MIPS Computer Systems Inc is using SecureWare technology in its System V.4 iteration of RISC/os, now in beta test, to give it Orange Book C2 and B1 ratings – but the company is currently faced with the problem of staying viable long enough to find out whether the Advanced Computing Environment will work. It’s facing substantial losses, systems sales are depressed (a reason for it to turn to System V.4?) and ACE revenues won’t kick for a while. It’s been reorganising and giving a golden handshake to a lot of talent while hiring new talent at the same time. One of those who left was Bill Jobe, who was originally executive vice-president of sales, marketing and service, and the man who put many of the company’s crucial deals – those with Digital Equipment Corp, Prime Computer Inc, Groupe Bull SA, Tandem Computers Inc, Control Data Corp – together. He stepped into a new role as president of MIPS Technology Development, a venture capital operation, after Chuck Boesenberg came over from Apple as MIPS president. The venture capital operation, having made two investments, in Vitesse Semiconductor Corp and X Window display house Athenix Inc, has been shelved in the belt-tightening.
