DEC last week extended its All-In-1 office automation family, and describes it as a key component of its Network Application Support, NAS for short. The company insists that NAS is not DEC’s equivalent to IBM’s SAA, but a strategy to develop a unified software environment. So it all sounds terribly familiar. NAS enables developers to produce applications that run across several operating systems, and future NAS-based software applications will include an Electronic Data Interchange product that will use DECnet/OSI or Mailbus to install an EDI applications interface, translation or communication modules on a host computer or a VAX/VMS network. DEC says that All-In-1 Phase II is the means by which users may access NAS applications in various environments, including VMS, RISC/Ultrix, MS-DOS, Macintosh, and OS/2. The enhancements to All-In-1 represent a break away from the traditional fuctions and image of the product. Until now, it has been a departmental system providing a common user interface to a range of office applications. The new strategy is to develop All-In-1 as a client-server architecture whereby the software runs on the desktop device, and provides the device with access to the network. All-In-1 will be available in four versions during the first half of 1990, including a Starter Version 2.4 for VMS. It provides electronic messaging, document processing, file cabinet management, and system management utilities. It uses MAILbus for distributed directory services, and multi-vendor mail exchange with users of All-In-1, IBM’s Profs and SNADS, MCI, Telex, Unix, and other X400 systems. Digital Document Interchange Format documents can be stored in the All-In-1 file cabinet, and subsequently manipulated by users anywhere on the network. It requires DECnet-VAX software and runs on the MicroVAX 8900 and VAXcluster configurations. It will be available in the UK June 1990, and a personal licence for four users costs UKP1,030, and a system licence for the MicroVAX 3100 system is UKP3,600 rising to UKP57,000 for the VAX 8978. All-In-1 is also available for VMS, MS-DOS, and DECwindows. Version 2.4 for VMS is the server component for client-server implementations for personal computer and workstation users. It provides the same facilities as All-In-1 Starter, as well as group conferencing, time management, and integration with Rdb/VMS. The last enables users to integrate VAX/SQL and VAX Rdb/VMS based applications, and VAX Rdb/VMS enables the use of VAXlink and VIDA for DB2 for access to data on IBM mainframes. Version 2.4 also supports MS-DOS and DECwindows systems. A personal licence costs UKP1,900, and a system licence for the MicroVAX 3100 is UKP7,200 to UKP114,000 for the 8978 system, available March 1990. All-In-1 for MS-DOS provides the same applications and enables personal computer users to access personal computer-based applications from the VAX environment. Message distribution is handled by All-In-1 on the VAX server, enabling mail exchange with IBM Profs, SNADS, MCI, Telex, Unix, and X400. The system provides for computers on local or wide area networks, and connection can be via DECnet, NetBIOS, or remote dial-up. Based on the concept of an electronic briefcase, it requires a minimum of 640Kb RAM, 2.5Mb disk capacity or remote storage via DECnet PCSA, and Ethernet or asynchronous communications. All-In-1 Desktop for MS-DOS will be available in March 1990, and a single user licence costs UKP160. All-In-1 for DECwindows provides an interface to server-based applications, allows mouse selection of menu items, integrates DECwrite document editor, and includes NAS DECwindows applications. It runs on VAXstation 2000 and 3000 workstations, and requires DECnet-VAX software, and the server needs VAX notes and All-In-1 Mail Server. Available first quarter 1990, a single user licence costs UKP350. The All-In-1 range use DEC’s All-In-1 Mail software products which can be purchased separately, and used as a expansion platform for All-In-1. DEC says that future enhancements will include support for OS/2, Macintosh, an object o
riented user interface, and MS-Windows.
