Fifteen New Software Developers Announce Price Parity Between Solaris and Microsoft Windows NT Development Tools

Business Wire, June 16, 1998

PALO ALTO, Calif.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--June 16, 1998--

Software Developers Continue to Support New Competitive Pricing Paradigm

Sun Microsystems, Inc. today announced that 15 new leading enterprise software development tools companies have agreed to offer price parity across Sun's Solaris(tm) operating environment and the Microsoft Windows NT software development platforms.

The Sun(tm) PriceParity(tm) Program and its initial 34 program participants was originally announced as a key part of Sun's January 13th rollout of its evolutionary line of Ultra(tm) 5 and Ultra 10 workstations, which compete directly against high-end PCs.

Today, the 15 new software development solution vendors are: EnterpriseLink Technologies, Entersoft Systems Corporation, GemStone Systems, InstallShield Software, Mainsoft Corporation, NCR Corporation, Novadigm, Objectivity Inc., Objectsoft, PeerLogic, Persistence Software, Synkronix, TIBCO Software, Tivoli Systems and 4thpass Software.

"The enterprise software development community continues to respond enthusiastically to customers' demand for choice in computing platforms," said Reed Hornberger, director of market development for Sun Microsystems' Computer Systems Division. "As a result, software developers and users now can leverage the performance of Sun's Solaris operating environment -- including its superior scalability and networking capabilities -- at prices competitive Microsoft Windows NT platforn prices."

The 15 ISVs announced today join the following participants of the Sun PriceParity Program: Active Software, Apogee, AXENT Technologies, BEA Systems, Blue Lobster Software, Bluestone Software, Bulletproof, Cayenne Software, Computer Associates International, Cygnus Solutions, Forte, I-Kinetics, IBM, Informix, Infoscape, KL Group, Metrowerks, Micromuse, NetDynamics, Netscape Communications Corporation, New Dimension Software, New Era of Networks (NEON), Novera, Object International, Platinum, QuickStream Software, RandomNoise, SuperCede, TakeFive Software, Technology House, Thought Inc., Versant Object Technology, WebLogic and Zero G Software, all of which previously announced price parity at Sun's Ultra 5 and Ultra 10 workstation unveiling in January.

Sun PriceParity Program

This Program combines Sun's Ultra 5 and 10 workstations at PC prices with the support of Sun's strategic enterprise software developers that offer product pricing for their Sun system solutions at parity with their Microsoft Windows NT development offerings. As a result, developers leverage the benefit of the Solaris operating environment at prices on par with solutions for the Microsoft Windows NT platform. This helps developers make platform choices based on platform functionality -- not price.

Sun provides increased visibility for Sun PriceParity Program members with Sun's sales force, the media and potential customers. Through advertising, public relations, tradeshows, special events and other activities centered around price parity, Sun promotes the Program, Sun's Ultra 5 and 10 workstations, and the enterprise software developers who have pledged pricing parity.

To be eligible for the Program, developers must offer equivalent pricing between products for Microsoft Windows NT and the Solaris operating environment that run on Sun's Ultra 5 and 10 workstations. Developers must also be members of the Sun(SM) Developer Connection(SM) Program and agree to participate in four Sun PriceParity Program activities each year.

Currently limited to eligible independent software developers (ISVs) in the application development tool, middleware infrastructure and systems management product segments, the Sun PriceParity Program is expected to be rolled out to all eligible Sun ISVs later this year.

Price/Performance Advantage

Introduced in January, Sun's Ultra 5 and Ultra 10 workstations address the needs of software developers, where price/performance is a critical factor. These PCI-based systems deliver better application performance than PCs, thanks to a 270-MHz processor in the Ultra 5 workstation and the 300-MHz processor in the Ultra 10 workstation, balanced performance with exceptional floating-point operations, and the ability to run all the most popular technical applications, including Microsoft Windows personal productivity applications. The Ultra 10 workstation also offers high performance 3D graphics with Creator and Sun(tm) Elite3D options.

In addition to offering UNIX workstation performance at PC prices, the new Ultra 5 and 10 workstations offer a new entry point for technical and commercial users who want the investment protection of one proven system architecture that spans from desktops to high-end servers -- a benefit only Sun offers.

About 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 high quality hardware, software and services for establishing enterprise-wide intranets and expanding the power of the Internet. With more than $9 billion in annual revenues, Sun can be found in more than 150 countries and on the World Wide Web at http://www.sun.com.