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                                                                    Exhibit 10.1


                           SYNCHRONICITY SYSTEMS INC.

                             1996 STOCK OPTION PLAN

              Adopted by the Board of Directors on January 16, 1996

1.   Purpose.

     The purpose of this plan (the "Plan") is to secure for Synchronicity
Systems, Inc. (the "Company") and its stockholders the benefits arising from
capital stock ownership by employees and officers of, and consultants or
advisors to, the Company and its parent and subsidiary corporations who are
expected to contribute to the Company's future growth and success. Except where
the context otherwise requires, the term "Company" shall include the parent and
all present and future subsidiaries of the Company as defined in Sections 424(e)
and 424(f) of the Internal Revenue Code of 1986, as amended or replaced from
time to time (the "Code"). Those provisions of the Plan which make express
reference to Section 422 of the Code shall apply only to Incentive Stock Options
(as that term is defined in the Plan).

     The Plan shall apply to all options granted by the Company on or after
January 16th, 1996.

2.   Type of Options and Administration.

     (a) Types of Options. Options granted pursuant to the Plan shall be
authorized by action of the Board of Directors of the Company (or a Committee
designated by the Board of Directors) and may be either incentive stock options
("Incentive Stock Options") meeting the requirements of Section 422 of the Code
or non-qualified options which are not intended to meet the requirements of
Section 422 of the Code.

     (b) Administration. The Plan will be administered by the Board of Directors
of the Company, whose construction and interpretation of the terms and
provisions of the Plan shall be final and conclusive. The Board of Directors may
in its sole discretion grant options to purchase shares of the Company's Common
Stock, ("Common Stock"), and issue shares upon exercise of such options as
provided in the Plan. The Board shall have authority, subject to the express
provisions of the Plan, to construe the respective option agreements and the
Plan, to prescribe, amend and rescind rules and regulations relating to the
Plan, to determine the terms and provisions of the respective option agreements,
which need not be identical, and to make all other determinations in the
judgment of the Board of Directors necessary or desirable for the administration
of the Plan. The Board of Directors may correct any defect or supply any
omission or reconcile any inconsistency in the Plan or in any option agreement
in the manner and to the extent it shall deem expedient to carry the Plan into
effect and it shall be the sole and final judge of such expediency. No director
or person acting pursuant to authority delegated by the Board of Directors shall
be liable for any action or determination made in good faith. The Board of
Directors may, to the full extent permitted by or consistent with applicable
laws or regulations

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(including, without limitation, applicable state law and Rule 16b-3 promulgated
under the Securities Exchange Act of 1934 (the "Exchange Act"), or any successor
rule ("Rule 16b-3")), delegate any or all of its powers under the Plan to a
committee (the "Committee") appointed by the Board of Directors, and if the
Committee is so appointed all references to the Board of Directors in the Plan
shall mean and relate to such Committee.

     (c) Applicability of Rule 16b-3. Those provisions of the Plan which make
express reference to Rule 16b-3 shall apply to the Company only at such time as
the Company's Common Stock or another class of equity security is registered
under the Exchange Act, and then only to such persons as are required to file
reports under Section 16(a) of the Exchange Act (a "Reporting Person").

3.    Eligibility.

     (a) General. Options may be granted to persons who are, at the time of
grant, employees or officers of, or consultants or advisors to, the Company;
provided, that Incentive Stock Options may be granted only to persons who are
eligible to receive such options under Section 422 of the Code. In addition, no
person shall be granted any Incentive Stock Option under the Plan who, at the
time such option is granted, owns, directly or indirectly, stock possessing more
than 10% of the total combined voting power of all classes of stock of the
Company, unless the requirements of Section 11(b) are satisfied. The attribution
of stock ownership provisions of Section 424(d) of the Code, and any successor
provisions thereto, shall be applied in determining the shares of stock owned by
a person for purposes of applying the foregoing percentage limitation. A person
who has been granted an option may, if he or she is otherwise eligible, be
granted an additional option or options if the Board of Directors shall so
determine.

     (b) Grant of Options to Directors and Officers. From and after the
registration of the Common Stock of the Company under the Exchange Act, the
selection of an officer (as the term "officer" is defined for the purposes of
Rule 16b-3) as a recipient of an option, the timing of the option grant, the
exercise price of the option and the number of shares subject to the option
shall be determined either (i) by the Board of Directors, of which all members
shall be "disinterested persons" (as hereinafter defined), or (ii) by a
committee of two or more directors having full authority to act in the matter,
of which all members shall be "disinterested persons". For the purposes of the
Plan, a director shall be deemed to be a "disinterested person" only if such
person qualifies as a "disinterested person" within the meaning of Rule 16b-3,
as such term is interpreted from time to time.


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4.   Stock Subject to Plan.

     Subject to adjustment as provided in Section 15 below, the maximum number
of shares of Common Stock of the Company which may be issued and sold under the
Plan is 155,000 shares. Such shares may be authorized and unissued shares or may
be shares issued and thereafter acquired by the Company. If an option granted
under the Plan shall expire or terminate for any reason without having been
exercised in full, the unpurchased shares subject to such option shall again be
available for subsequent option grants under the Plan. If shares issued upon
exercise of an option under the Plan are tendered to the Company in payment of
the exercise price of an option granted under the Plan, such tendered shares
shall again be available for subsequent option grants under the Plan; provided,
that in no event shall (i) the total number of shares issued pursuant to the
exercise of Incentive Stock Options under the Plan, on a cumulative basis,
exceed the maximum number of shares authorized for issuance under the Plan
exclusive of shares made available for issuance pursuant to this sentence or
(ii) the total number of shares issued pursuant to the exercise of options by
persons who are required to file reports under Section 16(a) of the Exchange
Act, on a cumulative basis, exceed the maximum number of shares authorized for
issuance under the Plan exclusive of shares made available for issuance pursuant
to this sentence.

5.   Forms of Option Agreements.

     As a condition to the grant of an option under the Plan, each recipient of
an option shall execute an option agreement in such form not inconsistent with
the Plan as may be approved by the Board of Directors. Each option agreement
shall specifically state whether the options granted thereby are intended to be
Incentive Stock Options or nonqualified options. Such option agreements may
differ among recipients.

6.   Purchase Price.

     (a) General. The purchase price per share of stock deliverable upon the
exercise of an option shall be determined by the Board of Directors, provided,
however, that (i) in the case of an Incentive Stock Option, the exercise price
shall not be less than 100% of the fair market value of such stock, as
determined by the Board of Directors, at the time of grant of such option, or
less than 110% of such fair market value in the case of options described in
Section 11(b), and (ii) in the case of a non-qualified option, the exercise
price shall not be less than 50% of the fair market value of such stock, as
determined by the Board of Directors, at the time of grant of such option.

     (b) Payment of Purchase Price. Options granted under the Plan may provide
for the payment of the exercise price by delivery of cash or a check to the
order of the Company in an amount equal to the exercise price of such options,
or, to the extent provided in the applicable option agreement, (i) by delivery
to the Company of shares of Common Stock of the Company already owned by the
optionee having a fair market value equal in amount to the exercise price of the
options being exercised, (ii) by any other means which the Board of Directors
determines are consistent with the purpose of the Plan and with applicable laws
and regulations (including, without limitation, the provisions of Rule 16b-3 and
Regulation T promulgated by the Federal

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Reserve Board) or (iii) by any combination of such methods of payment. The fair
market value of any shares of the Company's Common Stock or other non-cash
consideration which may be delivered upon exercise of an option shall be
determined by the Board of Directors.

7.   Option Period.

     Each option and all rights thereunder shall expire on such date as the
Board of Directors shall determine, except that (i) in the case of an Incentive
Stock Option, such date shall not be later than ten years after the date on
which the option is granted, (ii) in the case of an Incentive Stock Option
described in Section 11(b), such date shall not be later than five years after
the date on which the option is granted and (iii) in all cases, options shall be
subject to earlier termination as provided in the Plan.

8.   Exercise of Options.

     Each option granted under the Plan shall be exercisable either in full or
in installments at such time or times and during such period as shall be set
forth in the agreement evidencing such option, subject to the provisions of the
Plan.

9.   Nontransferability of Options.

     Incentive Stock Options and options granted to Reporting Persons shall not
be assignable or transferable by the person to whom they are granted, either
voluntarily or by operation of law, except by will or the laws of descent and
distribution, and, during the life of the optionee, shall be exercisable only by
the optionee; provided, however, that non-qualified stock options may be
transferred by Reporting Persons pursuant to a qualified domestic relations
order (as defined in Rule 16b-3).

10.  Effect of Termination of Employment or Other Relationship.

     Except as provided in Section 11(d) with respect to Incentive Stock
Options, the Board of Directors shall determine the period of time during which
an optionee may exercise an option following (i) the termination of the
optionee's employment or other relationship with the Company or (ii) the death
or disability of the optionee. Such periods shall be set forth in the agreement
evidencing such option.

11.  Incentive Stock Options.

     Options granted under the Plan which are intended to be Incentive Stock
Options shall be subject to the following additional terms and conditions:

         (a) Express Designation. All Incentive Stock Options granted under the
Plan shall, at the time of grant, be specifically designated as such in the
option agreement covering such Incentive Stock Options.


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     (b) 10% Stockholder. If any employee to whom an Incentive Stock Option is
to be granted under the Plan is, at the time of the grant of such option, the
owner of stock possessing more than 10% of the total combined voting power of
all classes of stock of the Company (after taking into account the attribution
of stock ownership rules of Section 424(d) of the Code), then the following
special provisions shall be applicable to the Incentive Stock Option granted to
such individual:

          (i) The purchase price per share of the Common Stock subject to such
     Incentive Stock Option shall not be less than 110% of the fair market value
     of one share of Common Stock at the time of grant; and

          (ii) The option exercise period shall not exceed five years from the
     date of grant.

     (c) Dollar Limitation. For so long as the Code shall so provide, options
granted to any employee under the Plan (and any other incentive stock option
plans of the Company) which are intended to constitute Incentive Stock Options
shall not constitute Incentive Stock Options to the extent that such options, in
the aggregate, become exercisable for the first time in any one calendar year
for shares of Common Stock with an aggregate fair market value (determined as of
the respective date or dates of grant) of more than $100,000.

     (d) Termination of Employment, Death or Disability. No Incentive Stock
Option may be exercised unless, at the time of such exercise, the optionee is,
and has been continuously since the date of grant of his or her option, employed
by the Company, except that:

          (i) an Incentive Stock Option may be exercised within the period of
     three months after the date the optionee ceases to be an employee of the
     Company (or within such lesser period as may be specified in the applicable
     option agreement), provided, that the agreement with respect to such option
     may designate a longer exercise period and that the exercise after such
     three-month period shall be treated as the exercise of a non-qualified
     option under the Plan;

          (ii) if the optionee dies while in the employ of the Company, or
     within three months after the optionee ceases to be such an employee, the
     Incentive Stock Option may be exercised by the person to whom it is
     transferred by will or the laws of descent and distribution within the
     period of one year after the date of death (or within such lesser period as
     may be specified in the applicable option agreement); and

          (iii) if the optionee becomes disabled (within the meaning of Section
     22(e)(3) of the Code or any successor provision thereto) while in the
     employ of the Company, the Incentive Stock Option may be exercised within
     the period of one year after the date the optionee ceases to be such an
     employee because of such disability (or within such lesser period as may be
     specified in the applicable option agreement).


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     For all purposes of the Plan and any option granted hereunder, "employment"
shall be defined in accordance with the provisions of Section 1.421-7(h) of the
Income Tax Regulations (or any successor regulations). Notwithstanding the
foregoing provisions, no Incentive Stock Option may be exercised after its
expiration date.

12.  Additional Provisions.

     (a) Additional Option Provisions. The Board of Directors may, in its sole
discretion, include additional provisions in any option agreement covering
options granted under the Plan, including without limitation restrictions on
transfer, repurchase rights, commitments to pay cash bonuses, to make, arrange
for or guaranty loans or to transfer other property to optionees upon exercise
of options, or such other provisions as shall be determined by the Board of
Directors; provided that such additional provisions shall not be inconsistent
with any other term or condition of the Plan and such additional provisions
shall not cause any Incentive Stock Option granted under the Plan to fail to
qualify as an Incentive Stock Option within the meaning of Section 422 of the
Code.

     (b) Acceleration, Extension, Etc. The Board of Directors may, in its sole
discretion, (i) accelerate the date or dates on which all or any particular
option or options granted under the Plan may be exercised or (ii) extend the
dates during which all, or any particular option or options granted under the
Plan may be exercised; provided, however, that no such extension shall be
permitted if it would cause the Plan to fail to comply with Section 422 of the
Code or with Rule 16b-3.

13.  General Restrictions.

     (a) Investment Representations. The Company may require any person to whom
an option is granted, as a condition of exercising such option, to give written
assurances in substance and form satisfactory to the Company to the effect that
such person is acquiring the Common Stock subject to the option for his or her
own account for investment and not with any present intention of selling or
otherwise distributing the same, and to such other effects as the Company deems
necessary or appropriate in order to comply with federal and applicable state
securities laws, or with covenants or representations made by the Company in
connection with any public offering of its Common Stock.

     (b) Compliance With Securities Laws. Each option shall be subject to the
requirement that if, at any time, counsel to the Company shall determine that
the listing, registration or qualification of the shares subject to such option
upon any securities exchange or under any state or federal law, or the consent
or approval of any governmental or regulatory body, or that the disclosure of
non-public information or the satisfaction of any other condition is necessary
as a condition of, or in connection with, the issuance or purchase of shares
thereunder, such option may not be exercised, in whole or in part, unless such
listing, registration, qualification, consent or approval, or satisfaction of
such condition shall have been effected or obtained on conditions acceptable to
the Board of Directors. Nothing herein shall be deemed to

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require the Company to apply for or to obtain such listing, registration or
qualification, or to satisfy such condition.

14. Rights as a Stockholder.

     The holder of an option shall have no rights as a stockholder with respect
to any shares covered by the option (including, without limitation, any rights
to receive dividends or non-cash distributions with respect to such shares)
until the date of issue of a stock certificate to him or her for such shares. No
adjustment shall be made for dividends or other rights for which the record date
is prior to the date such stock certificate is issued.

15.  Adjustment Provisions for Recapitalizations and Related Transactions.

     (a) General. If, through or as a result of any merger, consolidation, sale
of all or substantially all of the assets of the Company, reorganization,
recapitalization, reclassification, stock dividend, stock split, reverse stock
split, or other similar transaction, (i) the outstanding shares of Common Stock
are increased or decreased or are exchanged for a different number or kind of
shares or other securities of the Company, or (ii) additional shares or new or
different shares or other securities of the Company or other non-cash assets are
distributed with respect to such shares of Common Stock or other securities, an
appropriate and proportionate adjustment may be made in (x) the maximum number
and kind of shares reserved for issuance under the Plan, (y) the number and kind
of shares or other securities subject to then outstanding options under the
Plan, and (z) the price for each share subject to any then outstanding options
under the Plan, without changing the aggregate purchase price as to which such
options remain exercisable, provided that no adjustment shall be made pursuant
to this Section 15 if such adjustment would cause the Plan to fail to comply
with Section 422 of the Code or with Rule 16b-3.

     (b) Board Authority to Make Adjustments. Any adjustments under this Section
15 will be made by the Board of Directors, whose determination as to what
adjustments, if any, will be made and the extent thereof will be final, binding
and conclusive. No fractional shares will be issued under the Plan on account of
any such adjustments.

16.  Merger, Consolidation, Asset Sale, Liquidation, etc.

     (a) General. In the event of a consolidation or merger or sale of all or
substantially all of the assets of the Company in which outstanding shares of
Common Stock are exchanged for securities, cash or other property of any other
corporation or business entity or in the event of a liquidation of the Company,
the Board of Directors of the Company, or the board of directors of any
corporation assuming the obligations of the Company, may, in its discretion,
take any one or more of the following actions, as to outstanding options: (i)
provide that such options shall be assumed, or equivalent options shall be
substituted, by the acquiring or succeeding corporation (or an affiliate
thereof), provided that any such options substituted for Incentive Stock Options
shall meet the requirements of Section 425(a) of the Code, (ii) upon written
notice to the optionees, provide that all unexercised options will terminate
immediately prior to the consummation of such transaction unless exercised by
the optionee within a specified period

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following the date of such notice, (iii) in the event of a merger under the
terms of which holders of the Common Stock of the Company will receive upon
consummation thereof a cash payment for each share surrendered in the merger
(the "Merger Price"), make or provide for a cash payment to the optionees equal
to the difference between (A) the Merger Price times the number of shares of
Common Stock subject to such outstanding options (to the extent then exercisable
at prices not in excess of the Merger Price) and (B) the aggregate exercise
price of all such outstanding options in exchange for the termination of such
options, and (iv) provide that all or any outstanding options shall become
exercisable in full immediately prior to such event.

     (b) Substitute Options. The Company may grant options under the Plan in
substitution for options held by employees of another corporation who become
employees of the Company, or a subsidiary of the Company, as the result of a
merger or consolidation of the employing corporation with the Company or a
subsidiary of the Company, or as a result of the acquisition by the Company, or
one of its subsidiaries, of property or stock of the employing corporation. The
Company may direct that substitute options be granted on such terms and
conditions as the Board of Directors considers appropriate in the circumstances.

17.  No Special Employment Rights.

     Nothing contained in the Plan or in any option shall confer upon any
optionee any right with respect to the continuation of his or her employment by
the Company or interfere in any way with the right of the Company at any time to
terminate such employment or to increase or decrease the compensation of the
optionee.

18.  Other Employee Benefits.

     Except as to plans which by their terms include such amounts as
compensation, the amount of any compensation deemed to be received by an
employee as a result of the exercise of an option or the sale of shares received
upon such exercise will not constitute compensation with respect to which any
other employee benefits of such employee are determined, including, without
limitation, benefits under any bonus, pension, profit sharing, life insurance or
salary continuation plan, except as otherwise specifically determined by the
Board of Directors.

19.  Amendment of the Plan.

     (a) The Board of Directors may at any time, and from time to time, modify
or amend the Plan in any respect, except that if at any time the approval of the
stockholders of the Company is required under Section 422 of the Code or any
successor provision with respect to Incentive Stock Options or under Rule 16b-3
or with respect to options held by persons who are required to file reports
pursuant to Section 16(a) of the Exchange Act, the Board of Directors may not
effect such modification or amendment without such approval.

     (b) The termination or any modification or amendment of the Plan shall not,
without the consent of an optionee, affect his or her rights under an option
previously granted to him or her. With the consent of the optionee affected, the
Board of Directors may amend outstanding

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option agreements in a manner not inconsistent with the Plan. The Board of
Directors shall have the right to amend or modify (i) the terms and provisions
of the Plan and of any outstanding Incentive Stock Options granted under the
Plan to the extent necessary to qualify any or all such options for such
favorable federal income tax treatment (including deferral of taxation upon
exercise) as may be afforded incentive stock options under Section 422 of the
Code and (ii) the terms and provisions of the Plan and of any outstanding option
to the extent necessary to ensure the qualification of the Plan under Rule
16b-3.

20.  Withholding.

     (a) The Company shall have the right to deduct from payments of any kind
otherwise due to the optionee any federal, state or local taxes of any kind
required by law to be withheld with respect to any shares issued upon exercise
of options under the Plan. Subject to the prior approval of the Company, which
may be withheld by the Company in its sole discretion, the optionee may elect to
satisfy such obligations, in whole or in part, (i) by causing the Company to
withhold shares of Common Stock otherwise issuable pursuant to the exercise of
an option or (ii) by delivering to the Company shares of Common Stock already
owned by the optionee. The shares so delivered or withheld shall have a fair
market value equal to such withholding obligation. The fair market value of the
shares used to satisfy such withholding obligation shall be determined by the
Company as of the date that the amount of tax to be withheld is to be
determined. An optionee who has made an election pursuant to this Section 20(a)
may only satisfy his or her withholding obligation with shares of Common Stock
which are not subject to any repurchase, forfeiture, unfulfilled vesting or
other similar requirements.

     (b) Notwithstanding the foregoing, in the case of a director or officer, no
election to use shares for the payment of withholding taxes shall be effective
unless made in compliance with any applicable requirements of Rule 16b-3.

21.  Cancellation and New Grant of Options, Etc.

     The Board of Directors shall have the authority to effect, at any time and
from time to time, with the consent of the affected optionees, (i) the
cancellation of any or all outstanding options under the Plan and the grant in
substitution therefor of new options under the Plan covering the same or
different numbers of shares of Common Stock and having an option exercise price
per share which may be lower or higher than the exercise price per share of the
cancelled options or (ii) the amendment of the terms of any and all outstanding
options under the Plan to provide an option exercise price per share which is
higher or lower than the then-current exercise price per share of such
outstanding options.

22.  Effective Date and Duration of the Plan.

     (a) Effective Date. The Plan shall become effective when adopted by the
Board of Directors, but no Incentive Stock Option granted under the Plan shall
become exercisable unless and until the Plan shall have been approved by the
Company's stockholders. If such stockholder approval is not obtained within
twelve months after the date of the Board's adoption of the Plan,

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no options previously granted under the Plan shall be deemed to be Incentive
Stock Options and no further Incentive Stock Options shall be granted.
Amendments to the Plan not requiring stockholder approval shall become effective
when adopted by the Board of Directors; amendments requiring stockholder
approval (as provided in Section 19) shall become effective when adopted by the
Board of Directors, but no Incentive Stock Option granted after the date of such
amendment shall become exercisable (to the extent that such amendment to the
Plan was required to enable the Company to grant such Incentive Stock Option to
a particular optionee) unless and until such amendment shall have been approved
by the Company's stockholders. If such stockholder approval is not obtained
within twelve months of the Board's adoption of such amendment, any Incentive
Stock Options granted on or after the date of such amendment shall terminate to
the extent that such amendment to the Plan was required to enable the Company to
grant such option to a particular optionee. Subject to this limitation, options
may be granted under the Plan at any time after the effective date and before
the date fixed for termination of the Plan.

     (b) Termination. Unless sooner terminated in accordance with Section 16,
the Plan shall terminate, with respect to Incentive Stock Options, upon the
earlier of (i) the close of business on the day next preceding the tenth
anniversary of the date of its adoption by the Board of Directors, or (ii) the
date on which all shares available for issuance under the Plan shall have been
issued pursuant to the exercise or cancellation of options granted under the
Plan. Unless sooner terminated in accordance with Section 16, the Plan shall
terminate with respect to options which are not Incentive Stock Options on the
date specified in (ii) above. If the date of termination is determined under (i)
above, then options outstanding on such date shall continue to have force and
effect in accordance with the provisions of the instruments evidencing such
options.

23.  Provision for Foreign Participants.

     The Board of Directors may, without amending the Plan, modify awards or
options granted to participants who are foreign nationals or employed outside
the United States to recognize differences in laws, rules, regulations or
customs of such foreign jurisdictions with respect to tax, securities, currency,
employee benefit or other matters.















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