Philips Telecommunications & Data Systems sprang something of a surprise yesterday when it announced that not only is it to hang its hat on the Open Software Foundation alternative Unix effort proposed by IBM, DEC and Hewlett – but it is to become a sponsoring member, which means that it is committed to putting a lot of money into the venture. The other seven sponsors are IBM, DEC, Hewlett-Packard, Apollo Computer, Bull, Nixdorf and Siemens – and each is committed to putting up some $13.5m or so over three years to make IBM’s AIX the basis of an alternative Unix standard to the forthcoming AT&T Unix System V.4. In order to keep everyone happy and to make them feel important, the Foundation, operating out of temporary premises in Waltham, Massachusetts, has agreed to consider taking some Unix extension from each sponsor – but as a latecomer to the party, it is not clear what Philips can contribute, apart from its welcome cash. A European base for the Software Foundation is due to be announced any day, and perhaps that is where Philips will gain its place in the sun. The Foundation is particularly pleased to get another sponsor because it is inundated with applications for low-fee-paying membership status.
