AT&T Announces Software Developer Conferences

AT&T will hold eight, three-day conferences around the world beginning in September to  give independent software developers (ISVs), value added resellers (VARs) and selected large corporate users a preview of the key technical features of UNIX(R) System V Release 4.0.

The Software Developer Conferences, co-sponsored by Sun Microsystems Inc., will focus on the  move toward a single UNIX system standard under Release 4.0 and will give developers information on how to port or write software applications now in anticipation of the single standard.

Attendees will learn how applications written for existing releases of UNIX  System V, SunOS, Berkeley and XENIX versions of the UNIX system can be adapted to take advantage of the new features in UNIX System V Release 4.0.  In  addition, attendees will receive documentation including compatibility and migration guides and the OPEN LOOK(TM) Graphical User Interface Style Guide.

Further, the conference will cover UNIX System V Release 4.0's key capabilities in the areas of networked computing and user interfaces.  For example, in the networking area, UNIX System V Release 4.0 brings together AT&T's  Remote  File  Sharing and Sun's Network File System (NFS), Remote Procedure Call (RPC) and External Data Representation (XDR).  In the area of user interfaces, Release 4.0 adds graphics and windowing capabilities to UNIX System V's set of character oriented capabilities.  The OPEN LOOK interface will provide a common look and feel across the UNIX  system in  either a  standalone or networked environment using either X Windows or X11/NeWS.

"We view these conferences as an excellent opportunity for UNIX system developers to  gain detailed technical information on developing UNIX system applications," said William O'Shea, AT&T vice  president, product  development.  "We've promised to keep the UNIX system community informed of new UNIX system releases and we're doing that.  We're giving developers a head start with these conferences."

"Our goal in introducing this standard software platform is to establish a single UNIX system environment that will be the development and delivery vehicle of choice for the 1990's," said Eric Schmidt of  Sun, vice president of the Software Products Division.  "These conferences will serve as an ideal forum for UNIX system vendors to help guide the evolution of the UNIX system toward a single standard."

Topics to be covered in the conference include new features of UNIX System V Release 4.0 and its adherence to other industry standards, such as IEEE POSIX and the X/Open common application environment.

The conferences will include presentations by technical staff from AT&T and Sun.  The schedule is as follows:

New York                Sept. 14-16
Los Angeles             Sept. 27-29
Tokyo                   Oct.  11-13
London                  Oct.  25-27
Boston                  Nov.   9-11
Chicago                 Nov.  29-Dec 1
San Francisco           Dec.   6-8
Washington, D.C.        Dec.  13-15

The conference costs $750 per person; group discounts  are  available. For information call 1-800-247-1212, ext. 795.

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UNIX is a registered trademark of AT&T.
XENIX is a trademark of Microsoft Corp.