Sun's New Java WorkShop Advances Leading-Edge Technology of Java Development Tools; Early Users Praise Powerful, Easy-to-Use Development Environment; Supports JavaBeans Component Model.

PALO ALTO, Calif.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--September 16, 1997--Providing Java(tm) developers with a faster and easier way to build portable JavaBeans(tm) components, Java applications and Java applets, Sun Microsystems, Inc. today announced availability of Java(tm) WorkShop(tm) version 2.0 development environment. Sun's Java integrated development environment (IDE) is the most widely available Java development tool on the market today, available on Sun(tm) Solaris(tm), Microsoft Windows 95 and WindowsNT, Novell IntranetWare, HP-UX and SCO family of Unix operating systems.

This next-generation of Java WorkShop - a complete visual environment - has a new user interface optimized to boost developer productivity during the design-edit-compile-debug-tunecycle. To help developers get the most out of the Java platform, Java WorkShop supports the latest JDK(tm) 1.1 standards, including the latest language features, and the new JavaBeans component model. In addition, it is the only Java IDE that comes with a Java profiler to help developers identify bottlenecks in their applications and tune for performance.

Customer Needs, Sun Delivers

Companies are turning to Java WorkShop to develop Web-based applications and leading-edge technologies. Net-Temps, a Web-based human resources services representing more than 700 employment agencies, has used Java WorkShop to create the largest database of jobs related to Java on the Internet.

"After looking at all major Java development environments, including Cafe and JDesignerPro, we chose Java WorkShop for its ease of use and cross-platform capabilities," said Gregg Booth, president of NetTemps. "Java WorkShop really streamlined our efforts. We found the Visual Java GUI Builder to be extremely intuitive and enabled us to quickly crank out, test and launch our database of more than 1,400 Java jobs on the Internet."

According to Steve Snyder, product manager of the GolfWeb Players Club (http://www.golfweb.com), "Sun's Java language and the Java WorkShop 2.0 development environment provided GolfWeb with a Web solution that will allow us to better service our customers and will provide us with a competitive edge."

"We are known by our customers for putting powerful, easy-to-use development tools in the hands of developers," said Larry Weber, vice president and general manager, Authoring and Development Tools, Sun Microsystems, Inc. "Now, professionals can leverage the latest advancements of Java Workshop to quickly and easily build Java solutions including applets, applications, and JavaBeans components, for the Internet."

Powerful, Flexible Suite of Tools

The new visual environment of Java WorkShop has been designed for maximum developer productivity and functionality. It features:

-- Support for the latest JDK 1.1 standards and wizards to build the new JavaBeans component model, including BeanInfo file, the Beans customizer and the Java Archive (JAR) file.

-- Visual Java GUI Builder, with the acknowledged best grid-bag layout manager, to support rapid application development (RAD) of graphical user interfaces, and importing of JavaBeans from anywhere.

-- New integrated editor-centric user model for fast viewing and writing of code -- complete with syntax highlighting, auto indentation, popular key bindings, and fast hyperlink to source code during development.

-- Fast Java compiler to significantly reduce build time as much as 10 to 15 times.

-- Advanced debugger with multithreading support and remote debugging capabilities to allow debugging across the network, including Novell IntranetWare and JavaOS(tm) software in the future. Plus expression evaluation, conditional and counted breakpoint support for more debugging control.

-- Java profiler to enable you to deliver the fastest Java solutions. Identify bottlenecks in your code and tune for maximum application performance.

-- Project manager for organizing and sharing JavaBean components, applets, and applications among teams.

-- Support for version control systems (RCS, SCCS, PVCS) for team development.

-- Complete on-line help and easy-to-learn Java development tutorials.

-- Multi-platform support for developing and delivering Java projects on Sun Solaris, Microsoft Windows 95 and Windows NT, HP-UX, and SCO family of Unix operating systems.

Having previewed Java WorkShop 2.0 in early access software, industry market research firms (Aberdeen Group, Business Research Group, IDC, META Group, NC.Focus, Patricia Seybold Group, and Software Productivity Group) and partners (GemStone, HP, KL Group, MindQ, NCR, Netscape, Novell, Object Design, SCO, and TV Objects) give the new Java development environment 'thumbs up' for its completeness and performance feature set.

Pricing & Availability

Java WorkShop has an estimated retail price of $99 for the CD version. Included with the CD version are:

-- MindQ Publishing Inc.'s tutorial on JavaBeans and Java WorkShop - with multimedia sound, graphics, and animation to introduce technical information and help developers gain knowledge quicker in the development of JavaBeans and Java WorkShop

-- Object Design, Inc.'s ObjectStore PSE for Java - a persistent storage engine for the development of Java database applications portable over the Internet

To purchase Java WorkShop online immediately, visit the Sun Software Shop (http://www.sun.com/shop/). Sun's software Web commerce site is for business users and software developers who need fast and easy access to Sun's latest software & documentation. Java WorkShop can also be purchased online through other retail vendors, including Netscape's Software Depot (http://software-depot.netscape.com/).

The CD version will be available by mid-October and can be purchased from local Sun resellers, or call 1-800-SUNSOFT.

For pricing and availability information about HP Edition of Java WorkShop by Sun for HP-UX, contact HP. For information about SCO Edition of Java WorkShop for SCO's family of Unix operating systems, contact SCO.

Sun Microsystems Press (www.sun.com/books) will publish a 2nd edition to its hands-on guide to Java WorkShop. "Inside Java WorkShop 2.0" will provide a task-based tour of every tool in the Java development environment. It is expected to be available worldwide this fall.

Sun Microsystems, Inc.

Since its inception in 1982, a singular vision, "The Network Is The Computer(tm)," has propelled Sun Microsystems, Inc., (NASDAQ:SUNW), 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 and on the World Wide Web at http://www.sun.com .

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Note to Editors:

Sun, the Sun logo, Sun Microsystems, SunSoft, Java, Visual Java, JavaOS, Java WorkShop, JavaBeans, Solaris, JDK, "The Network is the Computer," and SPARC are trademarks or registered trademarks of Sun Microsystems, Inc. in the United States and in other countries.

CONTACT: Sun Microsystems, Inc.

SunSoft business unit

Nam LaMore, 650/786-4737

[e-mail]

or

GCI Group for Sun

Jill Anne Reed, 415/974-7242

[e-mail]

http://www.sun.com/workshop