[prev in list] [next in list] [prev in thread] [next in thread] 

List:       caldera-announce
Subject:    Caldera Network Desktop 1.0 now shipping [long]
From:       Caldera Information <info>
Date:       1996-02-08 4:47:55
[Download RAW message or body]

http://www.caldera.com/
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Feb. 5, 1996
                                                               
                                                               
CALDERA NETWORK DESKTOP 1.0 SHIPS
                                
Company's Internet/Intranet server provides more technologies and protocols 
than all competitive products, including SCO UNIX and BSDI, and ships at 
one-tenth the cost
                                

OREM, Utah   Feb. 5, 1996   Caldera Inc., today began shipping the Caldera
Network Desktop 1.0, a complete Internet/Intranet networked desktop and
server environment built on the popular Linux technology, now the industry's
fastest growing World Wide Web server operating system.  The Caldera Network
Desktop offers a fully graphical environment capable of authoring, navigating
and publishing information to the Internet and Intranets. 

The Caldera Network Desktop is also a NetWare Client and provides client and 
server access to Microsoft Windows for Workgroups, Windows NT and Windows 
95, and all existing UNIX network systems.  In addition, Caldera, a Ray Noorda
company, has licensed Netscape Navigator, the widely popular client software 
for enterprise networks and the Internet.

"Everyone is telling corporate IS managers that they need to get their
companies interacting with the Internet.  But until we shipped this product,
no vendor was offering a complete Internet/Intranet authoring and serving
platform that was both reliable and affordable," said Bryan Sparks, President
of Caldera.  "Not only does the Caldera Network Desktop easily automate
creation and distribution of information across the network and across the
Internet, it allows users to continue to work in their current environments.
This is a big benefit to IS managers."

Doug Bateman, Campus IS coordinator & Webmaster for the University of North 
Texas, concurs.  "The Caldera Network Desktop provides the best Internet
server and NetWare management solution available in the industry," said
Bateman.  "Using the CND NetWare Client, I am able to remotely manage all of
the functions of the campuswide information network.  The people utilizing
the campus networks connected to the Caldera Network Desktop don't even know
its helping them publish their documents to the Web."


Complete Internet Protocols and Services

The Caldera Network Desktop's complete set of protocols and technologies
allows customers to interact with all of the Internet's services, including
the World Wide Web (WWW), File Transfer Protocol (FTP), Wide Area Information
Server (WAIS) and Gopher services.  The product's features include a multi-
domain Web server / Hyper Text Transport Protocol (HTTP) server, Simple Mail
Transport Protocol (SMTP) E-mail, Network News Transport Protocol (NNTP)
Usenet News, Network File System (NFS), and dial-in server access via
Point-to-Point Protocol (PPP) / Serial Line Internet Protocol (SLIP).

In addition to providing enhanced browsing capabilities, the Netscape
Navigator World Wide Web browser included in the product allows customers
to read Usenet news and e-mail.  In the Caldera Network Desktop environment,
the Netscape Navigator is also used for viewing on-line help and documentation
and for previewing HTML documents before they are publicly served on the Web.

"Netscape has partnered with Caldera in order to provide its navigating
technologies to the rapidly-growing market of IS professionals who want
to include Linux technologies in commercial computing environments," said
Marc Matoza, Western Sales Channel Manager for Netscape.  "Caldera shares
our philosophy of providing well-designed, commodity-priced Internet products
that parallel the industry migration away from high-cost, proprietary systems."


Network Management

The Caldera Network Desktop is a NetWare Client with full NetWare Directory 
Services (NDS) support and provides drag and drop administration, client
interaction, support for NetWare printing and more.  The product is also both
a client and server for Windows for Workgroups and all back-end UNIX
networking systems.

"Southwest Airlines uses the Caldera Network Desktop to bridge the gap
between our NetWare servers and our UNIX machines," said Kerry Schwab,
UNIX Systems Administrator for Southwest Airlines.  "Southwest also plans
to use additional NetWare and Internet functionality currently under
development at Caldera."


Multi-user, Multi-tasking

The Caldera Network Desktop is stocked with the industry's most-demanded
features and technologies.  Caldera's integration with Windows, DOS and
UNIX networking environments allows customers using the Caldera Network
Desktop to work in environments they are already familiar with, while using
the additional features and services offered by the product.

Caldera has broad peripheral support including CD-ROM drives, network cards, 
PCMCIA drivers and support, IDE and SCSI controllers, video cards, ISDN and 
other communication cards, and much more.  In addition, to provide X Window
System graphical capabilities with high performance and minimal configuration,
Caldera has licensed and included Accelerated-X from X Inside, Inc.

"UNIX.  Affordable.  These two words have never been used in the same sentence 
before," said Gary Anderson, President of X Inside.  "The Caldera Network
Desktop is an affordable, robust, reliable desktop with commercial applications \
ported and working!  I've only been waiting 15 years for this to happen."

The product's graphical desktop interface includes drag and drop, extensible
file typing, graphical file browsing, program groups, preferences and many
more graphical features that simplify organization and use of the desktop
and files.


Graphical Installation

The shipping product's installation process is greatly improved over the
process that shipped with the Caldera Network Desktop Previews.  The new
graphical installation ships on a floppy disk and a CD-ROM and takes around
30 minutes for a complete installation of the Linux operating system and
the Caldera Network Desktop.  The help-enabled installation includes scripting
that prompts the customer, asks minimal questions, interrogates the system
hardware, automatically configures the operating system and loads appropriate
drivers and modules as needed.


Channel Partners and Third-Party Developers

In December 1995, CMP Publications released survey results stating that 43
percent of Value Added Resellers (VARs) polled planned to adopt Internet
technologies in 1996.  Additionally, Forrester Research, Inc., recently
released survey results showing that 50 percent of U.S. companies are
evaluating or have current plans to deploy an Intranet.

To accommodate this growing market demand, Caldera is introducing two
partner programs focused on this rapidly growing Information Server market:
the Caldera Channel Partner program and the Caldera Independent Vendor
Partner program.  These programs represent Caldera's initial efforts to
build the industry's first Linux VAR channel and the first Internet/Intranet
ISV channel.  (Request a separate "Caldera Partners" news release.)


Technical Support

Caldera's technical support philosophy focuses on providing installation
support to end users and long-term engineering support to Caldera's channel
and third-party developer partners.  Caldera's technical support objective
is to develop a solid network of channel partners who serve as the primary
front-line for technical support on Caldera products.  Caldera provides its
customers with up to 5 incidents of free installation support for 30 days
after the customer's initial support inquiry and encourages customers to
utilize the free, service-rich technical support environment served from
the company's World Wide Web site.  Caldera also offers fee-based direct
support options beyond the complimentary installation and Internet services
at $80 per-incident or $3,000 for an annual contract.


The Linux Operating System

Caldera's mission includes creating the products, alliances, VAR channel, ISV
channel, technical support programs and corporate accountability necessary
for an emerging technology to obtain widespread implementation in the business
environment.  Using Linux, Caldera has a solid start.  Mirai, a Chicago-based
consulting company, polled Webmasters worldwide in 1995 and found that nine
percent of World Wide Web servers were running on the Linux operating system
(  http://www.mirai.com/survey  ).  This places Linux second only to Sun as
a UNIX Web server platform, while Linux holds twice the market share of
Windows NT's 4.5 percent market share.

Caldera has created a solid foundation on which third-parties can successfully
design, develop, distribute or employ services that meet the needs of the
expanding market with low product costs for consumers.


Introductory Promotions and Commodity Pricing

The Caldera Network Desktop retails for $99, a fraction of the cost for
competitive products.  Promotion #1:  During the initial 60 days of shipment,
anyone who purchases the Caldera Network Desktop may purchase a bundle
including WordPerfect ported to Caldera's platform and Metrolink's Executive
Motif Libraries for $125 (additional copies for $99).  Promotion #2:  During
the initial 60 days of shipment, anyone who purchases the Caldera Network
Desktop may purchase the Caldera Internet Office suite for $250 (additional
copies for $199).  Following the promotions, the WordPerfect/Motif bundle 
will retail for $250; the Caldera Internet Office suite will retail for $329.

The Caldera Internet Office Suite's native applications include: WordPerfect
ported to Caldera's platform, NCD Software's Z-mail e-mail package, XESS
Software's NExS Spreadsheet, and Metrolink's Executive Motif Libraries.  One
example of how Caldera has added additional value to these products is the
addition of Hyper Text Mark-up Language (HTML) authoring capabilities to
WordPerfect ported to Caldera's platform, allowing end users to author and
publish information to the Internet and Intranets from Caldera's single
platform.

Caldera, Inc., a privately held company established in 1994, empowers the
Internet community, developers, OEMs, channel partners, ISVs, industry
partners, consultants and end-users to collaborate, innovate, build and
deliver meaningful computing alternatives to the business community.

                              ###

Caldera is a registered trademark and Network Desktop is a trademark of
Caldera, Inc., in the United States.  UNIX is a registered trademark of
X/Open.  NetWare is a registered trademark of Novell, Inc.  in the United
States and other countries.  Windows and Windows NT are registered trademarks
of Microsoft Corp.  Netscape Communications, the Netscape Communications logo,
Netscape, and Netscape Navigator are trademarks of Netscape Communications
Corporation.


Press Contacts:

Caldera, Inc.
Lyle Ball
Senior Manager, Public Relations
(801) 229-1675
lyle.ball@caldera.com

Netscape
Chris Holten
Public Relations Specialist
(415) 528-2521
chrish@netscape.com

Southwest Airlines
Ed Stewart
Director, Public Relations
(214) 904-4187

University of North Texas
Doug Bateman
Campus IS Coordinator & Webmaster
(817) 565-2568
dbateman@unt.edu

X-Inside
Gary Anderson
President
(303) 298-7478
gary@xinside.com

-- 
Caldera Information <info@caldera.com>

-
Notes: To learn how to use this list server, email a "help" command to
majordomo@caldera.com.


[prev in list] [next in list] [prev in thread] [next in thread]