Three desktop requirements were approved by X/Open Co Ltd’s Open Systems Requirements Board on behalf of the Desktop Requirements Group at the standards body’s New Orleans meeting in March. They will feed into the CDE Technical Working Group which will convert the requirements into new or modified X/Open Portability Guide specifications. First is for desktop asset and service management: a desktop that can be integrated within an overall systems management infrastructure, interoperability with the installed base of desktop devices (Windows), and suitable for use by mobile computing devices too. The Open Systems Requirements Board regards as urgent – to happen within 12 months – that the management of the desktop be integrated with X/Open’s other systems management efforts; that management of the Common Desktop Environment and the Desktop Management Task Force DMI management for Windows should not conflict and should result in common procedures and tools. Further out – 24 to 26 months – it wants the desktop and mobile computing issue to be resolved. Desktop integration: support services that enable independent software vendors to build easily deployable software which interoperates with legacy systems and provides things like messaging and conferencing; diaries and scheduling; and compound document handling. It should be able to link, transfer and share objects between documents created by different desktop applications – including exchange of compound documents containing embedded objects between Windows and Unix applications (an urgent requirement). Desktop security services: to implement (urgently), recommendations of the Code of Practice for Information Security Management developed by the UK Department of Industry in conjunction with companies and organisations. To use the code as a common reference standard for inter-company trading and for sub-contracting and procurement of computer services and products. The Open Systems Requirements Board comprises five users, three independent software vendors and two system vendors (X/Open shareholders). Current Requirements Groups include the desktop, transaction processing, security, database, distributed systems management and software licensing. X/Open’s Associate Membership – users and independent software vendors comprising Open Systems Requirements Boards and Requirements for Technology Groups – has produced 25 requirements since its inception in January 1993 most have been integrated into Technical Group specification development plans. The Associate Membership is 89 large private users, 27 large independent software vendors and seven system vendors, 50% European, 40% North American and 10% from the rest of the world.
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