News
Microsoft, Mainsoft Port IE to Unix
- By Scott Bekker
- August 16, 2000
Mainsoft Corp., a provider of cross-platform solutions for the enterprise, announced that Microsoft Corp. has signed an updated contract with the company securing Mainsoft's Professional Services and the right to use MainWin to port Internet Explorer and other technologies to Unix platforms.
In the past, MainWin has been responsible for porting several Windows-based technologies to Linux. It has also helped in tandem launches of both Windows NT and 2000 and Linux in some enterprises.
Mainsoft (www.mainsoft.com) has worked closely with Microsoft (www.microsoft.com) in the past on Internet Explorer for Unix to meet the needs of Internet-based businesses operating Windows technology. Microsoft has been distributing IE for Solaris and HP/UX since 1997 by utilizing Mainsoft's MainWin to port IE technologies to Unix. In this new contract, Microsoft has engaged Mainsoft's Professional Services to assist in maintaining and updating IE for Unix.
MainWin is Mainsoft's Windows platform for Unix systems. MainWin includes the implementation of Win32 APIs and Windows services on Unix. Through strategic agreements with Microsoft, Mainsoft has access to Windows NT and 2000 source code. Mainsoft has incorporated several million lines of original Windows source code into MainWin, ensuring that Windows technologies will also run on Unix.
In addition to IE for Unix, Mainsoft has also ported Windows Media Player 6.3 to Solaris, using MainWin. - Isaac Slepner
About the Author
Scott Bekker is editor in chief of Redmond Channel Partner magazine.