While Microsoft has begrudgingly admitted that it still can't beat Unix's scalability and reliability, that is not stopping the software giant from joining the Unix ranks -- at least in terms of branding.
Three years ago, Microsoft invested in Softway Systems, a Unix-to-NT porting tool vendor. Softway, which was commissioned by Microsoft to redo the beleaguered Posix subsystem that has been a part of NT, on Wednesday, announced its Interix product. The Interix subsystem, (formerly known as OpenNT), replaces the NT Posix subsystem, says Softway.
"This Unix branding puts us at the same level as HP, Sun and IBM," claimed Softway CEO, Doug Miller. "NT with Interix becomes full-fledged Unix. We're identical in terms of the APIs (application programming interfaces), services, interfaces, commands and utilities."
Unix branding doesn't mean that Unix custom and shrink-wrapped applications will run without a hitch on Interix on NT, however. "You do need a set of Unix source code files in order to be able to run your [Unix] apps on Interix," acknowledged Miller.
NT 5.0 version
Softway, an NT source code licensee, is working on an NT 5.0 version of its product, according to Miller. Softway plans to ship an NT 5.0-compliant Interix right around the time Microsoft ships NT 5.0, which is expected some time in 1999.
What took Softway so long to help Microsoft earn the Unix brand?
"This was an ambitious project," said Miller. "We realized there was a lot of functionality that people wanted, like Win32 integration, X Windows and Motif, that wasn't required to earn the Unix brand. So we updated our roadmap during the past year to make sure we'd provide what our customers were looking for. We started with a strictly [Unix 95] confirming plan and then added new user functionality, and then went back and got the branding."
In addition to the branding campaign with Softway, Microsoft has a number of Unix interoperability and migration efforts underway.
During the past year, the company has attempted to recruit a number of Unix resellers and convince them to sell NT. Microsoft also has developed an add-on to NT, NT Services for Unix (SFU), that makes NT systems look more like Unix ones. Microsoft is on the cusp of releasing the final NT SFU 1.0 code and is working on version 2.0.
