New Sun business group: SunScript
John Ousterhout
Press Contact:
Michael Sweeny
Sun Microsystems, Inc.
415-786-8428
michael...@sun.com
Taylor Kiland
Burson-Marsteller
for Sun Microsystems, Inc.
(415) 463-4009
taylor...@bm.com
SUN LAUNCHES NEW BUSINESS GROUP, SUNSCRIPT, TO DRIVE DEVELOPMENT OF TCL
SCRIPTING LANGUAGE
SunScript Group To Integrate Tcl and Java
Mountain View, Calif. - April 30, 1997 - In response to growing
interest in the Tcl scripting language, Sun Microsystems Inc. announced
today the launch of SunScript, a new business group. SunScript's
mission is to develop and market rapid application development tools for
Tcl developers and to provide access from Tcl to JavaBeans(TM) and
Java(TM) applications.
"These new Sun products will make many legacy and new applications
accessible via the Web, where they can be used by Javastations(TM) and
Java-enabled browsers, such as Netscape Communicator" said Scott
McNealy, Chairman, President, and CEO of Sun.
Tcl is a popular scripting language that allows rapid development of
"gluing" applications such as graphical user interfaces and system
integration. Originally developed at the University of California at
Berkeley and distributed freely on the Internet, Tcl has been supported
informally by Sun since 1994. The Tcl community is now estimated at
500,000 developers world-wide. Thousands of commercial Tcl applications
have been deployed, ranging from computer-aided design to Internet
commerce.
"As the Tcl developer community has grown, there has been an increasing
demand for high-quality development tools and support," said John
Ousterhout, Sun Distinguished Engineer and inventor of Tcl. "Tcl
developers also want to deploy their applications on the Internet and
take advantage of Java, Sun's universal software platform for network
application development."
SunScript will provide a range of products that aid the development and
deployment of Tcl applications, including an integrated development
environment, a browser plugin module, and an embeddable Web server. The
development environment will include a GUI builder, debugger, and
project manager. The browser plugin allows Tcl applications to run in
Web browsers such as Netscape Navigator(TM) and Microsoft Internet
Explorer. The Tcl Web server makes it easy to manage devices and
applications remotely via the Web. Early releases of the GUI builder
and plugin module are already available for download.
The SunScript group will also provide products that allow Tcl and Java
applications to work closely together. Tcl developers will be able to
include JavaBean components in their applications, and Java developers
will be able to use Tcl as a bridge to legacy applications. Tcl/Java
integration will enable developers to rapidly transition legacy
applications to the Web and build exciting Web-centric applications in
Tcl and Java.
"Tcl technology is a splendid bridge solution for our enterprise
customers," commented Bert Sutherland, Director of Sun Microsystems
Laboratories. "Sun customers have pent up demand for technology that
allows legacy software to communicate via Internet protocols, thus
extending its useful lifetime. The SunScript group is building several
such bridges to the future."
For more information, please visit the SunScript Web site at
http://www.sunscript.sun.com.
Since its inception in 1982, a singular vision, The Network Is The
Computer(TM) has propelled Sun Microsystems, Inc., 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 WorldWide Web at http://www.sun.com.
Sun, the Sun logo, Sun Microsystems, Java, JavaBeans, JavaStation,
SpecTcl, Tcl Plugin, and The Network Is The Computer are trademarks or
registered trademarks of Sun Microsystems, Inc. in the United States
and other countries. Netscape Navigator(TM) is a trademark of Netscape
Communications Corporation.
Press announcements and other information about Sun Microsystems are
available on the Internet via the World Wide Web using a tool such as
Netscape or NCSA Mosaic. Type http://www.sun.com at the URL prompt.
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