The Open Software Foundation, UNIX International and AT&T's UNIX Software Operation agreed to expand discussions

New York -- November 6, 1989 -- (Business Wire) -- The Open Software Foundation (OSF), UNIX International (UI) and AT&T's UNIX Software Operation (USO) Monday announced that they have agreed to expand discussions that have been ongoing for the past year and to intensify efforts to find areas in which the three organizations might collaborate.

``With the strategic opportunities now facing the open systems industry, it is important that the major open systems organizations cooperate and coordinate their activities,'' said David Tory, president and chief executive officer of the Open Software Foundation. ``It is now time to openly review the obvious synergies which exist among our respective organizations.''

Prior to the formation of OSF and UI, many of the parties involved in the open systems industry held discussions centered on the unification of the industry. These discussions continued after the formation of OSF and UI.

``Informal discussions have taken place at a number of levels as we have sought to find opportunities for collaboration and cooperation,'' said Peter Cunningham, president of UNIX International.

``Areas in which we have collaborated include the recently announced OSF, UI and X/Open agreement to work toward the unification of open systems conformance testing, and OSF's participation in our multiprocessing working group,'' Cunningham said. ``Additionally, both UI and OSF have joined X/Open, and both organizations hold positions on the X/Open board of directors.''

Tory added that the success of these continuing informal discussions ``provides evidence that OSF, UI and USO share a common goal -- unification of the open systems industry. I am optimistic that we can now build on this spirit of cooperation and move forward to explore ways in which we can work for the benefit of the end user.''

Larry Dooling, president of the UNIX Software Operation, said, ``The goal is to find ways to bring together and better coordinate our different approaches to the UNIX system market.''

Dooling said that initially the discussions would concentrate on potential technology exchanges, processes for specifying future UNIX system requirements and potential modifications in the three organizations and their processes that would benefit the UNIX system industry.

The three organizations emphasized that no decisions or formal recommendations have been made by any of the participants in these discussions.

In addition, the three companies said that the current round of talks will have no effect on any current projects, programs or commitments, including UI's product roadmap for the 1990's; OSF's continuing work on its operating system component, OSF/1; or on USO's continuing work on enhancements and additions to UNIX System V, Release 4.0.

Spokesmen for the three companies said discussions would continue as long as there are constructive proposals on the table.

The Open Software Foundation is an international not-for- profit organization dedicated to the development and delivery of an open, portable software environment. UNIX International is an international association of the UNIX system-based community that provides guidance and industry direction for UNIX System V development. The UNIX Software Operation is a business unit of AT&T responsible for the development of and extensions to the UNIX System V operating system.

UNIX is a registered trademark of AT&T.

OSF and the Open Software Foundation are trademarks of the Open Software Foundation, Inc.

X/Open is a registered trademark of X/Open Company, Ltd.

CONTACT: AT&T UNIX Software Operation, New York Dick Muldoon, 201/829-7212 (office) or 201/635-6699 (home) or Open Software Foundation, Cambridge, Mass. Ken Sills, 617/621-8770 (office) or 508/263-5137 (home) or AT&T UNIX Software Operation, Washington David Sandel, 201/263-8400, ext. 220 (office) or 201/584-0991 (home) 09:48 ET