FIRST ANNUAL S-PLUS INNOVATION AWARDS

MathSoft Inc's Seattle-based Data Analysis Division, a leading provider of analytical solutions for data mining and business intelligence, awarded The Pillsbury Company, Merck & Co Inc, and Merrill Lynch, with an S-PLUS Innovation Award for industry leadership and analytical excellence.

The Pillsbury Company, manufacturer of world-famous food products -- from creamy, luxurious Haagen-Dazs premium ice cream to Green Giant brand vegetables -- received an award for its Web-based analytical solution using StatServer technology. The solution helped managers use corporate data to predict which new products were most likely to succeed and to identify consumer preferences for future product development. Pillsbury delivered analytical tools to employees' desktops using a simple Web browser, reducing analysis-processing time from months to minutes.

Merck & Co Inc, a global provider of beneficial pharmaceutical products, was selected for its innovative Web-based visualization and data analysis solution used to analyze and identify potential compound candidates during the drug discovery process. Using StatServer technology, they delivered a Web-based analytical solution to Merck scientists using a simple Web browser and provided the perfect platform for collaborating with researchers internationally.

And finally, Merrill Lynch, one of the world's leading financial management and advisory companies with total client assets exceeding $1.8 trillion, was recognized for its analytical portal solution for its international institutional clients. Working with MathSoft's consulting group, the company was successful in introducing the industry's first portal resource consolidating research reports and delivering a powerful optimization tool via the Web using NuOPT and StatServer technology.

"These award winners are reinventing information access within their corporations. Notably, they are leveraging the richness and reach of modern Web-based analytical technology to accelerate and improve decision-making. By extracting useful information from raw data and making the data available to more people via a simple browser interface, Pillsbury, Merck and Merrill Lynch are turning their information assets into a strategic advantage," said Shawn Javid, senior vice president and general manager, MathSoft Inc.

About S-PLUS Innovation Awards

In a first for the company, the S-PLUS Innovation Awards are given to companies who deploy analytical solutions that demonstrate innovative thinking and industry leadership. Winners must demonstrate that their application meets strategic business goals and increases the richness and reach of information, using S-PLUS. This year's awards were presented at the S-PLUS Annual User Conference held in Seattle, WA. More information about the awards and application information for 2001 is available at www.splus.com/awards.

About S

S-PLUS and StatServer are based on S, an award-winning, object-oriented language licensed from Lucent Technologies specifically for statistical data analysis, visualization and data mining. With a large library of functions for all aspects of computing with data, S-PLUS offers an analytical platform of unmatched power, flexibility and extensibility. StatServer provides a secure, scalable solution for the deployment of S-PLUS analytical applications across the enterprise or the Web.

MathSoft Inc Data Analysis Division

MathSoft's Data Analysis Division provides software and services for statistical data mining, business intelligence, and decision support. It has developed analytic information portals for clients ranging from dot-com start-ups to Merrill Lynch. The Data Analysis Division develops S-PLUS and StatServer, which supply high-end statistics, visualization, and predictive analysis capabilities for the quantification of opportunity, risk, and behavior. MathSoft's consulting group provides expertise and methodology for rapid design, development and deployment of Web-based, analytical solutions. The company serves clients in finance, pharmaceuticals, biotechnology, manufacturing and research. MathSoft's Data Analysis Division has more than 140 employees, with offices in Seattle, Dallas, Detroit, Washington, DC, New York, and London.

More information about MathSoft's Data Analysis Division and its products and services is available at www.splus.com, at 1-800-569-0123, by fax at 206-283-6310 or via mail at 1700 Westlake Ave. No., Suite 500, Seattle, WA 98109.

Contact MathSoft Inc, Judy McOstrich, 206-283-8802 x356, jmcostrich@splus.mathsoft.com.