sunflash-Distributed to mailing list sun/NC/north-carolina sunflash-Send requests, problems to owner-sunflash@suntri.east.sun.com ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- The Florida SunFlash NEW SUN X TERMINAL OFFERS INDUSTRY'S EASIEST UPGRADE TO WORKSTATION SunFLASH Vol 55 #29 July 1993 ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- 55.29 New Sun X Terminal Offers industry's easiest upgrade to workstation SMCC's first X terminal, the SPARCclassic X system delivers industry-leading performance -- from 1.54 to 2.33 Xmarks, and from 29,900 to 102,600 Xstones. ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- MOUNTAIN VIEW, Calif. -- July 29, 1993 -- Sun Microsystems Computer Corporation (SMCC) today set the lowest entry price for a Sun(TM) system with the introduction of the SPARCclassic(TM) X computer, the industry's most innovative X terminal. It is the only X terminal to feature a low-cost, plug-and-play upgrade to a workstation, so that users can continue to maximize their current investment as their computing needs evolve. The SPARCclassic X system also offers exceptional ease of use, open access to a wide variety of servers and is the easiest X terminal to install and administer. SMCC's first X terminal, the SPARCclassic X system delivers industry-leading performance -- from 1.54 to 2.33 Xmarks, and from 29,900 to 102,600 Xstones. The system is based on a 50 MHz microSPARC(TM) processor and comes standard with 4 or 8 megabytes of memory, expandable to 96 megabytes, a local window manager, along with installation and administration software. Eight-bit color or GX graphics models are available, along with a choice of five color or grayscale Sun monitors. The compact desktop package comes with SMCC's one-year, return-to-factory warranty. "Our customers -- particularly those who are `rightsizing' -- have been asking us for an X terminal," said Jay Puri, SMCC's vice president of product marketing. "They rightsize in many different ways and the SPARCclassic X now gives them even greater choice in designing flexible, client-server computing environments. The industry, however, doesn't need `just another X terminal' -- we've made a unique contribution by designing one that's incredibly easy to upgrade to a full workstation." Optimized for networked SPARC systems running the Solaris operating environment, the new Sun X terminal brings price/performance advantages to users in technical and business environments, particularly when connected to powerful SPARCserver(TM) 1000 systems and SPARCcenter(TM) 2000 mainframe-capacity machines. Retail, transportation and branch automation organizations can utilize the system's simple, intuitive graphical interface to access critical data and information throughout their companies, while functions such as computer-aided design and computer-aided software engineering will benefit from the lower cost per seat. Users of the SPARCclassic X can take advantage of the wealth of software for the Sun platform: more than 7,500 third-party products. Users can also run Windows 3.1 applications using Wabi(TM), the first technology that allows Microsoft Windows applications to run directly on SPARC/Solaris-based systems at full performance without the need for MS-DOS or Microsoft Windows itself. Since it is built on networking industry standards, such as TCP/IP, NFS and Telnet, the SPARCclassic X system also will run any X11-compatible application from any server on the network. Easy Installation, Administration and Use SPARCclassic X software features alleviate the time-consuming installation and administration procedures common with other X terminals. SPARCclassic X software is installed effortlessly with just one command and one "yes" or "no" response. Adding terminals to the network involves only a single command and answers to three questions - compared to 20 or 30 steps with other X terminals. The GUI-based tool for the SPARCclassic X computer speeds system administration with point-and-click menus that are categorized for easy reference. This lets administrators quickly manage functions for different groups of X-terminal users within an organization. Superior Upgradability As customers need more compute power or wish to migrate their application to a distributed client-server computing environment, the SPARCclassic X system can be easily and inexpensively upgraded to a full-featured workstation. Users simply add more memory, a hard disk and a Solaris object code license, and in just a few minutes, the system becomes a complete SPARCclassic workstation. The SPARCclassic X system is the second computer from SMCC to be compliant with the United States Environmental Protection Agency's Energy Star program. The SPARCclassic workstation was the first Sun machine to meet the Energy Star energy efficiency requirements. Pricing, Availability, Distribution The SPARCclassic X system (4 megabytes of memory, 15-inch color monitor) is priced at $2,545 (U.S. price) and is available today. The cost to upgrade the SPARCclassic X to a fully configured SPARCclassic workstation is as low as $2,550. The system and upgrades can be purchased from SMCC, authorized Sun resellers and SunExpress. Sun Microsystems Computer Corporation (SMCC) is the world's leading vendor of open client-server computing solutions. It is an operating company of Sun Microsystems, Inc., the exclusive computer supplier to World Cup USA 1994. SMCC has its headquarters in Mountain View, Calif. # # # Sun Microsystems, Sun Microsystems Computer Corporation, Sun, the Sun logo, Sun Microsystems Computer Corporation logo, NFS, Wabi and Solaris are trademarks or registered trademarks of Sun Microsystems, Inc. All SPARC trademarks, including the SCD Compliant logo, are trademarks or registered trademarks of SPARC International, Inc. SPARCclassic, SPARCserver, SPARCcenter and microSPARC are licensed exclusively to Sun Microsystems, Inc. Products bearing SPARC trademarks are based on an architecture developed by Sun Microsystems, Inc. Microsoft and MS-DOS are registered trademarks of Microsoft Corporation. All other product or service names mentioned herein are trademarks of their respective owners. For reader inquiries, telephone 1-800-821-4643. ********************************************************************** For information about SunFlash send mail to info-sunflash@Sun.COM. Subscription requests should be sent to sunflash-request@Sun.COM. Archives are on solar.nova.edu, ftp.uu.net, sunsite.unc.edu, src.doc.ic.ac.uk and ftp.adelaide.edu.au All prices, availability, and other statements relating to Sun or third party products are valid in the U.S. only. Please contact your local Sales Representative for details of pricing and product availability in your region. Descriptions of, or references to products or publications within SunFlash does not imply an endorsement of that product or publication by Sun Microsystems. Send brief articles (e.g. third party announcements) and include contact information (non-800#, fax #, email, etc) to: John McLaughlin, SunFlash editor, flash@Sun.COM. +1 305 351 4909