World-wide market for LINC expected

Press, 13 April 1982, Page 23

World-wide market for LINC expected

Burroughs is firing up the LINC publicity machine again in readiness to reaching the next milestone along the path of attaining international acceptance for the locally-developed LINC software.

Later this month the head of the Burroughs international division will visit New Zealand. If negotiations are. successful it is expected he will announce an agreement for Burroughs to market LINC world wide. At present LINC is only available to New Zealand customers.

"No bird soars too high, if he soars with his own wings." With this quotation from William Blake, the South

Island manager for Burroughs. Mr Garth Edwards, introduced a press conference last week.

"LINC is soaring," said Mr Edwards. There are now 10 LINC users in New Zealand.

LINC is an applications generator designed by two Christchurch consultants, Mr Peter Hoskins and Mr Gil Simpson. It runs on Burroughs computers and has become an important element of the sales strategy of Burroughs New Zealand.

Mr Edwards showed how LINC users in the country have been able to develop applications speedily without large data processing establishments. LINC users include Ceramco. Cutler

Hamer, Taranaki Computer Services, Ralta, Lower Hutt City Council, Steel and Tube, Colonial • Motor Company. Crown Consolidated, and Southland Building and Investment Society. At the LINC development centre in Christchurch Burroughs have held 20 courses and trained over 160 people on LINC. Last week they were host to 22 Borroughs staff from countries around the world who have come to Christchurch to evvaluate the LINC product and report to their supervisors on product marketing and support A South African told “The Press" that he had never seen anything like LINC. “I

really do think there is a market for the product." he said, referring to the possibility of the product being sold in his country.

Mr Edwards said that people coming to Christchurch for LINC courses were bringing revenue to the city.

He hopes that Christchurch will continue as the LINC support centre if the product is taken up by Burroughs for’ international marketing. The designers of LINC, who formed a companycalled Future Systems, Ltd, might also expect to benefit handsomely if agreement can be reached with the Burroughs Corporation.