GOVERNMENT

StarNet Communications today announced the first free, commercially-supported X Windows server for Microsoft Windows platforms. The X-Win32 LX server software, which supports Microsoft Windows Services for UNIX (SFU) 3.5 interoperability toolkit, is available as a free download. X-Win32 LX addresses the enterprise's need for a graphical user interface to display UNIX applications that have been ported to run locally on Windows desktops. Microsoft released Windows Services for UNIX 3.5 in early 2004 as a free UNIX/Windows interoperability solution to facilitate rehosting. With it, however, users had to either purchase a commercial X server or deploy an open-source X server implementation that offered far less performance, functionality and support. With the availability of StarNet's free X-Win32 LX, which includes free technical support, even budget-constrained developers and end users can deploy a high-end X server that transparently displays UNIX applications under Windows. Simple to configure and using less than 10 megabytes of memory, X-Win32 LX supports sophisticated applications including OpenGL for 3D graphics design and simulation. Users can copy and paste data and bitmap graphics from X to Windows, and text from Windows to X applications. "Developers are increasingly rehosting legacy UNIX applications on Windows using Services for UNIX," said Dennis Oldroyd, director, Windows Server Division. "StarNet is one of a growing number of partners and vendors offering solutions that support this migration effort. The release of X-Win32 LX as a free download delivers significant benefits to our customers who are porting commercial and in-house- developed UNIX-based enterprise applications to the Windows platform." Steven Schoch, StarNet CEO and co-founder, said, "The combination of Microsoft Services for UNIX 3.5 and X-Win32 LX offers developers a complete best-of-breed solution for UNIX/Windows platform interoperability. We expect the free distribution of X-Win32 LX to boost StarNet's brand recognition. In addition, most organizations rehosting legacy applications continue to operate a heterogeneous infrastructure. Working initially with X-Win32 LX will encourage these organizations to adopt StarNet's other X server solutions as they seek to interoperate between the Windows and UNIX platforms." Availability and Licensing X-Win32 LX is available immediately and can be downloaded at www.microsoft.com/windows/sfu/partners/default.asp. A free license key is valid for one year and is renewable indefinitely. X-Win32 LX is activated automatically when a locally installed X Windows application is started. X-Win32 LX allows connection only to those UNIX applications hosted on the local Windows desktop. Users wishing to connect to remote servers can purchase StarNet's flagship product, the X-Win32 PC X server, which supports the X Display Manager Control Protocol (XDMCP), for connection to remote servers. X-Win32 is deployed in organizations globally by system administrators, engineers and other enterprise users to connect to powerful server-hosted applications.