Santa Ana, California-based Alpha Microsystems Inc was positively orgiastic in the outpouring of new product announcements last week. It has signed a letter of understanding with Opus Systems Inc of Mountain View, outlining a proposed business relationship under which Opus agreed in principle to license Alpha Micro as the exclusive distributor of its RISC-based family of add-in boards based on the Motorola 88000 architecture as turbochargers for the Amos, Pick and Business Basic markets. Pricing and delivery are to be announced in mid-October. Alpha Micro and Opus also agreed to join forces to configure a special entry-level system with attractive pricing, which will be used to start users on Unix System V for the 88000. Also in the 88000 world, Alpha Micro announced its new family of RISC-based, Unix business systems based on the Delta machines it is buying OEM from Motorola Computer Systems Inc. In the Alpha colours they are called the Series 9000 and are being pitched at Amos and Business Basic users that want to migrate to Unix – or run their Pick applications under the VMark Software Inc or Unidata Inc implementations of Pick under Unix. The AM-9000 Series comprises three systems that are offered in deskside and floor-standing cabinets. Series 9000 models are available with one to four 88100 CPUs, up to 256Mb memory and disk to 21Gb and support for up to 300 users. Pricing on the Series 9000 family starts at $23,000 for an AM-9040 entry-level system, with 16Mb of memory, 300Mb disk, support for 10 users and Unix System V.3.2. An AM-9080 with 256Mb of memory, 10Gb of disk and support for 260 users will be about $208,000 in the US, the company says.
