Ever on the look-out for those desperate DEC PDP-11 users who wish to transfer their Basic+ software on to Unix hardware, Blackpool-based software house Datavision Ltd has established a US sales office in Chicago, Illinois, from where it will sell the Universe Basic compiler to systems houses and resellers. First to cash in on what is, according to US co-ordinator Tim Fitzpatrick, a massive and still wide open market over here, are the Chicago-based Intel OEM customer ICOM Systems, Altos’ mid-west regional distributor Responsive Computer Systems from Dallas, and systems integrator Zaiaz International from Alabama – Zaiaz produces co-processor boards, based on National Semiconductor or Fairchild chips, which upgrade an IBM Personal to workstation-like performance levels. Datavision, which already has deals with Unisys in Canada and Genroco in the US, has also signed an agreement with Digital Computer Exchange of San Francisco, which will use Universe Basic to sell its Omnix Basic+ applications software into the US Unix market. Datavision is currently talking to other Altos distributors, and expects the deals already struck to yield around $300,000 by the end of the year.
