The Santa Cruz Operation is to use the Unix trademark on future releases of its 80386-based operating systems, previously sold under the Xenix name, according to AT&T’s system software director Mike DeFazio. The move, revealed at the Santa Cruz developers’ forum last week in Santa Cruz, California, signals the end of a separate identity for the Xenix operating system, the most popular Unix variant in use today, which was aimed especially at the Intel-based microcomputer market by the original developer, Microsoft Corp. As a result of joint work carried out by AT&T and Microsoft (CI Nos 630, 763), AT&T’s System V/386 Release 2.3, previewed at the European Unix User Show (CI No 951), combines the features of both Unix and Xenix, and last week was announced by AT&T as generally available to the industry. In addition, said AT&T, the Unix trademark is for the first time licensable to customers distributing the new release. Santa Cruz’s version, the first Xenix to use the Unix name, will be available for testing before the end of the year, with retail availability in the first quarter of 1989: it will support both AT bus and Micro Channel 80386-based machines, and OEM adaptations will also be made available.
Content from our partners
