Sun Press Release

[Mike Eisenberg <mike@eryx.syr.edu>]

    SUN BOOSTS DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION INFORMATION SYSTEM

 New Sun SITE Information Repository at Syracuse University

        SYRACUSE, N.Y., November 1, 1994 -- Sun Microsystems,
Inc., today announced its newest Sun SITE(TM)?server, a
collaboration with the U.S. Department of Education and
Syracuse University. Located at the upstate New York campus
and accessible worldwide via the Internet, the Sun SITE
repository will host the AskERIC Virtual Library, the most
widely used educational service on the net. Funded by the U.S.
Department of Education through its Educational Resources
Information Center (ERIC(R)) program and developed by the
Schools of Information Studies and Education at Syracuse
University, AskERIC is a national information system for
educators, parents and anyone interested in education. Last
year, AskERIC was chosen as a finalist in the education and
academia category for the prestigious Computerworld Smithsonian
Awards for innovative use of information technology.

        The electronic AskERIC Virtual Library currently
includes a range of text and image files about learning and
teaching. With this support from Sun Microsystems, AskERIC will
be able to add sound, video and multimedia and will also be
able to increase the size and scope of the electronic library
significantly.

        According to Mike Eisenberg, professor of information
studies and director of AskERIC, "Being a Sun SITE location
gives us a tremendous boost. Demand for AskERIC resources has
exploded, with over 15,000 direct user contacts a week. With
Sun SITE, we can expand the quality and quantity of our
holdings to meet the users' needs. We can also work with Sun
and other Sun SITE partners to take advantage of cutting-edge
technological development."

        The Sun SITE server system at Syracuse University also
provides remote access to educational and general resources
throughout the world. And because the information is presented
in "hypertext" links, it can be linked to other Sun SITE
databases with the click of a mouse button or a simple
keystroke.

"AskERIC and Sun have been leaders in harnessing the power of the
Internet," said Linda Roberts, Special Adviser of Educational
Technology for the Department of Education. "I am delighted that
the new Sun SITE will host the AskERIC Virtual Library at Syracuse
University. This is an example of partnerships that can truly
benefit education. I expect that this project will provide students
and teachers with a source of rich materials and exciting learning
opportunities."

        Launched in 1992, Sun SITE database servers quickly
gained a reputation as the destination for cutting-edge content.
They are now one of the most popular destinations on the
Internet, providing up to 140,000 users a day with everything
from public domain software, to technical white papers, White
House speeches and even amateur music recordings.

        The original Sun SITE location was established at the
University of North Carolina in Chapel Hill. Others include:
Sun SITE Northern Europe at Imperial College, London; Sun SITE
Tokyo at Science University, Tokyo; Sun SITE Russia at Moscow
State University; and Sun SITE South Africa at the University
of Witwatersrand.

        The Internet, a web of tens of thousands of computer
networks, links roughly 20 million users worldwide. All Sun
SITE locations are accessible free of charge through the Mosaic
graphical user interface, an easy-to-use way to "surf" the
network. In addition to Mosaic, all Sun SITE locations support
more traditional ways of accessing information, including FTP,
WAIS, telnet and gopher.

        To reach the Syracuse Sun SITE, type:
ericir.sunsite.syr.edu in the URL (uniform resource locator)
prompt in a Mosaic tool. Sun Microsystems, Inc., can be accessed
by typing http://www.sun.com at the URL prompt in a Mosaic
interface.

        Sun Microsystems, Inc. is the world's top supplier of
open network computing solutions. Its SPARC(R)/Solaris(R)
workstation and server family leads the UNIX(R).market. The
company has its headquarters in Mountain View, Calif. To visit
Sun's home page, type http://www.sun.com at the URL prompt in
the Mosaic interface.

                        # # #

Sun, the Sun logo, Sun Microsystems, Sun SITE, Solaris, and The
Network is the Computer are trademarks or registered trademarks
of Sun Microsystems, Inc. All SPARC trademarks, including the
SCD Compliant logo, are trademarks or registered trademarks of
SPARC International, Inc. Products bearing SPARC trademarks are
based on an architecture developed by Sun Microsystems, Inc.
UNIX is a registered trademark in the United States and other
countries, exclusively licensed through X/Open Company, Ltd. All
other products are referred to herein by the trademarks as
designated by the companies who market those products.