Computer Associates International Inc has cosied up even closer to Microsoft Corp with the announcement yesterday at CA World in New Orleans that the next release of CA-Unicenter, TNG, which is due at the year-end will be integrated with Microsoft’s Internet Explorer 3.0 web browser. CA has already created a 3D virtual reality systems management interface called Real World for Windows NT version of TNG using the WorldToolKit development environment from Mill Valley, California-based Sense8 Corp (CI No 2,943), and was working on Unix and Macintosh versions (CI No 2,914). The adoption of Internet Explorer adds another front-end option to Unicenter TNG and casts doubt on the usefulness of the Real World interface, which has been much-hyped by Islandia, New York-based CA. Nobody was available at CA to comment, but Sense8, predictably enough said it didn’t affect it as the work had already been done. Whether one interface will have to be swapped for the other or whether TNG will sell in different packaging isn’t clear; CA has been setting great stall by its 3D front-end. The pair claimed yesterday the browser would not only be used as an Internet gateway, but also as a means to manage disparate systems, networks, applications and databases. CA and Microsoft also announced their intention to use the recently-announced HyperMedia Management Schema (HMMS) and HyperMedia Management Protocol (HMMP) systems management-over-the-web technologies to ensure compatibility between CA-Unicenter and future Microsoft system management products. The schema deals with data modeling and management, and HMMP enables HMMS to work over Hyper Text transport Protocol (HTTP). TNG will also support ActiveX, Component Object Model, and Distributed Component Object Model and Wolfpack clustering technology, developed by Microsoft and partners. The pair showed Unicenter TNG using Internet Explorer to around 400 customers and software and hardware partners at Redmond last month.
