Lotus Enhances Improv for Windows 
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Release 2.1 Adds Network-Ready Install, External Data Access and Notes Integration 

    NEW YORK, June 29, 1993 -- Lotus Development Corp. today announced Improv
for Windows Release 2.1, an upgrade to its popular dynamic spreadsheet.
Release 2.1  delivers network-ready installation, external data access
capabilities, compatibility with the .WK4 file format of the new 1-2-3 Release
4 for Windows and integration with Lotus Notes workgroup computing software.
Improv for Windows Release 2.1  will ship on July 19, 1993, and will be widely
available the week of July 26 through Lotus and authorized Lotus Resellers.
The suggested retail price for Improv for Windows Release 2.1 will be $495.  A
Companion Upgrade Edition will also be available at a suggested retail price
of $199.
    The standalone edition of Improv for Windows Release 2.0, which began
shipping in February 1993, has been enthusiastically received by a broad range
of users needing a tool to better perform a new class of spreadsheet tasks.
Improv's dynamic views and general English language formulas give users the
ability to examine business information in many different ways not possible
with conventional spreadsheets.  In addition to allowing users to dynamically
view their spreadsheet data, Improv provides a rich set of analytical
functions, presentation and publishing features and data access capabilities.
Unlike simple data pivoting or transposition tools, Improv's unique
architecture integrates the dynamic viewing feature into a complete data
analysis tool that gives users much greater flexibility and functionality.
    "Customers have found that it is the combination of multi- dimensional
views with general formulas that provide Improv with its unique capabilities,"
said Said Mohammadioun, Lotus vice president of word processing and advanced
spreadsheets.  "It is this powerful combination that lets users analyze
business problems in new ways."
Network-Ready Installation
    Improv for Windows Release 2.1 adds a new network-ready installation
procedure that makes installing Improv easier for customers who use Improv
spreadsheets on a network   A single procedure is used to install Improv for
standalone, network distribution or server use.
    Improv's improved installation procedure has become a standard for Lotus'
entire product line.  It was recently incorporated in 1-2-3 for DOS Release 3.
4a, 1-2-3 Release 4 for Windows and Ami Pro, the award-winning word processing
application,  and soon will be incorporated in all Lotus products.
Now Compatible with 1-2-3 Release 4 for Windows' .WK4 File Format
    Improv for Windows Release 2.1 provides the capability to read and write .
WK4 files from 1-2-3 Release 4 for Windows, the new version of the world's
most popular spreadsheet which began shipping on June 15, 1993.  This file
compatibility makes its easier to move data between Lotus'  two Windows
spreadsheets.
                Access to External Data Sources
    In addition, Improv for Windows Release 2.1 will ship with Q+E Extend for
Improv Starter Edition, a licensed technology from Q+E Software, Inc.  When
loaded, Q+E Extend for Improv Starter Edition allows users to query data from
a variety of external database tables and immediately bring that data into
Improv worksheets for dynamic viewing and analysis.  Q+E Extend for Improv
Starter Edition becomes an integral part of Improv's menu to automatically
create the sophisticated structures required to present and analyze data in
Improv's dynamic multidimensional views.  Q+E Extend for Improv Starter
Edition provides users with direct access to five database drivers: Paradox,
dBase, Text, Btrieve and Excel database formats.
    Customers may upgrade to Q+E Extend for Improv Client/Server Edition for
direct access to more than 20 SQL and non-SQL database formats for $99 by
contacting Q+E Software, Inc., Raleigh, N.C. at 919-859-2220 or 800-876-3101.
        
                          Integration with Lotus Notes
    Improv for Windows Release 2.1 incorporates Application Field Exchange
(AFE), a workgroup-enabling feature that allows users to link Lotus Notes
fields with a Lotus Improv worksheet.  The AFE technology enables users to
more easily combine the data analysis power of Improv with the workgroup-
enabling capabilities of Lotus Notes.
       Using AFE, when an Improv worksheet is updated the new values
automatically appear in the corresponding Lotus Notes document via Object
Linking and Embedding (OLE).
For example, a corporation's divisional managers can each take their quarterly
forecast worksheets, which they have created in Improv, and embed them into a
Notes document.  Selected values will automatically appear in the
corresponding fields of the Notes document.  At the corporate level, these
divisional forecasts can then be organized within Notes, based on their
contents -- by growth rate, by headcount, or by sales volume.  The AFE
technology will also work in the opposite direction; a user can update the
fields of a Notes document and those changes will appear in the corresponding
Improv worksheet.
Companion Pricing Targets Existing Spreadsheet Users
    To provide existing spreadsheet users an affordable way to purchase Improv
as a second spreadsheet tool, Lotus is offering an Improv Companion Upgrade
Edition.  The Companion Upgrade Edition is available to licensed users of 1-2-
3 (with the exception of 1-2-3 for Home), Improv for NeXT, Symphony, Excel,
Quattro Pro, and CA-Compete! for a suggested retail price of $199.
    "With the Companion Upgrade, Lotus is providing an affordable option which
is attractive to existing traditional spreadsheet users who need different
tools for different tasks," says Jim Tedesco, senior vendor manager at
Corporate Software.  "We've had great success with Improv, considering it's a
new product.  Improv's unique dynamic viewing and analysis, ease in
spreadsheet modification, and its capabilities for auditing and sharing of
spreadsheets make it the ideal complement to both Lotus spreadsheet and
competitive spreadsheet customers."
    Versions of Improv for Windows Release 2.1 will be available in Dutch,
French, German, Italian, Spanish, and Swedish within 60 days.
    The suggested retail price of Improv for Windows Release 2.1 is $495.
Improv license packs without disk and documentation are available for $395.
Improv for Windows Release 2.0 owners needing network-ready install, .WK4
support, or Notes integration can receive a two disk update kit to Release 2.1
for a $10 shipping and handling charge through Lotus at 1-800-TRADEUP ext.
8945 (Canadian customers call 1-800-GoLotus.)  The update kit does not include
Q+E Extend Client/Server for Improv Starter Edition.
System Requirements
    Installing Improv for Windows Release 2.1 on a standalone PC or server
requires an IBM PC or compatible with a 80386 or higher microprocessor, 4MB
(6MB recommended) of available system RAM, a hard disk with 12MB available and
Windows 3.1 or higher.  Release 2.1 is designed for workstations using
Microsoft Windows 3.1 compatible network operating systems including:  Novell
Netware 4.0, 3.11 & 2.15c, IBM PC LAN 1.2 & 1.34xs, Banyan Vines 4.0, 4.11 &
5.0, MS LANMAN 2.1a & 2.2, IBM LAN Server 1.3, 2.0 & 3.0, DEC Pathworks 4.1,
AT&T/NCR StarGroup 3.5, T&T/NCR StarGroup 2.1a.
    Lotus Development Corp. (NASDAQ:LOTS), founded in 1982, provides software
products and support services that meet the business needs of individuals,
workgroups and enterprises.  Lotus' extensive range of products form the
foundation for the company's Working Together strategy, which focuses on
integrating applications, platforms and people.  The company's first product,
1-2-3, is the most popular personal computer software application in the
world, with more than 20 million users.  Lotus 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.