Arguments continue over the components of the Open Desktop Unix operating system
The choice of desktop manager appears to be yet another crack in the Advanced Computing Environment strategy to create a RISC-based desktop standard to supplant high-end personal computers. IXI Ltd’s X.Desktop went completely unmentioned at ACE’s huge press conference in New York, despite a Business Wire release from IXI saying that X.desktop provides the grahical user environment for the Unix component of ACE. But Scott MacGregor, Santa Cruz Operation Inc’s vice-president of product strategy said last week that a final decision had not been made. X.Desktop is under consideration, along with lots of others according to MacGregor, although Santa Cruz UK admitted that existing Open Desktop technology would be included in the ACE release. Both Compaq Computer Corp and Digital Equipment Corp declined to comment on the situation, although DEC did eventually say it would go with whatever Santa Cruz came up with. DEC currently sells the competitive Visix Software Inc Looking Glass product, which Compaq is also believed to be evaluating. Pyramid Technology Corp spokesman Doug Free called the decision premature, saying we have no idea what’s in Open Desktop – it’s not even a paper spec yet. We would have to see where it fits in with our strategy [but] there’s nothing to evaluate. All [the ACE initiative has] managed to define is the chip interface… the little endian byte-ordering. That’s pretty low-level compared with an operating system. Pyramid is sticking by its initial choice of Visix for its brand new MIPS Computer Systems Inc RISC-based S series. IXI president Ray Anderson said that he can’t discuss what Open Desktop is, but said that the IXI press release was a confirmation of what Santa Cruz has announced.
