Folks:

As many of you know, The Open Group has selected as its mission the creation of an architectural approach to IT which is being called the IT DialTone. All activities of The Open Group are being realigned around this mission. Program Groups, including the DCE Program Group, are to define their relation to the IT DialTone architecture. Program groups' defined relation to the IT DialTone must be approved by the Open Group's Architecture Board at its July meeting. Program Groups that do not demonstrate a specific relation to IT DialTone by that time will be deemed non strategic.

We in the DCE Program are also reconstructing the mission of DCE. The new approach to DCE that was presented at the Amsterdam meetings stresses delivering value to end users, by meeting real business objectives in selected target markets. I believe this focus for DCE is appropriate both as a strategic rationale DCE, and as the basis on which to relate it to the DialTone.

What follows is a draft of what will become the formal definition of DCE's relation to the IT DialTone. The first version of this presentation was circulated to the DCE Customer Forum last week; this version incorporates revisions based on that review. Later this week I will present this draft to the Architecture Board for their comments. At the members' meeting in San Diego next week I will report to the DCE Program on the response of the Architecture Board.

We would appreciate your comments and suggestions on the proposal. How does it compare with your expectations of DCE? Do you believe it could be successful? Does it relate well to the new strategy we discussed in Amsterdam? (If you haven't seen the Amsterdam presentations, they are available on The Open Group's web site.)

Please send your thoughts to me and to Deborah May. (Deborah coordinates and records the DCE Forum discussions.) d.may@opengroup.org

I look forward to seeing many of you in San Diego next week, and hope tohear from many more of you soon.

Best regards,