Recession keeps most of the big names away as they see better ways to spend their cash

Many of the big names in the Unix industry are absent from the European Unix User Show this year, as companies keep their hands in their pockets and await better days after the recession. Bull SA, Data General Corp, Hewlett-Packard Co, IBM Corp, ICL Plc, NCR Corp, Olivetti Systems & Networks Ltd, Sun Microsystems Inc and Unisys Corp are represented at the show only through the sequence of free seminar sessions running alongside. Others, including Arix Corp, Philips Electronics NV, Siemens-Nixdorf Informationssysteme AG and Silicon Graphics Inc have no direct representation. This leaves MIPS Computer Systems Inc, Motorola Inc and Sequent Computer Systems Corp as just about the only sizable manufacturers on the show floor. Software vendors not at the show include Informix Software Inc, Oracle Corp, Tetra Ltd and Uniplex Software Ltd, while the Open Software Foundation, Unix International Inc and Santa Cruz Operation Inc are holding seminars, but have no stand. The show, which opens today, continuing tomorrow and Thursday, is to be held on the main floor level of Olympia in Kensington, West London only this year, with no gallery stands. The European Unix Show is the longest-running UK open systems event – but it may be that the launch of the rival Open Systems Show two years ago has contributed to the decline. The Open Systems Show takes place in November.

Image processing, object-oriented tool set, X-server software

Maidenhead-based Univision UK Ltd is showing its updated image processing software environment. Arabesque version 1.2 provides facilities for video capturing and displaying of imaging. The package runs on a wide range of Unix systems, and uses OSF/Motif to provide the graphical user interface. Two libraries are provided for the applications programmer: an image processing library based on PIK, the Programmer’s Imaging Kernel, and a graphics library with more than 100 two-dimensional and three-dimensional graphics functions. IT Security International Ltd of Welwyn Garden City is showing its Link product, launched in November 1990. Link is an object-oriented toolset which enables emulation of proprietary terminals and protocols in networked environments. Hummingboard Communications Inc, the Canadian-based company, is now represented in the UK by Systems Marketing Ltd of Hungerford in Berkshire. The company is showing the HCL-eXceed product line of MS-DOS X-server software. Empress Software UK is announcing the release of Empress version 4.6 at the show. New features include the implementation of shared memory, mapped files, buffer pools and shared libraries. Cambridge-based Unipalm Ltd has a new release of its X11/AT X Window System server, designed to operate within Microsoft Windows 3.0. It provides cut and paste capabilities for the transfer of full windows or defined portions between X and MS-DOS applications, using a rubber banding technique. Motorola Computer Systems Ltd of Maidenhead is presenting its new imaging applications in the shape of the MultiPersonal Imaging System. This includes a variety of hardware and software tools, including a scanner to capture images into the system image utilities for system management, and an image editor that enables enhancements to be made to photographs and created drawings.

Board makers will be out in force

Board manufacturers are queuing up to make announcements at the show. UK company Specialix Ltd has begun shipping its Transputer-based RIO input-output system for MS-DOS personal computers, while competitor Chase Research Ltd is launching a new version of its Iolan-8 terminal concentrator, along with software enhancements. From the US, Arnet Corp is introducing a cluster controller for up to 512 users – the same claim as Specialix. And Equinox Inc is to announce a distri bution deal with Northamber Plc for its RISC-based Megaport boards. And Motorola Inc has introduced the MVME167, a 68040-based single board computer.

Programming and networking tools take a stand at the

show

Hardware announcements often dominate the headlines, but this year the launch of McDonnell Douglas Information Systems Ltd’s Series X seems to be one of the few launches on the cards (CI No 1,695). Anyway, most visitors come to trade shows with the objective of seeing the range of available software on offer. Among the more interesting new products on show are a modular set of advanced software development tools from French company Ilog SA, available in the UK for the first time through Signal Computing Ltd of Guildford. The modular tool set goes under the name of Adept – advanced development environment programming tools – and runs on workstations and personal computers from Apple Computer Inc, Bull, Digital Equipment Corp, HP-Apollo, IBM, MIPS, Sony Corp and Sun. It includes a fourth generation language, graphical user interface and a tool to link up with proprietary relational databases. They work within an integrated programming environment called Le Lisp. Also launched at the show will be a new graphical reporting tool called a la Carte from Dutch company UniFace BV. The tool will enable non-programming end-users to access data from one or more databases and server products, and to build reports without database programming knowledge. The product is available on MS-DOS, OS/2, Unix, VMS, Ultrix and VOS systems. The recently released Reflection Network Series from WRQ Inc, will be shown by Wick Hill Plc of Egham Surrey. RNS is software for network to host communications – MS-DOS machines connecting to Unix, VAX, HP3000, 3Com Corp and Novell Inc networks with a starting price of UKP100.