DECKTOOLS PRICING AND RELEASE PLAN CHANGES

An Important Announcement for all DeckTools Customers and NADRA Members

Naples, FL, August 14, 2007: DeckTools is announcing one of the biggest changes in DeckTools history in order to keep bringing you the best deck design and sales software for the Deck and Railing industry. Effective August 14, 2007, a DeckTools software license will now be available for a price of $1,495. Please take a couple of minutes to read this important announcement carefully as it affects DeckTools updates, subscribers, and licensees. It also introduces an unmatched benefit exclusive to incoming and existing NADRA members.

Switching to a Release Plan:
The version numbering system DeckTools has historically used to track software versions does not accurately reflect the number of DeckTools releases or the effort required to develop and improve the software with new features and materials. For example, the current version is 1.2 Build 252. This means DeckTools had 252 internal release candidate builds since DeckTools development began over four years ago. About 25 of those builds became public releases, at no additional cost to DeckTools customers.

DeckTools will now have no more than one major software release per calendar year. For example, the next DeckTools release (previously titled Build 253) will now be titled DeckTools 2007 and will be the biggest release of this year. Any additional updates in 2007 will be limited to fixes and/or minor changes. Plans for DeckTools 2008 (previously titled DeckTools 2.0) are already underway and future releases will be titled accordingly based on the year of the major release. Each new version will contain all of its new features and materials upon its release. Any training on future releases through venues such as NADRA and DeckExpo will cover all of the features incorporated into the new release, minimizing the learning curve on new features to your off season.

Initial Pricing:
For the first few years that DeckTools was available it was priced at $3,295 and that price included all 1.x updates. DeckTools refused to set the future price for the 2.0 upgrade until the cost of developing 2.0 was better defined.

New DeckTools Pricing Structure:
DeckTools customers using and benefiting from the software have always understood the value DeckTools added by helping to significantly improve their sales close rates. The company heard non-DeckTools customers' ongoing comments about the software license price loud and clear. These comments were mostly due to a lack of understanding of the value DeckTools software added to their business, but nevertheless it blocked many from taking advantage of the benefits DeckTools brought to the industry. Subscriptions were not the simple answer DeckTools hoped they would be. Today DeckTools is announcing a new pricing structure that should please DeckTools customers while still supporting the ongoing costs of software development required to continue building a successful business.

DeckTools is dramatically changing the price of a DeckTools license for the first time since DeckTools began in 2003. DeckTools is going to test this new pricing structure for a limited time to gauge how it is received by the industry. Starting today, August 14, 2007, the price for a DeckTools 1.2 Build 252 license is $1,495 USD. This new price provides access to DeckTools 1.2 Build 252 on your machine for as long as you want. It also includes all software updates for this calendar year, including DeckTools 2007. When the next major upgrade is released (expected to be DeckTools 2008), it will be priced at $1,495 USD. If you already own DeckTools 2007 at that time, you will have the option to upgrade to DeckTools 2008 for about 40% of that cost (specifically $600). This is not the same as a subscription or a support contract as you've seen with other products in this industry; if you don't feel the features in the next major release merit the upgrade then just keep using and benefiting from DT 2007 or wait and see if you find the next upgrade more compelling. The choice is yours.

Existing Customer Benefits:
What does this mean for existing 1.0, 1.1, and 1.2 customers? In addition to your free upgrade to DeckTools 2007, "Premiere Customers" (defined as license purchase customers prior to today's announcement) will be given the next major release (was titled as DeckTools 2.0 and is expected to be titled DeckTools 2008) at no additional cost.

Subscriptions:
At the beginning of 2007, the third season since 1.0 was released, DeckTools decided to try something new, and offer subscriptions with monthly or quarterly payments. DeckTools did this to help cover the ongoing development costs in keeping up with materials integration, feature requests, updated technology and new platforms. The subscription model proved to be a significant drain on the time and resources of the company. Subscriptions did enable a broad new range of users to benefit from DeckTools at a much lower price. However, subscriptions also brought a new set of problems, the effect of which resulted in slowing software development to well below DeckTools release schedule standards. Therefore DeckTools has decided to close the subscription program to new subscribers. Existing subscribers may still maintain their current subscriptions and will continue to benefit from low monthly or quarterly payments. However, as of this announcement, single subscriptions of DeckTools will no longer be offered. By the way, if you are reading this and you aren't already a NADRA member yet, now is the time to join as you'll see below.

Converting Subscriptions:
For a limited time, until the end of August 2007, existing DeckTools monthly or quarterly subscribers can convert to a DeckTools 1.2 Build 252 license for $1,495. This conversion will upgrade the subscriber to "Premiere Customer" status. This benefit will include the free update to DeckTools 2007, and the free upgrade to the next major release (expected to be DT 2008) at no additional cost. Again, subscriptions must be converted to a license purchase by the end of August 2007 to gain Premiere Customer benefits.

Why You Should Join NADRA Now!
As a Charter Member of the North American Deck and Railing Association (NADRA), DeckTools is committed to the strong growth and member benefits of the association. In addition to this terrific price reduction for DeckTools, NADRA members have a private online store page for a limited time where they can purchase DeckTools 1.2 Build 252 (including a free update to DeckTools 2007) at the lowest price of all: $1,095. That savings alone more than covers the annual dues of joining NADRA! Michael Beaudry, Executive Vice President of NADRA said "DeckTools allegiance to NADRA is raising the level of professionalism in our industry and increasing NADRA's membership. The decision to join NADRA is easy when a deck contractor can join NADRA and get DeckTools for less than the retail price of DeckTools alone. We are very excited." Check out the other membership benefits on the NADRA website.

Frequently Asked Questions about This Announcement:

1. What is the difference between a subscription and a license purchase? A subscription is a recurring payment, either monthly or quarterly, to license DeckTools software only for that time period. A license purchase refers to the purchased rights to use the version of software for a longer period of time. Subscribers can become license purchase customers by converting their subscription to a license at a discounted license purchase price.

2. What is a Premiere Customer? A Premiere Customer is any DeckTools license customer that purchased prior to the date of this announcement, or any subscriber that converted their subscription to a license purchase prior to the end of August 2007.

3. What is the difference between an update and an upgrade? An Update is a free release with minor revisions, additions, and fixes to an existing software version. An Upgrade is a paid release with major revisions and new feature additions which result in a new title for the software, such as from DeckTools 2007 to DeckTools 2008.

4. What are the different versions of DeckTools software? DeckTools 1.0 was released in early 2005, DeckTools 1.1 was released in early 2006, and DeckTools 1.2 was released in late 2006. The next version of DeckTools, to be released in 2007, is DeckTools 1.3 (build 253) and it will now be titled DeckTools 2007. The next major release after DeckTools 2007 was going to be called 2.0 and is now expected to be titled DeckTools 2008.

5. How do I take advantage of the NADRA limited time discount on DeckTools? If you are not a NADRA member then join NADRA following the directions at the NADRA.org website. If you are already a member, or once you become a member, you will have access to a private DeckTools Online Store page through the members' area of the NADRA website.