterprises of
all sizes with unrivaled cross-platform solutions for messaging,
collaboration and knowledge management. Notes R5 for the Macintosh
will be generally available to Lotus Business Partners and customers
later this summer. "Lotus continues to fulfill its core vision of
innovation and knowledge management across platforms," said Eileen
Rudden, Lotus
senior vice president,
Communications Products Division. "We are happy to extend the
benefits of the market's No. 1 collaboration and messaging software
to Macintosh users once more, while broadening the reach of the Notes
R5 client. Currently, more than 37 million customers, organizations
and suppliers rely on Notes to deliver a powerful and easy-to-use
full-featured client which increases innovation and efficiency for
organizations of all sizes."

"Lotus' support underscores the broader software industry's continued
enthusiasm for the Macintosh platform and the thriving business
opportunity it provides," said Clent Richardson, Apple's vice
president of Worldwide Developer Relations. "The move by Lotus to
support the Macintosh platform will give our customers the best of
both worlds -- the Macintosh platform's ease of use, and access to a
leading information management and messaging platform."
(strikethrough: )The new Notes R5 client for the Macintosh is an
integrated, Web-like desktop environment that will provide users with
quicker access to and better management of diverse information. The
Notes R5 Welcome page will serve as a "personal portal" linking
Macintosh users to many types of information, including calendar
appointments, e-mail, tasks, and intranet information. The personal
portal also will connect Macintosh users to real-time customized news
and information from America Online (AOL) or Lycos, including
business, sports, financial, arts and entertainment, computers,
science, technology or other Web content. Macintosh users will be
able to easily track information within the Notes interface by using
the Navigation Bar, Bookmarks and Window Tabs. The Notes R5 Macintosh
client promises to deliver native support for Internet and major
industry standards and protocols, and will work with any
standards-compliant server. Theses features will help users maximize
global communication and information sharing.

Availability, Languages, Pricing, and System Requirements

The North American English version of Notes R5 for the Macintosh will
be available later this summer for the following estimated retail
prices: Notes for Messaging for $55, and Notes for Collaboration for
$69. System requirements include a PowerPC or G3-based platform,
Macintosh Operating System 7.6.1 or later, 32MB RAM (64MB preferred)
and 100MB of hard-disk space. For more information on availability,
pricing and platforms, visit the Lotus Home Page at
http://www.lotus.com.

Lotus Development Corporation, founded in 1982, is a subsidiary of
IBM Corporation. Lotus sets the standard for truly innovative
software products and services that reflect the company's unique
understanding of the new ways in which individuals and businesses
must work together to achieve success. Lotus is redefining the
concept of conducting business through practical knowledge
management, e-business and other ground-breaking ways of connecting
the world's ideas, thinkers, buyers, sellers and communities via the
Internet. Lotus markets its products in more than 80 countries
worldwide through direct and extensive Business Partner channels. The
company also provides numerous professional consulting, support and
education services through the Lotus Professional Services
organization.