FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE                   FOR MORE INFORMATION:
        
                                        SunSoft, Inc.
                                        Judy Zimbelman (415) 336-5091
                                                        
                                        Hi-Tech Communications
                                        Anne Stendel (415) 904-7000 x250

SUNSOFT DELIVERS CRITICAL TECHNOLOGY FOR NETWORKED OBJECT INTEROPERABILITY
  Provides Interoperability Across Multiple Networked Object Systems

        Mountain View, Calif. -- March 21, 1995 -- SunSoft, Inc. and the Object
Management Group (OMG) today announced the immediate availability of a
free-of-charge source code implementation of the CORBA 2.0 Internet
Inter-ORB (Object Request Broker) Protocol.  This code is highly
portable and provides a reference implementation to help software
vendors test and deliver OMG-compliant products to market rapidly.
        This source code will make it much easier for software vendors to
deliver networked object systems that interoperate with each other.
The Internet Inter-ORB Protocol (IOP) provides a single standardized
way of connecting ORBs from different vendors.  Support for the
Internet IOP is required for an ORB to be CORBA 2.0 compliant.  CORBA
2.0 compliant ORBs will be able to communicate with each other "out of
box."
        Vendors can easily incorporate this code into their networked object
systems without having to build their implementation from scratch.  In
a custom Internet IOP implementation, the code from SunSoft can be used
as a reference for protocol testing.  By compiling the source code into
their ORB product, vendors will be able to fulfill the OMG CORBA 2.0
standard.  As multiple vendors base their implementations on the same
source code, end users can expect robust interoperability between CORBA
2.0 compliant object systems.
        "Customers have to manage systems from various vendors.  Widespread
acceptance of industry standards is the best way to address this
problem," said Brian Croll, director of object products marketing,
SunSoft.  "SunSoft is committed to standards for distributed objects
technology.  By freely distributing the source code, it will move the
CORBA 2 standard forward for the entire OMG community."
        "The CORBA 2.0 set of specifications for interoperability will help
advance the commitment to universal networked objects," said
Christopher Stone, president, OMG.  "By contributing a free Inter-ORB
Protocol, SunSoft is providing vendors with a tangible and highly
valuable head start in moving toward CORBA 2.0 UNO (Universal Network
Objects) compliance."
        SunSoft's portable, reusable code is fully compliant with the recently
adopted OMG CORBA 2.0 Universal Networked Objects specification.  The
code is composed of four parts: a common data representation engine; a
type code interpreter used to manipulate data types; the Internet IOP
Engine framework with a partial ORB implementation; and Internet
IOP-specific modules that send, receive and dispatch Internet IOP
messages.
        One of SunSoft's goals for the code was that it be highly portable.  As
a result, the source code was written in C++ and compiled using
SPARCworks for SPARC , PROworks for X86, Borland  C++, GNU C++ and
Visual C++.  The software currently runs on a wide range of operating
system platforms, including Solaris  for SPARC and x86  platforms,
Linuxtm, NEXTSTEPtm and Windows NTtm.
        SunSoft's Internet inter-ORB protocol implementation is available
immediately and is licensed freely.  To retrieve the software, send an
electronic mail message with a body line containing `help' to
iiop-bridging@omg.org and the mail server will respond with
instructions; or use anonymous FTP to connect to the 'ftp.omg.org'
server.
        OMG is the world's largest software development consortium with a
membership of more than 500 software vendors, software developers and
end users.  Established in 1989, its mission is to promote the theory
and practice of object technology for the development of distributed
computing systems.  The goal is to provide a common architecture
framework for object-oriented applications based on widely available
interface specifications. OMG is headquartered in Framingham, Mass., 
USA, and has international marketing offices in the UK, Germany and Japan. 
        SunSoft, Inc., headquartered in Mountain View, Calif., is a subsidiary
of Sun Microsystems, Inc., with offices worldwide.  SunSoft's charter
is to design, market, sell and support the industry's highest-quality
software environment to enable businesses to gain a competitive
advantage through information systems.  SunSoft delivers a suite of
solutions that easily and cost-effectively connect, integrate and
manage large enterprise environments.  The products are licensed by
SunSoft and distributed through major computer manufacturers and
resellers worldwide.    

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trademarks of Sun Microsystems, Inc.  All other products or service
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