CodeWeavers Debuts CrossOver Office(TM) 5.0 Featuring Microsoft Office 2003 Support

CodeWeavers, Inc., the leading Windows-to-Linux software developer, today announced the release of CrossOver Office(TM) 5.0, its latest upgrade to the number one product for running Windows applications natively within the Linux operating system. Incorporating performance upgrades found in Wine 0.9, the CrossOver Office open source equivalent announced separately today by The Wine Project (www.winehq.org), CrossOver Office 5.0 now ensures reliable operation of Microsoft Office 2003 as well as vastly improved installation capabilities for most Windows applications.

As a major technology contributor to The Wine Project, much of CodeWeaver's Windows-to-Linux programming work is reflected in both CrossOver Office 5.0 and Wine 0.9. However, CrossOver Office 5.0 also offers a number of unique and proprietary advantages including a new "Bottles" feature that enables the creation of multiple virtualized Windows platforms on a single Linux machine.

CrossOver Office has become the essential productivity utility for millions of Linux users around the world by supporting the seamless, dependable installation and operation of scores of top-name Windows applications natively within Linux. Microsoft Office, Outlook, Visio, and Internet Explorer, as well as Macromedia's Photoshop and Dreamweaver, Intuit's Quicken and Quickbooks, and Lotus Notes, are just some of the many popular applications that can be used on Linux desktops via CrossOver Office.

"CrossOver Office 5.0 is a major step forward for the Windows-to-Linux movement. Its improved install capability alone makes it far easier for Linux desktop users to operate independently in a Windows-dominant world," said Jeremy White, chief executive officer of CodeWeavers. "We're confident this new iteration of CrossOver Office will benefit our enterprise users in particular--not just for its Office 2003 support, but also for its other improvements that make life easier in multi-user Linux organizations."

New "Bottles" Capability

Realizing that enterprises are called upon to support specialized Windows applications that may not be certified for CrossOver Office, Version 5.0 offers a brand-new virtualization technology called Bottles. With Bottles, IT staffs can create custom packages to deploy Windows applications. The capability allows enterprises to manage and isolate Windows applications from other applications supported in Linux with or without the assistance of CrossOver Office.

"Bottles offer a huge amount of confidence and convenience to IT staffs who haven't yet implemented CrossOver Office because they have legacy applications that require one or more flavors of Windows," White noted. "Like a backwards compatibility manager, Bottles create a favorable environment for all of a company's important software. Now administrators can effectively install, manage, and update their companies' entire Windows application inventory within CrossOver Office."

Other operational improvements to CrossOver Office 5.0 include a better overall visual presentation, e.g., smoother page refreshes and fewer graphic artifacts. The new software also provides better support for the DirectX API.

Latest Wine Technology

The Wine Project is a worldwide open source programming community dedicated to creating a practical implementation of the Win32 API under Unix. By working alongside, and contributing to, The Wine Project, CodeWeavers is able to provide CrossOver Office 5.0 users virtually all the improvements found in new Wine 0.9.

Wine 0.9 is a major release and the first architecturally complete iteration of Wine. It offers a robust and fully-functional core architecture, with minimal-to-no reliance on Microsoft components. It was CodeWeavers' work on the MS Installer (Microsoft Installer) and COM (Component Object Model) portions of Wine that has enabled the increased likelihood of Windows application installs in both Wine 0.9 and CrossOver Office 5.0.

Pricing, Discounts

CrossOver Office 5.0 Standard is now available for $39.95. CrossOver Office 5.0 Professional, the enterprise version of the product, is priced at $69.95, with volume discounts available. To download any of the CrossOver Office 5.0 family of products, or to learn more, visit www.codeweavers.com.

About CodeWeavers, Inc.:

Founded in 1996 as a general software consultancy, CodeWeavers today focuses on the development of Wine and other Linux programming solutions. The company's goal is to bring expanded market opportunities for Windows software developers by making it easier, faster, and more painless to port Windows software to Linux. CodeWeavers is recognized as a leader in open-source Windows porting technology, and maintains development offices in Minnesota, California, the Netherlands, and Germany. The company is privately held. For more information about CodeWeavers, log on to www.codeweavers.com.

CrossOver Office is a trademark of CodeWeavers, Inc. All other technologies and brand names are used for information only and remain trademarks or registered trademarks of their respective companies.

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