From: datec@gagme.chi.il.us (Charles Robinson)
Subject: Adobe/Sun Announce
Summary: Display Postscript on Solaris
Keywords: Adobe Sun Solaris Postscript
Organization: GAGME - Public Access UNIX of Chicago, Illinois, USA, Earth
X-Newsreader: TIN [version 1.1 PL6]
Date: Fri, 25 Sep 1992 23:39:56 GMT


I post the following press release because of its importance to the
NeXT community. I have no association with either company.

Adobe Systems and Sun Microsystems Ink Technology and Marketing Pact

Mountain View, Calif. (September 21, 1992) (NASDAQ:ADBE) -- Adobe Systems
Incorporated and Sun Microsystems, Inc. today announced that they have
signed a far-reaching technology and marketing partnership agreement. Under
the agreement, Sun will adopt Adobe's imaging technologies, Postscript (tm)
and Display Postscript (tm), while Adobe will increase technology and
application development for SunSoft's Solaris distributed computing
environment. In addition, the two companies will undertake joint marketing
and developer support activity.

As a result of the agreement, Sun will integrate the Display Postscript system
in the Solaris computing environment, clearly establishing Display Postscript
as the standard imaging model for UNIX (r) platforms. SPARC and 80486-based
computers running Solaris with Display Postscript software will offer powerful,
flexible platforms for a wide variety of applications, including professional
publishing, graphic arts and commercial and financial applications.
Microcomputer users will be able to take advantage of the power and
capabilities of UNIX computing -- networking, high performance and security --
and continue to display and print their documents using Postscript technology.

SunSoft expects the Solaris operating system with Display Postscript to be
available in 1993. Sun and Adobe will work with leading ISVs to develop
applications that take full advantage of the Display Postscript system in
the Solaris operating environment.

Under a related agreement, Adobe will port its popular Adobe Illustrator and
Adobe Photoshop applications to the Solaris environment. These are expected
to be available in 1993. Sun will also work with Adobe to make Adobe's new
documentation communication technology, code named Carousel, successful in
the UNIX market.

In addition, Adobe and SunPics, the printing business of Sun
Microsystems, Inc., signed a letter of intent to use Adobe's Postscript
Level 2 technology in SunPic's future software offerings. The agreement
combines SunPics' strengths in network printing, rendering and document
interchange, increasing Sun's position in the network printing arena and
providing Adobe with a platform to showcase its current and future products.

SunSoft will include a selection of Adobe's Type 1 fonts in the Solaris
environment and Solaris and Sun's PostScript Level 2 printing solution
will support both Adobe's Type 1 font format and Sun's F3 Folio format.
This brings the Adobe (tm) Type Library, third party Type 1 libraries,
Adobe's multiple master fonts and Kanji Type 1 fonts to Solaris users.

"Adobe and Sun, both leaders in their fields, have entered into a long-term
partnership that promises significant benefits to end users, developers
and both companies," said Charles Geschke, Adobe's president and chief
operating officer.  "For the first time, developers will be able to
write high-volume, graphically oriented applications to a single imaging
model supported by a broad installed base of UNIX workstation platforms.
This will give users powerful new applications, as well as access to
industry-standard Type 1 fonts and PostScript imaging and printing."

"Adobe's technology combined with the power of Solaris' networked computing
environment defines the new publishing and imaging paradigm for the
1990's," said Scott McNealy, Chairman, Sun Microsystems, Inc.  "This
partnership will further increase Sun's already strong position in the
commercial client/server market."

Adobe's Display PostScript system is an advanced graphics software component
that brings the full power and flexibility of the PostScript language
to computer displays.  It incorporates the same industry-standard imaging
model and language used in PostScript printers.  That enables application
developers to describe pages the same way for the display and printer, which
makes it easier to develop graphically sophisticated applications.  End
users benefit from the truest possible WYSIWYG correspondence between their
display and any PostScript output device, guaranteeing that displayed and
printed images match as closely as device capabilities permit.

SunSoft's Solaris is an integrated distributed computing solution targeted
at the client/server market.  Solaris -- consisting of a UNIX foundation,
development environment and a user environment -- provides end users,
software developers and systems administrators with a powerful and
simple graphical computing solution.  Solaris is offered on the world's
leading microprocessors, SPARC and X86.

Adobe Systems Incorporated, founded in 1982, is headquartered in Mountain
View, California.  Adobe develops, markets and supports computer software
products and technologies that enable users to create, display,
print and communicate electronic documents.  The company licenses its
technology to major company and publishing suppliers, and markets a line
of type and application software products.  Revenue for 1991 exceeded 
$229 million.

Sun Microsystems, through its subsidiaries, is the world's leading
supplier of client-server computing solutions, which feature networked
workstations and servers that run the Solaris distributed computing
environment.  Used for many demanding commercial and technical
applications, Sun's products command the largest share of the computer
industry's fastest growing market segment:  workstations and servers.
The company, founded in 1982 and headquartered in Mountain View, CA, is
a multi-billion dollar corporation doing business worldwide.

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END OF PRESS RELEASE

START OF PERSONAL COMMENTARY
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I cannot decide whether this new pact will help or hurt NeXT.
On the one hand, it adds credibility to the NextStep approach
and pokes one more jab at Microslush Windows. On the other hand,
it introduces a strong new market player to the floor --- and
NeXT has never been known for their marketing prowess.

Some of their current dealers don't even seem to have a unit of their own
for demonstrations!

I can understand that if an item is not a "hot" seller, a dealer might order
from the "warehouse/factory" but I'd think that a basic part of the
NeXT Reseller's agreement would be a commitment by the dealer to own at
least one NeXT in every location where he sells.
(Not being a reseller myself, I have never seen the agreement.)

The exclusive BusinessLand abortion and the current lack of dealers
familiar with the NeXT product line is going to hurt. I HOPE that NeXT
will make an appearance at COMDEX (but I doubt it). NeXT's direct sales
force is concentrating (as the should) on the high end sales. But the
one and two unit deals are also important. And for that you need to
show the public the product.