Serenity Systems International Opens Beta Program for 2.0 Release of eComStation

1 January 1970

LEWISVILLE, Texas, Jan. 10 -- Serenity Systems International (SSI) today announced a beta testing program for the upcoming 2.0 release of eComStation(tm), (http://www.ecomstation.com ), an OEM distribution of IBM's OS/2 operating system. This is the fourth release of eComStation, which was launched in 2000.

The new release of eComStation includes:

-- A series of updates to the GUI, and disk management,

-- Additional file system support, including bootable JFS support with

associated performance improvements,

-- Integration with SAMBA, new TCP/IP features, and support for multiple

user profiles, and

-- The most recent versions and updates from IBM.

Hardware support is also upgraded to include

-- Support for installation on Athlon64,

-- Serial ATA,

-- Larger hard drives, up to 2 TiB,

-- ACPI, and

-- Updated sound, video, and LAN drivers.

SSI also recently signed an agreement with SciTech Software (http://www.scitechsoft.com ) for additional video chipset support in 2006.

Though IBM no longer directly markets OS/2 (effective 12/23/2005), third party solutions have played a significant role keeping OS/2 current. In addition to enhancements provided by SSI and SciTech, the most current OS/2 support for Java comes from Golden Code of Alpharetta, Georgia (http://www.goldencode.com ) and Germany's InnoTek (http://www.innotek.de ) which also delivers their WebPack for OS/2, providing OS/2 users with support to run current technologies on their desktops.

OS/2 users, including eComStation users, demonstrate that there is a demand for this mature, responsive, and reliable system. OS/2 has a fifteen-year history without effective, malicious software attacks. As a result, the operating system is one of the most secure choices available and this favorite desktop continues to provide a superior experience.

"Serenity Systems' new release of eComStation in early 2006 will demonstrate to people running OS/2 applications that support for their desktop still exists and that the technology is still being enhanced," said Bob St. John, Director of Business Development for SSI.

Referring to the updates to FireFox and ThunderBird (http://www.mozilla.com/ ), St. John added, "This is new support for browsing, news readers, and e-mail, and it is excellent. Best ever."

SSI has recently announced it will be delivering an OS/2 version of OpenOffice.org Version 2 in early 2006. An excellent office suite in its own right, OpenOffice.org will allow users to exchange files with MS Office users. Previously, SSI has provided earlier versions of OpenOffice.org and IBM Lotus Smart Suite for OS/2. In addition to a new browser, mail client, and office suite, users can access a virtual machine application which supports OS/2 as a host or guest OS, the Serenity Virtual Station (SVISTA), at http://www.serenityvirtual.com .

St. John continued, "All this development is not just important. It is ongoing. And much more is taking place. Fact is, 2006 will be the best year, yet, for using OS/2. People can put their concerns to rest. They will continue to be able to install OS/2 on new PCs, and run important applications."

A demo CD, which builds and runs an eComStation desktop from a CD without touching the hard drive, is available from the eComStation web site, http://www.ecomstation.com. This CD builds a live desktop with some applications, like FireFox, completely in a RAM disk. Though such an approach has limitations, it does provide experience with eComStation on the target hardware platform.

About Serenity Systems International

Serenity Systems International was founded in 1998 with a focus on server managed workstations. Over the years the company has extended support for IBM OS/2 users and worked with services channel partners to develop server managed client solutions. Serenity Systems International is an ISV and software OEM which publishes eComStation and believes the virtual machine technology will be an indispensable component of the computing environment, allowing users independence from vendor strategies. A key component of Serenity Systems International is the focus on value. Value to be provided to our users and our business partners. Nothing is more important or a higher priority. Because of this, activities with Serenity Systems International are characterized by responsiveness and integrity. For more information please visit http://www.serenity-systems.com.

Source: prnewswire

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