Franz -
Good questions but the answers are a little too complex for the thread (too long mostly). So I'll take a high level swipe. The method is to use a component object model to make things happen. Then a suitable object broker can translate your requests for you. There have been several attempts to make one or another of these 'standard'. This agreement says that CPQ and MSFT will unify across a much broader set of these common APIs and the components that support them, although I suspect that MSFT will be less interested in how well older Unix programs work in the new scheme...
As far as letting the old systems die, people have been predicting the death of VMS for a long time now, but it is in too many critical systems to go away. I'm sure CPQ plans on supporting those customers. They are clearly saying that new installations should probably be DEC Unix or NT (although they also have great support for SCO Unix, Novell, OS2, and even Solaris). Likewise the Tandem Non-stop business appears to be growing, and there is some kind of specialty Tandem Unix as well. Convergence for all of these pieces is still a ways off, but CPQ is laying the tracks.
I think the message here is that you can develop for the environment and there will be no rush to abandon Unix, but likewise no barrier to installing NT. I think CPQ will support whatever customers want in that space, probably with a preference for NT. |
