Trouble in paradise. (88000-based Data General product line part 2)

TROUBLE in Paradise

Last month we discussed the attributes of Data General's recently announced 88000-based product line. This month we'll take a closer look at what some of these products mean to the average MV/Family user and, more importantly, To Data General. In addition, we'll take another look at some questionable performance figures for the Maverick workstation.

AViiON: Inside joke or accident?

By now, everyone knows DG's industry-standard product line is called AViiON. I guess it doesn't really matter that I'm not crazy about the name; I'm sure it's not going to make or break the new products. At the press conference announcing the product, someone in the back of the room asked DG's president, Edson D. de Castro, how they came up with the name AViiON. After a long-winded answer wherein he basically stated that they started at "Vion", then "Avion", then "Avvion", then "AViiON", someone else stood up and shocked the crowd by accusing DG of deception with their new products. The gentleman said, "We've analyzed your new AViiON product line and it looks to us like you've just repackaged the NOVA." The crowd stood stunned as the gentleman continued, "If you look at the name AViiON and reverse the letters and remove the "ii," you end up with NOVA ii or NOVA II." Mr. de Castro looked obligingly surprised and laughed, while the crowd applauded the revelation.

Anyway, after thinking about it for a while, I'm willing to bet (and so is Pete Rose) that DG started with "NOVA" spelled backward and that it was no accident they ended up with AViiON. I'm sure if the AViiON product becomes as successful as the MV was and they hire Tracy Kidder to write The Soul of a …