Systems Application Architecture springs to life with release of OfficeVision Series With the launch of the OfficeVision Family of office systems applications – OfficeVision/2 LAN Series, OfficeVision/400 Series, OfficeVision/VM Series, OfficeVision/MVS Series -and Asian language versions of the MVS and VM ones, Systems Application Architecture becomes a reality – of sorts. The programs look like SAA applications, and there are versions for all the SAA architectures – but of course you couldn’t load the OS/2 code on an MVS machine with any hope of having it run, as is the ultimate promise of SAA. The OfficeVision Family, insists IBM, is an evolutionary step from existing IBM office products IBMers have privately described it rather more apocalyptically and provides integrated office applications, with emphasis on compatible function and data sharing. Each series consists of a base product and separate optional products, so that IBM can extract maximum return on the development effort. The base provides communications and services for OS/2 Extended Edition and MS-DOS workstations, and enhances the capabilities for non programmable terminals in the host series. The OfficeVision/2 LAN Series means that the complete office system can be set up without a host, and the function of the LAN Series is also included in the OS/2 Office Feature and the OS/2 Office DOS Requester Feature of each host OfficeVision series. And the whole is designed for painless integration, so that IBM developed, customer and third party applications can be integrated using programming interfaces to provide easy access by users. Non-programmable terminals as well as directly connected MS-DOS and OS/2 Extended Edition personal computers provide access to host office applications in each host series, so IBM is not forcing users to install brand new PS/2s everywhere if they want to follow it down the OfficeVision route – at least not initially. OfficeVision/2 LAN Series for PS/2 The OfficeVision/2 LAN Series is the OS/2 member of the new family, and of course provides an SAA Common User Access graphical model with workplace extension implemented on OS/2 Extended Edition for use in each of the SAA environments of MVS, VM, OS/400 and OS/2. Release 1 includes support for mail, correspondence processing, address book, file system and telephony, but that’s pretty slim pickings: users need Release 2 for diary, decision support, an electronic filing cabinet, library, on-line help and tutorials, and integrated application support. MS-DOS users get a user interface similar to that for the OS/2 user. OfficeVision/2 also ties together other host and OS/2-based applications, and can distribute to and receive mail from VM, MVS, OS/400, VSE and IBM local network systems. The thing of course puts up screen icons, and In the OS/2 environment the IBM OfficeVision/2, office objects behave as would the everyday objects they represent, promoting ease of learning and use, says IBM intriguingly – does that mean that if someone has taken something out of the library, no-one else can get at it until it has been returned? IBM also claims it helps to reduce the time and overhead of system administration since all installation of occurs directly onto the OfficeVision/2 server rather than individual requesters, minimising the work needed to set up a group of users and reducing problems associated with program maintenance. It costs a one-time $750 for OS/2 Office Feature, $210 for the DOS Requester, and $540 for converting the Office DOS Requester Feature to OS/2 Office Feature. But while the very basic Release 1 arrives in September, with attachment to DisOSS under DOS/VSE following in December, users have to wait until March 1990 for the Real Thing, Release 2, and until a year from now, June 1990, for the decision support function of Release 2. OfficeVision/MVS, OfficeVision/VM Bending over backwards not to make MVS users with DisOSS feel that they have wasted a fortune on something they will have to throw away now, IBM describes the OfficeVision/MVS Series as extending the us
ability of existing MVS office products to enable evolutionary growth to a Systems Application Architecture application, with support for MVS/XA and MVS/ESA. Elements of the system are the OfficeVision/MVS with Document Writing, Document Composition, Application Connectivity and TSO Application Access features; local network and direct connection for OS/2 Extended Edition workstations; an MS-DOS requester for the OS/2 Office LAN; and an MS-DOS direct connect feature. Migration of existing Personal Services/CICS, Application Support Facility, Integrated Processing of Data and Text, and Personal Manager programs is offered on payment of upgrade charges. It is charged on the new up-front plus annual basis and is $15,130 and $2,760 a year, or $860 a month, on a Model Group 18 9370, to $51,000 and $9,000 a year, or $1,815 on a large 3090. Release 1 is out in September, 2 in June 1990. OfficeVision/VM is pretty much the same as the MVS version – no mention of Profs – and costs $8,500 and $1,500 annually, or $605 a month on a baby 9370, and charges on Group 18 to Group 50 machines are the same as for MVS. Dates are December 1989 Release 1, March 1990, Release 2. Yes, OfficeVision/400 is AS/400 Office As we suggested back last October, OfficeVision/400 is effectively a new release of AS/400 Office, with support for OS/2 and MS-DOS workstations – the existing AS/400 Office will be represented in the OfficeVision Family as the IBM OfficeVision/400 Series. It adds OfficeVision/400 support of directly connected OS/2 Extended Edition boxes running OS/2 Office and supports the SAA Document Library structure and distribution services. And there is still a one-time charge $2,885 on a B10, $28,640 on a B70, or you can pay $1,890 upfront and $335 a year on a B10 to $18,740 and $3,310 a year on a B70, or you can pay a straight monthly licence of $945 on any AS/400 model. The new release is set for June 1990. In the meantime, Release 2 of AS/400 Office with PC Support, Communications and Language Dictionaries available in the fourth quarter at the prices above. IBM OfficeVision – Acolytes Mixed batch goes on-line as Interactive Images, Comshare, Synon line up behind IBM Sharing the IBM platform on Tuesday were 14 business partners, eager to commit to SAA compliance or announce software products supporting SAA and OfficeVision. Partners include Interactive Images Inc, Comshare, and Synon Inc. Interactive, based in Woburn, Massachusetts, was able to provide further details of Easel, a software program licensed to IBM and marketed via its Co-operative Software Programme for development use under OS/2 Extended, and a run-time module. Easel converts 3270 applications into Common User Accesscompliant frontends for PS/2s, and can also be used as a screen design tool, within CUA compliant application development. Additional features include a high-level language for Cobol programmers and those unfamiliar with C, prototyping capabilities, a nonprocedural objectoriented environment, enabling any part of the screen to be modified with single commands, and multitasking capabilities, enabling developers to run multiple – remote or local – applications, concurrently. Optional application templates and pre-built financial applications are also available. The one-time charge for the development software is $7,200; the run-time version costs $295. IBM says both products, available on either 3.5 or 5.25 disks, will be out by August 25. For its part, Comshare Inc, Ann Arbor, Michigan, issued a statement of direction, indicating that its Commander EIS/SQL cooperative processing software will comply with SAA. It also announced that the partnership agreement signed with IBM last July has been extended for two years through to April 1991. It now encompasses enhancements for the PC-DOS version, and a new version designed to run under OS/2 Extended Edition. The product provides high level non-technical users with five business applications and news services. These include Redi-Mail, which currently enables users to access Profs for receiving mail and sendin
g EIS screens, and will provide a similar function for OfficeVision in the future. No financial details, but the company retains product and independent marketing rights. A third participant was Synon Inc, which publishes and licenses the Synon/2E computer-aided software engineering automation tool for the AS/400. The company says the product generates code consistent with the SAA Common User Access, and will provide development methods, eight times faster than traditional ones, for creating SAA-compliant applications in the future. One-time charges, which vary according to tape size and languages, range from $48,000 to $60,000. Out next week. SAA means hard work for users, Anderson warns A warning that taking full advantage of SAA requires companies to consider more than compliant products, accompanied Andersen Consulting’s Tuesday announcement that it will offer SAA compliant applications and computer-aided software engineering tools. Managing partner Mel Bergstein said the migration would need end users and data processing staff to develop new skills, and added that management must be committed and focused on the change in attitude, skills and culture required. Bergstein claimed that SAA could offer companies a better return on investment, a reduction in mission critical development risks, and the means to help staff work faster, smarter and more accurately. However, he argued that it would also necessitate additional employee education and training, assistance in implementation from outside, and a combination of application packages, software engineering tools, and external resources. Andersen describes Foundation, its control and automation tool as the platform on which it will build its range of SAA offerings – DCS/Logistics business distribution mainframe system, Mac-Pac manufacturing, resource planning, and control system, and Mac-Pac for the AS/400. Consumers Software wings in from Canada On Wednesday, Toronto-based Consumers Software Inc said it had licensed a version of The Network Courier MS-DOS messaging application for use with the new OfficeVision/2 range. Company chief Jack Gruschow says it provides a CUA-compliant user interface, and will provide MS-DOS micros with access to OfficeVision electronic mail. Under a separate co-operative marketing agreement with IBM, the software will also sold by IBM across Canada, and in 14 regions in the US. Tesseract personnel, Lotus 1-2-3/G Tesseract Corp and Lotus Development Corp also rushed out software announcements supporting IBM’s new OfficeVision products. The former, New York-based company says that by integrating its HRMS Intuition range of payroll, personnel management, and benefits administration software with the OfficeVision products, it will provide consistent, integrated, and simplified office functions across IBM’s major operating environments. Currently, the software provides users at workstations running under OS/2 Extended Edition with access to Tesseract’s family of mainframe personnel applications, and features a colour graphics, icon-based user interface. Initial releases will be available this summer; additional phases are planned later in the year, and throughout 1990. Prices start at $28,000. Meanwhile, Lotus has said it will adapt its 1-2-3/G graphical spreadsheet to exploit OS/2’s multi-tasking capabilities and Presentation Manager user interface. At the announcement, Lotus also demonstrated 1-2-3/M, a character-based version of the spreadsheet designed to run on IBM mainframes, and an example of multi-platform integration, using Release 3.0 and 1-2-3/G and 1-2-3/M. No indication however, of cost, availability, or how it would achieve the integration of 1-2-3 into the new OfficeVision software. Although Microsoft demonstrated its Excel in the OS/2 and Presentation Manager environment, it is assumed that IBM’s pre-existing pact with Lotus for an MVS mainframe version of 1-2-3 means that gets precedence. Information Builders builds PM/Focus And Information Builders Inc, New York previewed a forthcoming implementation of its Focus lan
guage and database for Presentation Manager at the SAA Office rollout, the company says – old names die hard! The promise for PM/Focus is co operative processing and applications portability across graphic environments in a 100% SAA-compliant package, and the company claims the package will offer complete database, application development and decision support capabilities – including reporting, three-dimensional graphics, statistics, financial reporting and spreadsheet functions – to Presentation Manager for both PS/2 and AT-bus personal computers, with LU6.2-based co operative processing between the micro and VM and MVS, and will work with all major non-Focus database files on all supported machines – initially, SAA-level DB2, OS/400 DBMS and the OS/2 Extended Edition Database Manager, with SQL Server, Sybase, Oracle, and Ingres, to follow. PM/Focus is promised for second quarter 1990. Pricing has not yet been set.
