The Interface Group’s pitch into the Unix exhibition arena from its strong base of the Comdex trade show with next year’s Unix Solutions exhibition and conference, October 3 to 5 in Anaheim, California, has really set the cat amongst the pigeons. It looks like an attempt to knock off some of the main competitors, of which there are four. In the firing line are the two UniForum shows – the large spring Unix carnival and the smaller summer affair – which are both run by the US /usr/group, now UniForum; and the two Unix Expo events run by National Exposition – the main New York show and the newly established Unix Expo West to be held in Los Angeles from May 7 to 9 next year. Can the Unix market support all five? Exhibitor costs run into hundreds and thousands of dollars per show, and some at last month’s UniForum in Boston expressed a feeling that five really is too many. Both UniForum and Unix Expo’s organisers view the Interface Group’s move with some trepidation, although both are confident that it won’t affect their plans. National Exposition Company’s show manager Don Berey said that there was really no need for another show, and that the extra Unix bash would be a threat. Both UniForum and Unix Expo would seem to be vulnerable in some respects, the not-for-profit UniForum because much of its revenue comes directly from the shows, and the loss of one would be a severe blow. National Exposition’s Unix Expo West is also right on the front line, because it is aimed at almost exactly the same exhibitors as Unix Solutions, specifically West Coast, Pacific Basin and Asian companies. Although IBM and DEC have already signed for the Los Angeles show, the Interface Group claims that Unix Solutions will attract 10,000 to 15,000 visitors, of which 40% will be users. Furthermore, the timings bring next year’s Unix Expo New York and Unix Solutions right up against each other, Unix Solutions set for October 3 to 5 and Unix Expo October 31 to November 2 1990.
UniForum is so concerned at the threat posed by the proliferation of Unix shows that it has been thinking seriously about how it can redirect its efforts to eliminate the need for its show revenue. The Santa Clara, California Unix user group’s executive director Ed Palmer hints that UniForum is putting more emphasis on its original work defining standards. In fact, the group has gained little credit for its initial standards work, which formed the basis of the ANSI C standard, AT&T’s System V Interface Definition and X/Open’s Common Application’s Environment. Even today, much of Posix and X/Open standards work originates from UniForum initiatives, whilst X/Open itself has been concentrating on gaining support and feedback from large Unix users. Now the group is holding meetings with both Unix International and the Open Software Foundation with regard to a forum for discussion, and wants both organisations to become corporate sponsors for $2,500 each. The move could put UniForum back into the centre stage of standards definition, a position currently occupied by X/Open. Although most of its revenues come from running UniForum – some 25,000 visited San Francisco in February – UniForum could manage without the shows on a smaller budget.
