Last July, 28 founding companies set up the Spanish Association of Unix Users. The Association, presided over by Jose A Manas from the Department of Data Transmission Engineering at the School of Telecommunications in Madrid, aims, among other things, to promote and develop Unix and related technology, fostering education, research and experimental projects to support communications systems and electronic mail – the idea for an association came from a Unix-based electronic mail network – and to represent Spanish users at international fora and circulate intelligence and products for the Unix environment, attempting to set itself up as an intermediary between manufacturers, standards bodies, users and the trade press. Although the group is still awaiting final approval from the Spanish Ministry of the Interior, it now has 80 assigned centres – which it expects to double within one year – and it has already joined the European federation EurOpen, which is made up of other similar groups in Europe. With regard to finance, the Association hopes to get some sponsoring members such as Sun, Hewlett-Packard or DEC with which it is already negotiating. These companies would subsidise activities and in exchange have a special place at exhibitions and demonstrations, but the Association will also get some support from the Madrid and Barcelona polytechnics, and the Spanish government is financing some research projects for the development of message lines within Spain – initially, EurOpen also gave money. The Association claims it wants to help develop open systems such as Unix without getting into brand warfare. There is another Unix group in the process of setting itself up in Spain called the Spanish Organisation of Unix Manufacturers, but it says that it wants close co-operation with the Association.
