SAN FRANCISCO, March 25, 2002 - Micro Focus International Ltd. (Micro Focus(R)), a leading global enterprise development company for legacy systems, has entered into an agreement with Cape Clear(TM) Software, a leading provider of Web Services technology, to ensure that COBOL applications can fully participate in Web Services initiatives. This new marketing alliance and joint development agreement will be unveiled today at the world's largest Java developer conference, JavaOne, in San Francisco. This effort is the first step in Micro Focus' strategy of bridging COBOL technology with Java in a Web Services environment.

"By working with Cape Clear Software, Micro Focus is positioning itself as a major player to move COBOL into a Web Services environment," said Gary Barnett, research director for analyst firm OVUM. "There is need for COBOL applications to continue return on investment by seamlessly extending these applications with the newer Java and Web Services technologies."

Customers will be able to use a combination of Micro Focus and Cape Clear Software products to define and publish COBOL Web Services. Micro Focus has integrated COBOL to Java wrapping technology into the Cape Clear CapeStudio(TM) 3 development and deployment environment. By the end of the second quarter of 2002, customers will be able to use a combination of Micro Focus Net Express(R) and Cape Clear CapeStudio 3 to define and deploy COBOL applications as Web Services. For the first time, COBOL programs may be exposed as Web Services in a simple one-step process.

"We are extremely pleased to join forces with a Web Services leader, Cape Clear Software, as one of the elements that will further our strategy of bridging COBOL and Java technologies," said Tony Hill, president and chief executive officer of Micro Focus. "Micro Focus is committed to ensuring that COBOL applications can participate fully in Web Services initiatives now and in the future."

"The success of Web Services and Web Services-based integration is dependent on support for the technologies and applications being used by corporations to run their business systems," said David Clarke, senior vice president of strategy and business development at Cape Clear Software. "COBOL applications running on mainframe systems continue to be widely used by organizations for critical business processes and it's important that Web Services embrace these applications. Coming together with Micro Focus, we can offer the flexibility of Web Services with the proven enterprise functionality provided by COBOL. It is further proof of the potential of Web Services as a universal interoperability solution."

About Micro Focus

Micro Focus is the industry leader in COBOL development solutions spanning traditional maintenance and program understanding to business rule mining, Web-enablement and user-interface transformation. With 70,000 licensed users at more than 7,000 sites around the world, Micro Focus offers unsurpassed breadth of platform support, performance and scalability, and the most comprehensive suite of development and integration environments to help customers succeed in taking full advantage of the power of their legacy systems. Founded in 1976, Micro Focus is a global company that employs more than 450 people worldwide, with principal offices in the United Kingdom and United States. For more information, visit www.microfocus.com.

About Cape Clear Software

Cape Clear Software has one focus: creating Web Services technology that reduces the business costs of software development and integration. CapeConnect is a Web Services based platform for enterprise integration that is simple, fast, and cost-effective to deploy and maintain. CapeStudio is an integrated Web Services development environment, simplifying design, development, integration, and deployment of Web Services applications using XML, WSDL, and UDDI. Cape Clear's products link packaged business applications, such as ERP and CRM, and diverse technologies, such as Java, J2EE, CORBA, and Microsoft .NET, across intranets and the Internet. Founded in 1999, Cape Clear is a privately held firm with offices in Dublin, London, California, Colorado and Massachusetts. www.capeclear.com