Tolerant Systems Inc has sealed its earlier decision to retreat from hardware manufacturing (CI No 1,136) in favour of producing fault-tolerant software products with a change of name. The San Jose, California-based company is now to be known as Tolerant Software Inc, and will concentrate on unbundling its existing fault tolerant technology to offer as system level software and utilities. Initial offerings will be packaged as part of the forthcoming AT&T Unix System V Release 4.0, and marketed directly at Unix hardware vendors. Although Tolerant’s president Ronald Haley called the move a natural progression for the company, reflecting a strong interest from customers and computer vendors for unbundled versions of our software capabilities, it involved, as reported, a 25% reduction in the company’s workforce, which is now down to 75. Tolerant will continue to support customers of its Eternity fault tolerant hardware, but said it would not be seeking new systems business. However, the machines will continue to be available from companies that have manufacturing licence agreements with Tolerant, including Hindustan Computers of New Dehli, India, and the South Korean Government’s prime computer contractor Dacom. Most notable amongst software licensees have been Bull SA and RC Computer, back in July 1987.
