Software AG, which is putting Microsoft Corp’s Distributed Common Object Model onto Unix at Microsoft’s behest, and Mainsoft Corp, the company which put Win32 application programming interfaces on Unix for it, have come together to trade technologies. The two firms promise that their collaboration, which should bear fruit for both of them in the first half, will effect a transparent implementation of the distributed common object model across NT and Unix systems, providing interoperability between ActiveX, Unix and NT applications. Mainsoft is hanging up any not- invented-here notions it might harbour and going to Software AG for its DCOM implementation on Unix. It will appear in Mainsoft’s MainWin cross-platform development environment. In return, Software AG is getting Mainsoft’s home-made object linking environment-distributed common object model automation technology and its structured storage scheme which derives heavily from Sun Microsystems Inc’s work. Both companies are Microsoft source code licensees and Mainsoft described their engineering relationship as unique. Mainsoft will afford Software AG and its work with a channel to Intel and Windows-based developers. They said the fusion of their technologies will allow developers to build not only portable applications but ones that are immediately network- enabled, meaning a user working at any platform will be able to work with any data file regardless of location. Mainsoft, and presumably Software AG, is in pursuit of the enterprise. Last week it brought in a new chief executive officer and president to advance that cause, Ivor Share, who was, for several years, vice president sales and marketing at Insignia Solutions. Jeff Elpern, the company’s long-time vice president sales and marketing though basically a technologist, has departed and Mainsoft’s previous chief executive officer Gurshom Rom is now chairman. Share said he intends to move Mainsoft engineering to Israel and focus the US operation on sales.
