Hewlett-Packard Co is putting off implementation of OSF/1 for its machines, objecting that the 1.0 version of the Open Software Foundation’s system is too immature and has no following among software houses. So, to improve revenue management and customer satisfaction, it will try to move its DomainOS base, inherited from its acquisition of Apollo Computer Inc, over to its own version of Unix, HP-UX, under a programme it is due to launch called Open Migration. Domain customers will also be offered Precision Architecture RISC boards this summer, based on the current version of the chip found in the company’s Snake workstations, to upgrade the performance of their 68000 family machines. Tools are planned to improve communications and interoperability between the HP-Apollo 400 boxes and the HP 700 Series. Finding fault with at least OSF 1.0’s memory management, the company has distributed only limited quantities of what it considers a technical release of the operating system on HP 9000 Model 720 machines to companies interested in becoming familiar with it. It continues to import pieces of Foundation technology such as Motif into both HP-UX and DomainOS, and plans to do the same with the Distributed Computing and Management Environments when they arrive. DomainOS is being upgraded to a Software Foundation Application Evnvironment Specification-compliant version designated 1.4 and Apollo boxes to 33MHz versions of the 68040 chip. Once those moves are complete, the company is expected to move users from HP-UX over onto OSF/1.
