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- From: hbassant@acorn.co.uk
- Subject: Acorn Press Release: Acorn/Longman Logotron launch PIMS
- Date: 3 Dec 1993 13:51:04 -0000
-
- NEWS FROM ACORN COMPUTERS : RELEASE DATE 3RD DECEMBER 1993
-
- Acorn and Longman Logotron launch PIMS - Primary Information Management
- =======================================================================
- System - at BETT '94
- ====================
-
- Acorn Computers and Longman Logotron are launching PIMS, a new information
- management system expressly designed to address the complete administrative
- needs of primary schools, at Olympia's forthcoming educational technology
- exhibition, BETT '94.
-
- The result of extensive surveys and user trials, PIMS has been developed for
- the Acorn Archimedes platform in response to the growing needs of primary
- administrators for a fully integrated system which manages and links all
- information relating to pupils and staff, budgeting and accounts,
- maintenance, insurance and inventory.
-
- Custom-designed specifically for primaries, PIMS stores individual records
- relationally, not hierarchically. The flexibility this provides means
- information can be retrieved quickly and easily, then incorporated directly
- into reports such as pupil assessment sheets, class lists and registers
- using PIMS' built-in reporting software.
-
- PIMS also brings all the considerable advantages of operating within Acorn's
- RISC OS environment. These include the ability to run concurrently with
- other applications, enabling easy extraction, transfer and presentation of
- information; a fast and responsive desktop environment resulting from
- Acorn's powerful 32-bit RISC processors, and not least, because Acorn
- computers are used in classrooms throughout the country, an operating
- environment which is already familiar to the majority of primaries.
-
- Moreover, migration to PIMS for those primaries currently using SIMS, the
- information management system originally developed for secondary schools, is
- quick and simple. All SIMS data can be transferred directly to the Acorn
- system, and, if necessary, schools can extract information and continue to
- present it in SIMS format if required.
-
- PIMS is available for sale from January 12th onwards from a number of Acorn
- Education dealers either separately or as part of a new Primary
- Administration Package. The package, which has been carefully designed by
- Acorn and Longman Logotron to satisfy a number of requirements identified
- during market research and trials, includes everything a primary school will
- need:
-
- An Acorn A4000 or A5000 computer, Acorn SVGA Multiscan monitor, printer,
- PIMS software & 12 months' hotline support, start-up consumables and
- training, delivery, installation and 12 months' on-site maintenance.
-
- With prices from around #17 a week*, the package is designed to deliver the
- power and performance that go hand-in-hand with flexibility and ease of use,
- as well as the necessary initial and ongoing support to get primary schools
- up and running from day one - all at a price primaries can afford.
-
- Peter Talbot, Acorn's General Manager for UK Education, comments: "Education
- is currently experiencing a time of considerable change. The management of
- schools is altering; traditional local authority roles are disappearing; new
- legislation means more and more schools are now assuming responsibility for
- their own budgets. In the light of these and other developments, that newer
- technology, designed to address these changing demands, will be needed to
- replace older, now outdated systems.
-
- "This period of change presents head teachers with an ideal opportunity to
- take a fresh look at what's available. As far as primary information
- management systems are concerned, PIMS has to be the No. 1 choice!"
-
- PIMS requires an Acorn Archimedes computer running RISC OS 3.1 or later and
- at least 4 MB RAM. Those requiring further information on PIMS should
- contact Acorn's free Education Hotline on 0800 400800 and ask for the Acorn
- Primary Admin Pack.
-
- Ends
-
- * Costs based on an A4000 configuration under Acorn's flexible rental
- scheme, Acorn Options.
-