Datapoint Corp has made another push into the Unix market with the launch of a new series of DX machines, following the breakdown of its OEM agreement with Norwegian company Norsk Computer Industrie A/S, originally unveiled at last year’s UniForum show. According to Don Pothier, director of marketing support at Datapoint, the Norwegian machines were having problems passing regulatory agency radiation rules, and so were replaced with the new range. But Datapoint is also thought to have been uneasy about the growing influence of its competitor Olivetti over NCI and its parent Scanvest Ring – which Olivetti now plans to acquire in full. The nex DX family, which will be available internationally, are based on the 68030 processor, and are VME-bus based, Unix System V-compliant, and have extensive networking and connectivity options. The desktop DX50 three slot processor starts from $8,495, and DX100 six-, DX200 12-, and DX400 20-slot versions are also available, with the top-range, 64-user models priced at from $36,425. Pothier would not reveal the source of the new machines, but said that they were from a US manufacturer, and would be the subject of further announcements over the next few weeks. Datapoint has an existing OEM agreement with Charles River Data Systems, Framingham, Massachusetts for the 2400 Series data entry machines, which are now to be distributed in the UK by Standard Platforms Ltd, Blackburn, Lancashire.
