Conference 7.286::digital

4251.0. "Pick me! Pick me!" by FROM::FERJULIAN (PK03-1/R11 DTN:223-4887) Mon Nov 06 1995 17:30

   InformationWeek
   
   Unifying Unix: Now It's Hewlett-Packard's Turn
   
   But critics deride possibility of unifying system
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   By John Foley
   Issue date: Nov. 13, 1995
   
*| Hewlett-Packard's ambitions in the Unix market keep growing. No longer
*| content to develop a 64-bit Unix operating system for its own RISC
*| (reduced-instruction set computing) microprocessors and those it is
*| developing with Intel, HP has set its sights on other chip architectures,
*| including Digital Equipment's Alpha, IBM-Motorola's PowerPC, Silicon
*| Graphics' MIPS, and Sun Microsystems' Sparc. The goal: To make HP's
   next-generation Unix, due in 1998, the industry standard.
   
   "We do have a higher goal," says Doug Johnson, strategic planning and
   programs manager at HP. Johnson says HP recently approached Unix
   competitors to gauge interest in replacing their Unix operating systems
   with the 64-bit system, code-named White Box, that HP and the Santa Cruz
   Operation plan to license. "The HP-Intel architecture is the reference
   port, but we're in active discussions with people on other architectures,"
   says Johnson.
   
   IBM, for one, takes the idea seriously. "It's years away, and there are a
   lot of requirements that would have to be met," says Donna Van Fleet, VP of
   AIX systems development with IBM's RS/6000 division, who acknowledged
   holding discussions with HP. "[But] we'll keep an open mind to it."
   
   But both Sun Microsystems and Digital dismissed the move. "We are in full
   control of our own destiny with Solaris," says Janpieter Scheerder,
   president of Sun's SunSoft unit in Mountain View, Calif.
   
   The move comes at a time when HP's influence in the Unix market is at an
   all-time high. HP helped spearhead agreement on a 64-bit applications
   programming interface for Unix. The company also is partnering with SCO to
   develop and license a 64-bit Unix for P7, the RISC/CISC chip under
   development by HP and Intel that's due in 1997. By year's end, HP could
   become the first Unix supplier to comply with X/Open's Single Unix
   specification.
   
   For some observers who have seen previous unification efforts fail, HP's
   move gives them d�j� vu. "HP has become [infected] with the same disease
   that has damaged other companies--they think they can unify Unix," says
   Scott Winkler, an analyst with Gartner Group Inc., an information
   technology advisory firm in Stamford, Conn. Winkler says HP should instead
   concentrate its Unix development projects on PA-RISC, the P7 with Intel,
   and successor chips.
   
   Comments on this story?
   
   InformationWeek http://techweb.cmp.com/iwk
   
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    >development by HP and Intel that's due in 1997. By year's end, HP could
    >become the first Unix supplier to comply with X/Open's Single Unix
    >specification.
    
    Huh?  I thought that our compliance (or very nearly) of the single UNIX
    spec allowed us to rename from OSF/1 to Digital UNIX?  I'd be very
    surprised if HP was anywhere near that target with their HP-UX code (is
    it System V or BSD-based .... nobody really knows!).

    
    Why can't digital target DIGITAL-UNIX to the Intel P6 SMP machine????
    
    Jon
    

    "We are in full control of our destiny with Solaris," says Janpieter
    Scheerder, president of Sun's SunSoft unit in Mountain View, Calif.
    
    If Sun is in "full control", then how come their new 64-bit UltraSparc
    systems are going to be running a 32-bit version of Solaris?  How come
    the first 64-bit UNIX to run on the UltraSparc will be a 64-bit version
    of Data General's DG-UX (1996 timeframe)?  This is not full control.
    This information came from the 11-6-95 edition of INFORMATIONWEEK.
    
    Sun is way behind on the 64-bit version of Solaris.  I can only imagine
    the problems they will have in trying to get ISVs to port to any of
    these OSs on the UltraSparc, knowing full well that they are just
    temporary, pending the release of the 64-bit version of Solaris (who
    knows when).
    
    No VLM at Sun for some time to come!
    
    

    
    Re .2, 
    I'm not up on the technical details of the P6, but I thought it was not
    a true 64-bit architecture capable of addressing VLM. Maybe we could
    target the P7?
    
    Neal Barnette

re: Digital (64-bit) UNIX for Intel/HP's 64-bit chip

I suggested this before and was pooh-poohed, by someone who didn't understand my 
proposal:

Why don't we come out right now and promise to deliver Digital (the only 
shipping 64-bit) UNIX on Intel/HP's (future) 64-bit chip ASAP?

Bruce

    I'd be interested in hearing if there is customer interest.
    
    Mark Silverberg
    UNIX Product Marketing Manager