IBM Corp and Hitachi Ltd, once the bitterest of enemies after Hitachi agents were caught red-handed trying to buy IBM mainframe secrets in the early 1980s, are now bes’ friends, with suggestions circulating that a formal division of labour in the mainframe manufacturing field may be on the cards. In the latest earnest of the cosyness of their relationship, Hitachi has decided to adopt IBM’s MQSeries messaging technology, the heart of the company’s attempt to answer Lotus Development Corp’s Notes. Both companies will promote the MQSeries application programming interface as a standard for computer interoperability to create a common communications link that will give customers the power to run applications across Hitachi computers and any other computer that supports MQSeries technology. MQSeries is a middle layer of messaging software that serves as the communications backbone for connecting multi-vendor networks and building distributed computer applications. Initially, Hitachi will adopt it for its transaction management software for its workstations and large computer systems but says it will later move it onto a wider range of systems.
