Although Synon Corp, Larkspur, California, rolled out version 2.0 of its Obsydian object development tool set with much fanfare recently, it is still far from having a Unix implementation ready for market. In fact, company sources admitted, Synon has had to re-think its Unix plans from the ground up. Since Synon first promised a Unix version of Obsydian a year ago it has been pushing back the delivery date. To get the thing working as originally envisaged the company had to incorporate new stored procedures and triggers, and buy-in class libraries and communications middleware. The firm now promises to release a version with a HP-UX generator by mid-year; it has just been shipped to alpha customers. Synon will introduce versions for other variants of Unix – probably starting with AIX – in late 1996 or early 1997. As well as a Unix code generator the environment provides Open Data Base Connectivity to access Sybase, Oracle, Informix and other SQL databases. Meanwhile, Synon says its relationship with Fairfax, Virginia-based James Martin & Co – which is developing an advanced version of its object methodology for Obsydian – has not stagnated: James Martin says it will have the project finished in early March. The idea is that it will help developers design enterprise-wide client-server systems for distributed networks. Obsydian version 2.0 now includes support for AS/400 5250 with AS/400 servers, extra class libraries, data replication, a security framework, and diary matching; it is from $8,750 per user.
