On Nov 18, 2019, at 16:42, Al Kossow via wrote: > On 11/18/19 4:37 PM, Al Kossow via cctalk wrote: >> >> >> On 11/18/19 3:15 PM, Chris Zach via cctalk wrote: >>> I have some old boards and documentation for Unibus cards that would talk >>> X.25, BISYNC and I think SNA. Any value? >> >> yes, it would be good to get this archived on bitsavers >> should talk to ethan about his stuff as well > > I find it interesting that the field of comms interoperability with IBM > mainframes was huge up until TCP/IP > took over, and all traces of the software implementations have disappeared or > were consolidated into a couple > like Micro Focus.
Many of the TCP/IP companies have disappeared/consolidated into Micro Focus too, even the ones who moved up the stack toward network clients and servers. Pretty impressive for a company who used to be known for PC-hosted COBOL compilers. Micro Focus acquired Attachmate WRQ who comprised Attachmate who had previously acquired The Wollongong Group (TCP/IP stacks and applications for MS-DOS/Windows PCs, among other things) and WRQ who had been in the terminal emulation business since the 1980s (first product PC2622 emulated an HP 2622 terminal). Micro Focus also had previously acquired NetManage (TCP/IP stacks and applications for Windows PCs) who had previously acquired Wall Data (5250 emulator, maybe 3270 too) and FTP Software (TCP/IP stacks and applications for MS-DOS/Windows PCs). I’m thinking Novell who acquired Excelan (TCP/IP coprocessor hardware/software) is also somewhere in there via Attachmate WRQ. I mean, really, who’s left? Distinct? (Though they seemed aimed more at protocol libraries licensable to developers, now they seem to be in the TN3270/TN5250/VT420 for Windows business.) Beame & Whiteside got et by Hummingbird who I guess are now somewhere in OpenText. -Frank McConnell
