Cambridge, Massachusetts-based Lotus Development Corp is to support Hewlett-Packard Co’s HP Apollo 9000 Series 700 Precision Architecture RISC workstations with its real-time version of Lotus 1-2-3. Hewlett-Packard’s RISC workstation will also be the development system for Lotus Realtime 2.1. Available on Digital Equipment Corp and Sun Microsystems Inc workstations since last year, Realtime will also be on IBM Corp RS/6000 RISC workstations, Lotus confirmed, after shrinkwrapping has been completed for Hewlett-Packard, and on other systems later in the year. With Lotus Realtime, data is immediately fed into Lotus 1-2-3 to update existing information but the interface appears to the user as Lotus 1-2-3. Parading the Lotus Realtime system as its product for the 1990s, along with its cc:Mail electronic mail and Lotus Notes groupware products, the company is focusing on European financial services as a key market. In the second quarter last year, the company claims to have provided 61% of the world-wide spread-sheet market. Last week, Lotus signed a worldwide distribution deal with Teknekron Software Systems as well as recruiting Kapiti Ltd, Slough, Berkshire, as a new reseller. To lure in customers, Lotus is offering a free copy of Lotus 1-2-3 and Lotus Realtime when users trade in their current real-time spreadsheet as well as reducing the list price of the Lotus Realtime system (Lotus Realtime plus 1-2-3) to #1,200 per user. Lotus says that it will be shipping in the third quarter.
