Apollo Computer Inc has added another component to its ambitious and courageous Network Computing System attempt to create a vendor-independent environment for disparate shared computing resources. The new product, Open Dialogue, uses the X-Window protocol, and the company says that this its first fulfillment of its commitment to build products on the X-Window standard. As […]
Apollo Computer Inc has added another component to its ambitious and courageous Network Computing System attempt to create a vendor-independent environment for disparate shared computing resources. The new product, Open Dialogue, uses the X-Window protocol, and the company says that this its first fulfillment of its commitment to build products on the X-Window standard. As well as Apollo’s own Domain workstations, Open Dialogue will run on workstations from Sun Microsystems, DEC and IBM. Apollo product marketing manager Mark Hatch says that the new product complements the Network Computing System by giving developers a tool to create a common user environment across a multi-vendor network. Hatch adds that the company hopes that developers will include the new component in new programs as well as adapting existing programs to the specification. Single copies of Open Dialogue will be priced at $2,000 with a source code license costing $30,000. Apollo in the UK says that source code licences will be available with special discounts for colleges and universities. A version for the Apollo Domain will be available in October this year, with a DEC GPX version following next February. The IBM RT and Sun versions will be generally available in March 1988.