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NEWS IN BRIEF, a summary of PC Week for August 31, 1992. Contents
Copyright (c) 1992 by Ziff Communications Company. All rights
reserved.

================================================================

TOP NEWS from the opening pages of PC Week for August 31, 1992:

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Banyan to Unveil StreetTalk Package for NetWare LANs

Banyan Systems will announce in two weeks long-awaited software that
ties its vaunted StreetTalk naming service with the mass of Novell
NetWare users. When Banyan takes the wraps off its Enterprise Network
Services for NetWare on Sept. 15, it will present a sophisticated
interoperability package by which NetWare users can communicate
seamlessly with multiple NetWare and VINES servers. The product will
also give NetWare users an alternative to upgrading to NetWare 4.0 -- a
procedure that some observers say will be costly and difficult. Banyan's
Enterprise Network Services for NetWare consists of a modified version
of VINES -- with file and print services stripped out -- that will act
as a dedicated server for the StreetTalk directory service. The software
also includes a NetWare Loadable Module and Value-Added Process for
NetWare 386 and 286 servers, respectively, and NetWare client software.

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Compaq to Step into Laser Printer Arena

Compaq this week will roll out its first laser printers to an industry
that seems split over the firm's chances for success. Analysts said
Compaq has a good chance at succeeding in the printer market, given its
strong networking expertise, its large installed base of users and its
established distribution channels. However, several Compaq users
contacted last week said that although the machines contain some
innovative features, they will be reluctant to switch to the new
printers. Compaq's first laser printers, the 15-page-per-minute
PageMarq 15 and the 20-ppm PageMarq 20, are expected to list for $3,999
and $5,499, respectively. The combination of these features and Compaq's
networking expertise will make the machines a success, analysts predict.
One user said he is reluctant to replace the company's array of existing
HP LaserJet II, III and IIISi printers.

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IBM's Foundation for Change

As IBM quietly lifts the curtain this week on its new, eight-months-in-
the-making independent PC hardware group, it is setting the stage for
stepped-up cost-cutting and distribution changes to buttress the
operation. The IBM Personal Computer Co. -- which assumes authority for
developing, manufacturing, marketing and distributing parent company
IBM's PC hardware products -- is expected to be announced with
surprisingly little fanfare on Sept. 3. Following the announcement, IBM
will kick off a plan to streamline the new division's operations and
push more aggressively into non-traditional areas such as direct
marketing -- complemented by new products -- and the use of alternative
component suppliers. One analyst expects the new division to reduce head
count significantly in some areas and to break out of the traditional
IBM supply channel for hardware components. One of the first examples of
the hardware division's autonomy will be its move to sell a new line of
notebooks, PS/2s and a new low-cost PS/ValuePoint brand of desktops
through the direct channel.

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IBM and Novell Update Joint Technology Pact

IBM and Novell have renegotiated their landmark February 1991 agreement
to expand areas of cooperation and speed the release of jointly
developed technology. After several months of discussions, the two
companies last month redesigned their base agreement, updating and
streamlining their product licensing, distribution and support efforts.
Officials also added about six new development projects, mainly in the
areas of distributed computing and systems management. IBM and Novell's
initial agreement outlined 15 development initiatives to integrate
Novell's leading NetWare LAN operating system with IBM's desktop, LAN
and mainframe environments. Those initiatives have since escalated to
35. Among other projects, the two companies are working on the ability
to remotely configure, install and distribute NetWare from the
mainframe, better manipulation of NetWare from IBM's NetView mainframe
management system and NetWare support for IBM's Advanced Peer-to-Peer
Network protocol.

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LAN Server 3.0 in Beta; Peer Services Included

IBM last week launched the beta program for LAN Server 3.0 -- a major
upgrade to its network operating system that comes less than six months
after the release of version 2.0. LAN Server 3.0, due by the end of the
year, will include an enhanced High Performance File System (HPFS) for
running OS/2 2.0 on both the client and server, sources close to the
company said. It also will include long-awaited peer-to-peer services
and built-in TCP/IP communications support. The rapid development of the
new release bodes well for IBM in the LAN market. LAN Server 3.0's
revamped version of OS/2's HPFS will allow administrators to run OS/2
2.0 on the network servers. The Entry version of LAN Server 2.0 supports
OS/2 2.0 on both clients and servers, but the Advanced version currently
requires the older OS/2 version 1.3 on the server. The new peer services
in LAN Server will allow OS/2 clients to share local directories and
printers across the network.

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Businesses Act Early to Survive Hurricane's Fury

Even before Hurricane Andrew blasted the Florida and Louisiana
coastlines last week, computer administrators took precautionary
measures to guard against damage to their networks. The University of
Miami's network nerve center survived the brunt of the storm because of
fiber-optic backbones and generators that were activated across the
university's campuses. Initially, network administrators brought the
university network down intentionally to guard against data loss at
router and bridging links. The network was restored four hours after the
storm. After the storm hit, many vendors lent businesses in the area a
helping hand to recover lost data and get damaged systems up and
running.

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IBM'S Direct-Sales Push Riles Netware Resellers

An IBM direct-sales campaign that pits Big Blue against the Novell
reseller channel has some network integrators hopping mad. The new sales
scheme lets users order NetWare over the phone from IBM -- for prices
few resellers can beat. "My cost on 50-user NetWare is $3,019," said one
Novell Gold Reseller. "[IBM is] charging end users $3,440." Analysts
said Novell's decision to let IBM sell NetWare directly may hurt the
networking giant in the long run. Regardless of the effect on the
channel, it seems likely the shift to direct sales of NetWare will grow
in coming months. "If there was a problem with the resellers who handle
Blue NetWare, we would consider discontinuing the direct marketing, but
right now I don't think there's a problem," said an IBM representative,
who added that IBM engineers are fully qualified to support the software
that is sold direct.

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WordPerfect Set to Step Up Its Groupware Push

WordPerfect will launch an aggressive bid this fall to recast itself as
a vendor of work-group applications that rival the clout of its namesake
word processor. At NetWorld 92 Dallas in October, the company will
announce a new version of its WordPerfect Office integrated office
software that boasts advanced message "filtering" capabilities. Also at
the show, WordPerfect will announce a new forms-routing application that
works with its office system. And later this fall, the company will
announce a document-management program that lets users track WordPerfect
documents. The releases should help WordPerfect make up ground lost to
rivals Lotus and Microsoft, which have more vigorously pursued E-mail
and work-group application strategies.

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Microsoft Begins Beta Testing For DOS 6.0

Microsoft has started beta testing MS-DOS 6.0 and is preparing a
"starter kit" for its Windows for Workgroups networking software. MS-DOS
6.0 includes anti-virus software and a utility for maintaining multiple
configuration files, as well as a built-in client for connecting to
Microsoft networks such as LAN Manager, Windows NT and Windows for
Workgroups. Microsoft began beta testing the software on Aug. 21, with
delivery planned for the first half of 1993. Microsoft plans to sell its
forthcoming Windows for Workgroups in software-only form and in a
starter kit that will include everything needed to connect two users,
including two copies of the software, two Ethernet cards, cables and
connectors, a screwdriver and a training video.

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DOS Visual Basic to Debut; Testers Get Windows Update

Riding on the coattails of Visual Basic for Windows, Microsoft this week
will unveil a DOS version of its popular application-development tool.
The DOS product will be shipped in September. The company is also beta
testing an upgrade to Visual Basic for Windows that features faster
performance, an improved user interface and support for two of
Microsoft's Windows Open Services Architecture APIs. Visual Basic for
DOS will closely match the features of its Windows counterpart, except
for those functions that are Windows-specific, such as Dynamic Data
Exchange. Microsoft will offer Visual Basic as a solution for developers
who need to port an application developed in Visual Basic for Windows to
DOS, or for simultaneous creation of an application for both DOS and
Windows, because code from each product can be ported to DOS or Windows.

================================================================

BUSINESS news coverage from PC Week for August 31, 1992:

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JWP Moves to Recover from PC Price War

Battered by the PC price war, JWP is making changes in its reseller
operations, including how it manages its PC inventory. The company
recently took a $64.5 million charge due in part to the declining value
of its PC inventory and spare parts and to the integration of its
acquisition of billion-dollar reseller Businessland. Officials said
plummeting PC prices and the rapid introduction of new PC products left
JWP holding spare parts and PC inventory that were suddenly obsolete.
Furthermore, they said many customers delayed making purchases in
anticipation of further price reductions. JWP also cited PC makers'
difficulty in supplying products as a factor in the company's troubles.
Ironically, it was the same kind of intense price competition in the PC
reseller channel that led JWP to acquire Businessland, which was on the
verge of filing for bankruptcy protection.


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Novell's Future Looks Bright After Strong Q3

LAN operating system leader Novell is on a roll. The company last week
reported strong results for its third fiscal quarter. Despite recent
industry rumblings of an end to Novell's growth, analysts are upbeat
about the firm's prospects in the current quarter and beyond. Novell
reported results in line with Wall Street expectations for its third
quarter ended Aug. 1, earning $66 million on sales of $243 million. Not
all of Novell's products are showing the strong growth of NetWare. In
the third quarter, sales of DR DOS and NetWare Lite were down from the
previous quarter. U.S. sales last quarter grew 43 percent year-over-year
to $129 million, or 53 percent of total sales. Sales outside the United
States during the third quarter increased to $114 million, up 46 percent
from $78 million for the year-ago quarter. Novell's stock jumped $3.88
to $49.50 on Aug. 26, the day after Novell reported its results.

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Fifth Generation Finalizes Deal to Buy Micronyx

Software utilities vendor Fifth Generation Systems last week finalized a
deal to acquire Micronyx, a privately held maker of security software.
Micronyx has annual sales in the $3 million to $5 million range. Terms
of the agreement were not disclosed. Micronyx recently released an
upgraded data-security product called Secure Access that runs on DOS,
Windows, Novell's NetWare, Banyan's VINES, IBM's LAN Server and
Microsoft's LAN Manager. The company also plans to release an OS/2
version. Analysts said the acquisition will strengthen Fifth
Generation's position in the utilities market and complement the
company's existing line of backup and anti-virus utilities. However,
that market is sluggish, they said.

================================================================

THE WEEK IN REVIEW, an overview of the past week in the PC industry,
from the pages of PC Week for August 31, 1992 by John Dodge

IBM's Mixed Networking Messages Keep Everyone Guessing

This week, a preponderance of networking stories dominates Pages 1, 4, 6
and 8. Even our lead story, with its news about the formation of a
servers unit in the IBM Personal Computer Co., has a networking angle.

Networking is not just the infrastructure of information systems. It's
the lifeblood. As stand-alone fades from the IS lexicon (it was
introduced into Webster's as a word in 1969, and the definition is
baffling -- "capable of operating independent of a computer"), it is
being replaced by "group-" as a prefix meaning "collaborative, networked
and distributed."

The relative importance of networking doesn't preclude it from being
confusing. IBM's accelerated commitment to LAN Server and the deepening
of its relationship with Novell send conflicting messages. Which IBM LAN
OS is strategic, its own or Novell's? Connecting to the Novell world
with its own products makes sense. But LAN Server gets much less respect
with IBM selling NetWare as well.

Meanwhile, Microsoft integrates any number of network flavors into
Windows, which is looking more and more like a single cohesive platform.
Much of it is vaporware now, but we'll see how Windows for Workgroups
stacks up as early as October. NT probably comes next year.

One LAN OS platform and one API set make for a powerful story. With its
VMS platform, Digital Equipment Corp. devoured IBM's midrange computer
business from 1977 into the mid-'80s. And IBM customers still wrestle
with an array of overlapping choices, although at least now they have
more of the right options, i.e. NetWare.

The IBM-Novell relationship may be "alive and growing," but where is it
going relative to itself and IBM's other products? The company's massive
restructuring raises more questions than it answers with respect to
simplifying the company's vast product lines.

Multiple LAN platforms make sense when each one has a unique role to
play, but not for their own sake.

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EDITORIAL/OPINION topics from PC Week for August 31, 1992:

Editorial: Winners and Losers in the PC Numbers Game
Soapbox: Search for Software to Distribute Apps Proves Challenging
Jim Seymour: Will IBM's Restructuring Go Deep Enough?
William Zachmann: Expo Raises Questions About Microsoft Credibility
Catchings & Van Name: Use Pilot Programs to Make Application Decisions
Jim Louderback: How to Spend More on Technology and Get Less
Jamie Lewis: Even Free With NT, LAN Manager Is No Bargain

================================================================

SPENCER F. KATT'S RUMOR CENTRAL from PC Week for August 31, 1992:

Wake Up, Already! Toshiba's Pen Notebook Sedates the Katt

Spencer has seen the future, and so far it hasn't been pen computing.
Two years ago, pen developers banged the drum loudly, only to watch the
technology sputter. Far from purrfect by Katt standards, pen computing
has been plagued by the high cost of not-so-great hardware and
vaporware.

So when the Katt called Rumor Central from an undisclosed location
("Hey, I'm in North America, OK?" he snarled) to tell us about Toshiba's
forthcoming pen notebook, we were skeptical. In fact, Spencer was so
underwhelmed, he had debated whether to call at all. Anyway, the power
meower viewed a 386SLC-based (IBM CPU!?) notebook with a 9.5-inch screen
weighing about 6.5 pounds. Toshiba is leaning toward Pen Windows as an
OS, although it is also a Go PenPoint OEM.

Sound unexciting? There's more. Toshiba, believing that if you want a
damned desktop PC you should go out and buy one, did not provide a port
to attach an external VGA monitor. A Toshiba rep at this secret demo
also couldn't understand why anyone would ever want a color screen on a
portable computer. Uh-huh, yawned the wily one.

At $3,000, this tentatively priced treasure might bow at Comdex with
shipments beginning late this year and early in 1993. To be fair, the
features list has not been set in Kattnip. External keyboard, internal
fax/modem and LAN card are all being considered, as are 40M-, 60M- and
120M-byte hard-drive options.

Pen pioneer GRiD, on the other hand, will be announcing a new unit in
October that will come with a pull-out keyboard. This move by the
GRiDites is in response to customer demand. Meanwhile, GRiD plans to cut
prices on existing pen models.

Lots of Dell 325N notebook users are eyeing pen devices, given the way
their mice are behaving. Spencer has been inundated with reports that a
driver problem causes the mouse pointer to go bananas without notice,
effectively crashing the machine. Dell has just started to ship a new
and improved driver, but it's unclear whether this fixes the problem.
Users of the 325N are also still reporting the long-standing battery-
contact problem. The battery tends to disengage from the rest of the
unit, shutting off if the 325N is not plugged into a standard wall
socket. Michael had better get his notebook act together if his good
name is to continue standing for high quality, the fabulous fur ball
hissed.

Also, customers buying Dell's low-priced Dimension PC tell the Katt that
orders are slow to be filled. A Dell rep explained to one customer that
it's the fault of the outside maker of the line. Like, I'm a customer
and I'm supposed to care about motherboard glitches the outside
manufacturer has? What's Gateway's number? groused Spencer.

There are two versions to this story about a dispute between Intel and
DEC. DEC reportedly ran an ad mentioning the 586 chip. The first version
says Intel gently rebuked DEC, saying the chip won't be called the 586
and would DEC kindly remove the reference. Another tipster said Intel
sued DEC and settled for $1 million -- a scenario that Spencer finds
hard to swallow. We live in strange times, the Katt acknowledged, but
not so weird that a faithful customer would get sued by a supplier for a
relatively innocent mistake.

From high above Ken Olsen's parking space outside DEC's Maynard, Mass.,
headquarters, the redoubtable feline has been able to learn much about
the outgoing and incoming cultures. Spencer recently watched Robert
Palmer, perhaps a bit prematurely, park his white Camaro convertible
where Ken's aging tan Caddy used to reside. During a lunch break,
Spencer spied the youthful Palmer, wearing a loud tie and shades, laying
down a little rubber in the DEC parking lot. Ken, from the old school,
drives slowly down Ma in St., waving to employees as he goes.

It's more like "out with the old, in with a massive infusion of cash"
for checking accounts bearing the names of Microsoft's largest
shareholders. In late July, several individuals dumped more than $100
million worth of common shares. Bill Gates sold 1.125 million shares of
his 81.5 million stake; Mike Maples cashed in 10,000 shares, nearly half
his MS holdings; former President Jon Shirley redeemed 30,000 shares of
his 1.7 million total; Paul Allen sold 200,000 shares of his 36.5
million stash; and former VP Scott Oki sacrificed 10,000 shares of his
505,000. "Nice work if you can get it," hummed a mellifluent Spencer.
..... .BRB

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Rich tips are rewarded with gym bags. Call the Katt
(no press releases, please) at [phone]; on MCI, it's SKATT; on
CompuServe, it's 72631,107; or try ZiffNet's PC Week forum on
CompuServe.

================================================================

HARDWARE news coverage from PC Week for August 31, 1992:

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Microsoft Marches to Sound of 2 Drummers

The booming sound market has computer makers scrambling to add audio to
their systems, and software giant Microsoft is looking for a piece of
the action. Microsoft's strategy for adding sound straddles both the
multimedia PC (MPC) specification from the MPC Marketing Council and
Compaq Business Audio initiative. Microsoft's forthcoming audio card,
code-named Foghorn, will be MPC-compliant; however, the company is also
backing Compaq's initiative with sound support in Windows 3.1. Under the
Business Audio initiative, Compaq has built sound chips onto the
motherboards of its PCs, starting with the new Deskpro/i and Deskpro/M
machines. Microsoft is expected to market its sound card as both a
retail and an OEM product, meaning the company will compete with other
audio-card makers such as Creative Labs and with audio-chip makers such
as VocalTec and Analog Devices, whose chips are used in the Compaq PCs.

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DEC, ZDS Set Sights on Low End of PC Market

Digital Equipment last week ushered in a new era in its PC strategy with
the release of its first home-grown machines: a line of six low-cost
systems. In a separate announcement, Zenith Data Systems (ZDS) announced
its own series of low-cost PCs. The new DECpc LP line includes six
machines, five of which are upgradable. The line includes a 386SX/33
DECpc 333sx LP; a 386DX/40 DECpc 340dx LP; a 486SX/25 DECpc 425sx LP; a
486DX/33 DECpc 433dx LP; and a 486DX2/50 DECpc 450d2 LP. Price ranges
from $899 to $2,199. The line is due in volume next month through
DECdirect, DEC's direct marketing channel. ZDS' Z-300/400 series
comprises four new PCs: a 386SX/25 Z-325SX; a 486SX/20 Z-420SX; a
486SX/25 Z-425SX; and a 486DX/33 Z-433DX. Prices range from $1,039 to
$1,839. The Z-420SX, Z-325SX and Z-433DX are available now; the Z-425SX
is due next month. The PCs are available directly from Zenith, through
its new Z-Direct catalog or through resellers and dealers.

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Leading Edge, Unisys, AST Fall in Step with Price
Cuts

The computer price war continued last week as three firms slashed prices
on existing PC lines. Leading Edge reduced pricing on its entire product
line by as much as 30 percent, while Unisys slashed prices on its line
of PW2 Advantage desktops by up to 66 percent. In addition, AST Research
cut its government service contract prices by up to 27 percent. Unisys
made the largest reduction to its 16MHz 486SX-based PW2 4163, which was
lowered 66 percent. The greatest reduction to the Leading Edge line was
made to the Multimedia SX-20 Plus system, which was cut by 30 percent.
AST reduced prices on its Premium Exec notebook for Government Service
Administration (GSA) contracts by as much as 27 percent.

================================================================

SOFTWARE news coverage from PC Week for August 31, 1992:

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Adobe Readies MAC, Win Tools

Adobe Systems is planning to have a colorful fall. The company is
expected to announce in September Adobe Dimensions, its first three-
dimensional modeling and rendering offering for the MAC. At Comdex/Fall,
Adobe plans to unveil a Windows version of Photoshop, its image-editing
package. Photoshop for Windows will offer functionality on par with its
successful MAC counterpart, including high-end features such as color
trapping and separation, and tools such as lasso, magic wand, airbrush,
rubber stamp and smudge according to sources. Adobe Dimensions will
allow users to easily create 3-D images from two-dimensional files. It
will directly read Adobe Illustrator and Adobe Photoshop files and will
provide the ability to set light sources and apply surfaces to objects.
The product will initially be introduced on the Mac but is a likely
candidate for Windows as well.

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HP Utility Helps Users Navigate in Windows

Hewlett-Packard this week will step up its attempt to become a PC
software player when it ships a new product aimed at making Windows
faster and easier to use. The weapon of choice is Dashboard, a utility
that replaces or augments Windows Program Manager. Dashboard provides a
control panel for launching programs and managing system resources such
as printers and memory. Similar to Rooms, from Xerox XSoft division,
Dashboard lets users set up multiple screens, each running a separate
set of applications. Users can switch between screens for different
tasks, rather than running all their applications jumbled up in one
screen. While Program Manager offers only one level of program groups,
Dashboard lets users set up groups within groups. It also puts the icons
of the most commonly used applications in a single panel.

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NETWORKING news coverage from PC Week for August 31, 1992:

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IBM to Raise Bar on AS/400 Line

IBM will continue to build peripheral muscles around its successful
AS/400 minicomputer core this week when it debuts new AS/400 network
adapters and disk storage. IBM's AS/400 division will announce
significantly faster Ethernet and Token-Ring LAN adapters for the
midrange line, along with its first RAID hardware storage offering and a
four-way processor model. IBM will also announce that it will ship
Version 2 Release 2 of the minicomputer's OS/400 operating system by
Sept. 25, three months ahead of schedule. Improving the AS/400's network
performance could help fuel a migration from mainframe-based
applications to the less-expensive IBM minicomputer platform, users and
analysts said. The performance improvements carry a high price tag,
however. The new LAN adapters are priced at $4,500 each. The current
Ethernet adapter for the AS/400 is $2,150, and the current Token-Ring
adapter is $3,750.

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Users Unswayed by Heated Modem Battle

The ongoing war of words and court filings between Hayes Microcomputer
Products and Multi-Tech Systems has left many corporate modem users
confused but has not had a major impact on their modem-buying decisions.
Multi-Tech goes back to court next week in Minnesota, where it will seek
a preliminary injunction to permanently bar Hayes from distributing a
controversial modem test kit called the Hayes Modem Escape Reliability
Test Files. Hayes first began promoting the test kits last month in a
print advertisement that stated a "fatal flaw" in modems that do not use
Hayes' patented AT Command Set can interrupt data-flow transmission and
give users "untold chaos." Multi-Tech officials acknowledge that their
company's proprietary escape sequence differs from the AT Command Set's
escape sequence. Multi-Tech officials are worried that if they are not
able to permanently stop Hayes from distributing the kits,
unsophisticated users will order the kits out of fear and shy away from
non-Hayes products.

================================================================

APPLICATION DEVELOPMENT news coverage from PC Week for August 31, 1992:

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SCO Considers IPO After Profitable Year

With the company consistently earning profits for the first time in its
history, The Santa Cruz Operation is considering an initial public stock
sale as a way to bolster its clout with large corporate customers. SCO
officials say the company has generated profits for the past three
quarters and it expects to show a profit this fiscal year. SCO spent
most of the 1980s building a market for Intel-based Unix, and making a
profit was less important than gaining market share. With its Open
Desktop 2.0 operating system slowly penetrating the Fortune 500 arena,
the company is turning its focus to growing its share in the open
systems, client/server market. To try to demonstrate its organizational
maturity, SCO has revamped its corporate structure. The Intel-based
advanced operating system market is expected to evolve during the next
year when competing products from Unix System Labs, SunSoft and
Microsoft are due to arrive. SCO will have to work even harder, then, to
prove to often-skeptical corporate users that Open Desktop is the right
choice, analysts said.

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HP, Gupta to Link Databases

Gupta Technologies and Hewlett-Packard are expanding their development
alliance in an effort to open up HP's proprietary Allbase/SQL and
TurboImage databases. The two companies plan to release next year for
the two HP databases an interface based on Microsoft's public Open
Database Connectivity (ODBC) specification. An ODBC interface will allow
users of any ODBC-compliant Windows application -- none of which has
been released yet -- to access Allbase/SQL and TurboImage data on HP's
Unix-based 3000 and 9000 midrange systems. The two companies will
jointly develop and market an ODBC driver for the Allbase/SQL and HP
TurboImage databases. The announcement shows that HP is continuing
efforts to open up its technology while it also signals growing industry
acceptance of the ODBC technology, according to industry analysts.

================================================================

PRODUCT ANALYSIS coverage from PC Week for August 31, 1992:

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First Look: Connectix Tools Simplify Setup of PowerBook

Macintosh PowerBook users will appreciate the Connectix CPU's collection
of useful utility routines for regulating all aspects of the PowerBook's
battery, display, hard drive and keyboard. Connectix PowerBook Utilities
(CPU) 1.0 is an integrated collection of Macintosh PowerBook utilities
that no PowerBook user will want to be without. The $99 CPU Control
Panel features powerful and extensive utilities for customizing and
managing just about every aspect of a PowerBook's battery, hard drive,
display and keyboard. The CPU Control Panel contains 14 user-
customizable controls in the form of icons, and PC Week Labs found the
program useful and easy to use in spite of its almost overwhelming
wealth of options.

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First Look: Lotus' Organizer 1.0 Gives Users PIM Basics

Although Lotus' Organizer 1.0 is not as sophisticated as some personal
information managers (including Lotus' own Agenda), it meets simple
information needs and offers a number of features that make sharing data
easier. Lotus Organizer 1.0 brings a smooth interface and simple
multiuser awareness to personal information managers (PIMs). Lotus has
aimed a bit lower with Organizer in comparison with its last PIM effort,
the more flexible Agenda. The $149 Organizer is geared toward users who
need to store addresses, notes and other small bits of personally
collected information and must share that information with other users.
Although it lacks true multiuser database features, Organizer offers
extensive support for distributing and sharing its data files.

------------------
First Look: LogicWorks' ERwin/SQL Smooths Database Design

LogicWorks' ERwin/SQL is a Windows-based tool that lets database
designers graphically create and maintain database structures. Database
designs can be easily manipulated and are presented in a clear, flexible
manner. However, ERwin/SQL's complete absence of help and referential
documentation made the product more difficult to learn and use than it
should have been. A heavy price can be paid for incorrectly designing a
database -- even if applications and data are correct, performance can
be compromised. ERwin/SQL 2.0 ($1,495) makes the process much smoother
by allowing users to concentrate on the design of the database rather
than on the SQL syntax for implementing the structure, or "schema".
Drawing on PC Week Labs' knowledge of the fundamentals of database
design and generating code to create databases, we had no trouble using
ERwin/SQL. The product is not for novices, however -- a user unfamiliar
with these fundamentals will not learn them here.

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First Look: Design/IDEF 2.0 Strengthens Systems-modeling Features

Design/IDEF 2.0, from Meta Software, adds database export features and
many user-interface refinements to an already polished, multiplatform
systems-modeling tool. Flowcharts and other graphic tools for systems
modeling have been justly criticized as being merely expensive
variations of Etch-A-Sketch, providing another way to visualize a
design but doing little or nothing to increase its quality. Design/IDEF
2.0 goes beyond mere diagrams; it automatically supports and enforces
proven modeling disciplines, specifically the Integrated Computer-Aided
Manufacturing (ICAM) Definition method. In PC Week Labs tests, this
method stimulated new thinking about how and why a complex process
behaves the way it does and how it might be made to work better.

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First Look: Despite Flaws, NodeVision Has Promise

Network managers who want to pinpoint changes in network workstation
configurations may find a potential solution in Fresh Technology's new
Windows-based node-administration program, NodeVision 1.10, provided
Fresh can make some needed improvements to the package. NodeVision 1.10
is an admirable effort to provide network managers with a tool that
spans a variety of network operating systems and equipment. But in PC
Week Labs tests the package suffered from compatibility flaws when we
configured it with some network operating systems. PC Week Labs used
NodeVision's extensive data collection tools to gather data on nodes
running NetWare 3.11, but when it came to monitoring a Banyan VINES 5.0
LAN, the package hung. Fresh Technology claims the package does support
earlier versions of VINES, and version 5.0 support is planned.
================================================================

COMPANIES IN THE NEWS, coverage of companies and their products
in PC Week for August 31, 1992:

Company                                                    Page
---------------------------------------------------------------
Acucobol Inc. .............................................. 69
Adobe Systems Inc. .......................................... 6
Alacrity Systems Inc. ...................................... 38
Apple Computer Inc. ....................................... 141
Ardat Inc. ................................................. 24
Atlanta Signal Processors Inc. ............................. 29
AT&T Graphics Software Labs ................................ 45
Autodesk Inc. .............................................. 37
Banyan Systems Inc. ......................................... 1
Blue Sky Software Corp. .................................... 59
Businessland Inc. ......................................... 141
Caere Corp. ................................................ 10
CBIS Inc. .................................................. 24
Compaq Computer Corp. ............................... 4, 15, 21
Corel Systems Corp. ........................................ 45
Data General Corp. ..................................... 24, 49
Dell Computer Corp. ........................................ 10
Digital Equipment Corp. .................................... 15
Document Sciences Corp. .................................... 37
Eagle Technology Inc. ...................................... 53
Egghead Discount Software Inc. ............................ 144
Epson America Inc. ......................................... 28
Expert Systems Inc. ........................................ 45
Fifth Generation Systems Inc. ............................. 145
Forte Software Inc. ........................................ 14
Frecom Communications Corp. ................................ 56
Frontier Software Development Inc. ......................... 49
Future Systems Solutions Inc. .............................. 45
GammaTech Inc. ............................................. 40
Gupta Technologies Inc. .................................... 59
Harris Adacom Corp. ........................................ 57
Hayes Microcomputer Products Inc. .......................... 16
Hewlett-Packard Co. ................................ 5, 14, 141
IBM .................................................. 1, 6, 49
Inforite Corp. ............................................. 21
Inmark Development Corp. ................................... 59
Intergraph Corp. ........................................... 45
Intel Corp. ................................................ 49
Isicad Inc. ................................................ 49
JWP Inc. .................................................. 141
LANQuest Labs .............................................. 56
Leading Edge Products Inc. ................................. 21
Lighten Up Software Inc. ................................... 45
Lightning Communications Inc. .............................. 56
Logitech Inc. .............................................. 37
McAfee Associates ......................................... 144
Magic Solutions Inc. ....................................... 57
Memorex Telex NV .......................................... 141
Metrum Imaging Products .................................... 24
Microboards Inc. ........................................... 68
Microcom Inc. ............................................. 147
Microsoft Corp. ................................ 4, 21, 49, 141
MiniScribe Corp. ........................................... 10
MultiScope Inc. ............................................ 15
Multi-Tech Systems Inc. .................................... 16
NetFrame Systems Inc. ...................................... 14
Network Interface Corp. .................................... 56
Novell Inc. ..................................... 1, 4, 49, 141
OptImage Interactive Services Co. .......................... 68
Oracle Corp. ............................................... 14
Performance Pursuit Inc. ................................... 28
PictureTel Corp. .......................................... 147
Pioneer Software Inc. ...................................... 69
Prisma Software Corp. ...................................... 45
Polaris Software ........................................... 37
QMS Inc. ................................................... 14
Quarterdeck Office Systems ................................. 59
Racal-Datacom Inc. .......................................... 8
RasterOps Corp. ............................................ 21
Reference Software International Inc. ...................... 40
Santa Cruz Operation Inc. .............................. 16, 69
Sejin America Inc. ......................................... 28
S.H. Pierce & Co. .......................................... 38
Sigma Data Inc. ............................................ 28
Slate Corp. ................................................ 45
Software Spectrum Inc. ..................................... 37
Strategic Mapping Inc. ..................................... 16
Symantec Corp. ............................................. 15
SynOptics Communications Inc. .............................. 49
Tandy Corp. ............................................ 5, 144
Ten X Technology Inc. ...................................... 24
3M ......................................................... 29
Toshiba Information Systems Inc. ........................... 15
Trellis .................................................... 56
UniPress Software Inc. ..................................... 69
Univel ...................................................... 4
Unix Systems Laboratories Inc. .............................. 4
Ventura Software Inc. ...................................... 37
Versant Object Technology Corp. ............................ 59
WordPerfect Corp. ........................................... 1
WordStar International Inc. ............................... 144
Xerox Corp. ................................................ 37
Zenith Data Systems ........................................ 15
Zenographics ............................................... 38