Open Systems
WEBSWARE has chosen to utilize open hardware and software platforms wherever possible. Open systems is a large and growing movement in the computer world today. The term open systems refers to equipment and software that is available from multiple sources, due to open availability of the design. The result of open systems is that the computer customer is not locked into one equipment or operating system vendor.
All of the equipment and operating system software that WEBSWARE uses is available from more than one source. This includes the computer itself and everything that goes in it, plus the terminals, printers, modems, multiplexers, and Unix operating system. In other words, if the company that makes a particular part of your system is no longer manufacturing that piece, we will still be able to replace it, if necessary, with equipment or software from another company.
This is very significant for several reasons. First, your investment is protected, since your entire system will not be made obsolete by the failure of one part. Second, the competition caused by the open nature of the system engenders development of better, faster, and smaller components. This provides you with an upgrade path in the future. Also due to the competition, your equipment costs are kept as low as possible. In 1987, software as large and extensive as SAPIENT would have required an expensive, proprietary minicomputer. Today, open microcomputer systems are available with better performance and lower prices. This trend will continue in the future.