Altos Computer Systems is to help fund the foundation of a new company, ASP Express Inc, which will market, distribute and support Unix-based application and communications software for Altos customers worldwide. Based, like Altos, in San Jose, California, ASP will act as an independent subsidiary of Altos, and will be run by two former Altos executives, Ted Drysdale as president and chief executive, and Richard Tung as vice-president, operations. Altos has previously put seed money into organisations such as Wyse Technology and Informix Software Inc, and did very well out of it, grossing some $25m from the sale of its interests in Informix back in 1988, and $17m from Wyse in 1987. Altos president Ron Conway claims that ASP will do for Altos what Claris did for Apple in terms of proliferating software applications. ASP will continue the ASAP Altos Software Availability Program. ASP Express will begin taking orders from February 1.
