WABI 2.0
Bryan Althaus
From The SunFlash - A Full-Text On Demand Newsletter
Subject: WABI 2.0
___________________________________________________________________________
WABI TO SUPPORT MORE APPLICATIONS AND MORE CUSTOMERS
___________________________________________________________________________
What is Wabi?
Wabi(TM) is a high performance translation software product which allows
Solaris(TM) users to run popular Microsoft(R) Windows 3.x productivity
applications on their desktop. Because it is tightly integrated with the
Solaris operating environment and native UNIX(R) applications, Wabi users
can take advantage of available network resources, such as file management
and printing.
Wabi uses translation technology to provide superior performance in running
Microsoft Windows applications in the UNIX environment. Rather than the
instruction-by-instruction interpretation method used by software emulation
products, translation intercepts the function calls made by MS-Windows(TM)
applications and maps them directly to X Windows. In the SPARC environment,
CPU calls are translated to optimized native instruction set calls; in the
x86 environment, the CPU calls are passed directly to the Intel(R) processor.
On both platforms, the results are impressive: the applications certified to
run under Wabi offer better performance than traditional emulation
products, and generally run as well as on a 486 running MS-Windows.
Wabi 2.0 To Ship Fall '94
Wabi 2.0, which is due out before the end of 1994, offers significant
improvements over versions 1.0 and 1.1. In addition to the 13 applications
certified under the original releases, 10 new applications have been
certified -- including workgroup applications such as Lotus Notes(R), Lotus
cc:Mail(TM) and Microsoft Mail, and office suites by Microsoft and Lotus(R).
Recent versions of the original applications will also be supported.
Other improvements have been added, too -- doubled performance on SPARC,
support for PCL and Epson(R) printers, and improved font rendering and error
handling. Pre-release customers have been pleased with Wabi's improved
performance and are delighted with the newly supported applications.
Customer Needs Dictate Which Applications Are Certified
Because of its architecture (see details below), Wabi is not guaranteed to
run all Microsoft Windows applications in the UNIX environment. Instead, it
adds value to Solaris by running the personal productivity applications that
dominate the MS-Windows market, such as word processors, spreadsheets,
presentation graphics and desktop databases. SunSoft's target customers in
technical markets and large commercial accounts are turning increasingly to
such programs, especially the popular office suites such as Microsoft Office
and Lotus Smart Suite, to communicate both internally and externally.
The original 13 applications that were "Wabi-certified" represented well
over two-thirds of all MS-Windows applications shipped. With the addition of
the 10 new applications certified for Wabi 2.0, more than 90% of unit volume
in the MS-Windows market will be supported.
How Wabi Technology Works
As any experienced MS-Windows developer knows, using a graphical user
interface involves substantial overhead, and MS-Windows is a particularly
good example of this. Wabi does an excellent job of minimizing this overhead.
In the MS-Windows and MS-DOS(R) application world, programs have no concept of
"process," where separate executables (such as application programs, spoolers,
network utilities, and all other executing programs) run in separate address
spaces. MS-Windows and its applications always run in the same address space.
And unlike traditional MS-DOS emulators which convert all of an application's
instructions to the instructions native to the host processor architecture,
Wabi only does so for the non-MS-Windows instructions, and maps all others to
X Windows.
Wabi implements its own version of the KERNEL, GDI, and USER dynamically
linked libraries (DLL). Because many ISVs no longer ship certain other DLLs
(e.g. VER, SHELL, COMMDLG) with their application, Wabi 2.0 requires a user
to install MS-Windows in order to use those libraries.
Under Wabi, both MS-Windows applications and Wabi share the same address
space. In addition, Wabi splits the MS-Windows address space into two
portions: one provides emulation of the x86 instruction set, and another
manages translation and X Windows rendering. In the Wabi environment, the
USER.DLL calls made from the MS-Windows application space correspond for the
most part to X Windows Xt Intrinsics operations. GDI.DLL calls from the
MS-Windows application space map to X Windows Xlib rendering calls, and
KERNEL.DLL calls correspond to C Lib calls.
Restrictions in the MS-DOS operating system are mirrored by MS-Windows, and
consequently by Wabi. These limitations can include file name constraints,
data structure formats, and file/record locking. Applications which manage
files or which employ MS-DOS file services continue to do so under Wabi as
they did under native MS-Windows. Wabi traps these calls and mirrors the
MS-DOS services. When an application accesses network files (such as via
NFS(R)), Wabi passes the request to UNIX, which invokes the correct function
based upon filesystem type.
Another difference between MS-Windows and Wabi technology is font handling.
Wabi uses Bitstream TrueType fonts and font rasterizer, made available via
the X Windows server. As font requests from Wabi require expensive Xprotocol
queries of the server, Wabi employs a font caching mechanism to improve
performance.
Wabi takes full advantage of X Windows' distributed nature. Using X Windows,
a user can run an MS-Windows application remotely, and display "across the
wire" on another UNIX system or X terminal. Since it is integrated with
UNIX, Wabi also allows MS-Windows applications users to access network
files, use the typically larger resolution of a UNIX workstation, access
network-based printers, communicate via the serial ports of the host
machine, and cut and paste between MS-Windows and UNIX applications.
Wabi As an Alternative Platform
Some fundamental issues should be considered in any developer's
evaluation of Wabi as a deployment platform. The developer must weigh
the investment in engineering and marketing a product using native
Solaris APIs as opposed to supporting the MS-Windows version of an
application on UNIX platforms. Such issues include: networking
functionality, product differentiation (target market), performance
requirements, and portability and interoperability. A SunSoft(TM)
white paper, Wabi Technology and the Solaris Operating Environment, is
available that discusses these and related issues in detail. Call
1-800-SUNSOFT or 512-345-2412 to request the white paper.
Wabi Software Compatibility Program
Although Wabi's primary focus is to create the best productivity environment
for Solaris users by running all the top productivity applications, there
is substantial interest in running other applications under Wabi as well.
To respond to this interest, SunSoft has created the Wabi Software
Compatibility Program. The program is designed for developers and end users
who are interested in "porting" a particular application to run under Wabi.
It is staffed with development engineering, software quality assurance,
operations, documentation and marketing resources. Its goals are to expand
the list of applications running under Wabi, aid ISVs in determining if Wabi
is an appropriate platform for their application, help them test their
application running under Wabi and generally improve Wabi's overall quality.
The program team works directly with ISVs providing them with diagnostic
tools, advice, and information to help test applications. Several outcomes
are possible: (a) the application may be Wabi-compatible "out of the box";
(b) minor adjustments in the way the application is implemented may render
it Wabi-compatible; or (c) the team and the ISV may jointly determine that
Wabi is not a suitable environment for a particular application at that
time. In all cases, this exercise can provide insights on how applications
are -- and should be -- designed, to promote portability and interoperability
in an open systems environment.
In time, SunSoft hopes to add a new category of "Developer-Certified"
applications to the existing list of "Wabi-Certified" applications. All
anecdotal information about a third type of category, applications that
are "Reported To Work," is welcomed by the Software Compatibility team.
Developers interested in learning more about the Software Compatibility
Program can contact SunSoft at Wabi...@East.Sun.Com.
The Public Windowing Interface (PWI)
The clear dominance of MS-Windows and the thousands or products which
depend upon it suggests that the Windows API may be ready for formal
standardization. However, Microsoft has to date declined participation in
any standards effort that involves a publicly available definition. Not
satisfied with this situation, a significant number of computing industry
vendors, software developers, and end users have joined together to develop
a specification of the MS-Windows API to foster development of portable
applications which may eventually span the complete range of computing
platforms from PDAs to supercomputers.
At this time, SunSoft and scores of other vendors (Novell(R), SCO(R),
Siemens/Nixdorf, Hewlett-Packard(R), IBM(R), Borland, and others) are working
together to develop a specification which both defines the MS-Windows API,
and sets the stage for its graceful evolution.
Today there are already two implementations of the emerging PWI specification:
IBM's OS/2(R) and Microsoft's own MS-Windows. Working with industry bodies
such as ECMA and ISO, the PWI specification should be available by late 1995,
when it will beformally submitted for review and adoption. The Open Software
Foundation(TM) is also currently evaluating becoming involved with PWI as part
of a pre-structured technology process.
For more information about PWI, contact Gina...@Eng.Sun.Com.
Applications Certified under Wabi 2.0
-------------------------------------
Aldus PageMaker 5.0 Microsoft Access 1.1*
Borland Paradox 4.5 Microsoft Excel 5.0
BorlandQuattro Pro 5.0 Microsoft Mail 3.2*
Corel Draw 4.0 Microsoft Office 4.2*
Datastorm Technology's ProComm Plus 1.02 Microsoft PowerPoint 4.0
Lotus AmiPro 3.01* Microsoft Project 3.0
Intuit's Quicken 3.0* Microsoft Word 6.0
Lotus 1-2-3 for Windows 4.0 SPC Harvard Graphics 2.0
Lotus Approach 2.1* WordPerfect 6.0a
Lotus cc:Mail 2.0*
Lotus Freelance 2.01*
LotusNotes 3.0c*
Lotus Organizer 1.1*
Lotus SmartSuite 2.0*
* Denotes applications new for Wabi 2.0
++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
The SunFlash - A Full-Text On Demand Newsletter
John J. McLaughlin Publisher & Editor - fl...@FlashBack.COM
Subscriptions to Majo...@FlashBack.COM
Article Requests to flas...@FlashBack.COM
Article Submissions to Fl...@FlashBack.COM
For a general introduction send email to Flas...@FlashBack.COM with
9001 in the Subject line. For the October 1994 table of contents make
the Subject line: 70.00 1050 5013
++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++