IBM Licenses Sitka’s Pen-Based Networking Product

February 10, 1992 — Sitka Corp. Monday announced that International Business Machines (IBM) has licensed its PenCentral networking software technology.

PenCentral, also announced today, is the first networking server technology available to connect pen computers with DOS-based PCs via parallel port, serial port or modem.

Last year, Sitka and GO Corp. jointly developed PenTOPS, the client version of its pen-based network offering, which is bundled with every copy of GO’s PenPoint operating system. Together, PenCentral and PenTOPS provide robust, seamless connectivity for mobile computer users needing to access and share files.

M. Kathy Vieth, vice president, tablet systems, entry systems technology, IBM Corp., said: ”Our agreement with Sitka to license a pen-based networking solution is further evidence of innovation occurring within the industry that will help foster the worldwide marketplace for pen-based computing.

“IBM believes that the availability of networking software technology solutions is imperative to the success of the pen computing industry.”

“PenCentral is a very significant announcement for Sitka and for all third-party developers building pen-based products,” stated Deborah Triant, president and chief executive officer of Sitka.

“Today’s agreement with IBM, coupled with last year’s technology agreement with GO Corp., puts Sitka in the unique position of setting the standard for easy-to-use, cross platform, peer-to-peer networking solutions for the pen computing marketplace.”

Third-party pen-based developers interested in an integrated networking solution, can contact George Fan, pen product marketing manager, at 510/769-9669, for more information on the company’s new pen developer’s program.

Sitka Corp., formerly TOPS, was founded in 1984 and pioneered the market for cross-platform, peer-to-peer networking products. Today the company has an international installed base of more than 700,000 nodes.

Sitka manufactures MacTOPS, DosTOPS, SunTOPS and PenTOPS networking software that allows users to easily share information across multiple vendor platforms and operating systems.

The company also markets 10NET, a peer-to-peer networking product for Windows and DOS environments. Sitka Corp., an independent subsidiary of Sun Microsystems Inc., is based in Alameda, with an international sales office in the United Kingdom.

Note to Editors: Sitka, PenTOPS and PenCentral are trademarks of Sitka Corp. GO and PenPoint are trademarks of GO Corp. All other company and product names may be trademarks of the respective companies with which they are associated.

CONTACT:
Sitka Corp., Alameda
Rebecca Fuller, 510/769-2580
or
International Business Machines
W. Dean Kline, 914/642-5408