Use of Apdex will directly aid a CIO's ability to achieve his/her
top three priorities. An enterprise does not need to
buy a completely new measurement or management system. Now is the time to shift the focus toward
methods over technology, and the Alliance's approach is one such new
method ."
Currently, nine companies are Alliance members and they include:
Adlex, FineGround, NetForecast , NetQoS, Network Physics, Packeteer,
Peribit, Swan Labs and WildPackets."

Season -to-Date TurboTax Federal Sales Data


Comparable Season % Change
Prior- Through YOY
Year 2/5/05
Period
---- ----------------------------- ---------- ---------- -------
TurboTax federal desktop units
sold through at retail 2,920,000 3,057,000 +5%
--------------------------- ------ ---------- ---------- -------
TurboTax federal desktop units
sold direct 1,289,000 1,200,000 -7%
--------------------------------- ---------- ---------- -------
TurboTax for the Web paid federal
returns sold 915,000 999,000 +9%
--------------------------------- ---------- ---------- -- -----
SUB-TOTAL 5,124,000 5,256,000 +3%
------------------ --------------- ---------- ---------- -------
TurboTax for the Web federal
units donated via Free File
Alliance 271,000 607,000 +124%
--------- ------------------------ ---------- ---------- -------
TOTAL 5 ,395,000 5,863,000 +9%
--------------------------------- ---------- ---------- -- -----

Intuit intends to continue issuing bi-weekly updates of its
season-to-date end-user purchase data, based on Intuit's best
assessment of its unit sales.9 billion
in its fiscal year 2004. We assume no obligation to update any forward-looking
statements or information, which speak as of their respective dates.

32 converts

Sage Software also
provides small businesses with a broad selection of award-winning business
management software to support them throughout their business lifecycle --
from basic accounting for a start-up business, to feature-rich,
industry-specific solutions for accounting, payroll, human resources
management, customer relationship management, and others. Apdex helps CIOs and CEOs understand whether their
applications are delivering on promises or just operating.
Apdex users will have a standard method that helps direct IT
investments, by pointing to the parts of the IT system that should be
improved along with the parts where investments are no longer needed. Founded
in 2004 by Peter Sevcik of NetForecast, the Alliance, is headquartered
in Charlottesville, Virginia .intuit.

measurements win9x

Apdex fills the gap
between timing data and insight by specifying a uniform way to measure
and report on the user experience.
Otherwise enterprises can gather the necessary data from their
existing measurement platform and perform the calculation as needed.

measurement wizard

First-time Peachtree customers who purchase Peachtree by Sage
Complete Accounting or Peachtree by Sage Premium Accounting from Staples
are entitled to six months of free start-up assistance, which includes
unlimited phone support and a 1 hour consultation with a start-up
specialist to ensure that they successfully get up and running on
Peachtree.5 million customers worldwide. For more
than 25 years, Sage Software has delivered easy-to-use, scalable and
customizable software for accounting, customer relationship management ,
human resources, time tracking and the specialized needs of accounting
practices and the construction , distribution, manufacturing, nonprofit and
real estate industries.

Apdex Alliance Releases New Application Performance Index; Apdex Addresses CIO's Top Three Concerns

"We
need to pool our resources to resolve this dilemma," he says.
"The shift to a later tax season is starting to play out as we
expected ," said Brad Smith, senior vice president of consumer tax.

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By
quantifying the user's experience with an application, Apdex shows
whether an enterprise's IT systems are simply 'up and running' or
actively contributing to user productivity," says Apdex Alliance
Founder Peter Sevcik and president of NetForecast , an Alliance member. Align IT and business goals

3.org for more
information.
5, 2005, the number of TurboTax(R) and TurboTax(R) for the Web(SM)
federal desktop software customers increased 9 percent over the
prior-year period. The company has nearly 7,000 employees, with
major offices in 13 states across the United States and offices in
Canada and the United Kingdom.

conversion defined

"
The newly released Apdex converts many measurements into one
number on a uniform scale of 0-to-1 (0 = no users satisfied, 1 = all
users satisfied).

essco 400

"With
our new Start-Up Success Guarantee Program at Staples, small businesses who
are new to Peachtree can select it with confidence, knowing that we are
100% committed to helping them get off to a successful start with
Peachtree. For more information, please visit the Web site
at www."
"Progress comes in two ways," sums up Sevcik, "Those are new
technology or new methods. Visit www.
Intuit, the Intuit logo, TurboTax, among others, are registered
trademarks and/or registered service marks of Intuit Inc.

bit metric

PRESS RELEASE Sage Software Introduces Start-Up Success Guarantee for New Peachtree Customers

In addition, Intuit noted that through Feb.

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Its parent company, The Sage
Group plc (LSE: SGE. is a leading provider of business and financial
management solutions for small- and mid-sized businesses, consumers
and accounting professionals.

measurement bit

"The Start-Up Success Guarantee for
Peachtree by Sage Software is one of many ways we are delivering on that
commitment.----The
Application Performance Index (Apdex) Alliance announced today the
release of Apdex, an index which measures user satisfaction with the
performance of enterprise applications.

measurement flexible

"We understand that getting started on new accounting software can be
stressful for any small business, whether they are a brand new start-up or
a more established company with years of experience.

Business Editors/High-Tech Editors

CHARLOTTESVILLE, Va. "It
is an IT-enabled process improvement, a metric that can help quantify
IT and business alignment, and is a direct measure of internal
customer satisfaction improvement.----Intuit Inc.

More information can be found at
www.

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About Sage Software (formerly Best Software)

Sage Software offers leading business management software and services that
support the needs, challenges and dreams of more than 2.

2005 Sage Software SB, Inc.

"It also helps show whether or not their existing investments are
delivering or meeting expectations," Sevcik adds. "Companies can
get started with a simple spreadsheet implementation," says Sevcik.
(Nasdaq:INTU) today announced season-to-date sales for its consumer
tax products and services.

metric 400

Sage Software is so committed to this initiative that they have
offered a six month money-back guarantee to those customers who wish to
return the product at the end of the period."

"Staples has made a commitment to its customers to provide tools that
facilitate their growth and better equip them to easily manage business
tasks every day," said David Figler, vice president, divisional
merchandising manager at Staples, Inc.

4 million small and
mid-sized business customers in North America.
According to Sevcik, there is a very low cost to implement Apdex,
which is a key benefit to end-users."
Successful innovations provide high value to a large group.

Intuit Inc.
Founded in 1983, Intuit had annual revenue of nearly $1.
The unit numbers reported are based on weekly sales reports
received by Intuit from its retailers and distributors as well as the
number of units sold directly from Intuit. in the
United States and other countries.

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L), supports 4. Apdex is one number that
applies across applications and measures the effectiveness of IT
investments. The Apdex
Alliance is a group of nine companies collaborating to define and
promote Apdex.
"Additionally, if an enterprise uses a measurement tool from an
Alliance member, then Apdex will appear as a software upgrade. The work is by nature open to more input, review and
evaluation which in turn helps makes better products.

Business Editors/High-Tech Writers

MOUNTAIN VIEW, Calif.

metric measurement

"

For nearly 30 years, Peachtree accounting products have served the needs of
growing small businesses who rely on their accounting to give them the
insight they need to make better business decisions. Peachtree helps small
businesses efficiently manage and streamline their accounting and business
management operations by providing powerful accounting with strong analysis
tools and operations management features as well as comprehensive reporting
functionality and tight integration with Microsoft Excel. The numbers included in
these updates are preliminary and include estimates, including
estimates of sales by merchants that do not report their sales to
Intuit. Although Intuit takes steps to verify the reliability of the
sales data, Intuit believes that errors in the sales reported by its
retailers and distributors may impact its reported retail unit numbers
on an immaterial basis.

conversion 400

wizard excel

All rights reserved . If an enterprise has a measurement tool that
gathers timing data similar to what a motivated end -user could gather
with a stopwatch, then this metric can be used.
"Collaboration among many companies on the same goal has the following
benefits.
"Given our strategy to bring more new customers into the TurboTax
franchise, we're pleased with the 9 percent growth we've had to date
in our TurboTax for the Web paid federal business.com

Forward-Looking Statements

This press release contains forward-looking statements, including
statements regarding our expectation that there will be a shift to a
later tax season.

convert imperial

About The Apdex Alliance

The Apdex Alliance is a group of companies collaborating to define
and promote an application performance metric called Apdex, a
numerical measure of user satisfaction with the performance of
enterprise applications, and reflects the effectiveness of IT
investments in contributing to business objectives.

Intuit Reports TurboTax Sales Through Feb . 5 2005

About Intuit Inc. Actual results may differ materially from our
expectations due to a number of risks and uncertainties, including the
impact of competition from federal and state government sponsored free
file alliances that offer tax preparation services at no charge,
competition from other desktop software providers and increased
competition from a growing number of Web-based competitors, we could
lose revenue and customers in our Web-based business if we fail to
maintain reliable and responsive service levels or if the IRS or other
governmental agencies experience difficulties in receiving customer
submissions; and consumers may not respond as we expect to our
advertising and promotional activities.

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sagesoftware. More information on potential
factors that could impact our results are included in our public
reports filed with the SEC, including our Form 10-Q for the quarter
ended October 31, 2004 and our Form 10-K for the fiscal year ended
July 31, 2004.

constants measures

com/moreinfo or call (866) 308-2378. Apdex is available
to any organization seeking insight into their IT investments.

bit defined

According to the "State of the CIO" 2004 survey
by CIO magazine, current CIO's management priorities are:
1.
This is why the Apdex Alliance was formed as an open movement .Apdex.

bit handles

Whether you need help
in understanding how to convert your historical data or simply want to
learn how to tailor Peachtree to meet your specific needs, it's reassuring
to know that free assistance is just a phone call away," said Connie
Certusi, general manager, Small Business Accounting , Sage Software. This metric can be applied to any source of end-user
performance measurements. Increase business efficiency through IT-enabled process
improvement

2. Improve internal customer satisfaction

"Apdex directly addresses these top three goals," says Sevcik. ProSeries(R) and Lacerte(R) are
Intuit's leading tax preparation software suites for professional
accountants.

bit metric

Sage Software today announced a new program
that guarantees start-up success for small businesses who want to try
Peachtree.
"This index introduces a new way to think about performance while the
Alliance's commitment to collaboration and openness is a new way to
think about resolving performance issues . The company expects to issue future
reports before the market opens every other Thursday through the end
of the tax season. Its flagship products and services,
including QuickBooks(R), Quicken (R) and TurboTax(R) software, simplify
small business management and payroll processing, personal finance,
and tax preparation and filing.

utility 32

"We are swimming in numbers, but still don't know where we stand
in terms of our IT assets contributing to our business objectives. The
best way to achieve value is to promote transparency and open dialog.

defined handles

The Peachtree line includes versions for general business as well as
industry-specific versions for accountants, manufacturers, distributors,
construction companies and nonprofit organizations."
"Apdex will be the universal reference application performance
reporting," Sevcik states.

later wizard

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