STARDOCK SYSTEMS, INC.
7977B Ronda Drive
Canton MI, 48187

Stardock announces Object Desktop!
Advanced environment targets both corporate and retail markets

For Immediate Release
Monday, September 25, 1995
Contact:        Brad Wardell
(313)/453-0328, (313)/453-1480 FAX, Email: Wardell@ibm.net

Canton Michigan--Stardock's long awaited desktop environment, 
Object Desktop was announced  today.  Targeting both the 
corporate and retail markets, Object Desktop is an advanced 
desktop environment that "turbo-charges" OS/2, improving the 
system's performance, flexibility, and ease of use.
 
"Object Desktop is an IS Manager's dream!" said Oliver Franklin 
of Frankson Information  Management of Artarmon, Australia.  
"It makes OS/2 much easier to use and a much more productive 
environment.  My customers have found that Object Desktop 
reduces their training costs while significantly improving 
their productivity."
 
Object Desktop enhances the existing OS/2 environment with 
updated icons, frame controls, and command buttons, and adds 
new tools designed to boost productivity and system 
performance.  The new features include the Object Navigator, 
Control Center, Keyboard LaunchPad, Object
Archives, and HyperDrive and HyperCache features.
 
"For all intent and purposes, Object Desktop is like a third 
party upgrade for OS/2." said Matt Hite of I/O Magazine. "It's 
more than a suite of applications and operating system 
enhancements--it is what OS/2 advocates have been waiting for 
all these years."
 
Object Desktop provides many ways for users to organize their 
work.  The Tab LaunchPad allows users to organize programs, 
data objects, and running tasks using named tabs.  The Control 
Center offers virtual desktops for organizing running 
applications and minimizing window clutter.  In addition, the 
Control center provides an object launcher, and real-time 
resource monitors.
 
"Object Desktop really delivers the goods." said Alex Bradley 
of OS/2 Review.  "Unlike some products that are all hype, 
Object Desktop backs up its claims with solid performance, 
excellent usability and more.  Any OS/2 user or IS manager 
would have to be crazy to use OS/2 without this product."
 
Object Desktop boosts performance with HyperDrive, a feature 
which reduces the time required to display data object icons 
by making a "best guess" at file types.  By storing folder 
contents in RAM, the HyperCache feature speeds up the display 
of folder views.  One of the most impressive folder performance 
improvements is Browse Mode, which displays the contents of a 
subfolder in the parent window.  Less memory is utilized and 
desktop clutter is minimized because new windows are not opened 
each time a nested folder is opened.
 
"I haven't been this excited about a product since OS/2 Warp 
itself." said David Barnes, Senior Marketing Manager at IBM 
Personal Software Products.  "My competitors recently released 
a product that has some nice features.  But Object Desktop 
gave me everything they have and a lot more (and on a more 
solid foundation--OS/2 Warp!).  Object Desktop will be the 
first thing I install on any of my systems from now on!"
 
Object Archives enable users to work with compressed files as 
Workplace Shell folders, without the extra steps of entering 
commands to archiving and unarchiving files before performing 
tasks such as opening, copying or saving the files.  When 
objects are stored in an archive, the compression and 
decompression tasks are performed automatically.  Object 
Desktop provides disk compression that uses safe, standard 
compression standards--ZIP, LZH, ARC, and ZOO.  Users can 
view and manipulate data from within archives, and in many 
cases, run programs directly from archives.  Best of all, 
because Object Desktop uses standard compressed file formats, 
users can copy compressed archives to other machines that don't 
have Object Desktop and work with them there using the standard 
archive executables (such as Unzip).
 
"Object Desktop brings the OS/2 desktop up to its potential 
and, in doing so, brings it up to date.  And it does it so well,
I predict it will be an instant hit and best-seller for OS/2 
for a long time." said Nicholas Petreley (InfoWorld, June 19, 
1995).  "No one who sees it will want to do without it.  Keep 
your eye on this company--Stardock knows what OS/2 should be 
and it looks as though it is single-handedly transforming the 
operating system into that ideal."
 
The Keyboard LaunchPad provides a fast way to configure keys 
for opening any object.  While graphical user interfaces have 
increasingly alienated keyboard users, Object Desktop brings 
together the best of both worlds. For example, users can launch 
a command line by associating an OS/2 window with 
Ctrl+Alt+Spacebar or other keyboard sequence.
 
These features only scratch the surface.  Many analysts, 
consultants, end users, and journalists have long requested the 
powerful features that Object Desktop brings to OS/2.
 
Object Desktop delivers both power and ease of use in a single 
package. Two years in the making, combined with input from 
thousands of everyday PC users, helped ensure that Object 
Desktop provides an advanced user interface design coupled with 
a rich set of must-have features.
 
"The developers at Stardock have answered the wishes of every 
OS/2 user by providing system-level tools and objects that are 
tightly integrated with the OS/2 Workplace Shell to combine the 
very best interface elements of major PC operating systems 
today--OS/2, Apple Macintosh, and Windows 95--for the OS/2 
desktop."  said Theo Mandel, Ph.D. and author of  "The GUI-OOUI 
War: Windows vs. OS/2 The Designer's Guide to Human-Computer 
Interfaces."  "Object Desktop contains the best set of tools 
and utilities I've ever seen for the OS/2 desktop.  As a user 
interface consultant and author, I use Object Desktop as an 
excellent example of user-centered design and object-oriented 
technology."
 
To ensure reliability, Stardock developed an extensive beta 
program for Object Desktop which included thousands of users 
with a wide range of configurations.  A great deal of emphasis 
was placed on ensuring that Object Desktop would work on every 
OS/2 configuration imaginable. Moreover, a CID-enabled 
installation and national language support for English and 
German will also be available from Stardock shortly after release.
 
"Make no mistake, our marketing goal with Object Desktop is 
simple: every PC with OS/2, whether running in the enterprise 
or in the home, should have Object Desktop.  Stardock will do 
whatever it takes to make this a reality," said Brad Wardell, 
President of Stardock Systems, Inc.
 
Object Desktop will begin shipping on October 2, 1995 with a 
suggested retail price of $99.95.  Stardock expects the typical 
street price to be significantly less than that.  Site 
licensing and wholesale pricing sheets can be obtained from 
Stardock at 313/453-0328 (fax 313/453-1480) which are priced
to sell in large volume.

Press kits are also available.
 
More detailed information on Object Desktop can be found on 
Stardock's World Wide Web site: http://oeonline.com/~stardock/. 
Email: stardock95@aol.com
