Daisy Systems Corp, still recovering from a nasty tumble three years ago that cost it its reputation as a go-go high-flyer, is shifting the emphasis of its Unix-based systems from its own Dynix implementation onto SunOS from Sun Microsystems. The latest range of systems from the Mountain View, Californis, which go by the name Advansys, includes Sun 386i workstations along with Daisy’s own Logician and Personal Logician worksta tions, all based on Intel’s 80386 processor. Daisy says that SunOS and Dynix are compatible at a network and applications level, and that it will continue to sell and support its exist ing DNIX CAE/CAD systems, but will be replacing DNIX with SunOS in the new range, after the release of Sun’s X.11/NeWS graphics and windowing in the late autumn. The Advansys range of comput eraided engineering and design systems, includes eight turnkey systems tailored to specific tasks, such as basic design entry, design and network simulation, analogue design, and custom inte grated circuit layout: the basic design system, for instance, includes a workstation, schematic editor, component library, and packaging-reporting programs to prepare designs for printed circuit board layout. On a Sun 386i/150 with 8Mb RAM, 155Mb hard disk and 19 monochrome monitor, the system costs $23,000. Using SunOS, TCP/IP and NFS, network users can connect up to servers such as the Daisy XL server (based on the Sun-4), or specialist hardware such as the PMX physical modelling system, and the GigaLogician and MegaLogician hardware accelerators for mixed level simulation.
