Press Release
Contacts:
Tanya Prather Alisa Valudes Bryan Scanlon
White Pine Software Merritt Group Schwartz Communications
603.886.9050 ext 359 703.435.6000 ext. 115 781.684.0770
tprather@wpine.com valudes@merrittgrp.com redhat@schwartz-pr.com
WHITE PINE SOFTWARE FIRST IP CONFERENCING SOLUTIONS PROVIDER TO
SUPPORT THE LINUX OPERATING SYSTEM
White Pine to Support Red Hat Linux for Carrier-Class Videoconferencing
and IP Telephony Applications
NASHUA, New Hampshire - June 8, 1999 - White Pine Software, Inc.,
(NASDAQ: WPNE), a leading provider of multimedia conferencing
applications for the Internet and intranets, today announced plans to
support the Linux( operating system for its MeetingPoint( conference
server, the industry's leading software for multipoint IP
conferencing. White Pine has joined as a Developer Partner with Red
Hat(, Inc., the market leading Linux developer and service provider.
MeetingPoint, which is currently available for Windows NT( and Sun
Solaris( operating systems, will be the first IP conferencing server
solution to support Linux. White Pine has the flexibility to develop
for dynamic new operating systems such as Linux because MeetingPoint
is a software-based server solution. Other videoconferencing
suppliers operate on proprietary hardware platforms, making future
Linux support problematic.
"This is a strategic extension of White Pine's commitment to open
standards and support for a wide variety of platforms," said Killko
Caballero, president and CEO for White Pine. "Because the carrier and
ISP markets have so enthusiastically embraced this operating system,
it is critical that we offer MeetingPoint for Linux to address this
rapidly growing market. We're giving providers the best of both
worlds - high-performance IP conferencing and collaboration solutions
that run on a fast, reliable platform for service delivery."
This announcement comes in response to the growing demand for Linux
support from the White Pine community and the market at large.
According to IDC*, Linux experienced the most growth of any operating
system installed in 1998, growing 212 percent over 1997 and garnering
17 percent of the total OS market. Over 10 million endpoints now use
Linux, and the operating system has received endorsements from such
leading computer manufacturers as Compaq, Dell, HP, and IBM as well
as from enterprise applications vendors including Computer Associates
and Oracle.
White Pine will work with Red Hat's support to develop a robust IP
conferencing server solution for the Linux platform. MeetingPoint for
Linux will give ISP and carrier providers the opportunity to provide
a new service on their existing hardware, and to take advantage of
the stability and superior performance of the Linux operating system.
"We've seen a growing demand across the telecommunication
infrastructure for IP telephony solutions to be supported on the
Linux platform," said Marc Beattie, analyst for Forward Concepts.
"This development partnership between White Pine and Red Hat could
fill a critical gap in the telephony marketspace."
"IT users have already recognized Linux's natural fit with Internet
and intranet applications," said Sandra Potter, senior analyst, Linux
Services, at Aberdeen Group in Boston. "Having a Linux-based version
of White Pine's videoconferencing server solution available from ISPs
and carriers will surely be of high interest."
White Pine will ship MeetingPoint for Linux in Q3. Pricing will
remain consistent with pricing for MeetingPoint for Windows NT and
MeetingPoint for Solaris.
About Linux
Linux is the cooperatively developed POSIX-oriented, multi-user,
multi-tasking operating system used world wide. Linux is used as an
exceptional value, fully functional UNIX( workstation for Internet
servers and other applications. Red Hat Linux is maintained as
"freely distributable" software available from many sites on the
Internet.
About Red Hat, Inc.
Founded in 1994, Red Hat, Inc. is based in Durham, NC, where it is a
leader in the development of open source operating system solutions.
Through the Linux Development model, Red Hat development works to
build the most accessible and advanced operating system available
anywhere with technical innovations such as the RPM Package Manager,
the disk druid installation tool and the GNOME user interface. Red
Hat Linux is available for Intel(r), Compaq Alpha(r), and Sun
SPARC(r) platforms.
About White Pine Software
White Pine Software develops, markets and supports multi-platform
browser-based internetworking software that facilitates worldwide
video and audio communication and data collaboration across the
Internet, intranets, extranets and other networks that use the
Internet Protocol. White Pine's videoconferencing software products,
CU-SeeMe Pro and MeetingPoint, create a client-server solution that
allows users to participate in real-time, multi-point video, audio
and data conferences over the Internet and intranets. White Pine's
ClassPointTM provides a complete solution for corporate training and
distance learning. White Pine Software can be found on the World Wide
Web at http://www.wpine.com.
*Data from IDCNet "1998 User Ratings Survey of Operating Systems", December
1998.
