Signs that a general slowdown in the technical computer systems business intensified this week with the news that DEC is to continue with an aggressive series of workstation product launches in July, introducing a low-end DECstation 2100 using a slower version of the MIPS R2000 RISC processor, and high-end asymmetrical multi-processors with three-dimensional graphics, according to Digital Review. Two versions of the top-end machines, which will use the VAX Bus Interface, are expected: a System 3300 (using the R2000 chip) and 3400 (using the R3000), and DEC is also expected to introduce other non-RISC machines and a low-end MicroVAX. The DEC deal will pile on the pressure at Sun, where poor fourth quarter results and rumours that the Sparcstation 1 will be very late have been the first signs of a stumble in the highflying workstation company. But sales of the new DEC systems are not thought to have been spectacular, as software is still in relatively short supply for the machines, while margins for sales of the traditional VAX lines are still more attractive to the company. Meanwhile, Hewlett-Packard, which is now working on the integration of its workstations with the Apollo range using the 68040 processor, is likely to be slowed by the merger process.
