Paris operating systems house Chorus Systemes SA is winning European friends left, right and centre for its eponymous multiprocessing, real-time, micro-kernel version of Unix. SGS-Thomson Microelectronics BV’s Inmos subsidiary is to do a version of Chorus for the Transputer – and will also implement Sunnyvale, California-based Ready Systems Inc’s VRTX32 real-time kernel following deals signed last week. Inmos’ move puts an end to years of indecision about which operating system to support on the Transputer. Chorus is also being implemented for Acorn Computers Plc’s ARM-3 RISC chip, one of the designs spun off by the Cambridge company into a joint venture with Apple Computer Inc and VLSI Technology Inc. The ARM-3 running Chorus is being used as the basis of a multi-media workstation known as Multiworks, a spin-off from Esprit’s European Spirit workstation project. Two versions of Multiworks, one based on Intel’s 80486 – at Olivetti’s behest – the other on the Acorn chip, are under way. And Chorus is being used in another European workstation project, the Cypress Semiconductor Inc Sparc based system being developed by Paris firm Gipsi SA in conjunction with Portuguese research institute INESC. The workstation already runs the real-time Chorus microkernel and SunOS – the full Chorus Unix implementation will be on the workstation by the end of next month. Gipsi, best known as an X-terminal builder, is looking for a European manufacturing partner to bring its workstation to market.
