SunSoft to stick to schedule for Solaris 2.0 after Interactive buy
Sun Microsystems Inc’s SunSoft is to stick to its previously published schedule and announce an early access programme for its iteration of Unix System V.4, Solaris 2.0-on-Sparc, with immediate availability. Its appearance at UniForum means early versions of 2.0-on-Intel Corp iAPX-86 are to follow in 90 days, with hardened versions following 90 days after that. The debut of Solaris 2.0-on-Sparc should be greeted by endorsements from OEM customers such as Toshiba Corp, Solbourne Computer Inc, Tadpole Technology Plc and Sun Microsystems itself as well as other Far Easterns plus independent software vendors like Oracle Corp, Lotus Development Corp, WordPerfect Corp, Frame Technology Inc, Interleaf Inc, Cadence Design Systems Inc and Mentor Graphics Corp. The latter class is particularly important to Sun as proof that it continues its applications capture. Early access versions will also find their way into the hands of some end users. SunSoft is now in the process of digesting the half of Interactive Systems Corp that it bought and plans to use Interactive’s version of System V 3.2, which Interactive confusingly called 3.0, as the first step in its migration path to Solaris-on-Intel. If developers use Interactive 3.0, what they produce will be binary compatible with Solaris 2.0. However, if they use Solaris 1.0 as their system, they will have to recompile. SunSoft considers the introduction of this part of Interactive’s software into its product line as a strong endorsement of Interactive’s capabilities. What it will do with Interactive’s version of System V.4, however, remains to be seen. SunSoft is still evaluating how important an immediate System V.4 product is to its customer base, particularly among Europeans. So far, the company considers that it is not losing any sales opportunities – with customers saying they are willing to wait for a robust fully-fledged piece of software, but then again it has not taken Unix System V.4 off its price list.
