IXI Ltd’s Win-tif system for adding Windows Friendly front-ends to Unix applications up under its Desktop (formerly X.desktop) and Motif environments, doesn’t, in its present form, require extensions to X Window servers (CI No 2,272). However the Cambridge, UK subsidiary of Santa Cruz Operation Inc is working with VisionWare and AGE Logic Inc on optimising X server products for Win-tif and will make any extensions freely available, it says. IXI is also looking at extending its relationship with IBM Corp, which of course has a whole OS/2 Presentation Manager user community that might be interested in a Windows Friendly front-end via Win-tif if they were able to access Motif-based applications from their systems. Win-tif, an extension to IXI’s Motif graphical user interface tool kit modifies the appearance and behaviour of Unix applications, making them look and act exactly like Microsoft Corp Windows 3.1. While the supply side of open systems movement is increasingly polarised against Microsoft – with Unix as its standard-bearer – IXI argues that the real objective ought to be to deliver what customers have long been singing for – greater interoperability with Windows. Its calls have fallen only on deaf ears so far. Win-tif will be supplied as an upgrade to the IXI Desktop graphical user interface front-end, and will provide most applications that run under OSF/Motif 1.2 with the Windows Friendly front-end. There is no need to re-code software – any application using IXI’s Motif implementation, written to the tool kit, will become Windows Friendly when run through a personal computer. Win-tif installs a new shared library on the host Unix system – and adds extensions to the X server – IXI Desktop launches applications with either Windows 3.1 or Motif 1.2 look and feel and functionality, depending on users’ preference, or on the automatic detection of which kind of desktop system is being used.
Investment in Windows
The idea is not to sell the stuff to Unix workstation users: why turn a Unix machine into a PC? says IXI president Ray Anderson. The company is aiming Win-tif at users that want to retain their investment in Windows and use Unix without having to re-train users on a Unix front end. It will be bundled free with a new version of IXI Desktop from early next year existing sites will get an automatic pgrade – but IXI will make money by charging a toll as users hook up personal computers to Unix hosts running Win-tif, and via OEM sales. IXI is getting up its own branding scheme and will award a trademarked Windows Friendly logo to independent software vendors that conform to the IXI Motif tool kit interface, use the shared libraries to switch applications between Motif and Windows front-ends, and IXI’s X server extensions. Win-tif includes bits of Microsoft Corp’s Object Linking & Embedding mechanism – IXI says there are no copyright problems associated with what it is doing. Although, like SunSelect and Insignia Solutions Inc, it will have to track Windows’ evolution closely, IXI hints that some of these issues should be resolved next year. The main problem will be maintaining conformance to the new Unix OS interface and Windows style guide, at the same time, it says. IXI points to X Business Group research to back the case for Win-tif; the group forecasts that by 1996 up to 12m personal computers will be X Window-capable – 5m by the end of this year. Win-tif makes perfect sense from a business point of view: IXI’s Desktop front-end is now established in all the right places and the firm is not likely to make much out of a COSE common desktop environment which will be aggressively marketed by the major Unix vendors. One large end user told Unigram that Win-tif is extremely interesting, but said IXI should give its X server extensions to the X Consortium, fearful it might otherwise be tied to proprietary baggage.
