Opus Systems Inc, one of the pioneers of the Sparcsystem-building business, is retiring from the field after months of struggle and has sold off its Sparc workstation business to Digital Systems Research Inc, a four-year-old $14m-a-year 135-person Arlington, Virginia company described as a government contractor. Digital Systems Research, the acquiring company, claims to be going in with its eyes open. It declined to describe how it intends to negotiate the hazards of the Sparcsystem business before the end of the year. It is currently working on a business plan and apparently expects to sell largely to commercial customers, including the old Opus base of resellers. Digital Systems Research has acquired, on undisclosed terms, manufacturing, distribution and marketing rights to the Opus Personal Mainframe line, along with current inventory, spare parts and access to the existing customer base. It will set up manufacturing at its facility in San Diego where it integrates AT&T Co 3B2s and hangs personal computers off them. It also has a software operation there. About 10% to 15% of its business stems from personal computer packages in health and personal fitness. Fremont, California-based Opus, meanwhile, is focusing on its SparcCard add-in business, and has arranged for Apex Computer Inc, the large Sun Microsystems Inc maintenance vendor, to handle support for Personal Mainframe customers.
