Apple Computer Inc had a good week last week, starting the week with its first major defence systems contract, and ending it with a ringing endorsement from Larry Dooling, head of AT&T’s Unix Software Operation. At the Uniforum trade show in Boston, Dooling noted that while OS/2 was a likely competitor for Unix, Unix software vendors should be more concerned with the Macintosh user interface. Dooling admitted that he is worried about the Mac interface, saying that customers will soon be demanding interoperability of Unix systems with the Macintosh. Calling it the most important user interface today on the desktop, Dooling, in charge of co-ordinating Unix System V.4 development, which will achieve com patibility by merging System V, Berkeley and Xenix variants, looks to a time when computers of differ ent arc hitectures will coexist on harmonious networks. AT&T’s versi on of Unix will also be able to co exist with the Open Software Found ation’s Motif front-end, he promis ed, but he does not yet know how.
