Farmington Hills, Michigan-based Compuware Corp hopes that by componentizing the architecture of its lackluster Uniface proprietary language it will create a lucrative middle ground between low-end desktop development systems and complex offerings from the likes of Forte Software Inc, Dynasty Technology Inc, Oracle Corp, Seer Technologies Inc and Unify Corp which have captured most of the high ground. Initially what is called the Quantum project will open up Uniface’s application model for specifying events, actions, conditions, connections for use with third party business modeling tools, business process re-engineering and workflow engines. Quantum is due in the fourth quarter of 1997 and will be the next major release after Uniface 7.0, which is due by the year-end (CI No 2,895). Quantum will provide three loosely-coupled graphical user interface, code generation and application (business rules, events and processes) layers. It will provide interfaces to other graphical front-end development tools. It will also include a proprietary object request broker that Uniface says will enable application components to be executed across distributed networks, plus object services, transaction processing and a workflow engine. Compuware claims the technology will be Corba-, Object Linking & Embedding/Common Object Model-, SQL-, Open Data Base Connectivity- and HyperText Mark-up Language-compatible. Uniface 7.0, will include new object-based form templates, a distributed processing agent, partitioning for its PolyServer networking software, Open Data Base Connectivity and MVS database extensions and printing enhancements. It will also include the first of two pieces of a Web strategy that will enable browsers to function as Uniface clients using Common Gateway Interface, Netscape Communications Cop and Microsoft Corp application programming interfaces. Developers will deploy Uniface forms on the server. Uniface executes the business rules, accesses data sources and formats responses into dynamically generated HyperText Mark-up Language documents for access by browsers. Other HyperText Mark- up Language documents can also be displayed on a Uniface form. Web Services will include the ability to generate HyperText Mark-up Language and Java documents on the server from client-based HyperText Mark-up Language and browser controls embedded in Uniface forms. The most recent release of Uniface is 6.1d, which has a new Distributed Computing Manager Component plus transaction processing support. Open Software Foundation Distributed Computing Environment support is planned for Uniface 7.0. Compuware will add a maintenance release with support for international languages in June. Parent Compuware’s EcoTools and Playback automated testing tools are being integrated with Uniface 7.0. Uniface, which claims three thousand users, admits it is failing to get its message across and recognizes it must do a better job of creating perceptions. It is partly because the new breed of second generation application development hous-es such as Forte and Dynasty have created a new vocabulary for three-tier coding which Uniface doesn’t yet speak. It is going to focus on Hewlett-Packard Co, Sun Microsystems Inc, IBM Corp and Digital Equipment Corp Unixes; Windows NT, Oracle, Sybase, Informix and SQL Server and expects to axe other supported systems over time. It currently supports two thousand system combinations. It claims it plays against Oracle and Forte but never sees Dynasty or Unify. Uniface general manager Frank Slootman runs development, Compuware has installed Doug Barre as vice-president and general manager to run the business side of things. Compuware says the $30m it will save by axing 100 jobs from its mainframe business will fund a Uniface research and development plan. Compuware, which describes itself as the biggest computer company you never heard of expects to report revenues of up to $800m for the fiscal year that ended in April.
