Dear VS Customer,
The last two decades have seen rapid changes in computing technology, yet since 1977 the VS™ computer has been one of a handful of computer systems remaining in production. For over twenty years, people have been relying on their VS systems. The strength and flexibility of the original design continue to deliver on the promises of solid value and ease of use. Loyal customers such as yourself have found that the VS continues to be a steady workhorse that can be counted on to get day-to-day production work done in the most cost effective manner. We at Wang understand how important the VS is to your business.
As we look to the future, we see a continued and important role for today’s VS and its successors. While today’s trend in computing technology embraces the network and client server technology, there are and will continue to be production processes that are best suited to mainframe or minicomputer technology. In this context we can see a long future for the VS product line.
Some of the most significant aspects of this future include:
- Long-term Support Commitment: Wang has a long-term commitment to the VS and our VS customers. Aside from a few of our oldest products reaching the end of their life cycle, we fully expect to support the VS product family with quality hardware and software contract support through at least the year 2007.
- Continued Processor Development: During InterACTION ’97, Joe Tucci, Wang’s Chairman and CEO, made the first public comment about our new VS processor development initiative which is well underway. While it is far too early in the development cycle for us to project a first customer delivery date, we expect to deliver a processor that provides a substantial performance gain over the current high end VS 16000 and does so in a board level upgrade.
- Other Core Hardware and Software Efforts: Our VS R&D team is also undertaking other significant hardware and software development projects that are material add-ons to our CPU projects. These include an active project to deliver our first VS Operating System which supports over 1000 devices and tasks and new generations of enhanced I/O components, as well as other operational support products for activities such as backup.
- Network Integration: Similarly, VS R&D is committed to the delivery of next generation client/server connectivity products, which include new desktop client functionality for Microsoft Windows NT workstation clients. This effort is central to our long-term goal for the VS as a full-featured legacy data server available to users on your network. As a result of customer input at InterACTION, we are undertaking final evaluation of the VS’s functionality as a web server.
- Year 2000: Wang’s Year 2000 Program is our most important VS effort. We can now provide year 2000 enabled operating systems for all machines introduced in the past decade, including our VS 5000, 6000 and high end product lines. We expect to conclude the outstanding elements of work on year 2000 compatible versions of Wang Applications early in 1998. Our year 2000 effort includes an extensive offering of professional services from Wang and its selection of outstanding partners. These services can help you move rapidly through the planning and preparation process and on to readying your applications for service in the next millennium.
We at Wang feel that supporting the Year 2000 readiness effort is the single most reinforcing contribution we can make to our VS customers. I urge you to contact your Wang representative at your earliest possible opportunity to discuss year 2000 readiness. Even if you have plans to migrate from the VS prior to year 2000, it is important to understand that assistance is available from Wang to complete your migration of choice and at a time of your choosing. It is also critical that you understand your VS contingency options should events impact your migration timetable.
In summary, we remain committed to the enhancement and ongoing support of the VS. These enhancements will allow you to integrate your legacy systems into your future computing environment. We are investing in new generations of hardware and software and are prepared to assist you in your transition to the next century. These initiatives allow you to preserve and extend the value of your earlier VS investment decision. At the same time, the wider breadth of skills within Wang Laboratories stand ready to help you design, deploy, manage and maintain the latest generations of network technology.
Please call your local Wang representative at 1-800-639-9264 for an in depth discussion of the future available to and for your VS.
Regards,
Robert E. Curtis, President
Wang Multi-vendor Service