X-Open To Help Unix International With CAE Conformance

NEW YORK, Jan. 31, 1989 -- PRNewswire -- X/Open announced today that it has been asked, and has agreed, to help UNIX International maintain conformance with X/Open's Common Applications Environment (CAE). The announcement came at a New York press conference called by UNIX International to describe its charter, organizational structure and relationship with AT&T's newly formed software development business unit.

"X/Open is very pleased that UNIX International has decided its developments will conform with our CAE," said Geoff Morris, president of X/Open. "It is a big win for open systems advocates that this independent organization, charged with managing the definitions of future UNIX System V releases, has opted to conform with the set of standards having the greatest level of support by users and software developers."

In informal discussions, X/Open and UNIX International have explored ways to ensure that UNIX International's developments do not diverge from the CAE's evolving set of standards. "We have decided to encourage our technical staffs to communicate freely concerning conformance issues," said Morris, in a short speech beamed by satellite from Brussels to the New York conference site. Morris added that he intends to keep in close touch with UNIX International's new president, Peter Cunningham.

In Keeping with Users' Needs

X/Open, an international consortium of the world's largest computer companies with advisory councils of influential users and independent software vendors (ISVs), depends upon its close relationship with users and software developers in guiding the evolution of its Common Applications Environment.

"I can say with assurance that those who favor open systems also favor applications portability at a source code level," Morris said. "And this capability has been our foremost objective. UNIX International's decision to maintain conformance with us makes our objective that much more attainable."

An Endorsement of Standards Unification

During 1988, two groups of UNIX licensees have, among other things, moved to establish two common operating environments based in varying degrees upon the more than a dozen versions of UNIX. "While I might prefer that there was only one emerging UNIX-derivative, two is still far better than 19," Morris said. "And, as yet, there is no reason that applications portability cannot be obtained across these two emerging operating environments."

It is in the spirit of such convergence that X/Open has agreed to help UNIX International conform to the CAE. "We have no interest in favoring one operating environment over any other," said Morris. "Nearly half of our members are founders of UNIX International and nearly half are founders of OSF. Our decision to help ensure that future versions of UNIX System V conform to the CAE is consistent with our commmitment to support any effort to develop a unified open systems environment. Should we be asked to do the same thing for any other emerging standard, we would do so gladly."

X/Open, founded in 1984, is an independent, non-profit consortium of international computer systems vendors who are investing business, technical and marketing resources in the specification of the vendor- independent Common Applications Environment based on de facto and international standards. Specification of the Common Applications Environment is achieved through close cooperation with users, independent software vendors and standards organizations worldwide.

A recently announced verification and branding program enables vendors to use the X/Open logo to identify hardware and software that are compatible with the X/Open specifications. All members of X/Open are committed to supporting the environment defined, and more than 100 software companies worldwide are building the compliant software products.

X/Open members currently include Apollo Computer, Inc., AT&T, Bull, Digital Equipment Corporation, Fujitsu Ltd., Hewlett-Packard, Hitachi Ltd., International Business Machines, ICL, NCR Corporation, NEC Corporation, Nixdorf, Nokia Data, Olivetti, Philips, Prime Computer, Siemens, Sun Microsystems and Unisys.

/CONTACT: Bill Bonin of X/Open, 415-773-5383/