SAN FRANCISCO (10-31-95) - Macromedia and Sun Microsystems will work together on standards for creating animation, three-dimensional images and video on the Internet, and Macromedia will license Sun's Java programming language, the companies announced at the Macromedia International User Conference here this week.
The agreement will allow developers to add animation, sound and video to World Wide Web pages. At the heart of the deal is Macromedia's plan to incorporate support for Java applets, small applications that can be downloaded into a client, in its Director and Authorware multimedia authoring tools.
Macromedia also said it will use its core technology and Java to build a new tool for publishing interactive multimedia information on the Internet.
Macromedia offers its own software for creating multimedia Web pages, Shockwave, which enables movies created in Director to be played on the Web.
Meanwhile, Netscape Communications Corp. plans to support both Java and Shockwave in its Navigator browser software.
"By combining Sun's open standards programming and server expertise with Macromedia's leadership position in new media, we can offer new functionality and tools to our customers," said Bud Colligan, president and CEO of Macromedia.
Macromedia demonstrated Shockwave for Director at the conference. The software kit will be available free to Director 4.0 users two weeks after the release of the final version of Netscape 2.0, expected before the end of the year. Users can obtain Shockwave for Director on the Web at http://www.macromedia.com.
In a separate announcement at the user conference, Macromedia said CompuServe will include Director Player in some of its interface products beginning with its new online service code-named WOW! Previously, online users had to download playback software and sound or video files before playing them back off-line.
Macromedia, based in San Francisco, can be reached at +1 (800) 326- 2128 or +1 (415) 252-2000.
Sun, headquartered in Mountain View, Calif., is at +1 (800) 821-4643 or +1 (415) 960-1300.
CompuServe, based in Columbus, Ohio, is at +1 (614) 457-8600.
[Copyright 1995 IDG News Service, International Data Group Inc. All rights reserved.]