NATIONAL SEMICONDUCTOR AND BAKER ELEMENTARY SCHOOL SHOWCASE INNOVATIVE, ?PC-LESS? TECHNOLOGY LAB

Thin Clients Provide Greater Reliability And Maximize Teaching, Learning Time

May 21, 1999 ? National Semiconductor Corporation® and Baker Elementary School in San Jose announced today they have established a technology lab at Baker School using thin-client technology instead of PCs.

Thin clients are display devices networked to powerful servers. These information appliances run prolific, Microsoft? Windows?-based programs as well as a host of education software packages.

Baker School?s thin-client lab will provide teachers and students with the genuine look and feel of personal computers while providing added reliability, security and durability at a lower cost. This enables teachers and students to spend more time working on technology projects ?such as accessing the Internet and using educational software-- rather than spending class time fixing and upgrading PCs or adjusting software programs to suit each individual workstation.

National, which makes the Cyrix MediaGX™ and other computer chips for thin clients, led the donation effort to outfit Baker?s technology lab. National provided three Dell servers and 30 color monitors and partnered with the following companies to provide additional products and services. The total value of the donation was $175,000.

• Wyse Technology, a San Jose-based company, donated 30 of its 3350SE WinTerm thin clients.
• Citrix Systems, Inc., of Fort Lauderdale, Florida, provided server-centric software.
• Computer Networks Inc., a Pleasanton-based company, installed the equipment, provided technical support, training and software testing.
• Microsoft Northern California District, donated Windows NT Server 4.0, Terminal Server Edition and Office97 software.

Baker?s newly equipped technology lab was showcased today at a celebratory event featuring Elaine Alquist, California State Assemblywoman; Brian Halla, CEO of National Semiconductor as well as representatives from the Santa Clara County Office of Education and Moreland School District. Second graders from Baker School demonstrated the thin clients in action showing their own Web pages they had created.

?We are fortunate to have such an effective solution for our media center. With thin clients, our students can now spend more time learning,? said Bitsey Stark, principal of Baker School. ?We are honored to be at the forefront of schools using technology to enhance education.?

Baker School is part of the Moreland School District. In 1998, the California School Library Association selected Dr. Jim Ritchie, Superintendent of the Moreland School District, as administrator of the year for his work in improving the district's media centers. Baker's technology lab coupled with its library comprises the school's media center.

?Using information appliances such as thin clients is the optimal solution for schools. Students and teachers simply don?t need complex, expensive PCs to access the Internet, communicate via email or work on writing projects,? said Brian Halla, CEO of National Semiconductor.

In order to spread the word about the effectiveness of thin clients in education, National plans to publish a guidebook this fall as part of its Thin Client@School™ initiative. The ?Thin Client@School Guidebook? will serve as a ?how to? and list companies that can offer products or services --such as Wyse, Citrix Systems, Computer Networks and Microsoft-- to schools considering the technology. After the guidebook is published, National will host a summit for educators and school district officials exploring the benefits of thin clients and information appliances as an alternative to personal computers.

National Semiconductor is leveraging its world leadership in analog technology to provide system-on-a-chip solutions for the information age. While continuing to grow its robust analog products businesses, National is also focusing intensely on the emerging market for Information Appliances ? easy to use, low-cost devices that access the Internet. With headquarters in Santa Clara, Calif., National has annual sales of more than $2 billion and 11,000 employees worldwide. Additional company and product information is available on the World Wide Web at www.national.com.

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