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/1989/NB890516.307

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(NEWS)(APPLE)(SFO)(00001)

NEW MACINTOSH SYSTEM SOFTWARE PREVIEWED
SAN JOSE, CALIFORNIA, U.S.A., 1989 MAY 9 (NB) -- Before an audience of
an estimated 1,500 software and hardware developers, Apple Computer
provided a preview of its newest operating system. The System Version
7.0, said to be fully compatible with earlier and "future" Macintosh
operating systems, is designed to exploit more of the power inherent
in Motorola's 68030 microprocessor, and allows the Macintosh to
compete with features inherent in OS/2 and Unix on just two
megabytes of memory.

System Version 7.0 provides the machines with virtual memory, or the
ability to use a hard disk as if it were additional random access memory,
and 32-bit addressing, which will expand the maximum memory addressable
by applications. These two attributes are part of the new Interapplication
Communications Architecture. This will allow applications to exchange
data and instructions either on a single Macintosh or over a network,
providing a "live copy/paste" function between applications.

Apple's new System Version 7.0 will also allow the computer to better
utilize the multitasking-like features of MultiFinder -- performing several
tasks at once. This operating system, however, will
not provide for true multitasking, something observers don't expect to
see until Version 8.0 comes out.

New imaging software, called Outline fonts and Layout Manager,
give Macintoshes more what-you-see-is-what-you-get on screen;
Outline fonts are mathematical descriptions of text that can be scaled
to any point size at any resolution. The Layout Manager provides
typographical quality text layout.

In addition, a new print architecture should allow Macs to work with more
printers and output devices. And a new Finder will be more intuitive,
extensible, and will allow more direct manipulation techniques, according
to Apple.

Apple also announced a new Communications Toolbox, which is a set
of common routines, functions, and features that provide software
developers with standard programming interfaces to date
connection, terminal emulation, and file transfer capabilities. It
also provides end-users with consistent user interfaces across all
applications.

The best Apple could say about further details and availability of all
this was that it would come "later this year."

(Wendy Woods/19890513/Press Contact: Cindy McCaffrey, Apple,
408-974-1578)


(NEWS)(APPLE)(SFO)(00002)

MORE APPLES THAN IBMS SOLD IN 1988 -- BUT NOT A TREND
SAN JOSE, CALIFORNIA, U.S.A., 1989 MAY 9 (NB) -- For the first time
since it entered the PC market in 1981, IBM has been surpassed by
Apple Computer in PC unit sales. Dataquest, a market research firm, says
Apple sold 1.27 million Macintosh and Apple II computers in 1988
while Big Blue sold 1.23 million personal computers.

Dataquest does not, however, think this is a trend. "IBM is finally
getting its act together," says Steve Lair, an analyst with Dataquest.
IBM PC sales fell 20 percent in 1988, but this year's new products
and stronger marketing should allow IBM to regain its lead, he
added.

Meanwhile, Dataquest also says IBM and Apple face an even greater
threat than each other -- overseas competition. They're losing
market share to Taiwanese and Korean computer manufacturers,
whose overall dollar sales surged 43 percent in the U.S. -- that
translates to 4.4 million machines sold here in 1988.

Portables, and specifically batter-powered portables will be the
hottest growth area in the PC market through 1992, says Dataquest.
Printers and optical storage devices will lead peripheral growth.
Software firms will continue to earn well -- last year revenues for
the top 15 U.S. software companies grew 40 percent. And in
telecommunications, fax machines, voice messaging, and
cellular radio will sell well.

However, Dataquest's President Manny Fernandez says growth in the
U.S. market will be nothing compared to that in Europe
which will follow the integration of the European Community in 1992.
Fernandez says the Japanese are already taking steps to grab the
lead by committing $600 million to build a wafer fabrication
plant in Britain. "Today's global market requires companies to set
up manufacturing and research in overseas markets," Fernandez
said. "The days when you could just manufacture in one country
and sell everywhere else, those days are over."

(Wendy Woods/19890513/Press Contact: Lois Long, Dataquest, 408-
437-8309)


(NEWS)(APPLE)(SFO)(00003)

REGULAR "APPLE TV" BROADCASTS SOON
CUPERTINO, CALIFORNIA, U.S.A., 1989 MAY 12 (NB) -- Corporate
customers and Apple field offices will soon be able to tune in to
Apple's Cupertino headquarters for product introductions or general
informational programs. Plans are being finalized for regular
television broadcasts by the computer maker; Apple has been testing
broadcasts to a limited number of sites, including the multicity broadcast
of the Macintosh IICX introduction in March.

A state-of-the-art television studio is being completed at the
company's Cupertino headquarters, corporate spokesman Chris Escher
tells Newsbytes, and this multimillion dollar facility will
heavily incorporate Macintosh technology.

(Wendy Woods/19890512/Press Contact: Chris Escher, 408-974-2042)


(NEWS)(APPLE)(SFO)(00004)

VENTURA PUBLISHER FOR THE MAC DUE AT AUGUST MACWORLD
SAN FRANCISCO, CALIFORNIA, U.S.A., 1989 MAY 12 (NB) -- Xerox will
introduce a Macintosh version of its popular MS-DOS desktop
publishing software, Ventura Publisher, in August, according to
PC Week magazine. The trade weekly quotes unidentified sources
as saying the product will have all the features of the MS-DOS
product, including the ability to perform word wrap and
indexing, but will also allow exchange of documents between
the two divergent formats, as well as provide the traditional
Macintosh interface with pull-down menus.

Newsbytes was told by a Xerox spokeswoman that the company
had no comment on the report.

(Wendy Woods/19890512)


(NEWS)(APPLE)(SFO)(00005)

MACWEEK GOES ONLINE WITH INFORMATION NETWORK
CUPERTINO, CALIFORNIA, U.S.A., 1989 MAY 11 (NB) -- MacWeek and
Connect, Inc. have announced MacWeek Hotline, a new online database
with information on new Macintosh hardware, software, and other
products. Starting June 1, subscribers to the Connect
Professional Information Network will be able to access this
full-text database containing information on thousands of
Macintosh products. Searching can be accomplished via product
category, price, or announcement date. The file will be updated
weekly by the MacWeek staff.

The cost is $8 an hour prime time and $4 non-prime. Prime time
is  7 am to 7 pm.

To access MacWeek Hotline for free during the first 100 days, and
to get a copy of the Connect network software for the Macintosh
also free of charge, mail a cover of any MacWeek issue showing the
address label, plus $9.95 to cover overnight delivery charges,
to Connect Inc., Att: MacWeek Hotline, 10101 Bubb Road, Cupertino,
California, 95014.

(Wendy Woods/19890512/Press Contact: Paul Schmidman, Connect,
408-973-1001)


(NEWS)(BUSINESS)(LAX)(00001)

THIRD QUARTER EARNINGS SET RECORD FOR CMS ENHANCEMENTS
TUSTIN, CALIFORNIA, U.S.A., 1989 MAY 03 (NB) -- For the quarter
ended March 31, CMS Enhancements reported record earnings of
$52,875,000, an increase of 48 percent over the same period a
year ago.

The company, which produces mass data storage devices and
accessories for personal and portable computers, attributes the
improvement in net sales [up 69 percent] to an increase in its
domestic market, a wider range of products available and growth
in international markets. Earnings per share jumped from $.07 to
$.11.

The gain in net income resulting from higher gross margins was
somewhat offset by cost increases related to the company's
Singapore tape manufacturing operation and support of increased
inventory. The company also incurred higher expenses due to
facilities expansion and increase in sales and support personnel.

(Janet Endrijonas/19890512/Press Contact: Ted James, CMS
Enhancements, 714-259-5812)


(NEWS)(BUSINESS)(LAX)(00002)

COMPUTER AUTOMATION REPORTS THIRD QUARTER RED INK
IRVINE, CALIFORNIA, U.S.A., 1989 MAY 8 (NB) -- Computer Automation
has released a report indicating that company revenue fell 51
percent in the third quarter of fiscal 1989 resulting in a $1.9 million
loss. The company earned $42,000 in the same quarter last year.
Revenue dropped to $2.8 million from the $5.8 million reported in the
same period during fiscal 1988.

The loss did not come as a surprise to the company. Orders for
its line of automatic test equipment for printed circuit boards
have fallen off. The company's overall economic picture for the
first nine months of fiscal 1989 has been grim. During this
period, Computer Automation has lost $1.1 million on revenue of
$13.4 million as compared with earnings of $743,000 on revenue of
$17.3 million for the same period last year.

Last week, Computer Automation President Doug Cutsworth resigned
to head a management team attempting to buy the ailing automatic
test equipment division.

(Janet Endrijonas/19890512)


(NEWS)(BUSINESS)(LAX)(00003)

GATEWAY COMMUNICATIONS REPORTS EARNINGS RISE
IRVINE, CALIFORNIA, U.S.A., 1989 MAY 9 (NB) -- Gateway
Communications, makers of local area networking systems for IBM-
compatible PCs has released figures showing that earnings rose
68.5 percent on record revenues in the first quarter. Earnings were
$209,331 as compared with $124,746 for the same period last year.

Revenue was up 73.3 percent reaching $6.3 million. Earnings would
have been higher except that the company incurred extra costs in
marketing three new products and also had a one-time inventory
write-down of $67,000.

(Janet Endrijonas/19890512)


(NEWS)(BUSINESS)(LAX)(00004)

TI AND ACER IN JOINT DRAM VENTURE
DALLAS, TEXAS, U.S.A., 1989 MAY 12 (NB) -- Texas Instruments
and Taiwan computer maker Acer have announced a joint venture
to produce dynamic random access memory [DRAM] chips at a
$250 million plant in Taipei. TI's investment will be mostly design
and manufacturing technology.

The joint venture will be a privately-held company with a board
consisting of five directors from Acer and two from TI. With this
factory, TI establishes memory chip production in the Asia-
Pacific region but outside of Japan at the same time another
plant is being built in Italy. The end result will be global
deployment of TI memory chip fabrication capability in the four
major world markets, U.S., Japan, Europe and Asia-Pacific.

In this venture, TI has a partner to bear some of the startup
financial burden and also a captive customer for factory output.
The plant will sell its entire output to TI which is guaranteeing
50 percent to Acer. Both companies will contribute personnel and
management to the joint operation.

Plant construction will begin in September of this year with
initial production scheduled for 1991. The TI/Acer joint venture
points up a growing trend in the computer industry in which
semiconductor and computer manufacturers are finding it expedient
to enter into partnerships that protect one another's markets.

(Janet Endrijonas/19890512/Press Contact: Terri West, Texas
Instruments, 214-995-3481)


(NEWS)(BUSINESS)(LAX)(00005)

WESTERN DIGITAL ENTERS RETAIL MAINSTREAM WITH COMPUTERLAND
IRVINE, CALIFORNIA, U.S.A., 1989 MAY 8 (NB) -- Western Digital
Corporation [AMEX:WDC] has signed a distribution agreement with
ComputerLand Corporation under which the world's largest retail
computer chain [750 stores] will distribute Western Digital's
line of retail products.

Western Digital's retail products include Paradise Systems brand
imaging products, Western Digital storage controllers and local
area networking products for Ethernet and Token Ring. Roger
Johnson, chairman, president and chief executive of Western Digital, views
ComputerLand as a strategic partner in delivering the company's
products to the Fortune 1000 marketplace.

(Janet Endrijonas/19890512/Press Contacts: Linda Orban, Western
Digital, 714-757-4234; Allan Bernheimer, ComputerLand, 415-734-
4005)


(NEWS)(BUSINESS)(LAX)(00006)

DELL COMPUTERS NAMES NEW DIRECTOR OF PRODUCT PLANNING
AUSTIN, TEXAS, U.S.A., 1989 MAY 10 (NB) -- Fourteen year IBM
veteran Charles Sauer has been named director of product planning
at Dell Computer Corporation. This move comes as part of Dell's
continuing organizational realignment to focus on the company's
advanced products development and strategy.

Sauer held a number of key product and engineering management
positions during his tenure at IBM. G. Glenn Henry, Dell senior
vice president commented that the company's appointment of Sauer
reemphasizes Dell's focus on developing advanced systems for
high-end applications for the corporate marketplace. He added
that Dell's intention is to develop an expandable product line
that brings a broad spectrum of computer performance to the
desktop.

(Janet Endrijonas/19890512/Press Contact: Brian K. Fawkes, Dell
Computer Corp., 512-338-4400)


(NEWS)(BUSINESS)(BOS)(00007)

MCGRAW-HILL ACQUIRES NATIONAL SOFTWARE TESTING LAB
NEW YORK, NEW YORK, U.S.A., 1989 MAY 11 (NB) -- McGraw-Hill
has acquired the National Software Testing Laboratories [NSTL] for
an undisclosed cash sum, it was announced today. NSTL conducts
contracted testing services and publishes two month ratings: Software
Digest, which reports on business software, and PC Digest, which
compares test results of PC systems and peripherals.

NSTL will complement McGraw-Hill's Datapro operations, another
computing testing service. The combination will provide McGraw
with one of the most comprehensive computer software and
hardware testing services in the industry.

NSTL will remain headquartered in Plymouth Meeting, Penn., near
Philadelphia.

(Jon Pepper/19890512/Press Contact: Elizabeth L. Russo, McGraw-
Hill, 212-512-3493)


(NEWS)(BUSINESS)(BOS)(00008)

SAGE SOFTWARE ACQUIRES VISUAL SOFTWARE
ROCKVILLE, MARYLAND, U.S.A., 1989 MAY 10 (NB) -- Sage Software has
signed an agreement to acquire Visual Software. The agreement involves
an exchange of 233,000 shares of Sage's stock, valued at $1.9 million,
for all of Visual's capital shares.

Visual develops and markets PC-based CASE [computer-aided
software engineering] tools for use during the design phase of
application development.

These products will closely align with Sage's product line, which
consists of development tools for PC-based products. The acquisition is
subject to approval by Visual's shareholders.

(Jon Pepper/19890512/Press Contact: Melody Saunders, Sage
Software, 301-230-3210)


(NEWS)(BUSINESS)(BOS)(00009)

PHOENIX TECHNOLOGIES MAKES MANAGEMENT CHANGES
NORWOOD, MASSACHUSETTS, U.S.A., 1989 MAY 12 (NB) -- Phoenix Technologies,
a leading software design company, is closing its Scotts Valley, Calif.
facility, and consolidating activities from that location with a facility
in San Jose, Calif.

The company also announced that Neil Colvin, a company founder,
has been replaced as chief executive officer by Lance Hansche, who
was president of the company. There are no plans to lay off
any of the 400 employees at this time, though company spokesman
Bruce Crane said that it is possible the workforce would be reduced.

(Jon Pepper/19890512/Press Contact: Bruce Crane, Phoenix, 617-551-4130)


(NEWS)(BUSINESS)(TYO)(00010)

LSI LOGIC TO PRODUCE RISC CHIPS IN JAPAN
TOKYO, JAPAN, 1989 MAY 9 (NB) -- The Japanese subsidiary of the LSI
Logic has revealed a plan to produce 32-bit reduced instruction
set computer or RISC chips in Japan at Nihon Semiconductor, a
joint venture of the company and Kawasaki Steel.

Two types of RISC chips, Sun Microsystems' SPARC and the R
series from MIPS Computer, have been produced at LSI Logic in the
U.S. and now the firm will make them in Japan in an attempt to
capture more of the market here, as well. The Nihon Semiconductor
SPARC production starts this month and production of the R2000 and
3000 will follow in June.

The joint venture has been producing gate arrays so far, but
will expand production to such items such as compatible chip sets
for IBM personal computers and ghost canceller integrated circuits
for extended definition television or EDTV, besides RISC chips, in
this venture.

(Naoyuki Yazawa/19890511/Press Contact:LSI Logic Inc., 03-589-2711)


(NEWS)(BUSINESS)(LON)(00011)

SONY REPORTED TO BE CONSIDERING NEW NETHERLANDS PLANT
AMSTERDAM, THE NETHERLANDS, 1989 MAY 12 (NB) -- Sony is reported
to be planning a major new plant in the Netherlands, according to
Het Financieele Dagblad, the Dutch daily newspaper. The Japanese
electrical giant has earmarked $250 million for the project, the
paper notes.

The Sony factory, which the company has declined to comment on,
will employ 500 staff, says the paper. The location seems logical,
since Sony's largest customer in Europe, ASM, is also located in
the Netherlands.

In a related story, Sony is also said to have approached Philips,
the Dutch electrical giant, with a view to buying into Philips'
existing Dutch operations. Currently, Philips annual market in
the Netherlands is worth just over $8,500 million a year. Philips
has strongly denied the rumour, according to the PR Newswire
service.

(Steve Gold/19890512)


(NEWS)(BUSINESS)(SYD)(00012)

COMPAQ ANGERS LOCAL RESIDENTS OVER LAND DEVELOPMENT
SYDNEY, AUSTRALIA, 1989 MAY 12 (NB) -- A five hectare [12 acre]
site which Compaq recently bought for around AUS$9 million is at the
heart of a heated row concerning local residents and local and
state governments. Compaq wants to build a AUS$15 million
complex on the land which lies in the middle of a residential
area.

The local municipal council voted to 'spot rezone' the land to
allow Compaq to proceed. Residents claim that they bought into
the area because it was guaranteed non-industrial -- they plan to
fight Compaq every step. Compaq managing director Ian Penman
told Newsbytes "What they don't realize is that there's a lot of
development going on around us, including some 3500 additional homes.
We've spent significant amounts on landscaping and redesigning the
facility to take their concerns into account. To be continued...

(Paul Zucker/19890512)


(NEWS)(BUSINESS)(SYD)(00013)

TECO SETS UP OPERATION IN NEW ZEALAND
AUCKLAND, NEW ZEALAND, 1989 MAY 12 (NB) -- Teco Australia is
expanding its business systems division into New Zealand. The
subsidiary of Taiwanese giant peripheral manufacturer Teco
Electric and Machinery has set up a direct wholesale operation in
Auckland to support dealers across that country.

Teco Australia's national sales manager, Trevor Taylor, in Auckland
for the operations opening said: "We looked at the [NZ] market
with two options, either to set up a distributor or become
directly involved. We decided on the latter." He said it was
inappropriate to discuss what Teco expected to gain financially
from New Zealand. "But, we do have faith in New Zealand in that
it will reflect the Australian operation where we have rapidly
gained market acceptance."

Teco Australia, which controls the Pacific region, has no plans
to expand. Last year, Teco Electric and Machinery reported
revenues of $US450 million to December 31. It expects to lift
that to $US550 million this financial year.

(Paul Zucker/19890512)


(NEWS)(BUSINESS)(SYD)(00014)

ACCOUNTING PACKAGES SET FOR WAR
SYDNEY, AUSTRALIA, 1989 MAY 12 (NB) -- A battle royal is
developing between two Australian PC accounting software
suppliers. On the offensive is Sybiz Software, with its Sybiz
Elite package. Its target is the Attache user base, and its
weapon is a free conversion program that will convert Attache
files to Sybiz format.

Sybiz' marketing director, Kerry Proctor, said that Attache 3.10
was "showing its age." "Users are demanding far more features and
flexibility," he said. Proctor's target is to swing up to 1000
Attache users over to Sybiz Elite, on the basis that they will
gain multiuser functionality.

An enquiry pack prepared by Sybiz has an eight page comparison of
Sybiz Elite and Attache 3.10, a Sybiz Elite Demonstration disk
and a Sybiz sales brochure. Proctor said Sybiz support centres
would convert Attache data for customers.

Attache is unperturbed by the Sybiz assault. Its national sales
manager, Tim Cavill, said the move meant more publicity for
Attache. Attache's managing director, Michael Rich, said he had
sent a facsimile to Proctor . It said: "Keep up the good work.
Every time you do something like this, our sales go up."

(Paul Zucker/19890512)


(NEWS)(BUSINESS)(SYD)(00015)

COMPUTER ASSOCIATES' FIFTY PERCENT PRIKE HIKE ANGERS USERS
SYDNEY, AUSTRALIA, 1989 MAY 12 (NB) -- Computer Associates is the
world's largest software house and it's just hit Australian data processing
sites with the world's largest price increases. Software maintenance
contracts for mainframe users, including many of the top 100
companies, have been increased by 50 percent.

Companies like Kodak, BHP and the ANZ bank said they would
seriously consider moving to other support mechanisms. Some
customers have even found that clauses in their contracts,
limiting annual rises to 15 percent, are being ignored.

(Paul Zucker/19890512)


(NEWS)(BUSINESS)(SYD)(00016)

MICROBEE'S BUSINESS BUZZING AGAIN
SYDNEY, AUSTRALIA, 1989 MAY 12 (NB) -- Beleaguered Australian PC
manufacturer Microbee has once more slipped from the wolves
mouths with a AUS$2 million order for educational PCs. The
company which once sold machines into Scandinavian and Russian
school systems from Australian factories has slipped out of
favour over the past couple of years. Its CP/M machines are seen
as dated, even if still good value. Managing Director Joe De Simone
said, "It's a disgrace having our students using Japanese, English
and American computers when the Australian product is cheaper
and better."

(Paul Zucker/19890512)


(NEWS)(BUSINESS)(SYD)(00017)

TV AD FOR COMPUTER COMPANY IS REAL DOG
SYDNEY, AUSTRALIA, 1989 MAY 5 (NB) -- The importance of
television advertising to computer companies and the fact that so
many use it means either they need the business, and/or
even if nobody else thinks they're important enough to need their
own TV show, they do.

Still, some try to come up with something different, such as the
current Australian TV ad where a dog -- a great dane to be
precise -- sits around wagging its tail, somehow promoting the
computer company ICL. [We haven't worked out what the connection
is yet.] Then, in a turnaround of canine cunning, somehow the
tail seems to end up wagging the dog, or as the voice-over says,
"the wag tails the dog!"

Considering the size of the dog, it's no mean feat.

(Paul Zucker/19890505)


(NEWS)(BUSINESS)(SIN)(00018)

SINGAPORE TO GET ANOTHER S$360 MILLION INVESTMENT FROM SGS-THOMSON
SINGAPORE, S.E. ASIA, 1989 MAY 7 (NB) -- In its attempt to become one
of the world's 10 top producers of integrated circuits [ICs] by 1993,
European multinational SGS-Thomson plans to invest another S$360
million [US$198 million] in its Singapore operations.

With this latest investment, SGS-Thomson's stake in its Singapore
operations will reach S$700 million [US$385 million] in five years.
Part of the $360 million has gone into the building of an advanced
S$120 million [US$66 million] IC manufacturing plant, presently
partially completed and expected to operate fully by early 1991.

The new facility is being financed in part by Singapore's Economic
Development Board [EDB] in conjunction with three Italian Banks,
Istito Bancario San Paolo Di Torino, Banca Nazionale del Lavoro and
Monte dei Paschi Di Siena under the Capital Assistance Scheme - a rare
form of government-guaranteed finance offered at an attractive fixed
rate of interest as an additional inducement to major investors.

Currently the world's 12th largest producer of semiconductors, SGS-
Thomson, the result of a merger in 1987 between Italian multinational
IRI/Finmeccanica and French giant Thomson-CSF, has been operating in
Singapore for more than a decade. Its Singapore facilities also function
as its Asian-Pacific headquarters. It has IC design, assembly, test
and marketing activities in addition to its manufacturing facilities here.

Brigadeer-General [Res] Lee Hsien Loong, Singapore's Trade and
Industry Minister, officiated at yesterday's ceremonies. He said that
as a result of Singapore's "fruitful partnership" with multinational
corporations like SGS-Thomson, the Republic now accounts for 4 to 5
percent of the world's semiconductor production. He added that
Singapore is the world's fifth largest semiconductor producer
after the United States, Japan, Malaysia and South Korea."

SGS-Thomson's Asia Pacific and corporate vice president, Mr Milivoj
von Somogy, said that Singapore is important to SGS-Thomson because of
its proximity to its Asia-Pacific customers. He further said that the
regional market is expected to grow fast, from S$428 million [US$225
million] this year to about S$1.15 billion [US$660 million] in 1994.

"Japan buys about 40 percent of the world's semiconductors and the
rest of the Asia-Pacific region consumes about 12 percent. So
Singapore is the gateway to this region," he continued.

Mr. Somogy said that SGS-Thomson expects its Singapore operations to
hit a turnover of S$1 billion [US$550 million] this year. Dr Pistorio
said that its operations here will use more highly-skilled workers and
it will therefore only need to add about 300 more workers to its
current workforce of around 2,400 in total.

(Michael Worsley & S.Roowi/19890510/Press Contact: SGS-Thomson,
Ph:[65] 482.1411)


(NEWS)(BUSINESS)(SIN)(00019)

U.S. LOTTERY SYSTEMS SUPPLIER WANTS TO MAKE SINGAPORE ITS ASIAN BASE
SINGAPORE, S.E. ASIA, 1989 MAY 10 (NB) -- It was reported in the
Singapore press today that a spokesman for GTECH Corporation, a U.S.
company that supplies lottery systems worldwide, plans to use
Singapore as its base in its proposed expansion in the Asian region.

He said that the new base would service three regional clients -
Singapore Pools Ltd; Lotteries Corps of Sabah, Malaysia and Sports
Toto Malaysia Bhd of Kuala Lumpur. The Singapore office would try to
tap marketing and sales potential for more online lottery systems.

The spokesman further said that GTECH was negotiating a contract with
another independent Malaysian corporation.

(Michael Worsley & S. Roowi/19890511)


(NEWS)(BUSINESS)(SIN)(00020)

CONSTRUCTION OF U.S. CHEMICAL GIANT DU PONT'S SINGAPORE PLANT BEGINS
SINGAPORE, S.E. ASIA, 1989 MAY 10 (NB) -- Today marks the start of
construction on the first stage of the U.S.-based chemical giant Du Pont's
S$50 million [US$26 million] Singapore plant in Tuas, which will
produce engineering polymers.

The chairman of Singapore's Economic Development Board [EDB], Mr
Philip Yeo, was the guest of honour at the ground-breaking ceremony to
mark the beginning of a massive investment, which could total S$300
million [US$165 million] over the next five years if fully developed.

Last January Du Pont commanded a lot of attention when it announced
that the S$300 million would be put into the financing of two factories
if its specialized products receive encouraging market response.

Both factories will manufacture Delrin, a plastic material designed by
Du Pont, which is used as a replacement for metal in a wide variety of
industries producing from automotive and electronics to consumer
goods.

The first plant will be ready next year, and is planned to produce 40
million pounds of Delrin a year, which will be about a fifth of Du
Pont's global production and large enough to supply the Asia-Pacific
region.

(Michael Worsley & S. Roowi/19890511/Press Contact: Dupont
Singapore Electronic P/L, Ph:[65] 861.2372)


(NEWS)(BUSINESS)(KUL)(00021)

MALAYSIA TO RECEIVE M$5 MILLION INVESTMENT FROM ASHTON-TATE
KUALA LUMPUR, MALAYSIA, 1989 MAY 3 (NB) -- The Malaysian operations of
Ashton-Tate, developer of the dBASE family of database management
systems, expects to receive about M$5 million investment over the next
two years.

Newsbytes was told that according to James Lewis, managing director of
Ashton-Tate, the Malaysian market is big and of some importance to the
company. It expects the sales revenue from Malaysia to surpass that
from Singapore next year. Mr. Lewis said that the Malaysian subsidiary
in Kuala Lumpur was set up to bring the company closer to its
customers in the country.

"This way, we will be able to provide first line support to the
market. It is also our strategy to keep an eye on the piracy
situation," he said. "We are committed to the Malaysian market and the
only international software publisher to have direct operations here.
We hope that other companies will follow suit and open direct offices
in Malaysia."

Ashton-Tate Malaysia has appointed 20 dealers here. Mr. Lewis claimed
that over 300,000 copies of dBASE IV had been sold worldwide and over
100,000 users had upgraded from dBASE III.

He said the Malaysian Government realized that with a more legitimate
IT industry, it would be able to attract more foreign investors and
establish an indigenous software industry.

Ashton-Tate, the developer of the dBASE family of database management
was one of many foreign investors to set up manufacturing or other
facilities recently in Singapore in keeping with a recent growing
trend, with the establishment of a development center for product
development in the republic last month [see Newsbytes #301].

(Michael Worsley & S.Roowi/19890511)


(NEWS)(BUSINESS)(KUL)(00022)

U.S. HARRIS TO INVEST M$17 MILLION MORE IN MALAYSIA
KUALA LUMPUR, MALAYSIA, 1989 MAY 10 (NB) -- Harris Malaysia [HM], a
subsidiary of Harris Semiconductor [HS] of Melbourne, Florida, U.S.A.,
plans to expand its Malaysian manufacturing facilities at a cost of
M$17 million [US$6 million].

Mr. Russell Morcom, HS' vice-president and general manager, says
the expansion is necessary to consolidate some operations and
expand current business following the acquisition of GE Solid State
last December. He emphasized that the new facilities reinforced
their stated commitment to Malaysia and demonstrated their
confidence in that country.

He said, "The immediate expansion will involve construction of a new
120,000 square foot [11,148 square meters] building and will be the first
phase of a possible three-phase program which could consist of a
further 180,000 square feet [16,722 square meters] development within the
next five years."

The new facility will be located on a 0.8-hectare [8,000 square meters] site
between existing 9,290 square meters and 13,935 square meters sites owned
and operated by HM in the Ulu Kelang free trade zone. Mr. Morcom added
that besides increasing its present capacity and bring in new technology,
the expansion will create employment for more engineers, supervisors,
technicians and production operators.

Incorporated in 1974, HS claimed to have invested more than M$20
million [US$6.5 million] in Malaysia. Its Malaysian-manufactured
products include standard and customized integrated circuits.

With global sales of more than M$2 billion [US$650 million], HS is a
major supplier of information, communication and semiconductor
systems, products and services to worldwide government and commercial
markets.

(Michael Worsley & S.Roowi/19890511)


(EXCLUSIVE)(GENERAL)(LAX)(00001)

QUESTIONS SURFACE ABOUT THE ATARI PORTFOLIO
LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA, U.S.A., 1989 MAY 9 (NB) -- Atari's handheld
computer, the Portfolio, may be headed for some problems. Newsbytes
was told by a well-connected source that the developer of the
machine, Distributed Information Processing, Ltd. of Great Britain
[DIP], is unhappy with its Atari connection and speculated that DIP
may be planning to sue Atari.

DIP representatives have characterized the statement as "untrue."
"That's nonsense. In fact we're very pleased with the arrangement
with Atari," said Managing Director David Frodsham.

As to the Portfolio itself, thus far, Atari has offered limited
information on the unit and few outsiders have seen it -- even though
it is reportedly due to ship this summer. Company executives told
Newsbytes that orders for the new product, of a thousand units or
more, are common. An announcement described the machine as
approximately the size of a VCR tape and under one pound in weight.

Atari's announcement also refers to the unit as DOS compatible.
From a second source, also wishing anonymity, Newsbytes has gotten
more details of the ephemeral unit. The issue of the machine's DOS
compatibility was questioned by this source, an engineer with a key
developer of operating-system software for the PC-compatible market.
According to this engineer, the new computer is just partially DOS
compatible. "Only a large enough selection of DOS commands will be
included in the product to run Portfolio applications," the source
told Newsbytes. Users may be unable to run some vital DOS
applications on the system according to the report.

Frodsham also clarified some of the confusion about the product.
The Portfolio was not intended to replace a desktop computer the way
a laptop may be used. It is really more of a peripheral that can be
used to take some of the computer's processing on the road. DOS
files and applications can be transferred to the machine and run
from 128K memory cards.

While it can run DOS 2.0, and incorporates many commands from later
versions of DOS, the unit itself has a different native operating
system that is more suited to a handheld computer. DOS networking
commands are not supported. The  operating system, shell
and applications are built into a large 512K ROM [read only memory].
The unit also has 128K of internal memory and expansion capability
that will allow external memory to be added -- up to a total of 640K.
This is in addition to the 128K memory cards which are formatted to
work like disk drives.

(Wayne Yacco/19890509)


(NEWS)(GENERAL)(SFO)(00002)

EGGHEAD EGGZIBITION SHOWS DUMPED
ISSAQUAH, WASHINGTON, U.S.A., 1989 MAY 12 (NB) -- Egghead Discount
Software has cancelled its Eggzibition shows slated for June in
San Francisco and New York in September. Egghead spokeswoman
Diane Merz tells Newsbytes the last Eggzibition, forums showcasing
products for sale in Egghead retail software outlets, will take
place from the 19th through the 21st of May at the Bayside Expo
Center in Boston.

"We've had to take a hard look at everything we're doing in terms
of marketing," she says. "Eggzibitions have been extraordinarily
successful, and our customers love them. Unfortunately Egghead is a
national company, and when you have 30 major markets around the
country, it's hard to pour tons of money into all of them."

Some 80-85 vendors have participated in Eggzibition shows, and
Egghead is now investigating ways of better spending their dollars,
says Merz.

Egghead is still staging Soft Tours, one-day events showcasing a
small number of products aimed at corporate buyers, in 23 U.S.
cities. She says there is nothing, however, for the end-user
right now.

(Wendy Woods/19890512/Press Contact: Diane Merz, 206-391-0800)


(NEWS)(GENERAL)(SFO)(00003)

HEWLETT-PACKARD AND MICROPRO MAKE MOVES OUT OF BAY AREA
CUPERTINO, CALIFORNIA, U.S.A., 1989 MAY 10 (NB) -- In a move that
reflects growing concern about the high cost of living and doing
business in the San Francisco Bay Area, both MicroPro International
and Hewlett-Packard chose the same week to announce they were
moving part of their workforces elsewhere.

Hewlett-Packard will move some of its research, development, and
computer manufacturing operations to Roseville, about 20 miles
from Sacramento, from Cupertino, California, within the next two
years. Some 450 employees are affected and about a third of them
are expected to go along. HP operates a one million square foot
facility in Roseville which will be expanded.

And MicroPro has announced plans to expand its customer
service operation to the campus of Indiana University in Bloomington,
Indiana. 40 new representatives will be hired to handle the firm's
toll-free telephone support lines.

Says Marc Bailey, MicroPro executive vice president of sales and
marketing, "We'll benefit from lower operational costs and from
involvement of students and faculty." MicroPro will be the first resident
of Indiana University's new research and development park.

(Wendy Woods/19890513/Press Contacts: Deb Lovig, MicroPro 415-
499-7676; Shirley Gilbert, HP, 408-447-6012)


(NEWS)(GENERAL)(SFO)(00004)

GUIDE TO HIGH-TECH ANALYSTS AND INDUSTRY EXPERTS AVAILABLE
BELLEVUE, WASHINGTON, U.S.A., 1989 MAY 13 (NB) -- A new listing
of high-tech industry and financial experts and consultants has been
published by Floathe and Associates. The High Tech Analysts and
Consultants Directory, $40, lists more than 420 individuals at more
than 100 companies who are experts in some 30 categories, including
biotechnology, computer-aided design, desktop publishing, electronics,
networking, PCs, and software.

The guide is designed to appeal to high tech companies, which can use
it to look for sources of information about their industry,
advertising and public relations executives, who can use the
listings to set up analyst tours or mail out press releases, and
journalists who cover the industry and need independent industry
observers.

"We found no single source for locating those analysts for our
clients, so we conducted extensive research and compiled the
directory. We are now making it available to the general public
because there is a need for this vital information," says Chuck
Pettis, senior vice president at Floathe.

The High Tech Analysts and Consultants Directory can be
ordered by writing to Floathe & Associates, 12011 NE First Street,
Suite 305, Bellevue, Washington, 98005, or by calling 800-FLOATHE in the
U.S. or 206-462-8400 elsewhere. All orders must be accompanied
by $2.50 to cover shipping and Washington residents should add
8.1 percent sales tax.

(Wendy Woods/19890513/Press Contact: Chuck Pettis or Maury
Floathe)


(NEWS)(GENERAL)(SFO)(00005)

UNIQUE CONFERENCE TO UNITE COMPUTER VISIONARIES
MONTEREY, CALIFORNIA, U.S.A., 1989 MAY 13 (NB) -- What do Alan
Kay, Herbie Hancock, internationally acclaimed architect Frank
Gehry, graphic designer Takenobu Igarashi, Nigel Holmes, executive
art director for Time magazine, and Gannett Center for Media
Studies Executive Director Everette Dennis have in common? The
Technology, Entertainment, and Design Communications Conference,
TED2 for short, where all are on the roster to speak.

Slated for February 22-25 at the Monterey Conference Center, TED2
"promises to provide a glimpse of the future from the people who
are creating it," says Conference Director Bill Rosenzweig. "This
conference is about the wonderful things that happen when
technology, entertainment, and design come together," adds Chairman
Saul Wurman, author and architect.

The sponsor is Pacific Bell Directory, whose Chief Executive John Gaulding
says the purpose is to look at how information regarding the convergence
of technology, entertainment, and design, can be made more understandable.
"The traditional boundaries of these disciplines are vanishing, creating
challenging crossovers between industries that were once separate.
The computer is helping to transform the ways we communicate,
learn and do business."

There will also be hands-on demonstrations and workshops of the
latest hardware and software technologies that are influencing the
future of media and communication For additional information contact
Mike Whitacre, conference coordinator, at 213-831-4225.

(Wendy Woods/19890513)


(NEWS)(GENERAL)(LAX)(00006)

CADAM MAKES INFORMATIONWEEK'S TOP 50 SOFTWARE VENDOR LIST
BURBANK, CALIFORNIA, U.S.A., 1989 MAY 12 (NB) -- CADAM Inc., a
developer of computer-aided design, engineering and manufacturing
[CAD/CAE/CAM] software has been added to the InformationWeek list
of the country's top 50 software vendors. CADAM is the only
CAD/CAE/CAM developer included in the list.

The InformationWeek survey identifies the independent software
vendors judged to outstanding top-level decision-makers
responsible for software purchases at Fortune 500 companies.

(Janet Endrijonas/19890512/Press Contact: Barbara Kierys, CADAM
Inc., 818-841-9470)


(NEWS)(GENERAL)(LAX)(00007)

AMERITECH TO DISTRIBUTE ATTENDANT CONSOLE FOR ENHANCED CENTREX
DALLAS, TEXAS, U.S.A., 1989 MAY 2 (NB) -- Ameritech Information
Systems will distribute the first PC-based attendant console being
manufactured by Conveyant Systems, Inc. of Irvine, Ca.

This distribution agreement is for two years and is valued at
several million dollars. Under the terms of the agreement,
Ameritech will market the attendant console to Centrex customers
in its five state region. Conveyant Systems will train Ameritech
personnel in sales, installation, maintenance and project
management and will provide technical support. This agreement is
similar to one Conveyant Systems signed last month with Bell
Atlanticom.

The attendant console, called the TeleDesk Workstation, is a
fully-featured Centrex console and provides increased
functionality to companies upgrading or replacing older systems.

(Janet Endrijonas/19890512/Press Contacts: Robert Farris,
Conveyant Systems, Inc., 714-756-7100 or Perry Reed, Ameritech
Information Systems, Inc., 312-906-4204)


(NEWS)(GENERAL)(LAX)(00008)

M2S ANNOUNCES MODULA-2 COMPILER FOR AMIGA
DALLAS, TEXAS, U.S.A., 1989 MAY 9 (NB) -- Folllowing closely on
the heels of it newly released Modula-2 development system for
the Commodore Amiga, M2S has announced an updated version with a
compiler that can handle 45,000 lines per minute. The product is
scheduled to be available later this month.

The new compiler runs from the editor, command line, Workbench or
ARexx. The package's editor supports multiple windows.

(Janet Endrijonas/19890512/Press Contact: M2S Inc., 214-340-5256)


(NEWS)(GENERAL)(LAX)(00009)

SMARTKEY VERSION 5.3 ALLOWS MACRO EFFICIENCY
MALIBU, CALIFORNIA, U.S.A., 1989 MAY 8 (NB) -- Command Software
Systems has announced the release of Smartkey 5.3. This program
features EMS or Extended Memory support so it can execute 60,000-
keystroke macros while using just two kilobytes of main memory.

(Janet Endrijonas/19890512/Press Contact: Dyan Dyer, Command
Software Systems Inc., 213-457-1789)


(EXCLUSIVE)(GENERAL)(LAX)(00010)

NIELSON FAMILIES REPORTING ON GROCERY PURCHASES
LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA, U.S.A., 1989 MAY 9 (NB) -- Surveys have
just reached from your living room to your kitchen and they may
make it all the way to your dinner plate. A. C. Nielson, of
television-watching survey fame, has exported its sampling
techniques to the supermarket. Full implementation began in
January of this year so results of the program may begin to appear
soon.

Every package we buy in a supermarket today includes a zebra-
striped product code that allows the Nielson "families" to record
their grocery purchase with a simple swipe of an electronic wand.
A similar bar code appears on manufacturer's discount coupons.
The wand itself saves the data in a 32K memory, then talks to a
central computer over the telephone. The data will reflect the
results of coupon programs, promotions and brand popularity.

Soon, stores will make decisions based on the habits of the
Nielson customers and we'll all, presumably, benefit. Jeff
Osborne, director of marketing for Hand Held Products, the company
making the scanner used by Nielson, told Newsbytes, "Now automatic
identification is getting out of the factory and into the home.
The manufacturers can be much more responsive and the housewife
get's what she really wants."

Hand Held is releasing a new product to support the wand which was
shown here at ID Expo for the first time. A spokesperson said the
company was prepared to take orders immediately although the
product has not yet been announced. The Micro-Wand base station
allows the Micro-Wand III scanner to communicate directly with a
PC through the computer's serial port. The $250 unit even has its
own expansion bus for attaching a Hayes-compatible modem [package
priced at $595]. This allows the scanner or the PC to communicate
directly through a standard RJ-11 telephone connection. The
miniaturized Micro-Wand itself contains a 202S modem capable only
of acoustic transmission through a telephone handset.

(Wayne Yacco/19890509/Press Contact: Hand Held, Marcia Brashear,
704-541-1380)


(NEWS)(GENERAL)(LAX)(00011)

SOFTWARE PUBLISHERS ASSOCIATION NAMES FIVE FOR AWARDS
WASHINGTON, D.C., U.S.A., 1989 MAY 10 (NB) -- The Software
Publisher's Association [SPA] has named the nominees for the
first SPA Lifetime Achievement Award. This award has been
established to honor individuals who have made outstanding
contributions to the growth and development of the PC software
industry.

Nominated are: Bill Atkinson, developer of the Hypercard
environment; Dan Bricklin, a co-creator of Visicalc; Steve Jobs,
co-founder of Apple Computer, Inc.; Steve Wozniak, co-founder of
Apple; and Bill Gates, co-founder of Microsoft.

Nominees were selected by members of the general and trade press.
The winner of the award will be chosen by the 475 members of SPA
and will be announced May 23rd during the group's annual
convention to be held in San Diego, CA. The SPA's annual
excellence in software award winners will also be announced at
that time.

(Janet Endrijonas/19890512/Press Contact: Ken Wasch, Software
Publisher's Association, 202-452-1600)


(NEWS)(GENERAL)(BOS)(00012)

LOTUS MAGAZINE INITIATES CONTEST FOR INNOVATIVE APPLICATIONS
CAMBRIDGE, MASSACHUSETTS, U.S.A., 1989 MAY 11 (NB) -- Lotus
magazine today announced a new contest that will seek to
identify the creators of the "Most Innovative Lotus Applications" that
use Lotus Development software products.

A Lotus magazine editor explained that since the magazine focuses
a great deal of attention on helping readers find 1-2-3 and Symphony
solutions that apply to business, they decided to look for and honor
those who have created some of the most innovative applications.

A panel comprised of the magazine's editors will judge the
applications. The key judging criteria will be the ability to significantly
enhance productivity and improve decision-making. The deadline for
entries is May 22. Prizes for winners had not been decided upon by
press time.

(Jon Pepper/19890512/Press Contact: Rosemarie Mylod, Lotus, 617-
225-6840)


(NEWS)(GENERAL)(BOS)(00013)

UNION PACIFIC TO CONTROL RAIL TRAFFIC FROM COMPUTERIZED BUNKER
OMAHA, NEBRASKA, U.S.A., 1989 MAY 10 (NB) -- In a month, train
dispatchers for the Union Pacific Railroad will be working in at
computer consoles from a windowless bunker in this city. The bunker
is designed to withstand "anything short of a nuclear attack,"
according to Michael Walsh, chairman of Union Pacific's rail unit,
headquartered in Bethlehem, Penn.

The key to the system is computer software that tracks the progress
of trains an automatically switches tracks and signals, allowing a
faster train to pass a slower one. Since the system handles many
mundane and routine tasks, dispatchers should, in theory, be able to
devote their attention to more pressing issues.

The new dispatch center cost about $47 million to create.

(Jon Pepper/19890512))


(NEWS)(GENERAL)(BOS)(00014)

NETWORK SUPERCOMPUTING GROUP CREATED
BOSTON, MASSACHUSETTS, U.S.A., 1989 MAY 10 (NB) -- A new
advocacy organization to be based here, The Network Supercomputer
Project has been announced during a Digital Equipment trade show
at the Carter Presidential Center in Atlanta.

The new group will advise computer user on methods to create
more powerful applications over existing data processing networks.
The net effect will be creating a supercomputer that uses existing
hardware already in place.

The group is significant in light of the United State's perceived loss
of prestige in the supercomputer field. Recently, Control Data
withdrew from the supercomputing business, leaving market leader
Cray as the main U.S. representative against the Japanese companies.

This new project will work as a clearinghouse of technical expertise
and ideas, and help foster awareness of the network supercomputer
concept. The goal is to help users gain more computing power from
systems they already have.

(Jon Pepper/19890512/Press Contact: Franco Vitaliano, The Network
Supercomputer Project, 617-576-8133)


(CORRECTION)(GENERAL)(BOS)(00015)

CORRECTION TO LAST WEEK'S KODAK PRINTER STORY
ROCHESTER, NEW YORK, U.S.A., 1989 MAY 12 (NB) -- Contrary to a
report in last week's Newsbytes, Kodak printers have never used
thermal heads -- all previous models have had ink-jet mechanisms.
The statement was made in a report about a new ink-jet printer, the
Diconix 150 Plus, recently introduced by Kodak.

(Wendy Woods/19890512)


(NEWS)(GENERAL)(TYO)(00016)

ROBOTS AND RISC CHIPS HIGHLIGHT MICROCOMPUTER SHOW '89
TOKYO, JAPAN, 1989 MAY 10 (NB) -- Microcomputer Show '89, an
exhibition of microprocessors and related technology, opened at
Tokyo Ryutsu Center on May 10. Some 75 domestic and foreign companies
participated in this four-day exhibition which featured
next-generation computer technology that employs 32-bit microprocessors
[MPUs] and reduced instruction set computing or RISC-type chips.

Mitsubishi Electric, Fujitsu, Sharp, Sony Tektroniks, Nippon
Motorola, Toshiba, and NEC showed off their 32-bit MPUs. Gmicro family
chips with TRON architecture were exhibited by Mitsubishi and
Fujitsu. Mitsubishi demonstrated four industrial robots, all
controlled by Gmicro M32 microprocessors. And at the NEC booth, three
robots called the Cybernetics Robot Band, controlled by a 32-bit
microprocessor, performed music.

Fujitsu was running a computer-aided design or CAD system,
composed of an engineering workstation attached with Sun
Microsystems' RISC-type SPARC chip with its MS-DOS-based 16-bit
FMR personal computer. Matsushita Electric Industries, meanwhile,
showed off its 64-bit RISC-type floating point microprocessor which
boasts a quantum-leap processing speed of 20 million floating point
operations per second [20 megaFLOPS].

Public attention was also turned to Mitsubishi's optical neuro
circuit -- which the firm has integrated into one chip -- that was
demonstrated as part of a video display.

In the PC arena, Fujitsu showed off its 32-bit FM-Towns PC, which
comes with a CD-ROM, or compact disk read-only-memory unit as standard.
NEC exhibited new models of its de facto-standard Japanese PC, the
PC-9800 series. There was also a revolutionary new kind of software
program for NEC's PC-8800 which was capable of transcribing music
from a humming voice in a connected microphone.

But despite these highlights, the show did not pack in the crowds,
nor did it attract major exhibitors such as Intel Japan and
IBM Japan, leading some analysts to speculate that this show's
days may be numbered.

(Ken Takahashi/19890511)


(NEWS)(GENERAL)(TYO)(00017)

LARGE CAPACITY CARTRIDGE-BASED HARD DRIVE INTRODUCED IN JAPAN
TOKYO, JAPAN, 1989 MAY 8 (NB) -- Nippon System House is offering
a 5.25-inch cartridge-replaceable hard disk drive [HDD] developed
by U.S.-based Syquest for the Japanese market. The HDD, called
Caddie, has a larger-than-ever memory capacity of 44 megabytes and
a data access speed of 25 milliseconds. The new HDD unit can be
used for NEC's PC-9800 series, IBM PC/AT and compatibles J-3100 and
AX, IBM 5550 series and the PS/55.

Though cartridge-based hard drive units are common in the U.S.,
few Japanese firms have opted to produce them for fear that dust
will damage the contents. Nippon System House is assuring the
Japanese hardware buyer that its cartridge system is reliable,
and claims to have tested it extensively.

The drive unit is priced at 360,000 yen or $2,800, the cartridge
is 27,000 yen or $200, and the cleaning kit is 5,000 yen or $40.
The company is scheduled to ship the products next month.

(Ken Takahashi/19890511/Press Contact: Nippon System House,
03-366-3101)


(NEWS)(GENERAL)(TOR)(00018)

INTERNATIONAL NEWVIEWS USER CONFERENCE SET FOR TORONTO
TORONTO, ONTARIO, CANADA, 1989 MAY 8 (NB) -- The first
international conference for users of NewViews, PC accounting
software from Q.W. Page Associates of Toronto, will be held here
June 26-27. The two-day conference will feature a dozen speakers,
including Phil Quackenbush, president of Q.W. Page. The
conference sponsor is A -A -A -A Management Consultants of
Toronto. Further information is available from Bill Cornish at
416-884-8374.

(Grant Buckler/19890509/Press Contact: Bill Cornish, A -A -A -A,
416-884-8374)


(NEWS)(GENERAL)(TOR)(00019)

HEARING ON COMPUTERIZED TRADING OPERATION POSTPONED
TORONTO, ONTARIO, CANADA, 1989 MAY 8 (NB) -- The Ontario
Securities Commission has postponed a hearing on Instinet
Canada's application to become a member of the Toronto Stock
Exchange. Instinet, a subsidiary of Reuters Holdings, runs a
computerized stock trading and information system. The system
would let brokers trade large blocks of stock without going
through the exchange floor. A group of investment dealers has
opposed Instinet's application for membership in the exchange. No
new date has been set for the hearing, which was originally
scheduled for May 18, but May 26 has been set as the deadline for
clarifying preliminary issues. The hearing was postponed because
the securities commission decided the application involved public
policy issues, and that therefore it needed more time to prepare.

(Grant Buckler/19890509)


(NEWS)(GENERAL)(LON)(00020)

EPSON POWERS IN WITH SUMMER '89 PRODUCT RANGE
HEMEL HEMPSTEAD, ENGLAND, 1989 MAY 12 (NB) -- Epson hit the
centre stage of last week's PC User Show in London with its
summer '89 product range. Tony Westray, Epson's communications
manager, summed up the scenario by claiming the company "had more
launches than Cape Canavaral."

Amongst the many new products on display were: the PC-AX3, a 386-
based desktop PC; GQ5000, a 300x300 dots per inch [dpi] laser
printer; and the GT4000, a colour/monochrome flat bed scanner.
Also shown were the SQ850 and SQ2550 series, two 24-nozzle ink
jet printers, and the LQ860 and 1060 series, two 24-pin colour
dedicated printers.

The 80386-based PC-AX3 will be available in July, 1989 and will be
priced starting at UKP 2,700. The PC comes with automatic clock
speed selection from 8 to 20MHz, and a choice of 40, 80, 90 or
180 megabytes [MB] hard disk systems to complement a 1.2MB 5.25-
inch floppy drive.

The GQ5000 laser, meanwhile, is Epson's second-generation laser
printer with three scaleable fonts built in. The six pages per
minute unit, which will ship from July onwards, comes with 512K
of random access memory [expandable to 2MB internally]. Pricing
has yet to be announced.

The SQ850 and 2550 are noiseless 24-nozzle ink-jet printers. The
2550 is a 132 column unit with 9 fonts and a fast 594 characters-
per-second [cps] super draft speed. The SQ850 is a similar-
specification 80-column unit. No prices on these models was
announced at the show.

The LQ860 and 1060 colour dedicated printers print in up to
seven colours up to A3 size in format. The LQ860 is an 80 column
unit retailing for UKP 769, whilst the 132-column LQ1060 printer
retails for UKP 959.

(Steve Gold/19890512/Press Contact: Tony Westray, Epson U.K. - Tel:
0442-61144)


(NEWS)(GENERAL)(SYD)(00021)

COMPUTER LAB NAMED FOR LATE YACHTING DESIGNER
SYDNEY, AUSTRALIA, 1989 MAY 10 (NB) -- Australia's first private
university -- Bond University -- is to remember a great
Australian yachting name with its Lexcen computer lab. Ben
Lexcen, who died last year, was the designer behind Australia's
successful challenge of the America's cup in 1983. His famous
winged keel was credited with the winning difference.

(Paul Zucker/19890512)


(NEWS)(GENERAL)(SIN)(00022)

SINGAPORE CONSTRUCTION ENGINEERS WANT INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY
SINGAPORE, S.E. ASIA, 1989 MAY 05 (NB) -- The Institute of Engineers
Singapore [IES] says that the use of Information Technology [IT] can
help make the local construction industry more competitive globally.
Hence the IES is organizing the first IES Information Technology
Conference on May 25-27 at a local hotel, The Pan Pacific.

The two-and-a-half day conference will explore directions the industry
should take to maximize the potential of IT and discuss ideas and
experiences on the effective use of IT for planning, design,
construction and maintenance.

One of the items on the agenda will be the development of a standard
information classification system to develop and facilitate information
exchange. Mr. Bay Tseng, chairman of both the IES and conference
organizing committees, said, "If we are successful, this should make our
construction industry more efficient.S

Local speakers and those from the U.K., U.S., China, Australia and New
Zealand, amongst others, are expected to participate in the
conference. To be held alongside the conference will be an exhibition
on the latest products and services for the construction industry.

Dr. Lee Boon Yang, Singapore's senior minister of State [National
Development], will officiate at the opening of the conference and
exhibition.

(Michael Worsley & S. Roowi/19890509/Press Contact: Institute of Engineers,
Ph:[65] 469.5000)


(NEWS)(GENERAL)(SIN)(00023)

SINGAPORE ROBOTICS FESTIVAL BEGINS WITH TWO EXHIBITIONS
SINGAPORE, S.E. ASIA, 1989 MAY 8 (NB) -- Singapore's National
Automation Committee will launch Singapore Robotics Festival '89 with
two exhibitions next month.

One, the 'Automate For Better Living' Exhibition, supported by the
Economic Development Board [EDB] and the Japanese Embassy, is the
first of many programs planned for the year. It will be held at the
Singapore Science Centre and will cost more than S$100,000.

The other, 'The Stunts of King Kong and the Fantastic Robots,' jointly
organized by the Singapore Science Centre and Shizuoka Telecasting, a
Japanese broadcasting company, is planned for June 17 to 25 at The
World Trade Centre here. This show will feature animated robots,
including one of King Kong, the great ape, and a cyborg robot of the
late Marilyn Monroe.

The center's director, Dr. Leo Tan, said, "Our objective is encourage
people to accept automation and robotics as a way of life."

The first exhibition is primarily aimed at students. "After all one
day, they will be the manufacturing force. They will have to deal with
robots," said Dr Tan. He added that the exhibitions will also offer
timely suggestions on how robots can be used in view of Singapore's
present labour shortage.

Sixteen Japanese and three local companies will display more than
thirty exhibits at the exhibitions.

(Michael Worsley & S.Roowi/19890511/Contact: Singapore Science Centre,
Ph:[65] 560.3316)


(NEWS)(GOVT)(LAX)(00001)

NASA AWARDS CONTRACT TO STERLING SOFTWARE
DALLAS, TEXAS, U.S.A., 1989 MAY 11 (NB) -- The ZeroOne Systems
Division of Sterling Software Inc. has been awarded a 34 month
contract to provide upgraded supercomputing capabilities for
the NASA/Ames Research Center in Mountain View, California.

The contract, estimated to be worth $40 million is an extension
of Sterling's present supercomputer center operations at
NASA/Ames. The facility is currently based on a CRAY X-MP/48
computer. Upgrade plans call for use of a CRAY Y-MP/832, one of
the newest and most powerful computers in the world. Sterling
expects to make the changeover in July.

(Janet Endrijonas/19890512/Press Contact: Ray Hannon, Sterling
Software, Inc., 214/891-8600)


(NEWS)(GOVT)(LAX)(OOOO2)

JUDGE CHANGES MIND IN HACKER CASE
LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA, U.S.A., 1989 MAY 9 (NB) -- U.S. District
Judge Mariana Pfaelzer who, two weeks ago, rejected the plea
bargain deal for computer hacker Kevin Mintner, has accepted a
revised deal.

The new terms promise cooperation from the defendant in the
prosecution of other involved in his break-in of a Digital
Equipment Corporation computer. This plan also allows the judge
to impose a stiffer sentence for Mitnick -- 18 months as opposed to
a year. As reported in Newsbytes on April 28, Pfaelzer had
refused to accept the previous bargaining deal that limited the
possible sentence to one year. At that time, the judge indicated
that because of the length of time Mitnick had been involved in
computer crime and the fact that he had not been adequately
punished for past activities, a one year term would not be
enough.

The judge also eased the telephone use restrictions she had
previously imposed on Mitnick. He will not be required to use a
telephone only under strict supervision with the handset located
in one room and the rest of the phone in another.

As a result of the judicial acceptance of the deal, Mitnick has
entered a guilty plea to a charge of computer fraud and illegal
possession of more than 16 MCI codes that he used to make free
long distance calls.

(Janet Endrijonas/19890512)


(NEWS)(GOVT)(BOS)(00003)

IBM ASKS TINY FIRM TO DROP BIG BLUE FROM NAME
NORTHPORT, LONG ISLAND, U.S.A., 1989 MAY 10 (NB) -- A small
computer-equipment company in this Long Island town, Big Blue
Products Inc., has received a letter from IBM's copyright and
trademark department, indicating it has 30 days to change its
name.

Jeffrey Alnwick, the owner of Big Blue Products, was reported to
have said that IBM is threatening legal action unless he changes the
name of his company. IBM is concerned that customers will confuse
the small, five-employee company with IBM, which is nicknamed Big
Blue.

This is despite the fact that most of Mr. Alnwicks' clients have never
heard of the IBM Big Blue nickname, he says. Alnwick's company has been in
business for five years, and the owner claims changing the name
could potentially put him out of business.

(Jon Pepper/19890512)


(NEWS)(GOVT)(BOS)(00004)

JUDGE BARS "DROP DEAD" SOFTWARE FUNCTION
TULSA, OKLAHOMA, U.S.A., 1989 MAY 8 (NB) -- Those companies
buying custom software programs can breathe a bit easier, thanks to
a recent ruling by a federal judge in Tulsa. The judge ruled that a
"drop dead" function activated by a software developer against a
trucking company computer -- which blocked access to critical data --
was "abhorrent" he and restricted any further use of the function.

The case came about because the developer claimed the trucking
company was defaulting on payments for a custom-designed
accounting and managing program. The drop dead function was
embedded in the software, and activated by the developer to get the
attention of the non-paying trucking company, according to a
published report.

At this point, everyone is happy. The developer has been paid, and
the trucking company has working software and a working computer.
However, the ruling could have an effect on future cases where
disgruntled software developers try to take the law into their own
hands. It might also make those buying custom software think twice
before telling a software developer to "drop dead."

(Jon Pepper/19890512)


(NEWS)(GOVT)(TOR)(00005)

BBS DROPS APPLICATION TO TRADEMARK SHAREWARE NAME
MISSISSAUGA, ONTARIO, CANADA, 1989 MAY 12 (NB) -- Canada Remote
Systems, one of North America's largest electronic bulletin board
systems, has withdrawn its application to register the term
"shareware" as a trademark. Vice-President and System Operator
Jud Newell said the opposition of the Association of Shareware
Professionals [ASP] persuaded him to "let someone else carry the
battle on this one."

Shareware is software distributed free with a request to send a
contribution to the author. A number of distributors, including
Canada Remote, sell disks containing several shareware programs
at modest prices. Newell said the behavior of some shareware
distributors reflects badly on the rest, including his company.

Newell earlier said he sought the trademark in hopes of stopping
two objectionable practices. He said some distributors sell
shareware disks at low prices, without telling buyers they are
buying shareware. Thus authors rarely get revenue from the sale.
He also objected to distributors selling shareware disks at
unreasonably high prices -- $20 and $30 per disk -- thus leading
buyers to believe they have paid for the software and need not
register their copies with the author. In fact, these
distributors keep the entire price themselves and pass nothing on
to the authors, Newell said.

Newell had proposed to license the trademark at no charge to any
bona fide shareware author or distributor. He had also offered to
assign the trademark to the ASP. But the ASP said the term can't
be trademarked, and rejected the offer. Newell said he expects
someone else will now apply for a trademark on the term.

(Grant Buckler/19890512/Press Contact: Jud Newell, Canada Remote
Systems, 416-624-8193)


(NEWS)(GOVT)(SYD)(00006)

AUTODESK TAKES DONGLE DABBLER TO COURT
MELBOURNE, AUSTRALIA, 1989 MAY 12 (NB) -- The problem started
because Autodesk uses a dongle on Autocad, its top selling
computer drafting package. The dongle is a device which sits on
the computer parallel printer port and identifies to the software
that all is well with the world. No dongle means no pirate software!

Enter "Autokey," a device mail-order marketed by an unnamed
Melbourne company. For AUS$495 it guarantees to run all versions
of Autocad. Autodesk hired a private detective to purchase one of
the imposters and track down the seller. That's why they all
ended up in court last week. Autodesk is claiming that the ROM
[read-only memory] contained both in its dongle and the pretender
is the intellectual property of itself, and that therefore it is
protected by the copyright act. The case is continuing this week.

(Paul Zucker/19890512)


(NEWS)(GOVT)(SYD)(00007)

MINICOMPUTER TRAINING IN HIGH SCHOOL
MELBOURNE, AUSTRALIA, 1989 MAY 10 (NB) -- Victorian state high
schools may introduce training on minicomputers, if a trial
underway at the moment is successful. Altona High School has just
taken delivery of a Prime EXL 325 minicomputer and will use it to train
students on 'realistic work environments.'

The machine will run Uniplex 11, an application which will be
used for commerce studies. This move away from traditional PCs is
being carefully watched by both the school system and
traditional PC suppliers.

(Paul Zucker/19890512)


(NEWS)(GOVT)(SIN)(00008)

EDB OFFERS LOANS FOR HIGH-TECH OR CAPITAL-INTENSIVE INVESTMENTS
SINGAPORE, S.E. ASIA, 1989 MAY 9 (NB) -- A little-known scheme available
by invitation only to major high-technology or capital-intensive
prospective investors coming to Singapore is the Capital Assistance
Scheme. Now in its third year, the scheme involves the Economic
Development Board lending money to selected projects at an attractive
fixed rate of interest not otherwise likely to be available locally.

The funds are available for machinery, equipment and factory building
investments, and are likely to offer a more suitable source of finance
for investors needing to have some detailed knowledge of their likely
cost of capital over the life of a major project before being able to
judge the long-term risks of a particular investment.

For the current 89/90 financial year, the budget for the scheme is
S$300 million [US$165 million] -- the same as for the past two years,
and compares to the budget of S$200 million when first launched in
1986/87 as one of the measures adopted to help overcome the 1985/86
recession.

The advance of S$60 million to SGS-Thomson Microelectronics towards
the cost of their new wafer fabrication plant in Ang Mo Kio, Singapore
[see separate story in this edition of Newsbytes] shows how importantly
this particular venture is seen. EDB staff confirmed that the strict
conditions imposed are designed to ensure the loans do not compete
with the facilities offered by other financial institutions, and only
investments with a high technology content, or which introduce a new
technology into Singapore, would qualify for a loan under the scheme.

(Michael Worsley & S. Roowi/19890509/Press Contact: Economic
Development Board, Ph:[65] 336.2288)


(EXCLUSIVE)(GOVT)(SFO)(00009)

GRANDVIEW VERSUS PC OUTLINE -- COURT DELAYS RULING
SAN JOSE, CALIFORNIA, U.S.A., 1989 MAY 6 (NB) -- Federal District
Court Judge Robert Aguilar has delayed a decision on whether to issue
a summary judgement in the "look and feel" suit Telemarketing
Resources [a.k.a. Brown Bag Software] has launched against Symantec
Corporation.

The suit, filed in June, 1988, claims Symantec's Grandview
software violates trademarks and copyrights which Telemarketing
has on its PC Outline Program. In three weeks, the judge is expected
to issue a summary judgement or take the case to trial.

In court today, both sides brought PCs and staged demonstrations
of their products. Symantec's attorneys argued that Grandview was
derived from More! and ThinkTank, two products acquired after a merger
with Living Videotext. However, Schupper's forces argued that
his own product, PC Outline, was the father of Grandview. Both
were written by the same person -- programmer John Friend -- and
Brown Bag contends elements of the two programs are substantially
similar.

While programmer John Friend has admitted he used portions of
PC Outline's source code when writing Grandview, and an original
title of the product was PC Outline II, he contends, as does
Symantec, that he had full rights to do so. A contract signed
with Brown Bag Software, says Symantec attorney Mitchell Zimmerman,
gave Friend the right to use routines and subroutines from PC
Outline in other programs.

"The only similarities with PC Outline are similarities that are
inherent in the idea of an outline program, or represent elements
that were taken from Symantec's own earlier programs, Think
Tank or More!" says Symantec attorney Mitchell Zimmerman to
Newsbytes. "The source code claims are rubbish!"

The court may rule on the matter as early as the last week of
May.

(Wendy Woods/19890506/Press Contact: Sandy Schupper, Brown Bag
Software, 408-559-4606)


(NEWS)(IBM)(BOS)(00001)

IBM PLANS PRESS CONFERENCE FOR TUESDAY, MAY 16
WHITE PLAINS, NEW YORK, U.S.A., 1989 MAY 10 (NB) -- IBM is planning to
hold a press conference this Tuesday, May 16, at 10 a.m. in the
auditorium of the IBM building at 590 Madison Ave., in New York.

The company didn't disclose details of the press conference,
though a spokesman said that speakers will include many top IBM
U.S. executives.

(Jon Pepper/19890512/Press Contact: Scott Brooks, IBM, 201-930-5231)


(NEWS)(IBM)(BOS)(00002)

IBM INTRODUCES TWO NEW PS/2 MODELS -- ONE A TRANSPORTABLE
WHITE PLAINS, NEW YORK, U.S.A., 1989 MAY 9 (NB) -- IBM
introduced two new PS/2 models this week, keeping good on earlier
promises to deliver a continued barrage of new products in the PC
arena. The new models are the PS/2 Model 55SX, based on the Intel
386SX microprocessor, and the PS/2 Model P70 386, a heavyweight,
transportable model that matches most of the desktop Model 70
capabilities in a smaller package.

George Conrades, IBM senior vice president and general manager, U.S.
Marketing and Services, said, "these new systems satisfy our
customers' requests for increased power, performance, and portability."

The Model 55SX provides the advantages of the 386 architecture at
prices that are incrementally more than a computer based on the
Intel 286 central processor. Available immediately, the Model 55SX will list for

$3,895 with a 30 megabyte [MB] hard disk, or $4,295 with a 60MB hard disk
drive. The Model 55SX will run at one wait state, and come with
one megabyte of standard RAM, VGA graphics standard, and a single
3.5-inch floppy disk drive.

The Model P70 386, which is also available immediately, will be
configured with 4MB of memory, a VGA gas plasma screen, and a
detachable keyboard. A model with a 60MB hard disk will list for
$7,695; with a 120MB hard disk, the list will be $8,295.

While analysts generally had praise for the products, most also
expressed concern that IBM was not more aggressively moving into
the laptop field. The P70 weights about 20 pounds, while laptops
generally are in the 10-15 pound range. Some also were disappointed
that the Model 55SX didn't offer a more robust configuration.

(Jon Pepper/19890512/Press Contact: Linda Dezan, 914-642-5364)


(NEWS)(IBM)(TOR)(00003)

IBM CANADA UNVEILS NEW PS/2 MODELS
MARKHAM, ONTARIO, CANADA, 1989 MAY 9 (NB) -- IBM's new PS/2 Model
P70 386 and Model 55 SX are available immediately in Canada. IBM
Canada has priced the 55 SX at C$5,545 with a 30-megabyte hard
disk, and C$6,145 with a 60-megabyte drive. The P70 will go for
C$10,895 with a 60-megabyte drive and C$11,745 with the 120-
megabyte unit.

(Grant Buckler/19890511/Press Contact: Karen Grant, IBM Canada,
416-474-3900)


(NEWS)(IBM)(SFO)(00004)

MICROSOFT SHIPS WORD VERSION 5.0 FOR THE PC
REDMOND, WASHINGTON, U.S.A., 1989 MAY 8 (NB) -- Microsoft is
finally getting Word 5.0 out the door, following months of delays. The
company says Word is the leading word processor in France and
Germany and is rapidly gaining market share in the U.S. To enhance
the celebration, Software Digest has rated Microsoft Word for
the PC version 5.0 the best word processor compared to 12 others
it compared.

The new Word 5.0 has graphics handling and integration, print preview,
multiple columns on screen, improved links to spreadsheets,
annotations, enhanced document management and retrieval, and
improvements to outlining and tabs. The Help index has also been
expanded from 30 to 90 features. This version also provides
broader platform support for either the OS/2 or MS-DOS operating
systems.

Users who acquired any version of Word for IBM PCs and compatibles,
including the network version, before October 1, 1988, can upgrade
to version 5.0 for $75. Those who purchased Microsoft Word after
October 1 get the upgrade for free. For all others the price is $450.
The product requires a PC or compatible with two drives, MS-DOS
operating system 2.0 or higher, or OS/2 1.0, and a minimum of 380
kilobytes of memory.

Software Digest, an independent organization that rates personal
computer software, contracts with the National Software Testing
Laboratory for its product evaluations. Microsoft Word 5.0
received high marks for ease of learning, error handling, performance,
and versatility.

(Wendy Woods/19890513/Press Contact: Sarah Charf, Karen
Meredith, Microsoft, 206-882-8080; Connie Snyder, Pam
Edstrom at The Waggener Group, 503-245-0905)


(NEWS)(IBM)(LAX)(00005)

SOFTWARE FROM ASHTON-TATE SUPPORTS PS/2 PORTABLE
TORRANCE, CALIFORNIA, U.S.A., 1989 MAY 10 (NB) -- According to
Joseph Brilando, vice president of corporate marketing for
Ashton-Tate Corp., both dBASE IV and Framework III have been
tested and found to be compatible with the new IBM PS/2 Model
P70-386 portable computer.

Ashton-Tate will participate in a special demo disk promotion IBM
is creating in conjunction with the launch of the PS/2 portable.
A Framework III demo disk along with an information sheet and
instructions will be included in a demo pack to be shipped with
5000 units of the new computer.

(Janet Endrijonas/19890512/Press Contact: Brad Stevens, Ashton-
Tate, 213-538-7348)


(NEWS)(IBM)(LAX)(00006)

PC-MIX FROM PROWARE PROVIDES INEXPENSIVE MULTITASKING
DALLAS, TEXAS, U.S.A., 1989 MAY 8 (NB) -- Proware has released
PC-MIX, a multitasking environment for applications running
under DOS that allows users to run up to three programs
concurrently and switch from one to the other with only two
keystrokes.

The system will work with systems as basic as the PC but works
best with systems like the PC AT that support operation beyond
640 kilobyte random access memory [RAM].

PC-MIX uses a full screen display with concurrent applications
running in the background. The system requires 256K RAM and DOS
2.0 or later.

(Janet Endrijonas/19890512/Press Contact: Proware, 214-349-3790)


(EXCLUSIVE)(IBM)(LAX)(00007)

LABELING SOFTWARE ANNOUNCED FOR IBM MIDRANGE COMPUTERS
LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA, U.S.A., 1989 MAY 9 (NB) -- Weber Marking
Systems, has made its Legitronic Midrange Series Labeling Software
available for use on the IBM System 36/38 and AS/400 midrange
computer systems. The software is used to design, store and print
twenty-eight different bar codes, variable-sized alphanumeric
characters and graphic depictions of products, logos, etc. The
company made the announcement here today at ID Expo.

National sales coordinator Ann Marie Phaneuf told Newsbytes that
using the new software on a midrange computer gives, "total
control of the label system from a central location." Information
on the midrange doesn't have to be duplicated on a LAN," she
continued. The software presents midrange users the "first
standard, off-the-shelf opportunity to make use of the midrange in
labeling applications" Phaneuf claimed.

(Wayne Yacco/19890509/Press Contact: Weber, Randall J. Stake, 312-
364-8500)


(NEWS)(IBM)(LAX)(00008)

NOVELL'S NETWARE NOW IN 386 VERSION
SAN FRANCISCO, CALIFORNIA, U.S.A., 1989 MAY 8 (NB) -- At a packed
press conference Monday, Utah-based Novell unveiled the newest
member of their NetWare LAN family -- NetWare 386. Even though the
company refers to this as Version 3.0, it is a brand new product
optimized for 32-bit systems with 386 architecture.

NetWare 386 can support up to 250 users on one server, a
significant increase over the 100 user limit of NetWare 286.
Other features include simplified installation, enhanced printer
resources and file security features, and a techniques called
dynamic resource configuration that automatically manages memory
allocation for caches and buffers. NetWare 386 will be available
in third quarter 1989.

In a related announcement, Novell revealed a new software
development environment for NetWare called the NetWare
Programmer's Workbench. The company will make a number of
software development tools available, either independently or as
a complete "workbench" package in the third quarter of 1989.

Novell also announced a 32-bit Micro Channel network server
adapter and a new disk coprocessor board for the AT bus.

(Janet Endrijonas/19890512/Press Contact: Mark Calkins,
Novell,Inc., 800-453-1267)


(NEWS)(IBM)(BOS)(00009)

NEW RELEASE, PCANYWHERE III, IS NOW SHIPPING
NEW YORK, NEW YORK, U.S.A., 1989 MAY 10 (NB) -- Dynamic
Microprocessor Associates is now shipping pcANYWHERE III, a
new version of its remote computing software. The new release,
version 3.11, allows up to three remote PC or Macintosh users to
simultaneously control and run a DOS session on a dedicated 386-
based PC.

A user on the host PC can also run a separate application
concurrently with the remote users. pcANYWHERE II is an
outgrowth of Novell's NetWare Access Server, which was a joint
effort between DMA, Quarterdeck, and Novell.

pcANYWHERE III is now shipping, according to a DMA spokesman.

(Jon Pepper/19890512/Press Contact: Peter Byer, DMA 212-687-7115)


(NEWS)(IBM)(BOS)(00010)

INTEX RELEASES GRAPH/ARRAY, A 1-2-3 ADD-IN PRODUCT
NEEDHAM, MASSACHUSETTS, U.S.A., 1989 MAY 9 (NB) -- Intex
Solutions has released a new 1-2-3 add-in, Graph/Array, which is
capable of putting as many as 20 different graphs of Lotus
spreadsheet data on a single page.

The new product is fully compatible with Lotus 1-2-3 versions 2.0,
2.01, and 2.2. Release 3 compatibility will be added when that version
is released by Lotus.

Two versions are available for the product -- a $95 version for dot
matrix printers, and a $145 version for laser printers, with HP
LaserJet Plus or Series II support. Prices will rise to $145 and $195
after September 30. A 30-day money back guarantee is offered.

(Jon Pepper/19890512/Press Contact: Jim Wilner, Intex, 617-449-6222)


(NEWS)(IBM)(TOR)(00011)

CONSUMERS SOFTWARE ANNOUNCES NEW RELEASE OF NETWORK COURIER
VANCOUVER, BRITISH COLUMBIA, CANADA, 1989 MAY 11 (NB) -- Consumers
Software has announced Version 2.0 of The Network Courier. The
electronic mail software for IBM and compatible PCs on local-area
networks [LANs] has more than 60 new features. One is the ability to create
a personal address list mixing different address types, including
Network Courier, X.400, and IBM DISOSS and PROFS users. Another
allows the network administrator to set up custom user directories.
A third new feature is an electronic filing system that lets users organize
their messages into folders. The folders can be public or
private, and this feature can be used to keep a record of a
particular "conversation" conducted by electronic mail. An
assortment of other features have also been added.

The Network Courier starter kit sells for C$295 and supports up
to six users. A Single Postoffice Network version, supporting up
to 150 users, costs C$695. The Inter-Network version, which
supports connections among LANs, costs C$995. Users who bought
Version 1.0 of Network Courier before Aug. 1, 1988, can upgrade
for C$150 per 150-user post office. Those who bought it after that
date can upgrade free.

(Grant Buckler/19890511/Press Contact: Michael Shandrick,
Consumers Software, 604-688-4548)


(NEWS)(IBM)(TOR)(00012)

BUDDY, CAN YOU SPARE A DIME? POSTAL CODE SOFTWARE HELPS IF NOT
VANCOUVER, BRITISH COLUMBIA, CANADA, 1989 MAY 8 (NB) -- Canada
Post has handed Promark Software a very nice selling point for
its PostLink package. The Canadian post office has started
charging meter clients and other large-volume mailers an extra 10
cents for each piece of mail without a postal code. The software,
which runs on an IBM PC, XT, AT, PS/2 or compatible with a hard
disk, is RAM-resident. Users can pop PostLink up within another
application, look up a postal code and copy it into a word
processing document, spreadsheet or other file.

A version of PostLink covering all of Canada costs C$249.
Versions for Ontario only, Quebec only, and the western provinces
and territories cost C$99 each; a version covering the four
Atlantic provinces costs C$59.

(Grant Buckler/19890509/Press Contact: John Henry, Promark
Software, 604-988-2051)


(NEWS)(IBM)(TOR)(00013)

SOFTSEL TO DISTRIBUTE COREL DRAW
OTTAWA, ONTARIO, CANADA, 1989 MAY 5 (NB) -- Corel Systems has
granted nonexclusive worldwide distribution rights for its Corel
Draw graphics software to Softsel Computer Products of Inglewood,
Calif. Softsel will be distributing the product to more than
15,000 U.S. resellers, and Softsel Canada will immediately begin
distributing the package to its 2,500 resellers across Canada.
Arlen Bartsch, marketing manager, said Corel is in the final
stages of negotiations with two other major distributors.

(Grant Buckler/19890509/Press Contact: Arlen Bartsch, Corel
Systems, 613-728-8200)


(NEWS)(IBM)(LON)(00014)

INFORMATION RESOURCES REVEALS PLANS FOR JAVELIN PLUS
MAIDENHEAD, ENGLAND, 1989 MAY 12 (NB) -- Information Resources,
the company behind PC Express on the IBM PC, and Mainframe
Express, the mainframe version of its relational database
software, has acquired Javelin from Ashton-Tate Software.

Javelin, a PC spreadsheet package, was first released by Ashton-
Tate in 1985, and received considerable critical acclaim. Since
then, according to Information Resources, the product has failed
to sell in great quantities.

"The package was never a big seller, so we decided to acquire the
rights to its production and distribution, and look at ways we
could integrate the package with PC Express," said a spokeswoman
for Information Resources at last week's PC User Show in London.

Information Resources is now selling Javelin Plus, the UKP 395
spreadsheet package, in the U.K. In the longer term, it plans to
integrate the software with PC Express, as an 'all-in-one'
package.

(Steve Gold/19890512/Press Contact: Francesca Raine, Information
Resources - Tel: [phone])


(NEWS)(IBM)(LON)(00015)

TULIPS BLOSSOMS WITH NEW PRODUCTS ON SHOW FOR FIRST TIME
CRAWLEY, ENGLAND, 1989 MAY 12 (NB) --Tulip Computers, the Dutch
PC company, which launched in the U.K. last year, had a range of
new products on view at last week's PC User Show in London.
Products exhibited included a laptop PC, network workstation and
a 25MHz 80386-based PC, all shown for the first time in the U.K.

The Tulip LT-286 laptop is pitched at an aggressive UKP 2,595 for
an entry-level 20MB hard disk CGA graphics model and comes with a
12MHz 80286 microprocessor and one megabyte [MB] [expandable to
5MB internally] memory as a standard. A 40MB hard disk version,
also with CGA graphics, is available for UKP 2,895, with a VGA-equipped
version being readied for a third quarter '89 launch. The screen on the
LT-286 looks good, thanks to a paper-white double-scan LCD
screen.

The Tulip WS-286 80286-based diskless workstation prices in at
UKP 1,295, and is pitched firmly at the Isolan networking systems
that Tulip is currently selling. Alongside the WS-286 at last
week's PC User Show, were two 80386-based machines -- the desktop
AT-386/25 and the tower TR-386/25.

Both systems are pitched at the high end of the 80386-based
market-place, with pricing starting at UKP 3,995 for a 40MB hard
disk-equipped AT-386/25 and UKP 5,995 for the 100MB hard disk-
equipped TR-386/25.

According to Jane Banham, Tulip U.K.'s marketing manager, interest
in the LT-286 laptop has been good. "Our dealers are very excited
about the product and the PC User Show gives us the ideal
opportunity to capitalize on their enthusiasm," she said.

(Steve Gold/19890512/Press & Public Contact: Tulips Computers UK
- Tel: [phone])


(NEWS)(IBM)(LON)(00016)

WORDPERFECT ANNOUNCES PLANPERFECT 5.0 SPREADSHEET
WALTON-ON-THAMES, ENGLAND, 1989 MAY 12 (NB) -- Wordperfect U.K. has
announced Planperfect 5.0, a major rework of Planperfect 3.0, its
spreadsheet package. The UKP 299 package will ship in the U.K. from
next month, with users of Planperfect 3.0 being offered
the chance to upgrade for UKP 50. A network version will cost UKP
399 for the file server machine and UKP 115 for each workstation
user.

WordPerfect is also keen to attract users of other PC spreadsheet
packages over to its product [Lotus 1-2-3 users take note]. For
the immediate future, the company is offering Planperfect 5.0 for
a special price of UKP 99, provided purchasers hand in their
existing spreadsheet package system disk.

WordPerfect is also continuing to offer Planperfect 3.0 for a
reduced price of UKP 249. The company says that the package will
still be required by users without the need for advanced graphics
capability. PlanPerfect 3.0 retains its compatibility with
Wordperfect 4.2.

(Steve Gold/19890512/Press Contact: Peter Fergusson, managing
director - Tel: [phone])


(NEWS)(IBM)(KUL)(00017)

ISS JOINS DCA AND MSA TO LAUNCH NEW SOFTWARE
KUALA LUMPUR, MALAYSIA, 1989 MAY 1 (NB) -- Perhaps as a result of the
strong incentives built into Malaysian copyright legislation,
Innovest Systems and Services Sdn Bhd [ISS] recently launched two new
products on the same day. The Malaysian Copyright Law cleverly
incorporates an escape clause that effectively requires a company to
release its products in Malaysia within 30 days of its initial launch
if it is to receive the protection of Malaysian Law.

Together with Digital Communication Associates [DCA] it launched DCA's
10NET Local Area Network line. DCA claims that 10NET is a flexible
integrated network with peer-to-peer resource sharing and DOS-based
services. The features and utilities included printer and disk
sharing, diagnostics, e-mail and station-to-station communication.

10NET also offers a unique grouping-calendering utility that allows
each user to indicate busy or free periods an a public calendar. It
also offers a full feature e-mail package, the Network Courier.

Harry Yonei, director of DCA Asia and Rodney Wright, DCA/10NET's
director of product management, joined ISS General Manager Adrian Yong
at the launch.

Fifteen minutes later, ISS joined Management Science America Inc [MSA]
to launch BrightView.

BrighView is MSA's full range of cooperative processing applications
for financial, human resources, manufacturing and materials
management. MSA claims that BrightView has created a new role for the
intelligent workstation for businesses worldwide.

Roger Evans, MSA's director of Asian operations, joined ISS' Managing
Director G.M. Lau at the launch.

It used to be the practice for many companies to continue to sell
their older versions of both software and hardware in developing
countries such as Malaysia, and only releasing later versions when
competitive market conditions dictated. Whilst an admirable policy for
the companies concerned, ensuring they were not unnecessarily 'leaving
money on the table,' it also meant that Malaysia, as many other
similar countries, only got experience of the latest developments
quite some time behind the developed world.

With the quite dramatic effect in the field of software, there are
now calls for a similar policy to be adopted in connection with
hardware imports, with the possibility of high taxes or a complete ban
on second-hand and obsolete equipment being introduced if necessary to
force firms to offer the latest products locally closer to their world
launch.

(Michael Worsley & S. Roowi/19890511)


(NEWS)(IBM)(TYO)(00018)

CONNECT YOUR PC & ELECTRONIC NOTES
TOKYO, JAPAN 1989 MAY 5 (NB) -- Kozu Systems Design has
developed software to exchange data between personal computers
and pocket electronic note-taking devices. The software will
allow you to handle data between these "electronic note" units --
the Sharp PA8000 and PA7000 and the Casio's DK2000 -- and IBM
Japan's PS/55 series.

Connection between personal computers and electronic notes used to require
a level converter box between different sizes of RS232C cables.
The company, however, has put the function of the converter into
the interface of the cable. This two-way smart cable will come
with software, dubbed Electronic Notes Connection, for 24,800
yen or $183.

In addition, this MS-DOS-based program will have a brother soon,
an extended version of the Electronic Note Connection which will
provide features such as exchange of electronic mail with an IBM
mainframe and transfer of data between word processors or spreadsheets.
The price of the extended version will be set around 20,000 yen or
$150.

The company is also planning to develop software for Japanese
machines, such as NEC's PC-9800 series.

(Naoyuki Yazawa/19890511/Press Contact: Kozu Systems Design Corp.
03-232-1350)


(NEWS)(TELECOM)(SFO)(00001)

PACIFIC BELL LAUNCHING INTO E-MAIL SERVICES
SAN FRANCISCO, CALIFORNIA, U.S.A., 1989 MAY 12 (NB) -- Pacific Bell
will test a new electronic messaging service in the San Francisco
and Los Angeles area, now that the state Public Utilities Commission
has approved. Pacific Bell plans to take the service statewide in
mid-1990 if the field tests are successful.

Jeanne Bracken, director of message handling systems for Pacific
Bell tells Newsbytes the system will incorporate the X.400
protocol, which allows messages in various formats -- text, fax,
and formatted computer files -- to be exchanged. The service
will be available via a PC or Macintosh or a "dumb terminal" to
Pacific Bell e-mail customers. Subscribers will not be able to
connect with other commercial online or e-mail services, such as
The Source, or MCI Mail, initially, she said.

The system, called Pacific Bell Connection, is in place now
within Pacific Bell's own in-house network, and was designed with
the assistance of Digital Equipment Corporation. "We always
hoped we would offer messaging as a public service provider,"
says Bracken. Now that the Public Service Commission has cleared
the way, it will.

(Wendy Woods/19890512/Press Contact: Dori Sera Bailey, 415-542-4033)


(EXCLUSIVE)(TELECOM)(ATL)(00002)

NATIONAL ONLINE MEETING EVOLVES INTO LIBRARIANS' SHOW
NEW YORK, NEW YORK, U.S.A., 1989 MAY 9 (NB) -- The National Online
Meeting, which began in 1980 as the premier get-together of the
online world, has evolved into an annual confab of librarians
at corporations and colleges who use CD-ROM [compact disk,
read-only memory] and online databases. Acknowledging the changes,
sponsor Tom Hogan of "Information Today" is holding a contest for
a new name.

The major change at this meeting over the last few years has been
the rapid proliferation of CD-ROM. A CD-ROM gallery was
added to this year's exhibits in the Sheraton Center Hotel, and
database producers were saying that, contrary to predictions,
CD databases are not taking away sales from online products.
The CD-ROM database industry, however, continues to be held back
by a multiplicity of search strategies, a problem which also
impacts the online world.

(Dana Blankenhorn/05101989/Press Contact: Learned Information,
609-654-6266)


(EXCLUSIVE)(TELECOM)(ATL)(00003)

VU/TEXT NEWSPAPERS MOVING TO DIALOG
NEW YORK, NEW YORK, U.S.A., 1989 MAY 10 (NB) -- Knight-Ridder
officials told the National Online Meeting the newspaper morgues
in their Vu/Text database will be copied from Vu/Text operations
in Philadelphia to Dialog computers in Palo Alto, California
starting next month.

Frank Pettinger of VuText told Newsbytes one paper per month will
be added to Dialog, which Knight-Ridder bought a few months ago
for $353 million, with all VuText newspapers residing in both
databases by the end of 1991. The two databases have different
search structures, but it's hoped that the VuText access methods
will gradually be absorbed into Dialog to provide synergy between
the two. Knight-Ridder also owns MoneyCenter, a brokers' online
service, and was the force behind Viewtron, a failed videotex
experiment of the early 1980s.

(Dana Blankenhorn/05101989/Press Contact: Frank Pettinger, Vu/Text,
215-574-4416)


(EXCLUSIVE)(TELECOM)(ATL)(00004)

MAXWELL ONLINE TO CONSOLIDATE OPERATIONS IN CHICAGO
NEW YORK, NEW YORK, U.S.A., 1989 MAY 9 (NB) -- Maxwell Online,
created last year when financier Robert Maxwell bought the Orbit,
and BRS online services, the Official Airline Guide [OAG], and the
MacMillan publishing house, will consolidate all computer operations
at OAG's center in Chicago later this year. Soon after, all
six databases -- MacMillan controls three -- will be moved from
OAG's IBM mainframes onto equipment from National Advanced
Systems. Orbit has been mounted on NAS equipment for a few years.
While the data is being moved, however, very few people will
be moving -- for now. Instead, research will be consolidated
at BRS' offices in Latham, New York, and Orbit's offices in
McLean, Virginia, with workers tied together via modems and
electronic mail.

Speculation was rife at the National Online Meeting in New York
that Maxwell would also standardize the six databases' organizations
and search strategies. Dwight MacDonald of Orbit told Newsbytes
the company has decided against that for now, believing that many
users of each database prefer the present set-up. Instead,
a committee will be formed within Maxwell to create a super-set
of instructions tieing all six databases together in the next few
years.

(Dana Blankenhorn/05101989/Press Contact: Dwight MacDonald,
Orbit, 703-442-0900)


(EXCLUSIVE)(TELECOM)(ATL)(00005)

WNET LAUNCHES LEARNING LINK BBS
NEW YORK, NEW YORK, U.S.A., 1989 MAY 8 (NB) -- Studies have shown
that, to succeed, a consumer online service would need two things
most don't have -- a link to TV and an educational background.
So here comes WNET-TV in New York with a service offering both,
called Learning Link.

Bob Spielvogel, who is the director of Learning Link, demonstrated
the service for Newsbytes. Learning Link is now being rolled
out to PBS affiliates across the country, after operating only
in New York since October, 1985. The main system is a BBS which
resides on an IBM AT host and offers not only schedules, but lesson
plans drawn from PBS shows. The plans are in the outline form
favored by teachers, and include book titles for future research.
The system is "page-based," in that a user calls up a screen at
a time, and the filing system is "tree-structured," Spielvogel says,
making it easy to use. Labels for simple commands are at the bottom
of each page, and keywords can be used to get around the menus.

In addition, Learning Link features forums where teachers can
share their professional concerns, and gateways to related services
like the New York City Board of Education's Big Apple BBS,
Addison-Wesley's Einstein, the Infosearch Scholastic Database, and
McGraw-Hill's MIX service.

Spielvogel told Newsbytes that Learning Link is looking for people
around each of the Public Broadcasting System's 135 affiliates to
host a Learning Link system and bring it to local teachers' attention.
Teachers pay a one-time fee of $48 to use the system, schools
pay $165 per school year, and entire districts can get the service
for $140 per school, with a discount for 3 or more schools. Besides
accessing Learning Link with PCs and modems, teachers can also get
into it with inexpensive terminals like the AT&T 1310.

(Dana Blankenhorn/05111989/Press Contact: Robert A. Spielvogel,
WNET, 212-560-6689)


(EXCLUSIVE)(TELECOM)(ATL)(00006)

BELL GATEWAYS COULD FAIL, SAYS EXPERT
NEW YORK, NEW YORK, U.S.A., 1989 MAY 11 (NB) -- Online researcher
and consultant Rob Aaron, who's been working closely with BellSouth
Corp., told the National Online Meeting that gateways like BellSouth's
TUG are not inevitable market successes. While they're more
advanced than the simple online connections used by Dow Jones,
OAG and others to gain access to new customers, handling such
things as billing and password administration, they're "no sure
thing." They need better host software, rational pricing, more
local information providers, a support infrastructure, and some
success stories. He warned they could also be perceived as gimmicks
by the public, or lose their audience as people connect with their
favorite services directly.

(Dana Blankenhorn/05111989/Press Contact: Rob Aaron, Aaron-Smith
Associates, 404-330-2100)


(EXCLUSIVE)(TELECOM)(ATL)(00007)

MINITEL AIMING PITCH AT RBOCS, INFORMATION PROVIDERS
NEW YORK, NEW YORK, U.S.A., 1989 MAY 11 (NB) -- Minitel Services,
a joint venture between France Telecom and Infonet,
is putting on the full-court press to gain access to Bell company
gateways and information providers. President Joseph Mazzeo told
Newsbytes that Minitel Services, which already serves Houston,
Texas, through U.S. Videotel, will go live on U.S. West's vast
phone system August 1. An on-again, off-again deal to go on
NYNEX's InfoLook gateway also looks on-again, and negotiations
continue with Bell Atlantic, which recently opened the Bell
Atlantic Gateway. Negotiations are also continuing with BellSouth,
but they're reportedly stalled because BellSouth doesn't want
its Southeastern users to access Aline, the sexually-oriented
service which is number one on the French Minitel hit parade.

In order to be an information provider [IP] on the Minitel Services,
according to salesman Dennis Ross, it must have a PC AT or, better
yet, a 386 machine to act as host. The machine will also need an X.25
card, and its own phone line. There's a $1,000 up-front fee to start
service, plus a $1,000 per month network access charge. What do you
get? Of the 17 cents per minute, or $10.20 per hour, which Minitel will
charge consumers -- handling all billing -- there's a $1.20 per
hour billing charge, and Minitel takes another $4.50 per hour off
the top. That leaves the IP with $4.50 per hour plus any transaction
charges they might impose -- say $2 to look at a newsletter.
The costs can be made up with 12,000 minutes of connect time
per month, roughly 200 hours.

Access to the Bell gateways is important to Minitel because it
will let consumers nationwide access the service with a local phone
call, using Minitel emulation software in their PCs or a $500
Minitel terminal. Access to more IPs is crucial if Minitel is
going to overcome Aline's success and avoid charges by
conservatives it's just selling "dial-a-porn."

(Dana Blankenhorn/05111989/Press Contact: Joseph Mazzeo,
Minitel Services Co., 914-694-6266)


(NEWS)(TELECOM)(BOS)(00008)

FAX MACHINE TAKES REDIALING TO ABSURD EXTREME
PHILADELPHIA, PENNSYLVANIA, U.S.A., 1989 MAY 10 (NB) -- A
Philadelphia woman quickly learned what a fax machine was, and
she wasn't all that pleased. Margaret Yaure, a professor at Glassboro
State College in New Jersey, started receiving phone calls with a
high-pitched whine at the other end -- every four minutes.

Apparently a fax machine on automatic redial was mistakenly set for
her number. Every four minutes she would pick up the phone and
hear the other fax machine trying to make a connection. Mrs. Yaure
complained to her local phone company, which said it could trace the
call in several days. Eventually, local fax dealers came to her aid by
offering to loan her a fax machine that would pick up the
transmission -- and hopefully the number of the errant fax.

As of this writing, Mrs. Yaure hasn't found the culprit yet, and a
published report quotes her as saying she isn't really upset with the
new technology. While she waits to right this minor wrong, the rest
of us can ponder the facts for the future. Perhaps obscene fax calls
are next.

(Jon Pepper/19890512)


(NEWS)(TELECOM)(BOS)(00009)

NEW INVENTION FROM TRW WILL PROTECT FAX PRIVACY
SAN LUIS OBISPO, CALIFORNIA, U.S.A., 1989 MAY 10 (NB) -- TRW
Electronic Products has come up with an answer to what may
currently be one of the most vexing question facing the growing
legion of fax owners -- how to protect the privacy of sensitive
transmissions.

A new product, the TRW Fax Encryptor, works over regular
telephone lines to protect fax privacy. The unit plugs directly
between the fax and the phone outlet to authenticate and encode all
transmissions. Each Fax Encryptor has an special ID code and key
management message, so all traffic on the fax can be secured. Sound
and sight alarms warn operators when transmissions are in the clear,
and a tamper-proof system tells the customer if the equipment has
been compromised. The system is also continuously self-testing.

(Jon Pepper/19890512/Press Contact: TRW, 800-544-2438)


(NEWS)(TELECOM)(TOR)(00010)

TELECOM CANADA ENHANCES ELECTRONIC MAIL SERVICE
OTTAWA, ONTARIO, CANADA, 1989 MAY 12 (NB) -- Telecom Canada has
implemented several enhancements to its Envoy 100 electronic mail
system. They include a French character set, the ability to send
messages from Envoy to facsimile machines, the option of sending
blind courtesy copies, directory enhancements, an alias
[nickname] table and the ability to transfer binary files. Envoy
also now has a true X.400 link to the Telemail service in the
United States.

The Envoy-to-Fax facility allows any Envoy 100 subscriber to
send a message to any facsimile machine in Canada or the United
States, simply by specifying the recipient's name and telephone
number instead of an Envoy user ID. Fax numbers can be mixed with
Envoy IDs in distribution lists. The cost of the service is based
on the time taken to transmit the message to the recipient's fax
machine: C$0.84 per minute to Canadian destinations, C$1.15 per
minute to the United States.

The French character set feature will let Envoy messages include
accented characters. Users will be able to choose either the
current seven-bit ASCII character set or the new eight-bit set
supporting accents.

(Grant Buckler/19890512/Press Contact: Darell Fowlie, Telecom
Canada, 613-560-3026)


(NEWS)(TELECOM)(TOR)(00011)

INET RATE INCREASES COULD BOOST COSTS TO SOME CANADIAN BBS USERS
OTTAWA, ONTARIO, CANADA, 1989 MAY 12 (NB) -- An application
currently before the Canadian Radio-television and
Telecommunications Commission [CRTC] would increase costs to
information providers on iNet2000, Telecom Canada's electronic
information service network. The CRTC has yet to respond to
Telecom's application to increase charges to information service
providers from C$6.60 to C$8.40 per hour in prime time and from
C$4.95 to C$6.00 per hour in off-peak hours. The application also
proposes to add a charge of 30 cents per minute for access to
iNet through toll-free lines.

Large Canadian bulletin board systems such as PCanada's Torus
Support Network and Canada Remote Systems offer access through
iNet as an option for subscribers not in their local calling
areas. Jud Newell, system operator at Canada Remote, said his
board would have to pass on the increased charges to iNet
subscribers, and added that others would probably do the same.

Darell Fowlie, a spokesman for Telecom Canada, said the rate
application was filed in response to the CRTC's concerns that
iNet, a competitive service, might be cross-subsidized by Telecom
Canada's monopoly telephone services. He said the application was
part of a large submission to the CRTC and Telecom does not know
when a decision will be made.

(Grant Buckler/19890512/Press Contact: Darell Fowlie, Telecom
Canada, 613-560-3026)


(NEWS)(TELECOM)(TOR)(00012)

NORTEL BUYS OUT AUSTRALIAN JOINT VENTURE
MISSISSAUGA, ONTARIO, CANADA, 1989 MAY 9 (NB) -- Northern Telecom
has bought the 40 percent of AWA-Nortel Pty. Ltd. it did not
already own. AWA-Nortel was formerly a joint venture of Northern
Telecom and AWA Ltd., an Australian electronics and
communications company. The two companies set up the joint
venture in December, 1986. Before that, AWA had distributed
Northern's Meridian SL-1 digital telephone switches in Australia
for two years. Northern Telecom said the move reflected its
growing presence in the Australian telecommunications industry.
Financial terms were not disclosed.

(Grant Buckler/19890512/Press Contact: Gerald Levitch, Northern
Telecom, 416-566-3029)


(NEWS)(TELECOM)(TOR)(00013)

GANDALF ADDS STARMASTER FUNCTIONS
OTTAWA, ONTARIO, CANADA, 1989 MAY 8 (NB) -- Gandalf Data has
introduced two new software packages for its Starmaster networks.
One package gives workstations on a Starmaster network simple
access to any resource or address on an X.25 packet-switched
network, such as Telenet and Tymnet in the United States, Datapac
in Canada, or a private packet network. It provides X.25
switching, concentration and packet assembler and disassembler
[PAD] functions. The second application allows a Starmaster
network processor to be a node on an Ethernet network using the
standard Transmission Control Protocol/Internet Protocol
[TCP/IP]. Both new packages are available immediately.

(Grant Buckler/19890511/Press Contact: Janice Drummond, Gandalf
Data, 613-564-0183)


(NEWS)(TELECOM)(LON)(00014)

MERCURY FILES FOR U.K. TELEPHONE RATE CHARGES - MANY PRICES DOWN
LONDON, ENGLAND, 1989 MAY 12 (NB) -- In a development which
demonstrates competition is causing prices to drop, Mercury
Communications in the U.K. has filed for a change in its rates for
major and minor customers. The changes mean a 10 percent rise in
the cost of local phone calls and between 4 and 8 percent extra
discounts on many long distance and foreign destinations.

The interesting thing about the changes is that the increases
only affect Mercury's 1,600 major customers, as only local
and some directly-connected [non-British Telecom] U.K.-U.S. calls are
set to rise. The vast majority of Mercury's customers, who use
alternative dial-up service, accessible over their British
Telecom lines [as with MCI, Sprint etc., over AT&T lines in the
U.S.] will actually see their trunk and international calling costs
decrease.

Why the changes? According to Gordon Owen, managing director of
Mercury Communications, the price shuffle is to take account of
changes since Mercury first started offering an alternative [to
British Telecom] telecommunications service three and half years
ago.

Flipping through Mercury's complex call tariff charts, Newsbytes
notes that Mercury now offers an economy rate to Japan -
something that British Telecom does not currently offer. The
discount levels are not large [around 14 percent on standard
rates] but Mercury anticipates that business subscribers will use
the 1800 to 0400 hours economy period to send preprogrammed
faxes and other data-related messages to Japan.

(Steve Gold/19890512/Press Contact: Nick Bundy, Mercury
Communications - Tel: [phone])


(NEWS)(TELECOM)(LON)(00015)

PANTEL LAUNCHES FIRST PC VOICE MAIL MESSAGING SYSTEM IN UK
SLOUGH, ENGLAND, 1989 MAY 12 (NB) -- Pantel International quietly
took this year's PC User Show [held in London last week] by
storm. The reason for the interest was the preview of Pantel's
Tonetalker/VM system.

The Tonetalker/VM system is a UKP 995 card that slots into almost
any PC and allows the machine to function as a voice messaging
system over a phone line. The system can also be configured as
an out of office hours message answering/receptionist, directing
calls to other phone lines or taking voice messages using tone
dialled instructions from callers.

The real beauty of the system lies in its flexibility. At around
UKP 2,000 for a complete PC system, the Tonetalker/VM hardware
pays for itself in about six months when compared to the service
rental costs of 25 users to a commercial voicemail network.
While the Tonetalker/VM system can give you the busy signal on
a single line installation, the company says it does everything the
commercial services do, for up to 50 users on one PC, with up to 48
one-minute messages stored for up to 168 hours.

"This is the first system of its type that costs less than five
figures and doesn't require a minicomputer," Ken Allright,
managing director of Pantel International, told Newsbytes.

Allright has great plans for the Zynergy Tonetalker system. "I'm
confident that, once the concept and potential of voice messaging
is better understood, we shall see a mirroring of the enormous
growth witnessed in the United States," he predicted.

(Steve Gold/19891205/Press Contact: Ken Allright, managing
director, Pantel International - Tel: [phone])


(NEWS)(TELECOM)(LON)(00016)

TRICOM TAKES OVER MICOM BORER IN UKP 7 MILLION DEAL
LONDON, ENGLAND, 1989 MAY 11 (NB) -- The Tricom Group, a major U.K.
modem and networking manufacturer, has acquired Micom-Borer for
seven million pounds sterling. Micom-Borer will be renamed Tricom-Borer,
although plans call for both companies to be retain their separate
identities. Tricom-Borer will continue to operate from its
Reading and Swindon offices.

Michael Hafferty, Tricom's managing director, told Newsbytes that
deal gives Tricom immediate access to Micom-Borer's X.25 and
local area network [LAN] systems. He said the deal was struck in
a matter of days, after he heard that the company had been on the
market for several months.

"The acquisition has been funded by a UKP 2 million funding by
Shroeder Ventures, our venture capital backers, and a UKP 5 million
overdraft from our bankers. We anticipate paying the capital cost
back within one year, based on projected profits for the enlarged
Tricom group," he told Newsbytes.

The deal boosts Tricom's staff to 340, which includes the 180
staff from Micom-Borer. The enlarged Tricom Group's projected
sales for the current financial year, which ends in March, 1990,
has been set at UKP 40 million. Last year, Tricom made a profit
of UKP 500,000 on a turnover of UKP 11 million, whilst Micom Borer
made a similar profit on a turnover of UKP 13 million.

(Steve Gold/19890512/Press & Public Contact, Tricom
Communications - Tel: [phone])


(NEWS)(TELECOM)(LON)(00017)

EEC COMPUTERS HACKED; MINISTERS UNWORRIED
BRUSSELS, BELGIUM, 1989 MAY 12 (NB) -- The European Community
[EC] computer network has been infiltrated by an unknown number
of computer hackers, the EC Directorate revealed last Friday. The
hackers have not, however, gained access to any confidential
information, said an EC spokesman.

Claus Ehlermann, a representative of the EC office in Brussels,
issued a statement on Friday morning, after rumours of the hack
had been circulating amongst the bulletin board system [BBS]
community for the past few week. He said that the hackers came
from various countries -- Britain, France, South Africa and
Switzerland -- are were "just having fun."

EC officials have apparently investigated the hack, which was almost
certainly using the European X.25 networks, all of which identify
the origin country and area at the destination computer.

The EC is now said to have improved its system defences against
hackers by the simple expedient of changing its system level
passwords, and requesting all users of its computer network
change their password on a regular basis.

(Steve Gold/19890512)


(NEWS)(TELECOM)(KUL)(00018)

INFORMATION NETWORKS TAKE OFF IN MALAYSIA
KUALA LUMPUR, MALAYSIA, 1989 MAY 1 (NB) -- Many big corporations in
Malaysia will build their own private information networks in the next
decade, if an emerging trend continues. Already, about 60 corporations
including General Electric, General Motors and Mitsubishi are involved
in projects to build their own networks.

Associate Professor William Harley Davidson spoke on the subject at a
recent seminar held in Kuala Lumpur, and organized by IBM Malaysia for
IBM marketing executives in the region. He said that these
corporations would use their networks as the interface between
customers, suppliers and themselves. If a supplier is interested in
doing business with the corporation, he would have to plug into its
network. He observed that this futuristic computing and business trend
would reach South-East Asia.

Professor Davidson said that a company's most important decision
concerns its networking systems. "The architecture, hardware and
software options, are among the areas of consideration. This is
because one day, the company might be forced to plug into one of the
networks maintained by a large corporation, in order to do business.
The decision is too important for information executives to make. The
top management has to be guided and educated in this area before they
themselves can make such a decision."

"The decision should tie in with the long term business strategies of
the company," he added.

He said that in the next decade, a company's business strategies will
be greatly influenced, if not determined, by the number of networks to
which the company is linked. Being on a network, he said, would eliminate
overheads for both parties, and it also cut down lead time as
ordering, deliveries and payments could be effected with greater speed
and accuracy.

"An information network can be used to link varying businesses in a
particular industry and this can be very useful in times of survival,"
he explained.

(Michael Worsley & S. Roowi/19890509)


(NEWS)(TRENDS)(SFO)(00001)

VIDEO TOASTER PROMISING TO REVOLUTIONIZE DESKTOP VIDEO
TOPEKA, KANSAS, U.S.A., 1989 MAY 10 (NB) -- An add-in card and
software for the Commodore Amiga 2000 computer, due out this summer,
promises to put dazzling special effects within the reach of the
average video camera owner. NewTek's Video Toaster, $1,595, now
in beta test, can perform functions normally reserved for systems
in television control rooms that cost upwards of $8,000 or more:
digital video effects, character generation of text keyed over
live video, frame storing, frame buffering, four-input switching,
and frame grabbing. It also offers four BNC composite inputs,
two BNC composite video outputs, and meets all RS-170A broadcast
specifications.

The unit, ten man-years in the making, created a great deal of
excitement at the April National Association of Broadcasters
convention in Las Vegas, where it was touting as the world's first
and only broadcast video computer. NewTek Vice President Paul
Montgomery tells Newsbytes that the main delay in bringing the
product to market is in the housing design -- engineers want
it to be installable in television station switchers.

Montgomery tells Newsbytes the product is being beta tested by
some prominent entertainers -- magicians Penn and Teller, and
Alex Bennett, a famous San Francisco disk jockey known for his
acerbic wit.

Third party developers are already working on additional software
for the Video Toaster, including a 3D Digital Video Effects package,
Toaster Paint software for creating video artwork, 3D Object
Creation and Animation software, and A-B Roll Editing software.
Hardware add-ons include a D-2 interface for digital video
editing, and the ToasterNet Wall of Video system.

If this price weren't a breakthrough, NewTek has also announced
its Infinite Window Time Base Corrector for $1495. This hardware
allows any video source to be used with the Video Toaster,
including home video cameras and VCRs, at a fraction of the cost
of current hardware.

"The video industry will never be the same," boasts Montgomery.

(Wendy Woods/19890512/Press Contact: Stephanie Bonnett, NewTek,
913-354-1146)


(EXCLUSIVE)(TRENDS)(LAX)(00002)

COMPUTERS AND WORKERS COOPERATE TO MAKE JOBS EASIER
LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA, U.S.A., 1989 MAY 9 (NB) -- In the near
future, computers may make the jobs of many workers a cinch.
Rather than displace many workers, computers may just make their
lives easier, just like appliances do in the home. Of course they
will do it differently than labor-saving devices, they'll save
thinking and planning.

That's the prediction and the business of Scientific Systems Services, an
independent systems integrator exhibiting here at ID Expo this
week. Scientific offers systems which record information entered
by equipment operators and respond with customized instructions.
Workers benefit as they no longer have to worry about planning and
scheduling their work. They can't forget to do a task because it
will be assigned at the time it's ready to be done.

Company representative Mike Hahle told Newsbytes, in an exclusive
interview, that the company's Radio Link systems allow dispatchers
to log in a worker's time and then direct where the worker does
his job and even exactly what is to be done: step by step. "It
reduces the worker's anxiety in decision making and over errors,"
Hahle said.

Workers typically affected by the technology include equipment
operators such as fork-lift drivers. The operator checks in with
an identification number that alerts a remote computer to send
instructions. The instructions can tell the driver where to go in
a warehouse, what pallet to pick up, and where to take it. It
will then instruct the driver for each additional task.
Furthermore, the workload in the warehouse can be distributed to
many drivers by the system.

Because the system simplifies the worker's job and tracks
productivity, production can increase. Workers can benefit from
this improvement because employers are willing to share the
additional productivity with labor in return for labor's
acceptance of the technology. Although the company obtains more
production without increased labor costs, the workers also share
because their hours are reduced as well.

Managers will always seek this type of automation because of the
productivity tracking it provides, the reports and documents that
are generated and the control it gives them. Everything from
labor distributions to inventories and invoices can be generated
from data provided by the system. "It's a real-time benefit,"
said Hahle.

(Wayne Yacco/19890509)


(EXCLUSIVE)(TRENDS)(LAX)(00003)

COMPUTER IDENTICS OFFERS NEW LASER SCANNER
LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA, U.S.A., 1989 MAY 9 (NB) -- Computer
Identics Corporation released the Scanstar 40 here at ID Expo
today. The company's most recent fixed-station bar-code laser
scanner uses a moving laser beam to scan items many times as they
move past the station on conveyors. The frequent scanning allows
the unit to rescan codes until they are correctly identified.

The Scanstar 40 adds a lower-cost unit to a product line that
includes the Scanstar series 80 and 85. "The addition of this
product to our line allows us to meet the material handling needs
of a larger market," said Pegi Wille, manager of communications.

Vice President of Engineering Thomas Chisholm told Newsbytes that
the new scanner "has extended performance on depth of field. On
20 mil labels, it has 20-inch depth of field. It's the only one
we've seen," he concluded, that offers these features in this
price range.

(Wayne Yacco/19890509/Press Contact: Computer Identics, Pegi
Wille, 617-828-8942)


(NEWS)(TRENDS)(BOS)(00004)

INTERACTIVE TV IS WAVE OF FUTURE SAY CABLE OPERATORS
NEW YORK, NEW YORK, U.S.A., 1989 MAY 10 (NB) -- A survey of
managers of some of the largest cable television systems in the U.S.
show that 68 percent of the operators feel that interactive TV will be the
wave of the future.

Interactive TV technology, in which the viewer at home can "respond"
to the TV and either order items, influence optional endings for
shows, or express opinions on various items, is a merging of
computer, television, and videotex technology.

The survey was conducted by ASI Research of Los Angeles, and
commissioned by Video Jukebox Network, Inc., a Miami-based
company that sells viewer-interactive hardware and software.

(Jon Pepper/19890512/Press Contact: John Robson, Video Jukebox,
305-573-6122)


(NEWS)(TRENDS)(BOS)(00005)

NEW INVENTION FROM TRW WILL PROTECT FAX PRIVACY
SAN LUIS OBISPO, CALIFORNIA, U.S.A., 1989 MAY 10 (NB) -- TRW
Electronic Products has come up with an answer to what may
currently be one of the most vexing question facing the growing
legion of fax owners -- how to protect the privacy of sensitive
transmissions.

A new product, the TRW Fax Encryptor, works over regular
telephone lines to protect fax privacy. The unit plugs directly
between the fax and the phone outlet to authenticate and encode all
transmissions. Each Fax Encryptor has an special ID code and key
management message, so all traffic on the fax can be secured. Sound
and sight alarms warn operators when transmissions are in the clear,
and a tamper-proof system tells the customer if the equipment has
been compromised. The system is also continuously self-testing.

(Jon Pepper/19890512/Press Contact: TRW, 800-544-2438)


(NEWS)(TRENDS)(TYO)(00006)

PRICE BREAKTHROUGH ON JAPANESE CHARACTER-READING SOFTWARE
TOKYO, JAPAN, 1989 MAY 9 (NB) -- Tokyo-based software venture
Birds Systems Research Institute has developed software which
reads complicated Japanese printed characters. Running
the software on an NEC PC-9800 personal computer connected with
an external extension board and a scanner board, you can scan
five characters per second with over 99 percent precision, using
a scanner from NEC or Sharp. The software is priced at 580,000 yen
or $4,500 -- reasonable when you consider that the only previous
Japanese character optical reader was priced at about 2 million
yen or $15,000. Birds will sell the new software at the end of June,
and estimates sales of 6,000 packages in the first year.

The company expects to offer software which will read European and
Korean language this year, and Chinese and Arabic next year. Birds
is aiming to sell the new software internationally, by developing its
own distribution channels.

(Ken Takahashi/19890511)


(NEWS)(TRENDS)(TYO)(00007)

TOSHIBA DEVELOPS 16MB FLOPPY DRIVE
TOKYO, JAPAN, 1989 MAY 10 (NB) -- The difference between a hard
and floppy drives has been narrowed with Toshiba's new 16 megabyte
capacity 3.5-inch floppy disk drive [FDD].

The newly developed FDD, named the DP-401, features 16 megabytes
of memory capacity performed with a vertical magnetic recording method.
This technology allows data to be recorded at a higher density than
ever before. To control tighter tracks on the floppy disk, a dual
servomechanism has been adopted to precisely move the magnetic head.

A hard disk-like high-speed access time has been achieved -- 1500
revolutions of the floppy disk per minute -- as well as a 70
millisecond average access time and five megabit-per-second
transfer rate.

The company has been selling a four megabyte, 3.5-inch FDD which
utilizes vertical magnetic recording technology. Toshiba says
shipments will start in October.

(Naoyuki Yazawa/19890511/Press Contact: Toshiba, 03-457-4511)


(NEWS)(TRENDS)(TYO)(00008)

IBM JAPAN READY TO SUPPLY FOUR MEGABIT DRAMS
YASU, JAPAN, 1989 MAY 5 (NB) -- IBM Japan has finalized its
procedure to produce four megabit dynamic random access memory
chips [DRAM] and has announced plans for mass production by the end
of this year.

The chip will appear with IBM products by the end of this year and
IBM's Yasu production facility is being readied to make them.

The company claims the chips can achieve a processing speed faster
than 80 nanoseconds.

(Naoyuki Yazawa/19890511)


(NEWS)(TRENDS)(TYO)(00009)

UPSURGE IN JAPANESE PC MARKET
TOKYO, JAPAN, 1989 MAY 9 (NB) -- The Japan Electronic Industry
Development Association has reported an increase in personal
computer shipments in fiscal 1988. The total shipment was
2,191,000 units -- an 11 percent increase over the previous year.
Brisk sales of 32-bit and laptop computers are credited for the
shipment of 1,375,000 units in Japan alone -- a 14 percent increase
over the past four years, which averaged about 1,200,000 units
per year. Industry analysts expect that total sales this year will
exceed 1,000 million yen or $77 million. Here's the survey:

YEAR               1988               1987              GROWTH
----------------------------------------------------------------
DOMESTIC     1,375,000 units     1,204,000 units        +14%
                  [49.9]             [40.5]             +23%
EXPORT         816,000 units       772,000 units         +6%
                  [16.8]             [16.3]              +3%
----------------------------------------------------------------
TOTAL        2,191,000 units     1,976,000 units        +11%
                  [66.7]             [56.8]             +17%
-----------------------------------------------------------------
[ ] shows sales in US$1 million

(Ken Takahashi/19890511)


(NEWS)(TRENDS)(TYO)(00010)

DAIKIN DEVELOPS CHLOROFLUOROCARBAN SUBSITUTE
OSAKA, JAPAN, 1989 MAY 9 (NB) -- Osaka-based cleaning fluids maker
Daikin Industries believes it has found an alternative to environmentally-
harmful CFCs or chlorofluorocarbons, which are destroying the earth's
ozone layer.  Daikin has developed a fluoride alcohol for cleaning
semiconductors.

The new cleaning solution, called 5FP or penta fluoropropylalcohol,
will replace CFC-113, a cleaning fluid which faces international
restrictions in July.  Daikin will distribute samples of the new cleaner
to semiconductor firms by the end of this month before starting
commercial production.

The substance has the same noncombustible and surface tension
qualities as CFC-113 and is useful as a cleaner for resin and wax
used in semiconductor soldering.

(Ken Takahashi/19890512)


(NEWS)(UNIX)(BOS)(00001)

SCAN-GRAPHICS TO AID IBM IN MARKETING IMAGE PROCESSORS
BROOMALL, PENNSYLVANIA, U.S.A., 1989 MAY 11 (NB) -- IBM has
selected Scan-Graphics to be an Authorized Application Specialist,
assisting IBM in the marketing and installation of image processing
products under IBM's Authorized Application Specialist program.

Scan-Graphics software and hardware products will be combined
with IBM hardware to offer more complete solution to the businesses
with electronic image management needs. According to Scan-
Graphics, the electronic image management market will reach
$5 billion in 1992.

Among the products to be offered to IBM customers will be a Scan-
Graphics IMPRES Drawing Revision System. Running on an IBM
RT PC workstation under the AIX operating system, IMPRES will
allow the user to scan in engineering documents, make changes, and
plot out the new drawing in a fraction of the time it takes to make
similar changes with a conventional computer-aided design system.

(Jon Pepper/19890512/Press Contact: Larry Kreuger, Scan-
Graphics, 215-328-1040)


(NEWS)(UNIX)(TYO)(00002)

NEW LAPTOP UNIX WORKSTATION FROM FUJITSU
TOKYO, JAPAN, 1989 MAY 10 (NB) -- Fujitsu has unveiled two
laptop workstations -- G-150 models 10 and 30 -- 68030-based
laptop versions of the FACOM G-100 series of engineering
workstations.

The original design includes detachable keyboards and a front-
mounted 3.5-inch floppy disk drive. There is also a 768 by 576 dot
backlit black and white liquid crystal display and a built-in
hard disk drive -- 60MB for the model 10 and 135MB for the model 30.
Several software packages will be bundled with the laptops,
including Fujitsu's Japanese word processor, Epoword-G, its
spreadsheet Epocalc-G, and its original Unix operating
system, SX-G. Also, utility software, OCR Entry for optical character
reading, and information retrieval software, FAIRS Partners, will be
provided for the new laptop machines.

Prices for the G-150LT are 890,000 yen or $6,590 for the model 10,
and 1,340,000 yen or $9,925 for the model 30. Shipping is slated
for August. Fujitsu expects to sell 30,000 of the laptops and
100,000 of its G-100 series within the next three years.

(Naoyuki Yazawa/19890510/Press Contact: Fujitsu, 03-216-3211)


(NEWS)(UNIX)(LON)(00003)

SONY FRANCE LAUNCHES PROFESSIONAL WORKSTATION SERIES
PARIS, FRANCE, 1989 MAY 12 (NB) -- Sony France has announced
plans for a third quarter '89 launch of professional workstations
designed to compete with the likes of Apollo, Sun and others. The
machines will priced from FFr 35,000 to FFr 250,000 [$5,500 to
$39,000].

Five workstations are initially being released, based around the
Motorola 68020, 030 and 040 series of microprocessors. The
centrepiece to the units is an optical/magnetic hybrid drive --
the first of its kind sold in Europe -- that stores up to 594MB of
data [formatted capacity]. The drive will sell for FFr 45,000
[about $7,000].

(Steve Gold/19890512)


(EDITORIAL)(GENERAL)(LAX)(00001)

W Y S I W Y G -- Wayne Yacco's Gazette

STACY COULD BE THE MOST VERSATILE LAPTOP
BURBANK, CALIFORNIA, U.S.A, 1989 MAY 10 (NB) -- Atari executive
Sig Hartman recently told a gathering of dedicated Atari users and
developers that "This is the year that Atari will establish itself
as a standard in the U.S.A." He was talking about the availability
of memory chips and a new company commitment to U. S. markets.
However, he could be right for other reasons as well.

Atari's Stacy computer may become the laptop of choice for more
than just the Atari crowd. Two developers of compatibility
products for the Atari are introducing hardware versions that will
allow the ST to mimic either the more popular Macintosh or the
ubiquitous PC clone. Both of the products are said to work
extremely well as software emulations but both developers claim
that their brand new hardware products will remove virtually the
last shred of incompatibility.

David Small of Gadgets by Small, Inc. is the developer of Spectre
GCR. Small recently told me that the hardware version will
"significantly speed up disk operations" in the Macintosh mode.
"It really works," said small. The company claims that processing
speeds can exceed the real Macintosh by 30 percent, a Mac Plus
by 20 percent.

Presumably the Stacy will not present a problem for Small's
product because it attaches to a standard port and the Stacy
reportedly features all of the ST's ports. If it works well, the
Atari could become the portable Macintosh that Apple is still
holding back from the market.

One potential flaw is that every unit must use a licensed Apple
Mac BIOS [basic input/output system]. Those can only be obtained
from dealer that violate their agreement with Apple or from
stripped Macintosh computers. Therefore, Apple can indirectly
apply real pressure on Gadgets if and when it wants.

PC Ditto II is a hardware version of the PC Ditto IBM-personal-
computer emulator sold by Avant-Garde Systems. The hardware
version must actually attach to the ST's 68000 chip with clips.
Stacy will need to be opened to install the product -- presuming
that there is room for it in the case. Partner William Teal told
me, "PC Ditto II is more compatible than the software version of
PC Ditto." More than that, the company claims, the unit runs
three times as fast as an IBM XT on the Norton SI rating [3.0 v.
1.0]. That could make Stacy an attractive alternative to slower
PC-compatibles running at 4.77 or 9.54 MHz. Stacy's performance
may also allow it to compete with more expensive 80286 laptops as
well.

Stacy will probably sell to ST lovers first but the market for
buyers of Mac and PC clones is a real possibility. The Stacy's
announced target price, including a hard disk, is under $1500.
The Spectre GCR is just $299.95 and a $100 exchange credit is
available until May 31. PC Ditto II sells for exactly the same
$299.95 but registered users of the software version will receive
a coupon worth $150 toward purchase.

Gadgets by Small can be reached at 303-791-6098. Avant-Garde
Systems can be reached at 904-221-2904.

(Wayne Yacco/19890510)