The Open Group standards body – wherein lies the remainder of the X/Open Co Ltd Open Software Foundation – is changing its colors once again. However, reports of an imminent demise may be somewhat exaggerated. Only Novell Inc has actually thrown in the towel and canceled its $1m-a-year board membership. But most of the remaining sponsors we spoke to (they are HP, IBM, Sun, Compaq through its DEC acquisition, NCR, Fujitsu, Hitachi and Siemens Nixdorf) said they want a better return for their dues or to narrow their spending. They told ComputerWire they want to see a more focused specification, testing and branding organization in September when The Open Group will once again attempt to justify its continued existence. Whether it retains any kind of development function remains to be seen. HP said it favors some capability in this area, and spends several million dollars a year on its activities in this area – but the Group is certain to be without its Research Institute, where the remains of the once- vaunted Open Software Foundation development shop lie. The Institute’s future has been in doubt since The Open Group’s members met back in May and it’s not clear what’s become of it. Novell Inc put in a bid for the unit, which includes directory and microkernel work, after SRI Consulting and Nokia Data AS had also looked it over.

Watering hole for big game

The remainder of The Open Group’s X/Open Co Ltd spec, test and branding group is already working on a program of guaranteed interoperability for technologies such as Corba ORBs (by the fourth quarter), network computers (fourth quarter) and LDAP (1999). Most sponsors agreed that X/Open work on security, public key infrastructure and distributed technologies is worthy. However the future of Open Group’s long-gestating IT DialTone initiative is perilous, given it has no obvious program of work associated with it nor any endorsement from its board members. When was the last time Sun, HP or IBM was heard to wax lyrical about IT DialTone? It is supposed to represent an architecture with common mechanisms for performance management, security and other ‘webtone’ type functions. Therein lies the problem. ISVs we spoke to say initiatives like IT DialTone have no political legitimacy given IBM, HP and others aren’t hanging their hats on it. they say The Open Group, which one described as a a great watering hole for big game, is best off being an architect’s club where users and vendors can meet and share ideas. Even if, as has been suggested, a re-vamped Open Group spec, test and brand unit may get a crack at Java, observers wonder how effective it would be given the experience of putting ActiveX under its wing. Microsoft Corp, they say, used The Open Group to all-but bury Active Group. Certainly there’s been precious little heard of it in 18 months or so. They also say bodies such as the Internet Engineering Task Force are where the real standards action is, and that The Open Group is increasingly irrelevant. If it wants to retain any clout – and remember it didn’t pick up relevant issues such as Euro currency transition or Y2K – they say it badly needs to bring Fortune 500 companies on board. That was the task facing CEO Joseph De Feo when he was brought on board from Barclays Bank. Adherents say the perception is unfair and that The Open Group and groups such as IETF do complimentary work and at very different levels. Moreover they say that De Feo is poised to land a non-IT giant on to the board. The Open Group will meet with IEEE on September 4 to examine synergies.