Anxious to get as many applications over to Unix System V as possible, particularly those all important and somewhat elusive business ones, AT&T Computer Systems last week teamed up with Irvine, California-based Pick Systems Inc to support Advanced Pick under Unix. Their agreement calls for a new Pick affiliate, dubbed Picktel, to act as an AT&T value-added systems distributor of its complete Unix hardware line, including X86 servers and 3B2s. And Pick has installed Picktel, headed by a former president of Sequoia Systems, Bill Grover, as its exclusive marketer of Advanced Pick for Unix. The relationship should garner System V access to some 3,000 Pick business applications. This new alignment apparently involves some re-positioning for the Pick operating system which in press releases is now referred to as a database management system touted for its ease of application development. Pick has been working on its Pick/Unix integration for some time, and has apparently been working closely with AT&T recently to implement Advanced Pick on top the Unix kernel to achieve what was described as co-residency with minimum of overhead. Pick was running a beta test version of its implementation at Comdex Spring last week. A spokeswoman said a production release would not be available until the autumn. Meanwhile, to demonstrate its support of System V, Pick Systems has joined Unix International as a general member. Also, it should be noted that Doug Baker, the founder of MDS/Qantel and president of Pick Blue, the Pick offshoot handling Pick on IBM gear, left the company and has been replaced by Steve Kruse, a long-time Pick executive.
