Responding to the growing number of original equipment manufacturers (OEMs) and independent hardware vendors (IHVs) designing for the PowerPC Platform (CHRP), FirmWorks announces immediate, multi-boot Power Firmware support for the PowerPC Platform. Power Firmware, the only complete IEEE 1275-1994 compliant implementation of Open Firmware and a key enabler of the PowerPC Platform, offers OEMs and IHVs a significant time-to-market advantage.

"Working closely with Apple, IBM, and Motorola , FirmWorks has made the promise of multi-boot Mac OS and Windows NT systems a reality," said Patrick Kandlbinder, director of marketing, FirmWorks. "FirmWorks is committed to enabling the emerging market of low-cost systems based on the PowerPC Platform."

"FirmWorks has been a key partner for Apple in furthering our Mac OS licensing efforts by supplying Open Firmware to developers entering the PowerPC Platform market for Mac OS compatible systems," said Lamar Potts, vice president of OS & technology licensing at Apple.

"Power Firmware availability marks a significant milestone in the roll-out of the PowerPC Platform. Systems based on the PowerPC Platform specification ship next spring," said Phil Pompa, director of marketing, Motorola RISC Microprocessor Division. "Booting both the Mac OS and Windows NT on one hardware system is very attractive to IHVs looking for a significant volume advantage."

"FirmWorks has worked closely with IBM to bring multi-boot capabilities to PowerPC Platform sys a reference design for developing low-cost, quick-to- market, volume PowerPC Platform systems. Also today, Alaris Corp. announced it will manufacture and distribute to developers both Yellowknife and Longtrail evaluation systems with FirmWorks' multi-boot Power Firmware.

FirmWorks' Contribution to Recent PowerPC Platform Progress

At the 1996 MacWorld show in Boston this August, FirmWorks added the Motorola Computer Group's Viper PowerPC Platform evaluation system to the list of PowerPC Platform machines using Power Firmware to support the dual booting of Mac OS and Windows NT. The Viper performed its dual boot using a single graphics adapter, keyboard and mouse for both Mac OS and Windows NT.

In June, at PC Expo in New York City, as well as at Computex in Taiwan, Firmworks,along with IBM and VLSI, demonstrated the ability to boot Mac OS and Windows NT on an IBM PowerPC Platform reference design with a single ATI 264VT graphics adapter, keyboard and mouse.

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