Introducing JavaStation: Sun's Enterprise Desktop Alternative to Transform Network Computing

MOUNTAIN VIEW, Calif. - October 29, 1996 - Turning a new page in the evolution of corporate network computing, Sun Microsystems, Inc. today unveiled its highly anticipated JavaStation™ family of network computers - the first "pure" Java™ network computers specifically optimized to run Java applications and offering powerful access to enterprise intranet data, applications and systems with zero administration.

JavaStation devices give Fortune 1000 CEOs, CFOs and CIOs a powerful weapon to transform the economics of running a large enterprise by shifting the computer's administration and support of data and applications from the desktop to the network. This model is so much more cost effective than networked PCs that it enables companies to develop breakaway business strategies.

"Many top companies are concerned about the enormous cost and complexity of maintaining these giant networks of 10,000 or more PCs, each carrying a total cost of ownership of about $12,000 per year," said Gene Banman, vice president and general manager of the desktop systems group at Sun Microsystems Computer Company. "Because it allows developers to write applications once that will run on any platform, regardless of operating system, the Java environment gives Fortune 1000 CIOs a way out of this financial and organizational quagmire."

JavaStations dramatically reduce the burden of administration, speed application development and deployment and improve security - all of which have contribute to a lower total cost of ownership and a big potential impact on the corporate bottom line.

"With JavaStation, you can save millions of dollars and deliver the same or better functionality, even if this is implemented by just 10 percent of your workforce. That's why, in this environment, the JavaStation will win," said Banman.

The JavaStation environment features the JavaOS™ and a set of products called "HotJava Views," which includes desktop productivity applets and the graphical, intuitive HotJava browser. JavaOS is a new operating system designed to be the most efficient and cost-effective way to run Java programs from the network on a desktop system. Written in Java, it includes the Java Virtual Machine and class libraries plus the necessary software. The entire operating environment takes only 3.5 MB to efficiently run applications.

JavaStation supports an arsenal of compact software, from the JavaOS operating system to the graphical, HotJava Views desktop environment and a host of productivity tools. JavaStation can run existing off-the-shelf and custom Java applications or it can run host Legacy terminal environments, such as SNA 3270, 5250, VT220. It is the only pure Java network computing device, which means its primary mission is to run Java applications in a responsive, user-friendly environment. But it can also access Microsoft PC applications from an NT server. And it can run Microsoft Windows applications by utilizing an Insignia Solutions' open-systems-based applet called "NTRIGUE." Furthermore, the JavaStation device offers significant processing power at the desktop, allowing users to tap the network on-demand for applications and storage.

Sun estimates more than 450 ISV applications are already developing Java enterprise applications, and several top integrators are already exporting the benefits of Java technology to large corporations.

For all of its promise, JavaStation itself is simply built. It has no hard drive, no slots, no floppy, no CD-ROM player, no jumpers, no moving parts to worry about. Yet, it contains everything Fortune 1000 companies will need to link the desktop with the Internet or corporate network: a microSPARCII™ chip provides the processing power; memory scales from 8 MB to 64 MB; it has built-in standard 10BaseT networking and will expand to 100 BaseT by mid-1997; and it includes either a 14-inch or 17-inch XVGA color monitor. In mid-1997, Sun will add PPP and Flash RAM features.

The JavaStation device is easy to install, and boots up quickly. It's about the size of a human footprint and as interchangeable as a light bulb - if one breaks down, it can be swapped for another system without losing any applications, saved user files or experiencing significant down-time.

Several major companies are already discovering these benefits and finding creative ways in which to deploy JavaStation:

• CSX plans to distribute JavaStation devices to large-volume shippers, allowing them to track their shipments in real time at a fraction of the cost of PCs.
• The First Union National Bank Capital Markets Technology division is evaluating JavaStations for operational areas to reduce total cost of ownership per seat and to speed deployment of its custom applications.
• Targeted at the market for mission-critical applications, such as retail customer service, call centers and financial service operations, JavaStation offers important benefits for anyone on the network.

Beginning in December, Sun will ship the entry JavaStation package with 8 MB of main memory for $742 . A fully-configured package, which includes 8 MB of main memory, a keyboard, mouse and a 14-inch color monitor, will ship for $995 . Sun will also ship JavaStation with 16 MB of main memory, a mouse, keyboard and a 17-inch color monitor for $1,565.

With annual revenues of more than $7 billion, Sun Microsystems, Inc., provides products and services that enable customers to build and maintain open network computing environments. Widely recognized as a proponent of open standards, the company is involved in the design, manufacture and sale of products, technologies and services for commercial and technical computing. Sun Microsystems was founded in 1982 and is headquartered in Mountain View, California.

Sun, the Sun logo, Sun Microsystems,JavaStation, JavaOS, HotJava and Java are trademarks or registered trademarks of Sun Microsystems, Inc. in the United States and in other countries. All SPARC trademarks are used under license and are trademarks or registered trademarks of SPARC International, Inc. in the United States and other countries. Products bearing SPARC trademarks are based upon an architecture developed by Sun Microsystems, Inc.

Sun Delivers on Promise of Java Technology; Unveils the Industry's First Complete Java Client, Server, Software and Services for Business

MOUNTAIN VIEW, Calif. - October 29, 1996 - Sun Microsystems, Inc. today announced a comprehensive worldwide Java™ Computing initiative by unveiling an array of solutions targeted specifically at enterprise companies. Sun's offering consists of several new products, including the much-anticipated JavaStation™ network computer, services and partnerships - all leveraging the power and flexibility of Sun's Java technology.

Sun's announcement also includes efforts by the leading system integrators, nearly 400 independent software developers and a dozen major corporate customers, such as BT (British Telecommunications plc), CSX Corp., Federal Express, Corp., First Union Corp. and FTD, Inc.

Aimed at slashing the enormous cost of networked environments, Java Computing will enable Fortune 1000 companies to ease the burden of network and desktop administration, speed application development and deployment and improve network security. Because Java technology allows developers to write applications that will run on any device, Java Computing shifts applications and storage from the desktop to the network and the server. The advantages of this truly platform independent approach to network management could save many large companies anywhere from 50 percent to 80 percent on the total cost of ownership, based on figures compiled separately by Sun and a major market research firm looking at "fat client"-related costs in a 1000-node enterprise.

Sun's announcement includes the first family of zero-administration JavaStation network computers designed for desktop and embedded environments, a complete line of easy-administration Netra™ j servers with fully integrated software for Java Computing and network client support, and a full array of software and integration services that will help businesses leverage Java technology across even the most diverse, multi-platform networks.

Nearly 450 applications - for mission critical, office productivity, Web, Internet, integration, service and development purposes - have been developed to date. Among those developing business, productivity and development tools are: SAS Institute; Computer Associates International; Computron Software, Inc.; Oracle Corp.; Applix, Inc.; Reuters New Media; SAP AG; The BAAN Co.; IBM; Bulletproof Corp.; Visigenic/Hitachi; Corel Corp.; Interleaf, Inc.; Informix Corp.; Lotus Development Corp.; EPS, Inc.; and Sybase, Inc./Powersoft.

In addition, nearly a dozen major companies are implementing Java Computing pilot programs this year. They include: Federal Express; FTD; CSX; BT; The First Union National Bank Capital Markets Group; and the Eastman Kodak Co. "Java Computing is exciting developers, integrators and investors because, after 10 years of struggling through ever-growing complexity and cost in the enterprise, we're finally on the verge of a huge break in the evolution of technology," said Ed Zander, president of Sun Microsystems Computer Company. "First came mainframes then minis and then PCs. Now Java Computing is poised to kick off the fourth big wave in information technology by filling a need for real products and systems that can leverage the network to do high-powered, mission critical work at a drastically reduced cost.

"Java Computing is evolutionary technology with a revolutionary impact," he said. "It moves the computer's functionality and complexity to the network, freeing companies to do whatever makes the most sense at the desktop. And because they no longer have to tend to the rising cost and complexity of the PC-bloated network, CEOs, CFOs and CIOs have more time and resources to spend focusing on breakaway business strategies."

Fully configured, JavaStation systems will start at less than $1,000 with entry systems priced at around $750. But the initial hardware and software costs pale in comparison to what companies will save in the long run on total cost of ownership. Indeed, industry estimates put the average annual cost of administering a single PC in a network at about $11,900, or approximately $35,700 over three years. Hardware and software only account for about 21 percent of that cost, according to industry estimates. By comparison, Sun estimates a JavaStation will require about $2,500 per year to administer, or about $7,500 for three years. For Fortune 1000 companies with thousands of desktop PCs in their enterprise, the move to a Java platform could slash total cost of ownership by tens-of-millions to hundreds-of-millions of dollars.

Several Sun system integrators also stepped forward with plans to offer broad support for clients implementing Java Computing integration expertise, including Andersen Consulting, Cambridge Technology Partners, EDS, Perot Systems, Cap Gemini and Sun Integration Systems.

Java Spans The Enterprise

Shipping in the same timeframe will be the newest member of the award-winning Netra server line, the Netra j, which will range in price from $7,695 (U.S. list) at the low end to more than $200,000 (U.S. list) for high-end machines. Leveraging Sun's proven Ultra™ Enterprise™ Server architecture, Netra j is the first server line designed specifically to develop, deploy and manage the full range of Java applications supported by the JavaStation family.

"The first place you'll see these things going will be to what we call `fixed-function applications,'such as airline or hotel reservation desks, kiosks, healthcare systems and stock brokerages," said Zander. "They are going to hit home for companies that are looking for simplicity, cost-effective systems management and better application deployment."

Supporting products for Java Computing, which provide customers with an easy-to-use, browser-based interface for doing everything from installing software to managing heterogeneous environments, include:

HotJava™ Views: A set of products for the JavaStation user environment that includes desktop productivity tools, such as e-mail, an electronic phone directory, a calendar manager and the HotJava browser.

JavaOS™: Written in Java, the JavaOS is small and efficient. It includes the Java Virtual Machine and class libraries plus the system softwareneeded to run them without a full-blown operating system.

Solaris™ Internet: Newly enhanced to provide the best server solution for Sun's Javastation and other network computers, the Solaris Internet Server Supplement for the Ultra Enterprise servers boosts Web server performance and adds support for WebNFS™ and the Java Virtual Machine to the Solaris operating environment.

Solstice™: Solstice products are being written to take full advantage of the Java Management API.

Java Applications Are Written Once and Run Anywhere

CIOs around the world have discovered the significant savings in time and money that this model affords them. More important, they are turning to Java Computing because they know they can gradually deploy Java technology without having to discard their current client-server investments. JavaStation devices will run alongside PCs, Macs, workstations or even dumb terminals. And the Netra j servers will provide support for these and other clients.

Many Sun customers are already deploying Java Computing solutions alongside their existing architecture to create strategic advantages. Several examples:

CSX will distribute JavaStation devices to large-volume shippers, allowing them to access real-time shipping data from "TWS Net," the CSX network. The low cost and maintenance of the JavaStation will allow CSX to provide many more customers with the direct ability to track their shipments.

The First Union National Bank Capital Markets Technology Division is evaluating JavaStation devices for operational areas in order to lower installation costs, ongoing maintenance, help desk costs and to speed deployment of its custom applications.

BT, the British-based global telecommunications company has developed an innovative Java-based customer service solution that has already been deployed by a large British police department. BT customers can now communicate directly - at a lower cost - with BT to monitor mission-critical internal network and order new services.

Analysts say many such large companies are actively deploying Java technology. More than 60 percent of Fortune 1000 companies surveyed by Forrester Research are already using Java technology for some application development, and 42 percent expect Java to play a strategic role in their company within a year. This is remarkable considering that Java was just introduced in May 1995. And although JavaStation and other network computers were only rolled out this year, The Gartner Group market research firm estimates that 20 percent of client-server applications in the late 1990s will be on Ultralite or thin clients.

"What's important to the CIO is that this is the first true platform with investment protection because Java is a secure universal interface language and is supported by every major commercial operating system out there today," said Jeffrey P. Morgenthal, research analyst with D.H. Brown Associates, Inc. in Port Chester, N.Y. "Java represents a way to really build a distributed object environment that CIOs can implement in phases without jeopardizing the existing infrastructure investment. Not only that, but I'm hard pressed to believe that somebody is going to come up with an architecture in the near future to wipe this one out."

Sun estimates that a huge portion of the growth in JavaStation network computers will take place at companies looking to replace their aging 3270 terminals. This is a significant market with an installed base of approximately 35 million non-programmable terminals worldwide.

With annual revenues of more than $7 billion, Sun Microsystems, Inc., provides products and services that enable customers to build and maintain open network computing environments. Widely recognized as a proponent of open standards, the company is involved in the design, manufacture and sale of products, technologies and services for commercial and technical computing. Sun Microsystems was founded in 1982 and is headquartered in Mountain View, California.

Sun, the Sun logo, Sun Microsystems, Solaris, Java, JavaStation, Netra, HotJava, JavaOS, WebNFS and Solstice are trademarks or registered trademarks of Sun Microsystems, Inc. in the United States and in other countries. All SPARC trademarks are used under license and are trademarks or registered trademarks of SPARC International, Inc. in the United States and other countries. Products bearing SPARC trademarks are based upon an architecture developed by Sun Microsystems, Inc. UNIX is a registered trademark in the United States and other countries exclusively licensed through X/Open Company, Ltd.

Press announcements and other information about Sun Microsystems are available on the Internet via the World Wide Web using a tool such as Netscape or NCSA Mosaic. Type http://www.sun.com at the URL prompt.