---------------------------------------------------------------------------- FAST NEW 3-D OPEN LOOK NOW AVAILABLE FROM SUN SunFLASH Vol 19 #20 July 1990 ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- OpenWindows Included Free With New SPARCstation NEW YORK --July 25, 1990-- Sun Microsystems today introduced a new release of the OpenWindows(TM) application environment, which now features the OPEN LOOK(TM) graphical user interface in 3-D. The new version also contains 3-D DeskSet(TM) productivity tools and a new release of the X11/NeWS(TM) Window System that is five times faster. This speeds up such tasks as window creation, moving, resizing, opening and closing, as measured by the MIT X11 performance benchmark. OpenWindows Version 2 will be included in all diskfull versions of Sun's desktop SPARCstations(TM) at no cost, beginning with the new SPARCstation IPC introduced today. In addition, there is no licensing fee for developers who order OpenWindows. To date, 10,000 copies have been shipped. The intuitive, easy-to-use OPEN LOOK interface is demonstrating increasing momentum among software developers. Today, Sun released a guide listing more than 100 OPEN LOOK applications. Fast New X11/NeWS "We've put extensive resources into optimizing performance," explained Carl Wolf, vice president of desktop software at Sun. "Our new release of X11/NeWS feels as fast as a simple, kernel-based window system like SunView(TM), but it's a fully portable, network-based window system. It gives users the best of both worlds." Sun's X11/NeWS, is fully compliant with the most recent version of the X Window System, called R4, but also offers integrated PostScript(R) capability. New Features in OpenWindows An improved XView(TM) toolkit, a standard part of OpenWindows, is used to develop OPEN LOOK applications in 3-D. XView provides easy migration of the 2,800 SunView applications now on the market. An addition to OpenWindows Version 2 is a new toolkit called the OPEN LOOK Intrinsics Toolkit (OLIT(TM)). It is based on AT&T's Xt+(TM) toolkit, featuring industry-standard Xt intrinsics from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology. Certain customers, such as government users, frequently require Xt intrinsics. OPEN LOOK toolkits are being ported to 35 computer systems. For example, XView will be available for several hardware platforms in addition to Sun's SPARC(R) systems. These include UNIX(R) workstations from Digital Equipment Corp., Hewlett-Packard and IBM. In addition, third-party software developer TGV of Santa Cruz, Calif., is porting XView to DEC's VAX/VMS environment. Integrated Computer Solutions of Cambridge, Mass., another software developer, will offer XView for A/UX, the version of UNIX for the Macintosh. OpenWindows Version 2 supports DECnet. This enables Sun workstations to display DECwindows applications running on VAX systems from Digital Equipment Corp. by adding SunLink DNI networking software, which is Sun's implementation of DECnet protocols. Elements of OpenWindows OpenWindows is one of the richest, most comprehensive application environments for networked computers on the market today. It includes: OPEN LOOK, an easy-to-use 3-D interface that is a standard part of AT&T's UNIX SVR4; X11/NeWS, a high-performance window system that merges industry-standard X with NeWS , featuring the PostScript imaging model; OpenFonts(TM) technology for displaying scalable outline fonts, giving developers and users access to 627 fonts; 14 DeskSet tools, including a file manager, mail tool, text editor, binder, icon editor, snapshot tool, performance meters, clock, calendar manager, print tool, tape tool and calculator; Three toolkits, XView, OLIT and TNT(TM), are available to develop OPEN LOOK applications. The TNT toolkit is used to develop PostScript-based applications for NeWS. All toolkits give the user a consistent look and feel. Significant ease of use for the developer is provided through the OpenWindows Developer's Guide(TM), a prototyping tool for quickly designing OPEN LOOK user interfaces. This product is part of the OpenWindows environment, but priced separately. Pricing and Availability OpenWindows Version 2 is available today. It is loaded in the new SPARCstation IPC. Sun customers with the previous release of OpenWindows will receive a free upgrade automatically. Sun Microsystems, Inc., headquartered in Mountain View, Calif., is a leading worldwide supplier of network-based distributed computing systems, including professional workstations, servers and UNIX operating system and productivity software. ### OpenWindows, X11/NeWS, DeskSet, SPARCstation, OpenFonts, XView, OLIT, SunView, TNT and OpenWindows Developer's Guide are trademarks of Sun Microsystems, Inc. NeWS and SunLink are registered trademarks of Sun Microsystems, Inc. OPEN LOOK and Xt+ are trademarks of AT&T. UNIX is a registered trademark of AT&T. PostScript is a registered trademark of Adobe Systems Inc. All other products or services mentioned in this document are identified by the trademarks or service marks of their respective companies or organizations. Press Contact: Cathleen Beale Garfield (415) 336-6536 ++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ Sunflash is an electronic mail news service from Sun Microsystems, Ft. Lauderdale, Florida, USA. It is targeted at Sun Users and Customers. As a field sales and support office, we try to keep SunFlash useful and interesting to you. If you have any comments or suggestions for enhancing SunFlash, please send them to us. SunFlash is ditributed via a hierarchy of aliases. Please try to address change requests to the owner of the alias that you belong to. 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