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1993-03-16
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F O R I N T E R N A L U S E O N L Y
COMPETITIVE ACTION - WEEKLY UPDATE
FEBRUARY 24, 1993
Welcome to the new Competitive Action Weekly.
If you need more information about these articles, please send an HP Desk
message to Competitive /HP6650 Include your name, non-telnet FAX number
and the NUMBER THAT PRECEDES THE ARTICLE YOU NEED.
If you would like to be added, deleted or you have changed locations, please
send a message to Competitive /HP6650. Include your HPDesk address.
Competitive Action is posted to HP-UX notes in the group hp.marketing. The
string is entitled "hp.competition for <date>".
BC = Beyond Computing
BW = Business Week
CC = Corporate Computing
CW = Computer World
DNR = Digital news & review
EN = Electronic News
IW = Information Week
MS = Midrange Systems
NC = NCR Connection
OST = Open Systems Today
RSM = RS/Magazine
SO = Sun Observer
SJMN = San Jose Mercury News
SW = Sun World
UGX = Unigram-X
UR = Unix Review
UW = Unix World
WN = Workstation News
WSJ = Wall Street Journal
Editor,
Nadine Halsted
*************************************************************
DATA GENERAL ARTICLES
**************************************************************
189.
** DATA GENERAL WINS BULL FOR ITS CLARIION RAID DISK
ARRAYS
(UGX, 2/22/93, pg. 3)
DG's foray into integrated storage subsystems with its CLARiiON disk array
has won Compagnie des Machines Bull SA as a customer. Bull has signed for
exclusive rights to offer the RAID disk arrays with its IBM Corp. RS/6000 Unix
systems and servers.
*************************************************************
DIGITAL ARTICLES
**************************************************************
190.
** DATA TOPICS
(EN, 2/22/93, pg. 17)
DEC's version of OSF/1 remains on schedule to ship next month for Alpha, and
the company is hoping the 64-bit software's support for running recompiled
Unix System V and Berkeley Unix applications will help change its public
image as a Unix also-ran. More than 400 applications are supposed to be
available on day one, and another 1,000 are said to be in the works. DEC's
OSF/1 at first will lack the functionality needed by most commercial users.
191.
** EXECUTIVE SUMMARY
(IW, 2/15/93, pg. 8)
DEC has sold 3,000 to 6,000 of its high-octane Alpha platforms. There has
been one big contract: Computer Sciences Corp. placed a $4.2 million order for
350 Alpha AXP workstations to run mission monitoring and scheduling
applications for the Air Force.
192.
** 5TH TIME A CHARM IN DEC DECISION
(OST, 2/15/93, pg. 84)
In its fifth change of position in a year, DEC officials said last week they
will not support OSF/1 on their Mips-based DECstations and DECsystems.
**************************************************************
HP ARTICLES
**************************************************************
193.
** HP SOFTBENCH FOR ALL IBM SYSTEMS?
(UGX, 2/22/93, pg. 4)
Casting grave doubt on the future of any in-house repository at IBM Corp., the
company has extended its existing license for HP's Softbench Framework to
include non-Unix IBM systems such as OS/2. The original license for the
software engineering tools environment covered IBM's AIX-based development
offerings only.
194.
** HP AND NEXT IN DISCUSSIONS
(UW, 3/93, pg. 16)
Steve Jobs has been negotiating with HP to port his company's Nextstep object-
oriented operating system to HP's PA-RISC platform. An agreement with HP
could give Next numerous distribution channels to sell its software and
demonstrate Next's move toward becoming a software-oriented company.
195.
** BITS
(UW, 3/93, pg. 20)
UP's HP-UX received the highest satisfaction rating for UNIX operating
systems in Datapro information Services Group's 1992 UNIX Honor Roll.
196.
** HP PROFITS REACH $261M, SALES UP 18% FOR Q1
(EN, 2/22/93, pg. 7)
HP reported a Q1FY93 net income of $261 million on sales of $4.5 billion for
the period ending Jan. 31, 1993. Sales for Q1FY93 were $3.8 billion.
197.
** FOLLOWING PROTOCOL, HP TAPS RUSSIAN R&D
(EN, 2/22/93, pg. 21)
HP found available Russian scientists for new projects by advertising a
technology contest in national newspapers. Up to 30 Russian scientists could
be working on several projects by year end.
198.
** NETWORK MANAGEMENT - APPLICATIONS AVALANCHE?
(IW, 2/15.93, pg. 43)
No one knows better than the "Big Three" in the Unix network management
market - HP, IBM, and Sun - that applications count. IBM recently increased
the offerings on its NetView/6000 platform with new software from SynOptics
and Accugraph. But for HP, having a number of applications run on top of its
OpenView is not enough. The company plans to tighten the links between
those applications.
[ Editor note: This article suggests HP's strategy is superior to
IBM's and Sun's.]
**************************************************************
IBM ARTICLES
**************************************************************
199.
** IBM MAKES A START ON OPENING UP THE AS/400
(UGX, 2/22/93, pg. 4)
It also has a new non-upgradeable entry model, the 9402 A02, which supports
up to seven workstations. It is available in the UK, Italy, and some other
European countries, but not in the US or Japan.
[ Editors note: Check the competitive hotline subject IBMAS2 for more
information on IBM's new AS/400.]
200.
** WILL SHED 1,200 JOBS IN JAPAN
(UGX, 2/22/93, pg. 4)
IBM Japan is offering its 3,000 employees over the age of 50 a voluntary, early
retirement program under which they will get full retirement benefits and a year
and a half extra pay if they leave the company and start their own companies in
businesses related to IBM.
201.
** COMMENTS
(UGX, 2/22/93, pg. 8)
IBM will seek formal X/Open XPG4 base branding for a future release of the
OS/400 operating system.
202.
** IBM APPLICATION BUSINESS SYSTEMS IN BLACK AMID REVENUE
DROP
(EN, 2/22/93, pg. 16)
IBM's ABS (AS/400) unit last week blamed Q4 currency fluctuations in Europe
for dropping last year's revenues two percent below 1991 results. The operation
netted $1.2 billion before taxes on hardware and software revenues of $4.4
billion in 1992.
203.
** FULL PAGE ADVERTISEMENT - YOU AIN'T SEEN NOTHING YET.
THE IBM AS/400. SUCCESS ISN'T COMPLICATED
(WSJ, 2/22/93, pg. B3)
Datamation's product of the year 1992 - Overall Winner - IBM AS/400. Also
named VAR Business product of the year and listed among Information Week's
"Hot Products". A customer satisfaction rate just shy of 98%.
204.
** IBM NETWORK GROUP LOOSENS HOST SHACKLES - INCENTIVES
SPUR DEDICATED SALES FORCE
(CW, 2/22/93, pg. 1)
Last year was the first time IBM's network software revenue exceeded its
hardware. Software raised 51% of the $5.3 billion in networking revenue. The
unit has its own sales force of more than 500 people.
205.
** USERS BRING DOWNSIZING DEMANDS TO EXPOSITION
(CW, 2/22/93, pg. 16)
IBM demonstrated a downsizing tool that had many of its mainframe users
excited. The Personal/370 adapter A is a single card that contains a full S/370
processor. When plugged into a Micro Channel Architecture Personal System/2
running OS/2, it allows the user to execute S/370 programs and versions of
IBM's VM and VSE operating systems.
[ Editors note: Is response time measured in hours?]
**************************************************************
SGI ARTICLES
**************************************************************
206.
** SGI DIPS ITS TOE INTO THE MAINSTREAM
(UW, 3/93, pg. 15)
D.H. Brown estimates that SGI will hold about $1 billion of the $18 billion
technical computing market this year. SGI's move into the server business a
significant expansion opportunity. With the new line of servers, SGI may
sustain 20 to 25% rate of growth. SGI's competitive lead in the market may
eventually shrink. Particularly troublesome could be HP, with its strong lead
in processing performance and SMP experience.
**************************************************************
SUN ARTICLES
**************************************************************
207.
** SUN READIES MOSCOW OFFICE TO SERVE CIS
(UGX, 2/22/93, pg. 6)
Sun will open a wholly-owned subsidiary in Moscow , which will serve the
Commonwealth of Independent States. CIS includes the former Soviet Union,
minus the Baltic Republics and Georgia, though Georgia will come under Sun's
CIS umbrella. Sun already claims to have customers in the area downsizing
from mainframes to client/server solutions. Sun has some 500 machines
installed across CIS and the new operation will start life with 12 distributors
and 10 value added resellers.
208.
** SUNSOFT BOSS URGES COMMON UNIX SPECS
(UGX, 2/22/93, pg. 7)
SunSoft president Ed Zanker, speaking at the recent Unix International
members meeting in New Orleans, reportedly issued a call to arms against
Microsoft Corp. He made a strong plea for the industry to come together and
adopt common interface specifications and common marketing programs.
209.
** SUN LAUNCHES CONSULTING SERVICE
(UW, 3/93, pg. 18)
Sun announced SunIntegration Services, a new consulting group for Sun's
hardware customers. It is aimed at helping mainframe users downsize to Sun's
SPARC-based servers and workstations. It will start out with a staff of 50.
210.
** TOSHIBA SEEKS BUSINESS SPARC
(EN, 2/22/93, pg. 17)
Sun authorized Toshiba to resell its Sparcenter 2000 server and other jointly
developed products in a three year OEM deal. Toshiba expects the deal to be
worth $1.4 billion in Unix products.
**************************************************************
OTHER
**************************************************************
211.
** MICROSOFT BRINGS NT TO UNIFORUM
(UGX, 2/22/93, pg. 3)
Microsoft will be exhibiting at the UniForum Unix trade show in San Francisco
between March 15 and 19. Microsoft's Windows NT group has signed up for a
20 by 20 foot booth, claiming it doesn't have the budget for a bigger space.
212.
** KUBOTA READIES ALPHA WORKSTATION, GRAPHICS
SUBSYSTEMS
(UGX, 2/22/93, pg. 3)
Next month, Kubota Pacific will introduce a new workstation and a family of
graphics subsystems based on DEC's 64-bit Alpha AXP RISC. The three-
dimensional graphics and imaging workstation will be configured with multiple
Alpha AXP's.
213.
** HYUNDAI'S AXIL UNDERCUTS SUN WITH SPARCLASSIC CLONE
(UGX, 2/22/93, pg. 5)
Hyundai Electronic America's Axil Workstations Inc. is bent on conquering the
slippery slopes of Sun's Sparc cloning, and last week announced the Axil-220, a
MicroSparc knock-off of the Sparc Classic undercutting Sun by pricing it at
$3,600 in single quantities and letting it run Solaris 1.1 as well as 2.x. It
claims it is the lowest priced RISC color workstation in the industry.
214.
** COMMENTS
(UGX, 22/93, pg. 8)
Unix Expo had an independent survey taken and found that its 1992 attendees
represent a hefty $10 billion in purchasing power for Unix and open systems.
Networking is its strategic focus.
215.
** INTERGRAPH BOXES TO RUN UNIX, NT - THREE GRAPHICS
WORKSTATION LINES DOUBLE PREVIOUS PERFORMANCE
(OST, 2/15/93, pg. 40)
Intergraph is shipping a new series of graphics workstations that use the same
C400 CPU as the old system, but have been designed to run at a faster clock
rate and are built with a faster memory subsystem and a new cache design.
Intergraph is in the process of porting its CAD/CAM/CAE applications to
Windows NT.