Business Editors, Technology Writers

MENLO PARK, Calif.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--May 21, 2001

Informix(R) Software, the database company(TM), a wholly owned subsidiary of Informix Corporation (Nasdaq:IFMX), and Appareo Software Inc. (CDNX:KNO), the knowledge management company, today announced that Informix Software and Appareo have signed an Informix Software Value Added Reseller Agreement and Informix Software Solution Alliance business partnership to market an enterprise document management and knowledge management solution based on Informix Dynamic Server(TM) (IDS).

"We believe that the Appareo Document Management solution will be an ideal fit for both our enterprise customers and potential new customers who need a strong document management solution," said Brian Staff, vice president of marketing at Informix Software.

Informix Software and Appareo will collaborate on the porting of Appareo's document management solution, Appareo(TM) DMWise, to IDS. Appareo(TM) DMWise will extend the ability of electronic document managers to store both traditional textual data as well as manage complex data types like maps, images and photographs by capitalizing on object relational technology, a key feature of IDS. With power of Appareo's knowledge management solution and the extensibility and scalability of IDS, data managers will be able to operate and query multiple terabytes of data. Appareo(TM) DMWise enterprise edition, is anticipated to be completed by Aug. 31, 2001, and will be an Informix Software certified product.

Appareo(TM) DMWise will be marketed to enterprise customers throughout North America. The joint marketing efforts will include joint trade show participation, Informix Software lead generation programs and joint web casts.

"We feel that the transaction with IBM brings substantial value to Informix Software and Appareo enhancing the competitive position for our solution in the marketplace" says Stuart McNeill, president of Appareo. "Like Informix Software, we feel that the power of the IBM relationship combined with the power of IDS only enhances the competitiveness of Appareo, and we view this relationship as extremely positive."

About Informix Software

Informix Software, the database company, is a leading provider of database-management systems for data warehousing, transaction processing and e-business applications. With more than 100,000 customers worldwide, Informix Software delivers high-performance database systems in markets including retail, financial services, government, healthcare, manufacturing, media and publishing, and telecommunications. For more information, visit the Informix website at www.informix.com.

Informix Corporation and IBM recently announced that they have entered into a definitive agreement for IBM to acquire the assets of Informix Software in a cash transaction valued at $1 billion. The acquisition is subject to Informix shareholder and regulatory approvals, and is expected to close in the third quarter of 2001.

About Appareo Software Inc.

The newly amalgamated Appareo Software Inc. is the product of the merging of Appareo Software Inc., a Vancouver based software firm leading the innovation of advanced knowledge management solutions and Group West Systems Ltd., a company specializing in delivering industrial strength application technologies and e-Commerce business solutions. Appareo's proprietary suite of products help companies to more effectively and efficiently tap the vast pool of knowledge that builds everyday within their organization and on the Internet, rendering this information sharable between people and organizations. Each solution is designed to capture relevant and context rich information to provide people with the right information at the right time. Appareo is helping to shape the new knowledge based business landscape and is poised to lead the way in the business to business market for knowledge management solutions across North America.

(c) 2001 Informix Corporation. All rights reserved. The following are trademarks of Informix Corporation or its affiliates, one or more of which may be registered in the U.S. or other jurisdictions: Informix(R), the database company(TM) and Informix Dynamic Server(TM).

Copyright (c) 2001 by Appareo Software Inc. Appareo and any product names listed are registered trademarks of Appareo Software Inc. This trademark list is not exhaustive. Other product and company names herein may be trademarks of their respective owners.