---------------------------------------------------------------------------- SUN PRODUCTS RECEIVE X/OPEN BRANDING SunFLASH Vol 18 #11 June 1990 ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- MOUNTAIN VIEW, Calif. --June 5, 1990-- Sun Microsystems announced today that six of its software products and three Sun-based products from independent software vendors have received the latest branding from X/Open. Sun made its announcement in conjunction with X/Open's introduction of its newest branding program, based on version three of the X/Open Portability Guide (XPG3) specifications. The program assures users that products displaying the X/Open brand conform to published X/Open specifications. XPG3 branding applies to individual system components and operating system software. One of the major enhancements to XPG3 is the incorporation of POSIX 1003.1 compliance, which Sun supports in SunOS M 4.1. Founded in 1984, X/Open is a worldwide consortium of system vendors, independent software vendors and major end users who have worked to develop the X/Open Portability Guide (XPG), a vendor-independent, open operating environment based on de facto and international standards. As a member of X/Open, Sun promotes the acceptance of these standards worldwide and is committed to produce CAE-compliant products. "Sun has been a strong supporter of the X/Open Branding Program since it was announced almost two years ago," said Scott McNealy, Sun's president and CEO. "Customers are demanding open systems because they see the value they bring in terms of application portability and long-term investment protection. XPG3 brings the industry one step closer to a true open systems environment." In l989, SunOS 4.1 was authorized to display the XPG2 brand, which is based on version two of the X/Open Portability Guide. Today's announcement expands branding of Sun products by X/Open to encompass XPG3 brands as well. Sun products that have received the XPG3 brand include: * OpenWindows (TM) - Sun's window system -- which includes X11/NeWs (TM) and supports the Open Look graphic user interface -- has earned the XPG3 brand by implementing the programmer's interface to the X Window System. * Command & Utilities (in SunOS 4.1) - X/Open's specification of standard interfaces for utilities allows for portable shell scripts and "portable programmers" -- which enables quick productivity if one should move to a new system. * NetISAM (Indexed Sequential Access Method) - It conforms to the X/Open specification, which is based on the de facto standard access method and provides multi-user access to records sequentially, by record number or by key value. In addition, Sun's NetISAM supports transparent data sharing among heterogeneous machines across the network. * C Language - Sun's bundled compiler for the C programming language based on Common Usage C has passed the X/Open verification test suite, VSX 3. * Sun Fortran - Sun's compiler for the FORTRAN programming language is fully compliant with the definition in the American National Standards Institute (ANSI) document. * Sun Pascal - Sun's compiler for the Pascal programming language is fully compliant with the ISO standard. * Source Code Transfer (in SunOS4.1) - Sun conforms to X/Open's specifications for transferring source code between machines with compatible media and facilitating the transfer of source code in machine-readable form. * Inter-Process Communication (in SunOS 4.1) - Sun supports X/Open's specifications for interfaces providing message queue, semaphore and shared memory facilities for communication and synchronization between processes. * XSI Curses Interface (in SunOS 4.1) - Sun's systems meet X/Open's specifications for providing a generic terminal interface that is independent of terminal hardware or connection methods for updating screens on character- and block-oriented terminals. Sun also earned XPG3 brands for Sun-based software products from independent software vendors. These include: * SQL - Four software vendors, including Informix, Ingres, Oracle and Sybase, supply Sun-based versions of the SQL relational database language. Sun has attained an XPG3 brand for OnLine, the SQL product from Informix, when used on Sun workstations. Additional database branding may follow. * Ada - The X/Open specification for Ada, a language that is important in certain markets such as government, is based on the ISO and ANSI standard. Sun has attained an XPG3 brand for the Ada products from Telesoft AB and Verdix Corporation when used on Sun workstations. XPG3-branded products have undergone verification analysis and have been certified by X/Open as conformant with their specifications. 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(R) operating system and productivity software. ### UNIX is a registered trademark of AT&T. SunOS, X11/NeWS and OpenWindows are trademarks of Sun Microsystems. All other products or services mentioned in this document are identified by the trademarks or service marks of their respective companies or organizations. For reader inquiries, telephone 1-800-821-4643 outside California. Inside California, call 1-800-821-4642. Press Contact: Karen Rohack (415) 336-7841 ++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ Sunflash is an electronic mail news service from Sun Microsystems, Ft. Lauderdale, FL. 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. 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