News From UniForum


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UniForum '97, March 10-14, 1997, San Francisco
Java Innovator and Father of LINUX to be Honored with Achievement Awards at UniForum '97

Needham, Mass., February 10, 1997 - The UniForum Association is pleased to announce James Gosling, lead developer of Java, and Linus Torvalds, creator of LINUX, as recipients of this year's UniForum Achievement Award. The awards will be presented in ceremonies at UniForum '97, March 10-14, 1997, at the Moscone Center in San Francisco. All registrants of UniForum '97 are invited to attend the award presentation free-of-charge.

The UniForum Award, presented annually since 1983, recognizes individuals or groups whose work has significantly advanced the cause of open systems over time, or has had an immediate and positive impact on the industry with long term ramifications. The UniForum Board of Directors considered a number of nominees for this year's awards, voting unanimously to honor James Gosling and Linus Torvalds for their contributions to the industry.

James Gosling, and the Java development team, have been selected by the UniForum Board of Directors to receive the UniForum Achievement Award for their innovative work on Java. Gosling, a vice president and Fellow at Sun Microsystems, managed the critical work that created the Java langauage at Sun, and is the lead engineer at JavaSoft for the Java/Hot Java system. Gosling will receive his award at a special ceremony during the Wednesday, March 12th morning Keynote Session at UniForum '97.

The UniForum Board also selected Linus Torvalds, considered the "Father of the LINUX Operating System," for his efforts. The award celebrates Torvalds' breakthrough work on the LINUX kernel and his pioneering efforts in making his work available at little or no cost to anyone wishing to develop on it. Torvalds has recently moved to the US from Finland where he completed his Masters Degree from the University of Helsinki. He joins the staff at Transmeta, Santa Clara, CA. The award will be presented to Torvalds on Thursday, March 13th, as part of the morning Keynote Session at UniForum '97.


About UniForum '97
Considered the industry's most important educational platform, the UniForum Conference Program will offer over 55 conference sessions, providing attendees with the latest trends, technical information and advanced technologies, including the Web, servers, open systems, network technologies and integration. In addition to the conference sessions, this year's program includes USENIX tutorials, Windows NT and Extranet workshops, and the Open Group Research Institute Symposium for comprehensive coverage of the latest IT developments.

The event will also house several specialized technology and vendor pavilions, including the Linux Pavilion, Open Group Pavilion and Cambridge Technology Partners' Electronic Commerce/Internet-Based Solutions Area. In addition, AIM, an independent benchmarking company in Santa Clara, will present its Hot Iron Awards, recognizing those products exhibiting the fastest speed and best performance in the industry.

As a special benefit to all conference registrants, UniForum '97 will offer a unique opportunity to sample two industry-leading conferences. A Taste of SCO Forum, sponsored by SCO, and A Taste of CMG, sponsored by the Computer Measurement Group (CMG), will feature some of the most popular sessions from SCO's and CMG's annual conferences.

About UniForum
UniForum, the International Association of Open Systems Professionals, is a not-for-profit organization founded in 1980. Today, it represents thousands of vendors and users of open systems. UniForum's mission is to help individuals and their organizations increase the effectiveness of their information systems through the use of open systems, based on shared industry standards. Central to UniForum's mission is the delivery of high-quality educational programs, trade shows and conferences, publications, on-line services and peer group discussions.


About SOFTBANK COMDEX Inc.
Since the introduction of the first COMDEX event in 1979, SOFTBANK COMDEX has continued to meet the growing needs of the global information technology marketplace. With an expansive program of more than 30 trade shows and conferences worldwide, including COMDEX events throughout North America, Latin America, Europe and Asia, SOFTBANK COMDEX provides the premier showcase and most comprehensive educational platform for new and emerging computer and communications technologies.


For Complete Information
For updated information on UniForum '97, be sure to visit www.uniforum97.com. Attendees can register online at this Web site. Information on all SOFTBANK COMDEX events, including UniForum '97, is available at www.comdex.com.

For additional information, contact: Suzanne Lonergan or Amy Groden,
SOFTBANK COMDEX, at 617/433-1755 or 617/433-1756; Fax: 617/444-4806, or via e-mail: press@comdex.com.

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UniForum is sponsored by UniForum, The International Association of Open Systems Professionals, and managed by SOFTBANK COMDEX Inc.