Network Innovations Will Be The Cutting Edge For The Mac

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NETWORK INNOVATIONS WILL BE THE CUTTING EDGE FOR MAC

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Apple is continuing its strategy of opening to the world of connectivity so that it can gain the favor of larger users. The recent announcement of the Network Innovations acquisition, a California company that made headlines for itself during the last exposition of Dexpo, an American event that brings together, every year, all the software and system houses active in the digital environment . The leading product of Network Innovations is Cl 1, a high-level language, based on the structure of Sql allowing the development of applications that will run on both the Macintosh on the Vax. In the future, the same language will also be able to link the Apple applications with the world MS-DOS and OS 2, or with mainframe networks of architecture Sna Saa (System network architecture System application architecture), making it complementary and synergistic with respect to MacAppc, which we talked about in PCWeek Italy, issue number 7 8. The Cl 1 language is also assembling a consensus of various American software houses, including Lotus, Ashton -Tate, Alisa Systems, and Blyth Software. Many of these companies have stated that they would like to use it as a platform to create a new Mac. For example, we are waiting for the arrival of a spreadsheet based on Cl 1 that should be our by the end of the next summer, while in terms of dbms, it is already guaranteed to be compatible with the products of Oracle, Relational Technology, Sybase and Digital Equipment. The Cl 1 language should provide analogous functions as the peer- to-peer prerogatives of SNA, i.e.| provide several computers a way to communicate as equals, using the network as a means to coordinate an execution of distributed applications. From the practical point of view, this fact should translate into the ability to generate on the networks Mac – Vax capabilities equivalent to those of the Enhanced communications facilities (ECF) and its programming interface Srpi (server -requester programming interface). These latter two products are developed by IBM, allowing a rudimentary form of cooperation between personal and mainframe on existing SNA networks, providing a convenient way to switch gradually to true peer- to peer architecture.

Apple’s move strengthens the bond with Digital and confirms the long-term trend that sees AppleTalk networks integrate with the Ms- Dos world using the protocols and architectures of large systems. In our opinion, however, we will need to wait a few more years before this new policy gives us the results promised.

Roberto Mazzoni