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/nb890307.297

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(NEWS)(APPLE)(SYD)(00001)

MAC CLONES WAITING FOR ADVENTURE
TAIPEI, TAIWAN, 1989 FEB 24 (NB) -- Asian Computerworld newspaper
reports that the first Macintosh clone would have appeared by
now, but for the reticence of Taiwanese manufacturers. Akkord
Technology in Taiwan claims it is in a position to release a
number of machines but will avoid the U.S. for the moment due to
uncertainty about the legal reception of its alternative BIOS
[basic input-output system] chips. The company has shown
prototypes over the past few months and is considering supplying
machines separately from the ROM [read-only memory] chips
to bypass restrictions "by having the purchaser install the ROM
chips themselves."

Meanwhile, Akkord has working on a laptop conversion kit for
existing Macs, consisting of a case, LCD screen, keyboard and
power supply. The U.S. announcement is expected at Comdex/Spring
on April 10.

(Paul Zucker/19890304)


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

APPLE TO UNVEIL MACINTOSH IICX
SAN FRANCISCO, CALIFORNIA, U.S.A., 1989 MAR 4 (NB) -- Apple Computer
will roll out a smaller-footprint color Macintosh in a seven-city media
event on March 7. Newsbytes will report on the event by the evening
of the 7th online here on The Source. Look for a 3-slot II running
on a 16MHz 68030 microprocessor with a basic one megabyte of random access
memory for $4,469, according to a published report. A 40-megabyte
hard disk version is expected to run $5,169 and a four megabyte RAM,
80 megabyte hard disk version should retail for $6,869.

Apple is also expected to introduce three new monochrome monitors.

(Wendy Woods/19890302)


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

LAPTOP DUE THIS SUMMER, SAYS MACWEEK
SAN FRANCISCO, CALIFORNIA, U.S.A., 1989 MAR 4 (NB) -- Apple Computer
will unveil a relatively heavy, 15-pound portable Macintosh this
summer, according to MacWeek magazine. The paper reports the laptop
will have an active matrix liquid crystal display capable of producing
crisp graphics, and will be able to keep up with the fast movements
of a mouse without ghosting.

But the drawbacks include weight and price -- 15 pounds including
battery and hard disk -- and a price of $6,000 for one of the
laptops, says the trade paper. Further details offered include the
machine's microprocessor -- a CMOS [complementary metal oxide]
microprocessor, the 16 MHz 68HC000 from Motorola. A mouse or trackball,
Macintosh II sound chip, 1.44 megabyte floppy drive and slot for
credit card-sized memory modules are expected to be standard.

John Sculley, Apple's chief executive officer, announced a laptop
would be forthcoming "late in 1989" at a December computer
conference, but added that such a machine would not be an important
product for 1989 since it could not be produced in quantity. The
main problem seems to be adequate supply of active matrix liquid
crystal displays.

(Wendy Woods/19890303)


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

SALES OF MACS EXPECTED TO BE TWICE SPEED OF PC SALES
FOSTER CITY, CALIFORNIA, U.S.A., 1989 MAR 3 (NB) -- Sales of Macintoshes
will increase 30 percent each year between now and 1992, according
to Dataquest, a market research firm based in San Jose. That's twice the
10 to 15 percent growth rate expected in the MS-DOS computer
market.

The figures were released at a marketing conference sponsored by
MacUser magazine. Dataquest predicts the Macintosh SE will be Apple's
best seller this year, and nearly half of the sales -- 46 percent --
being made to businesses. Dataquest says over 1.25 million Macintoshes
will be shipped worldwide in 1989. 1988 sales amounted to some 700,000
Macintoshes.

1989 will be a stronger than expected year for sales of Macintoshes,
conference organizers said. Remarked Martin Mazer,
publisher of MacUser magazine, "We see a vital, healthy Macintosh
market with tremendous growth in the number and capabilities of
Macintosh products in 1989."

(Wendy Woods/19890304/Contact: Lori Cross, White & Cromer PR,
714-752-2216)


(NEWS)(TELECOM)(SFO)(00005)

APPLE'S GASSEE CALLS FOR U.S. TO ESTABLISH ISDN NETWORKS
CUPERTINO, CALIFORNIA, U.S.A., 1989 FEB 24 (NB) -- The U.S. should
take the initiative to encourage the creation of integrated services
digital networks, or ISDN, to carry the nation's telecommunications,
or it stands to become a "Third World country" in terms of
computer networks, says Jean-Louis Gassee, president of Apple
Computer's products division. Making his remarks before a DeAnza
College business conference, Gassee cited countries such as Japan
and Europe where ISDN networks are being established. ISDN
technology would allow for digital rather than analog transmission of
data over the phone lines, freeing computers from the constraints of
modems, which now must translate sound to data before it reaches
the computer, and back again to sound in order to transmit data.
Digital telephone lines would be fast, efficient "data freeways," said
Gassee, and if the government builds the roads, companies such as
Apple can build the cars.

(Wendy Woods/19890304)


(NEWS)(APPLE)(LAX)(00006)

SIGN-MAKING SOFTWARE OFFERED TO MAC USERS
SCOTTSDALE, ARIZONA, U.S.A., 1989 FEB 24 (NB) -- Kroy Inc. has introduced
a program for the Apple Macintosh which allows users to produce
professional quality signs. The Kroy Sign Studio Apprentice system
is intended for quick print ships, copy and desktop publishing
centers. Software and special card stock provided in an Apprentice
Starter Kit can be used to create signs with a LaserWriter printer.
Color can then be added to text and graphics using Kroy's Color Plus
processor. The kit's insert or certificate stock is designed to
produce standard signs and documents such as deskbars, point-of-
purchase signs and awards. Point-of-purchase sign inserts, for
example, go directly from perforated sheets into standard acrylic or
metal sign holders.

(Wayne Yacco/19890303)


(NEWS)(APPLE)(SYD)(00007)

APPLE AUSTRALIA AND AUSTRALIAN DOLLAR BOTH CUT PRICES
SYDNEY, AUSTRALIA, 1989 FEB 24 (NB) -- In a perfect example of
bad timing, Apple Australia has dramatically cut prices.... just
as the Australian dollar has fallen through the floor. Apple's
across-the-board reductions range from seven to thirty six
percent. The cuts - effective immediately - take a two megabyte
Mac SE with 40MB [megabyte] hard disk from AUS$8495 to $7495 [12
percent] and an 80MB SC hard disk from AUS$4495 to $2995 [ 33.4
percent]. It's bad timing because the Australian dollar fell by
more than 10 percent against the U.S. dollar last week, partly
because of a poor Australian balance of trade result.

(Paul Zucker/19890304)


(NEWS)(APPLE)(SYD)(00008)

MAC USERS VOTE ON FAVOURITE PRODUCTS
SYDNEY, AUSTRALIA, 1989 MAR 1 (NB) -- It probably comes as no
surprise that the winners list in the recent Australian Macworld
Class Awards heavily featured the word Apple. Apple products won
the categories for monochrome display, color display, hard disk
drive, impact printer and laser printer. Software products that
won awards included MacMoney, Red Ryder, Maclink Plus, Fourth
Dimension, Smart Alarms, MacDraw II, Pagemaker, Beyond Dark
Castle, MacProject II, Word, Excel and Illustrator. Winners in
the Australian developed software category were Smart Alarms,
Opal Developer and Reach for the Stars.

(Paul Zucker/19890304)


(NEWS)(BUSINESS)(TYO)(00001)

HITACHI BUYS DIVISION OF NATIONAL SEMI
TOKYO, JAPAN, 1989 FEB 19 (NB) -- Hitachi has reached a
provisional agreement to acquire National Advanced Systems [NAS],
the subsidiary of National Semiconductor, in cooperation with
General Motors [GM].

Hitachi will pay $398 million for the purchase of the company
and acquisition will be executed by establishing a joint venture
which will be owned 80 percent by Hitachi and 20 percent by
Electronic Data Systems, the 100 percent-owned subsidiary of GM.

The agreement will be signed formally at the end of March and then
the European division of the NAS will be sold to the European computer
company, Comparex. Some 66-percent of Comparex is owned by BASF,
while the rest is the property of Siemens. Hitachi will gain a large
portion of the share when the European division is sold to the company.

This acquisition will bring two benefits for Hitachi. The first
is that it will enable Hitachi to strengthen ties with GM in the field
of computers related to automotive electronics. The second is that it
will enable Hitachi to conduct direct overseas computer sales and service
operations with its own brand name, Hitachi.

(Naoyuki Yazawa/19890302)


(NEWS)(BUSINESS)(BOS)(00002)

NIXDORF ANNOUNCES AGREEMENT WITH GUARDIAN EDUCATIONAL SYSTEMS
WALTHAM, MASSACHUSETTS, U.S.A., 1989 FEB 28 (NB) -- Nixdorf
Computer has entered into an agreement with Guardian Educational
Systems of Detroit to support that company's suite of educational
software modules.

The Guardian software will run on the Nixdorf Targon line of
personal computers, based on the Unix operating system. Guardian
SMS software is presently installed in over 500 schools and school
districts nationwide.

(Jon Pepper/19890303/Contact: William Joyce, Nixdorf, 617-890-3600)


(NEWS)(BUSINESS)(BOS)(00003)

CONCORD COMPUTING ELECTS PRESIDENT
WOBURN, MASSACHUSETTS, U.S.A., 1989 FEB 27 (NB) -- Concord
Computing has elected Dan M. Palmer, founder and president of EFS
Inc. to the post of president and chief operating officer of the
corporation.

All other officers were re-elected to their positions, according to
Victor Tyler, chairman and CEO of Concord. The company, which
had sales of $30 million last year, delivers nationwide financial
computing services.

(Jon Pepper/19890303/Contact: Victor Tyler, Concord, 617-933-8910)


(EXCLUSIVE)(BUSINESS)(LAX)(00004)

"BUGS NOT AN ISSUE" IN DELAY OF HIGH-CAPACITY DRIVE
LOVELAND, COLORADO, U.S.A., 1989 MAR 1 (NB) -- A new 500 MB
[megabyte] tape backup system from Colorado Memory has been delayed
in reaching the market. The high-capacity unit, which was announced
January 9, has missed its scheduled February shipment date. However,
the company says that the parts-delivery problems which caused the
delay have been solved.

President Bill Beierwaltes told Newsbytes that the company is now
waiting only until inventories build to an adequate level to supply
its distribution channel. "Bugs in the product are not an issue,"
said Beierwaltes, characterizing the product as "fully developed."
Beierwaltes stated that several hundred drives would be required
before shipping could begin in mid-March. This is required to meet
the company's policy of treating all members of the distribution
channel equally. In particular, the company's European customers
consider this an important consideration according to Colorado's
president who promised that the slippage will not extend beyond two
weeks.

The new QFA-500 uses a 67 percent-longer 1,000-foot tape cartridge to boost
the capacity of a QIC-150 drive to 250 MB and then optionally
doubles that capacity with data compression. Compression
significantly slows the backup process since it is accomplished by
software. Both compressed and uncompressed files can be recorded on
the same cartridge. The $1,395 QFA-500 is the first to offer
industry-standard data interchange, a 1 in 1,000,000,000,000,000-bit
error rate, and a tape directory which tells the user key
information about each backup on the tape. A $1,795 external version
is also available.

(Wayne Yacco/19890303/Contact: 303-669-8000)


(NEWS)(BUSINESS)(ATL)(00005)

MISSOURI TRYING TO BUY ITS WAY INTO THE CHIP RACE WITH ALLIANCE
COLUMBIA, MISSOURI, U.S.A., 1989 MAR 1 (NB) -- The state of
Missouri has decided to emulate Idaho and try to help start-up a
new venture for making memory chips. Alliance Semiconductor, run
by two Indian immigrants, N. Damodar Reddy and C.N. Reddy, will
make one megabit dynamic random access memory chips -- DRAMS --
in a Kansas City, Missouri plant mothballed by AT&T in 1987. A
total of $10 million in financing was obtained through the state,
and the brothers have already licensed their DRAM technology to
Minebea of Japan. Micron, of Boise, Idaho, and Texas Instruments,
Dallas Texas, are the other two U.S. producers of DRAM chips.

Alliance hopes to make $10 million its down-payment on a DRAM
business by leasing the Kansas City plant from AT&T, and getting
special deals from equipment suppliers along with low-interest
debt guaranteed by the state and obtained from Missourians.
Royalties from Minebea, and immediate start profitable production
of 64,000 bit DRAM chips, will also help. Missouri Governor John
Ashcroft estimated re-opening the plant will create 1,200 jobs.

(Dana Blankenhorn/19890303)


(NEWS)(BUSINESS)(TYO)(00006)

TOSHIBA TO EXPAND OITA PLANT
TOKYO, JAPAN, 1989 FEB 28 (NB) -- Toshiba has announced expansion of
its major memory production lines in Oita, Japan and purchase of the
neighboring area of the current plant to produce more four-megabit
dynamic random access memory chips. The investment for the new lines and
the new plant is estimated at 70 billion yen or $540 million. The new
line is also expected to be used for the production of 16-megabit dynamic
random access memory chips.

Toshiba plans to increase employment at the facility from a current 2,900
to 3,600 workers by the completion of the expansion.

(Naoyuki Yazawa/19890302)


(NEWS)(BUSINESS)(TYO)(00007)

NEC TO EXPAND SOFTWARE DIVISIONS
TOKYO, JAPAN, 1989 FEB 23 (NB) -- NEC's software development
network is set to expand throughout the Tokyo metropolitan area.
NEC will establish a wholly-owned subsidiary Saitama NEC
Software in Saitama prefecture, and further will establish
software development centers in Kanagawa and Chiba prefecture.

These subsidiaries are expected to be established this month, with
100 million yen or $8,000,000 capital investment respectively.
With this software development expansion, NEC aims to rake in
over 20 billion yen or $1,600 million over the next few years.
Software development efforts are expected to concentrate in
the areas of suburban planning and information access.

(Ken Takahashi/19890302)


(NEWS)(BUSINESS)(TYO)(00008)

JAPANESE LOTUS 1-2-3 SALES TO REACH 200,000 COPIES BY JUNE
TOKYO, JAPAN, 1989 FEB 28 (NB) -- The 200,000th copy of Japanese
Lotus 1-2-3, which was first released in September 1986, is expected to
be sold as early as this June, according to Lotus Japan. Last November,
the product reached the 100,000 milestone. Altogether, some five million
copies of Lotus 1-2-3 have been sold worldwide.

Meanwhile, Lotus Japan is not working on an OS/2 version of 1-2-3.
An official says, "MS-DOS will last for the time being in the
Japanese market."

(Ken Takahashi/19890302)


(NEWS)(BUSINESS)(SYD)(00009)

SOFTSEL STIRS UP AUSTRALIAN MARKET
SYDNEY, AUSTRALIA, 1989 MAR 2 (NB) -- U.S. software distributor
Softsel has set up shop in Australia, much to the dismay of many
local distributors. Trading as MicroAustralia [the Australian
company it bought a few months ago], the distributor announced
that it has taken over many products and will co-distribute many
others. Some companies which lost products to Softsel were told
of the changes as little as hours before Softsel's launch on
Thursday evening.

According to MicroAustralia spokesman Barry Clancy, "We're not
touching products where Softsel doesn't have worldwide
distribution rights, but where it does we're exercising those
rights. We've tried to accommodate existing distributors but many
wouldn't work with U.S. That's possibly because they've been
charging too much and they know we'll sell at more
realistic prices."

Speaking from the other side, David Fox from InfoMagic said, "They
offered us five percent margin and that isn't even enough to cover
us for currency fluctuations. They're coming in heavy-handed but
they can't possibly offer the support that existing distributors
give. They may lower prices but how can one company manage
product from a hundred suppliers in a market this size?"

It wasn't just the smaller companies that were hit, as
Imagineering, the giant Australian distributor [with turnover of
about half of Softsel in the U.S. ] lost a number of brands.
According to MicroAustralia Director Verilyn Smith, "We'll provide
a true alternative to the existing distributors." But this
is countered by those who say that MicroAustralia will be left
the sole distributors of many of these products so that the
customer will lose in the long run. Observers feel that the
company will face an uphill battle to overcome Softsel's image of
being a "box mover."

(Paul Zucker/19890304)


(NEWS)(BUSINESS)(SYD)(00010)

1988 AUSTRALIAN PC MARKET RESULTS - STEADYING MARKET
SYDNEY, AUSTRALIA, 1989 MAR 1 (NB) -- There were few surprises
last week when Compass research released a report on the 1988
Australian PC market. Compass reported that the market rose by
less than 20 percent during the year, far less than the 70
percent during 1987. 1989 is predicted to have a 25 percent
growth. The report shows that around 340,000 PCs [of AUS$1000 or
more] were sold, having a retail value of AUS$1900 million.

Apple won the best-selling PC award with 17 percent of the
market, followed by IBM with 15 percent. Microsft was the biggest
software supplier, Epson the top printer supplier at 30 percent
[the LX800 being the top model] and Lotus 1-2-3 is credited
with 56 percent of the spreadsheet market. All results were by
units sold.

(Paul Zucker/19890304)


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

BT PLACES TELECOMSOFT SOFTWARE SUBSIDIARY ON THE MARKET
LONDON, ENGLAND, 1989 MAR 04 (NB) -- Telecomsoft, the wholly-
owned games software subsidiary of British Telecom [BT], is
up for sale, according to the latest Computer Trade Weekly
newspaper.

The formal announcement by BT of the intended sale comes in the
wake of an attempted management buy-out of the popular software
house by a team led by Telecomsoft's General Manager Paula Byrne.
BT is not saying how much it wants for the subsidiary, but last
year's turnover was just short of UKP 6 million, suggesting that
an eight-digit sale figure is likely.

(Steve Gold/19890304)


(NEWS)(BUSINESS)(TOR)(00012)

SEMI-TECH INCREASES OFFER FOR SSMC
MARKHAM, ONTARIO, CANADA, 1989 MAR 2 (NB) -- Responding to a
competitive bid, International Semi-Tech Microelectronics has
raised its offer for stock in SSMC of Delaware to $34 a
share. A rival Malaysian group earlier topped Semi-Tech's
original offer of $30 a share with a $33-a-share offer. Semi-
Tech also extended the deadline on its offer to midnight on March
14. Semi-Tech is offering to buy up to 5,426,200 shares of SSMC,
which has agreed to the offer. The Canadian personal computer
maker plans to merge SSMC with a U.S. subsidiary. SSMC licenses
the Singer trademark from Singer Co., which owns 27 percent of
SSMC. It also has a strong distribution network in the U.S., and
this is believed to be one of the company's major attractions to
Semi-Tech president James Ting.

(Grant Buckler/19890303/Contact: Michael List, International
Semi-Tech Microelectronics, 416-475-2670)


(NEWS)(BUSINESS)(TOR)(00013)

LANPAR SUBSIDIARY SELLS RIGHTS TO TERMINAL
MARKHAM, ONTARIO, CANADA, 1989 FEB 10 (NB) -- In a deal that
could bring troubled Lanpar Technologies about C$1.5 million over
the next year, Zavitz Technology of Pointe Claire, Quebec, has
bought manufacturing rights to one of Lanpar's products. Lanpar
subsidiary Northern Technologies has sold to Zavitz the right to
make its MAX 331 graphics terminal. Introduced in 1985, the MAX
331 was the first terminal compatible with Digital Equipment's
DEC 330. Zavitz plans to manufacture the unit in an Ottawa
factory operated by its Cybernex division, and to sell it through
its own offices in Canada and the United Kingdom and through
distributors in the United States. Northern plans to focus on
the high-performance industrial terminal market. The company
said it will be introducing four new terminals in the next 90
days.

Lanpar, which is in the third-party maintenance business as well
as making terminals, has had financial problems over the past
year. The company's creditors approved a repayment plan giving
them 30 cents on the dollar in cash or eight percent nonvoting
preferred shares not exceeding 25 percent of their claims. The
total owed to creditors was about C$6.5 million.

(Grant Buckler/19890301/Contact: Walter Stapleton, Lanpar
Technologies, 416-475-9123)


(NEWS)(BUSINESS)(TOR)(00014)

GROULX, WANG PLAN ALLIANCE
HULL, QUEBEC, CANADA, 1989 FEB 28 (NB) -- Wang Canada Ltd. of
Toronto has completed its purchase of 20 percent of Groulx
Associates. Wang and the Canadian office automation systems
integration and communications company announced in December a
strategic alliance to penetrate the Canadian local-area network
and workstation market. The partnership involves joint
marketing, reseller agreements and shared facilities. Five-year-
old Groulx will become a dealer for all of Wang's personal
computers.

(Grant Buckler/19890303/Contact: Nicole Le Blanc, Groulx
Associates, 819-770-6940; Gay-Lynne Potts, Wang Canada, 416-764-
2397)


(NEWS)(BUSINESS)(TOR)(00015)

NORTHERN TELECOM TO BUILD NETWORK FOR S.W.I.F.T.
TORONTO, ONTARIO, CANADA, 1989 FEB 27 (NB) -- Northern Telecom
will build an international packet-switching network for the
Society for Worldwide Interbank Financial Telecommunications
[S.W.I.F.T.]. When completed, the network will connect more than
2,600 bank locations in more than 60 countries. The contract is
worth about $15 million.

(Grant Buckler/19890302/Contact: Gerald Levitch, Northern
Telecom, 416-566-3029)


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

FINAL SIGN OFF FOR THE COMPUTER SHOW
SAN JOSE, CALIFORNIA, U.S.A., 1989 MAR 1 (NB) -- Computer Television
Group, producer of The Computer Show, a nationally syndicated
television program about microcomputers has filed bankruptcy.
According to attorney Steve O'Neil, the Murray & Murray legal group
filed under Chapter Seven today, on behalf of the Computer
Television Group, with the U. S. Bankruptcy Court, San Jose
Division, Northern District of California. The court is expected to
liquidate the company's assets as a result of the petition.

Affected television stations were reportedly notified at the end of
last month that no new shows would be produced. The failure came
just as the show achieved one of its major goals, national
syndication. The Computer Show was a popular local program on
computers for several years. Sponsors included Taxan, AST Research,
Commodore, and many other major vendors. An inside source blamed the
show's lack of commercial success on a recent lack of marketing
savvy saying that "no sponsors had been signed in several months."

According to a second source, the prime reason for the bankruptcy
was that "investors weren't receiving a return on investment." In
an expansion effort, the show had sought venture capital to reach a
national audience. Paragon Partners of Palo Alto, California
provided the financing and eventually assumed much of the management
responsibility for the show. It is now one of the principle
secured creditors along with the show's distributor, Victory
Television. Describing Paragon's current role with The Computer
Show, John Lewis, one of the principals, said simply that they "no
longer have an active position" with the operation.

(Wayne Yacco/19890303)


(NEWS)(GENERAL)(BOS)(00002)

AT&T AND ZENITH WILL JOINTLY DEVELOP HIGH DEFINITION TELEVISION
WASHINGTON, D.C., U.S.A., 1989 MAR 1 (NB) -- AT&T and Zenith
have announced that they will embark on a joint development project
for high definition television, or HDTV, technologies. The two
companies hope to catch up to the extensive lead that Japanese firms
have in developing HDTV products.

The HDTV market is estimated to be worth $50 million by the end of
the 1990s, and will be significant not only as a home entertainment
device, but also as a cornerstone to future technology developments,
including the integration or computers, telephone, and television
technology.

The joint system will be based on the Zenith Spectrum Compatible
HDTV System, with design and production of the integrated circuits
coming form AT&T Microelectronics, along with AT&T Bell
Laboratories.

(Jon Pepper/19890303/Contact: Mary Lou Ambrus, AT&T, 201-771-
2825)


(NEWS)(GENERAL)(BOS)(00003)

APOLLO JOINS WITH DIGITAL TO ENHANCE APOLLO'S NETWORKS
CHELMSFORD, MASSACHUSETTS, U.S.A., 1989 FEB 28 (NB) -- Apollo
Computer and Digital Equipment have joined together on a
project to extend the capabilities of Apollo's Network Computing
System, which is the de facto industry standard for distributing
software programs across a network of multivendor systems.

The companies will work together to extend the remote procedure
call component of the network computing system, and offer a
broader range of distributed applications and services.

(Jon Pepper/19890303/Contact: Mark Lederhos, Apollo, 508-256-6600)


(NEWS)(GENERAL)(BOS)(00004)

PC/COMPUTING IS AMERICA'S FASTEST GROWING COMPUTING MAGAZINE
CAMBRIDGE, MASSACHUSETTS, U.S.A., 1989 MAR 2 (NB) -- PC/Computing
magazine announced its paid circulation has topped 400,000 only eight
months after the premiere issue. The magazine, part of the Ziff-Davis
family of publications, is the country's fastest-growing computing
magazine, according to publisher Michael E. Kolowich.

The publication is now also one of the largest circulation computer
magazines, though it lags behind Ziff-Davis' own PC Magazine,
Personal Computing from Hayden/VNU and several other
publications.

(Jon Pepper/19890303/Contact: Greg Jarboe, PC/Computing, 617-497-
2430)


(NEWS)(GENERAL)(BOS)(00005)

HOME COMPUTERS NOW CONSIDERED LIFESTYLE NECESSITIES FOR AFFLUENT
NEW YORK, NEW YORK, US.A. 1989 FEB 27 (NB) -- A new study
by Doyle Graf Raj and The Roper Organization shows that home
computers, along with VCRs, microwave ovens, and answering
machines, rank among the most important lifestyle necessities for
households with earning incomes of $100,000 or more.

42 percent of those responding to the survey said that they can't do
without a home computer. William Doyle of the Doyle Graf Raj
group said that the study shows, "the home-electronics revolution has
become more deeply embedded in affluent lifestyles."

(Jon Pepper/19890303/Contact: Dick Altman, Jacobson, Altman
Associates, 212-697-2620)


(EXCLUSIVE)(GENERAL)(LAX)(00006)

REQUIREMENTS FOR EXCELLENCE EXPANDED
BURBANK, CALIFORNIA, U.S.A., 1989 MAR 1 (NB) -- The Excellence in
Technology Communications 1989 award program has revised two
potentially troublesome details in its rules. The contest for
computer journalists is being cosponsored by Acer Incorporated and
the Computer Museum of Boston. Deadline for entries is July 1, 1989.

One of the changes will allow more articles to qualify as entries.
The contest was originally to be limited to articles of 2,000 or
more words. However, many articles in trade magazines are shorter
than that. Rather than eliminate many journalists altogether, the
rule has been revised to a mere 500 words.

Second, the rules have been changed to allow every qualifying writer
to submit a single entry. The limitation had previously been based
on three entries per magazine.

The result of these changes will be to open the contest to many more
writers and to create a great deal more work for the judges. Smaller
publications may also benefit since shorter forms of writing may
suffer less from a lack of resources such as testing facilities or
research staff.

Excellence in Technology Communications 1989 was kicked off at the
St. Tropez Hotel in Las Vegas the Sunday before Fall COMDEX last
year. The evening included a cocktail reception, dinner and an
inspirational address by aircraft designer Burt Rutan.

Keynoter Rutan spoke to a large group of journalists and editors
while his Chinese cohosts looked on with what might have been some
dismay. During the talk, Rutan mentioned that he had undertaken the
challenge to circumnavigate the globe because he did not want the
achievement to fall to an "off-shore" organization.

It was certainly an interesting point in the talk. One editor, Data
Based Advisor's editor-in-chief David Kallman, pointed it out to
Newsbytes. Perhaps that's why a well-known Chinese curse damns its
victim to live in interesting times.

(Wayne Yacco/19890303/Contact: Sally Blodgett, Joyce Lekas Public
Relations, 408-292-1922)


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

BATTERY BARON BAGS BACKUP BOXES
VAN NUYS, CALIFORNIA, U.S.A., 1989 FEB 27 (NB) -- International
Battery Corporation [IBC], fief of Alex Papakyriakou and purveyor of
personal-computer batteries, has added Emerson's AP series power
protection systems to its product line. The AP series of
uninterruptible power supplies [UPS] are designed for mini and
mainframe computers. According to Papakyriakou, the $10,000 to
$20,000 units are among the lowest-priced in the industry. IBC has
UPS systems in stock to support computers from IBM, Wang, Digital
Equipment Corp., and Hewlett-Packard.

(Wayne Yacco/19890303/Contact: 818-781-7515)


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

NETWARE-COMPATIBLE DRIVER AVAILABLE FOR STARLAN ADAPTERS
PROVO, UTAH, U.S.A., 1989 FEB 28 (NB) -- A NetWare-compatible driver
for all of AT&T's StarLAN local-area network adapters has been
developed by a cooperative effort between Novell [NASDAQ/NMS:NOVL]
and AT&T. NetWare previously supported only AT&T's one MB [megabyte]
StarLAN adapters. The new driver extends support to the new 10 MB
StarLan PC NAU and 10 MB EN100 [Ethernet] adapter as well.

To provide universal support, the driver queries the adapter to
determine its type before proceeding with initialization procedures.
Other installations have typically required a specialized driver for
each type of adapter. Multiple-adapter support in a single driver
will simplify the installation and maintenance process required of
users.

The new driver will be available in the second quarter of 1989.
NetWire, Novell's electronic bulletin board service, will provide it
free of charge. A supplemental disk will also provide the driver for
$75.

(Wayne Yacco/19890303)


(NEWS)(GENERAL)(TYO)(00009)

FUJITSU BETS PC FORTUNES ON NEW "FM TOWNS" COMPUTER
TOKYO, JAPAN, 1989 MAR 1 (NB) -- Following a massive television
advertising campaign in which its new PC was announced but never
detailed, Fujitsu has unveiled the unique machine, called FM Towns.
Aiming the new product squarely at the home market for NEC PC-9800
machines, Fujitsu calls the FM Towns a state-of-the-art personal computer
and has equipped all models with one CD-ROM [compact disk read-only
memory] drive unit. In fact, Fujitsu promises there will be some 100
CD-ROM-based applications for FM Towns by the end of the year.

The 32-bit machine, which some are calling "Macintosh-like," comes
with a mouse and a graphical user interface, high-quality audio functions,
including the ability to play back audio compact disks, and three-
dimensional processing for video games.

The machine runs on Fujitsu's original Towns/OS operating system,
which a Fujitsu spokesman claims provides full, 32-bit operation.
Also, options include Towns System Software V1.1, including the
application development tool Townsgear, and Japanese MS-DOS V3.1.

The basic price for Model 1 with one megabit main memory and one
3.5-inch double-sided high-density [2HD] floppy disk drive is
338,000 yen or $2,600, and Model 2 with two megabit main memory and
two 3.5-inch 2HD floppy disk drives is 398,000 yen or $3,100.
Shipment is scheduled for the middle of this month. Fujitsu aims to
sell 100,000 units in the initial year. There are no plans to
market the products outside of Japan.

President Takuma Yamamoto told reporters that Fujitsu has bet its
PC business on this new product. While reaction has generally been
favorable to the new product, some industry analysts are calling
the Fujitsu machine too expensive for home use, because it
costs about 500,000 yen or $3,900 to run it normally, including
a display and software. A rival NEC official claimed that
a 32-bit machine is "unnecessary" for home game players.

(Ken Takahashi/19890301/Contact: Fujitsu Ltd., 03-215-5236)


(NEWS)(GENERAL)(TYO)(00010)

FUJITSU SELLS SUPERCOMPUTERS ON TV
TOKYO, JAPAN, 1989 FEB 25 (NB) -- Japan's computer giant Fujitsu has
produced a television commercial for its VP2000 supercomputer, the
fastest single central processing unit supercomputer in the world.
No, television isn't the best vehicle to peddle supercomputers, but it
is a good method of promoting Fujitsu. The company president,
Mr. Yamamoto, recently implored his workers to help Fujitsu rake
in 200 million yen in sales in fiscal 1989. As part of the cheer-
leading effort, the Fujitsu commercial was made. The promotion
cost $120,000 or 15 million yen to produce, and there is no exact
fee placed on network air time. But the commercial is apparently
raising company morale and corporate image.

(Ken Takahashi/19890302)


(NEWS)(GENERAL)(SYD)(00011)

AUSTRALIAN COMPUTER NEWS SHORTS
SYDNEY, AUSTRALIA, 1989 MAR 4 (NB) --

Retailer Coles Myer is set to launch its own EFTPOS system
 [electronic funds transfer - point of sale] instead of giving
 responsibility to its bankers as have almost all other
 Australian retailers. With 20 percent of the retail market
 [AUS$13 billion], observers see this as a potential turning
 point in EFTPOS service.

AWA Computers, with more than 300 staff in Australia, has been
 taken over by Sigma Data. Many staff are awaiting the axe due to
 the creation of redundant positions in the newly-combined
 company. The acquisition is reportedly worth around AUS$20
 million.

Geoff Dober of the Australian Computer Society has called for
 unity in the Australian computer industry because the present
 squabbles are "preventing us from becoming an international
 software centre." His call was prompted by the Australian and
 New Zealand Bank taking its technical software development
 offshore to India.

Computers are a fact of life, according to a friend of Newsbytes
 in Australia. He swears that he recently saw a shopper [devoid
 of a tape measure when inspecting a potential new apartment]
 take a 5 1/4 inch diskette from her handbag and use it to
 measure the door opening to see if her furniture would fit
 through.

Commodore Computer in Australia already sells almost 10 percent
 of all Commodore Amigas. It is just about to launch a mass-media
 campaign to move the higher-end Amiga 2000 into the traditional
 PC and Mac corporate marketplace. Observers are still
 skeptical, believing that the machine is too entrenched as a
 home machine.

The director of a power protection company in Sydney has
 demonstrated to computer users that their machines may carry
 corrupt data every time a large Russian cruise ship enters
 Sydney Harbor .... because of its powerful radar systems sweeps.
 He also warned that most installations are underprotected from
 power surges due to electrical storms.

(Paul Zucker/19890304)


(NEWS)(GENERAL)(TOR)(00012)

UNIVERSITY TO OFFER DISTANCE EDUCATION VIA PORTABLE PCS
WATERLOO, ONTARIO, CANADA, 1988 FEB 27 (NB) -- The University of
Waterloo is offering a computing course to 50 students scattered
across Ontario. The students have been given portable computers
which they use to communicate with the Waterloo campus.
Professors send assignments to the students electronically, who
return them the same way. Comments and corrections also go out
to the students by modem. All this is done through the iNet 2000
data communications network operated by Bell Canada.

The course, which was offered on a pilot basis last spring and
has been refined since, is part of Project ARIES. ARIES means
Applied Research in Educational Systems. The project covers a
variety of computer-aided education research at the University of
Waterloo.

(Grant Buckler/19890301/Contact: Bob Whitton, University of
Waterloo, 519-888-4444)


(NEWS)(GOVT)(LON)(00001)

WEST GERMAN HACKERS CHARGED IN SOVIET SPY RING AFFAIR
BONN, WEST GERMANY, 1989 MAR 04 (NB) -- Government officials in
West Germany have arrested three computer hackers amidst
allegations that they sold computer passwords to the Russians in
return for drugs and large quantities of money.

In a series of exclusive TV reports last week, the Nord Deutsche
Rundfunk television station revealed that the hackers had gained
access to several Western computer networks and were selling
passwords to the Russians. Among the many systems penetrated by
the hackers were Optimus, the U.S. Defense network, NASA and
several banking network computers.

In the U.S., Pentagon officials are studying a report from the West
German government. They intend to make a statement this week,
according to Newsbytes sources. In West Germany, meanwhile,
the local prosecutor's office has revealed that a further five
alleged hackers are also under suspicion of selling
secrets to the Soviets, although there is insufficient evidence
to warrant their arrest at this stage.

As Newsbytes went to press, the West German prosecutors' office
named one of the arrested men as Marcus Hess, a 22-year-old
programmer, who operated under the pseudonym of Mathias Speer.
Court appearances are scheduled to take place in West Germany
this week.

(Steve Gold/19890304)


(NEWS)(GOVT)(LON)(00002)

FRENCH COMPUTER HACKER JAILED FOR ATM MURDER
LYONS, FRANCE, 1989 MAR 04 (NB) -- A French computer hacker has
been sentenced to 18 years in prison after he killed a fellow
hacker in an argument. The argument was over a system that the
pair had invented for defrauding bank automated teller machines
[ATMs] of unlimited amounts of cash.

Philippe Gombert, a computer expert, has enlisted the help of
Jose Pereira, and electronics expert, in his scheme. The pair
developed a plan - not revealed by the courts - which allowed
them to make multiple withdrawals from bank accounts using ATM
plastic cards.

When Pereira wanted to test the scheme, Gombert told him the
system was not fully tested. During an argument, Gombert shot
Pereira dead and - to prove his point - tested out the system on
Pereira's credit card. The ATM confiscated the card after six
withdrawals, proving Gombert to be correct. The banks involved
with the fraud, meanwhile, are not saying how the pair cracked
their security system.

(Steve Gold/19890304)


(NEWS)(GOVT)(TYO)(00003)

MOTOROLA RETALIATES AGAINST HITACHI
TOKYO, JAPAN, 1989 MAR 1 (NB) -- The Japanese subsidiary of Motorola
of the United States filed a counter motion in Tokyo against
Hitachi over the eight-bit microprocessor patent infringement lawsuit
by Hitachi. A Nippon Motorola official told reporters, "Our product
does not infringe on Hitachi's Japanese patent. And at least two
firms have lodged a protest over the patent at the Patent Office,
therefore, Hitachi's patent is not a formal one."

Hitachi filed a suit last month in Tokyo district court over Nippon
Motorola's microprocessor MC68HC11 family which allegedly infringes
on Hitachi's Japanese patent.

(Ken Takahashi/19890302)


(NEWS)(GOVT)(SYD)(00004)

NARROW TENDER SPECIFICATION AMAZES SUPPLIERS
SYDNEY, AUSTRALIA, 1989 MAR 1 (NB) -- A tender called by the
Defence Science Technology Organisation in Australia has bemused
observers by its narrowness. To quote - "Tenders for the IBM PC
or compatible, 20MHz, 386-based computer should be restricted to
an NEC Powermate 386/20," says the controversial document. The
reasons given are: NEC is a stable company; the performance of
'clones' does not match NEC; quality of the NEC is considered
better than other machines; compatibility with existing NEC
product is assured. Distributors who feel they have been unfairly
excluded have publicized the tender to gather support for a
review of the restrictions.

(Paul Zucker/19890304)


(EXCLUSIVE)(IBM)(LON)(00001)

IBM READIES NEW MACHINES FOR APRIL LAUNCH
LONDON, ENGLAND, 1989 MAR 04 (NB) -- IBM has earmarked the first
week in April for a clutch of new machines to be launched,
according to Newsbytes Europe sources. Included in the new
machine range is a laptop which differs radically from the
original 'Clamshell' design of the PC Convertible.

Certain trade newspapers in the U.K. have indicated that the
spearhead of IBM's Spring 1989 range will be a 33MHz version of
its PS/2 Model 70 machine, possibly called the PS/2 Model 80. IBM
refutes this suggestion, with the official line being the usual
"no comment."

Sources close to IBM U.K. report that the new laptop machine will
be 80286-based, and feature a supertwist liquid crystal screen. Work on the
fourth re-design of the PC Convertible was, Newsbytes Europe
understands, halted last Autumn when IBM executives decided to
change direction. The new laptop, said to due for shipment during
the second quarter of '89, is likely to be similar in size and
weight to the best-selling Toshiba T1200 Plus.

(Steve Gold/19890304)


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

BRIGHTBILL-ROBERTS ANNOUNCES DOS-BASED, HYPERCARD-LIKE SOFTWARE
SYRACUSE, NEW YORK, U.S.A., 1989 MAR 3 (NB) -- Brightbill-
Roberts, creators of Show Partner F/X, has announced it will soon
be shipping HyperPAD, a program that gives the huge installed base
of DOS machines HyperCard-like capabilities. The product, which is
expected to be on the market at the end of March, will offer users a
varied set of tools to allow them to easily create their own desktop
applications.

HyperPAD, which stands for Personal Application Designer, is a set
of building blocks that will allow sophisticated applications to be
designed and linked by non-technical users. The product is significant
because unlike HyperCard, which uses a great deal of memory and
needs a sophisticated graphics based computer, it can work on any
DOS machine with only 384K of memory and a character-based
screen.

According to company president Steve Brightbill, HyperPAD will be
a natural product for the over 20 million DOS machines already on
the market. "We will probably come out with a graphic- based
version eventually," said Brightbill, "but not only the majority of the
machines out there can run a graphics based product with the speed
and efficiency that we feel is necessary."

HyperPAD, which will sell for $99.95., will ship with over two dozen
ready-made applications including a daily planner, notepad, personal
address and phone list, and time-billing system. Brightbill-Roberts
also plans to introduce add-on application modules at a future date
for those who want to take advantage of the capabilities of
HyperPAD without doing their own application development.

(Jon Pepper/19890303/Contact: Steve Roberts, Brightbill-Roberts,
315-474-3400)


(NEWS)(IBM)(SFO)(00003)

NEW PC-TYPE II, PC-CALC+ FROM BUTTONWARE
BELLEVUE, WASHINGTON, U.S.A., 1989 MAR 4 (NB) -- ButtonWare will
release PC-Type II and PC-Calc+, upgrades to its shareware word
processing and spreadsheet programs, in April. The upgraded [$90]
PC-Type II features a 100,000 word dictionary, split-screens
horizontally, and the ability to work with up to ten different files
in up to four different windows, among other new features.

PC-Calc+ version 2.0 [$70] features 45 improvements, more efficient
use of random access memory, powerful graphing capabilities, and
more. Both products require an IBM PC, PS/2 or compatible,
DOS 2.0 or higher, 384K RAM and two 720K floppies or a hard disk.

(Wendy Woods/19890304/Contact: Dee Dee Walsh, ButtonWare, 206-454-0479)


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

PC-WRITE 3.0 DUE AT WEST COAST COMPUTER FAIRE
SEATTLE, WASHINGTON, U.S.A., 1989 FEB 23 (NB) -- Quicksoft will
unveil PC Write 3.0, the newest version of its word processor, at the
West Coast Computer Faire in San Francisco March 17-19. Quicksoft
says the new version offers better control of large documents,
new formatting and printing capabilities, improved spelling checker,
new time-saving features, and more. The distribution is shareware --
if you like it, you can register for $89 and in return you get a manual,
telephone support, and quarterly newsletter.

(Wendy Woods/19890304/Contact: Miriam Harline, Quicksoft, 206-282-0452)


(NEWS)(IBM)(SFO)(00005)

UPGRADE KIT GIVES OLD LASER PRINTERS POSTSCRIPT COMPATIBILITY
FREMONT, CALIFORNIA, U.S.A., 1989 MAR 1 (NB) -- For under $1,000,
a laser printer can be upgraded to be compatible with the PostScript
page description language, so says the people at Pacific Rim
Data Sciences. The firm's BlasterBoard laser printer controller and
ScriptEase software bypass the standard Centronics port and send
print files directly to the laser at a very high data transfer rate. The
286/386 BlasterBoard resides in a slot of any PC AT or compatible
or any '386-based microcomputer compatible with the AT bus.
The BlasterBoard kit comes standard with HP Laserjet emulation,
as well. The firm says the product can retrofit old Apple LaserWriters
to full HP LaserJet and/or PostScript-language compatibility.

The Conversion Kit is $595. ScriptEase Software, the PostScript
"workalike" product, is $395. Pacific Rim phone is 415-651-7935.

(Wendy Woods/19890304)


(ADVANCE)(IBM)(SFO)(00006)

HERCULES SHIPS VGA CARD
BERKELEY, CALIFORNIA, U.S.A., 1989 MAR 10 (NB) -- Hercules Computer
Technology will ship Hercules VGA Cards, starting today. The cards,
priced at $299, offer full-register compatibility with IBM's VGA at half
IBM's price, says the firm. The cards are designed for use in PC/XT or
AT-compatibles or IBM PS/2 Model 30s.

(Wendy Woods/19890403/Contact: Andrew Fischer, Product Mgt., Hercules,
415-540-6000)


(NEWS)(IBM)(LAX)(00007)

DELL DIPS PRICES
AUSTIN, TEXAS, U.S.A., 1989 MAR 1 (NB) -- Dell Computer [NASDAQ:DELL]
has announced that it is lowering prices on some of its 286- and
386TM-based personal computers and on diskette drives, memory chips
and math coprocessors. Systems which include hard-disks with
capacities over 40 MB [megabytes] are included in the price changes,
other models are not. Dell systems with a 90 or 150 MB hard drive
are reduced by $300; 100 MB hard drive configurations are lowered by
$200; and PCs ordered with a 322 MB hard drive are reduced in price
by $1,500. As an example, the price of a 25 MHz. 80386-based VGA
system with 1 MB RAM [random-access memory] and 322 MB hard disk is
now $7599. New prices are effective immediately.

(Wayne Yacco/19890303)


(NEWS)(IBM)(BOS)(00008)

MOSAIC SOFTWARE RELEASES TWIN LEVEL III SPREADSHEET
CAMBRIDGE, MASSACHUSETTS, U.S.A., 1989 MAR 3 (NB) -- Mosaic
Software announced it is now shipping a new spreadsheet
product, Twin Level III. The company claims the new spreadsheet is
comparable with many features in the still-unreleased Lotus 1-2-3
Release 3, which is now in beta testing.

Advanced features including three-dimensional views, selected
recalculations, and linked spreadsheets. Twin Level III will sell for
$249, a company spokeswoman said.

(Jon Pepper/19890303/Contact: Bonnie Jones, Mosaic, 617-862-7148)


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

IBM ENTERS SCIENTIFIC SOFTWARE DEVELOPMENT AGREEMENT
WHITE PLAINS, NEW YORK, U.S.A., 1989 MAR 3 (NB) -- IBM and
Polygen have announced an agreement whereby Polygen will develop
specific enhancements to its software for the pharmaceutical and
chemical industries. The software runs on IBM mainframe and
workstation computers.

The software uses advanced 3-D simulations to help provide key
application solutions to these vertical markets. According to the two
companies, the software will run on systems including the IBM 5080,
the IBM RT with Advanced interactive Executive software, and PS/2
computers, as well as the 3090 Vector and 9370 mainframe
computers.

(Jon Pepper/19890303/Contact: Andrew Russell, IBM, 914-642-5463)


(NEWS)(IBM)(LAX)(00010)

ARRIBA ARRIVES
DALLAS, TEXAS, U.S.A., 1989 FEB (NB) -- Good Software Corp. has
released a $195 product for collecting and organizing random pieces
of information. Arriba can be used to track projects, special
events, conversation notes, schedules and other activities. Entries
can be made in free form or through special forms. Built-in
applications are provided to manage things-to-do, telephone numbers,
expenses, appointments, and others. A search capability gives access
to all Arriba data. The product is intended to provide mid-range
capabilities in the personal information management [PIM] category.

(Wayne Yacco/19890303/Contact: 214-239-6085)


(NEWS)(IBM)(LAX)(00011)

LASER PAGESETTER ORDERS OUTPACE PROJECTIONS
CULVER CITY, CALIFORNIA, U.S.A., 1989 FEB 23 (NB) -- Sales of 3810
Laser Pagesetters from Information International, Inc. [triple-I]
have nearly tripled the company's forecasted figures. More than $3
million in orders have been received since the product's debut. The
1,000-lines-per-inch 3810 rasterizes and records text, line art,
halftones, and complex layered graphics on film or RC paper at the
rate of one page per minute.

Triple-I's most recent order comes from Leigh-Mardon Graphics of
Victoria, Australia. A new Pagesetter augments a computer-based
display-advertising production system, also acquired from triple-I,
that produces two-thirds of Australia's telephone directories
according to the announcement.

(Wayne Yacco/19890303/Contact: 213-390-8611)


(NEWS)(IBM)(LAX)(00012)

GRAPHICS PROCESSOR ENHANCED
HOUSTON, TEXAS, U.S.A., 1989 FEB 27 (NB) -- Texas Instruments [TI]
has produced a more powerful version of its TMS34010 Graphics System
Processor [GSP] the TMS34010FNL-60. The new 60-MHz. device, now
being produced and stocked for distribution, is 50 percent faster than its
40-MHz. predecessor. A 132-nanosecond instruction cycle time enables
a 7.5 MIPS [millions of instructions per second] burst rate for
instructions executed out of on-chip cache. This burst rate allows
faster display updates. The chip sells for $76 each in quantities of
10,000.

An enhanced XDS in-circuit emulator has been added to TI's 340 GSP
family at the same time. The $14,995 XDS/22 provides troubleshooting
capabilities for the 34010 that reduces software and hardware
development time. The XDS upgrade includes faster downloads and
fills, two new modes--menu and inspect, breakpoint/trace/timing
[BTT] support built into the menu mode, and 40- and 50-MHz. clock-
speed emulation.

(Wayne Yacco/19890303)


(NEWS)(IBM)(LAX)(00013)

AT&T TO DISTRIBUTE TOUCHSTONE TERMINAL EMULATOR
SEAL BEACH, CALIFORNIA, U.S.A., 1989 MAR 2 (NB) -- TouchStone
Software has announced that TEworks/LAN 1.20, the latest
release of its terminal emulation software, will be distributed by
AT&T. AT&T will distribute the $149 product to users of its
StarGROUP software for local area networks as part of an ongoing
distribution agreement signed in 1988.

TEworks/LAN supports LAN network speeds of up to 10MB per second and
allows a PC to operate as a video display terminal in DEC VT220,
VT100/102-and-VT52-series, ANSI Standard and TTY modes.

Standard features now include support of AT&T's StarGROUP
asynchronous gateway server [AGS] protocol for StarLAN networks,
which is compatible with IBM's asynchronous communications server
[ACS] protocol for PC Network and Token Ring. In addition, all
terminal types now support either 80- or 132-column displays.

New logic statements and capabilities have also been added to the
product's connection scripting language. The language lets users
define complex network control and startup sequences with a host
computer or network.

(Wayne Yacco/19890303/Contact: 213-598-7746)


(NEWS)(IBM)(SYD)(00014)

HYPERTEC STILL SEES MARKET FOR XT ACCELERATOR CARDS
SYDNEY, AUSTRALIA, 1989 MAR 1 (NB) -- The HyperAce II collection
is the latest from Australian expansion board manufacturer
Hypertec, and consists of three 80286 accelerator cards for older
PCs.

The 10, 12 and 16 MHz boards each support LIM 4.0. Installation
consists of removing the original 8088 or 8086 chip and plugging
in a ribbon cable which leads to the accelerator card. Hypertec's
three half-cards retail for AUS$1067, AUS$1177 and AUS$1287. The
company manufactures a range of cards, including MicroChannel.

(Paul Zucker/19890304/Contact: Hypertec, Australia [61-2]
8197222)


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

DMA UNVEILS V3.10 OF PC ANYWHERE
NEW YORK, USA, 1989 MAR 04 -- Dynamic Microprocessor Associates
[DMA] has begun shipping version 3.10 of its PC Anywhere remote
communications package. The new version includes several new
features, including support for several PC graphics modems [EGA,
VGA, MCGA and Hercules] and an improved file transfer system.

According to Peter Byer, vice president of marketing at DMA, PC
Anywhere v.3.10 is 30 per cent faster than earlier versions.
Coupled with the new features, he says the package represents a
major step forward from earlier releases and the rest of the
competition.

"Complete enhanced graphics support was the one feature that the
users of remote computing software needed most. With the
acceptance of graphical interfaces by the business world, more
and more software developers are taking advantage of the enhanced
graphics capabilities of today's machines," he said.

Newsbytes Europe has been using PC Anywhere for several months
now. The package allows the remote operation over a modem link of
any standard PC, enabling the distant user to run applications
software as if they were seated at the keyboard. The package retails
for $199 in the U.S. and UKP 120 in England. Existing users of the
package can upgrade for a nominal fee on direct application to
DMA.

(Steve Gold/19890304/Dynamic Microprocessor Associates
Tel: [US] 212-983-0971)


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

INSET SYSTEMS RELEASE HIJAAK PC FAX FILE CONVERSION PACKAGE
BROOKFIELD, CONNECTICUT, U.S.A., 1989 MAR 04 (NB) -- Inset Systems has
released Hijaak 1.1B, a PC file conversion package for use with
PC fax card modems. The package enables files to be converted
between several PC file formats and to/from six leading PC fax
manufacturer's proprietary file formats.

"The request for further fax support from leading fax vendors and
users have been overwhelming. We responded immediately and have
created Hijaak with robust and copious fax facilities," said
Maurice Hampoy, vice president of marketing at Inset Systems,
whilst announcing the package.

Hijaak 1.1A supports generic fax transmissions, as well direct
conversions to Efax, Intel Connection, JT Fax, Ricoh, Telefax
and The Complete PC fax card. In addition, the $99 package, which
ships immediately, allows file conversion to and from 17 PC word
processing file formats.

(Steve Gold/19890304/Inset Systems - tel: [US] 203-775-5866)


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

PRODIGY PLANS EXPANSION INTO BALTIMORE AND WASHINGTON, D.C.
WHITE PLAINS, NEW YORK, U.S.A., 1989 FEB 28 (NB) -- Prodigy Systems
continued the nationwide roll-out of its online shopping and
information service by making access software available in
Baltimore and Washington, D.C. A free start-up kit is available
now, and retailers will be getting copies of the software this
spring. Prodigy offers online shopping, communications, and
information services based on graphic screens created at a local
PC, with copy and transactions passed to local IBM mini-computers
and remote IBM mainframes. Prodigy is a joint-venture between IBM
and Sears.

(Dana Blankenhorn/19890303/Contact: Brian Ek, Prodigy, 914-993-
8843)


(NEWS)(BUSINESS)(ATL)(00002)

GE INFORMATION SERVICES ANNOUNCES E-MAIL TO FAX WORLDWIDE
ROCKVILLE, MARYLAND, U.S.A., 1989 FEB 27 (NB) -- GE Information
Services announced its Quik-Comm electronic mail service can now
send messages to Group III fax machines worldwide, including
those fax machines not connected to Quik-Comm. MCI, Western
Union, and other electronic mail companies have been hurridly
bringing fax service to their systems this year, and GE noted in
ites news release that long distance fax transmissions will be
a $9 billion market by 1991. "The Quik-Comm to FAX service is
accessible from alomst 100 countries," wherever GE's
teleprocessing services are offered, said GE systems marketing
manager Ed Isaacs. "While this is an electronic mail capability
today, in the future we hope to generate our fax output as a
natural delivery vehicle to integrate our numerous network based
applications, such as Electronic Data Interchange -- EDI -- and
banking and financial services."

(Dana Blankenhorn/19890303/Contact: Steve Haracznak, GE
Information Services, 301-340-4494)


(NEWS)(TELECOM)(TYO)(00003)

HITACHI PBX TO LINK WITH AT&T ISDN
TOKYO, JAPAN, 1989 FEB 23 (NB) -- Japan's electronics giant Hitachi
has been granted the right to have its digital private branch exchange [PBX]
interconnect with AT&T's integrated services digital network
[ISDN]. No other Japanese firm has ever received such approval
from AT&T before. The AT&T-authorized PBX system is an American version
of the CX5000 series which last spring passed AT&T's 300-item test involving
such criteria as transmission, data exchange control, and value-added service.
Hitachi plans to aggressively market its AT&T-PBX system in the U.S. and
Japan this May.

(Ken Takahashi/19890302)


(NEWS)(TELECOM)(SFO)(00004)

APPLE'S GASSEE CALLS FOR U.S. TO ESTABLISH ISDN NETWORKS
CUPERTINO, CALIFORNIA, U.S.A., 1989 FEB 24 (NB) -- The U.S. should
take the initiative to encourage the creation of integrated services
digital networks, or ISDN, to carry the nation's telecommunications,
or it stands to become a "Third World country" in terms of
computer networks, says Jean-Louis Gassee, president of Apple
Computer's products division. Making his remarks before a DeAnza
College business conference, Gassee cited countries such as Japan
and Europe where ISDN networks are being established. ISDN
technology would allow for digital rather than analog transmission of
data over the phone lines, freeing computers from the constraints of
modems, which now must translate sound to data before it reaches
the computer, and back again to sound in order to transmit data.
Digital telephone lines would be fast, efficient "data freeways," said
Gassee, and if the government builds the roads, companies such as
Apple can build the cars.

(Wendy Woods/19890304)


(NEWS)(TELECOM)(BOS)(00005)

TOUCHBASE SYSTEMS INTRODUCES COMBINATION FAX/MODEM
NORTHPORT, NEW YORK, U.S.A., 1989 FEB 28 (NB) -- Touchbase
Systems has introduced the WordPort 2496 portable fax/modem. The
battery-powered unit works with most personal computers, and
combines group 3 fax capability and a 2400 bits per second modem, according to
a company spokeswoman. The product, which will ship the
second week in March, lists for $699.

(Jon Pepper/19890303/Contact: Ann Malsich, Touchbase, 516-261-0423)


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

TELEMANAGEMENT SOFTWARE SHIPS
BURBANK, CALIFORNIA, U.S.A., 1989 FEB 23 (NB) -- Account-A-Call
Corporation has released a report-generator module for its
Telemanagement Information Control System [TICS]. TICS is a set of
integrated database programs that store and maintain inventories,
assignments, conditions, and trouble histories for telephone
equipment. The TICS report generator joins Basic Inventory, Desktop
Directory, and Trouble Ticket Control modules. TICS runs on the IBM
PC and requires a hard disk.

(Wayne Yacco/19890303/Contact: 800-447-8867, 818-846-3340)


(NEWS)(TELECOM)(ATL)(00007)

DOW-JONES BRINGS UP NATURAL LANGUAGE PROGRAMMING AS //DOWQUEST
NEW YORK, NEW YORK, U.S.A., 1989 FEB 26 (NB) -- Dow-Jones has
brought its new Dowquest service online. Dowquest ties a number
of databases together with a "natural language" front end running
through a Connection Machine. Its search software is a step-up
from the SQL techniques used in services such as Dialog. The service
is currently available at an introductory rate of $1 per minute, either
directly or through gateways such as MCI Mail's.

Newsbytes tried out Dowquest to ask about online newsletters
concerning online topics. In just 15 seconds we got four citations,
the closest of which was a Barron's story about computerized
investing. Such failed searches, however, can be repeated with
new keywords, or you can renew the search based on an article
chosen in a previous search. Dowquest includes a wealth of
business sources, including local papers previously found only on
separate database services. It's easier to use Dowquest than
Dialog, but using it properly remains a skill which must be
learned.

(Dana Blankenhorn/19890303/Contact: Dow-Jones News Retrieval, 609-
520-4000 )


(NEWS)(TELECOM)(ATL)(00008)

GEORGIA SEEKS TO PUT ALL COURT RECORDS ONLINE
ATLANTA, GEORGIA, U.S.A., 1989 FEB 28 (NB) -- The state of Georgia
is building a computer network for its courts which could put
every legal record in the state online starting in September.
Money to create the network, backed by Secretary of State Max
Cleland, passed last year. This year court clerks got their own
bill, S.B. 183, through both houses of the state legislature by
March 3, which will give them the power to collect court records
in database form. A floor amendment added to the clerks' bill on
the House side will require further work is not expected to
prevent final passage.

Valerie Hepburn, director of administration in the Secretary of
State's office, says her office gets about $800-1,000 per week
from Mead Data Central and Information America for copies of
the records, which are used in legal databases. Under laws passed
last year, clerks can sell copies of individual records at $2 for
the first page, 50 cents for each added page. She added "the
county computer network would have other records. They'll be
electronic mail for the clerks, so judges can communicate.
There will be access to vital records from the corrections
department and others. The Judicial Council wants to use the
system to download case decisions to the Supreme Court and
Appellate Court. We've talked about Notaries Public accessing the
system." The goal, she added, is to give more people faster
access to the public record.

(Dana Blankenhorn/19890303/Contact: Bill Crane, Georgia Office of
State, 404-656-2881)


(NEWS)(TELECOM)(ATL)(00009)

FCC TO PUT IN RATE CAP REGULATION BY MID-YEAR
WASHINGTON, D.C., U.S.A., 1989 FEB 27 (NB) -- FCC Chairman Dennis
Patrick told a House of Representatives committee Monday he'll
seek final passage of a plan to replace "rate of return"
regulation on AT&T rates with a "rate cap" plan on March 16. The
new plan would let AT&T change rates without telling
regulators. Under present regulation, it has to get approval
for each rate change lest the firm make too large a profit. In the
end Republicans hold enough seats in Congress to override a
presidential veto of legislation to overturn the pending
decision. The last Congress passed a bill to freeze the rate cap
plan, but it hasn't been introduced in this Congress. "I think
we're beyond that," an FCC spokesman told Newsbytes.

Patrick's plan amounts to total deregulation of AT&T's long-
distance business, which still holds over a 90 percent market share.
That's because lower costs and increased capacity are driving
long-distance rates for both voice and data down. Satellites,
microwave stations, ham radio and cellular phone technology are
also making bits and phone calls cheap to pass along.

(Dana Blankenhorn/19890303/Contact: FCC, Steve Klitzman, 202-632-
6405)


(NEWS)(TELECOM)(ATL)(00010)

FCC TAKES ACTION AGAINST ALTERNATIVE OPERATOR COMPANIES
WASHINGTON, D.C,. U.S.A., 1989 FEB 27 (NB) -- The FCC February 27
acted on complaints with what amounts to a compromise on the
Alternative Operator Services [AOS] issue. AOS firms get
control of pay phones, hotel phones, and airport phones by
offering "commissions" -- opponents call them "kickbacks" -- to
hoteliers, airport operators, or landowners, who are happy to
oblige because they're not paying for the calls. Long-distance
rates are then increased 200-300 percent, and some callers have
complained they were routed away from other carriers' access
numbers.

The deal the FCC is offering states that AOS firms must identify
themselves to callers using them, and post a number to call for
detailed rates near the phone. The FCC resisted calls to regulate
the rates directly, as called for under a bill sponsored by Rep.
Jim Cooper of Tennessee.

(Dana Blankenhorn/19890303/Contact: FCC, Steve Klitzman, 202-632-
6405)


(NEWS)(TELECOM)(ATL)(00011)

A $200 CELLULAR PHONE
MILPITAS, CALIFORNIA, U.S.A., 1989 MAR 2 (NB) -- Advanced Cellular
Technology is already sold out on its April production of pocket
handsets, called the Communicator 1. The product will let you
answer calls, but not place them, up to 1,000 feet from a
cellular phone. The company said with its product developers
can catch calls while walking through construction sites. A
spokesman told Newsbytes the current version of the Communicator
1 works well with Motorola, NEC and Fujitsu phones, less well on
Panasonic. The company has developed a compatibility chart.

This, and products such as the Plantronics LiteSet, a hands-free
telephone which claims to work hundreds of feet away from its
antenna, are way-stations toward the "personal phone number." At
home, at work, in a train, the same number will reach you
wherever you are, unless you're already on the phone or decide
not to pick up, in which case voice mail answers it.

(Dana Blankenhorn/19890303/Contact: Advanced Cellular Technology,
408-263-8487 )


(NEWS)(TELECOM)(ATL)(00012)

MCI ANNOUNCES WORLDMAIL, PROMISES FUTURE ENHANCEMENTS
RYE BROOK, NEW YORK, U.S.A., 1989 MAR 2 (NB) -- MCI announced MCI
WorldMail, providing local support in a half-dozen countries for
MCI Mail and fax services. MCI said service to Japan, the United
Kingdom, Belgium, Denmark, Chile and Israel is just the
beginning, and more countries will be added through the year.

MCI said its WorldMail services are being handled through
partnerships in each foreign country, offering local customer
support, on-site calls, billing in local currency, and the
computer and communications equipment necessary for handling
mailboxes.

Seth Blumenfeld, president of MCI International, said WorldMail
will be exhibited at the Hanover Fair in West Germany March 8-15.

(Dana Blankenhorn/19890303/Contact: Jane Levene, MCI, 914-934-
6480)


(NEWS)(TELECOM)(ATL)(00013)

TANGRAM INTRODUCES LAN-MAINFRAME DRIVER RATED AT 80-180,000 BAUD
CARY, NORTH CAROLINA, U.S.A., 1989 FEB 17 (NB) -- Tangram
Systems began shipping a Native Token Ring Driver which allows
transfer rates of 80-180,000 bits/second between its Arbiter and
Peer Services software and IBM mainframes. This is four times
faster than the emulation program supplied by IBM, according to
Tangram. Tangram Vice President Steve Kuekes called IBM's program
"memory intensive and slow," noted that his version takes less
than 100,000 bytes of memory in a network, and said it solves a
significant bottleneck between mainframes and LANs.

(Dana Blankenhorn/19890303/Contact: Jonathan Hirshon, 212-696-
4744)


(NEWS)(TELECOM)(SNG)(00014)

NEW FAX CARD FOR NETWORKS DESIGNED IN SINGAPORE
SINGAPORE, 1 MAR 89 (NB) -- Pan Systems, jointly with the Institute of
Systems Science [part of the National University of Singapore] have
developed the Pan Netfax software package to permit automatic handling
of local and international fax traffic from standard 3+Mail* users.

Under a joint research and development program established in 1985 to
sell Singapore skills and technology, the Pan Netfax was launched
yesterday as the first of a series of products currently under
development by the Institute jointly with various private firms.

Using a standard fax card installed in a PC workstation, the sender
types his message in the 3-Mail* system, then adds a simple addressing
instruction plus the required fax number.

The system then automatically queues the messages, cross-checks
authorizations where required, and monitors the dispatch of the
messages either in order of queuing, by priority, or by time of day to
help minimize transmission costs. Busy or faulty connections are
automatically retried where required, allowing unattended operation 24-
hours a day.

Locally owned Pan Systems was established in 1973, and has
manufactured its own range of PCs for the past two years. According to
Dexter Chee, marketing manager, the firm now has some 29 staff,
and is planning the international launch of Pan Netfax at CeBIT Fair
in Hannover, West Germany, later this month.

(Michael Worsley/19890302)


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

EUROPEAN CELLULAR/MOBILE COMMUNICATIONS CONFERENCE ANNOUNCED
BRUSSELS, BELGIUM, 1989 MAR 04 (NB) - Blenheim Online is
organizing a conference on European Cellular and Mobile
Communications. The conference will be held in Brussels, Belgium
on 26/27 April, 1989.

Topics to be covered during the two-day conference include:
product strategy; digital cordless technology; new services; and
marketing strategy. The conference will be bilingual, with
papers issued in both French and English.

(Steve Gold/19890304/Blenheim Online: 01-868-4466)


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

TV CABLE COMPANY SET TO BECOME U.K.'S THIRD PUBLIC PHONE OPERATOR
SLOUGH, ENGLAND, 1989 MAR 04 (NB) -- The U.K.'s Office of
Telecommunications [Oftel] has granted a telecommunications licence to
Cable Telecom, the telecommunications subsidiary of Windsor Television, a
TV cable distribution company. The licence will enable Cable
Telecom to offer alternative telephone services alongside those
of British Telecom and Mercury Communications.

Windsor TV currently has 59,000 subscribers to its TV cable
distribution network. The company delivers TV transmissions
directly into subscriber's homes by use of a coaxial cable and
optical fibre network in the Langley, Maidenhead, Slough and
Windsor areas west of London.

The operations licence follows a pilot scheme last year in which
several hundred Windsor TV clients were offered telephone service
via the TV cable, with calls handed on to Mercury Communications
at Windsor TV's headquarters. The company hopes that 20 percent
of its 59,000 subscriber base will opt to receive telephone
service through the Cable Telecom/Mercury network, which will
offer calls at between 10 and 40 percent cheaper than those of
British Telecom's.

(Steve Gold/19890304)


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

SWITCHING NETWORKS; A CELLULAR USER'S TALE
SHEFFIELD, ENGLAND, 1989 MAR 04 (NB) -- It's not often that the
Newbytes European Bureau changes its phone number, but changes do
happen. This bureau chief decided to upgrade his pocket cellular
phone and, in doing so, opted to change network providers from
Racal Vodafone to Cellnet, the British Telecom-operated service.

The phone was duly delivered by courier last Saturday at 9-00 am.
Outgoing calls worked a treat, but no incoming calls could be
accepted - users got the engaged tone. Enquiries to the dealer
and airtime provider proved fruitless. At 11-00 am we worked out
what had happened - the BT Cellnet network was failing.

Calls to the Cellnet operator revealed that the U.K. Cellnet
network - which services around 200,000 subscribers - was not
accepting inbound calls. By 2 pm, the network has failed
completely in the London and Midlands areas of the U.K. As
Newsbytes Europe goes to press on Saturday evening [U.K. time] the
network is still down.

The moral of this story is - if the technology works, stay with
it. If you find the need to upgrade your kit, then be sure to
hang on to your old hardware until you're sure the new system
works.

(Steve Gold/19890204/Cellnet: 0860-321321)


(NEWS)(TELECOM)(TOR)(00018)

COMMITTEE TO REPRESENT INFORMATION INDUSTRY
TORONTO, ONTARIO, CANADA, 1989 MAR 1 (NB) -- The Information
Industry Committee of CADAPSO will represent the producers,
distributors and marketers of electronic information in Canada.
Andrea Holland, founder of the group, said a variety of issues
concern the Canadian industry, including copyright protection and
the issue of enhanced services provided by telephone companies.

Some of these issues also concern software and computer services
companies, which is why the new body is a committee of the
Canadian Association of Data and Professional Service
Organizations [CADAPSO]. The new committee has about 20 members
so far, half of which were established CADAPSO members. It will
have ties with counterparts in several other countries, including
the Information Industry Association in the United States,
Holland said.

(Grant Buckler/19890301/Contact: Andrea Holland, Southam Business
Information and Communications Group, 416-489-6640)


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

RUPERT MURDOCH BUYS ETAK, MAPMAKING BIG BUSINESS
MENLO PARK, CALIFORNIA, U.S.A., 1989 FEB 28 (NB) -- Australian media
magnate Rupert Murdoch has purchased Etak, a company which
has created the world's largest database of digital maps of Europe
and the U.S., for an estimated $30 million. The purchase of the
five year old, $10 million a year company will add sophisticated,
patented mapping capabilities to Murdoch Electronic Publishing's
database of hotel, restaurant and entertainment information.

The purchase has placed Murdoch firmly in the midst of what's
expected to be the next desktop revolution -- mapmaking. The
market, which was estimated to be worth less than $50 million in 1986,
is expected to grow to over $225 million by 1992, according to
Dataquest.

(Wendy Woods/19890304/Contact: Charles Hart, CEO Etak, 415-328-3825)


(NEWS)(TRENDS)(SFO)(00002)

INTEL ANNOUNCES WORLD'S FIRST 64 BIT MICROPROCESSOR
SAN FRANCISCO, CALIFORNIA, U.S.A., 1989 FEB 27 (NB) -- Intel has
introduced a speedy, number-crunching RISC [reduced instruction set
computer] microprocessor, calls it a "supercomputer on a chip," and
says it is a formidable competitor in a market already crowded with Sun
Microsystems, MIPS, and Motorola for a share of the Unix market.
Previously code-named the N10, Intel's 64-bit i860 chip offers a 33 to
40 MHz speed, and the ability to process 27 to 40 million instructions
per second and up to 80 million floating point operations per second in
certain tasks. Samples are available now with quantities expected in
the third quarter at $750 each for 1,000 or more.

Claude Leglise, an Intel marketing manager, claims some 50 firms are
already designing products around the chip. IBM says will use the i860
as part of a peripheral board for its PS/2 line and Olivetti has committed
to using it in a new line of minicomputers.

(Peter Vekinis & Wendy Woods/19890304)


(NEWS)(TRENDS)(BOS)(00003)

FIRST TAIWANESE FIRM TO ADVERTISE IN PEOPLE'S REPUBLIC OF CHINA
NEWTON, MASSACHUSETTS, U.S.A., 1989 MAR 2 (NB) -- A Taiwan
high technology firm, Sun Moon Star Group, will become first
company from that nation to advertise its products in the People's
Republic of China.

The company, which sells a line of personal computers based on the
Intel microprocessor architecture, believes it has a market in China
because of the its Chinese-language software. The ads will be in the
Chinese-language edition of Electronic Business.

(Jon Pepper/19890303/Contact: Allen Furst, Electronic Business, 617-
558-4464)


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

MOTOROLA SHOWS BREAKTHROUGH ANALOG-TO-DIGITAL CONVERTER
AUSTIN, TEXAS, U.S.A., 1989 FEB 27 (NB) -- Motorola's Microprocessor
Products Group has announced the 56ADC, the first single-chip, 16-bit
analog-to-digital converter. The chip promises dramatic advances in speed
and integration, while at the same time reducing system cost for a wide
variety of applications, from compact disk recording to communication
devices.

The chip is available now, with initial pricing at $50 for quantity one.
Full production is expected for the second quarter of 1989.

(Jon Pepper/19890303/Contact: Jane Bates, Motorola, 512-440-2039)


(NEWS)(TRENDS)(LAX)(00005)

AIR FORCE STUDY SUGGESTS VALUE OF HARD DISK UTILITY
SAN DIEGO, CALIFORNIA, U.S.A., 1989 MAR 1 (NB) -- Prime Solutions is
offering the results of a U. S. Air Force study as support that the
company's utility software significantly improves the reliability of
microcomputer hard disks. The study, conducted by the Air Force
Inspection & Safety Center, Office of Computer Systems [AFISC/SCPN],
Norton Air Force Base, collected data on 210 new MS-DOS computers
from January 1987 to mid-November 1988. Prime Solution's software
was then installed on the machines and additional data was collected
until late February 1989. The company claims that the $190 product
produced a "100 percent drop in hard disk-related maintenance calls."

According to Prime Solutions, the Air Force experienced a failure
rate of 63 percent for the 210 computers during the first stage of its
test. Hard disks reportedly accounted for a third of the failures.
An average of 3.6 days downtime was consumed by each failure.
However, the figures do not include file loses and other problems
which could be corrected by reformatting the drives and locking out
bad sectors. Prime Solutions claims that the true failure rate would
have approached 100 percent if these problems were counted.

After Disk Technician Advanced [DTA] was installed, no failures were
reported the company avows. Prime Solutions says that DTA is the
only software currently available to predict, repair and prevent
hard disk problems before they happen. The company further asserts
that technical skills are not required to operate the software.

[Read about our actual hands-on experience with the product in this
issue of WYSIWYG.]

(Wayne Yacco/19890303/Contact: John Livingston, HQ AFISC/SCPN,
Norton AFB, CA 92409-7001, 714-382-5989)


(EXCLUSIVE)(TRENDS)(LAX)(00006)

2.5-INCH HARD DISKS ARRIVE
LONGMONT, COLORADO, U.S.A., 1989 MAR 1 (NB) -- The manufacturer of a
super-small computer hard disk has received $10 million in a second
round of venture capital funding. Total capital raised by PrarieTek
Corporation now amounts to $14 million which will be used to expand
manufacturing facilities, finance inventory, increase production,
and fund company growth.

PrarieTek has developed a 2.5-inch disk drive which it claims is the
first to have such a small form factor. A 20-MB [megabyte] drive,
which was announced last September, has just started shipping in
volume and a 40-MB version is scheduled for mid-year introduction.

The drive, while not quite microscopic, is substantially smaller
than its predecessors. Its 1.6 pounds weighs in at less than half
that of 3.5-inch drives. Minimum power requirements are a
scant 1.4 watts. The unit occupies an area slightly smaller than a
three-by-five index card and has a profile just an inch high, nearly a
third less volume than that of 3.5-inch drives. Seek time is a very
respectable 28 milliseconds.

Besides size, the drive offers another important difference in its
design. Conventional hard-disk technology allows read-write heads to
skid across disk surfaces approximately 20 feet each time the drive
starts or stops. A technique called dynamic ramp loading completely
eliminates contact between heads and disk surfaces in the PrarieTek
drive. The number of start-stop cycles is increased by a factor
between ten and twenty times as a result. In addition, the power
required to spin up the drive is reduced. Ideally suited for the
laptop market, PrarieTek's dinky drives are shock rated to 100
gravities.

Although PrarieTek claims to be the first in its field, there are
already competitors in the game. Krish Shetty, president and CEO of
New Jersey-based computer manufacturer Proteus, said his company's
plans to introduce a computer using a 2.5-inch drive at Spring
COMDEX in Chicago are based on a drive from Conner Peripherals.
PrarieTek founder Terry Johnson was also a founder of Conner
[originally Codata] as well as Miniscribe Corporation.

(Wayne Yacco/19890303/Contact: 303-772-4011)


(NEWS)(UNIX)(SFO)(00001)

UNIFORUM CROWD UP BY A THIRD, FEATURES DUEL OF STANDARD-SEEKERS
SAN FRANCISCO, CALIFORNIA, U.S.A., 1989 FEB 27 (NB) -- The fifth
year of Uniforum, which took place in San Francisco from February 27-
March 2, was expected to draw 22,000 visitors, a third more than last
year, a sign that interest in Unix as an operating system is on the upswing.
Visitors paid $197 per ticket for the three-day event and saw some 225
vendors displayed their wares, all of whom are taking places in a two-
sided battle for a standard Unix operating system.

On one hand is AT&T, creator of Unix, whose president of AT&T Data
Systems Group, Robert Kavner, explained in a keynote address that
AT&T's Unix International group will guide the development of future
Unix system releases. On the other hand is the Open Software
Foundation, a group which was alienated by the apparent cloistering of
AT&T with Sun Microsystems over the next version of Unix, and has
launched its own effort to design a new Unix operating system. The
Open Software Foundations members include Digital Equipment, Hewlett-
Packard, and IBM.

In his keynote address, Kavner promises to meet with the sponsors
of the Open Software Foundation to "hammer out how we can work
toward one clear, timely, wonderful implementation of the Unix
operating system."

The talk of the show, however, was a project called Open Desktop,
put forth by Tandy, Santa Cruz Operation, Digital Equipment, and others,
an immediate graphical interface designed to simplify and make
more "user friendly" the Unix operating system, as well as to beat
IBM to the punch in the area of 80386-based multiuser systems.

Uniforum is sponsored by /usr/group, the international network of Unix
systems users, based in Santa Clara.

(Wendy Woods/19890304/Contact: /usr/group, 408-986-8840)


(NEWS)(UNIX)(SFO)(00002)

NEW GRAPHIC UNIX INTERFACE PUSHED BY MAJOR VENDORS
SAN FRANCISCO, CALIFORNIA, U.S.A., 1989 FEB 28 (NB) -- The Santa
Cruz Operation, in consortium with Digital Equipment, Tandy, Locus,
and Relational Technology, has unveiled a product designed to make
Unix more acceptable to the masses, and to offer an alternative
to IBM's OS/2 for 80386-based machines. Open Desktop is basically an
amalgamation of software from various suppliers who have agreed to
have a standard interface between them and thus make "shrink wrap"
software available for Unix systems.

SCO's Unix System V/386, Merge 386 [DOS support under Unix], SCO's
TCP/IP [networking product], X windows [graphics support system],
Ingres/386 [database manager], and OSF/Motif [HP's user interface
which is similar to Microsoft's Presentation Manager] are the main
elements of the Open Desktop.

Open Desktop will integrate a standard graphical user interface, an
open structured query language database, and full connectivity across
several different operating systems and hardware architectures. It is
designed to take full advantage of the 32-bit power of the Intel 80386
microprocessor.

SCO will provide Unix as licensed by AT&T, Locus will provide DOS Merge
which enables Unix systems execute DOS programs, Relational Technology
will provide the relational database manager called Ingres, Tandy will
market the first Open Desktop package on its 4000 series and 5000MC
series and Digital will provide [indirectly] OSF/Motif which has
been developed by Hewlett-Packard and is based on Digital's XUI tool kit.

The Open Desktop has been been endorsed by many vendors such as AT&T's
Unix Software Operation, Open Software Foundation, and others. It will
retail for $995 and will be available from the fourth quarter of 1989.

Analysts give it a good chance of succeeding where others have failed.
This Unix has some big names behind it, an established distribution
channel, an aggressive marketing schedule, and an interface which
is easy to use. Said Tim Bajarin, analyst at Creative Strategies,
"This means a user could go from a Unix operating system to a
PC operating system without any training." Says Stewart Alsop,
industry observer and publisher of PC Letter, "It stands a
big chance against OS/2."

(Peter Vekinis, Jon Pepper & Wendy Woods/19890301/Contact: Zee Zaballos,
SCO, 408-425-7222)


(NEWS)(UNIX)(SFO)(00003)

DESKTOP PUBLISHING WITH FRAMEMAKER
SAN FRANCISCO, CALIFORNIA, U.S.A., 1989 FEB 28 (NB) -- Unix promises
to become a player in desktop publishing with a new desktop publishing
program from Frame Technology Corporation, called FrameMaker.

FrameMaker 1.3-X is based on the X-Windows systems and thus becomes
available to many more systems that previously possible. FrameMaker
offers full desktop publishing functions, including WYSIWYG [what you
see is what you get] operation, variable fonts and support for the
LaserWriter printer, automatic hyphenation, mathematical symbols,
speller and graphics support. The product also supports other
languages, and includes communications and file interchange. It will
retail for $2500 and will be available from April.

(Peter Vekinis/19890301/Contact: Kristin Vais, 408/433-3311)


(NEWS)(UNIX)(SFO)(00004)

AT&T AND UNIXINTERNATIONAL ANNOUNCE CHANGES IN UNIX LICENSING
SAN FRANCISCO, CALIFORNIA, U.S.A., 1989 FEB 28 (NB) -- AT&T has
changed its licensing procedure for Unix V systems in response to a
request from Unix International, the company responsible for making Unix
accessible to international markets.

The change affects the upcoming release 4 of the system and includes an
early access program, starting in March 1989. Under this program
members of Unix International will receive source of Release 4 for
internal use. This will enable their organizations to begin porting
their software as needed.

AT&T Unix Software Operation will also begin to develop a standard user
interface based on accepted international standards such as X/Open, IEEE
Posix and FIPS.

Finally, Unix International announced that its membership has grown with
the addition of Sony, Xerox, Locus, Dupont Fiber, Prisma, Stellar Computer
and Relational Technology. The company is a non-profit consortium formed
to guide the future development of Unix.

(Peter Vekinis/19890301)


(NEWS)(UNIX)(SFO)(00005)

GRID ANNOUNCES NEW UNIX PRODUCTS AT UNIFORUM
SAN FRANCISCO, CALIFORNIA, U.S.A., 1989 FEB 28 (NB) -- Grid,
seeing an opportunity to make inroads to the Unix market, has
announced Xenix for its PCs. Grid will offer SCO Xenix V, an AT&T-
licensed product, for its 12-pound Gridcase 1500 series, both the
286-based 1520 and the 386-based 1530.

In addition, the company introduced the 1535 EXP, which is a 386-based
laptop that has space for two XT/AT expansion slots. The
1535 EXP retails for $7495. Also, the company is now offering a
100 megabyte hard disk for its laptop systems and a 3.5" floppy drive
system.

(Peter Vekinis/19890301)


(NEWS)(UNIX)(SFO)(00006)

MOTOROLA LAUNCHES LINE OF WORKSTATIONS
SAN FRANCISCO, CALIFORNIA, U.S.A., 1989 FEB 27 (NB) -- Motorola,
maker of microprocessors for others' computers, is finally launching a
line of its own. The Delta Series 8000, based on the new Motorola
88100 RISC, or reduced instruction set computer, chip, is what the firm
hopes will become a standard microprocessor for Unix machines.
Motorola's offering, ranging from $28,000 to $80,000, are multiuser
Unix systems -- up to 500 users can be connected on the top-of-the-
line Delta Series 8000 -- and are aimed at Fortune 1000 companies
in general business or technical markets.

Motorola, based in Schaumburg, Illinois, will market the
machines through its direct sales force and a small network
of value-added resellers. The machines will be produced by
Motorola's Computer Group in Tempe, Arizona.

(Wendy Woods/19890304)


(NEWS)(UNIX)(SFO)(00007)

SPUNKY SPARC-BACKERS SEEK STANDARD
SAN FRANCISCO, CALIFORNIA, U.S.A., 1989 MAR 1 (NB) -- Users of Sun
Microsystems' SPARC [scalable process architecture] technology have
banded together to promote SPARC as an industry standard. SPARC
International, whose corporate members include Arix, AT&T, Definicon,
Fujitsu, ICL, Metaflow, Mizar, Prisma, Ready Systems, Seiko, Solbourne,
Sun Microsystems, Texas Intruments, Unisol, Unisys, Valid Logic, Wind
River Systems and Xerox, is chartered to ensure the development of
technology necessary to build SPARC systems. It is also seeking
to publish binary compatibility specs and institute conformance testing,
direct the evolution of SPARC architecture to include multiprocessing,
promote third party systems and applications, and set up a demonstration
center for product display.

SPARC International is also actively seeking a chief executive officer.
Currently the organization's contact is Acuity's Dona Buckmaster or Bill
Arnold at 415-966-8700.

(Wendy Woods/19890304)


(NEWS)(UNIX)(SFO)(00008)

AT&T BUYS ANOTHER CHUNK OF SUN
MOUNTAIN VIEW, CALIFORNIA, U.S.A., 1989 FEB 27 (NB) -- AT&T will
buy another 3.2 million shares of Sun Microsystems stock, giving it a
total of 13 percent of the workstation maker. The cost to AT&T
is estimated at $79.1 million. AT&T and Sun are working together on
a new version of the Unix operating system which they hope will
be the next industry standard.

(Wendy Woods/19890304)


(NEWS)(UNIX)(DSFO)(00009)

SUN OFFERS NEW DESKTOP PRODUCTIVITY PRODUCTS
MOUNTAIN VIEW, CALIFORNIA, U.S.A., 1989 FEB 28 (NB) -- Sun Microsystems
has introduced SunWrite, SunPaint, and SunDraw, products based on the
Open Look graphical user interface for Unix workstations drawn up
by AT&T and Sun. The products have interchangeable cut-and-paste
functions, offer the same "look and feel" with common menus, pop-up
windows and mouse controls, and allow files to be imported between
all three applications in different windows. The applications support
any PostScript output device. Sold through Sun's direct sales force
the products are priced at between $495 and $695, although all three
can be purchased at once for $995.

(Wendy Woods/19890304/Contact: Cathleen Garfield, Sun, 415-336-6536)


(NEWS)(TRENDS)(SFO)(00010)

INTEL ANNOUNCES WORLD'S FIRST 64 BIT MICROPROCESSOR
SAN FRANCISCO, CALIFORNIA, U.S.A., 1989 FEB 27 (NB) -- Intel has
introduced a speedy, number-crunching RISC [reduced instruction set
computer] microprocessor, calls it a "supercomputer on a chip," and
says it is a formidable competitor in a market already crowded with Sun
Microsystems, MIPS, and Motorola for a share of the Unix market.
Previously code-named the N10, Intel's 64-bit i860 chip offers a 33 to
40 MHz speed, and the ability to process 27 to 40 million instructions
per second and up to 80 million floating point operations per second in
certain tasks. Samples are available now with quantities expected in
the third quarter at $750 each for 1,000 or more.

Claude Leglise, an Intel marketing manager, claims some 50 firms are
already designing products around the chip. IBM says will use the i860
as part of a peripheral board for its PS/2 line and Olivetti has committed
to using it in a new line of minicomputers.

(Peter Vekinis & Wendy Woods/19890304)


(NEWS)(UNIX)(SDFO)(00011)

NEW UNIX PRODUCTS AT UNIFORUM
SAN FRANCISCO, CALIFORNIA, U.S.A., 1989 MAR 1 (NB) -- The following
is a sampling of new products announced at the Uniforum trade show.

Verity, Mountain View, California, has ported TOPIC , its document
 management software for full-text search and retrieval, to the MIPS
 RISC-based family of computer servers and workstations.

Opus Systems, Cupertino, California, announced the development of a
 high-performance workstation based on the Motorola 88000 RISC
 microprocessor and a high performance 80386 subsystem from
 Everex Systems. The product is called the Personal Mainframe Series
 8000 is priced between $5,000 and $12,000 each.

Wordperfect Corporation, Orem, Utah, announced WordPerfect
 Office, an interoffice communications package for SCO Xenix 386 systems
 designed to streamline mail, file exchange and phone message keeping.
 The product will be ported later to other Unix systems. Pricing was
 unavailable. The product has a June release date.

(Wendy Woods/19890304)


(NEWS)(UNIX)(BOS)(00012)

PRIME PARTICIPATES IN MULTIPROCESSOR UNIX RESEARCH
NATICK, MASSACHUSETTS, U.S.A., 1989 FEB 28 (NB) -- Prime
Computer will be joining with Intel and other companies on a
research project exploring a multiprocessing implementation of the
Unix operating system.

In the announcement, made at the Uniforum show, Prime and Intel
said they will look toward a multiprocessing implementation of Unix
that will work across several Intel CPU platforms, including the
80386 and 80486 processors.

The goal of the project is a version of the operating system that will
conform to the System V Interface Definition.

(Jon Pepper/19890303/Contact: Paul LaBelle, Prime, 608-655-8000)


(NEWS)(UNIX)(BOS)(00013)

NIXDORF COMPUTER ANNOUNCES TARGON 386 PRODUCT
WALTHAM, MASSACHUSETTS, U.S.A., 1989 FEB 27 (NB) -- Nixdorf
Computer has introduced the Targon 386 computer -- a machine capable
of running both MS-DOS and Unix applications, to the U.S. market. The
Targon 386 extends Nixdorf's Targon family to the lower end of the
market.

Based on the Intel 80386 microprocessor, the Targon can be configured
with up to 360 megabytes of hard disk storage and can support up
to 10 workstations.

(Jon Pepper/19890303/Contact: William Joyce, Nixdorf, 617-890-3600)


(NEWS)(UNIX)(BOS)(00014)

IBM DEMONSTRATES AIX ENTERPRISE NETWORK
WHITE PLAINS, NEW YORK, U.S.A., 1989 FEB 27 (NB) -- IBM has
showcased its connectivity expertise at UniForm in San Francisco
by demonstrating a network that linked three IBM Enterprise
System/3090 mainframes in California and New York via a high speed
transmission line, to a PS/2 system running AIX, IBM's version of the
Unix operating system.

The company believes the link-up clearly demonstrates that AIX is a
superior operating system that provides a technologically advanced
base for scientific and engineering software development.

(Jon Pepper/19890303/Contact: Rusty Carpenter, IBM, 914-642-4634)


(NEWS)(UNIX)(BOS)(00015)

ZENITH INTRODUCES MULTIPROCESSOR-BASED WORKGROUP COMPUTER
GLENVIEW, ILLINOIS, U.S.A., 1989 FEB 28 (NB) -- Zenith Data
Systems has combined the power of multiple Intel 386 microprocessors
to create a computer that goes beyond the power of single processor
PCs.

The company's new Z-1000 family is designed as a cost-effective
solution for the growing number of users who want to tap more
power from the Unix operating system with a high performance file
server.

The Z-1000 offers performance comparable to minicomputers,
delivering up to 15 million instructions per second when configured
with five to six 386 microprocessors. The new system will sell for
$19,900 to $59,300, according to a company spokesman.

(Jon Pepper/19890303/Contact: John Taylor, Zenith, 312-391-8181)


(NEWS)(UNIX)(BOS)(00016)

DATA GENERAL UNVEILS FIRST RISC-BASED PRODUCTS
WESTBORO, MASSACHUSETTS, U.S.A., 1989 FEB 28 (NB) -- Data
General has introduced its first family of RISC-based computers,
servers, and workstations. The new products are based on Motorola's
88000 reduced instruction set computing [RISC] microprocessor, and
can run the new DG/UX 4.1 version of the Unix operating system.

Prices for the new systems start at $74,50 for workstations and
$52,000 for system/servers.

(Jon Pepper/19890303/Contact: Dennis Byron, DG, 508-898-40444)


(NEWS)(UNIX)(LAX)(00017)

VERSACAD DESIGN NOW ON SUN WORKSTATIONS
HUNTINGTON BEACH, CALIFORNIA, U.S.A., 1989 FEB 28 (NB) -- Versacad
Corporation has announced a version of its VersaCAD DESIGN CAD
[computer-aided design] software for Sun386i engineering
workstations. The $2,995 package is an integrated, general-purpose
CAD software system. It features two-dimensional geometric
construction tools and dimensioning features, three-dimensional
modelling [with light-source color shading, multiple viewports, and
mass properties calculations], and user customization capabilities
including a built-in CAD Programming Language called CPL.

(Wayne Yacco/19890303/Contact: 714-960-7720)


(NEWS)(UNIX)(LAX)(00018)

"HERE COMES THE SUN"--INTERACTIVE
SANTA MONICA, CALIFORNIA, U.S.A., 1989 MAR 1 (NB) -- INTERACTIVE
Systems Corporation has announced that it has been authorized by Sun
Microsystems to distribute and sublicense SunOS for SPARC
architecture computer systems. Terms provide for INTERACTIVE to
sublicense the SunOS operating system and related software products
to systems manufacturers who are building SPARC-based machines.
INTERACTIVE is also permitted to add its own value-added extensions
to SunOS and to create derivative products for use on SPARC-based
systems. The SPARC microprocessor is Sun's implementation of RISC
[reduced instruction set computer] technology.

(Wayne Yacco/19890303/Contact: 800-346-7111, 213-453-8649)


(NEWS)(UNIX)(LAX)(00019)

FIRST OSF/MOTIF USER INTERFACE LICENSE ISSUED
SANTA MONICA, CALIFORNIA, U.S.A., 1989 FEB 27 (NB) -- INTERACTIVE
Systems Corporation has licensed the OSF/Motif graphical-user-
interface technology from the Open Software Foundation [OSF]. The
interface will be integrated with the company's 386/ix Windowing
System to provide a standard look and feel for its Unix operating
system. According to INTERACTIVE president Ron Fisher, the interface
will "ensure a consistent platform for graphics users and developers
which fits in with our goal of providing simple and flexible
approaches to workstation computing."

OSF/Motif is based on DECwindows, Digital Equipment Corporation's
XUI technology, and on Presentation Manager and CXI, jointly
developed by Microsoft Corporation and Hewlett-Packard. The product
will be bundled with the 386/ix Windowing System Runtime package for
$295. A development toolkit will be available for $795 in the second
quarter.

(Wayne Yacco/19890303/Contact: 800-346-7111, 213-453-8649)


(NEWS)(UNIX)(LAX)(00020)

INTERACTIVE-LACHMAN NUPTIALS ANNOUNCED
SANTA MONICA, CALIFORNIA, U.S.A., 1989 FEB 23 (NB) -- INTERACTIVE
Systems Corporation and Lachman Associates have announced
plans for INTERACTIVE to acquire all outstanding Lachman shares.
Operations of the two companies will be merged under terms of the
proposed agreement. Formal signing is expected in 90 days.

INTERACTIVE seeks the merger to increase its development
capabilities, to significantly expand its customer and prospect
base, and to broaden its range of systems-level products and
technologies. INTERACTIVE President and CEO Ron Fisher described
Lachman as "a leader in communications products and professional
services." The company's communications-software technology and on-
site services would combine with INTERACTIVE's systems-software
technology and development services to meet development and
distribution goals.

(Wayne Yacco/19890303/Contact: 800-346-7111, 213-453-8649)


(NEWS)(UNIX)(ATL)(00021)

DATA ACCESS SHIPPING NEW UNIX VERSIONS OF ITS DATABASE
MIAMI, FLORIDA, U.S.A., 1989 FEB 28 (NB) -- Data Access has begun
shipping DataFlex 2.3b, a version of its database program
supporting Arix-OS System V, Unisys U5000/85-95, Pyramid Series
9000 [DualPort OSx], Convergent Technologies Server PC CTIX/386
and Unisys U6000/50 operating environments. The new version
executes 25 percent faster and compiles 30 percent faster than previous
versions of the software. With these additions, Vice President
Charles Casanave said, the program now supports the entire
Unix-based Unisys product line. Prices run from $1,800-26,600,
depending on the number of users.

(Dana Blankenhorn/19890303)


(NEWS)(UNIX)(TYO)(00022)

SUN UNIX DRIVES A WEDGE IN JAPANESE MARKET
TOKYO, JAPAN, 1989 FEB 28 (NB) -- Toshiba has decided to adopt
X view, the development tool for the standard Unix International user
interface, for its laptop personal computer and engineering
workstation. Toshiba will also develop a Japanese version of X
view, with the support of Sun Microsystems, within a year and a half.

Meanwhile, Nikkei Industrial Daily reports that Oki Electronics
will buy Sun Microsystems workstations and sell them under the Oki
brand name. Even though Oki sells its own Unix workstations, the
company will sell the Sun workstation, due to the large selection
of software it offers, to the financial industry, among others, says
the report.

Newsbytes sought a comment from Oki on this report, but a spokesperson
said the report came from a leak inside the company and there would be
no release of details.

(Nasoyuki Yazawa/19890302)


(NEWS)(UNIX)(LON)(00023)

SCO PROFESSIONAL RELEASE 2.0 SHIPS
WATFORD, ENGLAND, 1989 MAR 04 (NB) -- The Santa Cruz Operation
has announced that SCO Professional, an enhanced Lotus 1-2-3
workalike for Xenix and Unix systems, is now shipping. According
to a statement from SCO Europe issued last week, the package
offers the full features of Lotus 1-2-3 Release 2.01, plus
valuable features running under Xenix and Unix.

"If users already know how to use 1-2-3, then they'll be
comfortable using SCO Professional," said Mike Hill, SCO's
international product marketing manager.

SCO Professional release 2.0 prices in at UKP 595 in the U.K.
Users of v1.1 of the package can upgrade at preferential
pricing, the exact price dependent on when and where their
software was purchased.

(Steve Gold/19890304/SCO Europe - Tel: [phone])


(NEWS)(UNIX)(TOR)(00024)

MKS INTRODUCES SOFTWARE, NOVELL DESIGNATION
WATERLOO, ONTARIO, CANADA, 1988 FEB 28 (NB) -- Mortice Kern
Systems has made several pieces of its MKS Programming Platform
available for OS/2.  The MKS Vi editor, MKS AWK prototyping
language and MKS RCS revision control system will be shipping for
OS/2 this month, the company said. MKS claims to be one of the
first software developers to bring Unix development tools to
OS/2, responding to demand from software developers. Alex White,
a partner in MKS, said the tools provide familiar Unix functions
under OS/2. He added that they offer "a lot more functionality
under ... OS/2 that wasn't there before." The new OS/2 versions
are fully compatible with Unix and MS-DOS versions of the
products. The OS/2 versions will cost $179 for MKS AWK, $395 for
MKS RCS and $199 for MKS Vi. All prices are in United States
dollars.

MKS also announced SQPS Previewer, software providing preview
capabilities for its SQPS publishing software. The Previewer is
now a standard feature in SQPS, which sells for $495.

MKS also announced it is an Authorized Porting House in the newly
announced program making Novell's Portable Network available on
Unix platforms. MKS said it is the fourth company to get this
designation.

(Grant Buckler/19890301/Contact: Alex White or Ruth Songhurst,
MKS, 519-884-2251)


(EDITORIAL)(IBM)(LAX)(00001)

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

RESCUING DATA FROM THE BIT BUCKET
BURBANK, CALIFORNIA, U.S.A, 1989 MARCH 3 (NB) -- This week's
Southwestern report includes a TRENDS story about an Air Force
maintenance study and a hard-disk utility that claims to be the best
thing since sliced bread. Well, I've used Disk Technician Advanced
[DTA] on several drives and compared it to Norton's new Disk Doctor
and I can tell you that it isn't true. DTA is the best thing to come
along for a hard disk including sliced bread.

Basically, the program is a hard-disk rescue utility. It finds
failed or failing areas on the surface of a hard disk and moves any
data from there to a new location. It can also perform a low-level
reformat on tracks without disturbing data--even while optimizing
the drive's interleave factor in the process.

What makes the program so special is the way it does its job. Unlike
competitors such as SpinRite and Norton's Disk Doctor [NDD], DTA
doesn't automatically accept a sector that can be read after several
tries. It withholds judgement until later in its processing and
judges sectors not on their ability to be successfully read but on
their lack of soft errors or the ability to correct soft errors that
are found. Other programs cannot even determine when soft errors
occur. Competitors will even accept sectors which are only
"readable" through reconstruction with ECC data [error correction
code].

Soft errors are individual read or write errors which can be
overcome by automatic retries. Under normal circumstances, DOS will
perform such retries on areas which are approaching failure. It
doesn't notify the user until it's too late--when the error becomes
hard. The word "hard" in "hard errors" apparently comes from the
term "hard cheese." That's what you get when an area becomes so bad
that data can't be recovered. It is sometimes possible to correct
soft errors by reformatting a track but hard errors are forever.
Hard cheese, pal.

In a comparison, I tested one old CMI drive with both DTA and NDD. I
used Norton first. Disk Doctor flagged nearly an entire cylinder
that it couldn't read. When a read failed, NDD asked if it should
move the data and, when instructed, attempted to move it to a safe
area. Although many of the moved sectors were garbled, Norton didn't
detect the corruption.

Then I ran DTA on the same drive. It returned most of the sectors
that Norton had removed as defective. It also flagged several
sectors that Norton had accepted as good. The difference was that
DTA first attempted to reformat a track before flagging it. Norton
can do a non-destructive low-level format but the process is on a
separate menu. DTA does it automatically and never moves data unless
the track recovery fails. If it must move a sector, the program is
supposed to do it only if it can recover the file without damage.
Files are never supposed to be filled with garbage. I wasn't able to
test this feature because Norton had moved all the affected files
already.

SpinRite does do a format before testing but does it whether it's
necessary or not on every track. That makes it slow and awkward to
use. There are also some disfunctional consequences to
nondestructive formatting on an XT that SpinRite aggravates.
Finally, SpinRite only tests a drive immediately after formatting,
when it's at its very best. There is no provision in SpinRite for
tracking degradation in signals which may begin within minutes or
hours on deteriorating media.

On a second drive which I knew to have serious defects in the system
areas, Norton passed the drive repeatedly without detecting any
problems. It was a zero-defect drive by NDD's standards. DTA found
the problems and refused to return the drive to service. Certain
system areas were apparently being read only with ECC
reconstructions that Norton couldn't detect. Instructions are
included with DTA to guide an attempt at recovery of fatal system-
area errors, by moving the DOS partition, but I haven't had time to
try so far.

DTA is designed to automatically repeat tests at periodic intervals.
It accumulates statistics across all these tests in a failure-
pattern database. The statistics are used to detect sectors which
are becoming weak well before they fail. Sectors are even compared
to those in adjacent areas to determine if an area of the disk is
becoming bad. The experience I've had leads me to accept the claims
that are made by Prime Solutions for the Air Force study. It seems
unlikely that you could lose any data from a drive that dTA is
monitoring unless the drive fails utterly and absolutely from some
catastrophic event like a head crash. Insidious defects that appear
over time should almost always be detectable before they lead to
major data loss.

I have just a very few utilities that I use on a regular basis. One
is Norton another is Xtree Pro and I'm going to make DTA the third.
Of the three, DTA is the probably the only one without a reasonably
good substitute. Norton faces fairly good utility competitors from
Paul Mace and Central Point. File-management utilities abound. But
the competition just isn't there for DTA. Yet.

(Wayne Yacco/19890304)