FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE	

Contact:	Mary Donnelly or Gordon Van Huizen  (619) 488-9411 Fax: (619) 488-3045 
	E-mail: mary@metrosoft.com
                            
Metrosoft ships MetroTools,  utilities to enhance the power of the NeXT workstation.

San Diego, April 15, 1992 - Metrosoft announced today that it is shipping MetroTools, a suite of six utilities designed for the NeXT computer.  MetroTools lets users perform powerful UNIX-based functions with an intuitive graphical interface.  MetroTools replaces command-line complexity with point-and-click ease.  Included in MetroTools are the following utilities.

NiteLite - Protects the screen from phosphor burn-in by displaying animations including the user's own pictures when the screen is not in use. Users can also select a picture as a workspace backdrop. This utility includes a  screen lock feature to secure the user's work, requiring a password to "unlock" the screen.

Archiver - In one step, users can drag and drop files into the Archiver to compress multiple files into one and later decompress for installation, backup and distribution.

Application  Launcher - Extends the application dock beyond ten icons. Users can quickly launch programs by selecting from their own custom menu. The menu is simply created by dragging  and dropping program icons into the MetroTools panel. 

File Locator - Searches for files using powerful filters such as: name, kind, date, size and owner. Users can set parameters for the search quickly and easily.

Font Installer - Installs new fonts, including hundreds of Macintosh typefaces, onto any NeXT workstation. The user drags and drops font icons into the MetroTools panel for one-step installation.

Sound Importer - Imports Macintosh sounds for use  in any NeXT application.

"MetroTools is so simple to use that users might not realize the powerful UNIX functions that these utilities evoke," said Gordon Van Huizen, Metrosoft's President. "It's a tribute both to the NeXTSTEP graphical interface and MetroTools itself that users can take advantage of tools that are as easy to use as they are powerful and useful."

MetroTools is flexible, allowing each user on a system to have his or her own custom configuration. It is expandable accepting additional tools and screen saver modules developed by Metrosoft and others. MetroTools is now available directly from Metrosoft. The package retails for $129 with educational, developer and quantity discounts available. 

Gordon Van Huizen and Ron Miller,  principal developers for Metrosoft, have been writing  graphics software for ten years.  Metrosoft, headquartered in San Diego, California,  has chosen NeXT to be its new platform for software development because of the power and sophistication of the NeXTSTEP environment.