Unix International and Unix Software Operation Introduce Unix System V, Release 4

Unix International and Unix Software Operation Introduce Unix System V, Release 4, Unifying Unix System Marketplace

New York -- November 1, 1989 -- PRNewswire -- UNIX International, Inc. and AT&T's UNIX Software Operation today introduced UNIX System V, Release 4, a major upgrade that functionally merges the most popular versions of the UNIX operating system standard. UNIX System V Release 4 unifies the UNIX System installed base, providing upward compatibility for more than 80 percent of current UNIX System installations.

This release serves to further consolidate the market of 10 million UNIX System V users, offering greater flexibility and control to users and a larger market opportunity to vendors as the industry coalesces around a single standard. Approximately 150 companies from around the world have announced support for the new release and for UNIX System V.

The new release is the first product ever developed through a system of world-wide cooperation in the information industry. UNIX System V Release 4 is the result of a unique partnership between the UNIX Software Operation, the developers of the UNIX software, and UNIX International (UI), an international organization of users, system vendors, software developers, and standards bodies formed to direct the future path for the UNIX operating system. UI provided AT&T (NYSE: T) with the consensus input of its membership in the final development stages of UNIX System V Release 4, to assure that the new release functions as the bridge between the overwhelming majority of the more than 1.2 million systems worldwide currently running derivatives of the UNIX System and the complex computing requirements of the future. At UI's direction, it became the first product to conform to the XPG -3 benchmark of portability formulated by X/Open, the international open systems standards organization. UI also implemented an early access program, under which the new release was provided to more than 30 UI members to allow for testing and initial development work.

In a technology demonstration at the UNIX Expo here, UI underscored the system's primary advantages: compatibility, portability of software from platform to platform, interoperability of software between heterogeneous systems and scalability from PCs to mainframes. The demonstration features hardware platforms and software from more than 15 different vendors, all running under System V Release 4. The new release provides current users of XENIX, SunOS, the Berkeley systems, and UNIX System V with a single operating system and a clear migration path, and the industry with a unified base for development of increasingly powerful applications.

"The introduction of UNIX System V Release 4 is an important event for the UNIX System market, not only because of the significant unifying impact of the operating system software, but because it demonstrates how the market, through UNIX International, can control its own destiny," said Peter Cunningham, president and chief executive officer of UNIX International. "We face many more challenges, and we have a proven system for cooperating to meet them effectively."

"Our partnership with UNIX International is a unique relationship," said Larry Dooling, President of the UNIX Software Operation. "The focused direction that UI provides helps us assure that our development program meets the needs of the market. It provides the independent forum to identify, discuss, and democratically resolve development issues that we must address in evolving the code."

UNIX International also announced today the addition of 14 new members. The new members represent UNIX International's expanding base and natural balance of UNIX System V users, hardware and software vendors and developers.

The new members are: Canon, Inc.; Chorus Systemes; Edinburgh Portable Compilers; Far East Computers Pte, Ltd.; FIAT AUTO S.p.A. Sistemi E Informatica; Imperial Software Technology Ltd.; Mannesmann Informationstechnik; Matsushita Electric Industrial Co., Ltd.; Samsung Electronics, Co.; Sanyo Icon; Softway Pty Ltd.; Sumitomo Electric Industries; Swedish Defense Data Center Agency; University of Tokyo - (Department of Information Sciences).

UNIX International is a nonprofit organization responsible for directing the evolution of UNIX System V. Founded in Dec. 1988, its growing membership now numbers more than 110 users, software vendors, system vendors, value-added resellers, standards bodies, academic institutions and government bodies worldwide. The following organizations have announced their support for UNIX System V, Release 4:

ABSOFT CORPORATION
ACER TECHNOLOGIES CORPORATION
ADVANCED COMPUTER SOFTWARE
AGFA CORPORATION
ALLIANT COMPUTER SYSTEMS
AMBRASOFT LTD. FINLAND
AMDAHL CORPORATION
APPLITRON DATA SYSTEMS AB ARIADNE
ARIX CORPORATION
AT&T DATA SYSTEMS
AVCOM BESLUTSMODELLER AB BESTA DATA AB BF SYSTEM AG CETIA
COMMERCIAL BANKING APPLICATIONS
COMMODORE INTERNATIONAL LTD.
COMPUTER LAW SYSTEMS, INC.
CONCURRENT COMPUTER CORPORATION
CONTROL DATA CORPORATION
CSB CSK CORPORATION DACOS SOFTWARE GmbH DANSK DATA ELEKTRONIK A/S DAT RHV DATA CONNECTION LTD. DATABOLIN SYSTEMER AS DATA GENERAL DATOREX AB
DELL COMPUTER CORPORATION DIAB DATA DIALOGIKA GESELLSCHAFT FUR ANGEWANDTE INFORMATIK MBH DMR GROUP INC. DYNAMIC SOFTWARE AB, DYNASOFT EDINBURGH PORTABLE COMPILERS LTD. ELAN COMPUTER GROUP, INC. EMULEX CORPORATION ERICSSON ERIK MAINZ A/S ERSO/ITRI FELLESDATA AS FLS DATA AS FORSVARSDATA FOURTH WAVE TECHNOLOGIES FPS COMPUTING
FUJI
XEROX CO., LTD.
FUJITSU LIMITED GEOQUEST SYSTEMS INC. GFAI (Gruppe fur Angewandte Informatik AG) GTS-GRAL HCL AMERICA HCR CORPORATION ICL (International Computers Limited) IMPERIAL SOFTWARE TECHNOLOGY INFODAS INFORMIX INGRES INSIGNIA SOLUTIONS LTD.
INTEL INTERACTIVE SYSTEMS IXI LIMITED JDC DATA AS JSB COMPUTER SYSTEMS LIMITED KAINOS SOFTWARE LIMITED KVAM DATA AS LABTAM GROUP OF COMPANIES LINDBACK AS LOCUS COMPUTING
LOTUS DEVELOPMENT CORPORATION
MICRO FOCUS
MICROGNOSIS, INC
MICROTEC RESEARCH INC.
MIMER SOFTWARE AB MODCOMP M/LLERS VAEGTFABRIK, AALBORG APS
MOTOROLA INC.
MR DATA A/S MUNICS INFORMATION SYSTEMS, INC. NBI, INC. NCR NEC NORDIC TEAM NOVELL OKI ELECTRIC INDUSTRY CO., LTD.
OLIVETTI SYSTEMS & NETWORKS
OMRON CORPORATION
ORACLE
ORGA SOFT COOPERATION
GmbH PHOENIX TECHNOLOGIES LTD.
PJUEL GRAFISK
PRIME COMPUTER INC.
PRO:CON PROCASE PROGRESS SOFTWARE PSI GESELLSCHAFT FURPROZEBSTEUERUNGS- UND INFORMATIONSSYSTEME MBH PYRAMID REALSTREAM, LTD. SAS INSTITUTE INC. SCO, INC. SEA-CHANGE SEQUENT COMPUTER SYSTEMS INC. SOFTLINE AS SOFTWARE IRELAND LIMITED SOFTWRIGHT SYSTEMS LIMITED
SONY
SPARC INTERNATIONAL
STOLLMANN GmbH STRATUS COMPUTER, INC.
SUN MICROSYSTEMS, INC
SYBASE
TADPOLE TECHNOLOGY, INC.
TANDEM
TATA CONSULTANCY SERVICES
TECSIEL
TERADATA CORPORATION
TEXAS INSTRUMENTS
TEXTWARE GmbH TOLERANT SOFTWARE
TOSHIBA CORPORATION
T&T AUTOMATISERING
UNISOFT
UNISYS
UNIWARE COMPUTER
GmbH U'WARE GmbH VALID LOGIC SYSTEMS V.I. CORPORATION VISIONWARE WIND RIVER SYSTEMS, INC. WIPRO INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY LIMITE?
X/OPEN
88OPEN

CONTACT: Stephen D. Payne of Unix International, 201-263-8400, ext. 236; or Mark K. Metzger and Maureen MacGregor of Miller Communications for Unix International, 617-536-0470/ 13:03 EDT