UNIX System Labs will verify shrinkwrapped software
NEW YORK -- NOVEMBER 1, 1990 -- AT&T's UNIX System Laboratories, Inc. (USL), today said it would open a center at its Summit, N.J., facility where software vendors can verify that their shrinkwrapped UNIX(R) System V Release 4 applications run right out of the box on computer systems based on Intel, MIPS, Motorola and SPARC microprocessors.
The center, to be known as the ABI System Access Center, is designed to complement continuing efforts by 88/Open, SPARC International, the Intel iABI Program, MIPS and UNIX International, Inc., to help software developers port their applications from proprietary operating systems, such as MS-DOS(R), OS/2(TM), MVS(R), and VMS(R), to UNIX System V Release 4.
"The unprecedented acceptance of UNIX System V Release 4 by computer and system software vendors has created real incentives for developers to offer SVR4 applications on mass market chip architectures," said Larry Dooling, president of USL. "This center will help ISVs get into the shrinkwrap UNIX software market. In addition, the center will help USL enhance its working relationships with ISVs as well as 88open, SPARC International, MIPS and Intel vendors."
Software vendors who visit the center will be able to load and test their applications on Intel, MIPS, Motorola and SPARC-based computer systems, provided by vendors who belong to the Intel iABI Program and the 88/Open, SPARC International, MIPS and UNIX International groups. The center will open in first quarter 1991.
An ABI, or Application Binary Interface (ABI), describes all the operating system interfaces for SVR4 on a specific chip architecture. Software that is written to those interfaces will run in binary form on computer systems based on a specific chip. In addition, software written to an ABI is source code compatible across chip architectures, meaning that a vendor need only recompile a program to make it available for computer systems based on a different chip.
UNIX System Laboratories, Inc. (USL), a subsidiary of AT&T, develops and markets UNIX System V and related systems software in source code form to Open Systems vendors worldwide.
MS-DOS is a registered trademark of of Microsoft Corporation; MVS is a registered trademark of International Business Machines Corporation; OS/2 is a trademark of Microsoft Corporation; UNIX is a registered trademark of UNIX System Laboratories, Inc.; VMS is a registered trademark of Digital Equipment Corporation.Dick Muldoon
201-829-7212 (office)
201-635-6699 (home)
Joe Kerrigan
201-522-6230 (office)
201-283-2463 (home)