<<NEWS SNIPPETS>> Newsbytes Breaking News Headlines INTEL/SUN TAKE A SLAP AT MSFT
****Newsbytes Breaking News Headlines 12/16/97 CHICAGO,
ILLINOIS, U.S.A., 1997 DEC 16 (NB) -- By Bob Woods,
Newsbytes. Here's a look at some of the latest news from the Newsbytes
News Network:
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Intel, Sun Announce Collaborative Efforts
Later this morning, long-time rivals Intel and Sun Microsystems will reveal a new initiative
between the two companies. While officials are mum as to the details, the Wall Street Journal
said that the collaboration will involve a broad technology alliance based on Intel's forthcoming
Merced microprocessor chip.
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biz.yahoo.com
Tuesday December 16, 12:31 pm Eastern Time
Company Press Release
Sun to Deliver Enterprise-Class Solaris for Intel's Merced Processor
Intel to Support Sun in Moving Solaris to IA-64
SANTA CLARA, Calif.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Dec. 16, 1997--Sun Microsystems, Inc., and Intel Corporation today
announced that they are cooperating to optimize Sun's Solaris operating environment for Intel's future Merced(TM) processor.
Sun will deliver a 64-bit optimized version of the Solaris software for Merced at the time of Merced-based system availability,
expected in 1999.
The cooperative effort will extend Sun's current success with Solaris to Intel's IA-64 Merced processor. This is significant for
customers who require an operating environment that fully leverages the performance and scalability that the Solaris operating
environment on the Merced processor will deliver.
Under the agreement, Intel will support Sun's efforts on porting and optimizing the full Solaris operating environment for
Merced-based systems. In addition, Sun also announced today a Solaris on Intel porting and tuning center designed to help
ISVs and OEMs tune and optimize applications for Solaris on Intel. As part of the program, Intel will provide technical
support. In addition, the two companies will expand their efforts on IA-32 and IA-64 server platform initiatives.
The Solaris operating environment, combined with the Merced processor, will deliver a proven enterprise operating
environment on an industry-endorsed 64-bit architecture, IA-64. This cooperation strengthens both companies' efforts to give
customers a back-end infrastructure that enables cost-effective, easy, Web-based computing for enterprise applications. The
combination of Solaris on Merced will provide a powerful option to IA-64 customers. In addition, it will provide a strategic
platform for delivering a constant, seamless, global network connection that links a company's employees, customers and
partners.
''Merced's world class performance and scalability will enable industry-leading enterprise computing platforms, and the
addition of Solaris as a strategic operating environment supporting Merced will be a strong benefit,'' said John Miner, vice
president and general manager, Intel's Enterprise Server Group. ''We are very excited about Sun's strong commitment to
Solaris on Merced. Solaris will further extend Merced's already unprecedented industry momentum.''
''The market is consolidating around Solaris to deliver the kind of reliable, scalable and powerful computing environment
required to drive demanding enterprise applications. No other operating environment will be able to unleash the power of
Merced for these types of applications,'' added Janpieter Scheerder, president of SunSoft.
Commitment to Compatibility and 64-bit
As the first member of Intel's family of 64-bit microprocessors, the Merced processor will extend the Intel Architecture with
new levels of performance and features for servers and workstations, while maintaining full backward compatibility to Intel's
IA-32 product family.
Solaris will fully support that evolutionary path, preserving an organization's investment in its existing 32-bit Solaris on x86
systems. Solaris on Merced will provide full access and interoperability of the existing base of 32-bit software with
performance-boosted IA-64 32-bit and 64-bit applications.
Solaris on Intel
Sun is committed to expanding the use of Solaris on leading Intel computing platforms in addition to SPARC(a) computing
platforms. Underscoring that direction is NCR corporation's recent selection of Solaris as its UNIX(a) operating system of
choice.
''The Sun cooperation with Intel is great news in key industries such as retail, finance and telecommunications, where NCR
customers will want to leverage the price/performance advantage delivered by the winning combination of Merced and
Solaris,'' said Bill Eisenman, senior vice president of NCR's Computer Systems Group. ''NCR plans to take full advantage of
Intel's next generation 64-bit processor and to sell and support Solaris on NCR WorldMark Servers.''
Solaris
Designed for IT professionals, line-of-business managers, Internet Server Providers (ISPs), and power users, Solaris can be
accessed and used by any type of device connected to the network - including NCs, Network PCs, Windows(a) computers
and NT servers. Unlike other operating environments, Solaris is tuned for network computing and exploits the full capability of
both SPARC and Intel-based computers. It is extremely fast, highly reliable, scalable, secure, very easy to install and use,
optimized for Java and supports more than 12,000 applications.
Sun Microsystems, Inc.
Since its inception in 1982, a singular vision, ''The Network is the Computer,'' has propelled Sun Microsystems, Inc.,
(NASDAQ:SUNW - news), 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 $8.5 billion in annual revenues, Sun can be
found in more than 150 countries on the World Wide Web at http:\\www.sun.com.
Intel Corporation
Intel, the world's largest chip maker, is also a leading manufacturer of personal computer, networking and communications
products. Additional information is available at www.intel.com/pressroom.
(a) Third party marks and brands are property of their respective holders.
Contact:
Intel Corporation
Marion Koehler, 408/765-3547
marion_koehler@ccm.sc.intel.com
or
Sun Microsystems, Inc.
Cecilia Denny, 650/786-7970
cecilia.denny@eng.sun.com
biz.yahoo.com
Tuesday December 16, 12:38 pm Eastern Time
Company Press Release
Intel and Sun Announce Patent Cross-Licensing Agreement
SANTA CLARA, Calif.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Dec. 16, 1997--Intel Corporation and Sun Microsystems, Inc. today
announced a royalty-free patent cross-licensing agreement covering microprocessors, systems and software technologies. [NOTE: THIS MEANS THAT INTC NOW HAS ACCESS TO SUN'S SPARC ARCHITECTURE. CUBE'S DVx IS BASED ON SUN'S MICRO-SPARC]
Effective immediately, this long-term agreement provides significant benefits for both Intel and Sun, their customers and
stockholders, as well as the entire industry, by allowing the companies to continue their histories of developing innovative
technologies with minimum risk of infringing each others' patents. The two companies will be able to focus on bringing new
products to market more quickly and with even greater innovation while avoiding legal distractions.
''This is a significant milestone in the evolution of this industry, as it demonstrates how two companies with a complex
relationship can construct a win-win agreement that respects intellectual property and enables efficient business practices,'' said
John Miner, vice president and general manager, Intel's Enterprise Server Group. ''This agreement with Sun signals another
level of recognition that Intel computing and networking products are becoming important elements of an organization's
computing infrastructure.''
In a related announcement today, Sun and Intel said they are cooperating to optimize Sun's Solaris operating environment for
Intel's future Merced processor. Sun is committed to deliver a 64-bit optimized version of the Solaris software for Merced at
the time of Merced-based system availability, expected in 1999.
Sun Microsystems, Inc.
Since its inception in 1982, a singular vision, ''The Network is the Computer,'' has propelled Sun Microsystems, Inc.,
(NASDAQ:SUNW - news), 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 $8.5 billion in annual revenues, Sun can be
found in more than 150 countries on the World Wide Web http:\\www.sun.com .
Intel Corporation
Intel, the world's largest chip maker, is also a leading manufacturer of personal computer, networking and communications
products. Additional information is available at www.intel.com/pressroom.
NOTE TO EDITORS: Third party marks and brands are property of their respective holders.
Contact:
Intel Corporation
Marion Koehler, 408/765-3547
marion_koehler@ccm.sc.intel.com
or
Sun Microsystems, Inc.
Anne Little, 415/786-6702
anne.little@corp.sun.com |
