Cookham, Berkshire-based Dialogue UK Ltd is the British arm of a Russian venture that has been formed to market unusual Russian software programs in the West. Some 60 Russian academic institutions and industrial companies have mustered about $2m with a view to locating and establishing markets for their products. A handful of Western organisations such as Chicago, Illinois-based Management Services International Inc are also involved. The products are aimed at specialist markets in the main. General business products include anti-virus programs Virus Hunter and Aidstest, and copy protection software Copy Proof. Scientific software includes Field Manager for use in the creation of interactive numerical analysis packages, two-dimensional grid generator, designed to construct two-dimensional complex curvilinear grids, and Amigo, a simulation package for instrument and machine tool industries. UCM/PC solves unconstrained minimisation problems either on its own or embedded into other systems such as computer-aided design, manufacturing, engineering and simulation modelling, LP/PC solves linear programming problems and MISS is a modular integration system for simulation used in the design of large-scale simulation models. Dialogue UK director John Lardge describes Dialogue as more of a co-operative than a company. The initial idea for the company grew from Western academics who encouraged their Russian counterparts to make their software programs available, he says. Lardge says that it is early days yet. Prices have not yet been set, for instance, and he will be taking advice from specialist distributors on this.
