The Advanced Computing Environment is still making tortuous progress towards a graphical front-end for its Open Desktop environment and Compaq Computer Corp – which has expressed a preference for Hewlett-Packard’s Visual User Environment, Santa Crux Operation Inc, which favours IXI Ltd’s X.desktop manager and Unix Labs – which has a Mac-like front-end under development for its Unix Lite – say they are now working on an application programming specification for a desktop manager which they will take to the ACE membership. Apparently, it will embrace all three metaphors, plus Visix Software Inc’s Looking Glass, but the aim is to do away with this eventually and espouse a desktop manager – possibily some merged technology – that will go on Unix everywhere. ACE has pledged to adopt this common desktop manager even though it dosen’t know what it is, but the issue looks like replacing version of Unix as the new minefield.
