European computer manufacturers have embraced Unix with enthusiasm, but their Japanese competitors have left them way behind, a study by the Japanese trade paper Denpa Computer reveals. Denpa reports that Fujitsu now has implementations of Unix for its entire product line, from mainframes through minis to workstations. Its new Facom G series of workstations, which are designed to be used with its A-series superminis, run Unix, and the A-series machines themselves run versions of Unix with Japanese support – SX/UTS or SX/AR. Both are compatible System V.2, but are merged with Fujitsu’s own real-time operating system and they have a communications gateway function that links Unix on the FNA Fujitsu Network Architecture response to IBM’s SNA. There are 40 major applications available software for the A-series. NEC Corp now also supports Unix on its full range of machines, from the Acos mainframes down to the EWS 4800 workstations and PC9800 personal computers. Remembering that the Acos machines are variously compatible with Honeywell Bull’s DPS 8 and Bull’s DPS 7, perhaps this will provide a short cut to mainframe Unix throughout the Honeywell Bull empire. In May, the company also introduced a new version of its N5300 office workstation series with UX/V, compatible with System V.3 as an alternative to its own PTOS-III/AS. Japanese manufacturers are proselytising for Unix with the pitch that it provides a common link in multi-vendor environments, it releases a wealth of available software; its widespread use will encourage the still fairly embryonic packaged software industry in Japan, and that it will encourage software houses to expand the range of applications.Despite this, comments our Tokyo correspondent Anita Byrnes, I don’t hear of anyone running Unix on M-series or Acos mainframes. Software Research Associates, one of the main promoters of Unix in Japan, now offers consultation and training as well as packages, some of which were developed in-house. They include M-Box, a requirements analysis and definition support tool; D-Box, a program design tool; Testbed, an interactive module testbed; Midas, a personal computer software development environment; and SPEX, a specifications description tool; the company also acts as the local agent for Sun Microsystems’ Network File System. Hitachi now has a mainframe Unix, Toshiba is deep into Unix workstations – and the ambitious Sigma Project is Unix-based.