Software Architects, Inc.

For Immediate Release

9 July 2001

SOFTWARE ARCHITECTS, INC. RELEASES WORLD’S FIRST SOFTWARE UTILITY THAT SUPPORTS “MT. RAINIER COMPLIANT” CD-MRW DRIVES

Software Architects, Inc., the world’s first and leading supplier of disk drive utilities for PCs that use the Universal Disk Format (UDF), announced the commercial release of WriteCD-RW!™ V2.0 for MS Windows, the world’s first software to support the new “Mt. Rainier compliant CD-MRW” disk drives. WriteCD-RW! provides the user with everything they need to set up and run these new drives on a PC running MS Windows.

Changing the User Paradigm for CD-RW:
While the mastering of CD audio disks has been widely adopted by consumers, the promise of CD-RW as a data storage medium has been limited due to the lack of defect management support by the drives, and by lack of industry standard software for copying and disk interchange.

The Right Solution for Data Storage Applications
These new CD-MRW (“M” is short for “Mt. Rainier”) disc drives include defect management, and address the disk interchange problem by specifying the UDF format for use on CD-RW disks to ensure a standard for disk interchange between different computer systems. To take advantage of these new features, the drive requires a new type of software to support CD-RW media.

WriteCD-RW! V2.0 is the first and only software in the world that enables users of these drives to take advantage of the Mt. Rainier features. With WriteCD-RW!, the user can use the drive with nearly the same interface and behavior as a floppy disk drive.

“Consumers and professionals alike appreciate the simplicity, speed and reliability of the drag and drop interface,” stated Robert Zollo, president of SAI. WriteCD-RW! addresses the user’s biggest problems concerning CD-RW discs: fast & easy reading and writing of files to the disc; and reliable transfer of files on the disc between different computer systems.”

Key Features:
WriteCD-RW! provides the user with everything they need to set up and run these new drives on a PC running MS Windows.

Drag & drop, Drive letter Interface: includes a UDF v1.0.2file system driver integrated with MS Windows Explorer.
Device Drivers are specially optimized to support all new CD-MRW drives
Integrated Formatting: UDF formatting applet automatically opens when a blank disk is inserted.
Background formatting: after the format command is selected, WriteCD-RW! will make the disk available for writing in about 30 seconds. The user can immediately begin writing files to the disk while formatting of the remainder of the disk occurs in the background.
Disks readable by MS Windows UDF readers: disks formatted by WriteCD-RW! can be mounted and read in any PC running Windows 98, Me, 2000 Pro or XP. The format is compatible with the UDF reader built into the operating systems. No third party software is required.
Compatible with leading mastering software: WriteCD-RW! software allows the user to continue to run popular mastering applications for legacy CD-R media without driver conflicts.

Key Benefits:

Easy to use: nothing to learn by the user. Acts like a very high capacity floppy disk drive.
Convenience: background formatting allows the user to save time when formatting new disks.
Data Integrity: reliable writing to industry standard UDF formats ensures data integrity in writing and retrieving files
Reliable Disk Interchange: disks formatted in WriteCD-RW! are readable in MS Windows versions containing UDF readers. No third party reader software is required.
Long Term Data Recovery: UDF formatted disks will be readable in any future computer system that supports this international standard.

WriteCD-RW! V2.0 supports MS Windows 98, Me, NT, and 2000 Pro. Support for MS Windows XP and Mac OS 9 are planned for release this fall. The software is currently available for licensing to PC OEM in collaboration with Philips and other CD-MRW manufacturers. A retail version is planned for third quarter release timed with the commercial release of the drives.

Compliant with Industry Standards
WriteCD-RW! fully complies with the Mount Rainier Group specifications for CD-MRW drives. The software also complies with the OSTA (Optical Storage Technology Association) implementation guidelines for UDF.

For further information, please contact:
Robert Zollo, Software Architects, Inc., tel. 425/487-0122, email: bobz@softarch.com

The Mt. Rainier Group:
The Mt. Rainier Group is a group of companies led by Compaq, Microsoft, Philips and Sony, whose aim is to foster industry adoption of easy-to-use CD-RW drives that have the potential to replace the 3-1/2” floppy disk drive, CD-ROM drives and conventional CD-RW drives with a single multiple-function drive for PCs. Visit www.mt-rainier.org.