---------------------------------------------------------------------------- The Florida SunFlash SunFlash April 1992 Table Of Contents SunFLASH Vol 40 #toc April 1992 ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- Note From The SunFlash Editor Summary of The Florida SunFlash For New Subscribers Summary Of April's Messages (line count + title) Summary of Messages Sent This Month (issue # and synopsis) ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- Note From The SunFlash Editor The archive files for April 1992 should be available by the end of this week. There is a compressed tar file of all of the 1991 articles (291 articles, about 1.25Mb - about 4Mb when uncompressed.) on all of the archive servers. There are compressed tar files for each month as well as the whole year. newstop.ebay.sun.com (Sun access only) paris.cs.miami.edu pub/sunflash solar.nova.edu pub/sunflash src.doc.ic.ac.uk sun/sunflash uunet.uu.net systems/sun/sunflash ftp.adelaide.edu.au pub/sun/sunflash If you find material that would make a good SunFlash article, please send it to me for consideration and I'll post it. Remember that you can suppress the excess mail headers in most mail programs by adding a line to your .mailrc file thus: ignore 'Resent-From' 'X-Mailer' 'Errors-To' 'Newsgroups' 'Message-Id' 'Resent-Message-Id' 'Apparently-To' 'In-Reply-to' 'reply-To' 'References' 'Via' 'Status' 'Received' 'Return-Path' 'Precedence' 'X-Lines' If you want a copy of an article that you missed, please send the volume.issue (e.g. 37.00 for this article) to flash@sunvice.east.sun.com John J. McLaughlin System Engineer & SunFlash Editor Ft. Lauderdale, Florida USA May 3th, 1992 -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Summary of The Florida SunFlash For New Subscribers The Florida SunFlash is an electronic news service for Sun Microsystems computer users. It is distributed by more than 90 Sun offices and by about 40 Sun Local Users Groups in more than 35 countries. The Florida SunFlash has a subscription base of more that 50,000 Sun users. This is the April table of contents for the Florida SunFlash. If there are any items that you missed and really want to see, please send the required volume.issue numbers to flash@sunvice.East.Sun.com. For more information about SunFlash, send mail to info-sunflash thus: $ mail info-sunflash@sunvice.East.Sun.COM Subject: info info ^D $ -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Summary Of April's Messages -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Line Count Vol.# Title 139 40.01 S U N E R G Y E M A I L # 3 63 40.02 SUNERGY Newsletter Part 1 303 40.03 SUNERGY Newsletter Part 4 367 40.04 SUNERGY Newsletter Part 2 281 40.05 SUNERGY Newsletter Part 5 219 40.06 SUNERGY Newsletter Part 6 41 40.07 SUNERGY Newsletter Part 10 80 40.08 SMCC, Gain Sign Multimedia Agreement 277 40.09 CDware Volume 3: Facts-At-A-Glance 116 40.10 Tivoli's WizDOM Admin Tools 110 40.11 SMCC Announces Silicon Product Program 82 40.12 Software Development Expert Joins SunLabs 130 40.13 SunVision 1.2 94 40.14 SunSoft: Solaris Master Developer Series 120 40.15 SMCC Offers Complete Audio Solution 96 40.16 Sun Launches SunSelect 116 40.17 SunSelect Unveils SunPC Product Line 143 40.18 SunSelect Introduces PC-NFS 4.0 179 40.19 C Compilers on Solaris 2.0 Q&A 74 40.20 Joe Roebuck VP Worldwide Field Operations 108 40.21 SUG 1992 Call for Papers 167 40.22 SI: SPARCBuilders 145 40.23 SI: SCD 2.0 74 40.24 SI: $99 SPARC Architecture License 124 40.25 Multimedia: Introduction (1 of 6) 240 40.26 Multimedia: Sun's Directions (2 of 6) 210 40.27 Multimedia: Key Concepts (3 of 6) 225 40.28 Multimedia: Audio (4 of 6) 292 40.29 Multimedia: Video (5 of 6) 320 40.30 Multimedia: ISDN (6 of 6) 72 40.31 Sun's Third Quarter/Fiscal Year Results 75 40.32 NetMake Reduces Compilation Time Total 5082 -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Summary of Messages Sent This Month -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 40.01 S U N E R G Y E M A I L # 3 40.02 SUNERGY Newsletter Part 1 40.03 SUNERGY Newsletter Part 4 40.04 SUNERGY Newsletter Part 2 40.05 SUNERGY Newsletter Part 5 40.06 SUNERGY Newsletter Part 6 40.07 SUNERGY Newsletter Part 10 This is a newsletter from the Sunergy group. Note that some material previously posted as SunFlash articles appears in this newsletter. For that reason sections 3, 7, 8 and 9 have been deleted. This newsletter was originally posted as a single 85k article with over 1800 lines of text. As some mail programs can't handle 85k articles and some people don't like 1800 line articles, I have broken the email into separate articles. -johnj Distributed by Press Relations, Sun Microsystems Computer Corporation; all rights reserved. Director of PR: Kay Hart Sunergy Manager: John Loiacono Managing Editor: Miyong Byun CONTENTS - ISSUE #3 ANNOUNCEMENTS *1* Special Edition Broadcast ROADMAPS TO SUN *2* Submitting Bugs and Email Service Calls to Sun INDUSTRY ASSOCIATIONS *3* News From SPARC International (DELETED -johnj) *4* Coalition for Networked Information: News and Views TECHNICAL TOPICS *5* Making the Move to SOLARIS 2.0 (Whitepaper) *6* Tips -N- Tricks: Custom Commands in File Manager *7* New Book: "Zen and the Art of the Internet" (DELETED -johnj) NEW PRODUCTS *8* From SunPics (DELETED -johnj) *9* Catalyst CDware - Volume 3 FCS (DELETED -johnj) SIG NEWS *10* New SunPro Special Interest Group UPCOMING EVENTS *11* Tradeshow Calendar 40.08 SMCC And Gain Technology Sign Multimedia Training Agreement Technology Will Be Used for Customer Productivity Solutions MOUNTAIN VIEW, Calif. --April 6, 1992-- Sun Microsystems Computer Corporation (SMCC) Worldwide Customer Support and Gain Technology, Inc., have signed a licensing agreement under which SMCC will develop and distribute interactive multimedia training software based on Gain's object-oriented hypermedia technology. The new software will combine text, graphics, sound and animation to give users instant on-line information on how to use Sun(TM) hardware and software products. This leads to significant time savings and increased user productivity. 40.09 CDware Volume 3: Facts-At-A-Glance This article contains two sections: CDware Facts-At-A-Glance SunSoft's UNIFORM Press Release about CDware and Solaris 2.0 This disc also includes the Catalyst Catalog in AnswerBook format! Note that Sun sales offices have very limited quantities of these discs. Subscribe directly (and quickly!) if you want to receive the Volume 3 disc. -johnj 40.10 Tivoli's WizDOM Simplifies Administration Of Sun SPARC Systems SMCC and TIVOLI Sign Joint Marketing Agreement MOUNTAIN VIEW, Calif. - April 7, 1992 - Sun Microsystems Computer Corporation today reported that it has teamed with TIVOLI Systems to promote the use of WizDOM(TM) software on SMCC's family of workstations and servers. The two companies will engage in joint marketing activities, including seminars and other promotional efforts that demonstrate the benefits of the WizDOM technology -- considered to be the most advanced solution for centralized administration of distributed UNIX(R) systems. TIVOLI announced in December that it had selected SMCC's industry-leading SPARC(R)/Solaris(R) platform for the initial release of its WizDOM applications (customer shipments began in January). "Adding WizDOM software to the existing selection of products gives our customers a broad range of system management solutions based on the best technology available today," stated Alex Osadzinski, SMCC's director of software product marketing. SMCC's system management offerings include products for high availability and performance, security, and network and system administration. 40.11 SMCC Announces Silicon Product Program Silicon Vendors To Give Customers Early Access to Designs MOUNTAIN VIEW, Calif. --April 7, 1992-- Sun Microsystems Computer Corp. (SMCC) today announced it will make its silicon designs available to selected semiconductor vendors, who will manufacture, sell and support chips based on those designs worldwide. These designs include SPARC(R) CPU chips, ASICs and other system support chips. SMCC is making its chip technology available to earn greater returns on its silicon design investments by making the designs available early to the broadest possible customer base. To encourage broad market acceptance, SMCC's licensed semiconductor partners will involve their customers at the beginning of the design process. The company's current intention is to facilitate early design adoption and volume sales as soon as silicon is production ready, independent of SMCC's product availability. SMCC will receive royalties from its semiconductor partners, who will use their existing distribution channels to market the chips. 40.12 Leading Expert In Software Development Technology Joins Sun Labs MOUNTAIN VIEW, Calif. --April 7, 1992-- One of the world's leading experts in programming environments, Dr. L. Peter Deutsch, 45, has joined Sun Microsystems Laboratories, Inc. (SMLI), the advanced research subsidiary of Sun Microsystems, Inc. Besides being widely known for his contributions to software development technology, Dr. Deutsch has long conducted pioneering work in the field of object-oriented programming, which has since emerged as a next-generation technique that virtually all leading computer companies plan to employ. He has been named a Sun Fellow one of just three within all of Sun Microsystems and is helping plan future software development technologies and software architectures at SMLI. Most recently, Dr. Deutsch spent five years as chief scientist at ParcPlace Systems, where he guided development of the company's Smalltalk products. He also spent more than 14 years with Xerox at the company's renowned Palo Alto Research Center (PARC). Early in his tenure there, he was one of a select group many members of which have since become famous who designed and implemented various aspects of the Alto. This legendary system served as a model for many of today's advanced computer features. 40.13 SunVision 1.2 New Accelerator Support - Support for GS and GT graphics accelerators including full 24-bit support from SunIPLib and RenderMan OpenWindows Version 3 Server Support (Required) Internationalization Support - Level 3 I18N compliance for development of localized applications SunVision 1.2 adds several new capabilities to SunVision, including the ability to run on Sun's GS and GT accelerators, support for the Open- Windows Version 3 server, and Internationalization support for localization. 40.14 SunSoft Introduces Solaris 2.0 Master Developer Series Accelerates Next-Generation Application Development SUNWORLD, Calif-- April 6, 1992 -- Continuing with its application software momentum, SunSoft, Inc.. today introduced the Solaris 2.0 Master Developer Series, a collection of third-party tools available on Solaris 2.0 that enhances software development, accelerating time to market for next-generation applications. Several software vendors participating in SunSoft's Solaris 2.0 Migration Program, including AutoDesk, Cadence Design Systems, Inc. and Gain Technology, endorsed the Master Series for their migration plans. To date, more than 550 developers have enrolled in the Solaris 2.0 Migration Program and more than 200 of the most widely used applications will be running on the Solaris 2.0 solution when it ships in volume this summer. The Solaris 2.0 Master Developer Series consists of several programming and development tools for building next-generation applications. The Master Series includes a variety of high-performance compilers that provide assembly, debugging and code analysis capabilities for a wide range of languages; object-oriented database management tools that allow developers to scale performance for distributed applications; and Graphical User Environment (GUE) software which enables developers to visually design and test user interfaces. In addition, the Master Series includes software licensing and distribution technologies. A number of these tools can be seen here today. 40.15 SMCC Offers Complete Audio Solution Adds Microphone to List of Multimedia-Ready Features MOUNTAIN VIEW, Calif. --April 7, 1992-- Demonstrating its commitment to offer multimedia capabilities as standard workstation features, Sun Microsystems Computer Corporation (SMCC) today announced that it is shipping a microphone with every SPARCstation(TM) desktop workstation. As a result, this popular computer delivers a complete audio solution at no extra cost, including the microphone, built-in speaker, and bundled software for easily playing, recording and receiving audio, as well as sending it anywhere on the network. "We call our approach collaborative multimedia, since it utilizes the various media, such as audio, video, graphics and text, to enhance communication and productivity, not just for individuals but for all users on the network in the entire company," said Bob Pearson, director of interactive media marketing at SMCC. 40.16 Sun Launches SunSelect New Business Joins UNIX and Personal Computer Environments, Giving Users the Best of Both Worlds BILLERICA, Mass. -- April 13, 1992 -- Sun Microsystems, Inc., today introduced SunSelect(TM), a new business dedicated to integrating personal computing resources with open, UNIX(R) -based client-server environments. In the past, computer users have had to choose between two seemingly incompatible worlds: personal computer and UNIX environments. Today, SunSelect lets users select the resources they need from either world -- and access them from whatever computer is on their desktop. By integrating UNIX and personal computer environments, SunSelect products give users the best of both worlds. They bring the power of mixed-vendor networking, remote file sharing and client-server computing to personal computer users, and they give UNIX workstation users access to the full range of personal computing applications and resources. In so doing, SunSelect products maximize customers' previous investments in technology and training while extending their computing options. SunSelect offers three primary product lines: the PC-NFS(R) family, a group of products that allow personal computer platforms to take advantage of UNIX-based multivendor environments; the SunPC(TM) line of high-performance personal computer emulation products, which enable SPARC(R) workstation users to run MS-DOS(R) and MS-Windows(R) applications; and NetWare(R) SunLink(R). 40.17 SunSelect Unveils SunPC Product Line SunSelect, a Sun Microsystems, Inc. business, today introduced its SunPC product line. The press release is attached for your reference. Please note: SMCC's final pricing for the SunPC products has not yet been determined. Information regarding SMCC's SunPC prices will be distributed as soon as possible. Lets Users Run MS-DOS, MS-Windows and UNIX Applications on One System BILLERICA, Mass. -- April 13, 1992 -- SunSelect(TM) a Sun Microsystems, Inc. business, today introduced the SunPC(TM) product line, a new family of personal computer (PC) emulation products that let SPARC(R) workstation users run personal computer applications. The first products in the new family include SunPC software, a high-performance emulation product that allows workstation users to run thousands of MS-DOS(R) and MS-Windows(R) applications; the SunPC Accelerator SX card for higher MS-DOS and MS-Windows performance; and the SunPC Accelerator DX card for even greater performance for the most demanding floating-point and graphics-intensive applications. The new SunPC products are the direct result of Sun's many years of experience in the personal computer emulation marketplace. Prior to the formation of SunSelect, Sun developed and marketed DOS Windows(TM), a software emulation product, and SunIPC(TM), a hardware-based emulation solution. The current SunPC line is a replacement for Sun's previous emulation products. SunSelect will continue to invest in the expansion 40.18 SunSelect Introduces PC-NFS 4.0 First Networking Product to Support MS-Windows 3.1 as well as MS-DOS 5.0 Enhanced Version of PC-NFS Programmer's Toolkit Released BILLERICA, Mass. -- April 13, 1992 -- SunSelect(TM), a Sun Microsystems, Inc. business, today introduced version 4.0 of its popular PC-NFS(R) software and a new enhanced version of the PC-NFS Programmer's Toolkit, the companion developer's product for writing client-server PC-NFS applications. PC-NFS software integrates personal computers into open, UNIX(R) -based client-server environments, allowing personal computer users to access files and resources on all workstations and servers, minicomputers, mainframes or other systems that support ONC(TM)/NFS(R). Users operate within their familiar MS-DOS(R) and MS-Windows(R) environments, but have access to distributed network resources such as powerful fileservers, high-performance printers and worldwide electronic mail systems through the use of open standards such as TCP/IP and NFS. In effect, PC-NFS software lets personal computers become full participants in local- and wide-area networks, providing a platform for running distributed, client-server applications. 40.19 C Compilers on Solaris 2.0 Q&A This is an article that explains why Sun will not bundle the SunPro C compiler into Solaris 2.0. Note that a free GNU C compiler will be distributed on CDware, so Sun/Solaris users will have access to a free C compiler. -johnj IS SUN GOING TO UNBUNDLE THE C COMPILER ON SOLARIS 2.0? Yes, starting with Solaris 2.0, SMCC will no longer bundle any compiler with the operating system. WHAT IS THE RATIONALE FOR THIS DECISION? 40.20 Sun Makes Joe Roebuck VP Worldwide Field Operations William G. Marr Appointed Vice President of SMCC's U.S. Field Operations MOUNTAIN VIEW, Calif., April 14, 1992 -- Sun Microsystems, Inc., today announced the appointment of Joseph P. Roebuck as vice president of worldwide field operations for its Sun Microsystems Computer Corporation (SMCC) operating company. Roebuck replaces former vice president of worldwide field operations, Carol A. Bartz, who resigned to join Autodesk, Inc., of Sausalito, Calif., as president, chief executive officer and chairman. 40.21 SUG 1992 Call for Papers From: peter@sug.org (Peter Salus) Call For Papers SUN USER GROUP Tenth Annual Conference December 8-10, 1992 San Jose, California OPERATING SYSTEMS: SOLARIS 2.0/SVR4 and Alternatives The Sun User Group is pleased to announce its Tenth Annual Conference and Exhibit, which will address the current state of the Sun Operating System. Technical papers and presentations concerning both Solaris and alternates to it, as well as other topics of interest to the Sun/SPARC community, are invited. Manufacturers of computer equipment and software based on SPARC/SunOS technology are encouraged to participate with conference presentations, as well as in the associated exhibition which will be operated by Publications and Communications, Inc. 40.22 SPARC International Announces SPARCBuilders SPARCBuilders Portfolio Available to SPARC Developers by Mid-Year MENLO PARK, Calif. -- April 7,1992 -- SPARC International (SI) announced today that it is collecting an aggressive technology portfolio to identify and describe all "building block" technologies available to hardware and software developers and integrators of both SPARC-based computer and embedded/real-time products. Called SPARCBuilders, this effort will give developers a single reference to available SPARC technologies, offer technology suppliers a highly-leveraged marketing tool, and meet the demand for a central information resource in the SPARC open, multi-vendor industry model. SPARCBuilders will publish its first issue of the portfolio in the next few months. 40.23 SPARC International Announces SCD 2.0 SPARC International Adrienne Bachleda (415) 321-8692 x 238 The Only Viable End-User Specification for Shrinkwrap Applications SANTA CLARA, Calif. -- April 7,1992-- SPARC International (SI) announced today that the SPARC industry's UNIX System V Release 4 developer and end-user specification, the SPARC Compliance Definition (SCD) 2.0, is complete and has been approved for distribution to developers. SI will ship over twenty thousand SCD 2.0 specifications directly to SPARC software developers early in Q2 1992. SCD 2.0, a key interface technology listed in the SPARCBuilders Portfolio, announced today, specifies all the stable interfaces between SPARC operating environments and applications on which platform providers, software developers and end-users can depend. SCD 2.0 is defined by SI members in the Compliance & Compatibility (C&C) Committee, and unanimously approved by SI's Board. 40.24 SPARC International Announces $99 SPARC Architecture License SPARC Positioned for Volume Embedded Applications SANTA CLARA, Calif. -- April 7,1992 -- As part of its open technology strategy, SPARC International (SI) today announced that the SPARC architecture is available to anyone, royalty-free, for a one-time license fee of $99. This license gives developers the right to design, manufacture and freely market components conforming to the SPARC Architecture. The $99 license, available through purchase of the SPARC Architecture Manual Version 8 (distributed by SI) was submitted today as a core interface technology to the SPARCBuilders Portfolio, also announced today by SI. SPARCBuilders identifies and describes "building block" technologies available to hardware and software developers and integrators of both SPARC-based computer and embedded/real time products. 40.25 Multimedia: Introduction (1 of 6) This set of 6 articles explains the tecnologies of Multimedia technology. -johnj 1. Introduction to Multimedia 2. Sun's Multimedia Direction 3. Key Multimedia Concepts 4. Audio 5. Video 6. ISDN 1 Introduction to Multimedia Multimedia technology will ultimately take the disparate technologies of the computer, the telephone, the fax machine, the CD player, and the video camera and combine them into one powerful communication center. Technologies that were once analog - video, audio, telephony - are now digital. The power of multimedia is the integration of these digital technologies. At some point in the future, Sun Workstations" will be connected via Integrated Services Digital Network (ISDN) phone lines to workstations around the world. The implementation of ISDN will make possible an international phone system that will serve as a global network. If as the saying goes, the "network is the computer", then the "computer" is about to become very large. 40.26 Multimedia: Sun's Directions (2 of 6) 2 Sun's Multimedia Direction Sun's direction in multimedia centers around the concept of collaborative multimedia - multimedia applied to corporate communication enabling increased group productivity and creativity, faster development of higher quality products, more efficient corporate processes, better customer service. In short Sun intends to provide a competitive advantage by empowering teams with powerful access to and manipulation of information. 40.27 Multimedia: Key Concepts (3 of 6) 3 Key Multimedia Concepts Before reading about the more technical aspects of multimedia, you should be familiar with some of the key concepts that apply to multimedia technology. 40.28 Multimedia: Audio (4 of 6) 4 Audio Audio plays an important role in multimedia applications. When a service representative adds a voice note to a credit record, when executives hold a video conference, when travelers listen to voice mail or have their email read to them over the phone, or when new employees complete training modules, they all use desktop audio. 40.29 Multimedia: Video (5 of 6) 5 Video Desktop, full-motion digital video brings a new level of collaboration and communication to corporations. Just as visual communication, through pictures, can provide vastly more information than words alone, moving pictures can offer more and in some cases better, information than still images. 40.30 Multimedia: ISDN (6 of 6) 6 ISDN Integrated Services Digital Network (ISDN) is a new service offered by many telephone companies that provides fast, high-capacity digital transmission of voice, data, still images and full-motion video over the worldwide telephone network. ISDN will soon be to wide area networking what Ethernet is to local area networking today. It will enable multimedia communication - voice, video, images and data combined - over the existing telephone network. ISDN will help workstation users integrate their telephone with workstation applications in a seamless way, increasing their productivity. In addition, ISDN will provide an alternate channel enabling customers to transmit information from one point to another in real-time at a reasonable cost. ISDN offers many times the speed of current analog modems, and twice the bandwidth of the leased lines commonly used today to carry video conferencing. 40.31 Sun's Third Quarter/Fiscal Year Results SUN MICROSYSTEMS ANNOUNCES RECORD REVENUES AND INCREASED EARNINGS FOR THIRD FISCAL QUARTER MOUNTAIN VIEW, Calif. -- April 22, 1992 -- Sun Microsystems, Inc., (SUNW), today reported that revenues for its third fiscal quarter ended March 27, 1992, rose more than 12% to a record level of $952.2 million, over the $848.3 million reported for the corresponding period of fiscal 1991. Net income for the third quarter increased nearly 5% to $61.4 million, or $0.60 per share, from the $58.7 million, or $0.56 per share, for the same period a year ago. Sun Microsystems Computer Corporation shipped a record 52,000 revenue units, including desktop computers and servers (exclusive of upgrades). SunSoft, Inc., distributed a record number of UNIX(R) licenses, more than 70,000, to users of SPARCR-based and Intel(R)-based platforms, manufacturers of SPARC-based platforms, and other licensees. For the first nine months of fiscal 1992, Sun recorded revenues of $2.62 billion, up 15% from the same period a year earlier. Net income for the nine-month period increased more than 9% to $135.6 million, or $1.34 per share, from the $123.9 million, or $1.21 per share, reported in the corresponding period a year ago. 40.32 NetMake Reduces Compilation Time This is a third party announcement from: Lauren Seidl Aggregate Computing, Inc lauren@aggregate.com 1-800-966-1666 (March 1992, Minneapolis, Minnesota) The next generation of tools for distributed computing has arrived. Joan Wrabetz, founder and president of the Minneapolis-based Aggregate Computing, Inc., has announced that the company will introduce its first product, NetMake, at the Sun World Expo on April 7-9 in Santa Clara, California. NetMake, a distributed parallel version of the UNIX(R) make utility, allows software developers to compile individual program modules on separate machines on a computer network. NetMake takes individual routines, sends them to appropriate remote machines to be compiled in parallel, and collects the results on one machine to perform the linking process. With NetMake, the network becomes the computer. ++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ 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, paris.cs.miami.edu, uunet.uu.net, 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. John McLaughlin, SunFlash editor, flash@sunvice.East.Sun.COM. (305) 776-7770.