Newsbytes - Internationa…ews 1983 May to 1994 June/Newsbytes - International Computing Industry News 1994 Edition - May 1983 - June 1994 - Wayzata Technologies (5045) (1994).iso/mac/Text/Mac Text/1986/V143

Text File | 1991-07-26 | 59KB | 1,314 lines

[***][2/18/86][***]
IBM CRACKS DOWN ON THE GRAY MARKET:
Cut-rate PCs are bad deals, says in essence ads that appeared in
35 major daily newspapers.  IBM is warning buyers that if they
do not buy PCs from authorized IBM dealers, they may face a lack
of service and may not have their warranties honored.  This is
the first time IBM has appealed to consumers, rather than
dealers, in an attempt to thwart a growing gray market for
PCs.  Actual packaged PCs will now bear a red sticker issuing
the same warning.  "We think it will have an impact.  We
think there are many customers who will choose not to purchase
from unauthorized dealers after seeing the ads," said IBM
spokesman Don Kennedy.

[***][2/18/86][***]
IBM CUTS ITS OWN PRICES:
Trying to beat the gray market at its own game, IBM is reportedly
cutting prices on single-drive and dual-drive PCs--but only to
high volume dealers.  The cut amounts to 20%, according to John
Higgins, vice president for products at Computerland Corporation.
The cuts do not apply to XTs and ATs.  IBM has no comment on
the cuts, which reportedly are effective through July 31.  IBM's
apparent move has sparked interest in the next PC line offering;
IBM always cuts prices on an older line within months of
introducing a new one.

IBM also slashed prices on two Sierra mainframes by 10%, by 21%
on two older models, and introduced four new versions of its 4300
series.

[***][2/18/86][***]
COMMODORE FEELS THE WHIP AGAIN:
It was another stinging quarterly loss--$53.2 million.  Commodore
International blames this newest blow, felt during its second
quarter ending December 31, on the closure of two plants (Britain
and California) and a cutback on inventory.  Commodore reportedly
owes some $150 million on a bank loan for which it is in default,
and its latest waiver runs out this week.  Says Jan Lewis of Palo
Alto Research Group, "I don't see that the banks have much to
gain by pulling the plug."  Commodore, of course, hopes to work
out a new loan arrangement and by slimming and trimming, eventually
reach profitability.  The company reports it sold 1,000,000
computers during the holiday season, but does not disclose what
percentage of those were Amigas, their bet-the-bank product.

Here at Newsbytes-Central, we receive, maybe, one press release
a month from Amiga's PR agency, Geltzer and Company.  The latest
states that Ohio State University's Computer Graphics Art
program has purchased 17 Amigas for use in its computer graphics
lab.  "Amiga's low price ($1,295) impressed budget-conscious
administrators," says the release.  The price is due to the 25%
cut now being offered to colleges.

CONTACT:  ALAN PENCHANSKY, GELTZER & CO., NEW YORK CITY
          212/575-1976

[***][2/18/86][***]
OVER AT ATARI:
The official tally now shows 80 programs available for the Atari
ST, with some 70 more due by the summer, according to Sig
Hartmann, Atari's director of software development.  Still
another 1,200 developers have purchased ST development kits.

[***][2/18/86][***]
APPLE PITS:
Mike Lorelli, hired by Apple to serve as its U.S. marketing
head just 9 months ago, has resigned to join PepsiCo,
John Sculley's old haunts.  Lorelli says he's leaving for
personal reasons, one of which is that he wants to return
to New York where he formerly worked for Playtex.  It's
clear that Sculley helped Lorelli find the job.  "He
helped grease the skids," he reportedly said.

Meanwhile the "San Francisco Examiner" reports that Jobs,
himself, inadvertently tipped-off Silicon Valley to his
purchase of Pixar even before it was written in the chips.
Apparently Jobs was calling recruiters, bawling them out
for trying to hire away key Pixar engineers.  That led
to word spreading like wildfire.

[***][2/18/86][***]
HP'S BIG RISC:
The Hewlett-Packard 3000 minicomputer, based on the reduced
instruction set architecture, is now due for an extravagant
release on February 25.  Code-named Spectrum, the machine
will be featured in a worldwide video teleconference from
the company's Palo Alto headquarters.

CONTACT:  HP'S PR DEPARTMENT, 3000 HANOVER STREET, PALO
          ALTO, CA.  94304  415/857-1501

[***][2/18/86][***]
MICROSOFT'S PUBLIC IMAGE:
A lot of hungry eyes are watching Microsoft, waiting to leap
on its stock offering next month.  The company is seen as
an excellent investment by many analysts, provided shares
are sold between $16 and $19.  Why?  Microsoft has proven
itself to have a seasoned management team, a broad product
line, and invicible ties to IBM.  Analysts expect Microsoft
stock to perform better than Lotus' and Ashton-Tate's, two
competitors which went public in 1983.

Correction:  Last week I wrote that Goldman, Sachs and
Computer would be handling the underwriting.  It's Goldman,
Sachs and Company!

Meanwhile, Microsoft's prospectus shows it is being sued by
the man who did the first development on MS-DOS.  Rod
Brock of Seattle-based Computer Products, Inc., in 1981, sold
the rights to the MS-DOS prototype to Microsoft for $50,000
plus a licensing agreement which allowed him to market
peripheral boards with MS-DOS.  Unfortunately, Brock lost
most of his business to a big fire last year, so tried to
sell his license to MS-DOS boards to someone else.  Microsoft
said, "No, no!"  Brock says, "Yes, yes!" and the matter
is now in the hands of attorneys.

[***][2/18/86][***]
ADAM OSBORNE UPDATE:
Paperback Software will offer a program said to be "95 to 98
percent dBase III-compatible," according to Adam himself.
The software, developed by Sub Rosa of Manitoba, Canada,
will read dBase II and II files but will not run dBase
programs without modification.  Called "dComp", it is
scheduled for release in "late spring" for "less than
$100."

The company's VP-Planner, meanwhile, reportedly sold out
its initial 12,000 copy run and is providing Paperback
Software with a modest income, despite a few annoying bugs
in the program which will be fixed in a new release due
out this month to registered owners.

CONTACT:  PAPERBACK SOFTWARE, 2612 EIGHTH STREET,
          BERKELEY, CA.  415/644-2116

[***][2/18/86][***]
WHERE ARE THEY NOW DEPARTMENT?
Paul Terrell started the Byte Shop chain in 1979, selling
it when it reached 74 stores within a year.  He's back
with another retail idea which appears as promising as
his first.  Software Emporiums are springing up all over
the South Bay; there are four in the San Jose area,
one in San Diego and one opens in Fremont in February.
Why the quick growth spurt in an otherwise overcrowded
retail market?  Terrell is RENTING software--thousands of
titles for all kinds of machines--for as little as $1
a day.  Previous attempts to rent software have run into
legal brick walls as users took programs home and simply
copied them.  But Terrell is using special Vault Corp.
disks, on which all programs are initially copied, but
which prevents any attempt to copy them to another disk.

Software rental, he says, enables people to "test drive"
products, especially if they're confused about "how
compatible compatible is."  About 50% decide to buy the
rented programs, he says.

In case you're looking for a business opportunity, Terrell
plans to franchise his "very profitable" stores this year.

CONTACT:  PAUL TERRELL, SOFTWARE EMPORIUM, 10215 S. DEANZA
          BOULEVARD, CUPERTINO, CA. 95014  408/252-2822

[***][2/18/86][***]
IN BRIEF--

ADVANCED MICRO DEVICES has entered into a joint agreement
to develop integrated circuits with SONY of Japan, a move
which signals a "rather join than conquer" approach for
the American company which formerly was one of the most
outspoken critics of Japanese competition.

DATAQUEST, a San Jose-based market research firm, says Japan's
semiconductor market will be bigger than the U.S.'s this
year.

VICTOR TECHNOLOGIES of San Jose says its majority owner,
Datatronic A.B. of Sweden will buy the company's European
subsidiaries in exchange for forgiveness of $12.5 million
Victor owes it.

LOTUS DEVELOPMENT CORP. has signed an agreement with EQUATORIAL
COMMUNICATIONS of Mountain View, Ca. in which Equatorial's
receivers will be packaged with Signal stock market quotation
packages.  Currently, only those who can receive FM broadcasts
of the Signal quotes can use the system.  The addition of
the receivers will allow anyone, throughout the country, to
access information directly from Equatorial's satellite.

ORACLE SYSTEMS CORP. of Belmont, Ca. plans to make an initial
stock offering to raise between $10 and $13 million with
which it hopes to pay off debts.  The softwre company has
409 employees and had sales of $23.1 million in 1985.

WORLDS OF WONDER in Fremont, Ca. says it's sold more than
942,000 "talking" Teddy Ruxpin bears, but 4.7% have been
returned because they won't talk.  Most of the problems
involve the unit's cassette deck.

TANDEM COMPUTERS of San Jose, has announced it has bought
19.5% of Plano, Texas-based Integrated Technology, a
privately held telecommunications firm.  Tandem hopes to
jointly develop voice/data network products with ITI.

APPLE COMPUTER has joined the Corporation for Open Systems,
the 24th member of the organization devoted to implenting
industry-wide communications standards.

[***][2/18/86][***]
BOOK NOOK:
Author Thierry Breton says the next frontier for terrorists
will probably be computers in his new book "Softwar" (Holt,
Rinehart and Winston, $15.95).  An adviser on computer
crime to the French government, Breton paints scenarios of
doom as twisted, but sophisticated programmers get their
hands on computers that are critical to the operation of
a company or even a government.  "People don't often realize
that working in a computer center is working with a precious
asset of a company," he says.  His book also plants a
suggestion that software tampering could be used by the U.S.
government to create chaos in the U.S.S.R.  The software
"bomb" in the machine could go off at a critical moment,
destroying data, in a machine originally sold to the Soviets
via the U.S.

At least Breton takes his own medicine.  He's planted
softbombs in his own payroll management software which
go off whenever anyone tries to copy it.




[***][2/18/86][***]
INSIDE MICROSTUF VS. SOFTKLONE          *EXCLUSIVE*
In briefs filed with U.S. District Judge William O'Kelley last
week in Atlanta, Microstuf Inc. of Roswell, GA and Softklone
Distributing Corp. of Tallahassee, FL revealed their strategies
in a software copyright case that could mean big trouble for
software writers or users.  Judge O'Kelley took Microstuf's
request for a restraining order against sales of SoftKlone's
Mirror under advisement January 31.

According to the briefs, a key question is the legal status of
Crosstalk XVI's status screen, from which commands are entered.
SoftKlone admits the commands and screen of its Mirror were
copied from Crosstalk XVI, release 3.6.  Microstuf's lawyers,
Vaughan, Roach, Davis, Birch & Murphy, Atlanta, charge that
Softklone's Mirror copied all 72 commands used on the screen,
escaping "hundreds of development hours required to design its
own display." They cite a Virginia case, Koontz vs.  Jaffarian,
in which a scheme for electrical contractor estimates on Hewlett-
Packard computers was copied and put into a program on a Texas
Instruments machine.

SoftKlone's attorneys, Alston & Bird, Atlanta, call the Crosstalk
XVI status screen a "form" which cannot be copyrighted, adding
that,if SoftKlone can't market Mirror, users will be denied the
ideas expressed in standards like WordStar and Lotus 1-2-3, by
clones such as New Word and Twin.  Both sides cite the case of Synercom
Technology Inc. vs. University Computing Co. (1978), which
stated that ideas cannot be copyrighted, only their expressions.

CONTACT: FRANK G. SMITH III at ALSTON & BIRD, 1200 C&S NATIONAL
         BANK BUILDING, 35 BROAD ST., ATLANTA, GA 30335
         [phone]

         STANLEY BIRCH at VAUGHAN, ROACH, DAVIS, BIRCH & MURPHY,
         ONE RAVINIA DRIVE, SUITE 1500, ATLANTA, GA 30346
         [phone]

[***][2/18/86][***]
MODEL 100s BARRED FROM FEDERAL COURT    *EXCLUSIVE*
Recording devices are barred from the Atlanta federal courthouse
under a local rule, 115-I, which took effect January 1, 1986.
The purpose is to prevent courts from becoming circuses, filled
with TV cameras and tape recorders.  Fair enough, but citing the
same order, a reporter cannot use a Model 100 to take notes on
court documents, marshals said. This reporter's computer was
confiscated and he was forced to take notes on a pad with a pen.
A pen, of course, can easily damage or change the court records
being read -- a Model 100 can't.

CONTACT: U.S. Marshal's office, Richard G. Russell Building,
         75 SPRING ST SW, ATLANTA, GA 30303 [phone]

[***][2/18/86][***]
HARBINGER PROMISE PUTS BANKS IN-TOUCH
Six of the nation's largest banks have contracted with Harbinger
Computer Services Inc., Atlanta, to offer small business a direct
link with the banks called InTouch. (Harbinger refuses to name
the banks.) The service, which evolved from the Promise, a home
banking and shopping product introduced in 1984, would let small
businesses transfer funds and maintain cash balances in a way
similar to treasury workstations used by large customers. InTouch
runs on IBM PCs and compatibles.

CONTACT: TYCHO HOWLE, HARBINGER COMPUTER SERVICES, 1900 CENTURY
         PLACE, SUITE 380, ATLANTA, GA 30345 [phone]

[***][2/18/86][***]
Q-NET OFFERS ANOTHER WAY TO LINK COMPUTERS
Microscience Inc. has rolled out Q-Net, an "intelligent switch"
which permits up to 128 terminals, printers, computers and modems
to share information, even if they're incompatible.  Founder
William Glover hopes the fourth time is the charm with
Microscience. He previously helped found three other Atlanta
high-tech companies: Computone Inc., Scidata Inc., and
Recreational Computer Systems Inc. Microscience is 7-years old;
it also sells Apollo and NCR mini-computers running UNIX to
universities.

CONTACT: WILLIAM GLOVER, MICROSCIENCE INC., 8601 DUNWOODY PLACE,
         DUNWOODY, GA   [phone]

[***][2/18/86][***]
QUADRAM ACCELERATOR CARD MAKES 8086 ZOOM LIKE 80286
Quadram announced a new accelerator card, called SuperSprint,
using a memory caching technique called "Image Memory" to let
an IBM XT outperform an IBM AT for $695.  Venkat Mohan, general
manager of Quadram's board products division, said, "Running
the PC Magazine dBase II benchmark, an IBM XT equipped with
SuperSpring exceeded the speed of an IBM AT by 30%."  The
computer remains fully compatible with the XT. SuperSprint is
due to be shipped in the second quarter of 1986.

CONTACT: ANNETTE GUSTAFSON, CAM GROUP, 4351 SHACKLEFORD
         ROAD, NORCROSS, GA 30093 [phone]

[***][2/18/86][***]
DCA BUYS FORTE, ANNOUNCES LINK WITH 3COM
Digital Communications Associates Inc. has bought Forte
Communications Inc., San Jose, CA, for 695,052 shares of DCA
common stock, worth about $18.7 million based on a recent
selling price of $27 per share. Forte makes terminal emulation
software and mainframe-based links to micros.  DCA also
announced a joint development deal with 3Com, Mountain View,
CA, to produce a gateway based on DCA's IRMA line to let IBM
PCs connect to mainframes via local area networks. The
resulting products will be marketed by DCA and are expected
to be announced later in 1986.

CONTACT: MINDY LITTMAN, DCA, 1000 ALDERMAN DRIVE,
         ALPHARETTA, GA, 30201 [phone]

[***][2/18/86][***]
DOES FAME PRECEDE TROUBLE AT DCA?  *BACKGROUND*
Since moving to its custom-built 100,000 square foot
office/factory in Alpharetta (complete with jogging trail)
late last year, Digital Communications Associates Inc. (DCA)
has been flexing its muscle.  Chairman Bert Nordin has
told his story (warts and all) to anyone who'll listen,
introduced new products right and left, signed alliances backed
with cash, and generally acted like the new Fearless Leader of
Atlanta technology.

Previous F.L.'s (Sid Topol and Scientific/Atlanta (1982), John
Imlay and Management Science America Inc. (1983), Leland Strange
and Intelligent Systems Corp.- Quadram (1984) and Dennis Hayes
and Hayes Microcomputer Products Inc.  (1985)), all got the big
build-up right before their companies fell from grace.  Like the
others, Mr. Nordin and DCA have earned the applause, growing
from less than $15 million in revenues to well over $100 million
in 5 years.  DCA stock worth just $8 per share less than a year
ago now trades at $27. Venture capitalists who brought Mr.
Nordin to DCA in 1981 are even happier in getting market
leadership in micro-mainframe links, a very sexy area these days,
after acquiring the IRMA line of products from a second local
start-up, Technical Analysis Corp.  Cynical historians might
love the company. And short the stock.

[***][2/18/86][***]
THIS IS JOURNALISM? DEPARTMENT  *NEWS AND COMMENT*
CompuGram, a local free paper on computers (in Atlanta and
Birmingham, AL) devotes its February issue to desktop
publishing with a front-page headline "See Special Insert on
Laser Print Technology". Pull out the center four pages and
find, in type and style identical with the rest of the paper,
something headlined "Technology Review: In-Depth Focus on
Technology Movers".

We read it.  Turns out to be nothing but four pages of puffery on
behalf of one local firm. (We won't besmirch them by mentioning
their name.) And on the bottom of page one, ONLY on that page, in
tiny type, we finally find the words "Paid Publicity Supplement
to CompuGram."

And the computer press wonders why no one trusts it?

CONTACT: DAWN BARRS-ELKOURIE, PUBLISHER, COMPUGRAM INC.,
         3 DUNWOODY PARK, SUITE 113, ATLANTA, GA 30338
         [phone]



[***][2/18/86][***]
VECTOR HALTS PRODUCTION
Vector Graphic of Westlake Village will stop its computer
manufacturing operations next month.  The company said it will
sell all of its assets except spare parts and its support
business.  Vector filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy in December.

CONTACT:  VECTOR GRAPHIC, INC.
          500 N. VENTURA PARK RD.
          THOUSAND OAKS, CA 91320
          [phone]

[***][2/18/86][***]
PRINTRONIX WAVES GOODBYE TO 100
Printer maker Printronix of Irvine will let at least 100
employees go at its Camarillo plant within the next two weeks.
The labor cut comes just a few weeks after the company announced
a loss of $10.8 million for its third quarter.

CONTACT:  PRINTROLIX, INC.
          17421 DERIAN AVE.
          IRVINE, CA 92713
          [phone]

[***][2/18/86][***]
EAGLE IN TAILSPIN
"It's been bleak for over a year and it's not getting better,"
says Eagle Computer CEO Gary Kappenman.  "And it's getting
worse."  In the troubled Garden Grove company's second quarter,
it lost another $2.4 million.  For the three months, Eagle had
sales of only $1.5 million, down 73 percent from $5.7 million a
year ago.  Last week, the company transferred its sales
operations to its Korean partner.  That leaves Eagle with no
ongoing operations and all of its meager revenue coming from
royalty fees.  Last week, Kappenman said he was in "a down mood"
after giving another 30 employees their walking papers.

Kappenman also said that Eagle is willing to sell its
technology, the income tax credits from a long series of losses,
or even the entire company.  "Of course we'd sell the company,"
he said.  "We'll sell anything."

CONTACT:  EAGLE COMPUTER
          7100 CHAPMAN AVE.
          GARDEN GROVE, CA
          [phone]

[***][2/18/86][***]
PROTOCOL BOARD DISMISSED
Protocol Computer founder Robert Swarz told the company's entire
board of directors to take a hike last week.  Included in the
complete purge was Graham Tyson, CEO of Dataproducts Corp. and
Walter Bauer, former chairman of Informatics General.  One
former director admitted "there were fundamental disputes
between the outside directors and Swarz on how the company
should be run."  Swarz, who controls 51 percent of the Canoga
Park company's stock, refused comment on the move.

CONTACT:  PROTOCOL COMPUTER
          6150 CANOGA AVE.
          CANOGA PARK, CA
          [phone]

[***][2/18/86][***]
ARSENIDE AND OLD L.A.
"Most gallium arsenide companies are located in the Los Angeles
area," says Ted Wakayama of Strategic Inc.  In fact, so many
companies utilizing the new chip technology are located in the
Southland that pundits are calling Los Angeles County "Gallium
Gulch."  A list of local firms producing the ultra-sophisticated
and highly fragile wafers include GigaBit Logic, Microwave
Monolithics, Vitesse Electronics, Spectrolab, Aeronutronic and
the Microwave Products Division of Hughes Aircraft.  Perhaps
none is as well known as silicon-chip maker Intel, but on the
leading edge of computer technology just the same.  Watch this
space.

[***][2/18/86][***]
OVER & OUT
Once again, Spectre Technologies wins the press-release-of-the-
week award with its announcement of Twist & Shout for CP/M
machines.  The latest brainstorm of Spectre's P.R. man Ron Gold
is a centerfold-type photo of Spectre chairman David
Grenewetzki, reclining nude (we think) on a sheepskin rug,
draped tastefully in printouts of his invention.  Oh yea, Twist
is a CP/M utility to print spreadsheet and text files sideways
on compatible printers.  Shout is a program to print large-type
banners.  Both are, as far as we can tell, unique in the CP/M
world.  What will they re-think of next?

CONTACT:  SPECTRE TECHNOLOGIES
          C/O RON GOLD, N.A.
          1341 OCEAN AVE., STE. 366
          SANTA MONICA, CA 90401
          [phone]

[***][2/18/86][***]
THEY WALK THE LINE
When Federated Pictures (a local independent film production
company) bought a new IBM PC-AT from Computer Expo in Westwood,
things didn't go as expected.  First, the new AT refused to
warm-boot.  Then, data kept disappearing from the computer's
20mb hard disk drive.  When the computer was returned for a
warranty repair, the retailer said it would have to be taken to
an "authorized" IBM repair outlet.  That's when the president of
Federated Pictures, Ben Baron, got irritated.  On Tuesday,
Federated employees were issued picket signs and were assigned
times to walk the line outside Computer Expo.  By Thursday,
Federated's employees had turned away nearly 100 potential
Computer Expo customers, sending them down the block to Gateway
Computers, a rival retailer.  "We want our $7,000 back, that's
the bottom line," said Baron.  With tactics like that, they may
eventually get it.

[***][2/18/86][***]
ONWARD AND OUTWARD
Cipher Data's managers and executives will probably never forget
last Wednesday.  Company president and CEO Gary Liebl watched as
his employees fell backwards out of trees and stumbled
blindfolded through rugged Penasquitos Canyon in San Diego
County.  No, the firm was not the target of a terrorist attack.
It was all part of a character-building program devised for the
firm by Colorado Outward Bound.  Liebl thought the wilderness
survival program was perfect for managers entrenched in the
computer industry downturn.  "To be blunt, this is an
experiment," said Liebl.  The program is designed to build team
spirit and survival instincts.  One manager thought Outward
Bound was going to be fun, until Wednesday's outing.  "I had a
picturesque view of sitting somewhere watching whales go by," he
said.  "All they told us was to wear blue jeans and tennis
shoes."

CONTACT:  CIPHER DATA PRODUCTS, INC.
          10225 WILLOW CREEK RD.
          SAN DIEGO, CA 92131
          [phone]

[***][2/18/86][***]
BEACHBITS

->  Three So. Calif. firms that absorbed lower earnings in their
    last quarters were Quotron Systems (down 18 percent),
    Terminal Data Corp. (down 29 percent) and Data-Design (down
    35 percent).

->  Blue Chip Software of Canoga Park has been bought by
    Britannica Learning Corp.  Terms were not disclosed.

->  Answer Systems Inc. is the new name for Informatics General,
    now owned by Sterling Software Inc. of Dallas.  The firm is
    currently wallowing in red ink, but expects to return to
    profitability later this year.



[***][2/18/86][***]
NEW STRATEGY OF FAMICON:
The topic of FamiCon (Family Computer) never ceases here
in Japan.  The next step for Nintendo, which sold 6.2 million
sets of FamiCon as of January, is to create a FamiCon network
using NEC's C&C VAN.  Sources say that a special modem for
FamiCons is being developed by Linkage Systems in Japan.  Lots
of companies, including financial and educational industries,
have already expressed their willingness to become information
providers for the FamiCon network.  In this respect, FamiCon
won't remain just as a game machine but it will be some sort
of strong business tool in the future.  The main OEMs and
products supplied for FamiCon are as follow:

                                Names of OEM
    ------------------------------------------------------
       6502 CPU  -------------  RICOH
       32K DRAM  -------------  Hitachi, Toshiba, Fujitsu
     * 2.8" disk drive ($75) -  Mitsumi Electric
     * 2.8" diskette ($13) ---  Hitachi Maxell
     * Modem (approx. $50) ---  Linkage Systems

ROM-cartridge game programs have currently been used for
FamiCon.  The new disk drive indicated above will be sold on
Feb. 21.  That will cut the price of FamiCon software.  Nintendo
has also been planning to provide the service to rewrite
programs at its dealer shops for only US$2.5/diskette.

CONTACT:  Nintendo
          Mr. Tanaka, Trading Dept. (Tokyo)
          Phone: [phone]

          Nintendo of America Inc. (Washington)
          Phone: [phone]

[***][2/18/86][***]
KDD, AT&T, AND BT -- the big three in one:
KDD (Japan's International Telegraph and Telephone Corp.) has
agreed (2/13) with AT&T and British Telecom to jointly develop
the CCITT standard network "ISDN (Integrated Services Digital
Network)."  The three giants plan to link Japan, U.S. and U.K.
with digital networks to provide various services including
TV phone, digital facsimile, high-speed data communication
service, and so on.  The service will start in early
1989 when the undersea optical-fiber cable between the U.S.
continent and Japan is built.

CONTACT:  KDD, Tokyo
          Phone: [phone] (PR Dept.)

[***][2/18/86][***]
HALLEY'S COMET FEVER:
NEC has started to provide free information about Halley's comet
through personal computers on 2/14, and it will be available
until 5/31.  NEWSBYTES-JAPAN kept calling the host system for
hours on 2/14, but the line was always busy. That tells us how
popular this service is. For those who would like to be
involved in this fever, try it with a following procedure:

     protocol     : 300bps, full-duplex, 8-bit
                    no parity, 1 stop bit, X-off

     login command: VANPCNEC02
     user ID      : Halley
     password     : ANK
                    "98K" for!NEC PC-9801
                    "88K" for NEC PC-8801

     access points: Tokyo 03-453-4650
                    Nagoya 052-251-1664
                    Osaka 06-831-1089

     *The service is provided in either kanji or kana mode
      between 12pm and 10pm.

CONTACT: NEC PC-VAN Customer service, Tokyo
         03-452-9800

[***][2/18/86][***]
NEW AI SOCIETY:
A software-oriented Society for Artificial Intelligence will
be established around the end of March in Japan. The members of
the steering committee include Prof. Fukumura of Nagoya Univ.,
Prof. Osuga of Tokyo Univ., and Prof. Ueno of Tokyo Univ. of
Electric. The society plans to publish its periodicals both in
Japanese and in English. This society will be a great help for
MITI's ICOT (the Institute for New Generation Computer
Technology) for developing a 5th generation computer.

[***][2/18/86][***]
<<< SUKIYAKI BYTES >>>

COMPUSERVE AND FUJITSU -- As I reported last month in this
column, Fujitsu and Nissho Iwai Trading Corp. launched a new
venture business of computer communication dubbed "N.I.F." on
Feb. 13.  This new firm will act as an authorized dealer of
CompuServe in Japan to start, and then it will begin
providing the Japanese version of CompuServe through Fujitsu's
VAN "FENICS" in October.

CONTACT:  Fujitsu Corp., Tokyo
          Phone: [phone] (PR Dept.)

SONY AND AMD -- SONY announced (2/12) that it will tie up with
Advanced Micro Devices (AMD) on the semiconductor products.
With this agreement, the two companies will jointly develop and
manufacture new super LSIs.  They will mutually supply their
products on an OEM basis later.  SONY and AMD will formally
sign this deal within six months, a report says.

VICTOR TIES UP WITH NTT -- VICTOR (JVC), a major recording
manufacturer in Japan, has agreed with NTT to develop and
market multi-function phones.  With this agreement, NTT started
marketing three models of VICTOR's phone sets in Kyushu district
on Feb. 17.

CONTACT:  Nippon Telegraph and Telephone Corp., Tokyo
          Phone: [phone] (PR Dept.)

HITACHI IN CHINA -- The Central Bank of China has decided to
order 15 large-scale general-purpose computers from Hitachi for
the online banking system.  A group of Hitachi's engineers will
soon visit China to build the system, a report says. The software
for the new system will be jointly developed by Hitachi and
the Chinese Bank.

CONTACT:  HITACHI, Tokyo
          Phone: [phone] (PR Dept.)

SANYO'S CD BUSINESS -- The CD boom is just around the corner.
SANYO Electric Co. has decided to beef up its CD production
rate to 10 million/year starting this April at its newly-built
factory.

CONTACT:  SANYO Electric, Tokyo
          Phone: [phone]

TOSHIBA'S TV PLANT IN THE U.S.S.R. -- According to a published
report, Toshiba and kanematsu Gosho Trading Corp. have inked
a deal with the U.S.S.R. authority to supply a manufacturing
plant of 20-inch color TV.  The total business volume is
expected to be around US$60 million.

CONTACT:  TOSHIBA Corp., Tokyo
          Phone: [phone]




[***][2/18/86][***]
BIGGIES' JOINT VENTURE:
Nynex, the Northeast's Bell Operating Company, RCA, and Citicorp
announced in New York this week that they've started a joint
venture. What are they up to? Good question! According to the
announcement, the new company will become involved in "home
electronic services." So far, it has no name, no office, and no
telephone number. However, James Perkins of NYC, previously
president of Heart-ABC video services, will head the company,
which he said will spend its first couple years in the R&D labs.
Speculation is that the company will make the industry's latest
try at making home banking/shopping/entertainment a viable
product. Anyway, they have lots of bucks behind them.

[***][2/18/86][***]
DEC WEEK:
Ever get the impression that the stock market is a jumpy as an
old cat? Case in point. Last friday a rumor started circulating
that AT&T was about to acquire Digital Equipment Corporation.
Where'd the rumor start? Who knows! Anyhow, the market flinched,
and DEC stock jumped 5-1/4 points in a matter of hours. It stayed
high throughout the week. AT&T is always rumored to be acquiring
someone. Remember the Apple rumor last year? For their parts,
both AT&T and DEC immediately quashed the rumor. An AT&T
spokesperson said, "we talk to a lot of companies, like everybody
else."

Meanwhile, dedicated DEC fans still have time to register for
DECworld, the company's annual extravaganza product show. This
year, it'll be held in Boston from February 24-28. Besides
displays from DEC and their customers, there'll be over 75
seminars on just about any computer-related subject you can
imagine. Rumors are that the company will announce a low-cost
"personal computer workstation" at DECworld.

DEC, which has long prided itself on never laying off any
workers, announced it'll be reducing the workforce at two plants
in Puerto Rico by 300 people. The company currently employs 2800
people on the island at two manufacturing plants. But DEC still
won't be laying off anyone. It plans the cuts through attrition
over the next two years. Puerto Rico's unemployment rate
currently stands at 22%.

Finally, DEC made a strong new entry into the laboratory
computing field this week with the VAXlab, MicroVAX-II based
realtime workstation. DEC has always had a comfortable
relationship with science-oriented computer users. If you want a
VAXlab for your basement monster lab, it'll set you back $30,000-
$50,000.

CONTACT:  Digital Equipment Corporation, 200 Baker Ave., Concord,
          MA 01742, 617-264-1420

[***][2/18/86][***]
INTERFACE ACQUIRES:
In last week's Newsbytes, we quoted Interface Group president
Sheldon Adelson as saying that his company was about to acquire a
tour company. This week, the largest show organizer in the
computer industry officially announced that it's purchased
International Weekends, a Boston-based charter company. Neither
company would divulge how much money changed hands in the deal.
International Weekends will keep its business of arranging
package tours to the Caribbean, South America, and the Far East,
but will take on transportation and lodging responsibilities for
the Interface Group's shows.

CONTACT: The Interface Group, 300 First Ave., Needham, MA 02194,
         617-449-6600

[***][2/18/86][***]
COMPUTER STORE FOLLIES:
CPU Computer Corporation, based in Charlestown, MA, closed all 12
of its New England computer stores this past week, the latest
victims of too many stores chasing too few customers. In a terse
statement, the company said its parent company "is unwilling to
provide additional funding." On Line Microcenters owns 83% of
CPU; and On Line is controlled by a Venezuelan family.

Meanwhile, the last of the six New England Computerland stores
closed in November will soon re-open.  As reported previously
here in Newsbytes, three of the stores have reopened as Nynex-
owned "Datago" stores. The leases of the remaining three stores
(in Providence RI, Cambridge MA, and Reading MA) have been bought
by Computerland of Worcester County from Computer Centers of New
England, the original owners. But that's not the end of the
story. Rumors are that Computerland "central" is considering the
time-honored route of legal action against Nynex, claiming those
stores still belong to Computerland.

[***][2/18/86][***]
ACCESS FOR NH:
Tiny (and ultra-conservative) New Hampshire is becoming embroiled
in a controversy over how the personal computer revolution should
affect citizen's access to state information. State
representative Wayne King is sponsoring a bill that would require
the seven state agencies which have mainframe computers to make
data on them available to computer users with modems, and require
the agencies to set up terminals in locations throughout the
state. King says this "computer democracy" would make for a
better informed citizenry. But state bureaucrats are screaming
bloody murder, claiming it would cost $12.5 million to implement
the system (not a small amount in a state of only one million
residents). They're also concerned about security. But
representative King counters that because New Hampshire is such a
small state, it should lead the nation in citizen computer
access. The bill isn't given much chance of passing.

[***][2/18/86][***]
TOYS GO LOW-TECH:
The serious business of toys was on display this past week during
the annual Toy Fair in NYC. The fair, held every February, is
where orders are placed for the coming Christmas season. High
tech computer toys were conspicuously absent this year. Instead
buyers placed orders for "Jem," a Barbie-doll-like "savvy 80's
career women," "Yuppie Bear," and "Go For It," a game for those
who "want it all." Coleco's come a long way since the Adam
personal computer fiasco, and was showing Cabbage Patch Preemie
Twins; and what's expected to be the hit of the '86 toy season --
the Rambo doll.

Sign of the times: A close-out parts catalog that landed on our
desk this week was selling a $8.95 digital tape drive for all of
$8.95. The ad said, "Originally designed for the Coleco Adam."

[***][2/18/86][***]
COMPUTER TRAINING FOR THE BLIND:
A unique program funded by the federal government and the
Massachusetts Commission for the blind is helping the visually
impaired find employment by teaching them computer skills.
Project CABLE (Computer Access for the Blind in Education and
Employment) uses "adaptive" devices such as voice synthesizers
and braille keyboards. The training focuses on giving people
training in specific applications, and has been a roaring
success. Massachusetts employers hire nearly all the trainees,
despite the soft high-tech employment picture. The project trains
about six people a week, and there's a waiting list.

CONTACT:  Dina Wischkin, Carroll Center for the Blind, Newton,
          MA, 617-969-6200

[***][2/18/86][***]
COMPUTERVISION'S YEAR:
Computervision released its final 1985 figures this past week,
and it was not a good year. The Bedford, MA-based maker of
computer-aided design systems posted a $80.8 million loss. Just
before the announcement, Computervision president and CEO James
Berrett resigned to "pursue other business interests." Still
analysts are expecting that the continued strength in CAD markets
bodes well for Computervision; they expect the company to break
even this year, and start making money again next year.

CONTACT: Computervision Corp., 201 Burlington Rd., Bedford, MA
         01730, 617-275-1800

[***][2/18/86][***]
CENTRONICS TO INDIA:
Centronics Data Computer Corporation of Hudson, NH -- once the
premier printer maker before Epson swept the market several years
ago -- is finding success overseas. The company's just signed a
$10 million contract with a Bombay company, which will
manufacture and market its high-speed lineprinter for mainframe
systems. India is becoming a hot market for U.S. computer
equipment makers as it rushes headlong toward computerization
throughout the country.

CONTACT: Centronics Data Computer Corp., One Wall St., Hudson, NH
         03051, 603-883-0111.

[***][2/18/86][***]
QUOTE OF THE WEEK:
-- "We forecast that we'll see the paperless office at the same
time we see the paperless bathroom."

                             -- Market consultant Steve Pytka,
                                in Micromarketworld

[***][2/18/86][***]
RAMBO FOR APPLE?
Sources close to Apple UK suggest that the next machine in
the Apple II saga will feature the Western Digital 65816.
The 65816 is a hybrid 8/16 bit chip capable of processing as
many as 2 million instructions per second, handling data on
a 16 bit basis internally, whilst talking to the world in 8
bit chunks via the external bus.  The chip will enable the
new machine - codenamed "Rambo" (cute huh?) -  to retain
compatability with the 6502 (Apple II and II+), 6502B (IIe)
and the 65C02, as used in the IIc, but harness speeds as
high as 4Mhz internally.

Contact: Apple UK Ltd., Eastman Way, Hemel Hempstead, Hertfordshire,
         HP2 4BR, United Kingdom.  Tel: UK: 0442-60244
         US: 011-44-442-60244

[***][2/18/86][***]
FISHY THINGS BEING SCRAMBLED:
The Pentagon isn't the only one going paranoid over whether
"secret" messages are being tapped.  Now fishing trawlermen
have picked up on the idea too. Edinbugh-based Cairntech has
developed a cheap and easy-to-use telephone scrambling device
to be launched this May.  Resembling a slimmed down phone
answering machine, the device splits speech into short segments,
each of which is digitised and them split again into 16 chunks,
which are re-arranged according to an agreed cipher code.  All
this is done in real time, which makes the system transparent to the
average user.  The price of this amazing little beastie?  A
mere 1,400 pounds ($1960) - a whole lot cheaper than
existing equipment and, by all accounts, just as reliable.

Contact:  Cairntech Ltd of Edinburgh.  Tel: UK: 031-652-1108
          US: 011-44-31-652-1108

[***][2/18/86][***]
CHEAPIE SOFTWARE COMES OF AGE:
Whilst utilities abound for the IBM PC and compatibles, they
can cost a packet if bought as packages.  One enterprising
firm, S&S Enterprises has had the foresight to retail its
DOS and general utility programs singly for just 10 pounds
($14) each, or eight for 65 pounds.  Their menu list has
such goodies as:

ENCRYPT: Encryption/Decryption of files via user defined
passwords.

READ ONLY: Makes files un-delete-able.

FASTHELP: User-designed help screens.

QPRINT: Print buffer.

Okay, these programs aren't a new concept, but they sure are
cheap!

Contact: S&S Enterprises, Utilities Division, 31 Holloway
         Lane, Amersham, Buckinghamshire, HP6 6DJ, United Kingdom.
         Tel: UK: 0240-34201  US  011-44-240-34201

[***][2/18/86][***]
HARD DISCS-A-GO-GO:
Prices of hard discs for the PC continue to tumble,
especially now that plug in "hard cards" are with us.  Best
deal so far comes from a London firm - Cal-Abco - who claim
world distribution via 40 sales offices.  10Mb including
cables etc. weighs in at 350 pounds ($490).  20Mb costs 430
pounds ($600), rising to 790 pounds ($1100).  As the firm
says in its literature, "Low Prices - What else is there in
Life?".  The firm claims an annual turnover of over 150
million pounds, and offer full service and support!


Contact: Cal Circuits-Abco (UK) Ltd., Clarklift House, Pump Lane,
         Hayes, Middlesex, United Kingdom,  Tel: UK: 01-561-5054
         US: 011-44-1-561-5054  Fax: London (UK) 561-4323
         Telex: 295-441

[***][2/18/86][***]
HAYES BOMB OUT:
Since communications are your bag (well you read Newsbytes
via your modem, right?)  you'll be interested to note that
quantities of the Hayes Smartmodem 1200 are reaching the
dealers here in the UK.  Launched late last year for an
astonishing 575 pounds ($805) without software (Smartcomm II
for the PC - 120 pounds extra), the modem autodials and runs
at 1200 baud... and that's it.  Word from the dealers
selling Hayes gear is that the modem its bombing - fast.
Too expensive, too late seems to be Hayes watchword here in
the UK!


Contact:  Hayes Microcomputer products, Hayes House, The Gate Centre,
          Syon Gateway, Great West Road, Brentford, TW8 9DD, United
          Kingdom.  Tel: UK: 01-847-5521   US: 011-44-1-847-5521

[***][2/18/86][***]
SINCLAIR'S MASTER STROKE?
Not content with seeing Acorn bringing out revamped 8 bit
technology in the form of the "Master series", Sir Clive
Sinclair, who wowed us all in 1980 with the ZX80, 1981 with
the ZX81, 1982/3 with the Spectrum, 1984 with the QL, now
brings you... the Spectrum 128K.  ZZZzzz.  Okay, for 50
pounds more than the existing Z80 based 48K Spectrum (130
pounds RRP), you get three voice channels fed through the TV
speaker, 48K/128K RAM paging (with a RAM disc option in
software), Optional numeric keypad (20 pounds extra),
go-faster stripes (red), and not a lot else.  The machine
will sell - there's no doubt about that.  It'll sell to the
hordes of existing Spectrum owners who have faithfully
stayed with the Spectrum since its old rubber-keyed days.
In going for compatability, Sir Clive has erred too much on
the side of existing owners.  Perhaps he got his fingers
burnt with the QL?  He'll be getting as un-innovative as
Amstrad soon - next on up, the ZX-Eniac - 150000 valves, 2K
RAM, all for only $140,000.  Buy now while stocks last!

Contact:  Sinclair Research Ltd.,  Camberley, United Kingdom
           Tel: UK: 0276-685-311, US: 011-44-276-685-311

[***][2/18/86][***]
UK EMAIL FROM THE US:
Whilst several entreprenuerial firms have pioneered speedy
email from the US to the UK (at a price), one enterprising
UK Email firm - One-to-One - has gone a step forward and
introduced remote logging-on from the contingous US via
Telenet for their subscribers.  The bottom line is that, for
a monthly minimum of 10 pounds ($14), US subscribers can
have a UK mailbox and a UK telex number!  Connect time is
charged at 10 pence a minute ($8-40 per hour), which is darn
reasonable considering the costs of Telenet that NEWSBYTES
UK has to pay to call the States.

Contact:  One to One Ltd., Scorpio House, 102 Sydney Street, Chelsea,
          London SW3 6NL. United Kingdom.  Tel: UK: 01-351-2468
          Toll Free 0800-800-121     US: 011-44-1-351-2468
          (sorry guys, no freebie external UK calls!)

[***][2/18/86][***]
THE HOLE-IN-THE-WALL WARS:
Just like the US, the UK has its mutual societies set up to
give you and me mortgages to buy houses to live in.  In the
true genteel spirit of things, the building societies have,
until recently, had a gentlemens agreement not to poach each
others customers - well, not publicly anyway!  As NEWSBYTES
UK goes to press, a frantic battle is being fought between
the societies to see whose network of hole-in-the-wall cash
dispensers gets going first. This coming week sees the
"Link" consortium of 19 societies' 230 machines go online;
February 26th sees the 120 machines run by the "Matrix"
group do the same.  The investment in the new technology has
to be paid by someone - you and me!  Building Societies are
non-profit making, so the customer doesn't pay this time
around - the "shareholders" in the shape of borrowing
members pay up in the form of higher interest rates - boo
hoo!  That's new technology for ya - expensive ain't it?


[***][2/18/86][***]
COMPUTER TAX GUIDE
If you bought a computer in 1985, you may be in for some good tax
news. You may be able to deduct the entire cost of the computer
system (that's the whole works, including printer, modem, and
software) or even, over a period of years, recoup more than the
full price of the system.

But first, the system must be used for business purposes. The IRS
warns that they are very serious about this. If you can't prove
that you use the machine 51 percent of the time for business,
then it's just a household toy, and not a business tool, i.e.
deduction denied.

If your system is for business, then you can either "expense" it
(that is, deduct the entire cost from your taxable income as a
business expense) or depreciate it year-by-year, and take a
special investment tax credit. In general, you may expense up to
$5,000 of business property in a tax year. Consult the IRS
instructions about the details of these tax approaches, or your
tax accountant-consultant, if you have one.

Two final tax wrinkles--if you take the investment tax credit
(which is the way you can actually get back more than you
paid) and then sell the thing before it is fully depreciated, you
face "recapture." You need IRS Form 4255. Does managing your
investments count as a business? No, says the IRS. However, you
may deduct the entire cost of software that is devoted to
managing your portfolio.

Hopelessly confused? Try the following IRS booklet: "Tax Guide
for Small Business (Pub. 334)." It's actually not too bad.

[***][2/18/86][***]
INDIA TO BUY U.S.
India has agreed to buy up to $500 million in U.S.-made
computers and computer manufacturing technology, according to a
report in "The Washington Post." The sale involves a higher level
of technology transfer than Washington has ever allowed with
India. The first phase of the deal is a $27 million chunk of
business for Control Data Corp., which will supply training so
the government can begin to make versions of the CDC Cyber 810
and 830 models. Overall, CDC could realize $500 million from the
eight-year contract. CDC hired former Senate Foreign Relations
Committee Chairman Charles Percy, who has close ties to India's
ruling Gandhi family, to help with the deal. India pledged not to
use the technology in its nuclear weapons program, which is not
subject to international inspection and safeguards. Otherwise,
India may use the new knowhow and equipment for its military.

[***][2/18/86][***]
PASSWORD? WHAT PASSWORD?
District of Columbia city government cash manager Alvin Frost,
battling a city administration he says is hip-deep in
mismanagement, has found a unique way of fighting back and
protecting his job. Facing firing threats from the city for his
whistleblowing about financial shenanigans in the government,
Frost last week locked up the master accounts in the D.C.
financial management computer system by changing the password that
lets users in. Traumatized by the way the city government is
harassing him, Frost says, he just can't remember the password.

Frost, who has a management degree from Harvard University, has
been critical of the way his superiors in the city government
have managed their cash accounts. One of his supervisors recently
referred to Frost as a "nerd and an imbecile." Retorts Frost,
"Since I am an imbecile, I certainly couldn't figure [the
password] out." He says the key to the password to the software
running on the Fortune 32-16 computer is contained in one of the
passages from  Thomas Jefferson's Declaration of Independence,
and has seven letters. Frost figures that with that information,
city cryptographers will be working with a possible pool of
roughly 8 billion seven-letter words. Piece of cake for a nerd,
right?

[***][2/18/86][***]
COUNTY PARES SCHOOL COMPUTING PROGRAM
The Fairfax County school system has pared back its ambitious
plans for classroom computers because of criticism from parents
and an unexpected reduction in state aid. The county is a wealthy
Washington suburb, with the highest per capita education and
income level in the country. County Superintendent Robert
Spillane had proposed a $2.9 million computer literacy program.
His goal was one computer for every 20 elementary school
students, 18 middle school students, and 13 high school students.
The current rations are one for 118 elementary students, 150
middle school students and 78 high school students. Some parents
and computer experts advised Spillane to do a better assessment
of the existing use of computers in the schools before going
ahead with the new plan.

More important, newly elected Virginia Governor Gerald Baliles's
proposed state education budget would pare $4.4 million from the
amount the county expected from Richmond. So Spillane hacked $1.4
million out of the budget for computers in the classroom, and
abandoned his ambitious numerical goals. The School Board is
expected to vote on the budget February 19.

[***][2/18/86][***]
GTE TO BUILD MICROCHIP CENTER
GTE will establish an advanced semiconductor center at Tempe,
Ariz., to supports its and other companies' very high scale
integrated circuit work, according to "Defense Week" magazine.
According to Avak Avakian, GTE's Government Systems Corp. vice
president, the center will offer a fully integrated facility for
processing five-inch silicon wafers to VHSIC specifications.

[***][2/18/86][***]
NEWSNET ADDS THREE
NewsNet, the online newsletter broker, had added three new
computer publications to its stable: "IDB Online -- "The Computing
Industry Daily", "Stewart Alsop's PC Letter", and the
"MicroPublishing Report." NewsNet says it now offers more than 75
computer-related publications online, including Consumer
Electronics, the Semiconductor Industry and Business Survey,
Bulletin Board Systems, Outlook on IBM, and Report on IBM. The
database offers current and back issues in full text.

CONTACT: MARCIA CHEETHAM, NEWSNET, BRYN MAWR PA., 800-345-1301.

[***][2/18/86][***]
ZENITH SHAVES PRICES
Zenith Data Systems Corp. of Glenview, Ill., last week announced
retail price cuts on three personal computers ranging from $200
to $300. The Z-171 portable PC compatible will now carry a
suggested retail price of $2,399, down from $2,699. The dual-
drive Z-148 PC will now be $1,499, reduced from $1,799. And the
single-drive version of the Z-148 will be $1,299, down from
$1,499. Of course, most retailers are discounting the prices
below those figures, in order to keep up with other IBM clones,
some of which are marketing systems at under $1,000. Zenith Data
Systems, a subsidiary of Zenith Electronics Corp., has been very
successful in marketing to the U.S. military market.

CONTACT: ZENITH DATA SYSTEMS, GLENVIEW ILL., 312-391-8181

[***][2/18/86][***]
WASHINGTON COMPUTER BUSINESS INDEX
The Washington Computer Business Index now stands at 178.8, a bit
of a rebound from last week's sluggish 168 level. The February 11
issue of Washington Business, the business tabloid of "The
Washington Post," contained a total of 9.3 pages of computer ads,
and 22.4 pages of non-computer display advertising. The leading
computer advertiser was MBI, with its typical full page. MBI was
again pushing the HP Vectra, an excellent AT clone.

[***][2/18/86][***]
POWERBITS

 $$$ Computer maker Perkin-Elmer has joined a team headed by
Northrop Corp. and Ratheon Co. that is competing for developed of
the integrated electronic warfare system (INEWS) for the Air
Force's new advanced tactical fighter and the Navy's advanced
tactical aircraft. The team includes AT&T's Bell Labs, Magnavox
Electronics Systems, GTE Government Systems and Cincinnati
Electronics.

CONTACT: PERKIN-ELMER CORP., NORWALK CT, 203-762-1000

 $$$ Rolm Mil-Spec Computers, a Loral Corp. subsidiary, will be
supplying general purpose computers and disk storage subsystems
to the Joint Surveillance Target Attack Radar System, known in
milspeak as JSTARS. Grumman is the prime contractor. Rolm's Hawk/
32, a 32-bit supermini designed to function in what the company
calls "severe environments", will be the general purpose computer
for the system. The Hawk has also landed the Trident missile
program.

CONTACT: ROLM CORP., SANTA CLARA CA, 408-988-2900

 $$$ Italy's Agusta group has awarded two contracts worth $50
million to Harris Corp. for helicopter communication and control
systems. The award calls for Harris to to deliver and support 30
multiplex computer systems for the Agusta A-129 anti-tank/scout
helicopter.

CONTACT:HARRIS CORP., MELBOURNE FL, 305-727-9100

 $$$ Time Inc. plans to publish a magazine called "Home Office"
this spring. Last year, time published the magazine on a one-time
basis, and sold all the advertising to IBM. If the issue set for
spring does well, Time plans quarterly publication, with a
controlled circulation of 500,000. The magazine is aimed at
people who conduct their businesses from their homes.

CONTACT: TIME, INC., NEW YORK NY, 212-586-1212



[***][2/18/86][***]
MIRROR REVIEW
  by Dave Allen

EDITOR'S NOTE:  "Mirror", the $49.95 program from Softklone which
is similar to Microstuf's "Crosstalk", has received a lot of
press here in Newsbytes (see this week's Newsbytes-Atlanta).
Consequently, when Dave Allen offered us a chance to publish
his review, we jumped at it.  Here, then, is a review of the
product, comparing it to "Crosstalk", courtesy of Dave Allen.

-------

Microstuf has filed a lawsuit alleging that SoftKlone's Mirror
program infringes on their copyright for Crosstalk.  The status
screens and command codes used in the two programs are identical.
SoftKlone claims that the design of the Crosstalk status screen
is a non-copyrightable form that anyone can use.  The suit will
be testing the idea that the user interface of a software product
deserves the same protection as the code which produces it.  The
judge refused to grant a temporary restraining order against
SoftKlone, so they can continue to make and market Mirror pending
the disposition of the case.  Crosstalk XVI sells for $195 versus
Mirror at $49.95.

As a test of compatibility, I loaded Mirror with the XTK and XTS
files from Crosstalk.  If Mirror could process the script files,
it would be 100 percent compatible.  The answer is sometimes.
Mirror will sign on to the Source and Dow Jones using the
Crosstalk scripts, but it won't handle one I set up to sign on to
an in-house time-sharing computer.  Maybe I did something wrong,
but the script works fine for Crosstalk.  Mirror also tells you
that you are online whether you are or not.  When you start up
Crosstalk, it lists the available command files, and when you
select one, it executes the sign-on procedure.  If you select the
same file under Mirror, nothing happens.  You have to jump to the
command line and type "Lo Source" to get the sign-on script
started.  It is a less-than-perfect clone, but still a good
product.

The disconcerting flicker at the edges of the screen when you go
from the Mirror logo screen to the status screen is a peculiarity
of the IBM C/G adapter and the IBM color monitor.  The built-in
editor has a severe flicker.  It blinks every time you type a
key -- and it is annoying enough that I would never use it on my
PC.  I made a few changes to this text using the Mirror editor.
If you already know WordStar, it is easy to use.  SoftKlone
copied part of the clunky WordStar command structure for Mirror's
built-in text editor.  Does that mean that MicroPro can sue them
too?

I was particularly interested in the Mirror enhancement to permit
communications in the background while doing something else.  I
was using Mirror to transfer a 20K text file to another computer,
so I put it in the background.  I loaded an editor, made a few
changes to another text file, and saved it.  Next I switched to
1-2-3, retrieved a file and updated it.  When I changed to Lotus
graphics the problems started.  My line chart -- extracted from
the spreadsheet -- appeared and promptly vanished, replaced by
four mini-charts in each of the four corners.  This happened
every time I tried it.  Then I brought up another program in the
foreground.  I switched to Mirror to find out if the upload was
complete.  It was, so I signed off the remote computer and exited
form Mirror.  Sure enough, I was back in the other program, right
where I left it.  But when I quit that one, my PC-DOS 2.1 could
not find its way back and I had to reboot.  Mirror's background
processing option is a nice enhancement, but it still needs work.
The results will depend on what else you want to do.

The Mirror documentation is excellent.  It is a Borland-style
paperback instead of an IBM-style notebook in a box.  The text
has not been typeset -- but it is well-organized, easy to read,
and easy to use as a reference.  What more do you need?  The
Mirror help screens are, in fact, an improvement over Crosstalk.
They pop up a full screen of text where required, while Crosstalk
help is limited to eight lines at the bottom of the screen,
meaning that you either don't get as much information, or you
have to cycle through several screens to find what you need.

If it were my money, and if Mirror and Crosstalk were the only
two choices, Mirror would win going away.  But before you rush
out to buy either one, check out Procomm -- a user-supported
program which is available from the IBMSIG here on the Source.

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                --written by Dave Allen, STA110
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