Users and independent software vendors attending the presentation of the Common Open Software Environment discussion document at the Xhibition conference in San Jose last week were not so sure that the White Paper has cleared up confusion surrounding proposed COSE technology and are worried at the damage the uncertainty will do to their businesses. Representatives from major users such as Royal Dutch Shell and the Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory got up from the floor and dismissed COSE as just six vendors getting together in a back room. One noted that the only recognition of any customer involvement in the process was of counting up the dollars they will spend. He added, if I want someone to tell me what’s good for me I’ve got Redmond, Washington, to do that. You need customer involvement. Many for instance, with project developments already under way, were concerned that Silicon Graphics Inc’s OpenGL had been excluded from the graphics options, with no consultation with users. COSE representatives argued that users do have a say through the user membership of related organisations such as X/Open Co Ltd and Unix International Inc.
OpenGL
OpenGL could still make it if a consensus builds, they said. Independent software vendors are equally worried about the Common Open Software Environment, saying that until real details are forthcoming, the market will effectively be frozen, particularly in the desktop arena. They are waiting for technical details of the application programming interfaces and for licensing terms and conditions of the common desktop. You’ve told us nothing since the COSE announcement on March 17, said Frank King, president of Austin, Texas-based Pencom Software Inc, claiming that COSE was shooting itself in the foot by not giving out more information. An initial specification is due by the end of this month, but real details will have to wait until October’s software developers conference.
