Sun Microsystems Introduces New Tcl/Tk Plug-In For Netscape Navigator 3.0; Scripting Language Offers Rapid Internet Application Development

Business Wire, July 10, 1996

MOUNTAIN VIEW, Calif--(BUSINESS WIRE)--July 10, 1996--Extending its leadership in application development for the Internet, Sun Microsystems Inc. (NASDAQ:SUNW) today announced a new Tcl/Tk plug-in module for Netscape Navigator(TM) 3.0.

The Tcl/Tk plug-in makes it possible to develop small and medium-sized Internet applications rapidly and to view those applications via the World Wide Web. Tcl/Tk complements the capabilities of Java(TM) -- Sun's platform-independent programming language -- and adds to Sun's growing suite of tools available for Internet application development.

Tcl (Tool Command Language) is an embeddable scripting language and Tk (Tool Kit) is a graphical user interface toolkit based on Tcl. They have been used for application development under UNIX(R) for several years and are widely recognized as the fastest and most powerful way to build graphical user interfaces.

With today's announcement, the packages become available on Microsoft Windows and Apple Macintosh platforms as well as UNIX. Furthermore, the Navigator plug-in makes it possible to deliver and execute Tcl/Tk applications using the World Wide Web.

"Tcl/Tk lets software developers get the job done ten times faster than with toolkits based on C or C ," commented Dr. John Ousterhout, creator of Tcl and Distinguished Engineer in Sun Microsystems Laboratories. "The benefits of Tcl/Tk -- simplicity and rapid application development -- are now available cross-platform and for Internet-based applications."

Dr. Ousterhout is careful to distinguish between Tcl/Tk and Java, Sun's revolutionary new software platform for the Internet.

"Java is a system programming language that meets the needs of sophisticated programmers with features such as objects, threads, and rich class libraries. Tcl is a scripting language that is ideal for smaller applications, such as simple user interfaces, macros, and system integration."

Dr. Eric Schmidt, chief technology officer of Sun Microsystems Inc., said, "With Java, Sun introduced a new approach to portability and security that redefined the way large-scale applications are developed. Tcl/Tk provides the perfect complement to Java for scripting and system integration. It demonstrates Sun's continued commitment to making the Internet more open and widely accessible to developers and users."

Dr. Ousterhout estimates that there are more than 200,000 developers actively building Tcl/Tk applications around the world, with many thousands of applications already deployed. Although Tcl/Tk is most commonly used for simple user interfaces, it is also popular for system integration and larger-scale applications.

Tcl/Tk is used by several companies in the area of Internet commerce, including Open Market, First Virtual Holdings, and NeoSoft. Other companies that are using Tcl/Tk for a variety of exciting applications include: Oracle Corp., Cisco Systems, Motorola, Pixar Animation Studios and NBC.

For example, NBC is using Tcl/Tk for monitoring and editing its on-air television broadcast schedules. The ability of Tck/TK to work seamlessly with other heterogeneous software components enables the NBC system to combine its custom Tcl/Tk interface with a Sybase database and C-based device controllers.

The Tcl plug-in now makes it possible to create Web pages that include Tcl/Tk scripts. When the pages are viewed with Netscape Navigator, the Tcl/Tk scripts are executed to provide custom user interfaces and simple animations inside the Navigator view area.

"We are pleased that Sun has extended the Netscape software platform via its Tcl/Tk plug-in for Netscape Navigator," said Bob Lisbonne, vice president of client product marketing at Netscape. "This plug-in enables developers to easily bring the thousands of existing Tcl applications to the Internet and illustrates the extensibility of Netscape Navigator as the leading Internet client."

Netscape Navigator users can receive further information about Tcl/Tk and download a free beta version of the Tcl/Tk plug-in, via the World Wide Web at http://www.sun.com. Support is also planned for other browsers, such as Microsoft Internet Explorer.

With annual revenues of more than $6 billion, Sun Microsystems Inc. provides products and services that enable customers to build and maintain open network computing environments. Widely recognized as a proponent of open standards, the company is involved in the design, manufacture and sale of products, technologies and services for commercial and technical computing.

Sun's SPARC(TM) workstations, multiprocessing servers, SPARC microprocessors, Solaris(TM) operating software and ISO-certified service organization each rank No. 1 in the UNIX(R) industry. Java(TM), Sun's platform-independent programming language, provides a comprehensive solution to the challenge of programming for complex networks, including the Internet.

Sun Microsystems was founded in 1982 and is headquartered in Mountain View. -0-

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