Compaq, Microsoft in Unix-NT Alliance

Compaq Computer and Microsoft on Thursday announced an alliance aimed at easing the way in which corporate computer operating systems developed by the two work together.

Compaq, the Houston-based PC giant that this year bought systems maker Digital Equipment, will license technology from Microsoft that is oriented to Microsoft’s Windows NT operating system for corporate networks. It will be used in future versions of Digital’s version of the Unix operating system.

Microsoft will license software previously found only in Compaq’s Tandem NonStop Kernal system to be applied to future versions of NT.

Terms were not disclosed.

The companies said the initiative addresses the requirements of customers who need to run systems on both NT and Unix.