Anyone misled by press gossip that NCR Corp was about to launch a line of Sparc-based machines this week can set their minds at rest – the company did put together a Sparc machine but scrapped it in favour of an Intel-with-everything strategy, first fruits of which will appear tomorrow with the launch of a comprehensive line of Unix machines built around the 80386 and 80486 as the basis of a new seven-level product strategy which at the top-end is expected to feature the machines being developed jointly with Teradata Corp – also Intel-based, presumably; NCR had considered taking Motorola’s 88000 RISC part, but 88open Consortium marketing director Derek Meyer confirmed last week that NCR’s principal membership of the 88000 supporters club lapsed in April – a principal member comes right after sponsor and pays from $27,500 and $250,000 in dues to 88open, depending on revenues, so NCR would have been paying top whack, $250,000.
