December 5, 1996 2:00 PM ET

Corel licenses Sanga's Java technology
By Margaret Kane

Corel Corp. has licensed Java technology from Sanga International Corp. that it will use to include groupware capability in its new Java-based office suite. The technology, which is used in the Sanga Pages Java suite, allows developers to create Java applications that can access information in any corporate data source and that can exist in a distributed environment over an intranet or the Internet. Corel will be using the technology to incorporate groupware applications in its new Office suite, originally expected later this year. "They have a snapshot of our source code. They're going to integrate that into their Office for Java, so in addition to desktop applications, they'll be able to use Sanga pages to include groupware in their product," said Toffer Winslow, vice president of marketing for Sanga, of Ottawa. "It puts them far and away ahead of any Java application vendors. Now they can offer spreadsheets and groupware, all done in Java." The inclusion of groupware functions in Corel's suite may help Corel compete in a tough market, said Karen Moser, an analyst at Aberdeen Group, in Boston. "Anything that Corel can do to appeal to the market and appeal to new consumers is a move they need to make," Moser said. "This was a step in the right direction for them, and Java was the right language to do it in. With all of the interest surrounding Java, and the speculation on what the language may grow into, this is a pretty safe bet for them." Winslow said the deal is a boost for Sanga, a startup formed in June that has about 40 employees. Copyright(c) 1996 Ziff-Davis Publishing Company. All rights reserved. Reproduction in whole or in part in any form or medium without express written permission of Ziff-Davis Publishing Company is prohibited. PC Week and the PC Week logo are trademarks of Ziff-Davis Publishing Company. PC Week Online and the PC Week Online logo are trademarks of Ziff-Davis Publishing Company. Send mail to PC Week