LOTUS ANNOUNCES COMPREHENSIVE TECHNICAL SUPPORT ON THE WORLD WIDE WEB

InterNotes Web Publisher and Intelligent Information Retrieval Technology
Ease Access to Technical Documents

CAMBRIDGE, Mass., April 24, 1995 -- Lotus Development Corp. today announced
that its award-winning technical support services are available to users
via the World Wide Web. The Lotus Customer Support & Service (CS&S)
Internet/WWW service extends the reach of Lotus' global customer support
services by offering easy access to technical information, support
programs and supplemental files directly from Lotus' Internet home page
(http://www.lotus.com).

Key support information on all Lotus products and programs is provided in
easy-to-navigate Hypertext Markup Language (HTML) pages and views
generated from Lotus' Notes support databases using the Lotus InterNotes
Web Publisher. By capitalizing on Notes' core technology, InterNotes Web
Publisher provides an easy and secure way to manage, access and distribute
information on the Internet. In addition, Lotus' intelligent information
retrieval system, called Orion, allows users to access Lotus' entire
knowledge base of technical documents using a plain English searches.
Users, however, do not need Lotus Notes to take advantage of this
comprehensive support service. Any World Wide Web browser can be used to
access Lotus' technical support WWW and FTP services while still taking
advantage of the Notes-generated views.

CS&S INTERNET/WWW INCREASES TECHNICAL-SUPPORT FLEXIBILITY

Lotus is committed to helping customers achieve maximum value from its
products and services. "With the Internet becoming a viable business tool,
it's necessary that we have a strong technical support presence on the Web
to meet growing customer demands," said Dave Champagne, vice president of
Lotus Customer Support and Services. "We're offering customers an
easy-to-use reference option that is available 24 hours a day, worldwide.
It's essentially a virtual help desk."

"In January, a survey of on-line service users indicated that 70 percent
used the services primarily for some form of technical support," said Kurt
Johnson, an analyst at IDC. "Companies who can deliver this support in
simple, straightforward fashion will be held in high regard by customers
who will view it as one more way to defray support costs."

THREE SEARCHING MECHANISMS SIMPLIFY TECHNICAL-SUPPORT QUERIES

In order to provide users with fast and efficient access to Lotus technical
support on the World Wide Web, Lotus has incorporated three searching
mechanisms in the CS&S/WWW service that allow users to locate the right
information quickly and easily. First, using a Notes view structure
created with the Lotus InterNotes Web Publisher, users can view important
product and program information in an intuitive Notes view-like format.
These views allow quick access to specific sets of data pertaining to
support programs, product specifications and frequently-asked questions.
This information comes direct from many Lotus support Notes databases, and
is updated daily.

Secondly, Lotus has given users intuitive text-retrieval access to Lotus'
knowledge base of technical notes via Orion. This intelligent information
retrieval system makes it possible to search thousands of technical notes
using logical, English-language queries. Orion is easy and effective to
use because it works the way people think. Users can ask a question using
plain English and the search engine understands the terminology through a
concept recognition facility. This enables customers to use words, phrases
and terms with which they are comfortable. Orion associates the terms with
industry jargon and techno-speak to deliver the same high-quality results
as if the customer had entered a complex Boolean query using restrictive
word variations, synonyms and operators. This fast and straightforward
English-language search system decreases the amount of time required to
search for information, providing fast access to quality answers.

The third searching mechanism applies integrated File Transfer Protocol
(FTP) access to search on CS&S downloadable files, such as software
updates, Lotus ScreenCam movies, modem configuration files, worksheet
templates and other value-added resources. FTP resources are organized by
products and features, and are linked specifically to relevant product
areas throughout the site.

SYSTEM REQUIREMENTS, AVAILABILITY AND PRICING

System requirements for the CS&S Internet/WWW service include access to the
Internet via an Internet access provider, and a World Wide Web browser.
Lotus' CS&S Internet/WWW service is available immediately from the Lotus
Internet home page at http://www.lotus.com. Click on the technical support
icon to go directly to the customer support information. The only costs
are based upon the user's Internet access provider. No additional charges
apply. For additional information, or to send comments and suggestions
about Lotus Customer Support & Service's WWW services, customers can send
E-mail to Lotus at supportweb@lotus.com.

Lotus Development Corp. (NASDAQ: LOTS), founded in 1982, offers high
quality software products and support services that reflect the company's
unique understanding of the new ways in which individuals and businesses
must work together to achieve success. Lotus' innovative approach is
evident in a new class of applications that allows information to be
accessed and communicated in ways never before possible, both within and
beyond organizational boundaries. The company now markets its products in
more than 80 countries worldwide and provides numerous support services,
both from its consulting division and its award-winning 24-hour support
center.

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