Taking further tentative steps into the Unix arena, Software AG, Darmstadt, Germany, last week announced it will support IBM Corp’s RS/6000 with its fourth generation development language Natural, and Adabas, its relational database management system, which it is targeting at transaction processing applications. Natural, Software AG claims, is a complete replacement for third generation language environments, and although Software AG believes SQL restricts the performance of transaction processing systems, its Adabas database supports an implementation of the industry-standard database query language. It also enables applications written in Cobol, Fortran and PL/I to be integrated into the environment. Software AG joins Unify Corp with its Accell and Unisys Corp with its Ally development environment which is already integrated with Unix System Labs’ Tuxedo transaction processing monitor – as one of a select breed of companies currently offering Unix-based transaction processing software systems. The company says it is currently in the process of evaluating a suitable transaction processing monitor for its stuff, and is looking at Transarc Corp’s Encina, NCR Corp’s Top End and Unix System Laboratories Inc’s Tuxedo. Presently, Natural is partially compliant with X/Open Co Ltd’s XA transaction processing interface, but the firm is working on that standard now. Moving cautiously into the Unix market, Software AG says it is not seeking to confront competitors at the moment. It hails from a strong mainframe background, which still represents 85% of it sales, though it says it is looking to downsize this commitment to 70% over the next two years – if the mainframes don’t start disappearing even sooner. Software AG’s UK managing director Jeffrey Graham, says our strategy for the 1990s is to move wholeheartedly into the client-server market. With implementations for Digital Equipment Corp Ultrix, Hewlett-Packard Co’s HP-UX and Sun Microsystems Inc’s SunOS already complete, versions for Groupe Bull SA’s DPX and Santa Cruz Operation Inc’s Unix V.3.2 are now in beta test and due for release at the end of the current quarter.
