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/nb890103.288

Text File | 1991-10-07 | 79KB | 1,847 lines

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

NEW MACINTOSH SE DETAILS
SAN FRANCISCO, CALIFORNIA, 1989 JAN 1 (NB) -- Apple Computer's new
Macintosh SE/30, expected to be introduced in mid-January, will
feature a 68030 microprocessor, the same Superdrive found on the Mac
IIx which reads Mac, Apple II ProDOS and MS-DOS files, and options
of either a 40 megabyte or 80 megabyte internal hard drive, according
to Newsbytes sources. The machines are expected to be priced well
above the $3,000 currently being asked for a complete SE system --
in the $5,000 range. The introduction, on which Apple refuses to
comment, is expected to coincide with the MacWorld Expo in
San Francisco January 20-22.

The new SE is one of six new Macintoshes, including a laptop,
which the firm is expected to introduce in 1989.

(Wendy Woods/19890101)


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

MAC DEMAND EXCEEDS SUPPLY
FREMONT, CALIFORNIA, 1989 JAN 1 (NB) -- Apple Computer, seeking to
meet an extraordinary demand for its products, has expanded its
Macintosh manufacturing capability and is running assembly line
shifts through the holidays. Macintosh News reports Apple has
leased 168,000 square feet of additional production space to meet
an estimated $250 million backlog of Macintosh products. Further,
the firm has converted its Singapore Apple II plant to Macintosh
production and is running shifts through the year-end holidays.

Recently, dealers have complained of shortages of Macintosh
which cripple ad campaigns and retail revenues. The situation is
expected to reach a critical stage during and after the MacWorld
Expo in San Francisco, when dealer orders generally increase
dramatically.

Apple's Fremont assembly line is said to be capable of producing
4,000 Macintosh computers and LaserWriters each day. The company
is expected to have sold more than 800,000 Macintoshes in 1988
and forecasts a 30 percent increase in sales in 1989.

(Wendy Woods/19890101)


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

MICROSOFT TO LAUNCH EXCEL AD CAMPAIGN
REDMOND, WASHINGTON, 1989 JAN 1 (NB) -- Look for a massive promotion
for Excel, the integrated spreadsheet for the Macintosh and PC, to be
launched by Microsoft this month. Microsoft will spend an estimated
$5 million on the campaign, the largest amount Microsoft has ever
spent on a single product, according to Computer Reseller News.
The promotion, believed to be timed to coincide with Lotus' failure
to issue an update to competing Lotus 1-2-3, will include aggressive
pricing, money-back guarantees, rebates for end-users, seminars, and
incentives for dealers. According to Microsoft's Scott Oki, senior
vice president of sales and marketing, "We will continue to
turn up the heat. Over the first half of 1989, you'll see
Microsoft significantly increasing its marketing efforts and
spending behind Excel."

(Wendy Woods/19890101)


(NEWS)(APPLE)(SFO)(00010)

MAC TO PC FILE TRANSFER SOFTWARE
ROCKY RIVER, OHIO, 1988 DEC 30 (NB) -- Messenger Software has a new
product which allows you to transfer files, folders, and directories
between a Macintosh and a PC. Called xFER, the $99.95 product
comes with software for both a PC and a Macintosh, manual, and an
optional ten foot direct connect and one foot PC modem/AT adapter cable.
xFer is operated via the Macintosh computer and transfers data
in word processing, MacBinary, or exact copy modes. The product
allows remote data transfer via modem, and has security features.
The system employs the familiar Macintosh interface.

(Wendy Woods/19881230/Contact: Messenger Software, 216-333-9936)


(NEWS)(APPLE)(TOR)(0011)

HYPERCARD SOFTWARE TEACHES JAPANESE ALPHABET
TORONTO, ONTARIO, 1988 DEC 30 (NB) -- Researchers at the
University of Toronto have used HyperCard on the Apple Macintosh
to develop software that teaches 300 common Japanese characters.
Prof. Kazuko Nakajima and Noriko Yokokura, of the University of
Toronto's Department of East Asian Studies, developed KanjiCard
300 as an educational aid for English-speaking students of
Japanese. It uses text, graphics, sound and animation to explain
the character's meaning. Animation is used to show how to write
the character. The program also features readings of Kanji by a
native speaker of Japanese.

(Grant Buckler/19881230/Contact: Public and Community Relations,
University of Toronto, 416-978-5948)


(NEWS)(APPLE)(LAX)(00005)

AST ENHANCES TECHNICAL SUPPORT BBS
IRVINE, CALIFORNIA, 1988 DEC 23 (NB) -- AST Research has announced
an enhancement to its 24-hour technical-support bulletin board, or
BBS. The board now more effectively provides users with technical
information and provides quicker responses to general technical
inquiries. It is also intended to provide users with easier access
to free software updates. The board itself is available free of
charges to AST users.

The free software updates include utility programs, software drivers
and diagnostics. There is also a complete on-line listing of
authorized service centers sorted by zip code, technical bulletins
covering current issues as they relate to specific AST products,
compatibility listings on AST products, new product announcements
and trade show schedules.

The AST BBS, 714-852-1872, is accessible through asynchronous modems
using rates of 300, 1200 or 2400 bps, bits per second. Up to 24
simultaneous users can be supported. Duplex, parity, stop-bit and
data-bit requirements were not specified.

(Wayne Yacco/19881229/Contact: AST, 714-863-1333)

(NEWS)(BUSINESS)(SFO)(00004)

INVESTORS GET 20 PERCENT OF COMPUTERLAND
SAN FRANCISCO, CALIFORNIA, 1989 DEC 30 (NB) -- A state appeals court
has upheld a lower court's decision to award 20 percent of giant
computer retailer ComputerLand to MicroVest Corporation -- a
stake worth an estimated $100 million. MicroVest held a note which
helped launch ComputerLand in the mid-seventies, entitling the
holder to a 20 percent stake in the new company. ComputerLand
founder William Millard fought the lawsuit and the ruling on the
grounds that the note was for an earlier company, IMS, and not for
ComputerLand. But the appeals court didn't buy it, saying the
note applied to all of Millard's computer businesses.

The court lambasted Millard in its ruling, saying he "was
consciously engaged in a kind of shell game (with his firms)
whereby one would be informally merged with another." Justice
Robert Merrill of the First District Court of Appeal contends
that Millard's record-keeping skills were "chaotic" and his
arguments against MicroVest's claims were "speciously legalistic."

Millard's attorney Shirley Hufstedler has not commented on the
ruling, saying she has yet to see it. MicroVest attorney Herbert
Hafif reportedly said that his firm actually controls 28.5 percent
of ComputerLand and he envisions a public stock offering for
the company to take place this spring.

(Wendy Woods/19890101)


(NEWS)(BUSINESS)(SFO)(00005)

KAYPRO SELLS REAL ESTATE TO PAY DEBTS
SOLANA BEACH, CALIFORNIA, 1989 JAN 1 (NB) -- Kaypro Corporation
has twelve acres and five buildings on its headquarters up for
sale, hoping the money it receives will go a long way toward
repaying a $7.5 million debt due February 28. The company has
watched its personal computer market share sink over the years
to 2.5 percent, and along with the slide has come a mountain of
red ink. The firm laid off 10 percent of its workforce in 1988
and watched net sales drop by a third over 1987 figures. For
its last fiscal year, Kaypro lost $11.5 million on sales of $72.2
million.

(Wendy Woods/19890101)


(NEWS)(BUSINESS)(WAS)(0003)

GROUPE BULL UPS HONEYWELL BULL STAKE
BILLERICA, MASSACHUSETTS, 1988 DEC 29 (NB) -- Groupe Bull, the
French computer maker, has acquired the majority ownership of
Honeywell Bull, buying half of the Honeywell Inc.'s piece of
Honeywell Bull. Groupe Bull now holds 65.1 percent of Honeywell
Bull, with Honeywell holding 19.9 percent on NEC Inc. with 15
percent. Honeywell Bull makes transaction processing systems.

(Ken Maize/19881230)


(NEWS)(BUSINESS)(WAS)(0004)

AT&T TO ACQUIRE PARADYNE
NEW YORK, NEW YORK, 1988 DEC 26 (NB) -- American Telephone and
Telegraph Co. will acquire troubled Paradyne Corp. for $250
million. Paradyne, long known for its data communications and
transmission devices, ran into major trouble with the U.S.
government several years ago when it tried to win a contract to
supply the Social Security Administration with computers. The
company was fined $1.2 million in March 1987, and the company's
top management was forced to resign, after pleading guilty to
attempting to defraud the government. Paradyne has assets of
$263 million and 1987 sales of $233 million. The announcement of
the Paradyne takeover comes a week after AT&T announced it is
acquiring Eaton Financial Services of Framingham, Mass., an
office equipment leasing company.

Paradyne's eight percent share of the data communications market
will push AT&T past Motorola in this market to first
place. Paradyne's offices in Japan and Hong Kong will also give
AT&T immediate visibility in those important markets. Also, the
move showed analysts AT&T is willing to buy entry into markets it
wants, rather than waste money trying to build a way into them.
The Justice Department will have to review the Paradyne
acquisition before AT&T can finish it, but AT&T is pretty
confident of success -- its tender offer began December 29 and
ends January 27.

(Ken Maize & Dana Blankenhorn/19881229)


(NEWS)(BUSINESS)(WAS)(0006)

CODEX MAY SELL MASSACHUSETTS PLANT
CANTON, MASSACHUSETTS, 1988 DEC 30 (NB) -- Codex Corp., a division
of Motorola Inc. which makes modems, may sell its headquarters,
built only two years ago. The possible sale of the headquarters
is part of a reorganization which will involve all 11 of the
company's facilities in the Bay State. The original plans to
develop the headquarters on an 11-acre site featured a nine-year
battle with environmentalists, including former Boston Celtics
great Dave Cowens, over land use planning and farmland
preservation. Codex has more than $300 million in annual sales.

(Ken Maize/19881230)


(NEWS)(BUSINESS)(WAS)(0007)

GOOD YEAR COMING FOR COMPUTING, SAYS COMMERCE DEPARTMENT
WASHINGTON, D.C., 1988 DEC 29 (NB) -- Computer-related businesses should
fare well in 1989, according to the Commerce Department's annual
year-end business projection, "U.S. Industrial Outlook."
"Overall, we expect another good year," said Deputy Commerce
Secretary Donna Tuttle, "the seventh straight of increasing
output by both goods- and service-producing industries." Among
the service industries that Commerce sees as facing increased
sales are data processing, computer services, and electronic
databases. Software sales should rise by 24 percent, says
Commerce, with electronic database sales up 20 percent and
computer professional services increasing by 15.5 percent. In
manufacturing, semiconductor makers should have a good years,
with a 13.4 percent rise in shipments. But some industry indices
belie Commerce's optimism about semiconductor manufacturing and
some industry analysts expect a slump in sales for 1989.

(Ken Maize/19881230)


(NEWS)(BUSINESS)(WAS)(0008)

CTG ACQUIRES TMC
BUFFALO, NEW YORK, 1988 DEC 29 (NB) -- Computer Task Group Inc., a
$215 million systems integrator, has acquired Telecommunications
Management Corp. of Boston, a $2 million systems integrator and
computer consulting firm. CTG, based in Buffalo, employs 3,800.

(Ken Maize/19881230)


(NEWS)(BUSINESS)(WAS)(0010)

INSLAW OUT OF CHAPTER 11
WASHINGTON, D.C., 1988 DEC 29 (NB) -- Driven into bankruptcy by a
vindictive U.S. Department of Justice, Inslaw Inc. has emerged
from Chapter 11 and back in business as normal. A cash infusion
of $2.5 million from IBM helped persuade the bankruptcy court to
approve an Inslaw reorganization plan. However, the company must
pay $464,000 in legal fees to a former law firm that dropped the
company as a client. Inslaw unsuccessfully alleged that the firm
dropped Inslaw as a result of pressure from the Justice
Department. Inslaw, which makes case-tracking software, claimed
that a Justice Department vendetta forced in into bankruptcy, and
a federal bankruptcy judge agreed, awarding the firm $6.8 million
in damages for using "trickery, fraud and deceit" in trying to
put Inslaw out of business.

(Ken Maize/19881230)


(NEWS)(BUSINESS)(ATL)(00004)

CRAY CHIEF ROLLWAGON BUYS STOCK TO HELP STEM PRICE SLIDE
MINNEAPOLIS, MINNESOTA, 1988 DEC 28 -- Cray Research Chairman John
Rollwagen bought 3,500 shares of his company's stock in October
and November, in expectations he can turn the company around from
its recent slide. At the same time, Rollwagen put some intense
deadline pressure on his installers to meet revenue targets for
this year. Publication of his purchases could demonstrate his
faith in company employees and spur them to greater efforts. Cray
chief designer Seymour Cray is also under pressure to finish the
next-generation Cray 3 by a 1990 deadline, despite problems with
the new machine's gallium arsenide chips, which are replacing
silicon for greater speed. The other potential threat to Cray,
that parallel processing in a hypercube arrangement can give
ordinary chips and systems supercomputer power, may also be
mitigated -- the technology will be available to Cray as well as
its competitors.

(Dana Blankenhorn/19881229)


(NEWS)(BUSINESS)(TYO)(0002)

JOINT DEVELOPMENT FOR 16M DRAM FROM HITACHI AND TI
TOKYO, JAPAN, 1988 DEC 23 (NB) -- Hitachi and Texas Instrument have
signed a three-year contract to develop a 16-megabit dynamic
random access memory chip, DRAM, in order to share risks for the
huge amount of investment required for development and production.

According to the contract, these two companies will share current
4-megabit and future 16-megabit DRAM technologies, and jointly
develop related technologies for the DRAM production.
The contract will expire in three years, but it is extendable if the
companies are willing.

The contract is not effective until the Japanese government
approves, which is expected within a month. Both companies
will appoint ten representatives and form a committee
to prepare plans, manage, and supervise the execution of the
contract.

Hitachi and TI will present the technical information by October,
1989 and then proceed to the development.

(Naoyuki Yazawa/19881227)


(NEWS)(BUSINESS)(TYO)(0009)

DRAM SHORTAGES TO CUT EVEN NEW YEAR HOLIDAYS
TOKYO, JAPAN, 1988 DEC 26 (NB) -- NEC has announced plans to double its
current output of one megabit dynamic random access memory chips
by the end of 1989. The company intends to add one million units
of one megabit DRAMs in every quarter of the year over its current four
million output per month.

Meanwhile, the Ministry of International Trade and Industry, which
forecasts demand and supply for the chips, and says currently the ten
percent shortage will be balanced in the latter half of 1989 with
a 195 million supply of them, which represents a 57 percent increase
over production in the last half of 1988.

In such a situation, Japanese semiconductor makers, such as
Toshiba, NEC, and Fujitsu, have announced plans to cut the New Year
holiday by up to four days in order to increase production.

(Naoyuki Yazawa/19881227)


(NEWS)(BUSINESS)(TYO)(0010)

TOSHIBA TO PRODUCE MORE PCs OVERSEAS
TOKYO, JAPAN, 1988 DEC 24 (NB) -- Toshiba has launched a plan to
expand its overseas operation to increase personal computer
production. The company will supply total 20,000 units of PCs in
the U.S. market by this coming February by boosting monthly production
capacity of its U.S. subsidiary, Toshiba America, from a current
10,000 to 15,000 units. Another 5,000 units are expected to be exported
from Japan. On the other hand, Toshiba is seeking a place in the
European market in order to establish a plant in 1989.

(Naoyuki Yazawa/19881227)


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

XEROX SIGNS DISTRIBUTORS FOR DESKTOP PRESENTATION APPLICATIONS
SAN DIEGO, CALIFORNIA, 1988 DEC 19 (NB) -- Agreements have been
signed between the Xerox Desktop Software Business Unit and six
major distributors to provide nationwide availability of the new
release of Xerox Presents. They are: Microelectronics Inc. of
Fremont, CA; Egghead Discount Software Inc. of Issaquah, WA; Ingram
Computer Inc. of Buffalo, NY; Microamerica of Marlborough, MA; Micro
D Inc. of Santa Ana, CA and Softsel Computer Products Inc. of
Inglewood, CA. The Xerox Desktop Software Business Unit markets
application software for MS-DOS-based personal computers through
more than 2,000 U. S. dealers.

(Wayne Yacco/19881228)


(NEWS)(BUSINESS)(LAX)(00008)

DAILY TO AUTOMATE EDITORIAL OPERATIONS
CULVER CITY, CALIFORNIA, 1988 DEC 19 (NB) -- The Schenectady Gazette
has purchased a 19-terminal TECS/2 by Morris PC-based editorial
front-end system from Information International, Inc., a.k.a. "triple-I."
The 72,000-circulation morning newspaper is one of the largest
independents in New York State according to triple-I.

The sale consisted of 16 editorial terminals, one wire-service
station, and two dedicated terminals driving existing APS-5
typesetters. All sixteen editorial terminals will be installed in
the Gazette's sports department. The equipment will be delivered in
January 1989 and replace the paper's existing 10-year old
minicomputer-based system over the next 15 months.

TECS/2 features include real-time automatic spell-checking,
instantaneous composition, and automatic system functions that
protect work from loss during PC failure or interruptions on the
system's token-ring network.

(Wayne Yacco/19881228)


(NEWS)(BUSINESS)(LAX)(00010)

GENERAL AUTOMATION, ALPHA MICROSYSTEMS BREAK OFF MERGER NEGOTIATIONS
SANTA ANA, CALIFORNIA, 1988 DEC 29 (NB) -- Alpha Microsystems,
NASDAQ:ALMI, confirmed Wednesday that it received notification from
General Automation Inc., ASE:GA, on Dec. 24 "terminating discussions"
on a proposed merger between the two companies. Alpha Micro
characterized General Automation's action in unilaterally breaking
off negotiations was as unexpected.

Alpha Microsystems president John Cain expressed surprised
disappointment at General Automation's action, "I only learned that
General Automation signed another letter of intent with Sanderson
Electronics from a press release carried by the wire services on
Dec. 27, 1988. Since Dec. 9, 1988 Alpha Micro has expended
significant resources and energy toward consummation of the deal
with General Automation and was fully expecting to go forward with
the proposed transaction."

(Wayne Yacco/19881230)


(NEWS)(BUSINESS)(LAX)(0011)

ALPHA MICRO REPORTS EARNINGS
SANTA ANA, CALIFORNIA, 1988 DEC 29 (NB) -- Alpha Microsystems,
NASDAQ:ALMI, has reported third-quarter net income of $814,000, or
25 cents per share on net sales of $13,132,000, for the period ended
Nov. 27, 1988. Alpha reported a profit of $493,000, or 16 cents per
share on net sales of $11,907,000, for the same period a year
earlier.

Year-to-date net income of $2,091,000, or 66 cents per share on net
sales of $37,996,000, was reported for the nine months ended Nov.
27, 1988. For the same period one year ago, net income of $780,000,
or 25 cents per share on net sales of $33,936,000, was reported.

(Wayne Yacco/19881230)


(NEWS)(BUSINESS)(TOR)(0001)

CREDITORS GIVE COMTERM A REPRIEVE
MONTREAL, QUEBEC, 1988 DEC 21 (NB) -- Unsecured creditors of
Comterm Inc. have approved the company's debt repayment plan.
They will get 37.5 cents on the dollar over three years, and the
troubled terminal manufacturer will be able to stay in business.
"We're pleased that we were able to save 300 jobs," Comterm
President Faraj Nakhleh told Newsbytes. Nakhleh said the company
will get a cash infusion of C$4.1 million, through sale of shares
to two Toronto investors. Investment firm Frederick Capital Corp.
and merchant banker Gornitzki, Thompson and Little Co. Ltd. are
buying 16.4 million newly issued Comterm shares at 25 cents each.
This will give them control of about 41 percent of Comterm.

Nakhleh said more than 95 percent of his company's 600 to 700
unsecured creditors approved the repayment offer. The offer still
must be approved by the Quebec Superior Court. The creditors were
owed about C$10.2 million. Comterm is also expected to pay in
full the C$1.1 million owed to its preferred creditors.

(Grant Buckler/19881230/Contact: Faraj Nakhleh, Comterm Inc.,
514-694-4332)


(NEWS)(BUSINESS)(TOR)(0002)

LANPAR CREDITORS APPROVE SETTLEMENT
MARKHAM, ONTARIO, 1988 DEC 20 (NB) -- Unsecured creditors of
Lanpar Technologies Inc. have approved the company's debt
repayment plan. They will get 30 cents on the dollar in cash, or
eight-percent nonvoting preferred shares, not exceeding 25
percent of their claims. Creditors owed less than C$1,000 will be
paid in full. The total owed to creditors was about C$6.5
million.

Merchant bankers have raised C$3 million in private equity
financing and are working on another C$1 million.

(Grant Buckler/19881230/Contact: Lanpar Technologies Inc., 416-
475-9123)


(NEWS)(BUSINESS)(TOR)(0004)

UNICORP SELLS STAKE IN TANDY SPINOFF
BARRIE, ONTARIO, 1988 DEC 20 (NB) -- Unicorp Canada Corp. of
Toronto has sold its 12.7 percent share in InterTan Inc., laying
to rest the possibility it might acquire full control of the
Tandy Corp. spinoff. The Globe and Mail in Toronto reported that
Unicorp's entire stake in InterTan was sold December 14 and 15,
at $34 U.S. per share. Tandy Corp. of Fort Worth, Tex., spun
off InterTan, based in Barrie, Ontario, in January, 1987.
InterTan has exclusive rights to sell Tandy and Radio Shack
products outside the United States, and operates stores in Canada
and several other countries.

(Grant Buckler/19881230)


(NEWS)(BUSINESS)(TOR)(0008)

DEVELCON REPORTS LOSS
SASKATOON, SASKATCHEWAN, 1988 DEC 30 (NB) -- Develcon Electronics
Ltd. has reported a net loss of C$9.621 million on sales of
C$9.73 million in the fiscal year ended August 31. The loss
includes an extraordinary item of C$459,000 to write off goodwill
associated with the purchase of Omnitec Data, Inc. The loss
compares to a C$7.777 million loss in the previous fiscal year,
and sales fell from C$17.232 million. Develcon said it is
"cautiously optimistic" about fiscal 1989. It said cost cutting
started to have an effect in the first quarter, and sales and
order backlog levels are rising. Develcon makes
telecommunications hardware.

Develcon also confirmed that its former chairman and chief
executive, Nigel Hill, is suing the company. Hill is claiming
C$443,250 for termination of his contract, plus damages for loss
of reputation and mental stress. Develcon's president and chief
executive, Richard MacPherson, said in prepared statement he
expects the action will be dismissed.

(Grant Buckler/19881230/Contact: Bill Vancoughnett, Develcon
Electronics Ltd., 306-933-3300)


(NEWS)(BUSINESS)(TOR)(0009)

SOFTSEL CANADA TO DISTRIBUTE AMI
TORONTO, ONTARIO, 1988 DEC 30 (NB) -- Samna Corp. of Atlanta,
Georgia, has chosen Softsel Canada of Toronto as Canadian
distributor for Ami, its new word processor for Microsoft
Windows. Softsel will have exclusive rights to distribute Ami in
Canada. The introductory price for Ami in Canada, until March 31,
is C$199.

(Grant Buckler/19881230/Contact: Shelagh Meagher, Softsel Canada,
416-738-3920)


(NEWS)(BUSINESS)(TOR)(0010)

PINETREE SIGNS DISTRIBUTION DEAL WITH MICRO D
RICHMOND, BRITISH COLUMBIA, 1988 DEC 26 (NB) -- Pinetree Software
Inc. has signed an international distribution agreement with
Micro D Inc. for its contact management software, The Maximizer.
The Maximizer is designed to organize client, prospect and
personal information for professionals, salespeople and others.
It runs on MS-DOS-based personal computers and sells for $195.

(Grant Buckler/19881230/Contact: Greg Pelling, Pinetree Software
Inc., 604-270-3311)


(NEWS)(BUSINESS)(TOR)(0012)

SYSTEMHOUSE, PRIME SIGN INTEGRATOR AGREEMENT
OTTAWA, ONTARIO, 1988 DEC 27 (NB) -- SHL Systemhouse Inc. has
signed a system integrator agreement with Prime Computer of
Canada Ltd. Systemhouse, a systems integrator, will integrate
Prime products and services into proposals for the government and
commercial sectors. Prime Canada, of Mississauga, Ont., is a
subsidiary of Prime Computer Inc. of Natick, Mass.

(Grant Buckler/19881230/Contact: Prime Computer of Canada Ltd.,
416-678-7331)


(NEWS)(BUSINESS)(TOR)(0013)

NEWBRIDGE WINS AUSTRALIAN CONTRACT
KANATA, ONTARIO, 1988 DEC 19 (NB) -- Newbridge Networks Corp.
will supply network management equipment for a communications
network to be constructed by Australian retailer Coles Myer Ltd.
Coles Myer, of Tooronga, Victoria, expects the network to carry
all of its voice, data, image, text and video communications
traffic at least until the late 1990s. Newbridge calls it the
largest backbone communications network in the world. Primary
contractor is Datacraft Australia Pty. Ltd.

(Grant Buckler/19881230/Contact: Patricia Hendricks Belkin,
Newbridge Networks Corp., 613-591-3600)


(NEWS)(BUSINESS)(TOR)(0015)

GROULX, WANG PLAN ALLIANCE
HULL, QUEBEC, 1988 DEC 19 (NB) -- Wang Canada Ltd. of Toronto and
Groulx Associates Inc. plan a strategic alliance to penetrate the
Canadian local-area network and workstation market. Wang is
negotiating to buy 20 percent of Groulx, an office automation
systems integration and communications company. The partnership
would involve joint marketing, reseller agreements and shared
facilities.

(Grant Buckler/19881230/Contact: Nicole Le Blanc, Groulx
Associates, 819-770-6940; Gay-Lynne Potts, Wang Canada, 416-764-
1999)


(NEWS)(BUSINESS)(TOR)(0016)

LAB ACCREDITATION AGREEMENT SIMPLIFIES FREE TRADE
OTTAWA, ONTARIO, 1989 JAN 1 (NB) -- The Canada-U.S. Free Trade
Agreement scheduled to go into effect today will be simplified a
little by an agreement between standards bodies in the two
countries. The Standards Council of Canada and the U.S. National
Institute of Standards and Technology, NIST, signed an agreement
in September under which each will recognize testing laboratories
accredited by the other. Among the testing programs covered are
those for computer network protocols and telecommunications
equipment.

(Grant Buckler/19881230/Contact: Roger Rensberger, NIST, 301-975-
2762)


(NEWS)(BUSINESS)(LON)(0010)

TETRA BUSINESS SYSTEMS SIGNS MULTIMILLION DEAL WITH SIEMENS
MAIDENHEAD, ENGLAND, 1988 DEC 30 (NB) -- Tetra Business Systems,
a UK business software supplier, has signed a major deal with
Siemens, the West German industrial giant.

The twelve year agreement was signed in Munich by Rod Cooke,
Tetra's technical director, and Helmfrid Fulling, Siemens Data
Systems' general director of sales. The agreement calls for
Siemens to market Tetra's business and accounting software
packages worldwide, and is expected to be worth #40 million in
projected sales.

Lord Young, the UK's Secretary of State for Trade and Industry,
has congratulated Tetra on the deal.

Speaking from his office in Whitehall, London, he said, "As you
are aware, my department is particularly concerned about the
promotion of enterprise, and for UK industry to make the most of
the opportunities that are going to arise from the coming of the
single market in 1992. Tetra Business Systems have shown that,
even though a relatively small company, they are capable of
competing with the best in Europe and winning. I congratulate
then on their enterprise and feel certain that, as a result of
their success, other companies will also take up the challenge."

(Steve Gold/19881230/Tetra Business Systems: 0628-770939; Siemens AG: West
Germany, 0896-364-1030)


(NEWS)(BUSINESS)(LON)(0016)

COMMODORE INTERNATIONAL APPOINTS SCANDINAVIAN GENERAL MANAGER
STOCKHOLM, SWEDEN, 1988 DEC 30 (NB) -- Commodore International
has appointed Erik Schale as its new general manager for the
company's Scandinavian operations. Schale was formerly with Apple
as its vice president of Swedish sales. His Commodore area
includes Denmark, Norway and Sweden.

According to Commodore International. Schale's appointment is
part of the company's worldwide strategy to increase its presence
in business, government and education markets, whilst at the same
time maintaining and expanding its strength in the consumer and
games market sector.

Commodore International currently markets its entire US product
range, which includes the C64, C128D, PC and Amiga range of
machines, in Europe.

(Steve Gold/19881230/Commodore International: West Germany 069-663-8150)


(NEWS)(BUSINESS)(LON)(0018)

WEST GERMAN UNIVERSITY INSTALLS CRAY COMPUTER
KIEL, WEST GERMANY, 1988 DEC 30 (NB) -- The University of Kiel
has installed a Cray XMP-216 supercomputer system. The system
replaces an XMP-18 system installed at the University during the
first quarter of 1988.

The Cray will be used for basic scientific research, including
chemistry, geophysics, oceanography, and physics. The system
dramatically increases the University's supercomputer capacity,
and will allow more researchers to have increased computer time,
according to Peter Grosse, director of the university's computer
centre.

"The installation of the Cray system effectively doubles our
capacity within a year. The West German Institute of Oceanography
will be able to run enhanced simulations of the circulation of
the North Atlantic and the Baltic Sea," he said.

(Steve Gold/19881230)


(NEWS)(BUSINESS)(LON)(0019)

MATSUSHITA TO OEM MARKET TANDY PCS IN EUROPE
TOKYO, JAPAN, 1988 DEC 30 (NB) -- Matsushita Electric has agreed
with Tandy to sell Tandy PCs in Europe under the Matsushita
Panasonic brand name. The machines will go on sale in Europe
during the first quarter of 1989.

The marketing deal follows in the wake of a similar initiative in
the US, where Tandy PCs are badged as Panasonic units.
Tandy/Panasonic PCs have been available in the US since November,
1988.

According to a statement issued by Matsushita's head office in
Tokyo, the company plans to use its existing European
distribution network to ship the PCs to dealers. Matsushita
currently has own-company subsidiaries in London, England, and
Hamburg, West Germany.

(Steve Gold/19881230)


(EXCLUSIVE)(GOVT)(LAX)(00001)

ATTORNEY APPOINTED FOR MITNICK IN HACKER CASE
LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA, 1988 DEC 27 (NB) -- U.S. Magistrate Robert
Stone has appointed attorney Alan Rubin to represent Kevin D.
Mitnick in his defense on charges of computer fraud and interstate
transportation of stolen property. The court's choice may have some
unexpected benefits for Mitnick.

Rubin was randomly selected to represent Mitnick from a pool of
attorneys specially qualified to appear in cases of federal criminal
law. However, the luck of the draw was apparently with Mitnick in
the selection. Rubin not only has the legal credentials, he is also
better acquainted with computers than the average attorney. In
addition to the usual familiarity that attorneys have with legal
office systems, word processing, and information services such as
Lexis and Weslaw, Rubin has a personal interest in the technology.
He has his own computer at home and his wife, journalism professor
Maurine Rubin, teaches desktop publishing classes at California
State University, Northridge.

Mitnick is scheduled to formally plead to the charges on January 3.
However, attorney Rubin already appeared confident of his client's
innocence. During a Newsbytes interview, the former prosecutor said
that Mitnick would plead innocent. Rubin suggested that prosecutors
in the case lack full understanding of technical issues and that the
extent of misunderstanding was evident in the restriction of
Mitnick's telephone access while in jail. Although Mitnick does not
have a computer, let alone a modem, prosecutors are apparently
afraid that he can somehow penetrate computer systems from the
jail's pay telephones according to the attorney. Rubin promised that
he would petition the court for funds to hire computer experts in
his client's defense.

Trial of the case was assigned to U.S. District Judge Mariana
Pfaelzer. The indictment charged Mitnick with illegally accessing
computer-based information belonging to Digital Equipment Corp. and
Leeds University in England.

(Wayne Yacco/19881230)


(NEWS)(GOVERNMENT)(WAS)(0001)

MAJOR ARRESTS IN TECHNOLOGY DIVERSION CASE
BOSTON, MASSACHUSETTS, 1988 DEC 28 (NB) -- Federal agents have
arrested three Europeans and are seeking a fourth in a $1.4
million plot to smuggle high technology equipment from the U.S.
to Bulgaria. The arrests were made in Boston and Italy. The case
involved attempts to ship a Teradyne J937 Memory Test System and
an M218 Laser Repair System to Bulgaria. The equipment is
classified gear used by the U.S. military. Customs Special Agent-
in-Charge Leonard Walton called the case "among the most
sensitive that we have been able to interdict prior to shipment
to the Eastern Bloc." Arrested were Franciscus Govaerts, 47, of
the Netherlands, and Marcel July Sylvia Sanders, 33, of Belgium,
both arrested in Boston, and Goris Christiaan Grandia of
Amsterdam, arrested in Rome. Roger Von Alphen, 60, of the
Netherlands, remains at large. The suspects allegedly attempted
to arrange the shipment with an undercover Customs agent after a
Teradyne official alerted the government of the sale.

(Ken Maize/19881230)


(NEWS)(GOVERNMENT)(WAS)(0002)

COURT DEALS MAI ANOTHER SETBACK IN PRIME TAKEOVER BID
BOSTON, MASSACHUSETTS, 1988 DEC 29 (NB) -- A federal judge has put
a hold on MAI Basic Four's attempted hostile takeover of Prime
Computer Inc. Judge A. David Mazzone said he wants to see more
information about the ability of Drexel Burnham Lambert Inc. to
arrange financing for the $970 million deal. Mazzone said he is
concerned about the financing following Drexel Burnham's recent
agreement to plead guilty to six felony charges and pay $650
million in fines as a result of insider trading in other
takeovers. Earlier, Mazzone found that Brexel Burnham was not
simply an investment advisor to MAI Basic of Tustin, Calif., but
is a co-bidder.

In a related development, Prime has announced it will lay off
1,200 employees starting in January. The cuts are part of
Prime's attempts to digest the operations of Computervision, which
Prime acquired earlier this year from $430 million. Analysts have
been critical of Prime for a slow restructuring following the
Computervision merger. Principals in MAI Basic Four criticized
Prime's management for the slow integration of Computervision,
saying they would act rapidly to consolidate operations and cut
costs.

(Ken Maize/19881230)


(NEWS)(GOVERNMENT)(WAS)(0005)

STUDY URGES FLEXIBLE COMPUTER EXPORTS
WASHINGTON, D.C., 1988 DEC 30 (NB) -- The National Research Council says
the United States should be more flexible about exports of
computers to the Soviet bloc. Rather than targeting broad classes
of computers, such as all machines with 32-bit processors, CoCom,
the Coordinating Committee for Multilateral Export Controls,
consisting of the U.S., NATO allies, and Japan, should work to
control the spread of supercomputers and the most advanced
computer manufacturing processes to the Eastern bloc. The tough
CoCom guidelines could undermine U.S. computer makers'
competitive position.

The study notes that the CoCom controls "may lock the proverbial
barn door after the horse has escaped." The growth and spread of
computing technology "will make controls harder to enforce, and
technology and market developments combine to make a case for a more
focused and flexible control process," said the report. As the
computer market expands to a global scope, notes the report, the
U.S. faces competition from firms in places such as Singapore,
Hong Kong, Taiwan, and South Korea which operate with "fewer
export barriers."

(Ken Maize/19881230)


(NEWS)(GOVERNMENT)(WAS)(0011)

DG WINS COPYRIGHT INJUNCTION IN ENGLAND
WESTBORO, MASSACHUSETTS, 1988 DEC 30 (NB) -- Data General says a British
court has granted a temporary injunction against Granada Computer
Services Ltd. in a copyright infringement case. The injunction by
the High Court in London temporarily prohibits Granada from using
DG's ADEX diagnostic software. Granada must turn over to DG's
lawyers all the copies of ADEX that it has on hand.

Data General is also in a legal dispute with Grumman Systems
Support Corp., a unit of Grumman Corp., involving suits and
counter-suits over copyrights to ADEX.

(Ken Maize/19881230)


(NEWS)(GOVERNMENT)(WAS)(0012)

WASHINGTON TO CUT OFF THAI EXPORT PRIVILEGES
WASHINGTON, D.C., 1988 DEC 23 (NB) -- The White House is poised to cut
off duty-free privileges for some products from Thailand, in
retaliation for violations of U.S. computer software copyrights.
Officials have made no estimates of losses to U.S. companies, but
they could exceed $100 million per year, according to one
administration official. Thailand enjoys duty-free status on more
than $500 million in exports to the U.S.

(Ken Maize/19881230)


(NEWS)(GOVERNMENT)(TOR)(0006)

PRECARN, NATIONAL RESEARCH COUNCIL SIGN AGREEMENT
OTTAWA, ONTARIO, 1988 DEC 20 (NB) -- Canada's National Research
Council has signed an agreement with Precarn Associates Inc. to
pay up to C$1 million for robotics and artificial intelligence
research. The council will support research by the 35-member
consortium of Canadian companies over the next five years.

The NRC, a federal government agency, has already approved
contributions to two Precarn projects. One will study the use of
expert systems for advanced process control. The other deals with
mobile robotics systems. The NRC will also pay a full-time
project manager at Precarn for the next three years.

(Grant Buckler/19881230/Contact: National Research Council, 613-
993-1600)

(NEWS)(IBM)(SFO)(00007)

INTEL CLAIMS 46 FIRMS USING THE 386SX CPU
SANTA CLARA, CALIFORNIA, 1988 DEC 16 (NB) -- 46 companies have
adopted Intel's new 80386SX microprocessor in their computers,
according to Intel spokeswoman Ursula Herrick. Intel says the 386SX
has had the fastest production ramp of any of its microprocessors
and is expected to be the fastest growing chip through 1989. She
says the company is also meeting demand and has an adequate supply.
Intel has issued a list of their names of firms currently buying
the 32-bit 386SX, among them are: Apricot, AST Research, Canon,
Club America, Compaq, Everex, Mitsubishi, NCR, NEC, Ogivar, Sony,
Tatung, and Unitron of Brazil.

(Wendy Woods/19890101/Contact: Jacque Jarve, Intel, 408-765-4483)


(NEWS)(IBM)(LAX)(00002)

XEROX SHIPPING DESKTOP PRESENTATION APPLICATION
SAN DIEGO, CALIFORNIA, 1988 DEC 19 (NB) -- Volume shipments of Xerox
Presents have finally begun to leave from the Xerox Desktop Business
Unit. The software allows users of IBM and IBM-compatible
microcomputers to produce full-color presentations. Output is
available for 35mm slides, overhead transparencies, video and paper.
The application provides full WYSIWYG display.

The product is the first graphics application from the new alliance
between Xerox and Cricket Software of Malvern, PA. Xerox Graph and
Xerox Draw are scheduled for announcement during the first quarter
of 1989. Xerox Graph will provide extended capabilities for creating
a wide range of graphs. Xerox Draw will offer drawing tools for
creating and enhancing sophisticated illustrations and line art. The
several products in the Xerox desktop presentation line are designed
to work in concert and produce documents which integrate their
various elements.

(Wayne Yacco/19881228)


(NEWS)(IBM)(LAX)(00004)

WORDPERFECT AND QUADRAM JOIN FORCES IN FAX APPLICATION
OREM, UTAH, 1988 DEC 22 (NB) -- WordPerfect Corporation and Quadram
have jointly developed a driver which allows WordPerfect 5.0 users
to send and receive faxes directly from PCs equipped with Quadram's
JT FAX Facsimile System. The driver will be available in January
according to a statement from WordPerfect.

The driver will reportedly permit files created by the WordPerfect
word-processing software to specify when and where files will be
sent by the JT FAX. It will also allow the user to preview a
document exactly as it will be transmitted using WYSIWYG display.

Two fonts are planned for the initial release of the driver. One,
normal, is similar to Courier 10 pitch and the other, compressed, to
Courier 17 pitch. Within six months, Quadram promises to release new
software which incorporates the graphics and multiple-font
capabilities of WordPerfect 5.0.

(Wayne Yacco/19881229/Contact: Quadram, US Only: 800-548-3420, outside
US: 404-923-6666)


(NEWS)(IBM)(SFO)(00010)

MAC TO PC FILE TRANSFER SOFTWARE
ROCKY RIVER, OHIO, 1988 DEC 30 (NB) -- Messenger Software has a new
product which allows you to transfer files, folders, and directories
between a Macintosh and a PC. Called xFER, the $99.95 product
comes with software for both a PC and a Macintosh, manual, and an
optional ten foot direct connect and one foot PC modem/AT adapter cable.
xFer is operated via the Macintosh computer and transfers data
in word processing, MacBinary, or exact copy modes. The product
allows remote data transfer via modem, and has security features.
The system employs the familiar Macintosh interface.

(Wendy Woods/19881230/Contact: Messenger Software, 216-333-9936)


(NEWS)(IBM)(SFO)(00014)

SOFTWARE PUBLISHING UPDATES PFS:FIRST PUBLISHER
MOUNTAIN VIEW, CALIFORNIA, 1988 DEC 30 (NB) -- Software Publishing
has announced PFS:First Publisher - DeskMate version, a program
which allows Tandy and other PCs to take advantage of DeskMate's
standard graphical user interface. PFS:First Publisher - DeskMate
version is one of the first software applications created to run
under Tandy's DeskMate, which has over one million users.

The new version offers color on a computer display that can be
customized. The product also supports VGA monitors, providing the
highest resolution available. The suggested retail price is
$149 and the product will ship in January.

(Wendy Woods/19881230/Contact: Wendy Grubow, Software Publishing,
415-335-2080)


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

AST ENHANCES TECHNICAL SUPPORT BBS
IRVINE, CALIFORNIA, 1988 DEC 23 (NB) -- AST Research has announced
an enhancement to its 24-hour technical-support bulletin board, or
BBS. The board now more effectively provides users with technical
information and provides quicker responses to general technical
inquiries. It is also intended to provide users with easier access
to free software updates. The board itself is available free of
charges to AST users.

The free software updates include utility programs, software drivers
and diagnostics. There is also a complete on-line listing of
authorized service centers sorted by zip code, technical bulletins
covering current issues as they relate to specific AST products,
compatibility listings on AST products, new product announcements
and trade show schedules.

The AST BBS, 714-852-1872, is accessible through asynchronous modems
using rates of 300, 1200 or 2400 bps, bits per second. Up to 24
simultaneous users can be supported. Duplex, parity, stop-bit and
data-bit requirements were not specified.

(Wayne Yacco/19881229/Contact: AST, 714-863-1333)


(NEWS)(IBM)(ATL)(00005)

THE SOFTWARE LINK HAS NEW VERSION OF ITS PC-MOS
NORCROSS, GEORGIA, 1988 DEC 29 (NB) -- Release of the multiuser,
multitasking, DOS-compatible PC-MOS 386 adds support for
Microsoft Windows/286. This brings high-end DOS graphics machines
such as the SunRiver Cygna/386 into multitasking without OS/2 and
Presentation Manager. German and Spanish language support
has also been added in Version 3.0, as well as better support for
memory-resident programs such as Sidekick.

(Dana Blankenhorn/19881229)


(NEWS)(IBM)(TYO)(00006)

SONY TO RELEASE A 32-BIT AX PC WITH A CD-ROM
TOKYO, JAPAN, 1988 DEC 16 (NB) -- Sony will start marketing an
AX personal computer with a built-in compact disc read only memory
this March. The Quarter L will come with an 80386SX central
processing unit and come standard with a whopping 540-megabyte
CD-ROM. The machine also can be used as a special CD-ROM player.
The basic price for the machine is expected to be around 600,000
yen or $5,000, which is a very low price in the 32-bit personal
computer arena.

Meanwhile, Sony will promote the spread of CD-ROM by developing
and commercializing an interface card which connects the
existing CD-ROM drive unit with an AX personal computer.

(Ken Takahashi/19881227/Contact: Sony Corp., 03-448-2111)


(NEWS)(IBM)(TYO)(00007)

AX PC TO RUN ON MS-OS/2
TOKYO, JAPAN, 1988 DEC 20 (NB) -- The AX group, including
Mitsubishi Electric and Sanyo, will provide MS-OS/2 for AX
personal computers. The AX Association, promoting the Japanese
version of IBM PC/AT compatible personal computers, has decided
to integrate the OS/2 into the AX operating system and has
started development on the operating system's specifications.
The release date of the OS/2 for AX is expected after next
summer, when Presentation Manager will be complete.

(Ken Takahashi/19881227)


(NEWS)(IBM)(TYO)(00011)

IBM TIES WITH TAIWAN PC MAKER
TOKYO, JAPAN, 1988 DEC 27 (NB) -- IBM has agreed to exchange
licences with Taiwan's major computer maker, Acer, according to
Nikkei newspaper. The cross licence agreement includes patent of
Microchannel Architecture which is necessary to provide
compatibility for IBM's latest personal computer, PS/2. Both IBM
and Acer have contracted cross licences over these computer
production.

(Naoyuki Yazawa/19881227)


(NEWS)(IBM)(TOR)(0014)

DELL CUTS CANADIAN PRICES, CREDITS FREE TRADE DEAL
RICHMOND HILL, ONTARIO, 1988 DEC 27 (NB) -- Dell Computer Corp.
is cutting Canadian prices on its personal computers. Prices of
Dell's System 200, 220, 310 and 325 are to drop by four to five
percent immediately. Dell said the cuts are because of the Free
Trade Agreement between Canada and the United States, which will
remove, among other tariffs, a 3.9-percent duty on computer parts
imported into Canada from the U.S.

The price of an 80286-based Dell System 220 with 40-megabyte hard
disk and VGA monochrome monitor falls from C$4,499 to C$4,299.
The price of the 80386-based System 310 with the same options
goes from C$6,199 to C$5,949.

(Grant Buckler/19881230/Contact: Dell Computer Corp., 416-881-
3513)


(NEWS)(IBM)(SYD)(00001)

PERSONNEL RECRUITING PACKAGE GUIDES UNTRAINED USERS
SYDNEY, AUSTRALIA, 1989 JAN 1 (NB) -- Authors of STAFFINDER claim
that it provides all features required by personnel consultants
involved in staff recruitment. They state that the menu-driven
system replaces all other packages and may be used by operators
with no prior computer knowledge.

The package records and maintains the following as data lists:
Advertising; Positions; Clients; Applicants; Fees and Job coding.
In addition, it reports on: Positions available; Applicants who
match criteria; Client status; Consultant success rate; Fee vs.
expense analysis; Consultant work-load and Follow-up reminder.
The mailing list manager allows selective mailings, to minimize
cost, and is designed to be used as a client data manager.

(Paul Zucker/19890101/Contact: Staffinder, Australia 61-2-831 4388)


(NEWS)(IBM)(SYD)(00002)

24HR HOTLINE PHONE SERVICE FOR ALL PC PROBLEMS
SYDNEY, AUSTRALIA, 1989 JAN 1 (NB) -- "90% of PC users' problems
have nothing to do with technical breakdown - they need informed
advice. How many times have you sat at your computer which
stubbornly refuses to cooperate - that's Murphy's law." These
are the words that introduce The Murphy Line, a new PC support
service in Australia.

Companies with fewer than 10 PCs can enroll for a flat fee of
AUS$45 per year. The annual corporate rate, for 10 or more PCs is
AUS$295. The service claims to be able to answer 99-percent of calls on
the phone - 95-percent of problems immediately, with a two hour service
for the difficult questions. At present, more than 40 support
staff operate the service.

Additional services include: pre-sales advice on products;
installation, operating and training assistance; compatibility
problem solving; programming assistance; discounts on training
courses and education; an update register on all software.

(Paul Zucker/19890101/Contact: Imagineering, Australia 61-2-6978598, fax
61-2-6978670)


(NEWS)(IBM)(LON)(0006)

MCS LAUNCHES SILICON DISK SYSTEM FOR PCS
NOTTINGHAM, ENGLAND, 1988 DEC 30 (NB) -- Micro Control Systems -
MCS - has launched Silicon Disk, a solid state disk system for
the PCs. Up to three megabytes of CMOS RAM can be installed on a
single card, which fits into a PC's standard expansion slot.

Up to four of the disk cards can be installed, each of which
consumes around two watts of power. Optional extras include an
EPROM facility, so that program data can be stored semi-
permanently, although each card has sufficient battery power to
power up to 3Mb of CMOS RAM for four months.

Silicon Disk prices start at #299 for a 384K configuration, and
each card can be customised to a user's requirements. According
to MCS, Silicon Disk is especially suited for use in network file
servers, hazardous environments and in applications running large
programs such as CAD/CAM.

"Because it operates at silicon speeds, the Silicon Disk can
achieve data transfer rates of up to 300,000 cps, whereas bubble
memory peaks at around 50,000 cps. Hard disks are even slower, at
about 27,800 cps," said Richard Tavener, MCS' managing director.

"This extra speed significantly cuts down data access and
execution times, savings which are particularly noticeable when
large programs, such as CAD/CAM, are stored in silicon overlays
alongside the hard disk," he added.

(Steve Gold/19881230/MCS: 0602-391204/E-mail: Dialcom 72:DTB10154)


(NEWS)(IBM)(LON)(0009)

SOPHOS RELEASES PC SECURITY SYSTEMS
AYLESBURY, ENGLAND, 1988 DEC 30 (NB) -- Sophos has announced two
new security systems for PC users: The Public Communications
Security System, and the Shred and Purge Secure Erasure Tools.
The Public Communications Security System provides end-to-end
data encryption and authentication for transmitted data, and
includes public key encryption and hardware token system support
as a standard feature. The system is available in two versions:
Public at #395 for PCs, XTs, ATs, and PS/2 machines, and Public
Plus for the same range of machines. Public Plus comes supplied
with hardware token units for PCs.

The Shred and Purge Secure Erase Tools system is actually a
number of utility programs designed for use with all PCs, XTs,
ATs, and PS/2-compatibles, as well as Unix and VMS systems. The
ability to 'shred' individual files and 'purge' complete disks is
included as standard, along with a choice of operating levels:
quick, government and military.

Sophos claims that it is absolutely impossible to retrieve any
data that has been processed by the Shred and Purge package,
which retails for #79. The company is also selling a Data
Security Reference guide at #20. The guide is supplied free of
charge with all software purchases.

(Steve Gold/19881230/Sophos: 0844-292392)


(NEWS)(IBM)(LON)(0017)

MICRO CONCEPT #1 LAUNCHES ARCHIV 2000 OPTICAL STORAGE SYSTEM
PARIS, FRANCE, 1988 DEC 30 (NB) -- Micro Concept #1 has launched
Archiv 2000, an optical data storage system based around a Zenith
386 PC. Pricing on the system starts at 220,000 francs.

The system consists of a Zenith 80386-based PC fitted with at
least 1Mb of memory, and a 40Mb conventional hard disk, as well
as a standard 5.25 inch WORM drive and a 12 pages a minute laser
printer. Optional extras include a flatbed digital scanner for
reading data in optically, and a WORM disk cassette holder, which
allows automated access for up to 640 WORM disks.

Each WORM disk can store up to 400Mb of data. Special system
software formats the text and graphics data into a proprietary
format for compressed storage on the WORM disks. Data can be
accessed sequentially or via supplied relational database
management software.

Interestingly, the system can be linked to the Minitel public
data network for interactive online help. The French Minitel
network is freely available over all of France at local telephone
call rates.

(Steve Gold/19881230/Micro Concept: France 014-582-8909)


(NEWS)(IBM)(LON)(0002)

DSC NESTAR SHIPS 32-BIT NEX/OS LOCAL AREA NETWORK
WEYBRIDGE, ENGLAND, 1988 DEC 20 (NB) -- DSC Communications has
begun shipping NEX/OS-386, an enhanced version of its Local Area
Network - LAN - operating system for 80386-based systems.
According to DSC, the new version operates in 80386 protected
mode code, instead of the original 80286 code. As such, it offers
true 32-bit code speed benefits.

DSC has also improved its LAN operating system for 16-bit 80286-
based systems. NEX/OS-286 now supports 24 simultaneous users,
compared with 8 previously, and can now be run on an 80286 or
80386-based PC server.

Pricing on both packages remains unchanged at #2,495 for the
flagship NEX/OS-386, and #1,095 for the standard NEX/OS/286. Both
packages support continuous working whilst tape back-ups are in
progress, as well as Dos, NetBios and Novell compatibility.
Simultaneous workstation access to Novell Netware environments is
also supported.

(Steve Gold/19881220/DSC Communications: 09323-53911)

(NEWS)(TELECOM)(ATL)(00001)

IBM GETS PERMISSION TO START A VAN IN JAPAN
ARMONK, NEW YORK, 1988 DEC 29 (NB) -- IBM has won permission to
open a value-added network between Japan and the U.S. A VAN, which
offers packet-switch services and can act as a gateway between
systems in the places it connects, will likely bring the IBM Information
Network, the company's global teleprocessing network, directly
into Japan for the first time.

The move follows a long battle over IBM's use of the X.25+alpha
protocol instead of X.75, the Japanese and worldwide standard.
The deal is IBM will guarantee connectibility with X.75, and that
will be good enough. The background is that the two governments
settled market access talks in October, and the decision by the
Japanese Ministry of Posts and Telecommunications to back down on
the technical issue is a polite way of bringing an informal trade
barrier down.

(Dana Blankenhorn/19881229)


(NEWS)(TELECOM)(ATL)(00002)

GE GETS INTO PHILLIPINES THROUGH A DISTRIBUTOR
ROCKVILLE, MARYLAND, 1988 DEC 29 (NB) -- GE's teleprocessing network
has a node in Manila thanks to a distribution agreement it has
signed with Global Teleprocessing Services Inc. of the
Philippines. GTS will sign up the merchants and handle their
connections to its offices in Manila. GE Information Services
will make Manila a node in its network for financial transaction
processing. Through agreements with local public data networks
and distributors like GTS, GE can now handle a credit card
purchase or wire transfer in almost 100 countries.

Analysts say the Phillipines is consequently a part of the global financial
net, where bits are money and the network is the market. What it
means for a country like the Phillipines will vary depending on
how it's priced, whether GTS does a good job, and the fate of
the local bourgeoisie.

For GE, the financial services network is the backbone of its
position in global telecommunications. Compared to the power of a
terminal through which you can swipe your Master Card, an information
product like GEnie is an afterthought. Spokesman Steve Haracznak
told Newsbytes that's the case in Japan, where NEC distributed
its teleprocessing services long before it decided to handle
GEnie through its PC-VAN early in December. GE transaction
processing is also distributed in Japan through ISI-Dentsu.

(Dana Blankenhorn/19881229)


(NEWS)(TELECOM)(ATL)(00006)

COX PURCHASE HEATS UP ATLANTA WAR OVER ONLINE YELLOW PAGES
ATLANTA, GEORGIA, 1988 DEC 29 (NB) -- The three-way battle to deliver
online yellow pages information in Atlanta heated up considerably
over the Christmas weekend as Cox Enterprises announced it was
buying Direct Connect, number three in the local market. By
offering free directory assistance, such companies get the chance
to offer ad pitches to consumers while offering the same
consumers a chance to look up merchants based on subject and
location, not just name. The services can also connect callers
directly with merchants, when the merchants pay for that service.
Bell Operating Companies such as BellSouth are being kept out of the
electronic yellow pages market by the consent decree which broke
up the Bell System.

Analysts say this is the first attempt to tie an online service directly to
a "monopoly" newspaper, namely the Atlanta Journal-Constitution.
The local market leader, The Information Line's 333-INFO service,
takes 750,000 calls per month, while American Directory's "Yellow
Pages that Talk" take 350,000 calls per month. Direct Connect,
whose listings are offered at 222-2000, gets about 225,000 calls per
month, according to Cox Newspapers' James McKnight, who will now
head the company. The Atlanta Journal-Constitution will now tie its
own advertising to the 222-2000 service and attempt to leap-frog the
competition through the tie-in. Free news, stock, and sports updates,
perhaps in the voices of popular Journal-Constitution reporters, could be
another lure to use the system. Cox Enterprises also owns
Atlanta's leading TV station, WSB -- it stands for "Welcome
South, Brother," and two radio stations, WSB-AM and WSB-FM, and
could conceivably tie 222-2000 into those media as well.

Competitors aren't without potential weapons, however. Other
radio and TV stations could be tied into 333-INFO, as could
suburban papers like "The Gwinnett Daily News" and local weeklies
such as "Creative Loafing."

(Dana Blankenhorn/19881229)


(NEWS)(TELCOM)(WAS)(0009)

ADD A FAX TO YOUR LAPTOP
NORTHPORT, NEW YORK, 1988 DEC 29 (NB) -- Touchbase Systems Inc,
which makes the well-respected WorldPort portable modem, has rung
in with the WorldPort 2496, a small device for laptop luggers
that offers both modem and fax. The 2496 has a Hayes-compatible
2400 bits per second modem and a 9600 bps, Group III facsimilie
machine in the same package. Another feature of this device,
shared by the WorldPort 2400 portable modem, is a connector for
acoustic coupler operation, so it can be used where the standard
RJ11 modular telephone jacks aren't available. The price: $699.

(Ken Maize/19881230/Contact: Touchbase Systems, 160 Laurel
Avenue, Northport NY 11768, 516-261-0423)


(NEWS)(TELECOM)(SFO)(00008)

AMERICAN ELECTRONICS ASSOCIATION GOES ONLINE
SANTA CLARA, CALIFORNIA, 1988 DEC 13 (NB) -- The American Electronics
Association has started an online service designed to provide its
members with a wide spectrum of information. AEALINK will be aboard
IBM's Information Network and will offer computer access to surveys,
issues statements, position papers, press releases, and other
public announcements, in addition to providing a vehicle for future
electronics trading and communications.

The online service is expected to help improve communications between
members. The American Electronic Association has some 3,500 member
firms nationwide.

(Wendy Woods/19881230/Contact: John Hatch, AEA, 202-682-9110)


(NEWS)(GENERAL)(ATL)(00008)

GEORGIA TECH TRIES TO SWITCH FIBER OPTICS DIRECTLY
ATLANTA, GEORGIA, 1988 DEC 28 (NB) -- The bottleneck in fiber optic
development is the switch. A call may run along at the speed of
light over a cable, but when it has to be switched things slow
down considerably. All equipment for switching signals, say,
fiber optic telephone calls, presently has to briefly turn fiber
calls into ordinary wire calls to work. Optical waveguide
researchers at the Georgia Institute of Technology, however, say
they've solved the basic problem of creating all-optical
switches, using aluminum gallium arsenide. The researchers say,
however, that networks will have to be redesigned to take
advantage of the new technology, as the signals become weaker
when they go through the switches. Either the signals must be
boosted, or networks must contain fewer switches, for optical
switching to become a reality, they say.

(Dana Blankenhorn/19881229)


(NEWS)(TELECOM)(TOR)(0005)

CALL-NET WANTS TO APPEAL DISCONNECTION TO SUPREME COURT
TORONTO, ONTARIO, 1988 DEC 19 (NB) -- Call-Net Communications
Ltd. wants the Supreme Court of Canada to overturn a regulatory
ruling that stops it from reselling long-distance telephone
service. On December 16 the Federal Court of Appeal refused to
overturn an order by the Canadian Radio-television and
Telecommunications Commission, CRTC, that Call-Net's lines be
disconnected. The lines, provided by Bell Canada, were unhooked
in September after the original CRTC order, but reinstated
pending the appeal's outcome. Now Call-Net wants to take its case
to the Supreme Court. The federal cabinet has ordered the lines
to stay in place until the "final judicial determination" of the
matter. Call-Net has 60 days to ask leave to appeal to the
Supreme Court.

(Grant Buckler/19881230)


(NEWS)(TELECOM)(TOR)(0007)

BRITISH COLUMBIA LONG-DISTANCE RATES CUT
VANCOUVER, BRITISH COLUMBIA, 1989 JAN 1 (NB) -- There's good news
for modem addicts and other long-distance users in British
Columbia. The Canadian Radio-television and Telecommunications
Commission, CRTC, has ordered the British Columbia Telephone Co.
to cut long-distance rates by 12 to 33 percent on New Year's Day.
Calls within British Columbia will cost an average of 12.7
percent less starting today. Calls to the neighboring province of
Alberta will cost 33.2 percent less on average. Calls to the rest
of Canada will cost 25.9 percent less. The CRTC also confirmed an
11.6 percent reduction on calls to the United States that went
into effect on an interim basis in October.

The commission also told B.C. Telephone to offer Extended Area
Service in about 60 more exchanges. Extended Area Service lets
subscribers call a neighboring exchange without paying long-
distance rates.

(Grant Buckler/19881230/Contact: CRTC, 613-997-0313)


(NEWS)(TELECOM)(LAX)(00006)

MULTIPLEXERS DONATED TO UNIVERSITY OF COLORADO
DALLAS, TEXAS, 1988 DEC 19 (NB) -- Three LINK/2 Data/Voice Network
Exchangers have been donated to the University of Colorado by
Timeplex, Inc. for use in the university's Telecommunications
Systems Laboratory. According to an announcement made by the
International Communications Association, ICA, the equipment will
be used for T-1 multiplexer training by engineering students as well
as by attendees of the ICA annual Summer Program held at the
university June 18-23. The ICA program will address "Network Design
and Management in a Multi-Vendor Environment."

The LINK/2 and miniLINK/2 Data/voice network Exchangers provide
networking connectivity at speeds up to 2.048 Mbps, or million bits per
second. The LINK/2 offers a direct T-1 interface capability to
digital PBXs, channel banks, and digital cross-connect systems, and
features automatic alternate routing.

(Wayne Yacco/19881228/Contact: U.S. only - 800-ICA-INFO)


(NEWS)(TELECOM)(LAX)(00007)

ICA WINTER SEMINARS TO EXAMINE GLOBAL TELECOM STRATEGIES
DALLAS, TEXAS, 1988 DEC 19 (NB) -- The International Communications
Association's 15th annual Winter Seminar will take place
February 7-10, 1989 at the Arlington, Virginia Crystal Gateway
Marriott.

A variety of experts in the international telecommunications arena
have been invited to address the topic "Global Telecommunications
Strategies." William McGowan, chairman of MCI, keynote speaker;
Charles B. Coe, president of BellSouth International; William M.
Ohnsorg, director of international policy and plans with AT&T
International Services; and Robert Sternberg, chief operating
officer of TRT Telecommunications Corp. are among the speakers who
have accepted invitation. William L. Gegge of Northwestern Mutual
Life Insurance Co. is the Winter Seminar committee chairman.

(Wayne Yacco/19881228/Contact: 800-ICA-INFO)


(NEWS)(TELECOM)(LON)(00012)

MIRACOM ANNOUNCES 1989 RANGE OF MODEMS
IPSWICH, ENGLAND, 1988 DEC 25 (NB) -- Miracom has announced a new
family of V.32 standard modems, as well as a new UK authorised
dealer support program. The new products will be officially
announced at the Which Computer? Show in February, 1989.

On the modem front, Miracom is expanding its range of high-speed
modem products to included two new units, the Courier Dual
Standard, and the Courier V.32. Both modems are based on the
popular Courier HST unit which is badge engineered by US Robotics
in the U.S.

The Courier Dual Standard provides all the features of the
original HST (V21, V22, V22Bis, and 9600/300 baud HST speeds plus
MNP/Trellis encoding) and adds V.32 working to the modem. The
V.32 standard offers true 9600/9600bps data transfer speeds. When
coupled with the Microcom Networking Protocol - MNP - Class 5
data compression and error correction, full-duplex data transfer
rates approaching 17,400bps --bits per second -- are possible.
The Courier V.32 model is the same as the Dual Standard unit,
except that the proprietary HST system (9600/300 baud) is not
available. Pricing on both modems is not available, but is
expected to be slightly higher than the existing Courier HST's
retail price of #995.

Also to be announced at the Which Computer? Show in February is a
major new support program for modem dealers. Under the banner
of 'Dealerline '89,' Miracom will be appointing a number of
authorised dealers, which will receive a high level of support to
assist them in selling communications solutions. This will take
the form of training, support literature, and regular news
updates. For the end user, it means a local point of reference
for Miracom products.

(Steve Gold/19881225/Miracom: 0473-233888; Email: Dialcom 79:KEY001)


(NEWS)(TELECOM)(LON)(00013)

MERCURYLINK 7500 NEW HIGH-SPEED ACCESS AND FILE TRANSFER FACILITY
LONDON, ENGLAND, 1988 DEC 25 (NB) -- Mercurylink 7500 is now
available via the Mercury 5000 packet switching network. The new
network provision provides subscribers with 2400 baud access with
MNP Class 5 error correction. In addition, Mercurylink 7500 has
also introduced file transfer protocols to allow 7- and 8-bit
files to be sent as electronic mail items.

The introduction of Mercury 5000 data network access means that
it is now possible to access Mercurylink 7500 via both BT's
Packet Switch Stream - PSS - and Mercury's data network. In
addition, text can be uploaded and downloaded at up to 4,800 bits
per second over an MNP Class 5 link at 2400 baud - four times
faster than via Mercurylink's main rival, Telecom Gold.

The file transfer protocols meanwhile, work to X-Modem and COMM
standards. The COMM standard is used in Margolis Software's Comm
Plus package, which is marketed as by Mercurylink 7500 as its
standard communications package.

(Steve Gold/19881225/Mercurylink 7500: 01-528-2380)


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

MICRONET LURES SUBSCRIBERS WITH HALF-PRICE OFFER
LONDON, ENGLAND, 1988 DEC 30 (NB) -- Micronet has launched a
limited-time half-price offer for new subscribers. The half price
offer, which runs until 31 March , 1989, allows users to join
Micronet for #9-95 for the first quarter, instead of the usual
#20 subscription.

The catch with the offer is that subscribers must opt to pay by
bank direct debit, although Micronet is still offering a free
modem for subscribers who pre-pay a full annual subscription of
#69-95, which includes the special half-price offer.

According to David Rosenbaum, Micronet's newly-appointed product
manager, the deal should attract a lot of new subscribers. "There
are thousands of computer users who don't know what they're
missing. By halving the first quarter's subscription, thereby
reducing the entry cost, we expect to introduce many more people
to Micronet," he said.

(Steve Gold/19881230/Micronet: 01-278-3143)

(NEWS)(TRENDS)(ATL)(00007)

TEXAS INSTRUMENTS, HITACHI LINK TO MAKE 16-MEGABIT CHIPS
DALLAS, TEXAS, 1988 DEC 28 (NB) -- Texas Instruments is getting a pay-
off from its long-standing presence in Japan, a joint-development
deal with Hitachi to make the next-generation 16-megabit memory
chip. The two companies will undertake joint-research efforts,
with results to be produced and marketed separately. A similar
agreement exists between Motorola and Toshiba. During the 1980s
the Japanese have completely reversed the long-time American
dominance of memory chips, and Japanese companies now control
90 percent of the memory market. TI and Hitachi told reporters in Tokyo
they've taken different routes to create four-megabit chip samples,
and will pool those techniques in coming up with 16-megabit
samples, hopefully by 1992. The agreement is also expected to
help reduce trade friction over semiconductors, which culminated
in the 1986 anti-dumping agreement leading to the 1988 memory
chip shortage.

TI is also a member of Sematech, the U.S. government-funded chip
research consortium, and speculation arose after the deal that
Hitachi would get the benefits of that research as a result of
this deal. Sematech says no way. "They treat Sematech as
proprietary information," and it isn't covered by the Hitachi
agreement," Sematech spokesman John Pope told Newsbytes.
"Sematech does chip-making research, not chip-design research,"
he added.

(Dana Blankenhorn/19881229)


(NEWS)(TRENDS)(ATL)(00008)

GEORGIA TECH TRIES TO SWITCH FIBER OPTICS DIRECTLY
ATLANTA, GEORGIA, 1988 DEC 28 (NB) -- The bottleneck in fiber optic
development is the switch. A call may run along at the speed of
light over a cable, but when it has to be switched things slow
down considerably. All equipment for switching signals, say,
fiber optic telephone calls, presently has to briefly turn fiber
calls into ordinary wire calls to work. Optical waveguide
researchers at the Georgia Institute of Technology, however, say
they've solved the basic problem of creating all-optical
switches, using aluminum gallium arsenide. The researchers say,
however, that networks will have to be redesigned to take
advantage of the new technology, as the signals become weaker
when they go through the switches. Either the signals must be
boosted, or networks must contain fewer switches, for optical
switching to become a reality, they say.

(Dana Blankenhorn/19881229)


(NEWS)(TRENDS)(TYO)(00001)

COMPUTER PROGRAM MAY BE WRITTEN IN HUMAN LANGUAGE
TOKYO, JAPAN, 1988 DEC 16 (NB) -- The researchers at the
Institute for New Generation Computer Technology, or ICOT, will start
development on a new program which allows a computer to
efficiently use human natural languages. The program, called
constraint programming, has originated in the artificial
intelligence research arena. The researchers are aiming to
integrate the program into the prototype fifth-generation computer,
scheduled to be complete in 1991.

The constraint programming was proposed by linguists who study
how human beings understand conversation. The researchers on
parallel processing computers have recently paid special attention
to the program. The researchers at the ICOT regard the constraint
programming as an indispensable means to use various kinds of
applications programs without varying the parallel inference
processing computer Multi PSI and the operating system on the same
computer which they have developed so far.

A computer installed with the constraint programming could be
applied for various purposes, such as retrieval of database and
computer-assisted design systems, and could also be used on short
programs with languages similar to daily conversations.

(Ken Takahashi/19881227)


(NEWS)(TRENDS)(TYO)(00003)

MATSUSHITA AND DEC CLOSER TO PRACTICAL USE OF 64-BIT MICROPROCESSOR
TOKYO, JAPAN, 1988 DEC 21 (NB) -- Matsushita Electric Industrial
Corp. and Digital Equipment Corp. have together developed a
sample 64-bit microprocessing unit capable of performing 50 million
instructions per second, according to Japan Industrial Journal.

These trial pieces will be exhibited at the International
Solid-State Circuits Conference in New York, this February.

Both sample pieces have been developed with reduced instruction set
computer, or RISC, architecture, and therefore have simpler layouts
compared with other microprocessors. For example, Intel's i80486, a
32-bit microprocessor expected to be released in May, has one million
transistors in its layout. DEC developed this 64-bit chip with 300,000
transistors and Toshiba, 450,000.

The prototype unit of the 64-bit chip developed by DEC has been
given a 64-bit internal data bus and a 32-bit external data bus including
cache memory and buffer storage. Meanwhile, the piece
which was developed by Matsushita features 64-bit for both
internal and external data bus designed with memory and floating
point arithmetic circuit.

(Naoyuki Yazawa/19881227)


(NEWS)(TRENDS)(TYO)(00005)

BREAKTHROUGH DEVELOPMENT ON A HIGH-SPEED NEURO CHIP
TOKYO, JAPAN, 1988 DEC 17 (NB) -- Yuzo Hirai, professor at the
University of Tsukuba, and researchers at Hitachi, have jointly
developed a new integrated circuit which operates in a manner
similar to a human neural system. No other researchers in the
world have developed such an overall digital neuro chip. A
computer installed with the new chip could become a large-scale
neural network suitable for vague data processing similar to a human
brain, the researchers have insisted. The research group expect
that the new chip could be a breakthrough for the development of a
neurocomputer, because the current speed on the simulation
experiment could be made 100 to 1000 times higher in the future.

(Ken Takahashi/19881227)


(NEWS)(BUSINESS)(SFO)(00009)

LAST AMERICAN WAFER FIRM BOUGHT BY GERMANS
PALO ALTO, CALIFORNIA, 1988 DEC 30 (NB) -- The last major American maker
of silicon wafers used as the basis of semiconductors has been
sold to the German chemical firm of Huels AG. Monsanto
Electric Materials, pending a January 22 approval of the
government, will be sold by parent company Monsanto. With the sale
of Monsanto Electric Materials, the United States' share of the
worldwide silicon market is expected to fall to two percent.

(Wendy Woods/19881230)

(NEWS)(GENERAL)(TYO)(00004)

TATEISHI TO RELEASE THE LOWEST-PRICE WORKSTATION
TOKYO, JAPAN, 1988 DEC 22 (NB) -- Omron Tateishi Electronics has
announced that it will ship a general-purpose workstation based
on the on-going Sigma Project proposed by the Ministry of
International Trade and Industry. The LUNA-Sigma has a 68030 chip
at its core and has Unix-based Unios-Sigma for its operating
system. The machine will come standard with a Multi-Media Window
system based on the Sigma specs. Moreover, the machine will be able to
construct various networks, such as a local area network.
Therefore, the new machine is capable of utilizing all the Sigma
tools developed thus far, while running a Unix operating system.

The system price for the machine is 1,350,000 yen or $11,000,
which is the lowest price in the workstation arena.

(Ken Takahashi/19881227/Contact: Omron Tateishi Electronics,
075-463-1161)


(NEWS)(UNIX)(TOR)(00003)

UNIX STUDY PREDICTS 40-PERCENT GROWTH
TORONTO, ONTARIO, 1988 DEC 20 (NB) -- A study by the Canadian
Unix users' group usr/group/cdn forecasts 40-percent compound
annual growth in Unix installations through 1992. The Unix in
Canada study, performed by DMR Group Inc. on behalf of
usr/group/cdn, reported that 20 percent of the 542 survey
respondents see Unix as the best choice of operating system for
new general-purpose workstations. It also found the greatest use
of Unix is not in scientific and technical applications but in
data processing and office automation.

The study's sample included 151 organizations currently using
Unix and 391 organizations using other operating systems. It also
included a survey of 18 hardware suppliers, which concluded that
vendors are beginning to push Unix more aggressively. Fifteen
case studies of user organizations and more than 50 expert
interviews were also part of the project.

The study predicted the fastest growth rate for large Unix
systems, foreseeing compound annual growth of 90 percent to bring
Unix's share of the large systems market to eight percent by
1992. Medium-sized Unix systems are expected to grow 34 percent
annually, reaching 16 percent of the midrange market by 1992.
Small Unix systems are expected to grow 30 percent per year,
taking 28 percent of that market by 1992. And 49-percent growth
is senn for desktop Unix systems. That would give Unix about 40
percent of the desktop market by 1992.

(Grant Buckler/19881230/Contact: Araldo Menagon, usr group cdn,
416-484-6666)


(NEWS)(UNIX)(LON)(00007)

SANTA CRUZ OPERATION TEAMS UP WITH COMPUTERLAND
WATFORD, ENGLAND, 1988 DEC 25 (NB) -- Computerland and The Santa
Cruz Operation - SCO - have entered into a joint marketing
agreement. The agreement calls for Computerland to sell complete
systems based around Compaq PCs and SCO Xenix 386 system
software.

Computerland will offer the SCO Xenix System V operating system
bundled in a variety of configurations based on Compaq Deskpro
386's, 386/20e's, and the 386/25 series. Customers will be
offered a choice of three systems: 1-4 user, 4-16 user, and 8-32
user configurations. SCO Xenix 386 and the full line of SCO
applications will also be available as packaged stand-alone
products.

(Steve Gold/19881225)


(NEWS)(UNIX)(LON)(00004)

SANTA CRUZ OPERATION ANNOUNCES SCO INTEGRA SQL SOFTWARE
LONDON, ENGLAND, 1988 DEC 30 (NB) -- The Santa Cruz Operation has
announced the availability of SCO Integra, a Structured Query
Language - SQL - relational database management system. The
software has been designed specifically for Xenix and Unix-based
multiuser environments.

Announcing the release of the new software, Mike Hill, SCO's
international product marketing manager, said that the package
represents SCO's high-end database solution.

"Integra provides all the features needed to deliver reliable
multiuser information management and decision support. In
addition, the package can share data between other family
members, such as SCO Lyrix and SCO Professional, using an
electronic clipboard. Work done with one application can be
quickly and easily used in another," he said.

SCO Integra is available immediately in Europe at #995 for 80286-
based systems, and #1,295 for 80386-based systems. Until 31
January, 1989, both packages will be available at #995,
representing a saving of #300 for 80386-based users.

(Steve Gold/19881230/SCO Europe: 0923-816344)


(NEWS)(UNIX)(SFO)(00011)

SILICON GRAPHICS SHIPS 1,000TH PERSONAL IRIS
MOUNTAIN VIEW, CALIFORNIA, 1988 DEC 21 (NB) -- Silicon Graphics says
it has shipped the 1,000th Personal IRIS 3D graphics workstation.
The machines, with a starting price of $16,000, represents a
price and performance breakthrough in 3D graphics. Based on a
32-bit RISC processor from MIPS COmputer Systems, the Personal
IRIS delivers 10 million instructions per second, has eight
megabytes of main memory, eight color bit planes, Unix, and
Ethernet.

Among those buying the machines are Boeing Corporation, Princeton
University, and Cray Research.

(Wendy Woods/19881230/Contact: Wendy Hasler, Silicon Graphics, 415-
962-3139)