---------------------------------------------------------------------------- The Florida SunFlash SunSoft, HP To Develop Foundation Platform For Distributed Object Apps SunFLASH Vol 35 #3 November 1991 ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- The following announcement was made October 29, 1991 by SunSoft, a Sun Microsystems, Inc. subsidiary. Both Companies Endorse OMG Object Request Broker NEW YORK -- Oct. 29, 1991 -- Two of the world's leading vendors of distributed computing solutions, Hewlett-Packard Company and SunSoft Inc., today announced a program to implement and license an object-oriented application framework that will accelerate the growth of distributed computing. This application framework will allow third-party software developers to build next-generation distributed applications. The announcement today continues a joint-development pact announced by SunSoft and HP in February 1991. At that time, the companies submitted a Distributed Object Management Facility (DOMF) to the Object Management Group (OMG), a standards organization founded to promote the theory and practice of object-management technology in the development of software. In a related announcement today, the OMG announced its standard specification for the Object Request Broker (ORB), which includes the merged submissions of HP, SunSoft, NCR, Object Design, HyperDesk and DEC and incorporates the DOMF functionality. The ORB is a mechanism by which objects transparently make requests and receive responses across a network. For example, two financial analysts in different countries could simultaneously view and interact with a spreadsheet object. SunSoft and HP are scheduled to offer to original-equipment manufacturers (OEMs) a 100 percent OMG ORB-compliant DOMF product in the second half of 1992. This functionality also will be included with HP's systems products and with SunSoft's Solaris distributed computing solution. Early access source code is scheduled to be offered to OEMs for initial porting work in the second quarter of 1992. "A key goal in the HP/SunSoft collaboration is to preserve user investment in existing software" said Robert J. Frankenberg, HP vice president and general manager of the Personal Information Products Group. "The DOMF is designed to work on a UNIX operating system or a non-UNIX system that supports distributed operations. Customers don't have to wait years for the development of totally new software environments." "The work of SunSoft, HP and others in conjunction with the OMG has defined the industry's first standard for object management on networks," said Steve MacKay, vice president of user environment software at SunSoft. "Our continued collaboration on an application frame work will bring object technology to the volume marketplace faster than ever anticipated." The application framework, which includes the DOMF, enables the development and use of distributed applications. The application framework will make platform differences and networking issues transparent to users. Software developers will write to common interfaces rather than create different implementations that are tied to the underlying system software. This permits the creation of a single, highly portable source code that can run on different vendors' systems. For end users the application framework will facilitate the integration of applications and data no matter where they may be located on a network -- in the next room or around the world. "The beauty of this new solution is that it allows interoperability without changing the system software," added MacKay. "Customers can invest in solutions like Solaris and HP-UX today and know that they will support distributed object applications as they become available." Ease of use -- for application developers and end users -- is a prime focus of HP and SunSoft. This is achieved through object-oriented technology, considered by experts to the next significant advance in computing. Objects are modules that contain data as well as instructions that work upon that data. Object-oriented technology shields users from the complex computer processes, such as the tasks a system must perform to access information located on a different network. SunSoft, Inc., headquartered in Mountain View, Calif., is a subsidiary of Sun Microsystems, Inc. The company is a leading worldwide supplier of system software for distributed computing. SunSoft's products are targeted at software developers, system administrators and end users, and are licensed by SunSoft and sold through major computer system manufacturers and value-added resellers (VARs) worldwide. Hewlett-Packard Company is an international manufacturer of measurement and computation products and systems recognized for excellence in quality and support. The company's products and services are used in industry, business, engineering, science, medicine and education in approximately 100 countries. HP is a leading supplier of object-oriented systems and software. HP has 93,000 employees and had revenues of $13.2 billion in its 1990 fiscal year. ### HP-UX is based on and is compatible with USL's UNIX operating system. It also complies with X/Open's XPG3, POSIX 1003.1, FIPS 151-1 and SVID2 interface specifications. 1991 Sun Microsystems, Inc., Sun Microsystems, the Sun logo, SunSoft and Solaris are trademarks or registered trademarks of Sun Microsystems Inc. UNIX is a registered trademark of Unix Systems Laboratories, Inc. in the U.S.A. and other countries. X/Open is a trademark in the UK and other countries. All other products or service names mentioned herein are trademarks of their respective owners. ++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ 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.