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| Title: | Europe-Swas-Artificial-Intelligence |
|
| Moderator: | HERON::BUCHANAN |
|
| Created: | Fri Jun 03 1988 |
| Last Modified: | Thu Aug 04 1994 |
| Last Successful Update: | Fri Jun 06 1997 |
| Number of topics: | 442 |
| Total number of notes: | 1429 |
391.0. "FWD: UNIX NEWS SUMMARY - VOLUME 7 #42 - OCTOBER 31," by MR4DEC::ROACH (TANSTAAFL !) Wed Nov 06 1991 20:30
I N T E R O F F I C E M E M O R A N D U M
Doc. No: 006254
Date: 06-Nov-1991 09:07am EST
From: REDING
REDING@LMOADM@SELECT@MRGATE@NRGATE@NRO
Dept:
Tel No:
TO: PATRICK ROACH@LMO
Subject: FWD: UNIX NEWS SUMMARY - VOLUME 7 #42 - OCTOBER 31, 1991
From: SELECT::ASABET::W_FERGUSON "MLO4-3/A20, DTN 223-6231 05-Nov-1991 1042"
5-NOV-1991 19:47:18.72
To: @UNIX.DIS
CC:
Subj: UNIX NEWS SUMMARY - VOLUME 7 #42 - OCTOBER 31, 1991
=======================================================================
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UNIX NEWS SUMMARY is provided through the joint efforts of the Unix-based
Software and Systems organization [USS], the Maynard Area Information
Services [MLO], the Spit Brook Library [ZKO], and the VSS Library [BXB]
of the Digital Library Network [DLN].
If you would like to receive this weekly publication, or have comments
about this service, please send mail to ASABET::W_FERGUSON.
To obtain the full-text of any articles abstracted in this issue,
please contact your local DLN library listed in the Digital telephone
directory. Include your name, node, cost center, mailstop, phone, and
badge number as well as the complete citation information for the request.
Hardcopies of the UNIX NEWS SUMMARY are kept in the vertical file for one
year in the Spit Brook Library.
DIGITAL INTERNAL USE ONLY
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Digital ULTRIX Custom Edition - Week Ending 10/31/91 - Volume 7 Issue 42
TABLE OF CONTENTS
OTHER SIGNIFICANT NEWS . . . . . . . . 1
A NOTE TO ALL ON TARGET TRACKING CLIENTS. . . . . . . . . . 2
DISTRIBUTED PROCESSING: MIT'S PROJECT ATHENA HAS YET TO MEET
ITS GOALS BUT WORTHWHILE DEVELOPMENTS CONTINUE TO
OCCUR. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2
OPEN SYSTEMS: A SPECIAL SECTION OF DIGITAL NEWS TARGETED
MANAGERS CONCERNED WITH INTEGRATION OF UNIX, VMS AND
DESKTOPS. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2
OPEN SYSTEMS: CSN EXAMINES THE NEED FOR CLOSER TIES BETWEEN
UNIX VENDORS AND INTEGRATORS IN THE PART I OF III. . . 2
OPEN SYSTEMS: DISTRIBUTED COMPUTING COMES TOGETHER THROUGH
THE MIDDLEWARE ALTERNATIVE. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3
OPEN SYSTEMS: FORRESTER HAD DEVELOPED A NEW THREE PART
MIGRATION MODEL. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4
OPEN SYSTEMS: FORRESTER RESEARCH ABOUT POST-IMPLEMENTATION
NETWORK SERVICES PURCHASES. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4
OPEN SYSTEMS: IEEE AND ITS POSIX COMMITTEES, X/OPEN AND ISO
ARE DEEMED AS THE PROMINENT ORGANIZATIONS WORKING TO
STANDARDIZE UNIX. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5
OPEN SYSTEMS: IEEE AND ITS POSIX COMMITTEES, X/OPEN AND ISO
ARE DEEMED AS THE PROMINENT ORGANIZATIONS WORKING TO
STANDARDIZE UNIX. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6
OPEN SYSTEMS: IEEE AND ITS POSIX COMMITTEES, X/OPEN AND ISO
ARE DEEMED AS THE PROMINENT ORGANIZATIONS WORKING TO
STANDARDIZE UNIX. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7
OPEN SYSTEMS: OBJECT MANAGEMENT GROUP (OMG) WILL RELEASE ITS
OBJECT REQUEST BROKER (ORB) SPECIFICATION THIS WEEK,
CALLED CORBC. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8
OPEN SYSTEMS: OSF'S DISTRIBUTED MANAGEMENT ENVIRONMENT
FURNISHES A FRAMEWORK FOR THE NEXT DECADE. . . . . . . 9
OPEN SYSTEMS: UI'S ATLAS STANDARD PROMISES TO SUPPORT BOTH
OSF'S DCE AND SUN'S OPEN NETWORK. . . . . . . . . . . . 9
OPEN SYSTEMS: UI'S WHITE PAPER, CALLED "UNIX SOFTWARE
DISTRIBUTION CHANNELS: A QUALITATIVE ANALYSIS,"
PROVIDES INSIGHT. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9
Digital ULTRIX Custom Edition Page ii
OPEN SYSTEMS: UNIX INTERNATIONAL RAN A SPECIAL SECTION IN
THIS WEEK'S UNIX TODAY MAGAZINE. . . . . . . . . . . . 11
OPEN SYSTEMS: UNIX IS DEVELOPING A SHRINKWRAPPED SOFTWARE
MARKET. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 11
OPEN SYSTEMS: WILL MICROSOFT'S NT BECOME THE DOMINANT
PLAYER? . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 11
OPEN SYSTEMS: UNIFORUM, EUROPEN AND A POSSIBLE THIRD PARTNER
ARE RUMORED TO BE DISCLOSING WORLDWIDE UMBRELLA USER
GROUP PLANS. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 12
DIGITAL'S APPLICATION CONTROL ARCHITECTURE TECHNOLOGY HAS
BEEN SELECTED BY OBJECT MANAGEMENT GROUP. . . . . . . . 12
APPLE . . . . . . . . . . . . 12
INDUSTRY REACTIONS . . . . . . . . . 13
APPLE'S PACT WITH IBM COULD BRING ELEMENTS OF THE MAC
INTERFACE TO IBM ENVIRONMENTS, ESPECIALLY OS/2. . . . . 13
APPLE/IBM/MOTOROLA - THIS COULD RESULT IN TWO NEW DESKTOP
STANDARDS, SAYS ITG MANAGING DIRECTOR, BRIAN JEFFREY. . 13
INDUSTRY RUMORS . . . . . . . . . . 13
APPLE IS RUMORED TO BE LOOKING FOR SPACE TO PUT ITS IBM
JOINT VENTURE TALIGENT INTO - NO FURTHER DETAILS. . . . 13
DISTRIBUTION/MARKETING/CONTRACTS . . . . . . 13
APPLE AND IBM HAVE FILED INDEPENDENT PETITIONS WITH THE
COMMERCE DEPARTMENT TO SET UP A FOREIGN TRADE SUBZONE. 13
MERGERS/ACQUISITIONS/BANKRUPTCIES . . . . . 14
APPLE'S CLARIS BOUGHT WORLDWIDE RIGHTS TO IBM'S HOLLYWOOD. . 14
AT&T . . . . . . . . . . . . . 14
INDUSTRY RUMORS . . . . . . . . . . 14
AT&T'S NCR IS RUMORED TO BE ANNOUNCING A MULTIPROCESSING
VERSION OF ITS OPERATING SYSTEM - NO FURTHER DETAILS. . 14
DISTRIBUTION/MARKETING/CONTRACTS . . . . . . 14
AT&T & BELL ATLANTIC WILL TEST A MULTIMEDIA ACCESS SYSTEM. . 14
AT&T'S NCR IS DISCUSSING USING A UNIX IMPLEMENTATION TO
AUTOMATE THE REPUBLIC OF RUSSIA'S RUSSIAN SAVINGS BANK. 14
COMPAQ . . . . . . . . . . . . 15
INDUSTRY REACTIONS . . . . . . . . . 15
COMPAQ ACKNOWLEDGED THAT IT IS HOLDING TALKS WITH A TOP
GERMAN WHOLESALE DISTRIBUTOR. . . . . . . . . . . . . . 15
COMPAQ FIRES CANION - SWAVELY SPEAKS. . . . . . . . . . . . 15
COMPAQ GAVE NO REASON FOR REPLACING CEO ROD CANION WITH
ECKHARD PFIEFFER. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 15
COMPAQ RESELLERS WORRY ABOUT THE COMPETITION CAUSED BY
AUTHORIZING EDS. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 16
Micro Tech Research, Inc. 10/31/91 Vol. 7 No. 42
Digital ULTRIX Custom Edition Page iii
COMPAQ STUNNED WALL STREET BY REPLACING CEO CANION BUT MOST
SAID IT WAS TIME FOR A CHANGE. . . . . . . . . . . . . 16
COMPAQ'S IDA WILL COMPLEMENT NOVELL'S SFT III, NOT COMPETE
WITH IT, SAID COMPAQ'S RONNIE WARD. . . . . . . . . . . 17
COMPAQ'S LOSS IS CONSIDERED A DOWN PAYMENT ON A NECESSARY
NEW BUSINESS PLAN, SAY ANALYSTS. . . . . . . . . . . . 17
COMPAQ'S NEW CEO, ECKHARD PFEIFFER, NEEDS TO REASSESS
RESOURCES TO FACE THE WORKSTATION CHALLENGE. . . . . . 17
COMPAQ'S NEW PRESIDENT AND CEO, ECKHARD PFEIFFER, OUTLINED
SOME OF HIS PLANS. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 17
INDUSTRY RUMORS . . . . . . . . . . 18
COMPAQ AND NOVELL ARE RUMORED TO HAVE PRIVATELY DEMONSTRATED
A SYSTEMPRO WITH SYSTEM FAULT TOLERANCE III. . . . . . 18
COMPAQ IS RUMORED READY TO SIGN TWO NATIONAL DISTRIBUTORS
WITHIN THE NEXT 30 DAYS. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 18
COMPAQ WAS RUMORED TO BE PRIVATELY SHOWING A 486SL NOTEBOOK
TO EXECUTIVES AT COMDEX. NO FUTHER DETAILS. . . . . . . 18
ORGANIZATION/PERSONNEL/FACILITIES . . . . . 18
COMPAQ'S ROD CANION HAS BEEN OUSTED AS CEO. . . . . . . . . 18
HP . . . . . . . . . . . . . 19
ANNOUNCEMENT SUMMARIES . . . . . . . . 19
More on previously covered items. . . . . . . . . . . . . . 19
HP ANNOUNCED OPENODB, AN OBJECT ORIENTED DATABASE. . . . . . 19
INDUSTRY REACTIONS . . . . . . . . . 19
HP, MOTOROLA, NEXT, SUN, AND OTHER UNIX WORKSTATION VENDORS
ARE PLANNING SIGNIFICANT VAR STRATEGY SHIFTS FOR 1992. 19
INDUSTRY RUMORS . . . . . . . . . . 19
HP AND COMPUTER ASSOCIATES ARE RUMORED TO BE JOINTLY
ANNOUNCING A CA BUSINESS APPLICATIONS PACKAGE OPERATING
ON HP/UX. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 19
HP'S SERIES 700 MODELS WILL BE PUSHED IN THE COMMERCIAL
SEGMENTS BY DISTRIBUTOR ARROW - NO FURTHER DETAILS. . . 19
DISTRIBUTION/MARKETING/CONTRACTS . . . . . . 19
HP SIGNED A $5M CONTRACT WITH NORTHROP. . . . . . . . . . . 19
HP SIGNED A BROAD-BASED NORTH AMERICAN DISTRIBUTION PACT
WITH ARROW. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 20
MERGERS/ACQUISITIONS/BANKRUPTCIES . . . . . 20
HP TO ACQUIRE AVANTEK. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 20
IBM . . . . . . . . . . . . . 20
ANNOUNCEMENT SUMMARIES . . . . . . . . 20
IBM'S NETVIEW NETWORK MANAGEMENT SYSTEM NOW ADMINISTERS
Micro Tech Research, Inc. 10/31/91 Vol. 7 No. 42
Digital ULTRIX Custom Edition Page iv
REMOTE SERVERS AND WORKSTATIONS - NO FURTHER DETAILS. . 20
INDUSTRY REACTIONS . . . . . . . . . 20
IBM - ANALYSTS AND USERS HAVE MIXED REACTIONS TO LAN SERVER
2.0. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 20
IBM - THIRD-PARTY DEVELOPERS CONSIDER IBM'S MULTIMEDIA
ANNOUNCEMENT A STATEMENT OF COMMITMENT TO THE MARKET. . 21
IBM AND PICTURETEL ARE PLANNING NEW DESKTOP
VIDEOCONFERENCING SYSTEMS. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 21
IBM DESKTOP SOFTWARE (IDS) RETURNED SOME PRODUCTS TO THEIR
ORIGINAL DEVELOPERS AS IT PREPARED TO CLOSE. . . . . . 21
IBM FORMED THE APPC MARKET ENABLEMENT GROUP. . . . . . . . . 22
IBM HOPES TO HOLD 3% OF THE PRESENT $100B OEM BUSINESS BY
1994 BY OFFERING ITS ENTIRE LINE AT A SENSIBLE TIME. . 22
IBM IS CONFIDENT THAT THE FTC WILL APPROVE ITS PACT WITH
APPLE, SAID VP JAMES CANNAVINO. . . . . . . . . . . . . 22
IBM IS EVALUATING OBJECT TECHNOLOGY FROM BOTH APPLE AND HP
IN DESIGNING OLE FOR OS/2. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 22
IBM PLANS TO DEPLOY THE RS/6000 AS A UNIX-BASED NETWORK
MANAGEMENT PLATFORM. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 23
IBM REVEALED SOME MULTIMEDIA MARKET PLANS, INCLUDING OS/2
EXTENSIONS WITH BUILT-IN SOFTWARE VIDEO COMPRESSION. . 23
IBM USERS ARE BALKING AT USING TWO DIFFERENT WORKSTATION
PRODUCTS TO SUPERVISE THEIR LAN INSTALLATIONS. . . . . 24
IBM WILL LEAD THE WORKSTATION MARKET BY 1995, WHILE INTEL,
MOTOROLA AND DIGITAL WILL FALTER, PREDICTS IDC. . . . . 24
IBM'S AIX APPLICATIONS DEVELOPMENT STRATEGY GOT A BOOST FROM
THE ANNOUNCEMENT OF TOOLS FROM TWO AD/CYCLE PARTNERS. . 25
IBM'S CLOUT WITH TOP EXECS AND MIS IS SEEN AS DECREASING IN
SURVEY. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 25
IBM'S SHL SYSTEMHOUSE PACT DIFFERS FROM OTHER PACTS BECAUSE
SHL IS IN CHARGE OF CANADIAN RS/6000 TECHNICAL SUPPORT. 25
INDUSTRY RUMORS . . . . . . . . . . 26
IBM IS RUMORED TO BE DISCUSSING RS/6000 WORKSTATION OEM
RELATIONSHIPS WITH ABOUT 24 VENDORS. . . . . . . . . . 26
DISTRIBUTION/MARKETING/CONTRACTS . . . . . . 26
IBM ANNOUNCED A MULTIMEDIA PACT WITH GRAPHIX ZONE INC. . . . 26
LOTUS . . . . . . . . . . . . 26
INDUSTRY RUMORS . . . . . . . . . . 26
LOTUS IS RUMORED TO BE ANNOUNCING 1-2-3 FOR HP'S NEWWAVE IN
THE NEXT FEW WEEKS, SAYS SPENCER KATT - NO FURTHER
DETAILS. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 26
NOVELL . . . . . . . . . . . . 26
ANNOUNCEMENT SUMMARIES . . . . . . . . 26
More on previously covered items. . . . . . . . . . . . . . 26
Micro Tech Research, Inc. 10/31/91 Vol. 7 No. 42
Digital ULTRIX Custom Edition Page v
NOVELL AND SUN'S SUNCONNECT SUBSIDIARY ANNOUNCED NETWARE
SUNLINK. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 26
SCO . . . . . . . . . . . . . 26
INDUSTRY REACTIONS . . . . . . . . . 26
SCO - ORACLE ANNOUNCED SUPPORT OF SCO'S OPEN DESKTOP AT UNIX
EXPO. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 26
DISTRIBUTION/MARKETING/CONTRACTS . . . . . . 27
SCO AND ORACLE EXPECTED TO ANNOUNCE JOINT MARKETING AND
TECHNOLOGY PACT. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 27
SUN MICROSYSTEMS . . . . . . . . . . 27
ANNOUNCEMENT SUMMARIES . . . . . . . . 27
SUN SAID LOW SALES VOLUMES ARE CAUSING IT TO DROP ITS HIGH-
END, I860-BASED ACCELERATOR LINE. . . . . . . . . . . . 27
SUN'S SUNSOFT IS ANNOUNCING THREE PRODUCTS AT UNIX EXPO THIS
WEEK, INCLUDING OPENWINDOWS 3.0. . . . . . . . . . . . 27
INDUSTRY REACTIONS . . . . . . . . . 28
SUN - ANALYSTS CALL SUN'S REORGANIZATION A UNIQUE APPROACH
TO BETTER SOFTWARE AND WORKSTATION MARKET SERVICE. . . 28
SUN IS OVERHAULING ITS RESELLER CHANNEL AS IT CHANGES FROM A
DIRECT SUPPLIER TO AN INDIRECT SUPPLIER. . . . . . . . 29
SUN WILL EXTEND ITS CAPABILITIES TO OTHER NETWORKING
ENVIRONMENTS DEPENDING ON CLIENT DEMAND. . . . . . . . 29
SUN'S PARTNERSHIP WITH SMALL AND LARGE SYSTEMS INTEGRATORS
IS A STRATEGIC GOAL. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 29
SUN'S SUNNET MANAGER GAVE IT A LEAD IN THE NETWORK
MANAGEMENT WORKSTATION MARKET, BUT CAN SUN RETAIN THAT
LEAD? . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 30
SUN'S SUNSOFT SOLARIS 2.0 WILL BE PLACED IN DIRECT
COMPETITION WITH ACE'S SOFTWARE. . . . . . . . . . . . 30
SUN'S WORKSTATION SHIPMENTS DROPPED FROM 49,000 IN LAST
QUARTER TO 43,000 THIS QUARTER. . . . . . . . . . . . . 31
SUNCONNECT WILL RECRUIT NOVELL PLATINUM AND GOLD VARS AND
MORE NETWARE SUNLINK RESELLERS TO WIDEN ITS RESELLER
BASE. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 31
DISTRIBUTION/MARKETING/CONTRACTS . . . . . . 31
SUN HAS SIGNED VICOM SYSTEMS TO TAKE OVER SALES AND SERVICE
OF ACCELERATORS. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 31
SUN'S SITKA HAS LICENSED WORLDWIDE RESALE RIGHTS TO TIARA'S
10NET 5.0 NETWORK OS FOR DOS AND WINDOWS CLIENTS ON
LANS. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 32
ORGANIZATION/PERSONNEL/FACILITIES . . . . . 32
SUN PLANS A REDUCTION OF ITS ESTIMATED 1,000 RESELLERS AND A
RECRUITMENT EFFORT. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 32
Micro Tech Research, Inc. 10/31/91 Vol. 7 No. 42
Digital ULTRIX Custom Edition
Week Ending 10/31/91
Volume 7 Issue 42
NOTE TO READERS
"OTHER SIGNIFICANT NEWS" - provides information on the Unix
market that is not driven by any one vendor or small group of
vendors. Examples of this type of news coverage would be: a
forecast of the Unix installed base such as on workstations or
minis, standards issues, events at OSF and UI, discussions of
the merits of various Unix versions, etc.
Digital ULTRIX Custom Edition Page 2
A NOTE TO ALL ON TARGET TRACKING CLIENTS.
Please accept our apology for being one day late in publishing
your 7_42 ON TARGET TRACKING issue. There were many major
announcements made last week and we felt compelled to hold
publication until we covered them all for you. All vendors seem
to be pushing to make as many major product announcements before
calendar year-end as possible. This issue includes all trade
journals from last week, as well as the October 21 issue of
"Computer Reseller News". (MTR Memo,11/4/91)
DISTRIBUTED PROCESSING: MIT'S PROJECT ATHENA HAS YET TO MEET ITS
GOALS BUT WORTHWHILE DEVELOPMENTS CONTINUE TO OCCUR.
In the early 1980s, MIT began installing a network of desktop
systems to provide students and faculty with easy access to
computing power. Such distributed processing was a new idea
given that most students were (and are) normally hooked via
terminals to a central system. It has taken almost a decade to
build the system. The result has been less far-reaching than had
been hoped. No radical changes in teaching have occurred, as few
planners anticipated the enormous amount of time it takes to
design instructional software. It has had an impact in science
and engineering courses, as well as in languages and writing.
More faculty who are computer-fluent are needed. Project Athena
is viewed as an experiment that is still unfolding.
(BG,10/28/91,p25)
OPEN SYSTEMS: A SPECIAL SECTION OF DIGITAL NEWS TARGETED
MANAGERS CONCERNED WITH INTEGRATION OF UNIX, VMS AND DESKTOPS.
The section discusses Unix based OLTP, OSF and UI's offerings,
and lightly touches upon the buying plans of some major users.
The plans of Paris-based firm Non Standard Logics to aggressively
market its X Windows System/Motif environments and tools in the
U.S. are highlighted. Nothing else really new here.
(DN,10/29/91,ps1)
OPEN SYSTEMS: CSN EXAMINES THE NEED FOR CLOSER TIES BETWEEN UNIX
VENDORS AND INTEGRATORS IN THE PART I OF III.
Systems integration is becoming as important a part of Unix bids
as hardware and software. Smaller open systems vendors and
Micro Tech Research, Inc. 10/31/91 Vol. 7 No. 42
Digital ULTRIX Custom Edition Page 3
production systems often rely on integrators very heavily. Some
vendors consider large integrators more their clients than their
resellers. Hardware and software makers discuss the subject.
Vendor comments follow:
SCO's VP of OEM/ACE Sales, Bob Lamvik -"We need the systems
integrators to match the sales channel to user demand." SCO
is also using its reseller program to recruit smaller
integrators and converting many consultant partners to
resell products and assume a more direct integration role.
About 15% of its Unix business is through third-party
integration providers.
Digital's Channels Marketing Manager for Unix Software and
Systems, Deane Curran - About 25% of its Unix business is
through third-party integration providers.
Specialix - About 50% of sales are through integrators, most
of which are small to medium-sized firms.
Sequent's Manager for Consultant and Integrator Relations,
Terry McClelland - End users want Unix's service, which
Sequent is frequently unable to furnish. Sequent needs
integration partners for success, and has a formal pact with
Price Waterhouse.
HP's Channel Marketing Manager, Alan Arnette - HP offers
only limited integration services through its consulting
organization, and is converting many of its networking and
pc resellers into workstation integrators through the
Certified Workstation Reseller program.
Tatung's Workstation Marketing Manager, Majid Eskandari -
Tatung considers large integrators more of a major end user
than an integrator; it relies on smaller integrators to
deliver solutions for specific vertical markets as well as
marketing and sales assistance.
Unix vendors are finding tapping smaller integrators a challenge,
and frequently handle the relationships as adjuncts to a reseller
program. Vendors consider experience in communications,
networking, and relational database systems a major requirement
in an integrator, followed by a proven end-user track record.
(CSN,10/28/91,p12)
OPEN SYSTEMS: DISTRIBUTED COMPUTING COMES TOGETHER THROUGH THE
MIDDLEWARE ALTERNATIVE.
Middleware is a standard service platform which offers a layer of
services above the OS and eases programming among overlapping
standards. Middleware's ability to handle management functions
is critical to distributed computing's success.
Micro Tech Research, Inc. 10/31/91 Vol. 7 No. 42
Digital ULTRIX Custom Edition Page 4
Sun's Open Network Computing (ONC) and OSF's Distributed
Computing Environment (DCE) are the two current major middleware
environments, although UI recently announced Atlas, an overall
plan for middleware. ONC and SunNet Manager's advantages lie in
their large installed product base. While OSF's DCE and DME will
probably offer users the resulting applications that they want,
DME is not due until late 1992 or 1993. Most vendors will
probably migrate to DME, and Sun will eventually have to decide
whether or not to support it. Sun says that it is driven by
client requirements, and will provide compatibility if demanded.
UI plans to incorporate both Sun's ONC and OSF's DCE in Atlas,
using an API to shield developers from the underlying services.
It is also defining an additional set of services which go beyond
the other middleware offerings to add object management and open
transaction processing to many applications. Currently, Atlas is
only a spec, and not expected until 1992 or 1993. UI is still
defining Atlas' system management services strategy, but wants
maximum convergence with OSF's efforts.
SunNet Manager is the most useful platform for solving management
problems in present Unix environments because it has the most
vendor support, but UI's endorsement of OSF's DME will eventually
lead to the greater acceptance of that paradigm.
(CommWeek,10/28/91,pWP4)
OPEN SYSTEMS: FORRESTER HAD DEVELOPED A NEW THREE PART MIGRATION
MODEL.
The three stages that businesses will go through are :
1990-1994 embarkation: pc usage grows as does use of smart
hubs, email and networked applications
1992-1996 transition: standalone lans and simple file
sharing give way to lan interconnection and usage of
client/server applications such as Lotus' Notes. MIS is
receiving extensive education on client/server technology.
1994-1998 discovery: distributed networks, transparent
access and workflow solutions.
(CRN,10/28/91,p47)
OPEN SYSTEMS: FORRESTER RESEARCH ABOUT POST-IMPLEMENTATION
NETWORK SERVICES PURCHASES.
50 Fortune 1000 firms were surveyed. About 75% of those surveyed
indicated that they depend on outside network maintenance and
service. Figures follow:
Service Type Currently Purchased Will Purchase
Micro Tech Research, Inc. 10/31/91 Vol. 7 No. 42
Digital ULTRIX Custom Edition Page 5
in Two Years
Maintenance & 76% 74%
Support
Remote Monitoring 6% 22%
Network Operation 4% 12%
No External Services 24% 24%
(CRN,10/21/91,p78)
OPEN SYSTEMS: IEEE AND ITS POSIX COMMITTEES, X/OPEN AND ISO ARE
DEEMED AS THE PROMINENT ORGANIZATIONS WORKING TO STANDARDIZE
UNIX.
IEEE is considered to be at the top of the list. This article
provides a status report on each organization's major standards
efforts. This article has been split into three abstracts, with
this abstract discussing POSIX.
POSIX and Related Standards -
Jim Isaak, who heads the IEEE's Technical Committee on
Operating Systems (TCOS) standards subcommittee, said POSIX
is now becoming more closely integrated into the process of
creating international standards
the recent adoption of five more POSIX components for use in
further work means synchronization between ISO and IEEE
standards; the five components are 1003.4 real-time
extensions, 1003.8 transparent file access, 1003.13 real-
time application profile, 1003.12 protocol-independent
networking interface, and the 1003.2a user portability
extension
the large volume of POSIX work is moving toward completion,
but for many committees a definitive standard is still
years away; eight documents are now in balloting, and
another 10 will likely go to ballot next year
the 1003.1 kernel interface committee is still working and
making progress in other areas, although it has already
reached the status of an international standard; these areas
include defining "language-independent" bindings for system
interfaces
the 1003.2 and 1003.2a committees on the shell and "user
portability extension," respectively are both "pretty
stable," according to group chairman, Hal Jespersen
Micro Tech Research, Inc. 10/31/91 Vol. 7 No. 42
Digital ULTRIX Custom Edition Page 6
IEEE balloting is now awaiting ISO activity, because the
work is synchronized with ISO work; the earliest that
documents will be completed from that work is May 1992
1003.4 is one set of interfaces that will probably appear on
many proprietary OSs, according to 1003.4 group chairman,
Bill Corwin
Corwin says three levels of options are foreseen, for
embedded, mid-range real-time, and full-function systems;
Corwin notes the last option will probably be implemented on
top of Unix, while proprietary systems will more likely
support one of the first two; Corwin hopes that by mid-1992,
the committee will reach a final agreement
Modcomp Computer representative, Geoff Hall, who is on the
committee, comments that it could be two years before a
standard emerges; Modcomp officials report one of the more
unusual and controversial elements of the 1003.4 standard is
when a vendor claims compliance to the standard, it has to
provide performance data guaranteeing response times
(UnixToday,10/28/91,p72)
OPEN SYSTEMS: IEEE AND ITS POSIX COMMITTEES, X/OPEN AND ISO ARE
DEEMED AS THE PROMINENT ORGANIZATIONS WORKING TO STANDARDIZE
UNIX.
IEEE is considered to be at the top of the list. This article
provides a status report on each organization's major standards
efforts. This article has been split into three abstracts, with
this abstract discussing the European Workshop on Open Systems
(EWOS) and ISO III.
Profiling, EWOS and ISO -
it is generally agreed upon that profiling - or functional
standards - is becoming very important, although most of the
work is at an early stage
many POSIX groups are now trying to define profiles for
specific uses such as real-time systems and supercomputing;
1003.18 is readying a generic POSIX profile which, in turn,
may be used as a component of other profiles that are more
specialized
the European Workshop on Open Systems (EWOS) Common
Applications Environment (CAE) group is initially working on
a framework and a "taxonomy," or description of open
systems' functional components, into which it eventually
plans to fit specific profiles, like the ones the IEEE is
developing
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the ISO is approving the idea of extending profiles from OSI
to applications portability
ISO's Technical Study Group 1 (TSG1) will probably disband
this month because it has completed its work
in a TSG1 report, one recommendation is that the ISO should
apply the concept of profiles to applications portability,
and develop Applications Environment Profiles; the report's
editor, Dr. Ian Newman, says that if the idea is approved,
it will likely mean that the ISO Special Group on Functional
Standards should expand its work to include AEPs
as a result of Japanese efforts, Newman notes other
proposals include creating a generic higher-level operating
systems interface which is not oriented to POSIX so that it
can be used on top of any OS; Newman believes this proposal
will fail
other proposals are for development on general windowing
systems, similar to what the IEEE's 1201 groups are doing,
and for an increased effort on open systems modeling
(UnixToday,10/28/91,p72)
OPEN SYSTEMS: IEEE AND ITS POSIX COMMITTEES, X/OPEN AND ISO ARE
DEEMED AS THE PROMINENT ORGANIZATIONS WORKING TO STANDARDIZE
UNIX.
IEEE is considered to be at the top of the list. This article
provides a status report on each organization's major standards
efforts. This article has been split three abstracts, with this
abstract discussing X/Open.
X/Open -
at the Xtra conference this November, X/Open will announce
and discuss technical documents that are the results of its
efforts to identify user requirements via an extensive user
survey; the documents are outlined in a four-year road map
that was published earlier this year
X/Open Chief Technical Officer, Mike Lambert, said X/Open is
close to completing the new X/Open Portability Guide 4
(XPG4) OS specifications
X/Open's efforts are synchronized with the efforts of the
POSIX 1003.2 committee
a lot of effort is being placed in internetworking
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support is slowly being built for the X/Open Transport
Interface; there are plans to address its use on PCs
X/Open is working with the X.400 APIA on several interfaces;
a lot has been published already; a tutorial will be shortly
released to help people use what X/Open has put together
Lambert says X/Open's work for systems management has
proved to be compatible with that of OSF
X/Open is still working in the transaction-processing area;
it will attempt to make TP on Unix as appealing as on
proprietary systems
the work of the Object Management Group will be incorporated
into its specifications
X/Open is continuing to standardize X for Unix; it is also
continuing to monitor the area of APIs
Lambert comments that both Motif and the AT&T/Sun OpenLook
interfaces share a problem; they are systems programming
interfaces that require a lot of knowledge, if they are to
be used; Lambert says, "The real future is a level up - and
that could be either a pure programming interface or, more
likely, an interactive development tool."
(UnixToday,10/28/91,p72)
OPEN SYSTEMS: OBJECT MANAGEMENT GROUP (OMG) WILL RELEASE ITS
OBJECT REQUEST BROKER (ORB) SPECIFICATION THIS WEEK, CALLED
CORBC.
The Common ORB Capability (CORBC) specification allows
applications to access other data and applications across
networks regardless of the operating systems or hardware
architectures involved. CORBC was developed in about nine
months by a group of archrivals that includes Digital, HP, Sun's
SunSoft, NCR, Object Design, and HyperDesk. OMB considers the
broker to be software that will be used on top of OSF's DCE and
in fact, utilize the underlying DCE technologies. Analysts
regard the ORB as a better answer to building distributed
applications than RPCs.
ORB-based products are due for availability by the latter half of
next year. HP and SunSoft will produce the Distributed Object
Management Facility, a platform for object-oriented development.
HyperDesk will produce the Distributed Object Management System,
an object-oriented programming platform.
Digital's ACA suite of office-automation applications will become
ORB-compliant in late 1992. Information on NCR's ORB strategy
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was unavailable.
The ORB is designed to enable programmers to write applications
as separate modules of data and code called "objects." The
objects are reusable, therefore eliminating the programmer
having to repeatedly rewrite the same procedures for different
applications.
Standardizing the ORB across heterogeneous platforms will
hopefully provide interoperability of software across
heterogenous systems. Both OSF and UI have endorsed ORB.
Last week, the OMG issued a request for information on object-
oriented design tools and methodologies. The consortium does not
expect to standardize on any tools or methodologies, but it does
hope to generate a description of what's available on the market.
The deadline for submitting information to OMG is December 31.
(UnixToday,10/28/91,p1; NetW,10/28/91,p6)
OPEN SYSTEMS: OSF'S DISTRIBUTED MANAGEMENT ENVIRONMENT
FURNISHES A FRAMEWORK FOR THE NEXT DECADE.
OSF's DME framework can be used to integrate network and systems
management services. It tackles the most difficult issues while
leaving space for end-users and ISVs to add value. All OSF's
major vendor members have endorsed the solution, and significant
endorsements from other major vendors will follow. DME is
explained in great technical detail. (CommWeek,10/28/91,pWP14)
OPEN SYSTEMS: UI'S ATLAS STANDARD PROMISES TO SUPPORT BOTH OSF'S
DCE AND SUN'S OPEN NETWORK.
UI officials see no reason why Atlas will not work with the
Distributed Management Environment. OSF seems a bit ahead of UI
in addressing users' network management problems, but UI has some
advantages. Dataquest SR Analyst, Rikki Kirzner, said that while
UI is trying to deliver the broad, truly open standards which
users want, OSF seems to be concentrating on "pieces of what
users need." Atlas pulls together the complex issues resulting
from networking heterogeneous systems into a comprehensive
architecture designed to aid users in building network
applications for Unix machines. It plans to deliver standard
APIs permitting vendors to deliver a variety of management
applications. Work on the standards for these applications is
far from complete. Kirzner noted that while "UI has done a lot
of behind-the-scenes work with its architecture, ... the benefits
... will not be immediately clear to users."
(CommWeek,10/28/91,pWP9)
OPEN SYSTEMS: UI'S WHITE PAPER, CALLED "UNIX SOFTWARE
DISTRIBUTION CHANNELS: A QUALITATIVE ANALYSIS," PROVIDES
INSIGHT.
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The 24-page paper said that the Unix software application
business is in better shape than most generally believe. It also
notes that there are several unique aspects to selling Unix
software products. Details:
the paper notes five separate market segments and
distribution channels and discusses in detail both vertical
and horizontal software
trying to market Unix software is far more complex than
selling Mac or PC software because of the many different
variations and platforms in the Unix market
for developers pursuing multiple markets, the problem of how
often to upgrade a product is more crucial, because
upgrading too often or not enough could cut into profits,
depending on the situation
shrink-wrapped Unix software is noted as a potential
problem, because the more commodity-like a product becomes,
the simpler it is to illegally copy; ironically, developers
have been trying several ways to make the distribution of
Unix software as independent as possible, therefore enabling
binaries to work across platforms from different vendors, or
even be based on different CPUs
addressing end users concerns over the lack of Unix
applications, the paper noted there are 3,500 programs in
the UniForum catalog, 1,700 in the ICP directory, 5,400 on
CompuServe, and UI's own estimate of 18,000 on SVR4
the most successful ISVs developed their own distribution
channel
6 of the top 10 PC software developers have Unix versions of
their products
because Unix applications require a higher level of support,
distributors are depending on that as one way to increase
their own profit margins; they also can differentiate
themselves from their competitors because they are adding
value to, and selling, Unix products; the paper listed over
25 Unix software distributors
UI suggests that new indirect channels for distribution of
software, including independent insurance brokers; networks
of well-trained dealers and system integrators will also
play a part; each channel will have its own, profitable
niche - system integrators, for example, will chiefly
address network-based products
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(UnixToday,10/28/91,p80)
OPEN SYSTEMS: UNIX INTERNATIONAL RAN A SPECIAL SECTION IN THIS
WEEK'S UNIX TODAY MAGAZINE.
This 17 page section provides considerable detail on UI's open
systems philosophy as well as a roadmap. Atlas is discussed in
detail. (UnixToday,10/28/91,pV)
OPEN SYSTEMS: UNIX IS DEVELOPING A SHRINKWRAPPED SOFTWARE MARKET.
Demand for commercial applications and dropping workstation
prices is shaking up current Unix distribution channels. It is
also creating new remarketers and distributors, including some
mail-order firms. Major software makers like Lotus and
WordPerfect are already shipping Unix versions of their DOS
packages. Smaller Unix applications are also entering the
market.
William Shott, President of Unix Central, a nationwide reseller,
said that present Unix software distribution channels were slow
to adapt to the marketing and sales requirements for the new
packages. Shott said that Unix clients interested in the latest
software, required high levels of vendor expertise and support,
and were unaware of the wide product range available. Yet the
software's price point and the relative market size will not
support a direct sales approach. Rick Thau, President of Qualix
Group, agreed. He considers the Unix software market a "push"
market, where resellers must find and stimulate sales. Jit
Saxena, President of Applix, said that a great deal of value
could be added to the entire Unix and workstation area. Saxena
thinks that the Unix distribution channel will develop quickly
because resellers and VARs are discovering that the pc market is
dwindling and because Unix offers resellers bigger integration
work at larger margins. Specific reseller strategies are
discussed. (CRN,10/28/91,p74)
OPEN SYSTEMS: WILL MICROSOFT'S NT BECOME THE DOMINANT PLAYER?
A panel session debated whether the success of Unix in
commercial arenas is more perceived than actual. Details:
Taking the minority position on the panel, Visix Chairman
and CEO, Jay Wettlaufer, says Microsoft NT will become the
dominant player. However, NT may take up to 10 years to
mature, thereby leaving Unix with a window of opportunity.
Officials from Compaq, HP, Sun and USL argued that speed and
functionality of Unix systems may result in many users
changing from DOS PCs and proprietary minicomputers. They
said Unix standardization efforts will also be a key in
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attracting more Unix users. Wettlaufer, rejecting those
contentions, stressed that major vendors have to make Unix
more accessible. He added that his own firm is not big
enough to do the job by itself.
USL Executive VP of Sales and Marketing, Roel Pieper, said
Wettlaufer was "out of touch," suggesting that, for example,
USL's proposed shrink-wrapped version of SVR4 (Unix Lite)
will attract commercial users to Unix.
Wettlaufer said Unix needs common applications like
spreadsheets and word processors. It also needs volumes of
documentation, which would alienate the average computer
user. At least two audience members supported Wettlaufer.
John Paul, Compaq Director of Systems Engineering and Open
Systems, agreed with Wettlaufer, saying "Unix's weakness is
on the desktop," but that NT will take a long time to have
Unix's server functionality.
(UnixToday,10/28/91,p94; IFW,10/28/91,p1)
OPEN SYSTEMS: UNIFORUM, EUROPEN AND A POSSIBLE THIRD PARTNER ARE
RUMORED TO BE DISCLOSING WORLDWIDE UMBRELLA USER GROUP PLANS.
The plans will reportedly be announced this Thursday. The group
will be partly chartered to assist open systems and Unix users in
any country to establish their own user groups. Sources say the
plan is to aid users in areas that are less-developed to form
groups by offering information, coordination, books, technical
support, etc. The umbrella group could suggest to new user
groups how to coordinate meetings and receive exposure through
their local media. According to EurOpen Chairman, Michel Gien,
at the moment the group is called World Forum for Open Systems.
(UnixToday,10/28/91,p4)
DIGITAL'S APPLICATION CONTROL ARCHITECTURE TECHNOLOGY HAS BEEN
SELECTED BY OBJECT MANAGEMENT GROUP.
Digital announced that its submission to the Object Management
Group (OMG) has been selected to provide major elements of the
OMG's Object Request Broker (ORB). Digital's submission
provides fundamental components of the ORB specification,
including the dynamic application programming interface (API),
context objects, and distributed class repositories. Digital's
contributions are based on technology incorporated in its' NAS-
based Application Control Architecture (ACA) Services software,
which is available now for VMS and RISC ULTRIX systems from
Digital. (Press Release,10/29/91)
APPLE
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INDUSTRY REACTIONS
APPLE'S PACT WITH IBM COULD BRING ELEMENTS OF THE MAC INTERFACE
TO IBM ENVIRONMENTS, ESPECIALLY OS/2.
While IBM claims that Presentation Manager will remain OS/2's
interface, observers expect some Mac elements to edge into OS/2.
Tim Bajarin, Executive VP of Creative Strategies Research
International, said that IBM will be left behind if it continues
promoting Presentation Manager. Things will eventually come
down to either Windows or the Mac interface. Bajarin expects IBM
to use the Mac interface on mainframes, minis, and eventually the
pc.
Apple Spokeswoman, Brooke Cohan, said, "IBM could create a new
version of Presentation Manager or its Common User Access (CUA)
interface that is similar to the Macintosh." She noted that this
would mean that it would look like the Mac, not run Mac
applications. A programmer affiliated with OS/2 2.0 said that
some Mac-like features were appearing, but a full-blown
conversion was far in the future. The programmer noted that OS/2
2.0 and the Mac were already very similar. Observers say that in
the future, IBM may bolster OS/2 with features taken from other
OSs which it has licensed. (PCWeek,10/28/91,p16)
APPLE/IBM/MOTOROLA - THIS COULD RESULT IN TWO NEW DESKTOP
STANDARDS, SAYS ITG MANAGING DIRECTOR, BRIAN JEFFREY.
The firms seem to be placing main emphasis on the PowerPC as a
new desktop standard across the markets which IBM's RS/6000 and
PS/2 and Apple's Mac now hold. The firms are also discussing an
OSF/1-based OS, which could make OSF/1 the new desktop OS
standard. It would match the Motorola chip nicely, and
eventually subsume OS/2, says Jeffrey. He also noted that the
firms plan to freely license their technologies and structure the
system software venture to permit others to participate. Jeffrey
said, "Looks like the game has barely begun." (CRN,10/28/91,p133)
INDUSTRY RUMORS
APPLE IS RUMORED TO BE LOOKING FOR SPACE TO PUT ITS IBM JOINT
VENTURE TALIGENT INTO - NO FURTHER DETAILS. (CRN,10/28/91,p222)
DISTRIBUTION/MARKETING/CONTRACTS
APPLE AND IBM HAVE FILED INDEPENDENT PETITIONS WITH THE COMMERCE
DEPARTMENT TO SET UP A FOREIGN TRADE SUBZONE.
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The subzone would be for active matrix LCDs imported from Japan,
so the Apple and IBM could avoid paying the 62 percent tariffs.
IBM wants the favorable import status for the plant in Raleigh,
N.C. where some of its PS/2 line models are built. Apple asked
for favorable zoning status for the plant it acquired from DG
earlier this year, which is located in Fountain, Colo. Apple is
rumored to have also asked for the status for its Fremont, Ca.
plant.
If a foreign trade subzone is approved it allows the company to
import parts and components duty-free, assemble them, and then
have the duty assessed at a lower rate when the products are
shipped from the plant to other parts of the U.S.
(EN,10/28/91,p1)
MERGERS/ACQUISITIONS/BANKRUPTCIES
APPLE'S CLARIS BOUGHT WORLDWIDE RIGHTS TO IBM'S HOLLYWOOD.
The presentation graphics package will be the first Windows
offering from Claris. The financial terms of the deal were not
disclosed. (CW,10/28/91,p6; PCWeek,10/28/91,p6;
IFW,10/28/91,p112)
AT&T
INDUSTRY RUMORS
AT&T'S NCR IS RUMORED TO BE ANNOUNCING A MULTIPROCESSING VERSION
OF ITS OPERATING SYSTEM - NO FURTHER DETAILS.
(UnixToday,10/28/91,p4)
DISTRIBUTION/MARKETING/CONTRACTS
AT&T & BELL ATLANTIC WILL TEST A MULTIMEDIA ACCESS SYSTEM.
The trial test will allow teachers, students and parents to
access via phone lines the information stored in multimedia
libraries and large scale databases. The test will be run in
1992-93 and 1993-94 in New Jersey during the school years.
(WSJ,10/30/91,pA4)
AT&T'S NCR IS DISCUSSING USING A UNIX IMPLEMENTATION TO AUTOMATE
THE REPUBLIC OF RUSSIA'S RUSSIAN SAVINGS BANK.
NCR Germany has signed an agreement to plan to computerize the
Russian Savings Bank's 40,000 branches and to finance the
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project. NCR Germany's OstEuropa estimated the project would
cost about $1.5B. NCR Spokeswoman, Lynn Frye, expects
preliminary discussion results in mid-February, 1992.
(UnixToday,10/28/91,p20)
COMPAQ
INDUSTRY REACTIONS
COMPAQ ACKNOWLEDGED THAT IT IS HOLDING TALKS WITH A TOP GERMAN
WHOLESALE DISTRIBUTOR.
Computer 2000 is the leading wholesale distributor in Europe. A
formal alliance is expected to result from their talks. The
distributor will not push products. Instead, Compaq is looking
to Computer 2000 to boost its high end support capabilities.
This is yet another example of Compaq's efforts to boost support
for its resellers. It is unclear when the alliance will be
finalized as Computer 2000 is looking to bolster its service
offerings by acquiring several firms. (Names of possible
takeover targets not given in article). (CRN,10/28/91,p35)
COMPAQ FIRES CANION - SWAVELY SPEAKS.
Former North American Operations President, Mike Swavely, said
that the board was seeking dramatic structural changes to move
Compaq to a position more like AST's, with aggressive pricing and
a low cost structure. He sees changes resulting in a more
proactive stance as probably good, although that does not
necessarily mean that Canion's departure is the way to achieve
the changes. He thinks that Compaq has invested too much in ACE
to drop it, but added that Compaq's internal support for it may
be questionable.
MIP's VP of Software and Head of the ACE technical committee,
said that Compaq has not indicated any changes in its ACE
participation, but has had no interaction with Pfeiffer.
(EN,10/28/91,p1)
COMPAQ GAVE NO REASON FOR REPLACING CEO ROD CANION WITH ECKHARD
PFIEFFER.
Pfeiffer said that while Canion and the board had disagreed,
those disagreements were not necessarily related to basic
strategies. Observers say the board lost patience with Canion's
slow reaction to dropping market share, excessive dealer channel
loyalty, and high cost structure. Pfeiffer said that Canion's
departure would not cause any major changes other than those
already announced.
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Former Compaq executive, Michael Swavely, had mixed reactions.
He said that while it is time for a change at Compaq, he thought
the announcement was "inappropriately handled." He also
questioned Pfeiffer's leadership abilities and management style,
saying that Pfeiffer "manages by intimidation." Pfeiffer denied
that he lacks Canion's consensus management skills. He stated
that making Pfeiffer president and retaining Canion as CEO to
work on issues such as ACE would have been more appropriate.
Industry analysts are expecting Pfeiffer to run Compaq more
aggressively, comparing his style with that of Michael Dell.
Following corporate restructuring, Compaq is now divided into a
high-end systems division and a low-end computer division.
(PCWeek,10/28/91,p1; CW,10/28/91,p1; CSN,10/28/91,p1)
COMPAQ RESELLERS WORRY ABOUT THE COMPETITION CAUSED BY
AUTHORIZING EDS.
Compaq authorized EDS in a dramatic effort to widen its
distribution beyond the traditional dealer base, but many
resellers and VARs fear it will cause a competitive challenge as
large national VARs and national reseller organizations struggle
with large integrators with a strong global presence and high-end
expertise for part of the Fortune 1000 market. The new program
is only part of a broad, evolving distribution strategy.
Compaq's VP of Worldwide Marketing, Doug Johns, said that it was
a fundamental shift in Compaq's thinking, caused by client
expectations. Compaq and EDS do not think that their agreement
will impact existing Compaq VARs, but many VARs disagreed. While
Compaq and EDS think that it will permit Compaq to better serve
global clients with large, value-added, integrated environments,
dealers perceive it as additional competition and worry about
over-distribution. Analysts say the move was necessary to spur
high-end system sales and Systempro file server product sales.
One analyst said that EDS would probably capture a lot of desktop
business, which could negatively impact the dealer channel in the
long term. (CRN,10/21/91,p7)
COMPAQ STUNNED WALL STREET BY REPLACING CEO CANION BUT MOST SAID
IT WAS TIME FOR A CHANGE.
Analysts say Compaq will suffer as it recovers from losing Canion
and implementing a restructure. IDC Analyst, Bruce Stephen,
predicted that it would take six months to a year for Compaq to
turn around. McGlone & Associates Analyst, Joseph McGlone,
said, "There was no inkling that he had a problem" when Canion
spoke to analysts last week. McGlone approved of the move,
noting that Canion's "performance in the last year has been
miserable," allowing clones to gain market share, holding on the
386 too long, and retaining the channel too long. Brown
Brothers, Harriman & Co. Analyst, Walter Winnitzki, said that
Compaq was changing its stripes. He noted that while Canion
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favored consensus decisions, Compaq needed Pfeiffer's ability to
make tough decisions. (PCWeek,10/28/91,p1; CW,10/28/91,p1;
IFW,10/28/91,p1)
COMPAQ'S IDA WILL COMPLEMENT NOVELL'S SFT III, NOT COMPETE WITH
IT, SAID COMPAQ'S RONNIE WARD.
Ward is Compaq's Director of Product Development. He said that
IDA, which can mirror hard disks, was specifically designed for
the SystemPro's hard drives, while Novell's SFT III was designed
for wider, systemwide management. (PCWeek,10/28/91,p48)
COMPAQ'S LOSS IS CONSIDERED A DOWN PAYMENT ON A NECESSARY NEW
BUSINESS PLAN, SAY ANALYSTS.
Many analysts seemed willing to suspend judgement on the loss
until the benefits from repositioning are visible. Labe,
Simpson & Co. Analyst, Frederick Cohen, said that Compaq has
taken care of its very inflated cost structure, but it is a year
behind other firms in taking action. Prior to his removal, CEO
Rod Canion said that the reorg and staff cuts were designed to
model Compaq into a tightly focused, agile, client-driven firm.
It is uncertain how Compaq will gauge client needs, although VP
Murray Francois was assigned to concentrate on the client
satisfaction issue.
Users had mixed reactions to the reorganization. Some think that
it may be an overreaction. One user said that Compaq might
benefit more from bringing its product quality to earlier levels.
Most seem to believe that Compaq will regain its momentum.
(CW,10/28/91,p6)
COMPAQ'S NEW CEO, ECKHARD PFEIFFER, NEEDS TO REASSESS RESOURCES
TO FACE THE WORKSTATION CHALLENGE.
Pfeiffer's advantages are his track record and familiarity with
clients, vendors, and suppliers. Alex. Brown & Sons Principal,
Mark Stahlman, noted, "The pc industry will not support Compaq's
previous business model, and the workstation industry requires an
entirely different approach. Montgomery Securities SR Technology
Analyst, Steven Ossad, said that Pfeiffer had to reassess the
available resources. (PCWeek,10/28/91,p8)
COMPAQ'S NEW PRESIDENT AND CEO, ECKHARD PFEIFFER, OUTLINED SOME
OF HIS PLANS.
Pfeiffer does not plan further staff cuts or mail order sales.
Compaq will change its product and practices. He said that entry
point products were necessary. He said that Compaq engineers
will be ordered to "design a very, very cost-effective" pc line
with a much more aggressive pricing position. He does not
foresee changing the dealer only sales strategy, and does not
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plan direct client sales. Compaq will increase efforts to train
and qualify SystemPro resellers.
Despite three price cuts this year, some users still consider
Compaq's products too expensive. The short-term outlook remains
grim. A recent Cowen & Co. survey of pc resellers dealing with
large corporate accounts disclosed that sales are still slow.
While resellers say it is too early to judge demand for Compaq's
upgradable pcs, early returns have not been overly enthusiastic.
(PCWeek,10/28/91,p1)
INDUSTRY RUMORS
COMPAQ AND NOVELL ARE RUMORED TO HAVE PRIVATELY DEMONSTRATED A
SYSTEMPRO WITH SYSTEM FAULT TOLERANCE III.
Viewers said that the software worked seamlessly to back up a
downed machine during the demo. Sources say that:
Novell plans to ship SFT III next year
while it will run on uniprocessor servers, Novell will
recommend using dual-processor machines
the software will be hardware independent
the software will run at the limits of the slower processor
used
One source noted that users do not experience downtime during
server failure, and power transfers and resynchronizations are
transparent. The demo was described in detail.
(PCWeek,10/28/91,p48; CRN,10/28/91,p222)
COMPAQ IS RUMORED READY TO SIGN TWO NATIONAL DISTRIBUTORS WITHIN
THE NEXT 30 DAYS.
It is expected that the distributors would have to work within a
framework of restrictions to avoid conflict with chains. No
further details. (CRN,10/28/91,p12)
COMPAQ WAS RUMORED TO BE PRIVATELY SHOWING A 486SL NOTEBOOK TO
EXECUTIVES AT COMDEX. NO FUTHER DETAILS. (IFW,10/28/91,p114)
ORGANIZATION/PERSONNEL/FACILITIES
COMPAQ'S ROD CANION HAS BEEN OUSTED AS CEO.
Eckhard Pfeiffer, COO and former head of their European
operations, was named to succeed Canion. (CommWeek,10/28/91,p3;
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EN,10/28/91,p1; CRN,10/28/91,p1; IFW,10/28/91,p1; CW,10/28/91,p1;
PCWeek,10/28/91,p1; UnixToday,10/28/91,p8; CSN,10/28/91,p1;
WSJ,10/28/91,pB1)
HP
ANNOUNCEMENT SUMMARIES
No new news this week.
More on previously covered items.
HP ANNOUNCED OPENODB, AN OBJECT ORIENTED DATABASE.
(NetW,10/28/91,p4; See also 7_41)
INDUSTRY REACTIONS
HP, MOTOROLA, NEXT, SUN, AND OTHER UNIX WORKSTATION VENDORS ARE
PLANNING SIGNIFICANT VAR STRATEGY SHIFTS FOR 1992.
Reseller strategies will probably include increased sales via
distributors, increased vertical market VAR recruitment efforts,
revamped market development programs, and improved coordination
between direct sales teams and resellers. Specific plans for each
firm are covered in separate articles in this issue.
(CRN,10/21/91,p9)
INDUSTRY RUMORS
HP AND COMPUTER ASSOCIATES ARE RUMORED TO BE JOINTLY ANNOUNCING A
CA BUSINESS APPLICATIONS PACKAGE OPERATING ON HP/UX.
Also with that package will reportedly be some data center
network management tools. The firms are rumored to have
overlooked the differences in each other's marketing styles,
because they are depending on each other: CA has a good-sized
commercial mainframe DBMS user base and little penetration in the
workstation arena, and HP has good workstation share but little
penetration among commercial users. (UnixToday,10/28/91,p4)
HP'S SERIES 700 MODELS WILL BE PUSHED IN THE COMMERCIAL SEGMENTS
BY DISTRIBUTOR ARROW - NO FURTHER DETAILS. (CRN,10/28/91,p222)
DISTRIBUTION/MARKETING/CONTRACTS
HP SIGNED A $5M CONTRACT WITH NORTHROP.
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The contract calls for the plant to be supplied with 91 Series
700 workstations and servers and 225 HP RX 19-in. X stations for
the B-2 bomber project. (CSN,10/28/91,p24)
HP SIGNED A BROAD-BASED NORTH AMERICAN DISTRIBUTION PACT WITH
ARROW.
The pact covers HP's Vectra pcs, Unix workstations, peripherals,
mass storage devices, and semiconductor components. Most of the
deal is a carryover from a prior agreement with Lex Electronics,
acquired by Arrow last month. Arrow's Commercial Systems Group
President, said that details concerning VAR recruitment, support,
and other issues are still determined. He would not estimate the
revenues which Arrow predicts from the deal. (CSN,10/28/91,p36)
MERGERS/ACQUISITIONS/BANKRUPTCIES
HP TO ACQUIRE AVANTEK.
89% of the Avantek shareholders have approved the $82.8M
purchase. No further details. (WSJ,11/1/91,pA7)
IBM
ANNOUNCEMENT SUMMARIES
IBM'S NETVIEW NETWORK MANAGEMENT SYSTEM NOW ADMINISTERS REMOTE
SERVERS AND WORKSTATIONS - NO FURTHER DETAILS.
(CommWeek,10/28/91,p32)
INDUSTRY REACTIONS
IBM - ANALYSTS AND USERS HAVE MIXED REACTIONS TO LAN SERVER 2.0.
While some clients are optimistic, others are skeptical of IBM's
LAN Server commitment because of its investment in Novell.
Richard Finkelstein, President of Performance Computing, said
that LAN Server's primary future role will be interoperability
with other net OSs. He said that network support, print and file
sharing can all be directly integrated into OS/2 in the future.
Aberdeen Group's Charles Robbins said IBM is still lagging
Microsoft in functionality.
Jim Gilliland, Manager of Tax Systems at BP America, was
disappointed at the lack of Peer Services. He said that while
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IBM claimed that Peer Services was not good enough for clients,
it was better than nothing. He also said that LAN Server 2.0's
quality outweighs the lack of Peer Services support.
(PCWeek,10/28/91,p47; CommWeek,10/28/91,p1; NetW,10/28/91,p1)
IBM - THIRD-PARTY DEVELOPERS CONSIDER IBM'S MULTIMEDIA
ANNOUNCEMENT A STATEMENT OF COMMITMENT TO THE MARKET.
They also consider the announcement a large step towards true
multimedia standards. Avtex Research's President of Multimedia,
Mark Bunzel, said that the 150 people IBM plans to dedicate to
multimedia sales is just what is necessary to promote a new
technology by building an installed base.
Analysts said it was a more business-oriented announcement than
Multimedia PC's (MPC). IDC SR Analyst, Richard Zwetchkenbaum,
said that while MPC has the minimum hardware spec and wants to
penetrate all existing pcs, 286s can only handle so much
multimedia. He said that IBM was concentrating more on
government, business (both corporations and small businesses),
office settings, and education (although it overlapped with MPC
in education), and MPC is more concerned with the low-end and
mass market. IBM's new multimedia products and strategies are
listed. (CW,10/28/91,p37)
IBM AND PICTURETEL ARE PLANNING NEW DESKTOP VIDEOCONFERENCING
SYSTEMS.
Products are due in 2H92 or early 1993, six to nine months after
Intel perfects and produces the necessary video microprocessor.
Picturetel demonstrated a prototype at Comdex. Cowen & Co.
Analyst, Jim Kedersha, said that the new system's success will
depend on its affordability. IBM will jointly market the system
with PictureTel. IBM plans to market the product in concert with
its Person-to-Person/2 conferencing system, but no release date
for the latter has been specified. Future product plans include
integrating the PictureTel video code onto a PS/2 card with
pricing expected to be in the $15K to $20K range. IBM also
intends to being supporting compressed video capabilities on lan
servers in two to three years. Testing of the current product
with customers is expected to begin in 1Q93 with about ten
customers.
Picturetel's current system costs about $20K. Picturetel VP, Rob
Mitro, said that the desktop system would have similar functions
on either a series of chips or a single chip, and should cost $5K
within five years. (CW,10/28/91,p107; IFW,10/28/91,p3;
NetW,10/28/91,p4)
IBM DESKTOP SOFTWARE (IDS) RETURNED SOME PRODUCTS TO THEIR
ORIGINAL DEVELOPERS AS IT PREPARED TO CLOSE.
IDS head, Ferrand Sarrat, said the unit was profitable and not
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under pressure to close, but that they wanted to stay competitive
in the software business, and needed to find a new model for
business or expand. Sarrat said he felt the industry would be
happy over the decision. He added that IBM wanted to have
alliances with independent software vendors, rather than compete
with them, and that he regarded the move as a positive one.
Apple's Claris bought the distribution and marketing rights to
Hollywood, which is a Windows 3.0 graphics presentation product,
jointly developed with Publishing Solutions, Inc.
IBM's OfficeVision group will take over Current, a Windows
personal information manager. Platinum, a Windows accounting
package, will probably go back to its developer, Advanced
Business Systems. IBM's Multimedia Solutions Group will get
IDS's Multimedia presentation package.
Sarrat wouldn't detail the fate of Signature, which is a DOS word
processor codeveloped with XyQuest Inc., and not yet released.
IDS had planned to move its installed base of DisplayWrite users
to Signature. Sarrat said it may be best that it go back to the
original developer, XyQuest, if XyQuest prefers it that way, and
IDS will make sure "the customers will be well taken care of."
(IFW,10/28/91,p114)
IBM FORMED THE APPC MARKET ENABLEMENT GROUP.
The group is charged with assisting users and vendors in the
development of applications or network configurations that
utilize APPC. (NetW,10/28/91,p9)
IBM HOPES TO HOLD 3% OF THE PRESENT $100B OEM BUSINESS BY 1994 BY
OFFERING ITS ENTIRE LINE AT A SENSIBLE TIME.
President Jack Kuehler said that the OEM business was growing 10%
annually. He said that entering was just one IBM move to
stimulate pc market sales. He disclosed that a recent study
indicated that there was no strong link between increased
profitability and pc investments, but said that the technology
was not oversold because only 30% of American workers use pcs.
(PCWeek,10/28/91,p141)
IBM IS CONFIDENT THAT THE FTC WILL APPROVE ITS PACT WITH APPLE,
SAID VP JAMES CANNAVINO.
He said that the pact would benefit both clients and the
industry. Legal experts consider the probe customary due to the
size of the firms and their agreement to ally rather than compete
on several fronts. (PCWeek,10/28/91,p137)
IBM IS EVALUATING OBJECT TECHNOLOGY FROM BOTH APPLE AND HP IN
DESIGNING OLE FOR OS/2.
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Assistant GM of Programming for IBM's Personal Systems Division,
Lee Reiswig, said that developers are already working on the
project. He said that IBM is uncertain whether OS/2 2.0's first
release will support Microsoft's OLE for Windows, but expects
that it will. The new OLE, designed for OS/2 applications, will
not be finished until a later release. He said that IBM was
evaluating HP's NewWave and Apple's Publish and Subscribe and
AppleEvents. (PCWeek,10/28/91,p4)
IBM PLANS TO DEPLOY THE RS/6000 AS A UNIX-BASED NETWORK
MANAGEMENT PLATFORM.
IBM hopes to offer NetView/6000, an RS/6000-based comprehensive
network management product, within the next year. IBM's
approach to developing its Unix-based network management system
is to tie the AIX management system to NetView, said Advisory
Planner for Network Management Systems Strategy, Mary Szabat.
She said that IBM would also offer SNMP and SNA capabilities.
Technical details are given. IBM thinks that there will be a
great demand for an RS/6000 platform due to the growth of
multivendor networks. Sanjiv Ahuja, Product Manager for AIX
Network Management Products, said that IBM's goal is meeting
client demands for more flexibility in managing multivendor
networks.
IBM's AIX development teams will have to move quickly to meet its
goal. Meyer Fieg, President of International Business
Applications, said that AIX already has some systems management
functions, which should simplify development. He believes that
IBM's efforts to create an AIX-based network management platform
incorporating OpenView are moves in the right direction.
(CommWeek,10/28/91,pWP20)
IBM REVEALED SOME MULTIMEDIA MARKET PLANS, INCLUDING OS/2
EXTENSIONS WITH BUILT-IN SOFTWARE VIDEO COMPRESSION.
IBM demonstrated the unannounced Multimedia Presentation
Manager/2 extensions, due to ship in 1H92. It showcased
hardware-based compression and decompression through a demo of
DVI-based Actionmedia II boards, and displayed a kiosk multimedia
system designed for public access applications and retail
stores. The PM/2 extensions ran a video clip in a window on a
PS/2 Model M57 at 16 frames per second without using a video
adapter. IBM SR Programmer, Scott Winters, said that the
software video compression can reduce a 300MB file to 50MB.
Observers say that while full-motion video is considered 30
frames per second, the OS/2 extensions will permit an adequate
level of motion without additional hardware costs. The
extensions will also offer DVI hardware and 16-bit audio support
and the ability to use two interleaving to use two parts of a CD
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ROM drive simultaneously.
The OS/2 Software Motion Video component is expected to be added
to a subsequent release. IBM has not decided how the extensions
will be distributed, but wants to integrate them into OS/2
eventually. (PCWeek,10/28/91,p14)
IBM USERS ARE BALKING AT USING TWO DIFFERENT WORKSTATION
PRODUCTS TO SUPERVISE THEIR LAN INSTALLATIONS.
Under IBM's strategy, users would need both LAN NetWork Manager
for Token-Ring bridges and LANs and the AIX System/6000
workstation for Ethernet LANs, routers, and bridges via SNMP.
Many users have already implemented LAN Network Manager and
simply want the ability to add SNMP capabilities to it. The AIX
System/6000 is being developed by IBM with HP. IBM is presenting
these LAN management workstations as complementary options, but
many clients consider it a dilemma because they want both Token-
Ring and SNMP support. IBM's AIX Network Management Product
Manager, Sanjiv Ahuja, said that IBM does not plan to meld the
workstations in the near future, although users will be able to
integrate the management functions through NetView. Users are
left with a hard decision to make as some primarily IBM shops
also have non-IBM LAN installations.
Business Research Group said that LAN NetWork Manager is leading
over SNMP in the LAN management market and is becoming dominant
in the IBM LAN world. 148 IS executives in Fortune 1,000 firms
indicated that 39% used NetView and/or LAN Network Manager, while
only 1.4% used SNMP. SR Analyst Tom Wood said that while LAN
Network Manager and Netview were dominating IBM LAN
installations, SNMP was increasing in non-IBM internetworking and
LAN sites. (CW,10/28/91,p51)
IBM WILL LEAD THE WORKSTATION MARKET BY 1995, WHILE INTEL,
MOTOROLA AND DIGITAL WILL FALTER, PREDICTS IDC.
IDC projected about 25% annual revenue growth between 1990 and
1995 in worldwide workstation/workstation server shipments. The
Apple/IBM alliance will not have a strong market presence until
1993, and IBM will be workstation leader by 1995, predicted IDC
Analyst, Nancy Battey. She also predicted that Digital will lose
market share due to its transition to RISC-Based VAXs. Other
IDC projections follow:
While pcs will migrate to RISC, workstations will not
replace pcs
Present workstation revenues are 9% of all single-user
revenues; this will increase to 18%
the $7.448B 1990 worldwide workstation equipment market will
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grow to $23.435B in 1995; shipments will increase 43%
annually during that period
RISC-based product sales will reach $23.074B annually by
1995; shipments will increase from 1990's 216,000 units to
2.216 million
Motorola MC 68000 shipments will drop from 1990's 119,00 to
23,000 in 1995; Intel-based 286, 386, and 486 workstations
will stay flat at about 3,000 units annually; proprietary
workstations will drop from 1990's 43,000 units to 8,000
one or more "killer applications" will arrive in late 1992.
(DN,10/28/91,p19)
IBM'S AIX APPLICATIONS DEVELOPMENT STRATEGY GOT A BOOST FROM THE
ANNOUNCEMENT OF TOOLS FROM TWO AD/CYCLE PARTNERS.
IBM has planned an AD/Cycle-like AIX announcement to outline a
Unix applications development strategy for commercial and
technical software development more clearly and to identify key
business partners. IBM said that Intersolv's AIX version of its
PVCS configuration management software and Micro Focus'
announcement Cobol development tools for AIX would be key
elements of the AIX CASE strategy. These products are described
in some detail.
IBM's Programming Systems Group Manager of Market Strategy, Jon
Hemming, said that IBM envisions AIX CASE as playing the same
type of role as AD/Cycle. It also envisions AIX CASE as
addressing both commercial and technical development.
Intersolv's CEO, Kevin Burns, said that its announcement
positions PVCS as possible standard CASE tools for work groups
combining IBM's AIX, OS/2, and PC-DOS platforms.
(CW,10/28/91,p16)
IBM'S CLOUT WITH TOP EXECS AND MIS IS SEEN AS DECREASING IN
SURVEY.
In a Forrester Research survey of 50 large firms, IBM was seen as
losing executive influence by 35% of the respondents, while 46%
saw them losing influence with MIS. A minority viewed IBM's
clout as increasing. (NetW,10/28/91,p17)
IBM'S SHL SYSTEMHOUSE PACT DIFFERS FROM OTHER PACTS BECAUSE SHL
IS IN CHARGE OF CANADIAN RS/6000 TECHNICAL SUPPORT.
SHL's Corporate Executive VP. Dennis Maloney, said, "IBM has in
effect outsourced technical support to us." (CSN,10/28/91,p38)
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INDUSTRY RUMORS
IBM IS RUMORED TO BE DISCUSSING RS/6000 WORKSTATION OEM
RELATIONSHIPS WITH ABOUT 24 VENDORS.
James Cannavino, VP and GM for Personal Systems, said that as
manufacturing becomes more efficient, "more product will be
available to the market". (CRN,10/21/91,p9)
DISTRIBUTION/MARKETING/CONTRACTS
IBM ANNOUNCED A MULTIMEDIA PACT WITH GRAPHIX ZONE INC.
The pact will push multimedia solutions to IBM's Advanced
Multimedia Remarketers and to prospects. No further details on
pact. (CRN,10/28/91,p218)
LOTUS
INDUSTRY RUMORS
LOTUS IS RUMORED TO BE ANNOUNCING 1-2-3 FOR HP'S NEWWAVE IN THE
NEXT FEW WEEKS, SAYS SPENCER KATT - NO FURTHER DETAILS.
(PCWeek,10/28/91,p150)
NOVELL
ANNOUNCEMENT SUMMARIES
No new news this week.
More on previously covered items.
NOVELL AND SUN'S SUNCONNECT SUBSIDIARY ANNOUNCED NETWARE
SUNLINK. (PCWeek,10/28/91,p56; 28/91,p31; See also 7_41)
SCO
INDUSTRY REACTIONS
SCO - ORACLE ANNOUNCED SUPPORT OF SCO'S OPEN DESKTOP AT UNIX
EXPO.
The strategic alliance is a move against SCO rivals like ACE and
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Microsoft Windows and a way of expanding applications
development for Unix database systems. Oracle will help market
the low-end SCO MPX multiprocessing operating system which is in
competition with offerings from Pyramid and Sequent. SCO also
intends to unbundle ASK's Ingres database product from the next
release of its ACE development kit. SCO's Open Desktop will
continue to support the ASK's Ingres product, but the company has
lost out on becoming a high-volume vendor through its connection
with SCO. Oracle expects to see a two-tier market: lowend MPX
solutions and Pyramid or Sequent highend products. Jim Sha, VP of
Oracle Unix Product division, predicts that although there will
be movement of money from one part of the market to another, new
business will also be generated by the MPX deal.
(CSN,10/28/91,p1; UnixToday,10/28/91,p4)
DISTRIBUTION/MARKETING/CONTRACTS
SCO AND ORACLE EXPECTED TO ANNOUNCE JOINT MARKETING AND
TECHNOLOGY PACT.
The two firms wish to expand the number of multiprocessing
machines that run Oracle's RDBMS under SCO's MPX. They further
expect the program to cut users' costs as well as improve
service. Oracle will provide an MPX certification suite. Once
SCO has certifed that an OEM partner's system runs Oracle's MPX
version properly, Oracle will begin direct support to users of
that machine. SCO's OEM partners include Acer, Mitac and
Digital. To further boost interest, SCO will no longer require
Oracle developers and integrators to buy both a development kit
and a run-time license. Only a run-time license will be required.
(CSN,10/28/91,p1; UnixToday,10/28/91,p4)
SUN MICROSYSTEMS
ANNOUNCEMENT SUMMARIES
SUN SAID LOW SALES VOLUMES ARE CAUSING IT TO DROP ITS HIGH-END,
I860-BASED ACCELERATOR LINE.
Sun will not market the board-level MVX and VX accelerators after
the end of this year. (EN,10/28/91,p14; CSN,10/28/91,p38)
SUN'S SUNSOFT IS ANNOUNCING THREE PRODUCTS AT UNIX EXPO THIS
WEEK, INCLUDING OPENWINDOWS 3.0.
Updates of the DeskSet desktop multimedia metaphor, DeskSet
Version 3.0, and the OpenWindows Developer's Guide will
reportedly start to ship. DeskSet Version 3.0 and OpenWindows
Version 3.0, which will become part of the Solaris 1.0 operating
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environment, are the first two elements completed for Solaris 2.0
that will be released in spring 1992.
Details on OpenWindows 3.0 -
supports 24-bit color, allowing users to show 3-D rendering
and display 16 million colors
incorporates object-oriented Open Look toolkits that provide
enhanced support for graphics, multiple languages and
application interoperability
includes Sun's ToolTalk interapplication communication
software
DeskSet Version 3.0 -
includes Workgroup Calendar Manager and Multimedia Mail
Developer's Guide -
takes advantage of new Open Windows and DeskSet features
Applications developed under the new products will run native
under the Solaris 2.0's Sparc version and on the Intel version
after a recompile. (UnixToday,10/28/91,p4)
INDUSTRY REACTIONS
SUN - ANALYSTS CALL SUN'S REORGANIZATION A UNIQUE APPROACH TO
BETTER SOFTWARE AND WORKSTATION MARKET SERVICE.
Analysts debated the value of wholly owned subsidiaries over
separate divisions, but agreed that the strategy is unique and
would simplify VAR dealings. Reactions were generally positive
about long range implications. Analysts also thought that the
fracture would permit CEO Scott McNealy more time to plot Sun's
future course by delegating more authority. Comments follow:
InfoCorp Printer Analyst, Ed Pullen - creating wholly owned
subsidiaries permits Sun to concentrate on its core
business, which hastens product development and delivery.
The reorg was designed to create more entrepreneurial,
responsive operations in specific product areas and to avoid
losing a piece of the business under the wrong umbrella.
IDC Analyst, Vicki Brown - creating subsidiaries gave
marketing and development teams more control over product
delivery. Larger firms like Digital and HP use a
centralized approach to development and marketing.
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Tom Kucharvy, President of Summit Strategies - the reorg
enhances Sun's image as an open systems market player. This
is a smart move to the extent that corporate goals do not
divert the subsidiary and the subsidiary can work with
competing third-parties.
Robert Herwick, Hambrecht & Quist Analyst - part of Sun's
goal is to give the illusion of a level SPARC playing field,
but, "These are really marketing organizations."
(CRN,10/21/91,p109)
SUN IS OVERHAULING ITS RESELLER CHANNEL AS IT CHANGES FROM A
DIRECT SUPPLIER TO AN INDIRECT SUPPLIER.
1992 will mark the first time that Sun's indirect sales were a
greater percentage of revenue than direct sales. Sun's Director
of Channel Programs, Dan Shaver, said that this was particularly
significant because Sun expects to drop unproductive VARs during
the year. He said that only about 400 of Sun's 800 VARs
actually develop and produce for Sun's products. Shaver proposed
changing the market-development-fund program to permit VARs to
decide how to apply their funds to building their infrastructure
and co-op advertising. Sun is also reconsidering its channel
segmentation and may eliminate some high-end server restrictions.
Shaver said that Sun would assure that its resellers could
support the products they carry, but that it was re-evaluating
who sold what. He noted that some NVADs were quite capable of
selling server products.
Shaver expects to authorize more master VARs and said that
signing pc distributors was a possibility. (CRN,10/21/91,p9)
SUN WILL EXTEND ITS CAPABILITIES TO OTHER NETWORKING
ENVIRONMENTS DEPENDING ON CLIENT DEMAND.
Microsoft's LAN Manager and Banyan's Vines were mentioned as
possible extensions. SunConnect's VP and GM, Cheryl Vedoe, said
that clients were not showing a high level of demand for LAN
Manager. (CRN,10/21/91,p404)
SUN'S PARTNERSHIP WITH SMALL AND LARGE SYSTEMS INTEGRATORS IS A
STRATEGIC GOAL.
Sun has hopes that 15 percent of its total revenue will come from
the channel over the next three to five years. It is making
moves towards midsized and large integrators in order to
accomplish this. Sun has a formal integration program for its
larger integration partners, while the smaller ones are dealt
with less formally through its regional sales offices.
Reed Hornberger, Sun Market Segment Mgr., said Sun is committed
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equally to the small and mid-size integrators, even though there
is no formal program. He said "there is a good fit between them
and Sun." He added that "the smaller integrators often
specialize in vertical markets" and "are key to Sun's push into
commercial markets."
Sun requires that the large and small integrators possess Unix
expertise and a variety of business skills. In turn, Sun helps
them with training, co-marketing and early product briefings.
They also have the advantage of having no in-house integrators to
compete against, according to Sun Commercial Strategic Partners
Mgr., Chris Williams. (CSN,10/28/91,p14)
SUN'S SUNNET MANAGER GAVE IT A LEAD IN THE NETWORK MANAGEMENT
WORKSTATION MARKET, BUT CAN SUN RETAIN THAT LEAD?
SunNet's Marketing Manager, Stewart Noyce, said about 30 vendors
are using SunNet Manager as a network management platform. New
products, especially HP's OpenView, are challenging Sun's
leadership. Although OpenView has a smaller installed base,
analysts say that about 60 vendors have adopted it.
John McConnell, VP of Infonetics Research, said that SunNet
Manager is perceived as a smaller-scale product dealing with
LANs, while OpenView is considered more of an enterprise
platform. Some users claim that SunNet Manager lacks some of the
features they want and adds to the system load by beginning a
Unix process for each SNMP polled device.
Analysts say that OSF's DME may offer an even more significant
challenge because its base is nominally more open. Noyce noted
that DME-based products are at least two years away, but said
that Sun would make SunNet Manager compatible with it if demand
so warrants. Despite competition from other products, Datapro
Research Associate Analyst, Christopher Baum, said that it was
the only game in town in several markets. He predicted that it
would remain a significant product for at least another 18
months, even if Sun took no action to maintain its popularity.
(CommWeek,10/28/91,p18)
SUN'S SUNSOFT SOLARIS 2.0 WILL BE PLACED IN DIRECT COMPETITION
WITH ACE'S SOFTWARE.
Solaris will be available on its own RISC platforms and on CISC
(Intel PC) platforms. The article notes that several large
hardware firms, including IBM and Apple, have recently started to
focus on software development. The ACE initiative is
highlighting the software in its project (a new Unix version, and
Microsoft Windows/NT.) The reason for the developments is
because hardware margins are dropping rapidly due to widespread
cloning. The cloning has been in the PC world for some time, but
it has now also touched the Sparc workstation world. In
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comparison to hardware, software is much harder to clone. The
article notes the Mac/OS, which has never been successfully
cloned, and the MS/DOS OS, which has been cloned once.
The two notable technical features of Solaris 2.0 are: the
complete system has been re-architected with multiprocessing and
multithreading as a main capability (Solaris 2.0 is based on a
redesigned version of SunOS 5.0); and there is a plan to make it
available on Intel architectures. The article provides lengthy
technical details of Solaris 2.0.
In conclusion, Solaris 2.0 will represent a significant milestone
in expanding the functionality of Unix-based systems. The
software should enable Sun to take maximum advantage of its
multiprocessing system commitment. If Sun is able to make
significant inroads into the large Intel market, then Unix's
future will be significantly affected. ACE and Sun will run
head-to-head. (UnixToday,10/28/91,p58)
SUN'S WORKSTATION SHIPMENTS DROPPED FROM 49,000 IN LAST QUARTER
TO 43,000 THIS QUARTER.
IDC thinks that the first drop ever may have been caused by heavy
discounting from competitors. Additionally, Sun has changed its
strategic focus from market share to profitability.
(DN,10/28/91,p5)
SUNCONNECT WILL RECRUIT NOVELL PLATINUM AND GOLD VARS AND MORE
NETWARE SUNLINK RESELLERS TO WIDEN ITS RESELLER BASE.
SunConnect plans to establish new programs to recruit NetWare
SunLink resellers. Using Novell Platinum and Gold VARs is
sensible because of their NetWare experience, and using Sun
resellers exploits their experience with Sun and its clients,
said Sun Tech's President, Eric Schmidt. Some VARs plan to wait
before signing on because their business does not focus on
workstations. (CRN,10/21/91,p404)
DISTRIBUTION/MARKETING/CONTRACTS
SUN HAS SIGNED VICOM SYSTEMS TO TAKE OVER SALES AND SERVICE OF
ACCELERATORS.
Under it, Vicom will offer high-end visualization accelerators
for the SparcStation platform. Sun is maintaining ownership of
the technology, and Vicom will pay them royalties for its income
on sales and service of the devices. Sun will continue to market
and develop the lower-end of the graphics business. Beginning
January 2, Vicom will take over all manufacturing, selling and
support of SMCC's VX and MVX visualization accelerators, develop
follow-on versions of these products and provide value-added
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configurations.
Meanwhile, SMCC and Vicom will work jointly during the
transition period until January 1 to provide seamless support to
VX and MVX customers. (Press Release,10/28/91; EN,10/28/91,p14;
CSN,10/28/91,p38; UnixToday,10/28/91,p3)
SUN'S SITKA HAS LICENSED WORLDWIDE RESALE RIGHTS TO TIARA'S 10NET
5.0 NETWORK OS FOR DOS AND WINDOWS CLIENTS ON LANS.
The partnership promises to improve the interoperability of
Sitka's Tops network OS and Tiara's 10Net 5.0. Under terms of
the pact, 10Net's Server Message Block filing protocol and
NetBIOS Enhanced User Interface API will be integrated into
OpenTops, which is due late this year. Support for these two
standards will be combined with features from and support for
Sitka's MacTops, DOSTops, and Pen Tops. OpenTops will also
support the AppleTalk protocols.
Sitka's President, Deborah Triant, said that the DOS product
needed a complete rewrite to be more competitive. Engineers
discovered a way to add cross-platform protocols for a DOS
networking platform and selected 10Net as the platform.
Executives from both firms said that a standards-based open
architecture will aid in extensive interoperation of future
versions of both products with other network OSs. Triant said
that OpenTops' architecture will permit the 10Net-based
components to evolve while supporting modular cross-platform
support as appropriate. (CommWeek,10/28/91,p9; CRN,10/28/91,p50)
ORGANIZATION/PERSONNEL/FACILITIES
SUN PLANS A REDUCTION OF ITS ESTIMATED 1,000 RESELLERS AND A
RECRUITMENT EFFORT.
Officials at Sun declined to specify the number of resellers that
would no longer be authorized, but said the cuts would be made by
June 30. Sun plans to recruit VARs with system integration
skills and to target niche markets at the same time.
(PCWeek,10/28/91,p145)
DIGITAL INTERNAL USE ONLY
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Micro Tech Research, Inc. 10/31/91 Vol. 7 No. 42
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