Kode Computers Ltd, the service arm of Kode International Plc, has been appointed by Entertainment Express to maintain its electronic software distribution machines. Over a three-year period, the contract could be worth up to UKP3m, and it currently covers the 50 units which are in operation at John Menzies branches across the UK. The maintenance contract is effective during shop hours with a maximum response time of four hours. The Electronic Distribution Of Software system is a computer with an optical disk drive that holds a number of encrypted software titles. When a title is chosen by a would-be buyer, it is decrypted, recorded and downloaded to a high-speed cassette or floppy disk drive, and all transactions are reported to a host computer which monitors system security, performs accounting procedures and compiles reports. Kode says that since all items are produced specifically for each customer, the system provides an effective way of balancing supply and demand and saves storager space.
