X/Open

X/Open group (also known as the Open Group for Unix Systems and incorporated in 1987 as X/Open Company, Ltd.) was a <a href="/facts/Consortium/uMGVbLps">consortium</a> founded by several European <a href="/facts/UNIX/0pNL2seI">UNIX</a> systems manufacturers in 1984 to identify and promote <a href="/facts/Open_standard/RGvhGQVI">open standards</a> in the field of <a href="/facts/Information_technology/glMzunwe">information technology</a>. More specifically, the original aim was to define a single specification for <a href="/facts/Operating_system/8XTuvMh2">operating systems</a> derived from UNIX, to increase the interoperability of applications and reduce the cost of porting software. Its original members were <a href="/facts/Groupe_Bull/tlbdToLt">Bull</a>, <a href="/facts/International_Computers_Limited/2ztan410">ICL</a>, <a href="/facts/Siemens_AG/coa80TQn">Siemens</a>, <a href="/facts/Olivetti/bdoq8XPH">Olivetti</a>, and <a href="/facts/Nixdorf_Computer_AG/t5F5mqaR">Nixdorf</a>—a group sometimes referred to as BISON. <a href="/facts/Philips/Xp4uczGg">Philips</a> and <a href="/facts/Ericsson/yJ4oMMp7">Ericsson</a> joined in 1985, at which point the name X/Open was adopted.
The group published its specifications as X/Open Portability Guide, starting with Issue 1 in 1985, and later as X/Open CAE Specification.
In 1987, X/Open was incorporated as X/Open Company, Ltd.
By March 1988, X/Open grew to 13 members: <a href="/facts/AT%2526T_Corporation/BfsX7eX2">AT&T</a>, <a href="/facts/Digital_Equipment_Corporation/ztxs6keA">Digital</a>, <a href="/facts/Hewlett-Packard/abuNSYNu">Hewlett-Packard</a>, <a href="/facts/Sun_Microsystems/VJ9EzEFd">Sun Microsystems</a>, <a href="/facts/Unisys/y49ddC6b">Unisys</a>, <a href="/facts/NCR_Corporation/1vfttHoo">NCR</a>, Olivetti, Bull, Ericsson, Nixdorf, Philips, ICL, and Siemens.
By 1990 the group had expanded to 21 members: in addition to the original five, <a href="/facts/Philips/Xp4uczGg">Philips</a> and <a href="/facts/Nokia/bCleFoF4">Nokia</a> from Europe; AT&T, Digital, Unisys, Hewlett-Packard, <a href="/facts/IBM/QszA7nwd">IBM</a>, NCR, Sun, <a href="/facts/Prime_Computer/BnmgcHA8">Prime Computer</a>, <a href="/facts/Apollo_Computer/AyhaS46l">Apollo Computer</a> from North America; <a href="/facts/Fujitsu/6e5gvNSa">Fujitsu</a>, <a href="/facts/Hitachi%2c_Ltd./KeK38e82">Hitachi</a>, and <a href="/facts/NEC/YnlUsMBA">NEC</a> from Japan; plus the <a href="/facts/Open_Software_Foundation/sBn7Q7gt">Open Software Foundation</a> and <a href="/facts/Unix_International/BCBlgBJg">Unix International</a>.
In October 1993, a planned transfer of UNIX trademark from Novell to X/Open was announced; it was finalized in 2nd quarter of 1994.
In 1994, X/Open published the <a href="/facts/Single_UNIX_Specification/w1ba5bDt">Single UNIX Specification</a>, which was drawn from XPG4 Base and other sources.
In 1996, X/Open merged with the <a href="/facts/Open_Software_Foundation/sBn7Q7gt">Open Software Foundation</a> to form <a href="/facts/The_Open_Group/uRoDdEae">The Open Group</a>.
X/Open was also responsible for the <a href="/facts/X%2fOpen_XA/Ug4z2Nmg">XA protocol</a> for heterogeneous distributed transaction processing, which was released in 1991.

X/Open open-in-new

X/Open