In a new European survey of Unix users carried out by market researcher International Data Corp, 400 corporate users reviewed their Unix vendors. Bull SA and IBM Corp were rated the poorest hardware vendors in terms of reliability and maintenance, though they fared slightly better with their training and support services. Even in France, users seem to have little confidence in Bull as a Unix vendor, saying it lacks a clear priority in developing Unix hardware over its proprietary systems. IBM, despite increasing RS/6000 sales, unable to remove all customer doubts about its reliability as a Unix supplier. Hewlett-Packard Co fared somewhat better on the hardware side, but fell down on software, training and support, with below average ratings. ICL Plc and Sun Microsystems Inc came out on top in the report, with ICL being the only major European vendor to increase its share of the European over the last two years. IDC says ICL is now the fifth-largest Unix vendor in Europe in terms of revenue. While Sun got top marks from users, it faces difficulty winning over non-Unix accounts.
