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CPQ/MSFT in operating system alliance:
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Thursday September 10, 7:29 pm Eastern Time
Compaq, Microsoft in operating systems pact
HOUSTON, Sept 10 (Reuters) - Compaq Computer Corp. (NYSE:CPQ - news) and Microsoft Corp. (Nasdaq:MSFT - news) on Thursday announced an alliance aimed at easing the way in which corporate computer operating systems (OS) developed by the companies work together.
Under the alliance, Compaq, the Houston-based PC giant which this year bought systems maker Digital Equipment Corp., will license technology from Microsoft that is oriented to Microsoft's NT OS for corporate networks. The technology will be used in future versions of Compaq's Digital UNIX OS.
Microsoft will license software previously found only in Compaq's Tandem NonStop Kernal system to be applied to future versions of NT.
Financial terms of the agreement were not disclosed.
''You are going to see successive releases from Microsoft's Windows NT and in (future) Compaq Digital Unix releases that will provide the highest degree of interoperability,'' John Rose, a senior vice president at Compaq, told Reuters.
The companies said that the initiative addresses the requirements of customers who need to run in-house systems on both Windows NT and UNIX.
''Customers have told us they need a programming environment and interoperability services that address a very high level of integration between their UNIX assets and their Windows NT assets,'' said Paul Maritz of Redmond, Wash.-based Microsoft.
Microsoft has in the past had alliances with Compaq, as well as with Digital and Tandem Corp., which was acquired by Compaq in 1997.
Microsoft rival Sun Microsystems Inc. (Nasdaq:SUNW - news) on Wednesday unveiled technology to make its computers and workstations compatible with networks running Microsoft's Windows NT.
''Project Cascade,'' Sun's code name for the software, will allow computers running Sun's Solaris operating system to link easily to systems running Microsoft's Windows NT for corporate networks, Sun said.
Microsoft and Compaq executive said their initiative was not a response to Sun's news and their pact was long in the works.
''Sun's announcement yesterday was really them trying to catch up to what's been going on in the industry,'' Paul Maritz of Microsoft said in a press conference call. ''They are the Johnny-come-lately to this party.''
When asked if the Compaq/Microsoft project had a name, Compaq's Rose said there was no formal title and took a swipe at Sun when he added: ''We didn't choose to name it like a detergent tagline like 'Cascade.'''
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