FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Contact: Greg Chien

ProtoDesign, Inc.

(630)759-9930

gchien@protodesign-inc.com

ProtoDesign Releases SansGUI Version 1.1

Bolingbrook, IL., May 10, 2002 (www.protodesign-inc.com) - ProtoDesign, Inc. today announces the release of SansGUI^® version 1.1, an update to its highly-regarded modeling and simulation environment for developing and deploying scientific and engineering simulators without writing any Graphical User Interface (GUI) code. With the SansGUI Modeling and Simulation Environment, scientists and engineers can concentrate on developing the underlying logic and mathematics of their simulation programs, rather than spending precious time on learning and programming the GUI details.  SansGUI provides simulation developers with an object-oriented Development Environment to define the model building blocks and implement their behavior.  The simulation users configure their models from these building blocks, enter model parameters, run simulations, monitor execution progress, examine intermediate and final simulation results in the highly interactive SansGUI Run-Time Environment. 

"We focused on two fronts in this new release -- usability issues and existing code integration.  With usability enhancements, the user can perform modeling and simulation tasks with fewer button clicks and view the simulation in progress with dynamic charts.  Existing programs can be integrated with SansGUI, using its external process simulation control facility.  An external process simulator can be a console-based program, an application with its own GUI, a control process, or a simulated process of a real machine, written in any programming language or environment," said Greg Chien, Principal Software Designer at ProtoDesign, Inc.  "Unlike other GUI Builder products or rapid application development tools, which may have hundreds or thousands of API functions to learn and many lines of custom code to create, modify, and maintain, SansGUI communicates with an existing program via a thin layer of in-process dynamic linked library (DLL) routines.  The communication protocol is very simple but effective; there is only one data object format and one API function prototype to learn and use."  Through this modular design, scientific and engineering developers get a high quality GUI for their simulators with only minimal effort, whether they are developing new simulators or migrating legacy software.

SansGUI supports Microsoft Visual C++^® and Compaq Visual Fortran^® for developing tightly-coupled and highly interactive in-process simulators.  External process simulators can be written in any programming language or development environment.

SansGUI version 1.1 is available immediately on Microsoft Windows^® platforms. The SansGUI Professional Edition is priced at US$899 per license; while the Run-Time Edition costs US$49. Another key advantage of using SansGUI for simulation development is that there is no royalty fee involved in distributing simulators created with the SansGUI environment. An educational license for the Professional Edition costs US$299 and a Student Edition with limited capabilities is available for US$99. All items can be ordered directly from ProtoDesign's on-line store.  To celebrate the first anniversary of SansGUI, ProtoDesign offers rebates to users who buy and register the software products during the promotion period, which starts now and ends on July 31, 2002.

About ProtoDesign, Inc.

ProtoDesign, Inc. is a privately held software company with a mission to help customers break the complexity barriers to incorporate emerging technologies into interactive computing. Established in 1997, ProtoDesign, Inc. has provided customers with human computer interface (HCI) software tools, applications, and integration services. Further information on ProtoDesign, Inc. is available at http://www.protodesign-inc.com or call (630)759-9930.

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ProtoDesign and its logo is a registered service mark and SansGUI and its logo is a registered trademark of ProtoDesign, Inc. Microsoft Windows and Visual C++ are registered trademarks of Microsoft Corporation. Compaq Visual Fortran is a registered trademark of Compaq Computer Corporation.