Sun System Helps Build Virtual City In Amsterdam

Business Wire, July 24, 1995

MOUNTAIN VIEW, Calif.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--July 24, 1995--Thousands more `tourists' will now be able to visit and mingle with the `inhabitants' of Amsterdam's cyberspace version, De Digitale Stad (The Digital City). With the installation of a SPARCserver(TM) 1000 system, The Digital City, one of Holland's most popular and innovative Web sites, can now offer a load of new interactive features. Sun Microsystems Computer Company (SMCC) announced today that The Digital City selected the SPARCserver 1000 system to host version 3.0 of the software because of its ability to process the growing number of visitors to the virtual city and because of Sun's position as a world leader in network computing.

The Digital City of Amsterdam, which began in January of 1994, originally offered its users access to governmental and public information in text-only format. But because the City is all about interaction between its `inhabitants' and interaction with the government, on a local and national scale, it needed a new interface to accommodate communication between individuals visiting the site at the same time. Consequently, The Digital City hosted a site on the World Wide Web which allowed the founders of The Digital City more freedom to design a more creative interface. Today the City is constructed around squares, all with their own theme. These squares serve as a place where people with similar interests can meet and interact in real time.

Wired magazine (June 1995) described The Digital City as "an experiment in civic networking, a virtual world that exists within a battery of computers...Its streets and alleyways are links of hypertext strung thorough the World Wide Web." With 18,000 inhabitants to date (individuals who are registered as `residents' with City e-mail addresses), The Digital City hosts about 120,000 more visitors (occasional bypassers) each month. They visit for many reasons: to download minutes from governmental meetings, receive cultural announcements, learn news about Amsterdam or the Internet, post messages, or simply to visit one of the city's "cafes" and enjoy a chat.

"On average, we have 5,000 visitors a day who spend an average of a half an hour in the City," said Joost Flint, system manager of the City. "We chose Sun's SPARCserver 1000 system as a platform because we feel that Sun could supply us with the capacity to grow further. In addition, we felt that Sun's Internet expertise, as well as its partnerships and cutting-edge technologies such as HotJava(TM) Web browser, offer us a lot of great opportunities for the future."

"It is very important that the visiting individual is able to keep his or her own identity in the City," explained Marleen Stikker, mayor of The Digital City. "An individual can `move' into a house in the City. That house becomes theirs, and they can adapt it to their own needs by creating and modifying their own homepage. Those registering as inhabitants can define some characteristics of themselves, and even attach pictures so their individual identity is maintained. In our experience, this results in a very high loyalty to the City and a commitment to participate in City life."

The Digital City has direct links to the Dutch Parliament, creating a new channel of communication between civilians and elected officials. The goals of The Digital City are the following:

Encourage participation: Because the electronic highway will have a considerable social and cultural impact, it is vital that as many people as possible have access to and take advantage of the opportunity to become familiar with the Internet.

Increase use of Internet: The Digital City has been critical in inspiring comparable Internet sites elsewhere.

Develop the economy: The Digital City wants to help smaller companies develop new products and services based on this new technology.

To reach Digitale Stad Amsterdam type http://www.dds.nl.

Sun Microsystems Computer Company (SMCC) is a world leader in the design, manufacture and sale of network computing systems and is a division of Sun Microsystems, Inc. Recognized for quality and innovation, the company's SPARCstation(TM) systems and multiprocessing servers each hold the No. 1 UNIX marketshare position. These systems are used primarily by businesses, educational institutions and governments worldwide for technical, commercial, industrial and software development applications. -0-

Note to Editors: Sun, the Sun logo, Sun Microsystems, Sun Microsystems Computer Company are trademarks or registered trademarks of Sun Microsystems, Inc. All SPARC trademarks, including the SCD Compliant logo, are trademarks or registered trademarks of SPARC International, Inc. SPARCstation and SPARCserver are licensed exclusively to Sun Microsystems, Inc. Products bearing SPARC trademarks are based on an architecture developed by Sun Microsystems, Inc. UNIX is a registered trademark in the United States and other countries, licensed through X/Open Company, Ltd. All other product or service names mentioned herein are trademarks of their respective owners.