NETSCAPE AND SUN DESIGNATE NETSCAPE IFC WINDOWING TOOLKIT AS A GUI ENVIRONMENT FOR BUILDING 100 PERCENT PURE APPLICATIONS
MOUNTAIN VIEW, Calif. (December 11, 1996) - Sun Microsystems, Inc. (NASDAQ: SUNW) and Netscape Communications Corporation (NASDAQ: NSCP) today announced that the Netscape Windowing Internet Foundation Classes (IFC), available today, are designated as a GUI environment that can be used in building 100 Percent Pure Java apps. The Netscape Windowing IFCs offer additional graphical user interface functionality to developers writing Java applications.
Since the Netscape Windowing IFCs are written with only Java application programming interfaces (APIs), developers who bundle these libraries in their applications will be eligible to submit their programs to Sun's newly announced 100 Percent Pure Java Initiative. Because they are written entirely in Java, the Netscape Windowing IFCs are a natural extension of the reference platform application programming interfaces provided by JavaSoft.
The Netscape Windowing IFCs are an all-Java user interface application framework that allows Java applications to be created independent of operating system-specific windows and user interface controls. The framework includes window hierarchies, integrated drag and drop and all-Java user-interface controls.
Sun's new 100 Percent Pure Java Initiative is an industry-supported program to educate, train, test and certify development of Java applications. Companies whose Java applications pass the certification process will be awarded an exclusive 100 Percent Pure Java logo and a host of developer services from technical briefings to marketing assistance. Over 100 companies endorsed the 100 Percent Pure Java Initiative at InternetWorld in New York City Wednesday.
The 100 Percent Pure Java certification program is the complement to JavaSoft's program for maintaining compatibility on platform implementations of the virtual machine. The company has spent the past year building a comprehensive suite of tests that all licenses of the Java platform must pass in order to remain compatible. JDK 1.1, introduced this week, includes 5,000 tests in its suite, up from 200 a year ago.
"The Windowing IFCs from Netscape are the best evidence today of the power of Java as an open technology," said Alan Baratz, president of JavaSoft, a wholly owned business unit of Sun Microsystems. "With the availability of Netscape's IFCs, application developers can choose to use either JavaSoft's Abstract Windowing Toolkit or the additional Netscape IFCs for building interoperable applications. Either way, applications are built in 100 Percent Java, preserving our most important maxim to developers: write once, run anywhere."
"Sun's 100 Percent Pure Java Program will have an immediate and positive impact on the developer community," said Rick Shell, senior vice president of the client product division at Netscape. "Developers are looking for guidance as the demand for Java applications explodes and this program will meet this unprecedented demand. As part of the announcement, Netscape committed to submitting its IFCs to the 100 Percent Pure Java certification process, which will be unveiled in the first quarter of 1997."
"The 100 Percent Pure Java Initiative will be a model for the evolution of an open technology," said Baratz. "By testing applications that extend the base of pure Java APIs, we encourage the rapid innovation of the Java platform while maintaining unity. Through this program we are strongly encouraging the development of new APIs, which will expedite the evolution of Java as a robust platform with complete functionality. For developers, it means they can either create new classes and embed them in their applications or invoke the classes available through the Java platform."
Netscape Communications Corporation is a leading provider of open software for linking people and information over enterprise networks and the Internet. The company offer a full line of clients, servers, development tools and commercial applications to create a complete platform for next-generation live, on-line applications. Traded on NASDAQ under the symbol "NSCP," Netscape Communications Corporation is based in Mountain View, California.
JavaSoft, headquartered in Cupertino, Calif., is a business unit of Sun Microsystems, Inc. The company's mission is to develop, market and support the Java technology and products based on it. Java supports networked application and enable developers to write application once that will run on any Java enabled machine. JavaSoft develops applications, tools, and systems platforms to further enhance Java as the programming standard for complex networks such as the Internet and corporate intranets. JavaSoft can be found on the World Wide Web at http://java.sun.com.
Since its inception in 1982, a singular vision, "The Network Is The Computer," has propelled Sun Microsystems, Inc. to its position as a leading provider of hardware, software and services for establishing enterprise-wide intranets and expanding the power of the Internet. With more than $7 billion in annual revenue, Sun can be found in more than 150 countries and on the World Wide Web at http://www.sun.com.
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