Russian personal computer users are not famous for their willingness to buy any kind of software so Microsoft Corp has engineered something of a coup in Russia by signing an OEM agreement with VIST, Russia’s largest personal computer assembly firm. So as not to put off its thousands of buyers, VIST commercial director Gennady Bespalov says bundled versions of Microsoft Window and Microsoft Works will not affect the price of VIST personal computers. According to the two companies, VIST is swallowing the cost of the Microsoft software it now supplies with its personal computers. This is VIST making a long-term investment in its business says Microsoft OEM Regional Director for Eastern Europe Zbigniew Skurczynski. Dennis Didkovsky, Microsoft Russia manager for OEM business says this agreement will increase the share occupied by legal software in the Russian software market and will be a boost to the penetration of Windows95 in Russia. According to Mr Bespalov, the new agreement will take weeks to implement as VIST’s Moscow assembly operation and its assembly partners will have to gear themselves up to pre- install the software. Once the mechanism is in place, all new VIST personal computers will come with a twin install option of either Windows 3.1 and Microsoft Works for Windows 3.X or Windows95 and Works for Windows95. VIST already has an agreement with IBM to pre-install OS/2 Warp for all customers that would like it. Mr Bespalov says this will still be possible – customers will just have to wait a little longer since OS/2 is installed manually: It will be no great problem as only a few people have asked for OS/2 since the April agreement.
