In a deal that will enable all UNIX applications to run on Sun Microsystems, Inc.'s JavaStation Network Computer, Sun has acquired non-exclusive OEM rights to GraphOn Corp.'s GO-Joe connectivity software, Sun and GraphOn announced today. Agreement terms were not disclosed.

Sun is using GO-Joe, the world's first thin-client X server for Java technology, in installing some 3,000 JavaStation systems at Sun sites worldwide by early Fall 1997. Sun will also offer GO-Joe to its JavaStation customers who need to access existing UNIX X applications from NCs.

"Java's power is that it lets you write applications once and run them anywhere, regardless of your operating system," said Walter Keller, GraphOn President and CEO. "Most enterprises have large investments in their existing applications. GO-Joe is the first solution that gives JavaStation users quick, easy UNIX access."

GO-Joe evolved from GraphOn's GO-Global, the first thin-client X server for PC-X Windows environments. Like GO-Global, GO-Joe (see icon) lets users run UNIX X applications seamlessly at mouse click, on a network or via modem, without porting, software modification or a resource-intensive desktop X server. With GO-Joe, Java and Solaris users get the same rapid, easy access to UNIX X applications they are accustomed to in workstation environments.

"Many people don't realize that you can now access and run Microsoft Windows, mainframe and UNIX applications from your NC, thanks to connectivity products like GraphOn's GO-Joe," said Dr. Paul Borrill, chief scientist for Sun Microsystems information resources. "This is just another example of how Java Enterprise Computing gives corporations more flexibility and control over their enterprises. It's really a more evolved form of client-server computing."

What this means for Sun's customers:

Industry analyst Ron Cooke of the Network Client Business Group (Menlo Park, California), author of a recent study on thin-client computing, gave this appraisal of the GO-Joe/JavaStation implementation: "Thin-client network computing is a breakthrough technology for the computing community. The agreement between GraphOn and Sun validates GraphOn's technology and Sun's commitment to ensure that JavaStations can provide compatibility with non-Java applications."

About GraphOn

GraphOn, founded in 1982, designed and manufactured the first 'thin' X terminal. The company has evolved into a developer of powerful software to speed and simplify network computing and enable efficient thin-client applications.

About Sun Microsystems

Since its 1982 inception, a singular vision -- "The Network is the Computer" -- has propelled Sun Microsystems, Inc. (NASDAQ:SUNW) 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 $8 billion in annual revenues, Sun can be found in more than 150 countries and on the World Wide Web at http://www.sun.com.