Having proved itself a worthy antagonist for IBM in the mainframe market, Fujitsu has now set its sights on DEC in the minicomputer market, and has chosen as its weapons the Unix operating system and third party VAX applications recompiled to run on a new line of low-end machines. The move, which follows the reorganisation of its low-end computer joint ventures as a prelude to producing an integrated minicomputer line (CI No 613), will culminate next month in the launch of the first models in the new line. The family will bring together the S3000, the U-1000 and the A-30 series into one new range of seven models, with a top processing performance of 5 MIPS. All models will run Unix with real time and communications extensions, and the top three models, successors to the S-series, will also continue to run their own Ovis operating system. Below the S successors will be three models to succeed the U-series that will be built around the Motorola 68020; low-range models will follow in May. Although the machines will initially be sold only in Japan, they are likely to be manufactured for Europe at the majority-owned Fujitsu Espana SA in due course.