---------------------------------------------------------------------------- The Florida SunFlash SunFlash January 1992 Table Of Contents SunFLASH Vol 37 #toc January 1992 ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- Note From The SunFlash Editor Summary of The Florida SunFlash For New Subscribers Summary Of January's Messages (line count + title) Summary of Messages Sent This Month (issue # and synopsis) ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- Note From The SunFlash Editor The SunFlash archives are up to date. There is a new 1992 directory that will hold the compress-ed, tar directories for each month and a copy of the table of contents for each month. 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 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 February 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 January 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 January's Messages -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Line Count Vol.# Title 122 37.01 Intergraph's MicroStation For Sun 155 37.02 Sun in The Retail Industry 75 37.03 Documents From SPARC International 224 37.04 SBus Developer List: Introduction 674 37.05 SBus Developer List: I to IV 557 37.06 SBus Developer List: V to VIII 270 37.07 SBus Developer List: IX to XII 127 37.08 SBus Developer List: XIII to XVI 218 37.09 7.1 SunLink CG3270 91 37.10 PC Emulation: Upgrade Promotion 117 37.11 SunLink TE320 7.0 112 37.12 Island Graphics Introduces IslandPresent 320 37.13 Workstations vs. PCs for A/E/C 73 37.14 SunSoft Completes Interactive Acquisition 35 37.15 Oracle for SPARCsystem 6x0 95 37.16 Announcing the PUBLISH mailing list 215 37.17 NeWSprint 2.0 177 37.18 Special Internet Connections 80 37.19 Sun Unveils Solaris 2.0 Migration Kit 115 37.20 The SPARC Compliant(TM) Trademark 82 37.21 Sun's Second Quarter/Fiscal Year Results 125 37.22 Peripheral Verification Testing At SI 213 37.23 A Workstation On Every Desktop 76 37.24 Sun,Cray Cooperate On SPARC Total 4348 -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Summary of Messages Sent This Month -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 37.01 Intergraph's MicroStation Now Available For Sun SparcStations Huntsville, Ala. --January 2, 1991-- Intergraph Corporation and Sun Microsystems Computer Corp. (SMCC) today announced that Intergraph's MicroStation SPARC(R) software for Sun(TM) SPARCstation(TM) systems will be available January 14. Part of an agreement to port select Intergraph software to SPARCstation systems, the announcement of MicroStation for the SPARCstation is significant for the CAD industry. "MicroStation is rapidly becoming the CAD nucleus of choice for companies of all sizes," said Maurice Romine, executive vice president of marketing at Intergraph Corporation. "This announcement is very important for companies that are looking to extend MicroStation's power and integration advantages to departments already using the Sun platform." MicroStation runs on PCs, Macintoshes, and Intergraph UNIX(R) workstations. MicroStation on the SPARCstation is the latest advance in furthering MicroStation's multi-platform strategy, offering users an additional UNIX platform. On the Sun SPARCstation, MicroStation offers the members of the Sun third-party Catalyst Program a premier foundation for CAD applications development. Sun expects MicroStation sales to leverage $50 million in SPARCstation sales in the first year. 37.02 Sun in The Retail Industry This article shows the changing nature of Sun's business. The fact that three of the companies mentioned (Burdines, Carnival and RCCL) are covered by my office is sheer coincidence!. -johnj Sun Systems Now Used For Many Applications In Various Segments Of The Retail Industry MOUNTAIN VIEW, Calif. --January 13, 1991-- Sun Microsystems Computer Corp. (SMCC) is significantly expanding its presence in worldwide retail markets, as seen by recent sales of its SPARC(R) computer systems. New domestic and international customers represent a broad range of industry segments and include McDonald's, JC Penney, John Menzies, Brewers Retail, Sears Canada, Burdines, Shottenstein's Value City Department Stores, Kash & Karry, US Order, Carnival Cruise Lines, Royal Caribbean Cruises and Hotel Grand Central. Retailers are using networked Sun SPARCstations(TM) and SPARCservers(TM) for a wide variety of "mission critical" (critical to the success of the organization) retail applications, such as point-of-sale support, inventory management and control, credit card authorizations, electronic data interchange (EDI), sales tracking and research, online transaction processing (OLTP), decision support, financials and accounting, labor management, and advertising layout and design. 37.03 Documents From SPARC International This is an article from: lynette@sparc.com (Lynette Wong). -johnj Don't miss the opportunity to stay finely tuned to the industry's technical documentation. SPARC International has available for sale its Version 8 Architecture Manual, MBus Interface Specifications (Version 1.2) and the SCD 1.1. Mastercard and Visa accepted. Shipping costs not included. CA residents need to add 8.25% sales tax. For more information, Contact Susan Sloyer, SPARC International, (415) 321-8692, ext. 257, for a document order form. 1. Version 8 Architecture Manual 2. MBus Interface Specifications (Version 1.2) 3. SCD 1.1 37.04 SBus Developer List: Introduction The list of SBus products in the developers list has grown so much that I'm posting it as 5 sections. -johnj SunFlash Description 37.4 This introduction 37.4 ADDITIONS SINCE THE LAST UPDATE 37.4 Letter from SBus product manager 37.5 I. PARALLEL/SERIAL I/O 37.5 II. BUS ADAPTERS 37.5 III. GRAPHICS, VIDEO, and DISPLAY 37.5 IV. INSTRUMENTATION INTERFACES 37.6 V. COPROCESSORS 37.6 VI. I/O DEVICES and INTERFACES 37.6 VII. NETWORKING/COMMUNICATIONS INTERFACES 37.6 VIII. STORAGE and DISK CONTROLLERS 37.7 IX. MODEMS, FACSIMILE, and COMPRESSION 37.7 X. INDUSTRIAL I/O 37.7 XI. MEMORY 37.7 XII. ENABLING PRODUCTS and SERVICES 37.8 XIII. MIL-STANDARD INTERFACE 37.8 XIV. DIGITAL SIGNAL PROCESSING SYSTEMS 37.8 XV. AUDIO, VOICE, and SPEECH SYSTEMS 37.8 XVI. DR-11W INTERFACES 37.05 SBus Developer List: I to IV SBus: PARALLEL/SERIAL, BUS, GRAPHICS, VIDEO, DISPLAY, INSTRUMENTATION I. PARALLEL/SERIAL I/O II. BUS ADAPTERS III. GRAPHICS, VIDEO, and DISPLAY IV. INSTRUMENTATION INTERFACES 37.06 SBus Developer List: V to VIII SBus: COPROCESSORS, I/O, INTERFACES, NETWORKING, COMMS, STORAGE, CONTROLLERS V. COPROCESSORS VI. I/O DEVICES and INTERFACES VII. NETWORKING/COMMUNICATIONS INTERFACES VIII. STORAGE and DISK CONTROLLERS 37.07 SBus Developer List: IX to XII SBus: MODEMS, FAX, COMPRESSION, INDUSTRIAL I/O, MEMORY, SERVICES IX. MODEMS, FACSIMILE, and COMPRESSION X. INDUSTRIAL I/O XI. MEMORY XII. ENABLING PRODUCTS and SERVICES 37.08 SBus Developer List: XIII to XVI SBus: MIL-STANDARD, DSP, AUDIO, VOICE, and SPEECH, DR-11W INTERFACES XIII. MIL-STANDARD INTERFACE XIV. DIGITAL SIGNAL PROCESSING SYSTEMS XV. AUDIO, VOICE, and SPEECH SYSTEMS XVI. DR-11W INTERFACES 37.09 7.1 SunLink CG3270 o Sun's primary 3270 emulation product with industry-leading color, graphics, and ease-of-use o Runs under OpenWindows Version 3 o Fully localizeable (single byte) o Supports the TN3270 protocol (with color and graphics) o Includes an API for integration with SunOS applications o Licensed based on number of concurrent users o Supports APL2 character set o AS/400 Connectivity (Limited) SunConnect, a Sun Microsystems Incorporated Business, announced SunLink CG3270. This product is now SMCC's mainstream 3270 emulation product. It is an effective tool in penetrating large commercial IBM accounts with a large installed base of mainframe/3270 applications. 37.10 SunExpress PC Emulation Product Upgrade Promotion This offer is only available to customers through SunExpress. Part numbers, pricing, and ordering information is available by calling 1-800-USA-4SUN (press 2 for telesales and 1 for software). From now until March 31, 1992, SMCC customers can take advantage of a special SunExpress PC Emulation Product Upgrade promotion. Through this promotion, customers can buy Insignia's SoftPC 2.1 from SunExpress today, and be among the first to receive an upgrade to Sun's new PC emulation product in Q4 FY92. 37.11 SunLink TE320 7.0 - DEC VT320 Terminal Emulator with Color Support - Emulates VT320, VT220, and VT100 terminals - OPEN LOOK (TM) Compliant - Cut and paste selected text to other OpenWindows applications - Distributed processing: runs SunLink TE320 on one machine while displaying it on a second machine - Scalable fonts - Localization/Internationalization features - Property windows for easy configuration - Requires no additional hardware SMCC is making available SunConnect's SunLink TE320 7.0, a DEC VT320 terminal emulator with color support. SunConnect is a Sun Microsystems Incorporated Business. SunLink TE320 is a significant advance from TE100, providing users with VT320, VT220, and VT100 emulation in an OpenWindows-based environment. 37.12 Island Graphics Introduces IslandPresent This is a third party product announcement from Island Graphics. -johnj Island Graphics Introduces IslandPresents (tm), Presentation and Business Graphics Solution for UNIX Includes new modules IslandChart and IslandTable UniForum '92 / San Francisco, California (January 20, 1992) -- Island Graphics Corporation (San Rafael, California) today introduced IslandPresents, a complete WYSIWYG presentation and business graphics solution, which includes two new modules, IslandChart and IslandTable, in addition to the award-winning IslandPaint. The $995 IslandPresents will be available for OPEN LOOK in first quarter 1992. 37.13 The Big Debate: Workstations vs. PCs for A/E/C Jeff Arnst is market segment manager for A/E/C at Sun Microsystems, Inc. -johnj By Jeff Arnst Sun Microsystems, Inc. Q: Have you ever considered using a workstation instead of a PC? A: Sure, and I've considered trading in my Ford for a Ferrari, too. My PC does what I need it to do, so why should I use a workstation? If I ever need that kind of performance, I'll just upgrade the PC. In the last four years, workstations have become the most popular platform for software development and delivery next to PCs for Architecture/Engineering/Construction, yet many misconceptions about their capabilities and costs still exist. While it is true that the distinctions between workstations and PCs are blurring, the two are not yet interchangeable. And understanding the differences that do exist can be critical to maximize your effectiveness. This article will provide a context for understanding the growing niche of workstations in the A/E/C industry, comparing and contrasting their capabilities with those of high-performance PCs. 37.14 SunSoft Completes Acquisition Of Interactive Systems Intel UNIX Business MOUNTAIN VIEW, Calif., Jan. 15, 1992 -- SunSoft and the Eastman Kodak Company today announced the completion of SunSoft's acquisition of Interactive Systems Corporation's Intel UNIX business. Kodak will continue to operate the Services and Technologies group as Interactive Systems Corp. This acquisition further underscores SunSoft's commitment to the Intel market. With the synergy of the combined engineering resources, SunSoft will accelerate development of the Solaris 2.0 distributed computing solution on 80X86 platforms. SunSoft now has a worldwide sales presence and customer base for UNIX/ 80X86 products in the United States, including the federal government, Europe and Asia. Details on SunSoft's product plans with the Interactive acquisition will be unveiled at a later date. 37.15 Oracle for SPARCsystem 6x0 This is a message from the Oracle person that manages the Sun/Oracle relationship. -johnj Just a quick reminder to let you know that Oracle is shipping production level software for SPARCsystems 600 series with MP features (including "spinlocks" db latching mechanism found in other ORACLE MP ports). This new version is being shipped today from Oracle with every Sun order. If for some reason the word hasn't made it out to a few of our existing Sun-Oracle customers that this patch exists, please let our customers know that even though future upgrades shipped to them will have the patch they can special request the patch today directly from Oracle customer support. They should just ask for "the MP patch". 37.16 Announcing the PUBLISH mailing list This sounds like it might be an interesting new mailing list. -johnj Followup-To: publish-request@chron.com From: dae@world.std.com (Dwight A Ernest) Newsgroups: comp.lang.postscript,comp.text,comp.text.desktop, comp.periphs.printers,comp.sys.sun.misc,comp.org.sug Subject: Announcing the PUBLISH mailing list Summary: Mailing list is being formed: computers in publishing Keywords: publishing publish print printing postscript Date: 14 Jan 92 22:46:13 GMT At the 1991 Sun User Group meeting in San Jose, there was a BOF for those interested in using Suns in publishing. As a result of that BOF, a mailing list has been formed. Here is a slightly rearranged copy of the original creation announcment, which includes details about joining and posting. As you can see, although the original idea behind the list may have been limited to Suns in publishing, the list currently enjoys a much wider charter. The PUBLISH mailing list is for discussion of the role of computers, specifically workstations, in book, magazine, newspaper, and other publishing. 37.17 NeWSprint 2.0 o Upgrades SPARCprinter and all NeWSprint-driven printers with new functions and performance with no new hardware required! o NeWSprint can now be used to direct print jobs from nearly any computer to nearly any printer on a network. This includes Macintosh and IBM PCs o Support for printing Type I fonts embedded in imported PostScript files o 24-bit color support o Improved performance for color and raster images such as scanned documents o Network printer control with NeWSprint tool o Developer's Kit allows users to write interfaces for any format or any printer o Control of SPARCprinter's 300 or 400 dpi from Window-based NeWSprint tool o Printer's Palette (Vol 1) on CD with over 170 NeWSprint printing products included with complete product information and software for more than 25 printers, 600 fonts, and 25 data formats. 37.18 Special Internet Connections This is an article that was posted to biz.comp.services. I have found several of these services useful -johnj 37.19 Sun Unveils Solaris 2.0 Migration Kit MOUNTAIN VIEW, Calif. -- January 22, 1992 -- Sun Microsystems Computer Corporation (SMCC) today introduced the Solaris(R) 2.0 Migration Kit, a free set of tools and documentation developed to assist SMCC customers with their transition from the Solaris 1.0 to the Solaris 2.0 distributed computing solution. Solaris 2.0 is based on the industry-standard UNIX(R) System V Release 4 operating system, and includes the ONC(TM) networking products and services, the OpenWindows(TM) environment and DeskSet(TM) productivity tools, which use the OPEN LOOK(R) graphical interface. By early next year, all new SMCC SPARC(R) systems will exclusively run Solaris 2.0. The Solaris 2.0 Migration Kit contains the System V Migration Tool (the Pipeline Tool), the SunOS 4.1.x-to-Solaris 2.0 Migration and Compatibility Guide, a site-migration planning worksheet and extensive documentation --all on a single compact disc (CD). In addition, there are technical white papers and detailed "question and answer" documents for system administrators and developers. SMCC today also released an interactive, multimedia tutorial about Solaris 2.0 and the migration effort, which is featured on the Migration Kit CD. The Migration Kit utilizes Sun's AnswerBook(TM) technology, which allows all of the online documentation to be easily accessed with sophisticated search and retrieval functions. To locate information, users can type in simple phrases, "click" on table of contents entries or use hypertext links to reference related topics. 37.20 The SPARC Compliant(TM) Trademark This is a press release from SPARC International. -johnj SPARC International Adrienne Bachleda (415) 321-8692 x 238 Sun, Other Systems Vendors Carry SPARC Compliant Trademark Forty-three Systems Now Verified SPARC Compliant MENLO PARK, Calif. -- January 22, 1992 -- SPARC International (SI), today announced that Sun Microsystems will begin carrying the SPARC Compliant(TM) trademark on all its desktop products and related packaging and promotional materials as of January 1992... SI also announced today that Sun's SPARCserver(TM) 600 MP series has passed SCD 1.1 compliance testing, and will begin carrying the SPARC Compliance trademark immediately. "We view the SPARC Compliant(TM) trademark as a key marketing tool," said Larry Hambly, vice president of marketing, Sun Microsystems Computer Corporation. "SCD stands for assured binary compatibility of compliant applications on all compliant systems from SMCC and other vendors. It is concrete evidence of successfully tested products and will generate buyer confidence in multivendor SPARC systems compatibility." 37.21 Sun's Earning and Revenues (Second Fiscal Quarter) Up 20% Sun Microsystems Announces 20% Higher Revenues And Earnings For Second Fiscal Quarter MOUNTAIN VIEW, Calif. -- January 28, 1992 -- Sun Microsystems, Inc. (SUNW), today reported that revenues for its second fiscal quarter ended December 27, 1991, rose more than 20% to $909.1 million, over the $753.5 million reported for the corresponding period of fiscal 1991. Net income for the quarter also increased more than 20% to $47.4 million, or 47 cents per share, from the $39.1 million, or 39 cents per share, for the same period a year ago. Revenue unit shipments at 49,000 set a new company record. For the first six months of fiscal 1992, Sun recorded revenues of $1.7 billion, up 16% from the same period a year earlier. Net income for the six-month period increased nearly 14% to $74.2 million, or 74 cents per share, from the $65.2 million, or 65 cents per share, reported in the corresponding period a year ago. 37.22 Peripheral Verification Testing Announced At SI An Independent Testing And Branding Service MENLO PARK, CA -- January 22, 1992 -- Responding to increasing demand from SPARC peripheral vendors, SPARC International (SI) announces a new program called the Peripheral Verification Testing (PVT) Program, an independent testing and branding service. The program tests several classes of peripheral products, such as SCSI Devices, SIMMS, monitors, keyboards, and SBus boards on SPARC Compliant(TM) systems, and will ensure buyers of third party peripheral products that the products are compatible with their SPARC computers. "Working with peripheral vendors in the SPARC community, we came up with a service that establishes technical and marketing relationships between their products," said Robert Duncan, chairman and CEO of SPARC International. "Each could accomplish that independently--this service just does it stronger and faster. What really results from the PVT Program testing efforts is confidence--assurance that products work together as advertised--and that is a positive connection for the buyer of SPARC products with both the system and peripheral vendors." 37.23 A Workstation On Every Desktop This is from an internal Sun mailing list. Hope you find it interesting (even if it is a bit evangelical!) -johnj WHY A NEW GENERATION OF SOFTWARE WILL PUT A WORKSTATION ON YOUR DESKTOP A consultant writing some business plans at our office recently asked if he could bring his personal computer from home. A confirmed PC user, he couldn't imagine getting any work done without it. We told him that was fine, but also gave him a UNIX workstation, asserting that in this company, at least, he would find it as important as his phone. "Right," he said trying not to look too cynical. Within two weeks, the consultant was a convert. Using the workstation's electronic mail facility, he was coordinating workgroups in Asia, Europe and several locations within the United States. He was pulling information from these far-flung sources, integrating it on his workstation, and producing the reports in a fraction of the time it would have otherwise taken. Totally smitten, he asked for a similar connection at home. And what about the PC? "Not good enough," he said. 37.24 Sun,Cray Cooperate On SPARC MOUNTAIN VIEW, Calif. and EAGAN, Minn., --January 22, 1992-- Sun Microsystems, Inc., and Cray Research, Inc., announced today that the firms will cooperate in both software and hardware areas that will include sharing information and technology. The firms plan to create a seamless software environment that will allow Sun systems and Cray Research supercomputers -- including the top-of-the-line CRAY-MP C90 system -- to work together with unprecedented efficiency. Cray Research will use technology developed at Sun Microsystems to build high-end SPARC(R) RISC computers that will complement the product lines of both companies. Cray Research has also joined SPARC International, an organization of more than 200 SPARC vendors that supports binary compatibility among products through the SPARC Compliance Definition (SCD). This new agreement complements Cray Research's recent acquisition of assets of SPARC minisupercomputer vendor Floating Point Systems (FPS) of Beaverton, Oregon. Following the acquisition, Cray Research formed a wholly owned subsidiary, Cray Research Superservers Inc. (CRS) to produce and market SPARC-based products. According to Cray Research, it intends to produce new high-end SPARC servers that are planned for delivery late in 1993 and may cost in the $1-3 million range. "There is a very fast-growing installed base for SPARC systems, with more than 3,800 third-party hardware and software products," said John Rollwagen, chairman and CEO of Cray Research. He noted that SCD ensures that compatible software will be readily available for SPARC systems. ++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ 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 and src.doc.ic.ac.uk 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.