X/Open Seeks New Mountaintops in the Internet Age

Web standards and desktop integration are hot, company says

X/Open Co., on the heels of its central role in Unix unification, is on the way to redefining itself for the next technological era. Eager not to become road kill on the information highway, X/Open is looking to take up standard-setting in that sector as well as in the areas of desktop integration, general open systems architecture, interoperability, security, and system and network management.

X/Open, an open systems standards and specifications organization with headquarters in Reading, UK, is already the custodian of the Unix brand as well as the Unix Common Desktop Environment (CDE) specifications. While continuing with those programs, X/Open staff members have outlined their newest plans in briefings to analysts and writers.

Hoping to influence the building of the information highway, X/Open plans to establish relationships with other groups such as the World-Wide Web Consortium, the Internet Society, and CommerceNet. "Many of the technology decisions that will define the Information Highway are being taken now," said Mike Lambert, X/Open vice president and chief technical officer. "We know that it's coming now and we can't wait [to get involved] for another five years." Most existing X/Open technical activities are relevant to the Information highway but require focus and cooperation between X/Open and those other groups, he said.

In particular, barriers to interoperability may occur in the areas of security, national and international integration, quality of service, cost of installation, and cost of access, Lambert noted. While eyeing the standards initiatives of other groups, X/Open is proposing to:

X/Open's vision of the Information highway is that corporate users will comprise the first wave of routine users, with significant penetration in the developed world by the year 2000. Domestic users will form the second wave, with ubiquitous use by 2010, dependent on geographical issues and legislation. As for the Web, its explosive growth shows it to be a major source of innovation, Lambert said. But he added, "It's not there yet. It's not the information superhighway but it's going to be where we start from. I don't think there's any doubt about that."

Desktop Integration

In the desktop arena, Lambert said the organization is going to concentrate on defining an environment in which volume desktop systems can interoperate-despite the presence of Microsoft. "We are changing the focus quite dramatically to desktop integration," Lambert said, feeling that it's best to work with Microsoft in helping integrate Windows with other volume platforms, since it's obvious that Windows will not be open for re-implementation to any open standard. He believes Microsoft will cooperate because otherwise, it stands to lose standing with the user community. "The majority of the user community now sees Microsoft as a force for good, not a force for evil," Lambert said. "But if Microsoft didn't cooperate in this space, they might well turn into a force for evil. They would like to tie us all up in knots, but they recognize that cooperation to this degree is the price of remaining in a dominant position."

X/Open's vision is that all desktop systems will provide access to information without the constraints of incompatibility. Toward that end, it hopes to help integrate not only the various desktop devices but also the various mobile units such as laptops, hand-held devices, and telephones. X/Open also plans to make the first-level client/server interface behind the desktop fully open, Lambert said.

Security

Security needs to be standardized because security solutions need open markets in order to be cost-effective, said John Spencer, manager of programs and quality. Existing standards are inadequate for commercial use, he said. In addition, a security standard would carry the regular benefits of open systems-vendor independence, portability, interoperability, and scalability. Spencer added, "Security standards get more important as the information highway goes into place." X/Open hopes to introduce a security branding scheme by sometime next year. "It will be a standard implementation that the average user can understand" and allow for low production cost and a short lead time to market, Spencer said.

Architectural Framework

X/Open is hoping to develop a unifying architectural framework that will encompass all its activities, Lambert reported. More abstract and generic than a computer architecture, the framework would include such attributes as a common vocabulary, conceptual building blocks, structural information, and encapsulation of other domains. The framework would be relevant to the market and define the current position and future strategies for open systems.

X/Open is using a Department of Defense standard as a starting point: the Technical Architecture Framework for Information Management (TAFIM), which was developed to address similar problems and is available to X/Open without constraint. In addition, DOD supports a cooperative project with X/Open, Lambert said.

Interoperability

X/Open hopes to achieve greater interoperability, both between applications and from applications to remote servers, Lambert said. Specifications are needed for APIs, protocols, and data structures and the cooperation of multiple vendors is required, he noted.

Unix Branding

While emphasizing its future plans, X/Open also announced that Unix brands have been issued to 12 companies since the program began in March, all to the Unix 93 specification. A Unix 95 designation is also available and all vendors with Unix 93 attibutions have guaranteed to move their products to Unix 95, which means they will conform to X/Open's single Unix specification. Unix 95 will be in effect until at least 1997, after which any change would be dictated by the market, said Andrew Walker, director of strategic liaisons. "The most important thing for X/Open to do is to promote the Unix brand in the marketplace, Andrew said."