Issue 16                IonaSphere                       January 1996
---------------------------------------------------------------------
Welcome to the first issue of IonaSphere for 1996. IONA Technologies would
like to extend the very best wishes for the New Year to all our customers
and friends. We hope 1996 is as successful for you as 1995 was for us.

In the past 12 months IONA has grown extensively, with a 300 per cent
increase in sales and a tripling of our work force. Milestones in 1995
included the opening of a first US office in Boston, the release of Orbix
2.0 and the signing of a deal to supply Orbix to the Boeing Commercial
Airplane Group for its DCAC/MRM project.

IONA kicked off 1996 by signing a deal to supply Orbix to telecoms giant
Ericsson (see I16-B below) and with the announcement of Orbix for Java(TM)
(see I16-A below). According to the Professional Services Division all
Orbix open enrolment training courses for January are now full. Next
available courses: 12th Feb. - Dublin, Ireland and 26th Feb. -Campbell,
CA. For a full schedule and information on new courses such as the
Orbix-OLE integration module see I16-G below.

As it did in 1995 IonaSphere will keep you up-to-date with developments in
the world of Object Technology and new products and services from IONA
Technologies. We would also like to improve this newsletter to suit your
needs better and in this regard welcome any comments you might have with
respect to content, format or frequency. Please send your comments to
editor@iona.com.

If you wish to be added to/removed from this list please send an Email to
IonaSphere-request@iona.com indicating your wish. If you need any further
information on the products or services mentioned below, please contact
info@iona.ie.

The pieces of news herein:

I16-A> IONA puts CORBA on the Internet with Java(TM)
I16-B> Ericsson Opts for IONA's Orbix as 
       International CORBA Standard 
I16-C> Orbix: A Product You Can't Ignore in 1996
I16-D> IONA People: Enterprise Product Manager
       Appointed to Help Take Orbix to the Mainframe
I16-E> Database Component and Orbix to provide
       OLE and CORBA Access for Database
I16-F> IONA Adds Distributors/Resellers in Australia 
       and The Netherlands
I16-G> CORBA Seminar Series Continues
I16-H> Orbix/CORBA Training Courses
I16-I> IONA's Roadshow Keeps on Trucking
I16-J> Current Orbix Platforms
I16-K> New Documents

I16-A> IONA puts CORBA on the Internet with Java
================================================

In a move that dramatically increases the power and scope of Internet
applications IONA Technologies has announced plans to extend the object
technology paradigm to the World Wide Web. IONA will provide a full
integration between its market leading CORBA implementation, Orbix, and
Sun's recently unveiled Internet development language, Java.

Current Web technologies give users a very crude way to access the power of
the Internet--with http users can only really pull pages of text and
graphics back and forth across the net. Java increases the value of the
Internet by bring applications into the picture and Orbix brings this one
step further offering the ability to perform semantically rich
client/server operations on the Web.

With Web users already up against the envelope of the technological
boundary, many non-standard extensions are being added to http to help it
meet more demanding user requirements. IONA's object-oriented approach
based on the CORBA standard, combined with popular language and platform
support, enables developers to create a richer range and scale of
application for the Internet.

CORBA is the de facto standard for developing distributed object-oriented
applications across enterprise networks. "The combination of Orbix and
Java takes CORBA beyond the enterprise and into the global sphere. Orbix
and Java together enable much more than simple Internet applications--they
provide a truly portable platform for building and deploying large-scale,
distributed client/server applications across both public and private
networks," says Larry Podmolik, Director of Technology at STR, an OO
consulting firm in Chicago, IL.

[See Press Release: press35, and White Papers: java.doc]

I16B-> Ericsson Opts for IONA's Orbix as International CORBA Standard
=====================================================================

International telecommunications giant Ericsson AB., has signed a contract
with IONA Technologies Ltd., to use IONA's Orbix as the company-standard
CORBA implementation throughout the world. Initially Ericsson Radio
Systems AB., Cellular-American Standards, is using Orbix to develop its
Cellular Management Operations System (CMOS) based on the
Telecommunications Management Network (TMN) architecture, and Ericsson
expects to use the software in a number of similar large scale projects in
1996 and beyond.

This is one of the first times in the telecommunications industry that TMN
standards and CORBA have been used extensively to build a network
management product. In order to maintain the leading position in an
increasingly competitive global telecommunications market, Ericsson is
focusing on its core business in switching, radio and network management,
and is relying more on strategic suppliers to provide common products and
components. IONA Technologies has been chosen as a strategic supplier that
enables Ericsson to focus on its core business.

[see Press Release: press34]

I16-C> Orbix: A product You Can't Ignore in 1996
================================================

Following its selection as "Outstanding Product of 1995" by Unix Review
Magazine [see I15-B], McGraw Hill publication Open Computing has named
Orbix as one of the products you can't ignore in 1996.

Orbix was one of six products in the object-oriented technology arena
chosen by Open Computing Editors in its December 1995 edition. The
magazine's recommendations are based on successful results achieved by
leading-edge Business Week 1000 companies and countless discussions with
users and analysts. According to Open Computing the chosen products
"embody a cross section of solid, proven technology and advanced
capabilities."

[see Open Computing, December 1995, page 35]

I16-D> IONA People: Enterprise Product Manager
       Appointed to Help Take Orbix to the Mainframe 
=====================================================

Recognizing the importance of the mainframe in the enterprise IONA has
appointed Conor Halpin as Enterprise Product Manager for Orbix. Conor will
work in conjunction with IONA's engineering team to ensure that the
mainframe is fully integrated into our product set taking IONA's 'Orbix
Everywhere' motto one step further. A port to MVS 5.2.2 is currently
underway and is expected to be available on beta in March of this year.
IONA is developing plans to support earlier releases of MVS and to provide
support for the various transaction processing and messaging environments
involved.

If you are interested in Orbix for MVS 5.2.2 or you would like to find out
more about our plans to support MVS (or other mainframe operating systems)
please contact Conor (chalpin@iona.com).

I16-E> Database Component and Orbix to provide
       OLE and CORBA Access for Databases
==============================================

IONA Technologies and I-Kinetics demonstrated a re-useable software
component, that provides plug-in links to relational databases, at last
month's DB/EXPO in New York. Database Component 3.0, developed by
I-Kinetics and based on IONA's Orbix, does away with the need for bespoke
connections to database drivers, offering a re-useable standard-based
option.

The Database Component is designed for use in applications with Windows or
Unix clients accessing Unix databases. The current version provides
plug-in links to both Oracle and Sybase systems, and I-Kinetics plans
releases for Informix and Microsoft SQL Server by March 1996.

[See Press Release: press36]

I16-F> IONA Adds Distributors/Resellers in Australia and
       The Netherlands
========================================================

IONA appointed two new Orbix distributors this month. Perth, Western
Australia-based Iridium Technologies is the firm's new reseller for
Australia. Meanwhile Altair Automation of Amsterdam has been signed to
handle Orbix distribution in The Netherlands.

[see Reseller Coordinates: resellers]

I16-G> CORBA Seminar Series Continues
=====================================

IONA's successful seminar tour will move to the UK in March with dates in
London and the M4 corridor.

The seminars, organized with the support of the Object Management Group
(OMG), are designed to deliver a full examination of the strategy,
direction and features of CORBA (Common Object Request Broker
Architecture). This latest series will also focus on integrating desktop
applications with CORBA servers using Orbix for Windows, OCXs, Visual
Basic and Java.

As the market leader in CORBA technology, IONA can provide a unique insight
into the practical application of the CORBA standard, giving real-life
examples of projects and successful implementations. If you are interested
in developing distributed, integrated applications across the enterprise,
this is a seminar you cannot afford to miss! The day long seminars will
give attendees a comprehensive grounding in CORBA both from a management
and a technical point of view.

For more information on final dates and venues, contact seminars@iona.com,
or phone IONA in Dublin at +353 1 6686522.

I16-H> Orbix/CORBA Training Courses
===================================

IONA Professional Services is increasing the number of open enrolment
training courses this year in a bid to keep up with growing demand. It is
also starting new modules including a session on Orbix-OLE integration
which will commence in April and the Orbix 2 upgrade course available in
February.

The schedule for the first quarter of 1996 is as follows:

Building Distributed Applications with Orbix and CORBA:

     12th Feb.        Dublin, Ireland
     26th Feb.        Campbell, CA.
     18th Mar         New Jersey
     25th Mar         Campbell, CA.

Highly Available Distributed Computing using Orbix+ISIS

     22nd April        Boston, MA.

CONTACT: training@iona.com

New course on Orbix-OLE:

This course gives a full introduction to the Orbix-OLE integration that
allows OLE applications to easily and transparently invoke operations on
remote CORBA objects. Visual Basic is used as the example OLE scripting
language.

The course includes the following modules:

     Introduction to the Orbix-OLE Broker
     Binding in Visual Basic
     CORBA Exceptions in VisualBasic
     CORBA Inheritance in VisualBasic
     IDL to OLE Mapping
     Memory Management in VisualBasic
     Filters in OLE Broker
     Smart Proxies in OLE Broker
     Configuring Orbix for Windows
     Configuring Orbix OLE

Smart Proxies in OLE Broker

     Configuring Orbix for Windows
     Configuring Orbix OLE

Course duration is 2 days. Prior knowledge of Orbix is assumed, but a
combined Orbix and Orbix-OLE course can be arranged at customers' sites.

The Orbix 2 upgrade course:

Aimed at existing Orbix 1.3 developers, or people with Orbix 1.3 knowledge
who wish to develop Orbix 2 applications. This course covers all of the
new features of Orbix 2, including:

     IIOP
     CORBA 2.0 IDL to C++ mapping
     Differences from the Orbix 1.3 mapping
     Memory management in Orbix 2
     Porting Orbix 1.3 applications to Orbix 2
     API and behavioural enhancements

I16-I> IONA's Roadshow Keeps on Trucking
========================================

1996 will be another busy year for IONA staff in their endeavour to bring
the CORBA message to the people.

Forthcoming trade shows:

VBITS -- 12-14 February
Booth #315, Marriot Hotel, San Francisco, CA.

Uniforum -- 14-16 February
Booth #552, Moscone Center, San Francisco, CA.

Object World Boston -- 7-9 May
Booth #823, Hynes Convention Center, Boston, MA.

Please feel free to drop by and visit IONA or our partners at any or all of
these shows.

I15-J> Current Platforms
=========================

The standard Orbix C++ CORBA implementation, runs on the following
platforms:

OS                                    Compiler
---------------------------------------------------------------------
Solaris 2.x                           SPARCompiler C++  4.x
Solaris 2.x                           SPARCompiler C++  3.0.2 
Solaris 2.x                           GNU g++ 2.6.2
                                      (with libg++ 2.6.2 libraries)
Solaris 2.x                           GNU g++ 2.7
Solaris x86                           PROCompiler 3.0.1
SunOS 4.1.x (Solaris 1.0.1)           SPARCompiler C++ 4.x
SunOS 4.1.x (Solaris 1.0.1)           SPARCompiler C++  3.0.2
SunOS 4.1.x (Solaris 1.0.1)           GNU g++ 2.6.2
                                      (with libg++ 2.6.2 libraries)
SunOS 4.1.x (Solaris 1.0.1)           GNU g++ 2.7
Hewlett Packard HP/UX 10              HP C++ A. 3.20
Hewlett Packard HP/UX 9.x             HP C++ A. 3.20
Silicon Graphics IRIX 5.x             Native C++
IBM AIX 3.2.5                         C++ set
DEC Alpha OSF/1 2.0 (Digital Unix)    DEC C++ 
DEC Ultrix 4.3                        DEC C++ 
Novell UnixWare 2.0                   Native
Siemens Nixdorf Sinix                 Native
Windows NT 3.5                        Microsoft Visual C++ 2.0 
Windows 3.1x (with OLE integration)   Visual C++ 1.5

Orbix is also available on OS/2, Mac, VxWorks, QNX, and OpenVMS AXP.

Orbix-RT    
Orbix Real-time, is currently available on VxWorks and QNX. 

Orbix-MT

Orbix Multithreading, add-on package available for Solaris, Digital Unix,
HP/UX and bundled with Orbix on Windows NT

Orbix+Isis 
Fault Tolerant Orbix on Solaris and HP/UX. 

UIM/Orbix   
Integration with the UIM/X GUI builder. UIM/Orbix is available on Solaris,
HP/UX and SunOS.

Contact info@iona.com for information on any supported platform,
beta-support@iona.com for beta programme information.

I15-K>  New Documents
=====================

Mailserver Keyword       Actual Filename      Contents
---------------------------------------------------------------------
directory:  Press_Releases/

press34                  Press34.txt        * Announcement w.r.t.
                                              Ericsson opting for
                                              Orbix as international
                                              CORBA standard

press35                  Press35.txt        * Announcement w.r.t Orbix
                                              for Java

press36                  Press36.txt        * IONA/I-Kinetics release

directory: White_Papers/

java.doc                java.doc            * Management introduction
                                              to Orbix for Java
                                              (msword)

java.ps                 java.ps.Z           * Management introduction
                                              to Orbix for Java

Instructions:

There are several means of obtaining the above documents:

     electronic mail server     - server@iona.com
     anonymous ftp file server  - ftp ftp.iona.com
     World Wide Web             - http://www.iona.com/
     air mail document manager  - editor@iona.com

To receive the article from our mail server include the Mailserver Keyword
in the body of an email. For example, to obtain the MS Word version of our
Orbix for Windows 3.1 introduction, simply send mail to server@iona.com
and include the word "win31.doc" in the body of the mail.

NOTE: You can only have one keyword per mail. Only the keyword will
work.

Request the "Help" file for more details

For Further Information Contact

IONA Technologies, Inc.,                 IONA Technologies Ltd.,
55 Fairbanks Blvd.,                      8-34 Percy Place,
Marlboro, MA 01752                       Dublin 4, Ireland.
Phone: 508-460 6868                      +353-1-668 6522
Fax: 508-460 6099                        +353-1-668 6573

Email: info@iona.com
In the USA and Canada call: 1-800-orbix4u (672 4948).
 
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