Whither Unix? If this article has it right, the inheritors of
the mantle and the two platforms that will keep Unix (in the
generic) viable through this decade are IBM’s Linux-friendly AIX 5L
and Sun’s Solaris 8.
Curiously, Caldera/SCO’s OpenUnix has gone missing from the
list. It’s an omission that might not seem so strange if the
article didn’t specifically mention management tools as a key issue
in the battle between the two: something we’ve been hearing a lot
from Caldera about in the form of Volution.
“IBM and Sun unveiled new versions of their Unix operating
systems this week. Just like the children’s game Rock ‘Em Sock ‘Em
Robots, the two computing behemoths seem locked in a battle, trying
to knock each other’s block off. The latest fight is in the
management-capability arena.”
“The vendors’ upgrades should help customers enough that Unix
could remain a viable operating system throughout the decade. IBM
has unveiled AIX 5L and Sun has unveiled the fourth update to its
Solaris 8 Operating Environment. Currently, Sun leads IBM in the
Unix server market.”