The UnixWare Technology Group, UnixWare’s new cheering section, last week said from Japan that it has named Larry Lytle as its president and chief executive and Michael Dortch as its vice-president of marketing following its incorporation as a not-for-profit company in Delaware. Lytle, who had been one of the original organisers of the Open Software Foundation, was previously senior director for end-user relations at Novell Inc and had been with Unix System Labs before its acquisition by Novell. Dortch was senior writer for Communications Week. Concurrently with the appointments, Stratus Computer Inc, Amdahl Corp and Tandem Computers Inc joined the UnixWare Technology Group and expectations are that Hewlett-Packard Co has its pen poised.If it does, it will be the first of the Software Foundation founders to make the leap to what used to be considered the other side. Stratus is a sponsor member and gets a board seat. Other members currently include AT&T Global, Chorus Systemes SA, Fujitsu Ltd, Sony Corp, Apricot Computers Ltd, NEC Corp, Ing C Olivetti & Co SpA, UniSoft Ltd and Unisys Corp as well as Novell itself.
Developing plans
UnixWare Technology Group will spend the next six weeks or so developing plans and charters for itself which it will take to its board for sanction by the end of June. Its exact role will be better defined at that point. Similar to Unix International, it will have technical task forces to help define product requirements and co-operative marketing programmes for research, multi-vendor demonstrations, educational seminars, trade shows and promotional activities. Efforts to recruit new members from along technology providers, integrators and independent software vendors will also be set in motion. If Novell is lucky, UnixWare Technology Group will add focus to what has become a very fuzzy situation for Unix per se, not to speak of UnixWare, which can hardly be regarded as a player at this point. Its latest release however may move it along. UnixWare Technology Group will be based in Unix Labs’ old quarters in Summit, New Jersey.
