Pushing to be one of the first companies to get Network Computers out onto the market (CI No 2,919), SunRiver Corp, Austin, Texas, moved into the red to the tune of nearly $1m for its second quarter, and $500,000 for the six months up to June 30. The figures conceal an operating profit of $1.4m on lower margins from the company’s SunRiver Data Systems subsidiary, offset by a $1.8m loss at its other subsidiary, TradeWave Corp, and an $800,000 increase in interest payments from the company’s acquisition of Digital Equipment Corp’s VT and Dorio terminal business last October. That acquisition was largely responsible for the 30%, $7.7m increase in sales during the second quarter. SunRiver president and chief executive Gerald Youngblood claimed that the company had nevertheless passed several corporate milestones down the road towards Network Computers for the commercial market, and had moved into beta testing on the first of its family of Network Computers, for which it has licensed Sun Microsystems Inc’s Java and HotJava software. The first Network Computers could ship this month, he said. TradeWave is working to establish its electronic commerce business: last May it won a competitive tender to build a secure public-key infrast ructure system for a consortium of 250 US public utilities, controlling some 40% of transmission line mileage in the US.
