Unify Corp is claiming that the latest version of its Vision application development engine can produce complex transaction processing applications that will run over the Internet or an intranet. Unify Vision 3.0 is currently in beta test with final versions due by August – although the crucial Vision/Web component is running later, with volume shipments not expected until November. Riding off the back of the new version of Visix Systems Inc’s Galaxy (CI No 2,881) on which it is based, the new tools now generate Java code beneath the visual front-end developer environment, resulting in a better performance than run-of-the-mill HyperText Mark-up Language/Common Gateway Interface products, which are only fit for supporting simple forms and document-centric applications over the Web, in Unify’s view.
Integrated Appman applications
The environment includes a Corba-standard IIP, Internet Inter-ORB Protocol, to support client-server transactions, coming either from Iona Technologies Ltd or Postmodern Computing Inc – negotiations were still continuing as we went to press. Also ad ded to 3.0 is multi-tiered, drag-and-drop partitioning with replicated services for higher performance and fault tolerance: Unify has long been secretly jealous of rival Forte Software Inc’s similar capabilities, and feels it has now caught up some ground. It reckons it may even be stronger in areas such as partition failover performance management and partition administration. The company has also integrated its previously separate Appman applications management tool set into the main product . And 3.0 also now supports Microsoft Corp’s ActiveX, DB2 on multiple systems, and provides Year 2000 support. Unify has an incentive to get everything working properly by early September, as it is one of the first software partners signed up by Sun Microsystems Inc for the JavaStation Network Computer launch that is scheduled for around that time. Release 3.0 is currently in beta test, and is due to ship next month, priced at $7,200 for five development licenses. After that, the price drops t o $5,000 for additional seats. Vision/Web costs $17,000 per development site. Vision 3.0 runs on Windows95, NT, Windows 3.1, Mac, Unix and OS/2 systems, while Vision/Web generates code to run on any system supporting Java. Unify is currently thinkin g again about its run-time charges, since such pricing practices are frowned upon among Web advocates. At the moment it is $300 per user in packs of 10 for run-time licenses, but Unify may end up dropping the charges altogether..
