ICL Plc has abandoned plans to develop Cosmos, a local network-based Unix respository for software engineering tools, because the project was too risky. The four year old project was supposed to produce a Unix version of its DDS Data Dictionary System for VME mainframes – but the lack of open and de facto standards for software engineering technology and an unproven market for a product made a continuing investment unjustifiable, ICL says. The firm also took into account other companies’ attempts at the technology, particulary IBM Corp’s disaster with AD/Cycle. Graham Taylor, ICL’s software business development manager, says Cosmos sapped a lot of capital and we weren’t that close to a final product anyway – besides which the company can’t ignore IBM’s AD/Cycle nightmare – so we canned it. There are no current plans to salvage Cosmos. ICL is now telling users to implement low level systems from companies such as Softlab GmbH and Westmount Technologies Inc until it finds a replacement. In the meantime, ICL plans to enhance its VME repository by adding support for other third party tools and improving its data exchange file format technology. It also intends to do versions of Data Dictionary System for other mainframes, including IBM MVS machines.
