Sun Microsystems Inc’s SunSoft scored its first hit recruiting other hardware vendors to ToolTalk, its object-oriented software for sharing data across networks regardless of system. Silicon Graphics Inc has endorsed it, promising to ship it on its Iris machines by the end of the year. Meanwhile SunSoft also has a bunch of independent software vendors to back it, including Frame Technology Inc, Interleaf Inc, Applix Inc, Island Graphics Inc, Visix Software Inc, Softool Inc, TeamOne Inc, Procase Inc, Digital Tools Inc, CaseWare Inc and Silvaco Inc. Under SunSoft’s sponsorship they have formed the Case Interoperability Alliance for defining common messaging mechanisms between applications and publishing their formats in The Case Interoperability Series, Volume 1, now available. Other such alliances will follow for electronic design, desktop publishing and productivity tools.
