Speaking at the Unix briefing hosted by Amdahl in Brussels the other day (CI No 1,404), AT&T Unix Software Operation European sales and marketing director Morris Schwartz confirmed that the Operation has been working on a common Application Programming Interface for both the AT&T Open Look and the rival Open Software Foundation Motif graphical user interfaces. It will be showing it for the first time at the European Unix User Show in London this June. Earlier in the month, X/Open’s John Totman, speaking at the French Unix show, said that he expects intermediate de facto graphical use interface specifications on a style guide, Intrinsics and an Application Programming Interface to be in place by the middle of the year, which will be superseded by a full interface definition at a later date when bodies like the Intitute of Electrical and Electronic Engineers have made full recommendations in this area. Likely timing of this will be X/Open’s next full meeting in Luxembourg between May 7 and 9.
