SUNFLASH ! ---------- Sunflash is an electronic mail news service from Sun Microsystems, Ft. Lauderdale, FL. Please address comments to John McLaughlin (sun!sunvice!johnj or johnmclaughlin@sun.COM). (305) 776-7770. Sunflash is targeted at Sun customers and users, not Sun employees as much of the information posted to sunflash is already available to Sun employees. If you have any information that you think would be of value to Sun users and customers, please email it to sun!sunvice!johnj. ++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ XVIEW SOURCE NOW AVAILABLE ACROSS EUROPE Strategic agreements forged with European Software Companies Camberley, Surrey - 20 October 1989 - Sun Microsystems announced today that through agreements with several European Software Companies, assistance and porting advice for the X11 OPEN LOOK toolkit "XView" will be made available across Europe for a variety of hardware and software environments. In addition, Sun confirmed that no royalties or costs will be payable for the distribution of applications. OPEN LOOK is a graphical user interface and is the standard user interface of AT&T UNIX System V Release 4. The OPEN LOOK design, developed by Sun and AT&T, is based on user interface technology licensed from Xerox Corporation, and feedback given by independent software vendors who reviewed the OPEN LOOK specification. XView is a portable high quality X11 programmer's toolkit. The source is free and has been tested on Sun hardware and Digital Equipment's DECstation 3100 Ultrix system. It has also been ported to the IBM RT and additional ports to other hardware and software platforms are underway worldwide. They will be announced as they become available. "Sun's policy of royalty-free XView source allows programmers to develop applications that are portable between all systems that offer Xlib", commented Alex Osadzinski, Sun's director of European Marketing. He continued; "Xlib is available on computers from Digital, HP, Tandem, IBM (AIX, MVS & VM), Cray and others. The OPEN LOOK user interface and XView toolkit can be ported to them all". Cambridge-based Torch Technology are providing technical support for Sun's XView toolkit. Torch's X Development Group, with over three years' experience of providing X products to the marketplace, will provide XView consultancy, training and porting services to customers. Torch will supply the XView toolkit in source code form, with accompanying documentation. Compiled versions of the XView toolkit will also be available with Torch's X Toolkit packs, either as an option with their high speed X server, X-Sun, or as a product in its own right for people who already have an X server. The XView toolkit will be a fully supported product and will sit alongside Torch's other X toolkit offering, Motif. IXI's Information Services Division has been appointed as an independent supplier of the XView toolkit source code and documentation. IXI will be supporting this with consultancy, training and development services, helping companies implement the XView toolkit on their different hardware platforms. IXI Limited already has substantial experience in porting X based applications such as X.desktop and OSF/Motif to diverse hardware platforms. Open Windows Developers Release for Sun hardware has been well received by Sun's Independent Software Vendors and customer base. Applications being developed using Open Windows include: SMALLWORLD SYSTEMS LTD Smallworld aims to provide the most easily customised and flexible Geographic Information System available in the market. It is also determined to protect its users' investment in GIS applications by providing as much hardware and software platform independence as today's technology allows. Smallworld regards the "OPEN LOOK" standard and Sun's "XView" software as a foundation stone in the achievement of these objectives. The "OPEN LOOK" guide-lines combined with the clarity of design embodied in "XView" represents a major advance in realising the potential of the "X-windows" standard. DESKTOP CONNECTION Desktop Connection's graphical user interface design tool ExoCODE (tm) is now shipping for XView. ExoCODE can be used to increase user interface programmer productivity ten-fold. MEMEX INFORMATION SYSTEMS LTD Memex's hardware based, high performance text retrieval system is called TEXTRACT. The issues of uniformity of interface and access to data in mixed host environments are paramount. Memex have recently used XView to implement their SunView interface for TEXTRACT and found the task straightforward. XView, implementing the OPEN LOOK interface and building on the X Window System are vital for operating in a multi-vendor environment. Sun also announced its five part programme to support and promote the development of OPEN LOOK on multiple hardware platforms. 1. Sun Software OpenWindows Developer's Release, including OPEN LOOK, the X11/NeWS window system and XView is available now from Sun for use across the entire Sun product range. 2. Free Source Code The source for XView and OLWM (X11 OPEN LOOK window manager), plus documentation and Bigelow and Holmes Lucida screen fonts are available royalty free and at no initial cost from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology in the US. The source is also available from the following European companies: Belgium: BIM, The Netherlands: Comtacno, Switzerland: Adasoft, UK: Desktop Connection, IXI, Torch Technologies. 3. Consultancy and Information Consultancy and information on XView from a supporting platform of companies is widely available. The following companies have expertise in X porting and will offer consultancy in porting the XView OPEN LOOK toolkit: BIM, Comtacno, Desktop Connection, IXI and Torch Technology; Sun's Customer Education division offers XView programming courses; the `OPEN LOOK GUI Application Style Guide' and `OPEN LOOK GUI Functional Specification' are to be published by Addison-Wesley; the XView Programming Manual is to be published by O'Reilly & Associates, Inc. 4. Interface Design Tools The application writer using XView does not have to learn XView programming - two graphical user interface design tools have been announced. Both allow the programmer to "draw" a picture of the desired application. The design tools then create the necessary XView C programs automatically. "ExoCODE" from Desktop Connnection is available today and "OpenWindows Developers's GUIDE" will be available from Sun in early 1990. 5. Additional toolkits In addition to XView, other OPEN LOOK toolkits are available; "MCP" from Bawamba Software can be used to create OPEN LOOK applications on Macintosh, MS-DOS and OS/2 systems. For programmers currently using the MIT toolkit "Xt", the "Xt+" toolkit from AT&T is compatible and provides the OPEN LOOK user interface. Sun Microsystems Inc, a public company, supplies distributed computing systems based on standards, including professional workstations, servers, UNIX system software, data communications products and networking software. Sun offers a range of performance from 1.5 to 16 MIPS in a broad family of UNIX-based workstations. Founded in 1982, the company has shipped in excess of 125,000 workstations and board-level products worldwide. Sun is traded in the national market system under the symbol SUNW. For further information contact: Ellie Pendreich Sun Microsystems Limited Sun House 31-41 Pembroke Broadway Camberley Surrey GU15 3XD Tel: (0276) 62111 Ext.226 or Belgium: Michel Vanden Bossche-Marquette, BIM +32 2 759 5925 Netherlands: Dr. Max ten Dam, Comtacno +31 2159 400 94 Switzerland: James Watson, Adasoft +41 62 614 121 UK: Steve Holden, Desktop Connection +44 61 227 9055 UK: Sarah Keefe, IXI +44 223 462 131 UK: Caroline Bowden, Torch Technologies +44 223 841 000