Sun Submits Application to Become JTC 1 PAS Submitter; Sun Applying to Standardize Java Technologies.

CUPERTINO, Calif.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--March 17, 1997--Sun Microsystems, Inc., today announced that it has submitted an application to ISO/IEC JTC 1 to become a Recognized Publicly Available Specification (PAS) submitter for its Java (TM) technologies.

JTC 1 will review Sun's submission and is expected to announce its decision in July 1997.

ISO/IEC JTC 1 (International Organization for Standardization / International Electrotechnical Commission Joint Technical Committee 1) is the premiere information technology standards developing organization in the world.

In 1995, JTC 1 made the decision to recognize appropriate organizations as submitters of PAS to JTC 1 for rapid approval as international standards. This enables organizations to evaluate, define and submit specifications to JTC 1 to facilitate development of industry standards.

"JTC 1 recognized early on the value of the work of other organizations and the contribution they make to International IT standardization. The PAS process aims at complementing existing or forthcoming JTC 1 programs by other leading edge activity with the objective of providing the best standards worldwide," said Lisa Rajchel, Director International Secretariats and Administrator of ISO/IEC's JTC 1 Secretariat at the American National Standards Institute.

"Providing the capability of accepting standard solutions to IT problems that have been developed outside JTC 1 has been a significant step in JTC 1 and we are delighted that the process is being used."

According to Sergio Mazza, ANSI president and chief executive officer, Sun Microsystems' decision to submit its Java technology to JTC 1 is indicative of the value it places in the formal standards process.

"ANSI has worked very aggressively at the international table to encourage the submission of such work products," Mr. Mazza said. "We are pleased that Sun Microsystems has decided to take this step because this action demonstrates that the standards process can be responsive to the needs of industry -- particularly in such a fast-paced high technology sector."

"We are extremely pleased to have the opportunity to submit our application to JTC 1," said Jim Mitchell, Vice President of Technology and Architecture at JavaSoft, a Sun Microsystems, Inc., Business. "In examining our standardization options, our primary goal has been to find a way to preserve the industry's substantial investment in Java. The PAS process will do just that while minimizing the time to approve the Java technologies as formally recognized international standards."

To date, EWOS (European Workshop for Open Systems), X-Open, DAVIC (Digital Audio Visual Council) and VESA (Video Electronics Standards Association) have been approved by JTC 1 as Recognized PAS Submitters.

Sun's application was transmitted to Mrs. Rajchel, on March 14, 1997. The JTC 1 Secretariat distributes the application to each JTC 1 voting member for ballot. The voting members are given three months to review, comment upon, and vote on the submission. The JTC 1 Secretariat then collects and tabulates the votes and comments and forwards the results to Sun Microsystems.

"While JTC 1 evaluates the PAS application, Sun will prepare a roadmap for submitting Java technologies to JTC 1," said Mitchell. "The PAS process can be a highly effective means for the Java technologies' formal acceptance as a world wide standard -- both for the technologies that are ready to be submitted immediately, as well as for each element that matures in the future."

ISO and IEC are headquartered in Geneva, Switzerland (www.iso.ch and www.iec.ch) and the JTC 1 Secretariat is administered by the American National Standards Institute located at 11 West 42nd Street, New York, NY, 10036 (www.ansi.org).

ANSI is a private, non-profit membership organization that coordinates the U.S. voluntary standards system, bringing together interests from the private and public sector to develop voluntary standards for a wide array of industries. ANSI is the official U.S. member to the world's leading standards bodies, the International Organization for Standardization (ISO) and the International Electrotechnical Commission via the U.S. National Committee. The Institute's membership includes more than 1,300 national and multinational companies, 35 government agencies, 20 institutions and 260 professional, technical, trade, labor and commercial organizations.

JavaSoft, headquartered in Cupertino, Calif., is business unit of Sun Microsystems, Inc. The company's mission is to develop, market and support the Java(TM) technology and products based on it. Java supports networked applications and enables developers to write applications once that will run on any Java-enabled machine. JavaSoft develops systems platforms, tools, and applications to further enhance Java as the programming standard for complex networks such as the Internet and corporate intranets.

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 $7 billion in annual revenues, Sun can be found in more than 150 countries and on the World Wide Web at http://www.sun.com . -0-

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