Unix System Laboratories: Difference between revisions

Revision as of 23:22, 25 November 2020

Revision as of 13:17, 1 January 2021

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Created from earlier AT&T entities, USL was, as industry writer Christopher Negus has observed, the culmination of AT&T's long involvement in Unix, "a jewel that couldn't quite find a home or a way to make a profit."<ref name="negus"/> USL was sold to Novell in 1993.

== {{anchor|UNIX Software Operation|Unix Software Operation}}Origins as subsidiary of AT&T ==

{{see also|History of Unix|Unix Wars}}

AT&T announced the creation of the [['''UNIX Software Operation]]''' (USO) – a separate and distinct AT&T business unit responsible for the development, marketing, and licensing of UNIX System V software – in January 1989.<ref name="signals-91">{{cite news | url=https://books.google.com/books?id=UY0-AQAAIAAJ | magazine=Signals | date=1991 | pages=61–66| title=Signals }}</ref> This was done, as a subsequent press release stated, "in order to separate AT&T's UNIX System source code business from its computer systems business,"<ref name="pr-rosetta"/> the latter a reference to [[AT&T Computer Systems]]. USO included the AT&T Data Systems Group organizations responsible for UNIX product planning and management, licensing, and marketing.<ref name="pr-uso"/> [[Peter J. Weinberger]] was named chief scientist of USO while also retaining his job in the computing science research center at [[Bell Labs]]; no other Bell Labs assets were transferred to USO.<ref name="pr-uso">{{cite press release | url=http://tech-insider.org/unix/research/1989/0104.html | title=AT&T Names President Of Unix Software Operation | publisher=PR Newswire | date=January 4, 1989}}</ref> The head of USO was Larry Dooling, who had been a vice-president in sales and marketing in the AT&T Data Systems Group.<ref name="pr-uso"/>

Unlike the original Unix work, which had been done in the Bell Labs facility in [[Murray Hill, New Jersey|Murray Hill]], USO and the commercialization work was done a few miles away in [[Summit, New Jersey]],<ref name="negus"/><ref name="lat-novell"/>

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The measure was intended to help Novell compete against [[Microsoft]], which was on the verge of including networking as a built-in feature of [[Windows]] in conjunction with the [[Windows NT]] server.<ref name="lat-novell"/><ref name="cw-longshot"/> It was also an outgrowth of Novell chief [[Ray Noorda]]'s theories about [[coopetition]] in a technology industry.<ref name="cbr-japan"/><ref>{{cite news | url=https://www.nytimes.com/1992/03/29/business/preaching-love-thy-competitor.html | title=Preaching Love Thy Competitor | first=Lawrence M. | last=Fisher | newspaper=The New York Times | date=March 29, 1992}}</ref>

The move seemed like a long shot to analysts, with a commentary piece in ''[[Computerworld]]'' outlining the obstacles andto success and stating, "Saying this deal has the technical potential to counter Windows NT is very different from predicting that it will do so."<ref name="cw-longshot">{{cite news | url=https://books.google.com/books?id=heyWMcI8pQUC&pg=PA34 | first=Charles | last=Babcock | title=Novell's long shot | newspaper= Computerworld | date=January 11, 1993 | page=34}}</ref>

There was negative reaction to the acquisition from USL shareholders, USL employees, and members of Unix International.<ref name="cbr-japan"/> Noorda had to emphasize that Novell had no plans to move USL operations from New Jersey to Utah, where Novell was based.<ref name="cbr-japan"/> And Noorda and Pieper had to travel to Japan to reassure USL shareholders and investors there.<ref name="cbr-japan">{{cite news | url= <!-- blacklisted https://www. c b r o n l i n e.com/news/novell_unix_labs_try_to_reassure_japanese_on_the_merger/ --> | title=Novell, Unix Labs Try to Reassure Japanese on the Merger |work=Computergram International | publisher=Computer Business Review | date=March 4, 1993}}</ref>