Java gets boost on Sun Microsystems stand at GITEX 2004

Middle East & North Africa at GITEX 2004. Catering to the growing regional demand for flexible, cost-effective software, Sun is targeting both the desktop and enterprise environments, and even giving away free servers to its software customers.

In time for GITEX 2004, customers who purchase a one-year subscription license for Sun's Java Enterprise System - which combines software and services as a single entity, for a single price, per employee, per year -- will also receive a Sun Fire V20z server, a perpetual Solaris 9 x86 Right-to-use (RTU) license, and one year SunSpectrum Silver(SM) support as a part of their purchase. Additionally, they will also be entitled to a free upgrade to the Sun Solaris 10 operating system, giving them a safe path from 32-bit to 64-bit environment.

GITEX attendees will also be the first in the region to witness Sun's new 'Project Looking Glass,' a Java-based development that enables users to view applications in a three-dimensional (3D) environment and manipulate them as 3D objects. Through this new Sun desktop environment, windows are translucent so that users see the multiple windows they're working on at the same time, and notes can be tacked right on to Web pages. Sun recently opensourced 'Looking Glass' to enable the Java development community to contribute to the project.

"As the region's IT sector continues its rapid evolution, we have seen a sharp rise in the adoption of Java technology as the developer's platform of choice. The security with mobility that Java provides on everything from Java cards to thin-client desktop environments to enterprise technology platforms has made Java the gold standard in the Middle East," said Mehmet Iyimen, managing director, Sun Microsystems.

"Java is the most widely used development platform both regionally and globally, and Sun Java systems reduce development time and go-to-market on the Java platform," he added.

With demand for affordable, secure office productivity solutions on the rise, Sun's Java Desktop System will be a guaranteed attraction during GITEX. The only system on the market with fully integrated Java technology, Sun's Java Desktop System has been adopted regionally by organizations in the government, healthcare, and education sectors. Live demonstrations of the Arabic-enabled Sun StarOffice productivity suite are set draw a number of decision-makers from around the region to Sun's GITEX exhibition stand.

"The Sun Java Desktop System is addressing a critical market need in the region. Designed to thrive in the Middle East's Window-centric world, it offers a virus-free, reasonably-priced, Arabic- enabled alternative to Microsoft XP and Office with no compromise on performance," Iyimen added.

The Sun Java Workstation W1100z and W2100z that run on the Sun JDS are the only systems on the market with fully integrated Java technology. Ideal for software development and 3D-intensive applications requiring workstation quality graphics, the workstations are up to 60 percent faster and support deployment of large data sets across multiple operating systems, ideal for the rapidly growing organizations in this region.