---------------------------------------------------------------------------- The Florida SunFlash Sun's Hottest SunFLASH Vol 26 #20 February 1991 ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- This is the text of a newsletter, "Sun's Hottest", that is being mailed to Sun customers. It is an excellent summary of the products that have been announced over the last few months. -johnj ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- SPARCstation 2 Cranks Up the Power on Your Desktop SPARCstation IPC GX: Better Than a PC CAD System SPARCstation 2GX: Accelerated Graphics Becomes Standard SPARCstation 2GS: New 3-D Graphics on the Best-selling Desktop SPARCstation 2GT: When Fast Isn't Fast Enough SPARCstation 330VX and MVX and SPARCstation 470VX and MVX: Sun's Open Printing Solution NeWSprint Promotes Open Printing Moving Towards SVR4 for Developers and End Users First Client/Server COBOL Implementation In the Industry SPARCserver 2 Introducing the Sun Ada Development Environment. Crazy About CD-ROM SPARCstation 1 to SPARCstation 2 Upgrades New Flicker Free Monitors 207-MB Disks at 104-MB Prices SunPHIGS 1.3 SunLink CG3270 7.0 OpenWindows Developer's Guide 1.1 for the 386i Searching for ONC (RPC) Apps. 1-800-USA-4SUN New SBus cards: Serial/Parallel & SCSI SPARCstation 2 Cranks Up the Power on Your Desktop If you're a power user who's running out of power, check out Sun's new SPARCstation[TM] family of workstations, our highest performing, most powerful desktop platform to date. In keeping with Hambrecht and Quist analyst Robert G. Herwick's pronouncement that "Sun workstations are acquiring the reputation as status machines for upward-bound power users," the SPARCstation 2 delivers nearly twice the speed of the best-selling SPARCstation 1+ platform at an entry price of just $14,995 - clearly the ultimate striving machine. With standard disk, 16MB of memory (expandable to 96MB ) and accelerated graphics built into all color models, the new system is a high-powered, affordable solution for your most demanding applications. Power in a "Pizza Box" Packaged in the compact, slim-profile "pizza box" enclosure introduced with the first SPARCstation in 1989, the 28.5 MIPS SPARCstation 2 is Sun's highest performance, most expandable desktop graphics workstation. Its enhanced system architecture provides balanced performance that features 21 SPECmarks and fast I/O throughput. Choose Your Weapon The new family offers an array of models giving you the edge for successfully beating the competition. Choose SPARCstation 2 Monochrome model for CASE, technical publications, and personal productivity applications. The SPARCstation 2GX is ideally suited for low-end MCAD, EDA, CASE, publishing, finance, AEC, and earth resources applications. The SPARCstation 2GS and SPARCstation 2GT models are ideal for MCAD/MCAE, molecular modeling, GIS, animation/simulation, and government applications. All models include the fastest CMOS SPARC[R] processor available today (40 MHz); a floating point co-processor; an Ethernet port; built-in support for networking protocols; the SunOS[TM] operating system; audio input/output; a ready-to-go user environment with easy system startup and the OpenWindows[TM] DeskSet[TM] environment; and lots more. Also part of the family is the new SPARCserver[TM] 2, a speedy, low-cost system with exceptional I/O performance and expandability. Delivering the best database and fileserver price/performance in the industry, the SPARCserver 2 is the perfect little powerhouse for your small or medium-sized workgroups. Sun Puts Graphics on Every Desktop In the past, high-powered interactive graphics have been available only on expensive workstations which usually must be shared to justify their expense. Now, combining state-of-the-art graphics technology and ASIC design, Sun introduces an affordable, powerful, and upgradable family of accelerated graphics workstations, making powerful, interactive graphics accessible to everyone. SPARCstation IPC GX: Better Than a PC CAD System This new graphics workstation gives computer-aided design users a more powerful, less expensive alternative to PCs. It's the ultimate system for running the leading CAD applications such as AutoCAD[TM], Personal Designer[TM] and VersaCAD[TM] because it combines a powerful processor and sophisticated, built-in networking capabilities with high-performance graphics, true multitasking, and ease of use-but with a price tag that is lower than many PCs similarly configured. SPARCstation 2GX: Accelerated Graphics Becomes Standard Graphics acceleration comes standard with SPARCstation 2GX color configurations for the price of other vendors' unaccelerated color products. Transparently accelerating 8-bit 2-D and 3-D wireframe applications, the industry's fastest desktop workstation also features fast-windowing and fast-scrolling performance, providing a faster interactive environment. It's the perfect machine for your EDA, CASE, EPubs, and low-end MCAD applications. SPARCstation 2GS: New 3-D Graphics on the Best-selling Desktop Packing dynamic, interactive 3-D solids performance inside the SPARCstation "pizza box" enclosure, the SPARCstation 2GS accelerates MCAD/MCAE, molecular modeling, animation/simulation, GIS, and scientific research applications for power users. Every scientist and engineer can now afford to put 3-D solid graphics on their desktop. SPARCstation 2GT: When Fast Isn't Fast Enough Offering high-end features at a mid-range price, the SPARCstation 2GT gives users even more 3-D graphics performance for MCAD/MCAE, molecular modeling, animation/simulation, and research applications. The GT offers exceptional image quality with built-in hardware anti-aliasing and transparency as well as high-performance industry standard PHIGS PLUS with a hardware virtual display list accelerator called DLX[TM]. For the ultra power user, the GT is an outstanding 3-D graphics workstation for the price. SPARCstation 330VX and MVX and SPARCstation 470VX and MVX: Accelerated Visualization As announced in the November 1990 issue of Sun's Hottest, our visualization workstations have a flexible hardware architecture to accelerate a wide range of visual techniques required to explore and analyze images or large volumes of data for scientific research, medical imaging, earth resources, remote sensing, and imaging applications. Sun's Open Printing Solution Sun has redefined the traditional printing model to make workgroup printing less expensive and faster than it's ever been before. Until now, UNIX[R] systems have used a PC-industry printing model based on an "intelligent" printer whose built-in processor and memory make it expensive while performing functions such as down-loading fonts also makes it slow. Sun's new approach combines our NeWSprint[TM] software and the SPARCprinter[TM], a fast, low-cost, laser printer. The software resides in a Sun SPARCstation or SPARCserver. No intelligence is needed in the printer which is controlled instead by the computer's powerful SPARC CPU. NeWSprint enables virtually any printing device hooked to the Sun system - from dot matrix, ink jet and laser printers to color thermal printers and plotters - to produce high-quality, PostScript[R]-compatible output quickly (at the device's rated speed!) and inexpensively, without significantly impacting overall workstation performance. Any computer on the network can send printing jobs to these output devices via the Sun system. SPARCprinter Speeds High-Quality Output When configured with NeWSprint software running on a SPARCstation or SPARCserver, SPARCprinter typically prints 12 pages per minute, even on print jobs with complex PostScript graphics or multiple fonts. In contrast, many of today's PostScript laser printers commonly produce just 2-3 pages per minute. High quality is achieved with a resolution of 300 or 400 dots per inch (software selectable). SPARCprinter comes with NeWSprint software and an SBus printer card that connects the printer to a Sun SPARCstation or SPARCserver. NeWSprint Promotes Open Printing NeWSprint can also be purchased separately to work with a range of output devices, including popular printers from Hewlett-Packard, Canon, Epson, and Seiko. And since NeWSprint operates independently of the SPARC system's window environment, you're not tied to working in a specific user environment. We can assure you, however, that on OpenWindows[TM], NeWSprint delivers true WYSIWYG (what-you-see-is-what-you-get) output. NeWSprint comes with 57 of Sun's scalable outline F3[TM] fonts which are "hinted" to maintain high-quality images at smaller point sizes. More than 700 additional F3 fonts are available from leading suppliers such as Linotype[TM], Monotype[TM], URW[TM], Bigelow & Holmes[TM], and Autologic[TM]. Moving Towards SVR4 for Developers and End Users We're already at the third phase of our four-phase migration from SunOS to the UNIX system of the future: System V Release 4 (SVR4) which will unite more than 80 percent of the world's 10 million UNIX systems. Sun's SVR4 operating system is scheduled to ship in late 1991. The first phase in the migration program was Sun's publication of the SunOS to SVR4 Compatibility and Migration Guide in late 1989. Phase two, in January, 1990, introduced the SunOS 4.1 platform bridge to SVR4. Phase three brings good news for both developers and end users. For developers, phase three brings the SunOS/SVR4 Development and Test Platform. Offered on CD-ROM, the development package includes: the SunOS 4.1 development platform for creating applications that will run on SunOS now and SVR4 in the future; the SunOS/SVR4 test platform which includes SunOS/SVR4 plus OpenWindows, ANSI C and FORTRAN Compilers, Sun's XGL graphics libraries and SunNet License for testing and verifying applications running under SVR4 in native mode; and a Binary Compatibility Package (BCP) that enables most SunOS 4.1 applications to run under Sun's SVR4 OS. For end users, phase three brings SunOS 4.1.1 which maintains binary compatibility with SunOS 4.1 while providing significant performance enhancements, support for new hardware, and new convenience features. Improved memory management algorithms from the Sun Database Excelerator are now included with SunOS 4.1.1, delivering up to a ten-fold performance improvement for applications using large amounts of virtual memory such as LISP, AI, and MCAD applications. OpenWindows Version 2 is bundled with SunOS 4.1.1 and the XGL runtime environment is also preinstalled, providing access to Sun's newest 2-D and 3-D graphics runtime libraries. Improved system installation and startup enables you to install, boot, and log in directly to your preferred window system with minimal knowledge of UNIX. And a new PC-DOS file system allows the transfer of data on floppies between MS-DOS file systems and UNIX file systems, making it simple to convert work you've done on a DOS platform to a Sun platform and vice versa. First Client/Server COBOL Implementation In the Industry Based on the industry-standard COBOL/2 from Micro Focus Ltd., Sun COBOL is the most comprehensive COBOL environment available on UNIX operating systems. Now you can take advantage of client/server computing and the superior price/performance of Sun systems when using existing COBOL applications or developing new ones. A range of third-party applications is already available, including modular accounting software for a variety of businesses. Several vendors are also offering database pre-processors, query/report writers, CASE tools and Wang-to-Sun conversion tools. And Andersen Consulting, a Sun commercial systems integrator experienced with Sun COBOL, is offering integration services. The product consists of three components, each sold separately: the Compiler with Animator for application development; the Runtime System for cost-efficient application delivery; and FORMS-2, a full-screen generator that can be used to create custom forms. SPARCserver 2 As mentioned in our cover story, there's a new addition to Sun's popular SPARCserver family: the SPARCserver 2. Delivering 51.9 database transactions per second, the SPARCserver 2 is an exceptional database server for small workgroups. With a total disk capacity of up to 7.6 GB and flexible I/O bandwidths, it's also an ideal entry-level fileserver. And with support for up to 18 local terminals or dozens of networked terminals, it makes an outstanding multiuser system. For applications from the desktop to the data center, the SPARCserver family provides a broad range of high- performance, binary-compatible servers based on established standards and open systems. Point-and-Click Ada Software Development Introducing the Sun Ada Development Environment. Our complete Ada language development and execution system for the SPARC platform combines the industry's most robust RISC/UNIX Ada language system - Sun Ada - with the power of SPARCworks[TM]/Ada, a suite of OPEN LOOK[R] programmer productivity tools. Sun Ada provides a fast, full-featured optimizing compiler with tools for automating program builds, library management utilities, and programming support tools. Developed on Sun workstations to take full advantage of UNIX and SPARC technologies, Sun Ada complies with ANSI/MIL-STD-1815A specifications and has been validated by the Ada Joint Program Office. The SPARCworks/Ada tools bring the ease of use of the OPEN LOOK graphical interface to Ada software development. These tools include an object-based graphical browser for Ada program libraries, a compilation manager, a multi-window symbolic debugger with task browsing capabilities, and an on-line version of the Ada Reference Manual. The window-based tools use icons and graphical displays as well as OPEN LOOK drag-and-drop capabilities which allows them to work together easily. Crazy About CD-ROM Sun is committed to CD-ROM technology. It's inexpensive, easy to use, reliable, much higher quality than magnetic tape, and compact, squeezing a big 644 megabytes onto a single-sided disk. We've already made the SunCD drive a standard feature of our SPARCserver and SPARCstation 370 and SPARCstation 470 systems, so you get the benefits of CD-ROM technology at no extra cost. You also get access to hundreds of CD-ROM titles. We'll be making CD-ROM our exclusive software distribution medium by the end of 1991. But why wait? Sun software products available today on CD include many of the packages we've described in this newsletter: Sun COBOL; System V Development and Test Platform; and SunOS 4.1.1, encryption, and source code. Sun Ada will be available on CD in May. SPARCstation 1 to SPARCstation 2 Upgrades Upgrade your 12-MIPS SPARCstation 1 or 15-MIPS SPARCstation 1+ to a 28.5-MIPS SPARCstation 2 (see cover story to find out about the great features of SPARCstation 2). The upgrade involves a chassis swap, but you can migrate everything except memory, so costs are minimized. The upgrade is $6,995 for all SPARCstation 1 and 1+ configurations and comes standard with 16-MB RAM. New Flicker Free Monitors To improve the display options offered with Sun workstations, we've introduced a new ergonomically-improved product line of 76Hz monitors standard with SPARCstation 2 that completely eliminates flicker and provides anti-glare treatment as a standard feature on all monochrome monitors. The product line has earned the German GS-Mark which certifies that these monitors comply with the highest standard of ergonomics in the world today. 207-MB Disks at 104-MB Prices Save money while increasing the performance of your Sun desktop system. Now you can purchase a 207-MB, 3.5-inch disk drive at 104-MB prices! The 207-MB drive doubles the capacity, reduces seek times by 20%, and increases the maximum sustained transfer rate by over 60% of that of the 104-MB drive. It's an outstanding price/performance value. SunPHIGS 1.3 Release 1.3 of SunPHIGS is now shipping. Version 1.3 is for SPARC workstations only and provides up to 65% faster GS solids performance than SunPHIGS 1.2. The new version allows over 20K polygons and 150K vectors through the GS. It also enables applications to link dynamically with PHIGS libraries. SunLink CG3270 7.0 SunLink CG3270 7.0 is Sun's 3270-emulation product featuring industry-leading color, graphics, and ease-of-use. Running under OpenWindows Version 2, CG3270 7.0 also supports the APL character set. Sun's 6-MB/second Intelligent Peripheral Interface (IPI) drive - the industry's fastest standard drive - is now available for the SPARCserver 470. This addition gives the SPARCserver 470 unparalleled I/O throughput for a system in its price class. And speaking of price, we've reduced it by 20% on IPI controllers and subsystems for both the SPARCserver 470 and 490. OpenWindows Developer's Guide 1.1 for the 386i Our OpenWindows Developer's Guide (Devguide) 1.1 for the 386 platform is now available. Devguide 1.1 for the SPARC and Motorola platforms has been shipping since August 16. This user interface builder enables developers to graphically and interactively design a 3-D OPEN LOOK user interface for an application. Reducing development time and costs, Devguide provides code generators which will generate the XView toolkit code (C or C++ code) defining the user interface. Developers need only include the application-specific code to add functionality to the interface. Devguide 1.1 requires OpenWindows Version 2. Searching for ONC (RPC) Apps. Have you developed a distributed application that uses Open Network Computing (ONC) Remote Procedure Calls (RPCs)? Sun would love to hear about it. Please e-mail a short description of your ONC RPC application to dennisf@Corp.sun.com or call Dennis Freeman at 1-415-336-0955. 1-800-USA-4SUN To place an order or receive additional information on products mentioned in this newsletter, please call Sun Telemarketing at 1-800-USA-4SUN. New SBus cards: Serial/Parallel & SCSI Two new SBus cards are available for connecting additional peripherals and storage devices to your desk-top SPARCstations. The Serial Parallel Controller SBus card adds eight serial ports and one Centronics- compatible parallel port to SBus-based systems. Use these ports to connect serial asynchronous devices such as modems, printers, and terminals. The new SBus SCSI Host Adapter lets you add up to seven additional SCSI devices to a SPARCstation IPC, a SPARCstation 1/1+, or a SPARCengine 1E board. Trademarks, etc. Sun Microsystems, the Sun logo, and NFS are registered trademarks of Sun Microsystems, Inc. DeskSet, NeWsprint, F3, ONC, SunOS, DLX and OpenWindows are trademarks of Sun Microsystems, Inc. SPARC is a registered trademark of SPARC International, Inc. SPARCprinter, SPARCworks, SPARCstation, SPARCware, SPARCserver, and SPARCengine are trademarks of SPARCInternational, Inc., licensed exclusively to SUN Microsystems, Inc. Products bearing the SPARC trademark are based on an architecture developed by Sun Microsystems, Inc. UNIX and OPEN LOOK are registered trademarks of UNIX Systems Laboratories, Inc. PostScript is a Registered trademark of Adobe Systems Incorporated. Adobe also owns copyrights to the PostScript language and the PostScript interpreter. The trademark PostScript is only used herein to refer to material supplied by Adobe or to programs written in the PostScript language as defined by Adobe. All other products or services mentioned in this document are identified by the trademarks or service marks of their respective companies or organizations. This product is protected by one or more of the following U.S. patents: 4,777,485;4,668,190; 4,527,232; 4,745,407; 4,679,041; 4,435,792; 4,719,569; 4,550,368 in addition to foreign patents and applications pending. ++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ For information send mail to info-sunflash@sunvice.East.Sun.COM. Subscription requests should be sent to sunflash-request@sunvice.East.Sun.COM. Archives are on solar.nova.edu and paris.cs.miami.edu. 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. John McLaughlin, SunFlash editor, flash@sunvice.East.Sun.COM. (305) 776-7770.