PALO ALTO, Calif., Jan 19, 2000 /PRNewswire via COMTEX/ -- Sun
Microsystems, Inc.'s (Nasdaq: SUNW) technology visionaries join Sun
president and COO Ed Zander and 2,500 political leaders, scholars and
members of the media who will address global economic, technological,
societal and geopolitical issues of the 21st century at the 30th Annual
Meeting of the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland. This year's
meeting entitled "New Beginnings: Making a Difference" will be held
January 27 through February 1.
Attending the meeting from Sun will be Sun co-founder and chief
scientist Bill Joy; John Gage, Sun's chief researcher and director of
the Science Office; Janpieter Scheerder, president of Network Storage;
and Robert Youngjohns, Sun's vice president, Europe, Middle East and
Africa.
"The first World Economic Forum of the new century is the ideal venue
for a global discussion of the promises and challenges that lie ahead
and the role that technology will play in shaping our future," said
Zander. "Thirty years ago, when these meetings began, technology was
still the province of researchers and academics. Since then, IT and
especially the Internet have become the driving forces behind our
global economy and culture."
Zander will share his insights into the rapidly evolving new business
models and shifting strategies in a highly networked, dynamic global
marketplace in panel discussions entitled "Building New Business Models
on the Net" (January 29).
Zander knows what it means to adapt to the ever-changing environment
brought on by the Internet. At Sun, he has played a major role in
managing Sun's rapid growth into its position as the leading supplier
of systems and technologies powering the Internet. He is also credited
as being the creator of the slogan of Sun's highly successful ad
campaign "We're the dot in .com"(TM).
Under Zander's leadership, Sun has been recognized in the industry for
its innovative approach to global workplace transformation as a key
factor in the company's success. (Gartner Group Case Study: "Sun
Microsystems' Workplace Transformation," Dec. 2, 1999). The report
points to a global workplace transformation strategy that is expected
to save Sun $200 million annually by bundling workplace settings into
IT clusters, and creating a more mobile and customer-centric workforce.
Bill Joy, co-founder and chief scientist of Sun Microsystems, will look
at the implications of global disparities in Internet access and
adoption rates in a plenary session entitled "The world joins the World
Wide Web" (February 1). He also plans to participate in a panel
discussion called "Information Technology: the next generation".
Joy has gained widespread recognition as the father of Jini(TM) --
Sun's connection technology which allows users to connect virtually any
consumer and/or enterprise device to the network from anywhere, marking
a major step toward making Sun's vision of "Anyone, Anytime, Anywhere,
on Any Device" a reality.
One of the world's most influential computer engineers, Joy helped
create Sun's platform-independent Java(TM) technology and co-designed
Sun's SPARC(TM) microprocessor. As a graduate student at UC Berkeley,
Joy led a team that rewrote the UNIX(R) operating system for large
computers, creating the popular version known as Berkeley UNIX.
John Gage, Sun's chief researcher and advisor to world scientific,
technical and humanitarian organizations, will outline the global
impact and still untapped potential of wireless phones and devices in a
panel discussion entitled "What a wireless world" (January 29). Gage
will also debate the merits of the "give-it-away" business model used
by many of the new .com businesses in a January 29 panel entitled "Take
it - it's free."
A third-year Institutional partner of the World Economic Forum, Sun
supports the Foundation's partnership programs on a year-round basis.
Additional information on Sun's involvement in the World Economic
Forum's 2000 Annual Meeting can be found at www.sun.com or at
www.weforum.org.
About Sun Microsystems, Inc. Since its inception in 1982, a singular
vision -- The Network Is The Computer(TM) -- has propelled Sun
Microsystems, Inc. to its position as a leading provider of
industrial-strength hardware, software and services that power the
Internet and allow companies worldwide to ".com" their businesses. With
$12.4 billion in annual revenues, Sun can be found in more than 170
countries and on the World Wide Web at sun.com .
NOTE: Sun, Sun Microsystems, the Sun logo, We're the dot in .com, Java,
Jini and The Network Is The Computer are trademarks or registered
trademarks of Sun Microsystems, Inc. in the U.S. and other countries.
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 Navigator or Sun's HotJava browser. Type sun.com at
URL prompt.
SOURCE Sun Microsystems, Inc.
(C) 2000 PR Newswire. All rights reserved.
http://www.prnewswire.com
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CONTACT: Regina Schumann of Sun Microsystems, Inc., 650-786-5677, or in
Davos: (++41-79) 238-7075, or regina.schumann@sun.com; or Elizabeth Ricci of
Burson-Marsteller, 212-614-4417, or elizabeth_ricci@nyc.bm.com, for Sun
Microsystems, Inc
WEB PAGE: weforum.org
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