DEC eyes desktop system management bundling

Electronic News, June 8, 1992 by Craig Stedman

MAYNARD, MASS. -- Digital Equipment Corp. has developed new desktop management software based on technology acquired in its 1991 purchase of the Philips computer operations and is reportedly trying to get Microsoft and IBM to bundle the package with the Windows and OS/2 operating systems.

DEC is approaching other PC hardware vendors about including the new Vivace software as a pre-loaded package with their machines. No agreements of that sort have been signed yet, though, and DEC would not say when the code might be directly sold with its own PCs.

Whether Microsoft or IBM would have any interest in Vivace is not clear. Observers noted they could develop similar software themselves or turn to other existing suppliers for the technology, which sits on top of the operating system and provides increased data and file management functionality.

DEC executives would not comment on reports the company hopes to convince both Microsoft and IBM to use the new package. However, marketing manager Jim Dennis said DEC would like at the least to sign up some PC manufacturers to market Vivace with their hardware.

The software was introduced last week for marketing through DEC's sales channels as a $145 PC add-on. It only supports Windows for now, but OS/2, DOS and Unix versions are eventually planned; a Macintosh release is not likely since that system "already has these capabilities", said Ronald Ham, group manager for PC applications at DEC.

Vivace was developed by a group of former Philips employees in Appledoorn, Holland, using technology from an earlier Unix-based package called Concerto that Philips had marketed in Europe. DEC, after buying the Philips computer unit, changed the focus of the software to Windows because of the higher-volume opportunities in the PC market.

The package combines a graphical user interface with document-oriented data and file management functions, as opposed to the applications-based approach used by the operating system. It would compete mainly with similar desktop managers from Symantec and Xerox's XSoft division.

DEC also is trying to position Vivace as an alternative to Hewlett-Packard's New-Wave software that requires less memory and disk space. However, Seybold Office Computing Group analyst Ronni Marshak noted that NewWave supports groups of users whereas Vivace is a single-user package.