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/nb890718

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

INTERLEAF SLASHES PUBLISHER PRICE
CAMBRIDGE, MASSACHUSETTS, U.S.A., 1989 JUL 5 (NB) -- Interleaf has
reduced the price of its text-and-graphics publishing product for the
Macintosh to $995 from a previous price of $2,495. Considered the
Rolls Royce of publishing software, Interleaf Publisher combines
word processing, advanced graphics and automated desktop publishing
all in one package. It's useful for everything from business documents
to book publishing.

The dramatic price cut is because this version of the product is
reaching the end of its life cycle. David Boucher, Interleaf's president,
confirms that Interleaf is working on a new, enhanced version that
will run on all of Apple's 68030-based machines.

(Wendy Woods/19890714)


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

TOPS TO SUPPORT MAC SYSTEM 7.0
ALAMEDA, CALIFORNIA, U.S.A., 1989 JUL 13 (NB) -- TOPS, the established
leader in networking with some 600,000 installations worldwide,
has announced plans to support Macintosh System Software 7.0
from Apple. The coming new operating system will enable TOPS
to tap its extended filing features, printing mechanism,
communication capabilities, and other groupware-oriented functions,
according to Rich Shapero, vice president and general manager of
the Sun Microsystems company.

TOPS will also support Apple's recently announced AppleTalk 2.0
and TokenTalk, which enables Macs to talk on IBM Token-Ring networks.
TOPS software can connect as few as two to more than 254
Apple Macintoshes in a local area network, and has products to
link Macs with Unix-based computers, such as Sun workstations, as
well.

(Wendy Woods/19890714/Press Contact: Kim Tarter, Sun's TOPS
Division, 415-769-9669)


(NEWS)(APPLE)(LAX)(00003)

TOSHIBA 140MB MAC DRIVES
IRVINE, CALIFORNIA, U.S.A., 1989 JUL 14 (NB) -- Toshiba has come
out with high capacity hard drives for Macintoshes. The Mackit 140
includes a 140 megabyte hard disk drive, connecting cable,
user manual/reference guide, and a disk installation/
management software pages. There is menu-driven software for
installation, partitioning, verifying, and help.

Toshiba drives feature a 23 millisecond access time and 10 megabits
per second transfer rate. The suggested price is $1,695.

(Wendy Woods/19890714/Press Contact: Couch PR 714-9111)


(NEWS)(APPLE)(TOR)(00004)

BEDFORD OFFERS DEALER DEMO
BURNABY, BRITISH COLUMBIA, CANADA, 1989 JUL 13 (NB) -- Bedford
Software has released an animated demonstration disk for its
Macintosh-based Simply Accounting software. "An Introduction to
Simply Accounting" is intended to help dealers educate themselves
and their customers about computerized accounting. The theme is
chickens, as in "computerizing business accounting can ruffle
even the smoothest feathers," and "Simply Accounting makes stars
of the most chicken-hearted computer users." The program is free
to dealers and users who call Bedford at 604-294-2394.

(Grant Buckler/19890713/Press Contact: Jim Secord, Bedford
Software, 604-294-2394)


(NEWS)(APPLE)(SIN)(00005)

NEC LASER PRINTER IN SINGAPORE
SINGAPORE, S.E. ASIA, 1989 JUL 2 (NB) -- In what was its first launch
outside of the United States, the new NEC SilentWriter LC890XL,
a laser printer especially targeted for the field of desktop
publishing, is on display at the exhibition here.

Equipped with 32-bit microprocessor and an internal 4MB (megabyte)
memory, expandable to 8MB, this new power printer can do super-fast
processing and print in any of 35 resident typefaces with a low noise
level. Also, with the Postscript Page Description Language Interpreter
built-in and high resolution printing (300 x 300 dots per inch) at 8-page-
per-minute printing, this LC890XL is able to produce a vast array of
desktop publishing applications.

In addition, this desktop page printer has three standard interfaces plus
SCSI interface for a hard disk to facilitate hook-up with a variety of
personal computers, including both IBM PC AT and Apple's Macintosh.
Currently, the SilentWriter LC890XL is actively promoted in the local
market, with list price at S$13,000 (US5,850).

(Michael Worsley & Joseph Ming/19890711/Press Contact: Patricia Poh,
Business Computer Pte. Ltd. Ph: (65) 224.3238)


(NEWS)(BUSINESS)(SFO)(00001)

TANDY EXPANDS MATSUSHITA ALLIANCE
FORT WORTH, TEXAS, U.S.A., 1989 JUL 14 (NB) -- Japanese Matsushita
and U.S.-based Tandy Corporation have expanded their joint PC
manufacturing operations. Matsushita and Tandy will jointly
produce eight, 16- and 32-bit PC-compatibles in Japan for sale in
Europe under the Panasonic brand name in September.

Tandy will also produce the 16 and 32-bit models at its Fort Worth
plant for sale to the U.S. market. Tandy has already been selling low-end
compatibles with the Panasonic brand name in the U.S.

Tandy and Panasonic have been working together since 1988, ever
since the U.S. banned import of 16 and 32-bit computers from Japan
in retaliation for alleged violation of a U.S.-Japan semiconductor
agreement.

(Wendy Woods/19890714)


(NEWS)(BUSINESS)(KUL)(00002)

TOSHIBA/DEC TO NETWORK
HONG KONG, ASIA, 1989 JUL 10 (NB) -- Toshiba of Japan and Digital
Equipment Corporation (DEC) have signed an exchange agreement to
facilitate the integration of Toshiba's laptop personal computers into
DEC's network, according to Asia Computer Weekly.

Under the agreement, DEC will certify selected models of Toshiba's
laptop PCs, including Japan (Kanji) laptops as being compatible with
its Network Application Support (NAS). DEC and Toshiba will also
exchange hardware and software product specifications.

The NAS program is said to provide users of the industry's major
operating systems common access to services on the DECnet/OSI
network.

Bob Schmitt, Digital Far East's regional marketing manager, was
reported as saying, "As part of our PC and PC integration strategy, we
want to assure customers compatibility between their choice of
personal computers and Digital's DECnet network and VAX systems."

(Michael Worsley & S.Roowi/19890714)


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

AST OK'S POISON PILL
IRVINE, CALIFORNIA, U.S.A., 1989 JUL 7 (NB) -- The board of
directors at AST Research has adopted a "poison pill" takeover
defense.

According to the company, the plan was put into place as a
general defensive measure, not a response to a specific takeover
bid. Details of the plan are expected to be available in mid-
August, however, the announcement did indicate that the AST plan
will not stop a takeover but will establish certain rights to
ensure any acquisition is fair to all shareholders.

(Janet Endrijonas/19890712)


(NEWS)(BUSINESS)(TYO)(00004)

SHARP'S US DRAM PLANT
TOKYO, JAPAN, 1989 JUL 9 (NB) -- After years of delays, Sharp has
finally committed to production of dynamic random access memory
(DRAM) chips in the U.S. The new plant will fill 200 acres near
Washington, D.C. on land which was planned for purchase in 1985. That
was the year Sharp established a joint chip-making venture with RCA
called RCA Sharp Micro Electronics. The joint venture, however, was
called off because RCA was acquired by GE and the two sides engaged in
a policy dispute in 1986.

Now Sharp has seized upon the opportunity to build again since
political conditions are favorable for a U.S. enterprise.

(Naoyuki Yazawa/19890713)


(NEWS)(BUSINESS)(WAS)(00005)

CA DENIES LAYOFF RUMORS
GARDEN CITY, NEW YORK, U.S.A., 1989 JUL 13 (NB) -- Computer
Associates International has denied persistent rumors about changes
in its sales force and management team.

Computer Associates President Anthony W. Wang called the rumors
irresponsible, saying they have "a destructive impact on innocent
investors."

(John McCormick/19890713/Press Contact: Deborah Coughlin,
516-227-3300)


(NEWS)(BUSINESS)(WAS)(00006)

XEROX BUYS OWN SHARES
STAMFORD, CONNECTICUT, U.S.A., 1989 JUL 10 (NB) -- Xerox Corp.'s
board of directors has authorized the repurchase of about eleven
million shares of the company's own common stock in conjunction
with a leveraged employee stock ownership plan or ESOP.

The move was reportedly made to increase the value of the company
to its stockholders and employees, with the ESOP giving about
57,000 employees a personal stake in the company and thereby
encouraging them to help strengthen the company.

Xerox will issue $785 million of a new Xerox series B convertible
preferred stock to raise the money for the purchase of common
stock.

The board of directors also declared a dividend of 75 cents a
share on the company's common stock payable Oct 1. to shareholders
of record Sept. 1, making the 167th consecutive quarterly
disbursement declared by the company.

(John McCormick/19890712)


(NEWS)(BUSINESS)(ATL)(00007)

AUTOMATION OF CHILEAN BANKING
BOCA ROTAN, FLORIDA, U.S.A., 1989 JUL 11 (NB) -- IBM lost
another Third World banking contract as Unisys won the contract
to automate 80 branches of the Banco Osorno in Santiago, Chile,
that country's #3 bank. The new computers will be able to, among
other things, verify signatures. Tellers and managers will all
get new Unisys terminals in the deal, replacing an old IBM
mainframe.

(Dana Blankenhorn/19890714/Press Contact: Steven L. Lubetkin,
Unisys, 215-542-2240)


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

JAPAN: YHP AND APOLLO MERGE
TOKYO, JAPAN, 1989 JUL 6 (NB) -- Yokogawa Hewlett-Packard (YHP)
has officially announced that it will absorb Apollo Computer Japan
on the first of November this year. The move follows similar actions
in the U.S. by parent company Hewlett-Packard, which merged with
Apollo Computer. Apollo's sales force will remain in the firm's
business office here but its customer support and management will
shift to YHP.

With the acquisition of Apollo Computer Japan, "YHP will lead
the Japanese workstation market in unit sales and income,"
Kenzo Sasaoka, president of YHP said.

(Ken Takahashi/19890713)


(NEWS)(BUSINESS)(LON)(00009)

HM SYSTEMS IN SCANDINAVIA
KARLSTAD, SWEDEN, 1989 JUL 14 (NB) - HM Systems, the compact PC
specialist, has secured a Scandinavian distribution deal with AC
System of Sweden. The two companies plan to set up a joint
company in future -- the first such initiative for the HM Systems'
Workstation range of PCs.

AC System has been distributing HM Systems' multiuser computer
system, the Minstrel 4, in Sweden for five years. The Swedish
company will market the Workstation series of small footprint PCs
in Sweden and Norway initially, before expanding to cover the
whole of Scandinavia.

"This is the first and significant step towards building a firm
international footing for us," said Tony Harris, managing
director of HM Systems. "The results of our pilot advertising
campaign in Sweden, and our joint venture with AC, prove that a
quality British product, set at a competitive price, has wide
international appeal," he added.

(Steve Gold/19890714/Press Contact: Tony Harris, managing
director, HM Systems - Tel: [phone])


(NEWS)(BUSINESS)(LON)(00010)

OLIVETTI'S $350M DUTCH DEAL
IVREA, ITALY, 1989 JUL 14 (NB) -- Olivetti has signed a major
deal with Rabobank Nederland, the Dutch cooperative bank. The
deal is worth DG 750 million (about $350 million).

The deal call calls for Olivetti to supply and install 2,000
Olivetti LSX 3000 minicomputers, 25,000 PC workstations, local
area networks, and associated software. In addition, Olivetti
Nederland will supply consultancy, project management and
software development resources to Rabobank, with on-site
maintenance as required.

Carlo De Benedetti, Olivetti's chairman, said the Rabobank deal
is Olivetti's largest ever supply contract, as well as being the
biggest contract ever awarded to a computer manufacturer in
banking automation,

(Steve Gold/19890714)


(NEWS)(BUSINESS)(SYD)(00011)

IMAGINEERING LOSES TWO
SYDNEY, AUSTRALIA, 1989 JUL 10 (NB) -- Troubled distributor
Imagineering has lost more product lines -- This time its long-term
partner Software Publishing Company, publisher of popular Harvard and
PFS lines. SPC was reportedly Imagineering's first PC product. As has
happened before, the distributorship has gone to Australian Softsel
subsidiary, MicroAustralia.

Also going to MicroAustralia, from Imagineering's subsidiary Tech Pacific,
is Ashton-Tate's Framework Master graphics series and Draw Applause
(though dBASE and Multimate still remain with Imagineering). As support
for these products will be taken on board by Ashton-Tate in Australia,
observers believe that the day is drawing closer when Ashton-Tate will
use subdistributors for all products, doing its own importing and tech
support. They also believe that Lotus (also currently with Imagineering)
can't be far behind.

(Paul Zucker/19890714)


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

STM, SUNGUARD DEAL
MARKHAM, ONTARIO, CANADA, 1989 JUN 26 (NB) -- STM Systems Corp.
has signed an agreement with SunGuard Recovery Services of Wayne,
Pa., allowing a new unit of STM to use the SunGuard name and
trademark. STM is launching a disaster recovering services unit,
which sell set up a computer hot site in the Toronto area. The
hot site will contain an IBM mainframe computer and
communications lines, and will be available to customers as a
backup to their own computer centers. STM will also act as a
licensee for other SunGuard disaster recovery services, PC-based
disaster recovery software and off-site data storage services.
STM Systems is a subsidiary of International Semi-Tech
Microelectronics, also of Markham, Ontario.

(Grant Buckler/19890714/Press Contact: Michael List,
International Semi-Tech Microelectronics, 416-475-2670)


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

BEDFORD SALE COMPLETED
BURNABY, BRITISH COLUMBIA, CANADA, 1989 JUL 10 (NB) -- Bedford
Software has completed the sale of the company's accounting
software business and related assets to Computer Associates, and
has changed its name to Stratford Software Corp.

On July 4, shareholders of Bedford approved the sale, and the name
change. Stratford Software will continue to be traded on the Toronto
Stock Exchange, and will proceed with development of Suzy, an
online information product. The accounting software business was
sold for C$15.65 million plus assumption of certain related
liabilities.

(Grant Buckler/19890710/Press Contact: Terry McDonald, Stratford
Software, 604-294-1311)


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

SEMI-TECH OFFERING
MARKHAM, ONTARIO, CANADA, 1989 JUL 10 (NB) -- International Semi-
Tech Microelectronics said its Far East subsidiary, Semi-Tech
Microelectronics (Far East), will raise about C$60 million by
offering 870 million new shares. Semi-Tech Far East will use some
of the proceeds to repay an advance from its parent company, used
to acquire SSMC Inc. of Shelton, Conn., earlier this year. Semi-
Tech Microelectronics (Far East) is listed on the Hong Kong Stock
Exchange.

(Grant Buckler/19890710/Press Contact: Michael List,
International Semi-Tech, 416-475-2670)


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

RESERVATION SYSTEM DEAL
TORONTO, ONTARIO, CANADA, 1989 JUN 29 (NB) -- The Gemini Group
Automated Distribution Systems has signed an exclusive Canadian
distribution agreement with COVIA, operator of the Apollo
computerized airline reservation system. Gemini is a partnership
of PWA Inc., operator of Canadian Airlines International and
Wardair, and Air Canada. COVIA is half owned by United Airlines,
with five other carriers owning the balance.

The agreement, which gives Gemini exclusive rights in Canada to
the Apollo CRS, follows a memorandum of understanding signed in
March, which provided for the Gemini reservation system to become
a part of COVIA's international network.

(Grant Buckler/19890714/Press Contact: Richard Wertheim, Burson-
Marsteller, 416-964-8300)


(NEWS)(BUSINESS)(SIN)(00016)

EX-MINISTER HEADS THAI FIRM
BANGKOK, THAILAND, 1989 JUL 10 (NB) -- A new computer company here,
Thai Standard Solution (TSS), launched last month, has former Thai
Deputy Prime Minister Boonchu Rojanasathian as chairman, according to
Asia Computer Weekly.

TSS will cover four business areas of selling microcomputers,
consultancy, training and maintenance, according to its managing
director, Sanit Sakseri. It will market the ALR networking system and
range of microcomputers from the 80286 to 80386 groups, with cache
memory of 20, 25 and 33 MHz.

The company also plans to offer maintenance services for
microcomputers not belonging to the ALR range which already are
automatically covered. These other types may have been bought from
abroad without local warranty, or if the local representatives provide
unsatisfactory services.

TSS also aims to provide a consultancy service to help businesses
acquire suitable systems.

(Michael Worsley & S.Roowi/19890712)


(NEWS)(BUSINESS)(KUL)(00017)

NIXDORF GETS HOTEL ORDER
SEOUL, KOREA, 1989 JUL 7 (NB) -- Nixdorf Computer has received
an order for a DM 240,000 system from the Seokyo Hotel here, and
will start installing the system later in the month.

Henry Cook, general manager of Nixdorf Computer Ltd. in South Korea,
reportedly says that his company has already won three major hotel
systems contracts in Seoul in the past year. The first was for a fully
integrated system at the 394-room Garden Hotel, based on Nixdorf's
8862/50 supermicrocomputer hardware, which cost DM 500,000.

"Nixdorf's proprietary Rio and Garcon software was installed for front
office and restaurant management functions and a Korean language
payroll, accounting and goods management solutions installed in the
back office," said Cook.

(Michael Worsley & S.Roowi/19890714)


(NEWS)(BUSINESS)(KUL)(00018)

CC:MAIL SIGNS ACER TO DISTRIBUTE
TAIPEI, TAIWAN, 1989 JUL 10 (NB) -- cc:Mail Incorporated has
appointed Acer of Taiwan as its worldwide distributor for its
electronic mail (e-mail) software for PC-based local area networks
(LAN).

Under the agreement, Acer will market collectively three cc:Mail
packages, namely, the LAN Package, Expand and Gateway with its PC1100
series, LAN servers, NetWares and network products.

Prior to signing up with cc:Mail, Acer signed development or
distribution agreements with networking companies like Brightwork
Development, DMA, FTP Software and Novell.

(Michael Worsley & S.Roowi/19890714)


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

SINGAPORE'S NEW JAPANESE RESIDENTS
SINGAPORE, S.E. ASIA, 1989 JUL 6 (NB) -- Singapore's favorable
economics have attracted yet another major Japanese firm to set up
shop here. Imao Fa systems, a Japanese industrial automation company,
has chosen to set up its first overseas subsidiary in Singapore.

The subsidiary will act as Imao's marketing base for Asia in addition
to its design and assembly of automation equipment. It will be
distributing this kind of equipment to countries like Malaysia,
Indonesia, South Korea and Taiwan. It will also be the company's
regional technical support centre for the design and customization of
computer-aided design (CAD) software for the region.

Leong Cheng Chit, director of automation at the Economic Development
Board (EDB), said at the opening of Imao's new facilities that the
move will "enhance the supporting infrastructure for the automation
industry of Singapore."

Commenting that the success of Singapore's automation promotion drive
depended not only on the availability of automation expertise but also
to a large extent on a strong automation component industry, he said,
"This project is most timely as it will meet the growing need for
automation in the manufacturing sector."

(Michael Worsley & S.Roowi/19890710/Press Contact: Leong Cheng
Chit, Economic Development Board, Ph: (65) 336.2288)


(NEWS)(GENERAL)(SFO)(00001)

30,000 CD-ROM PAGES FOR $5K
SCOTTS VALLEY, CALIFORNIA, U.S.A., 1989 JUL 14 (NB) -- Hoping to make it
easy for corporations and organizations to get involved in CD-ROM
publishing, Meridian Data is offering a complete package which takes
you from hardware to software to finished product, for $4,995.

The CD Excellerator Program consists of a CD-ROM drive, Microsoft
Extensions Software, license for CD-ROM Publishing Software from
Dataware, CD-ROM Publishing Training, and production of a physical
CD-ROM with 30,000 pages of a customer's data.

The idea is to simplify a process a lot of corporations want to
accomplish. "A recent independent survey indicated that more than
90 percent of the Fortune 500 are evaluating CD-ROM yet not even 20
of these companies have actually produced a CD-ROM," says Fred
Meyer, Meridian's president. The reason is cost, he says. A prototype
disk can run as high as $50,000, says Meyer.

The Meridian Data approach is supposed to be able to create a disk
in as little as a week, a process which used to take months. Training
takes place either at Meridian's Scotts Valley office or one in Reston,
Virginia.

"By eliminating the monetary risk, anyone can test the commercial
viability of a CD-ROM idea," he exclaims.

(Wendy Woods/19890714/Press Contact: Brenda Kennedy, Meridian, 408-
438-3100)


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

IMSI SEEKS ACQUISITIONS
SAUSALITO, CALIFORNIA, U.S.A., 1989 JUL 14 (NB) -- IMSI, otherwise
known as International Microcomputer Software Inc., is on the prowl
for investment opportunities in other high-tech companies, according
to Robert Coleman, the man it's hired to review and evaluate potential
candidates.

Via his firm Master Plan Strategies of Sausalito, Coleman says, "IMSI
is looking for companies with an established revenue stream seeking expansion
capital or a merger partner." The potential candidates
could be hardware, software, or distribution firms and the company
would participate in "either an active or hands-off role."

(Wendy Woods/19890714/Press Contact: Coleman at 415-331-3836)


(EXCLUSIVE)(GENERAL)(WAS)(00003)

DISABLED TECH PUB ANNIVERSARY
STERLING, VIRGINIA, U.S.A., 1989 JUL 12 (NB) -- SAINT, the
newsletter of Special And Individual Needs Technology, marked the
beginning of its second year of publication with a new publisher.

John Williams, an authority on the use of technology to assist
those individuals with special needs, has taken over publication
and continues his editorial duties for the publication.

SAINT is a monthly publication covering the latest developments
in high technology that can be applied to help disabled people in
both business and their personal lives.

With more than 5,000 subscribers worldwide, SAINT provides an
information service both for the disabled and for corporations,
businesses, and governments which wish to be more responsive to
those with special needs.

The latest issue covers the signing-glove developed at Stanford
University, a glove with built-in sensors that let people
communicate using Universal Sign Language and text created on a
computer screen. One use is to allow the deaf or speaking
impaired individual to sign -- that is, continue to communicate
in a normal fashion -- while the computer-linked glove translates
the motions into text that a non-sign-literate individual can
read.

Individuals can subscribe to SAINT for $20 in the U.S. or $30
overseas, and corporate subscriptions are $150. For further
information about SAINT, write SAINT Inc., 21515 Ridgetop Circle,
Suite 200, Sterling, Va., U.S.A. 22170 or phone [phone].

(John McCormick/19890712)


(NEWS)(GENERAL)(WAS)(00004)

COMPUTER LIBRARY UPGRADE
NEW YORK, NEW YORK, U.S.A., 1989 JUL 13 (NB) -- With the May
issue, Ziff Communication's Computer Library CD-ROM has added
more publications and improved search and retrieval software.

Computer Library is a monthly CD-ROM publication containing the
full text of the past year's issues of 12 computer-related
publications and abstracts of stories from over 100 more. The
search software allows users to locate any story or information
containing a reference to a given topic. Searches can be narrowed
using standard Boolean search techniques and can be further
limited by searching only specified domains previously searched,
such as a domain containing only one publication, one writer's
works, or one set of key words.

Full text publications include: A+, Communications of the ACM,
Digital Review, Government Computer News, Lotus Magazine,
MacUser, MacWeek, Microsoft Systems Journal, PC-Computing, PC
Magazine, and PC Week.

The new format includes many more attachments, or hidden files
that are not displayed as text but can be downloaded from the
disc. These files include programs and source code as well as
Lotus-format spreadsheets containing buyers' guide charts.

The new software allows attachments to be viewed and printed as
well as downloaded and also permits users to access the database
more directly from the menu.

Computer Library is published by Ziff Communications, One Park
Ave., New York, New York 10016, and sells for $695 + $25 shipping
for a one-year (12 disc) subscription. Computer Library is ISO
9660 compatible, meaning that it will run on CD-ROM players using
the Microsoft CD-ROM extensions.

(John McCormick/19890713/Press Contact: Anne Marie Dowing, Hill
and Knowlton, 617-642-5951)


(NEWS)(GENERAL)(WAS)(00005)

5TH ANNUAL SPA CONFERENCE
WASHINGTON, D.C., U.S.A., 1989 JUL 10 (NB) -- The Le Centre
Sheraton in Montreal, Canada, has been chosen as the site for the
fifth annual Software Publishers' Association Conference.

Keynote speakers will include William V. Campbell, President,
Claris Corp; Jim Dezell, Corporate VP, IBM; Chip Lacey, President
of Ingram MicroD; and the Chairman of Commodore Business
Machines, Irving Gould.

The conference, entitled "A World of Information," is the first
held outside the U.S., and the SPA expects to have more than 800
industry representatives. Specific sessions will cover the
Canadian Free Trade Agreement, Europe 1992, as well as specific
software sales markets in France, West Germany, Great Britain,
Scandinavia, and Japan.

The SPA has more than 500 members and is the largest trade group
in the microcomputer industry. Those interested in attending the
conference should call the SPA at 202-452-1600. Registration fees
range from $495 to $900 for various categories of attendees.

(John McCormick/19890712/Press Contact: Jodi Pollock, 202-452-
1600)


(NEWS)(GENERAL)(WAS)(00006)

MAXELL DISK PROMOTION
FAIR LAWN, NEW JERSEY, U.S.A., 1989 JUL 13 (NB) -- Maxell
Corporation of America, a leading magnetic media manufacturer and
distributor, has announced a summer promotion deal where
customers who purchase specially marked floppy disk boxes will
also receive a free UDII-90 audio cassette.

(John McCormick/19890713/Press Contact: Len Abbazia, 800-223-
2121)


(NEWS)(GENERAL)(ATL)(00007)

INFORUM LAUNCHES REGIONAL SHOW
ATLANTA, GEORGIA, U.S.A., 1989 JUL 10 (NB) -- Two months after
the Citex end-user show failed miserably to attract a profitable
following to the Georgia World Congress Center, the Inforum trade
center announced its own version of the event, called the
Business Office Systems Solutions Exposition & Conference, or
BOSSEC.

BOSSEC will be held entirely within the Inforum trade market, now
scheduled for opening this fall. The Inforum is connected to the gift, rug,
and apparel wings of the Atlanta Market Center of John Portman, and
will compete with Dallas' Infomart as a high-tech market. Key to its
strategy is a regional focus, so success with a broad-based business
show like BOSSEC is important. As with Infomart, Inforum will be
charged with bringing as many major vendors as possible to the show,
in booths if not showrooms, and persuading business PC users to send
their top people to its facilities.

(Dana Blankenhorn/19890714)


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

ALPHA MICRO TAKES LAW INTO OWN HANDS
SANTA ANA, CALIFORNIA, U.S.A., 1989 JUL 11 (NB) -- Alpha
Microsystems has formed a five member task force to improve
computer and automation systems for law offices.

This panel of experts will act as a conduit between the company
(makers of both hardware and software) and law firms.

(Janet Endrijonas/19890712)


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

AST LOWERS DISK PRICES
IRVINE, CALIFORNIA, U.S.A., 1989 JUL 7 (NB) -- AST Research has
reduced the prices on its hard disk systems.

The company has also reduced the prices for hard disk upgrades.
Jim Ashbrook, senior vice president of marketing has indicated
that the price reductions are another effort by AST to provide
customers with high quality and performance at prices that lead
the industry.

(Janet Endrijonas/19890712/Press Contact: Deborah Paquin, AST
Research, 714-756-4984)


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

BTRON SOLD TO SIX FIRMS
TOKYO, JAPAN, 1989 JUL 6 (NB) -- Latest reports indicate that
Matsushita Electric Industries sold the business version of the TRON
(BTRON) operating system (OS) to six large Japanese computer makers
between the end of 1988 and this spring. According to industrial
sources, Toshiba, Sanyo, NEC, Mitsubishi Electric, Sharp, and Oki Electric
Industries purchased the BTRON OS.

An NEC spokesman confirmed his firm's part in the report, but downplays
its significance. "We bought BTRON from Matsushita, only because
we needed to make a prototype education computer based on what NEC
calls "Multi OS" which can switch between MS-DOS and BTRON."

Only Matsushita proposed BTRON to the Center of Education Computer
to adopt it as a standard OS for Japanese education computers
two years ago. NEC had stayed with MS-DOS, because in those days
most academic people used MS-DOS-based computers, and NEC
scorned Matsushita's adoption of BTRON, which was then untested
as a standard OS for education computers.

(Ken Takahashi/19890713)


(NEWS)(GENERAL)(TYO)(00011)

NCUBES TO JAPAN
TOKYO, JAPAN, 1989 JUL 7 (NB) -- Sumitomo Electronic Systems will
be the official marketing vehicle in Japan for the U.S.-made Ncube,
believed to be the fastest computer system in the world. The
modular, massively parallel supercomputer uses 32 to 8,192 processors
operating simultaneously to execute 60 million instructions per second
and 27 billion scalar floating point operations per second -- nine
times the speed of a top-of-the-line Cray Y-MP. The smallest
configuration of the processors performs at 480 MIPS, 24 mega FLOPS
with 64 central processing units. The price for the smallest
configuration is 110 million yen or $785,700.

The machine, designed by Ncube and manufactured by Hewlett-Packard,
runs an original operating system called Vertex, and works as
a host computer connected with Sun Microsystems workstations.

The company is developing system software to enable the machine to
run Unix System V by next year. Sumitomo Electronic Systems
will start shipments in November.

(Naoyuki Yazawa/19890713)


(NEWS)(GENERAL)(LON)(00012)

COMMODORE SPONSORS MAGAZINE
MAIDENHEAD, ENGLAND, 1989 JUL 14 (NB) -- Commodore UK has
announced it is sponsoring Free Kick, a new weekly football
magazine. The magazine will be circulated at football matches
throughout the U.K., with an initial print run of 80,000 issues a
week.

Commodore is sponsoring the weekly ranking section in the
magazine - the Commodore computer rankings. All available data on
football players will be compiled weekly and produce a table of
the best players in the U.K. The player with the top score each
month will be given a computer by Commodore for donation to the
school or charity of their choice.

Announcing the sponsorship deal, Steve Franklin, Commodore's
managing director, said: "We're very happy to be producing the
player ratings for a project as exciting and rewarding as Free
Kick. We're already supporting British football through our
association with Chelsea, so it was a natural step for use to
become involved."

(Steve Gold/19890714/Press Contact: Steve Fenerty, Spire
Communications - Tel: [phone])


(NEWS)(GENERAL)(LON)(00013)

UK: AMSTRAD SHOW NOV 24
LONDON, ENGLAND, 1989 JUL 14 (NB) -- Amstrad has announced it is
joining the line-up for the Computer Shopper Show, which takes
place on the 24-26 November this year at Alexandra Palace in
London.

The show, which is being organized by Database Exhibitions,
has more than 200 stands, and expects to draw at least 30,000
visitors. According to Chris Anstey, Amstrad's marketing manager,
the show is on target to be a success.

"I'm very confident about the success of the this show. It's
perfectly timed right at the start of the peak buying period. As
such, it is an excellent vehicle for the seasonal domestic
market," he enthused.

(Steve Gold/19890714/Press Contact: Mike Cowley, Cape Cowley
Associates - Tel: [phone])


(NEWS)(GENERAL)(LON)(00014)

UK LOTUS 1-2-3 SEMINAR
LONDON, ENGLAND, 1989 JUL 14 (NB) -- IDG Expo has organized the
first U.K. seminar on Lotus 1-2-3 Release 3.0, which began
shipping on both sides of the Atlantic at the end of last month.
The seminar - 'Release 3: The promise and the reality' - is aimed
at helping users of 1-2-3 choose between moving up to 1-2-3
Release 2.2 or 3.0 versions.

Lotus U.K. is sponsoring the one day event, which costs UKP 235.
Members of the Lotus User Group may attend for UKP 210. The
seminar will be held at the city conference centre in London, on
25 July, 1989.

(Steve Gold/19890714/Press & Public Contact: Claire Peiser,
Quadrilect - Tel: [phone])


(NEWS)(GENERAL)(SYD)(00015)

MORE DP STAFF SHORTAGES
SYDNEY, AUSTRALIA, 1989 JUL 10 (NB) -- Many Australian organizations
planning new dp projects over the next two years are likely to be severely
hampered by a lack of skilled staff. This is the finding by high-tech
specialists Compass Research in a report for MIS Managers on projected
computer staff demand and supply.

The report shows that while more than 70 percent of Australian
organizations plan to embark on new computer projects within the
next two years, the past two have seen an average shortfall in skilled
staff of at least five people per organization, Australia-wide. "Last year,
organizations had to increase their staff to accommodate new projects
by 36 percent over 1987 levels," Jennifer Adelstein, MD of Compass said.
"If further new projects are to be supported during 1989, MIS management
believes staff will need to increase by at least the same amount.

The survey found shortfalls were most severe in nine different job
categories, the worst affected areas being data processing and systems
management, systems analysis, data input and operating systems
specialists. The report also compared the average proportion of existing
dp function in organizations with budgeted or approved proportions,
revealing there was currently a very different make-up of skills in
Australian dp departments than was desired.

"The problems are exacerbated by the ways in which dp staff are presently
deployed," Adelstein said. "Our research shows a recent trend away from
applications software support by software houses. "We believe that
almost 58 percent of organizations today support their own applications
software, up from 50 percent in 1988." The report found there was an
evolving pattern of internalising both software development and
continuing support.

(Paul Zucker/19890714)


(NEWS)(GENERAL)(TOR)(00016)

NETRON VP HONORED
TORONTO, ONTARIO, CANADA, 1989 JUN 26 (NB) -- The Canadian
Information Processing Society (CIPS) has given its 1989 Canadian
Information Technology Innovation Award to Paul Bassett, vice-
president of research at Toronto-based Netron.

Bassett was honored for his development of Bassett Frame Technology,
which Netron describes as "the first effective computer software
architecture for building software from reusable parts." Bassett
Frame Technology is the basis of Netron CAP, the company's
application development product for a variety of hardware
platforms including the IBM PC.

(Grant Buckler/19890714/Press Contact: Bill Daverne, Netron, 416-
636-8333)


(NEWS)(GENERAL)(TOR)(00017)

TAXI AUTOMATION FROM GANDALF
OTTAWA, ONTARIO, CANADA, 1989 JUN 29 (NB) -- The largest taxi co-
operative in the United States is installing a Cabmate computerized taxi
 dispatching system from Gandalf Systems Group. United Cab Association
in Philadelphia will spend about US$1.9 million to mount dashboard
terminals in 725 of its cabs.

The system allows a dispatcher sitting at a computer terminal to
enter cab calls. The system automatically passes the call to the
next available cab in the appropriate zone, where the driver
acknowledges it via the dashboard terminal.

Four other Cabmate installations are in progress in Canada and
the United States, Gandalf said, and when these are complete a
total of 20 of the systems will be operating in 18 North American
cities.

(Grant Buckler/19890713/Press Contact: Janice Drummond or
Alastair Davie, Gandalf Systems Group, 613-564-0183)


(NEWS)(GENERAL)(SIN)(00018)

SINGAPORE: SECURITY MEET SLATED
SINGAPORE, S.E. ASIA, 1989 JUL 4 (NB) -- Sica Computer Consultants
of the U.K. is holding a computer audit seminar here from August 21
to 25. The seminar is aimed at organizations which are concerned with
the security, integrity and confidentiality of computer-held data.

Presenters are U.K.-based and have extensive international experience in
computer auditing and consultancy with large multinational companies
over the last 10 years. They have also run courses around the world,
sometimes in other languages besides English.

Basic fees of #975 and group fees of #900 are payable in advance in
pound sterling.

(Michael Worsley & S.Roowi/19890710/Press Contact: Sica Computer
Consultants, Suite 17, City Business Centre, Lower Road, London SE16
1AA, Ph: (44) 1-252.3487, Tx: 893911 SEARCH G, Fx: 44-1-252.3096)


(NEWS)(GENERAL)(SIN)(00019)

SINGAPORE: INSURANCE SOFTWARE
SINGAPORE, S.E.ASIA, 1989 JUL 10 (NB) -- A software package that will
increase the productivity of general insurance companies has been
developed by local company SingRe Information Technology, an
associated company of the Singapore Reinsurance Corporation Ltd,
according to the Straits Times.

Named Poise (Professional On-line Insurance System), the package is
claimed to be able to ease the large volume of paperwork associated
with general insurance companies.

SingRe reportedly took seven months to develop Poise, which comprises
of various modules automating form-filling and calculation of premiums
for all types of general insurance.

According to Winnie Tay, SingRe's systems manager, any data changed in
one module will be automatically reflected in other modules related to
that particular case. She claimed that because Poise is written in a
very structured 4th GL language called Powerhouse, there are no
complications when amendments have to be made.

Poise is said to run on Hewlett-Packard, Digital Equipment Corporation
and Data General minicomputer systems and a complete package costs
S$180,000 (US$99,000), with modules on claims, accounting and others
available as separate purchases. The package can be customized to run
much more cheaply on a personal computer, but the price would depend
on the hardware and the software required to meet the customer's
volume of business, according to Tay.

(Michael Worsley & S.Roowi/19890714)


(NEWS)(GENERAL)(KUL)(00020)

HONG KONG POLICE COMPUTERIZE
HONG KONG, ASIA, 1989 JUL 7 (NB) -- Hong Kong's crime-fighting
departments are using more efficient forms of recording data with
software supplied by the SAS Institute, according to a report in
Computerworld.

Two SAS software modules control the government's Integrated Law and
Order Statistical System (ILOSS), which was developed for the security
branch by the Government Data Processing Agency (GDPA).

"ILOSS records data on offences, offenders and their progress through
the criminal justice system," said SM Yip, project manager with the
GDPA Euphemia, when describing some of the different functions of
the software.

The software runs on a DEC VAX 6210 with a 3G-byte hard disk and is
interfaced with the Oracle database system. ILOSS produces reports for
use in policy planning by several departments such as the police,
judiciary, correctional services and social welfare departments. It can
be used to plot crime trends and generate monthly fixed format reports
for the police brief to the Executive Council.

(Michael Worsley & S.Roowi/19890714)


(NEWS)(GENERAL)(KUL)(00021)

CONFLICTING PROJECTIONS FOR THAILAND
BANGKOK, THAILAND, 1989 JUL 10 (NB) -- Two conflicting reports on the
likely outlook for the electronics industry in Thailand have recently
been circulated here.

Daniel Heyler, Dataquest analyst, was reported as claiming an
Asian Electronics Conference in San Jose, California, that Thailand is
on the verge of becoming the next Asian powerhouse of the electronics
industry. However, perhaps he has the benefit of being so far from the
site of his subject that he can see things that those right on the
ground overlook.

For in contrast, Jack Hu, managing director of Sahavirua OA Group,
feels that production of the first Thai computer hardware could begin
in around 3-5 years time, provided that Japanese, South Korean and
Taiwanese firms relocate a substantial part of the computer industry
to Thailand. However, he believes there is little likelihood that this
will in fact take place.

Dr. Kanchit Malaiwong, another independent local expert, strongly
believes that other countries in this region have progressed so far in
the field of electronics and computers, that Thailand would find it
extremely difficult to catch up. By the time they had gained the
experience and skills to manufacture most products, it is likely that
they would already be obsolete!

In particular, because the essential supporting industries such as
plastic molding and circuit board manufacture are almost non-existent
in Thailand, for the foreseeable future, most of such components will
have to be imported for use in any local products.

Newsbytes concludes that perhaps once again, there is no real
alternative but to carefully research a particular area of interest
right on the site of any possible development before it is safe to
form a realistic conclusion.

(Michael Worsley/19890714)


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

SINGAPORE ATTRACTS MOST INVESTMENT
SINGAPORE, S.E. ASIA, 1989 JUL 6 (NB) -- The latest World
Competitiveness Report 1989 showed that Singapore has ousted
Hong Kong as the most competitive country among a group of 10 newly
industrializing economies (NIEs).

The report (the ninth), jointly produced by two prestigious Swiss
business organizations, Lausanne-based International Management
Development Institute (IMEDE) and Geneva-based World Economic Forum,
compared Brazil, Hong Kong, India, Indonesia, Malaysia, Mexico,
Singapore, South Korea, Taiwan and Thailand.

Singapore's main success factors were cited as political stability, an
aggressive policy of attracting foreign investment and having one of
the world's "best-motivated and highly-skilled labour forces."

Hong Kong came a close second, followed by Taiwan.

(Michael Worsley & S.Roowi/19890710)


(NEWS)(GOVT)(WAS)(00001)

DATAWARE WINS DOD CONTRACT
WASHINGTON, D.C., U.S.A., 1989 JUL 6 (NB) -- Dataware Technologies
has received a contract from the U.S. Department of Defense
to transfer the Hazardous Materials Information System to
CD-ROM.

The HMIS is a database consisting of safety data sheets covering
the hazardous materials DOD contractors are required to keep in
their workplace.

Under the contract which runs through February of 1990, Dataware
will supply a minimum of 2,679 CD-ROM discs containing the HMIS
data and Dataware's CD Answer search and retrieval software. The
HMIS database will be updated every three months and orders for
updates may increase the total number of discs to 11,000.

Richard Holland, the head of Dataware's federal office in
Arlington, Virginia, stated, "This isn't the largest order we've
ever had in terms of dollars, but it is the largest in terms of
the number of discs."

(John McCormick/19890712/Press Contact: Kathleen M. Hunter, 617-
621-0820)


(NEWS)(GOVT)(WAS)(00002)

COPYRIGHT COMPLAINTS IN CONGRESS
WASHINGTON, D.C., U.S.A., 1989 JUL 13 (NB) -- If a state or federal
department copies software illegally, they can basically get away
with it. That's what was on the mind of BV Engineering Professional
Software President Bert van den Berg, when he testified before the
House Judiciary Committee Subcommittee on Courts, Intellectual
Property and the Administration of Justice last week.

Mr. van den Berg represented both the Software Publishers
Association (SPA) and Association of Data Processing Service
Organization (ADAPSO) in his testimony supporting the Copyright
Clarification Act of 1989 (H.R. 1131) which would make states
liable for damages in copyright infringement cases.

The new copyright bill was prompted by a United States Supreme
Court decision that let stand a Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals
dismissal of a suit brought by BV Engineering against the
University of California at Los Angeles (UCLA). In the suit, BV
Engineering contended that UCLA had violated the company's
copyrights by making unauthorized copies of its software.

The courts had dismissed the case on the grounds that the 11th
amendment to the U.S. Constitution prohibits states being sued in
federal courts. This action made it clear to the industry that
only congressional action would provide needed protection.

H.R. 1131 (the designation for House of Representatives pending
legislation) is cosponsored by Rep. Robert Kastenmeier (Democrat
from Wisconsin) and Rep. Carlos Moorhead (Republican from
California), indicating bi-partisan support for the bill.

In other ADAPSO-related news, Louanne James has replaced George
T. DeBakey, who resigned last April, as ADAPSO's executive
director. Louanne James is the former executive director of
ADAPSO Foundation, a non-profit foundation endeavoring to bring
advantages of technology to the handicapped. Ms. James is a long-
standing member of ADAPSO.

(John McCormick/19890713/Press Contact: Jodi Pollock, SPA, 202-
452-1600, or Frances Ianacone, ADAPSO, 703-522-5055)


(NEWS)(GOVT)(WAS)(00003)

FED CONVENTION FEATURES ROACH
WASHINGTON, D.C., U.S.A., 1989 JUL 13 (NB) -- John Roach,
president, CEO, and chairman of the board for Tandy Corporation,
will be the keynote speaker at this year's Fed Micro '89 microcomputer
conference and exposition, the annual event where the computer
industry convenes what is probably its most lucrative market.

The exposition, which will include demonstrations by more than
250 exhibitors, is sponsored by National Trade Productions, Inc.
and will take place on September 6 and 7 at the Washington, D.C.
Convention Center.

Attendance is limited to press, government, and business
professionals and is free but you must register. Call 800-638-
8510 or 703-683-8500 for further information.

(John McCormick/19890713)


(NEWS)(GOVT)(WAS)(00004)

SOVIET FACILITY NO THREAT
WASHINGTON, D.C., U.S.A., 1989 JUL 13 (NB) -- A group of
American scientists said today that the rumored anti-satellite
research said to be conducted at the Soviet Sary Shagan Missile
Test Center poses no threat.

Frank von Hippel of Princeton University said that lasers were
far from powerful enough to pose a threat to satellites, contrary
to U.S. intelligence sources, and described the mainframe
computer at the site as "a museum piece," about as powerful as
today's laptop computers.

The tour of the Soviet Union's Sary Shagan laser research
facility, the first including American scientists, was arranged
by the Washington-based Natural Resources Defense Council,
included Von Hippel, Tom Cochran, senior staff physicist of the
Council, and an aide to Senator Edward Kennedy.

Von Hippel noted that U.S. Intelligence sources say that there
are at least a half-dozen anti-missile and anti-satellite
research centers in the U.S.S.R. and the delegation only visited
Sary Shagan.

Since any anti-satellite or Star Wars type of defense will
require extremely powerful computers and software, something that
many industry observers contend even the U.S. lacks, the state of
the Soviet's computer systems is of vital interest in many
countries.

(John McCormick/19890713)


(NEWS)(GOVT)(BRU)(00005)

EC INTROS CD TARIFFS
BRUSSELS, BELGIUM, 1989 JUL 13 (NB) -- The European Commission,
the regulatory body of the European Community (EC), has imposed
import tariffs of between 6.5 percent and 40 percent on compact
disk (CD) players originating from Japan and Korea. The action
comes as a result of a complaint by several CD producers within
the EC, notably Bang & Olufsen (B&O), Grundig and Philips.

The EC spent two years examining the charges brought by the EC
manufacturers and agreed their complaint that the Far Eastern
suppliers were effectively dumping product in Europe at low
prices was true. As a result, the duties, which must be ratified by the
individual ministers of the EC, will take effect within three
months.

Europe makes substantial imports of CD players from the Far East,
with sales of the machines having increase 24 times since Sony
and Philips announced the CD system in 1984. Industry experts
predict there will be more than four million CD players imported
into the EC this year, the bulk of which originate from the Far
East.

The biggest loser from Japan is Matsushita with 34 percent duties
imposed, whilst the CD products of the Korean Goldstar
Corporation, which markets its products under various names in
the EC, received a 23 percent levy.

(Peter Vekinis/19890715)


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

2.5% LEVY ANGERS AUSTRALIA
CANBERRA, AUSTRALIA, 1989 JUL 10 (NB) --The Australian computer
industry is fuming over a levy on supplies of equipment to Federal
Government departments, which it claims penalizes dealers who have
discounted their prices. The levy, to be placed on new contracts or the
renewal of existing ones, is expected to be imposed in October. The levy is
expected to be a 2.5 percent increase on contract price arrangements.

Despite moves by the Australian Information Industry Association (AIIA)
to block the move, the Department of Administrative Services (DAS), the
Government's purchasing arm, is determined to effect the levy. "It is a
fait accompli," said Peter Grills, assistant general manager, Client
Services, DAS. "We will be having future discussions with the AIIA when
we will be considering suggested alternatives I understand they want to
put forward. But what we are looking at here is the wrapping, not the
substance."

The levy will apply to government purchase of all smaller equipment up to
a value of $200,000. "As far as the computer industry is concerned, the
commission will only apply to any future contracts," Grills said. "It will
not apply to individual, specific purchases on behalf of a single agency,
such as the Tax Office."

The AIIA has claimed that the levy would penalize the margins of
suppliers who had already discounted prices for sales. It further claims
the scheme would be administratively unworkable, and that it was
inherently a tax which the industry would have to pay for no additional
benefit.

(Derril Farrer & Norman Kemp/19890714)


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

AUSSIE TAX OFFICE DATA LATE
CANBERRA, AUSTRALIA, 1989 JUL 10 (NB) -- Late information from the
Taxation office is causing problems for accountants wanting to lodge
early returns for clients. (The financial year in Australia has just ended,
on June 30.) The problem has also hit software houses that design tax
packages.

Accountant Bruce Holland says at this time of the year "all hell breaks
loose" with many thousands of taxpayers submitting information in the
hopes of getting an early refund. Like most accountants, Holland uses a tax
computer package. "There are areas where there are deficiencies which
are beyond the control of the software company," Holland said.

"Each year the software houses have to get initial specifications from the
Tax Office, write the software, submit it to the department for approval
and then distribute it to their customers. This sounds simple, but when
you consider that at this time the department has not even released
Schedule L which relates to superannuation, it is impossible for the
software company to make this part of their program available."

Holland says that in addition to late information from the Department,
some of the specifications provided are "grossly impractical" to
implement. An example of this in this year's return is the item relating to
claims for donations. The space available on the form does not allow for
details of individual donations, only a total amount. Therefore the design
of the form does not allow people to keep or present the information in a
logical way.

In the case of the missing Schedule L information, it will be necessary for
software houses to provide an upgrade as soon as the information becomes
available. This makes implementation of these packages more difficult
than necessary.

(Paul Zucker/19890714)


(NEWS)(GOVT)(SYD)(00008)

FORCES CAN KEEP SECRETS
SYDNEY, AUSTRALIA, 1989 JUL 10 (NB) -- The Australian Defence Forces
have installed Australia's first totally secure video-conferencing network
for communications between ADF headquarters and its command centres.
All three centres - maritime, land and air headquarters - are based in
Sydney.

Defence specialist supplier Plessey Australia took less than three months
to implement and test the AUS$2.8 million network in preparation for
Operation Kangaroo '89, the biennial exercise designed to test Australian
defence capabilities. Now under way, Operation Kangaroo will continue in
the north of Australia until later this year.

The network (Vidconnet) communicates over the armed forces' new
defence integrated secure communication network (Discon), believed to be
the most advanced defence network in the world. A defence spokesman
said Vidconnet allowed senior officers to hold conferences without
involving time-consuming personal travel. "Plessey was awarded the
contract because of the company's previous experience in providing secure
communications networks," the spokesman said.

"Defence may consider extending the network to other facilities after
cost/benefit and operational effectiveness have been held."

Vidconnet uses Datapoint secure Minx desktop terminals at all four sites,
each with a screen, camera, microphone and speaker in an integrated
housing with a keypad. Telecom was a major subcontractor for the
network, providing the commercial video equipment.

(Paul Zucker/19890714)


(NEWS)(GOVT)(TOR)(00009)

NRC BACKS CONSORTIUM
OTTAWA, ONTARIO, CANADA, 1989 JUN 26 (NB) -- Canada's National
Research Council has helped set up the Solid State Optoelectronics
Consortium Canada. The council will work with SSOC on a C$40-million,
five-year precompetitive research program to speed development of
optoelectronic circuitry and its integration into Canadian industry. The
NRC's Industrial Research Assistance Program (IRAP) helped provide
initial funding for SSOC, and the council's Division of Physics will work
with the consortium in developing optoelectronic technology.

Patricia Montreuil, a spokeswoman in the public affairs office at
NRC, said the consortium is similar in concept to PRECARN, a
group set up to promote precompetitive research in artificial
intelligence and robotics. The NRC recently backed formation of a
similar precompetitive research group concerned with audio
speakers, and has plans for one that will deal with manufacturing
technology, she said. "NRC is getting involved more and more in
research with various partners," Montreuil said.

The founding members of the SSOC consortium are the Alberta
Telecommunications Research Centre, Bell Northern Research,
Litton Systems Canada, Microtel Pacific Research and RCA Electro
Optics. Negotiations are under way with other parties interested
in joining.

(Grant Buckler/19890714/Press Contact: Patricia Montreuil,
National Research Council, 613-993-3041)


(NEWS)(GOVT)(KUL)(00010)

JAPANESE SEEK MALAYSIAN INVESTMENT
KUALA LUMPUR, MALAYSIA, 1989 JUL 11 (NB) -- Ten small and medium-
sized Japanese companies want to invest in Malaysia and will apply to
the Malaysian Industrial Development Authority (Mida) for licences to
do so once their feasibility studies are completed, according to a
Japanese government official yesterday.

The areas they hope to invest in include the manufacture of ceramics,
floppy disks, furniture, magnetic heads and resin for integrated
circuits and plastics, according to Hiroshi Ozawa, managing director
of the Japan External Trade Organization centre here.

Ozawa said that they had applied to participate in the Jetro
Overseas Investment Scheme (Join Scheme) at Jetro's headquarters in
Tokyo. Launched in October 1986 to support the industrialization of
Asian countries by the organization of direct investment and transfer
of technology from Japan, the scheme is aimed at giving assistance to
small and medium-scale industries.

As of last month, 13 out of 24 approved Join Scheme projects have
begun operations here. Investors of the Join Scheme are unique in that
they possess brand originality in Japan or the U.S.

(Michael Worsley & S.Roowi/19890711)


(NEWS)(IBM)(ATL)(00001)

EISA LEAVES THE VAPOR REALM
FOLSOM, CALIFORNIA, U.S.A., 1989 JUL 10 (NB) -- Intel has finally
demonstrated the first chip set designed to implement the
Extended Industry Standard Architecture pushed by Compaq and eight
other major makers of IBM PC clones. This means add-in board
makers can now begin designing EISA boards, while AST, Compaq,
Epson, Hewlett-Packard, NEC, Olivetti, Tandy, Wyse and Zenith
prepare to release large volumes of machines with the EISA bus,
which is designed to compete with IBM's Micro Channel
Architecture used in the PS/2.

The EISA "Gang of 9" expect product using their slot design will
ship in the fourth quarter of this year, on schedule. To date, more
than 200 companies around the world have announced their
intention to develop hardware products for EISA computers.

Micro Computer Systems of Dallas also announced a program to
simplify installation of add-in boards using EISA. The Extended
ISA Configuration Utility can also make sure old boards
compatible with the new systems EISA makers are making. The
utility will be sold the computer makers, who can add their own
proprietary twists to it if they want. The MCS utility
automatically chooses direct memory access (DMA) channels,
interrupt request (IRQ) and memory address space requirements,
and remembers the settings whenever the computer is turned on,
simplifying the use and improvement of such PCs.

(Dana Blankenhorn & John McCormick/19890714/Press Contact: Micro
Computer Systems, Gary W. Phillips, 214-929-4182)


(NEWS)(IBM)(WAS)(00002)

AT&T/INTEL PC DEAL
MORRISTOWN, NEW JERSEY, U.S.A., 1989 JUL 12 (NB) -- AT&T
Computer Systems has signed a deal with Intel to jointly develop
computers for the network products marketed by AT&T. This is
significant because it marks a major boost in credibility for Intel,
which has been attempting to gain market share for its 386-based
PC products, and because it may signal second-class status for
AT&T's other microcomputer partner, Olivetti.

"It's a significant contract that we had been hoping for a long time
to nail down," is what an Intel spokeswoman responded to one
reporter's question on the AT&T contract. The financial result of the
deal is expected to mean hundreds of millions for Intel.

AT&T has been buying computer chips from Intel since 1984 but
will now purchase system boards and complete computers from
Intel. The initial production will take place at the Intel
Systems Group subsidiary in Hillsboro, Oregon, but will later be
transferred to Puerto Rico.

(John McCormick & Wendy Woods/19890713/John Skalko, AT&T,
201-221-2888)


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

IBM/COMPAQ TRADE LICENSES
HOUSTON, TEXAS, U.S.A., 1989 JUL 14 (NB) -- In what on the surface
appears to be a landmark business deal, arch-rivals IBM and Compaq
Computer Corporation have agreed to cross license each other's
worldwide patent portfolios.

The agreement, which also includes provisions for payments from
Compaq to IBM, also resolves all issues regarding past patent usage
by each party, according to IBM spokeswoman Cynthia Stevens.

Stevens told Newsbytes the agreement, which allows Compaq to
license IBM's Micro Channel Architecture, for instance, is not as
significant as it sounds, since "IBM has 32,000 patents worldwide,
and we've already done this (exchanged patents) with other,
competing PC manufacturers. It's the only way we can grow."

She would not comment on what Compaq has that IBM gets.

(Wendy Woods/19890714/Press Contact: Cynthia Stevens, 914-
765-4344)


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

ADVANCED LOGIC 486 PLANS
IRVINE, CALIFORNIA, U.S.A., 1989 JUL 9 (NB) -- Advanced Logic
Research (ALR) has unveiled its plans for the i486 chip.

The company had announced its intention to market i486 product
immediately following a similar announcement by IBM several weeks
ago. AST Research, also of Irvine, CA, also announced i486
product at the same time and last week revealed new upgrade
boards for its high end computers.

ALR is taking a different approach. The company is unveiling a
new computer, PowerFlex Model 40 which has a 12.5 MHz 80286 CPU
that can be upgraded to either a 486 or a 386SX. Owners will be
able to swap the 12.5 MHz 286 for a 16 MHz 386SX that will nearly
double the machine's performance or for a 25 MHz 486 that would
double the performance of obtainable with the 386SX upgrade.

There is one possible problem. The PowerFlex uses a standard 16-
bit AT-style bus. While this should not affect the performance
with the 386SX upgrade, it may bottle up much of the 486's power.
ALR does not plan to incorporate a large external cache on the
486 upgrade card but will depend on the 486's own 8kbyte internal
cache.

(Janet Endrijonas/19890712/Press Contact: Advanced Logic Devices,
714-581-6770)


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

HP CUTS VECTRA PRICES
PALO ALTO, CALIFORNIA, U.S.A., 1989 JUL 11 (NB) -- Hewlett-Packard
has slashed prices on its 386-based Vectra PCs some $1,300. The
reason is that Hewlett-Packard wants to stay competitive with
IBM and Compaq.

Sales of the Vectra series increased 73 percent in 1988 over 1987,
according to Hewlett-Packard, quoting figures from Dataquest,
a market research firm.

Says Robert Puette, general manager of HP's Personal Computer
Group, "HP intends to be a leader in the high-performance PC
market where we have already seen phenomenal growth."

(Wendy Woods/19890714)


(NEWS)(IBM)(SFO)(00006)

SOFTWARE HELPS WRITE LETTERS
CARMEL, CALIFORNIA, U.S.A., 1989 JUL 14 (NB) -- Those who procrastinate
their letter-writing, or spend too much time composing letters, or
losing addresses, are the target market of Dilworth Software. Its
new Name Processor contains an "Instant Letter" feature which
allows the user to instantly call up someone's name, press a key,
enter his own word processor, compose the message, and issue a print
command. The program prints the letter -- and the envelope too,
even on a laser printer. There is a command for printing form letters
as well.

The Name Processor is a program that stores names, addresses,
phone numbers, and notes, and also has a To-Do List, Rolodex card
printing function, and mailing label creation function; it dials phones,
even can sort through the names on user-selected criteria for
telemarketing lists .

David Dilworth, company founder, tells Newsbytes, "Nobody seems
to take names seriously. But they're the most important thing in
business!" He says he looked around for years for a program such as
this without success, so decided to create one himself.

An MS-DOS version is shipping now for $199 but an OS/2 version
is due out at the beginning of August. The program requires an
XT or compatible with MS-DOS 2.1 or greater, 220K-bytes of memory
and 550K-bytes of hard disk space. Any dot matrix or letter quality
printer is supported, and laser printers that emulate HP or Diablo are
supported. Call 408-624-6500 to order.

(Wendy Woods/19890714)


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

PROGRAM FOR FOOD SENSITIVITIES
MONTEREY, CALIFORNIA, U.S.A., 1989 JUL 14 (NB) -- If you frequently say
"It must have been something I ate," after feeling ill, but never quite
get around to figuring out what, a new PC program called WellAware:
Food Sensitivity is aimed at you.

Designed by family physician Dr. Eliot S. Light, WellAware Version 1.5
is now shipping. The program gives users meal-planning capabilities,
expanded ingredient and additive information, and a streamlined
data entry system. The program is used for detecting, confirming,
and treating problems linked to food allergy and food sensitivity.

Version 1.5 not only allows the user to keep a food and symptom
diary, employing a pattern recognition function that identifies
foods and additives most likely to be causing symptoms to worsen,
but generates a chart showing whether suspected ingredients and
additives are present in each of the user's foods.

The program comes with a database of over 3,000 foods, including
fast foods, brand name, processed, and baby foods. The program
can usually establish food sensitivity after examining five to 10 such
occurrences, says Dr. Light.

The program costs $99 and requires a PC or compatible with 512K-bytes
of random access memory and DOS 2.0 or later. It can be ordered
by calling 1-800-462-WELL or 408-474-5739.

(Wendy Woods/19890714)


(NEWS)(IBM)(WAS)(00008)

MICROPROSE TANK SIMULATION
HUNT VALLEY, MARYLAND, U.S.A., 1989 JUL 12 (NB) -- Wargamers
take note -- this summer MicroProse, a leading computer game
company, will introduce MI Tank Platoon, simulating combat
situations in the 63-ton U.S. Army M1 Abrams tank.

The new game will take place in a 16,000-acre arena and will
include infantry, jets, helicopters, and artillery as well as
tanks. Designer Arnold Hendrick points out that his game will
differ from other tank simulations by utilizing all four battle
positions in each tank, as well as deploying tanks in groups of
four, just as in real tank warfare.

M1 Tank Platoon will utilize the same 3-D solid polygons as
implemented in F-19 Stealth Fighter, will require 384 kilobytes
of memory on PC compatibles, and will support all popular
graphics modes.

Unlike many arcade simulations, M1 Tank Platoon will involve more
than just fast reflexes. Since a player is in command of 16
people, each with differing skills, he must make command
decisions based on these people as well as on strategic and
tactical concerns.

(John McCormick/19890712/Press Contact: Kathy Gilmore, 301-771-
1151)


(NEWS)(IBM)(ATL)(00009)

SIEMENS SUPPLIES OEM COMPUTERS
BOCA RATON, FLORIDA, U.S.A., 1989 JUL 13 (NB) -- Siemens
is making yet another run at the U.S. computer market with a new
division to sell its systems to OEMs (original equipment manufacturers)
and value-added resellers (VARs) based in Cupertino, California. The
company, a U.S. division of the German multinational, makes its main
American home in South Florida, but the bulk of the OEM business in
the U.S. is done on the West Coast.

In Cupertino Siemens will sell AT-based boxes using a technology
called "slot-CPU passive backplane architecture" in which the
major chips are on an add-in board which can be upgraded easily.
Siemens is a major player in the European PC market, but a small
factor here. The consolidated company is expecting a profit of up
to 1.5 billion German Deutchmarks (about $750 million) for the year
ending this September. Shipments for its first nine months were 38.8
billion Deutchmarks, and its backlog rose to 42.4 billion.

(Dana Blankenhorn/19890714/Press Contact: Siemens, Susan Gauff,
407-994-7232)


(NEWS)(IBM)(ATL)(00010)

AMI UTILITY IS VERSATILE TESTER
NORCROSS, GEORGIA, U.S.A., 1989 JUL 12 (NB) -- Those clever
Indian motherboard makers who call themselves American Megatrends
are now trying to turn their own test software into a consumer
product. AMIDIAG tests not only your hard disk, but your entire
system, right down to its monitor.

At $99 it is designed to be of special help to those users who like to
upgrade with new parts and never know if it's the old ones which blew
out. The product is sold by one inside salesman and a fleet of
manufacturers' representatives around the world. It may also be used
to quickly turn Third World computer parts makers into systems
integrators.

Most of the utilities, with the exception of the central processing unit
and memory chip tests, are already included in AMI's Basic Input Output
System, or BIOS, an IBM-compatible scheme used in the past by
Tandon and others.

(Dana Blankenhorn/19890714/Press Contact: Michela Curtis, AMI,
404-263-8181)


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

NEW RELEASE FROM MICROX
HOUSTON, TEXAS, U.S.A., 1989 JUL 3 (NB) -- Microx has announced
the release of Reveille General Ledger 5.0 written in Advanced
Revelation.

In addition to the flexibility and wide accounting application
capacity of the overall Reveille Custom Accounting software,
Version 5.0 General Accounting includes tiled menus, pop up
windows and a powerful data base. It contains built-in Report
Generator and Systems Manager along with variable length data
fields and access via the new Advanced Revelation "Easywriter"
Report Generator.

The product is available and shipping.

(Janet Endrijonas/19890712/Press Contact: Al Cordes, Microx, 800-
622-4990)


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

NEW PC UTILITY: SHORTCUT
NORTH HOLLYWOOD, CALIFORNIA, U.S.A., 1989 JUL 14 (NB) -- Shortcut
is a new $25 utility which performs file management chores on a
PC. Activated from DOS by typing in "shortcut," the program copies,
duplicates, moves, renames, or deletes files without reverting to
DOS commands, finds lost files or does keyword search on chosen
files, locks and packs files, and allows a reader to view a file
without opening the application in which it was written.

Shortcut is the first product of Shortcut Software, and it is sold
at retail Sears, Warehouse Records, Cole's Highland, and other
Southern California stores.

(Wendy Woods/19890714/Press Contact: Ruth Thomas, 213-629-4974)


(NEWS)(IBM)(TYO)(00013)

RICOH OS/2 DTP SOFTWARE
TOKYO, JAPAN, 1989 JUL 6 (NB) -- Ricoh has developed desktop
publishing software for Japanese market OS/2 machines and
plans to release the software only in Japan.

The software, which is still unnamed, will offer several connectivity
options, according to a Ricoh spokesman, and will fully exploit
OS/2's multitasking capabilities, providing a five to ten times higher
level of productivity for the end-user.

Ricoh has been receiving a supply of PS/55 series computers from
IBM and selling them under the brand names Ricoh PS series and
the i735 in Japan. Ricoh will now bundle its new desktop publishing
package with one of these models. The exact date of shipment and the
price of the software has not been released. There are no plans to
sell this bundle overseas.

(Naoyuki Yazawa/19890713)


(NEWS)(IBM)(TYO)(00014)

LOTUS 1-2-3 R3 IN JAPAN
TOKYO, JAPAN, 1989 JUL 11 (NB) -- The latest release of the
phenomenally best-selling financial package, Lotus 1-2-3, has hit
Japan. Lotus Japan has started marketing Lotus 1-2-3, Release 3, for
OS/2 in Japan. The version was released in June 20th in the U.S.

The price of the software is 98,000 yen or $700 in Japan. But Lotus
Japan is only shipping the English language version. A Lotus spokesman
says a Japanese version is in development.

(Naoyuki Yazawa/19890713)


(NEWS)(IBM)(TYO)(00015)

OS/2 MEMORY BOOST IN JAPAN
TOKYO, JAPAN, 1989 JUL 11 (NB) -- IBM Japan has started marketing
The Memory Kit for OS/2, a set of OS/2 and expansion memory hardware
and software packages for its Japanese MS-DOS machines.

The kit is designed for models specific to the Japanese market --
PS/5550-S, -T, -V and PS/5570-S, T, V. The kits will be 10 to 40
percent cheaper than buying the operating system and expansion
memory separately.

Meanwhile, IBM Japan will launch a 32-bit personal computer for
the home and education market, according to Nihon Keizai Shimbun,
the Japanese daily business newspaper. IBM Japan unsuccessfully
tried to enter this market in 1984, making its most recent reentry
with a 16-bit personal computer, known here as the PS/55-5530,
which comes with CAI (computer-aided instruction) software, last
December.

IBM will upgrade this model to a 32-bit processor and will sell it
through an agent to the education and home-use markets, according
to the report. An IBM spokesman told Newsbytes the firm would not
comment on unannounced products.

(Naoyuki Yazawa/19890713)


(NEWS)(IBM)(SYD)(00016)

AUSTRALIA'S MICROSOFT U
SYDNEY, AUSTRALIA, 1989 JUL 13 (NB) -- Microsoft is to establish the
"Microsoft Institute of Advanced Software Technology" in Australia,
modelled on the US Microsoft University. MD Daniel Petre told Newsbytes
that Australian developers have the ability to develop word-class
applications and Microsoft will assist them by access to the latest
techniques, technology and environments.

(Paul Zucker/19890714)


(NEWS)(IBM)(TOR)(00017)

NEXGEN TO ENHANCE TBR
WOODBRIDGE, ONTARIO, CANADA, 1989 JUN 27 (NB) -- NexGen Software,
of Woodbridge, Ontario, has obtained exclusive marketing and
development rights to the Accpac Plus Time, Billing and Client
Receivables system from Computer Associates. NexGen has spent the
past six months redeveloping and enhancing the product, which
Computer Associates has marketed and supported for the past four
years. NexGen expects to begin shipping the enhanced software
through Accpac dealers within the next month, as Time, Billing
and Client Receivables (TBR) Version 5.1.

Designed to manage time accounting, transaction billing and
accounts receivable for accountants, lawyers, engineers and
consultants, TBR will cost US$1,695 or C$1,995. Annual support,
maintenance and upgrade contracts will cost $295 per year in the
United States and Canada. TBR runs on IBM and compatible PCs with
640K of memory, and works with popular local-area networks.

(Grant Buckler/19890714/Press Contact: Lee Gaudio, NexGen, 416-
856-4371)


(NEWS)(IBM)(TOR)(00018)

CA REVISES PAYROLL
VANCOUVER, BRITISH COLUMBIA, CANADA, 1989 JUL 3 (NB) -- Computer
Associates Canada has released Version 5.1 of Accpac Plus
Canadian Payroll. The new release features an improved user
interface and improved online help, support for departmental
accounting, automatic indexing of TD1 claims and greater
flexibility in defining earnings and deductions. The new version
also comes with the latest tax tables.

Accpac Plus Canadian Payroll can be run alone or integrated with
other Accpac Plus modules in a complete payroll accounting
system. It retails for C$1,200 and includes both 3.5-inch and
5.25-inch disks. Those who bought Canadian Payroll since June 1
and those who subscribe to CA's SupportPlus program for Canadian
Payroll will get the upgrade free. Others can upgrade for C$295.

Computer Associates Canada also announced a French-language
version of SuperProject Expert 1.1, its MS-DOS-based project
management software. Like the English version, the French
SuperProject Expert will sell for C$895.

(Grant Buckler/19890713/Press Contact: John Schoutsen, Computer
Associates Canada, 613-737-3322)


(NEWS)(TELECOM)(SYD)(00001)

AUS: MISTAKE RELEASES SECRET PHONE NUMBERS
MELBOURNE, AUSTRALIA, 1989 JUL 10 (NB) -- At least 30 people had their
secret addresses and telephone numbers sent around Victoria in about 1
million phone books because of a supposed computer program and data-
entry foul-up. The blunder occurred when Australian carrier Telecom
transferred more than a million listings, including 120,000 unlisted
numbers, to a national system.

People who paid the AUS$27 extra to keep their addresses and phone
numbers secret for safety reasons, such as police, were "quite
distressed," according to Victoria Police Association Secretary Bryan
Harding. "Only two of our members have complained so far, but the police
would have to be the highest users of the (unlisted number) service. Of
course it is the printing of the addresses that is the most concern."

A Telecom spokesman for National Directories, Jeff Barkler, said the
listings had been held in separate state systems but were recently
transferred to a central database of a number of computers. Some of the
120,000 secret listings were not recognized by the transfer program, and
were publicly listed. The computer sent other secret data to operators for
verification, but some of this was also entered with data to be printed.

"I'd love to just blame it on the computers like everyone else does, but I'm
afraid I can't," Barkler said. "Most of the people who have had their
numbers published are being given new silent numbers, but we can't do
much about the addresses. Most of the people who ask for silent numbers
do so because they don't want their addresses to appear on a mailing list.
They might get a letter or two that they don't want, but with people like
the police it's a different kettle of fish."

(Paul Zucker/19890714)


(NEWS)(TELECOM)(SYD)(00002)

AUSTEL TAKES THE WHEEL
SYDNEY, AUSTRALIA, 1989 JUL 10 (NB) -- Australia's big
telecommunications carriers, OTC and Telecom, have yielded to new
controlling body Austel's guidelines on pricing. Both operations have
announced significant structural and pricing changes which would give
them the edge in a more deregulated market.

Telecom has turned its value-added services division into a separate
business unit that will be required to purchase Telecom services at the
same rates as its private competition. Meanwhile, OTC has dropped its
prices on international communications and appointed a new managing
director, Stephen Burdon.

As reported last week, Telecom's new division, Telecom Plus, has
inherited communications services which has a $14 million turnover and
expects to have revenues up to $60 million by 1992. Telecom Plus will
supply Electronic Data Interchange (EDI), electronic messaging and online
database services for its customers.

As an independent supplier of these services within Telecom, it will have
to conform to the Austel guidelines which require the division to buy
Telecom services at the same rate as any private competitor. The
guidelines are designed to prevent this and any other similar division from
 obtaining an unfair advantage over the commercial sector.

Telecom has the right to invest in but not subsidize Telecom Plus and,
according to general manager Martin Turner, the division is seen as a
long-term investment by the parent body.

(Australia's international carrier) OTC's price has dropped by an average
10 cents a minute to 45 of the most popular direct dial international
destinations.

The biggest cut is that for calls to Italy, with the price reduced by 40
cents a minute. Off-peak calls have also been reduced by 30 percent
below the standard rate.

(Paul Zucker/19890714)


(NEWS)(TELECOM)(TOR)(00003)

DO NOT DISTURB FOR MODEMS
TORONTO, ONTARIO, CANADA, 1989 JUL 13 (NB) -- Some Bell Canada
subscribers can now turn off the call-waiting feature on their
phone lines while using a modem or making an important phone
call. Bell is offering call-waiting cutoff throughout its territory -- the
provinces of Ontario and Quebec -- wherever call-waiting is available
from a central office that uses a Northern Telecom DMS-100 phone
switch.

Bell spokeswoman Catherine Mason said the option was introduced
mainly for people who use modems, because the beep that signals
another call is waiting usually causes modems to lose their connection.

Bell Canada subscribers who have call waiting can request the
cutoff option from the phone company. There is no extra charge.
To use the option from a touch-tone phone, you pick up the
receiver and press the star (*) key, then dial 70. On a rotary-
dial phone, you dial 1170. Either way, you wait for the dial tone
to return and then dial your call. Call waiting is shut off for
the duration of that call, and restored automatically once you
hang up the phone. It is not possible, however, to shut off call
waiting for the duration of an incoming call.

(Grant Buckler/19890713/Press Contact: Catherine Mason, Bell
Canada, 613-781-3332)


(NEWS)(TELECOM)(TOR)(00004)

AGREEMENT ON MSAT
MONTREAL, QUEBEC, CANADA, 1989 JUN 27 (NB) -- Teleglobe Canada
has agreed to lease satellite capacity to Telesat Mobile for five
years for Telesat's new land mobile satellite communications
service. In 1993, Telesat will launch its own satellite, MSAT,
and the service will be transferred. The five-year lease is worth
more than C$10 million, according to Teleglobe. Telesat Mobile
plans to provide two-way fleet management and resource
information services to the trucking, shipping and resource
industries.

(Grant Buckler/19890713/Press Contact: Grace Lake, Teleglobe
Canada, 416-364-8882)


(NEWS)(TELECOM)(SIN)(00005)

DATA ON 40,000 HONG KONG FIRMS
SINGAPORE, S.E. ASIA, 1989 JUL 11 (NB) -- Online data on some 40,000
Hong Kong companies will be accessible soon when Meeting Planners here
and the Hong Kong Trade Development Council (HKTDC) set up a
computerized link.

Meeting Planners, a local company appointed by the HKTDC to manage a
trade consultancy service here, has overseas offices in Hong Kong, the
U.S. and the Philippines. It plans to implement the computerized system
by the end of this month. According to Anita Chen, trade officer at
the consultancy, the HKTDC aims to promote trade ties between Hong Kong
and Singapore.

(Michael Worsley & S.Roowi/19890712)


(NEWS)(TELECOM)(SIN)(00006)

ABACUS' FIVE SHAREHOLDERS
SINGAPORE, S.E. ASIA, 1989 JUL 11 (NB) -- Abacus, the S$252.2 million
(US$130 million) Singapore-based computer reservation system (CRS),
now has five fully-confirmed equal shareholders. The five are
Singapore Airlines, Cathay Pacific Airways, China Airlines, Malaysia
Airlines and Royal Brunei Airlines.

Philippines Airlines, which signed a Letter of Intent early this year,
is still awaiting approval from relevant government authorities before
arranging to take a similar stake in it.

Thai International, which was in the news recently when it had a
much-publicized row with Fantasia (a Qantas-sponsored, Sydney-based
rival of Abacus), is reported to be still holding discussions with the
latter over the choice of a CRS. Thai was said to be originally
interested in Abacus, but opted out when Bangkok was not chosen as
headquarters.

According to Tan Chik Quee, vice-president of marketing of Abacus, it
will also face competition from Japan Airlines which plans to upgrade
its computer system to the Axess CRS.

In the meantime, Abacus and All Nippon Airways (ANA) have signed a
memorandum of understanding to establish a link between Abacus and
ANA's Able-I reservation system.

(Michael Worsley & S.Roowi/19890714/Press Contact: Singapore
Airlines Ph: (65) 542.3333)


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

JAL LINKS WITH SABRE
DALLAS, FORT-WORTH, TEXAS, U.S.A., 1989 JUL 12 (NB) -- Rebuffed from
buying 50 percent of American Airlines' Sabre system for $650 million,
Delta Airlines is now watching Japan Airlines take steps toward the
American reservation system.

Japan Airlines' agreement to "develop the two companies' computer
reservation systems" will include "mutual access to the Axess system
operated by Japan Airlines and the Sabre system operated by American
Airlines," along with "joint development of compatible software and
hardware." JAL's interest in a link with Sabre predates Delta's
exclusion from a partnership.

The move by JAL makes a future tie-up with Sabre, holder of a
leading 35 percent of the U.S. air market, almost inevitable. Delta,
meanwhile, has under 10 percent of the market in its DATAS II system
and little hope of climbing soon. The biggest irony, however, is that
computer systems are becoming almost as valuable as the airlines
they serve. The biggest loser in all this is DATAS II head Cal
Rader, who had been on-tap to head the Sabre-Datas joint venture.

(Dana Blankenhorn/19890714/Press Contact: Neil Munroe, Delta,404-
765-2600)


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

IBM OUT OF PHONE BIZ
ARMONK, NEW YORK, U.S.A., 1989 JUL 11 (NB) -- IBM, once thought
to be competition for AT&T in the communications business, is off
the phones entirely. It's sold the transponder leasing piece of
its old Satellite Business Systems (SBS) unit to Hughes
Communications, a defense contractor and satellite builder.

IBM had launched SBS in 1975 with two partners and later ran it alone.
But in 1986 the bulk of the company was sold to MCI in exchange for
a major stake in the U.S.' number-two communications company. Only
about 100 people work at the unit being sold to Hughes, which had
been handling marketing of the satellites since last year.

(Dana Blankenhorn/19890714)


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

SPRINT DROPS NETWORK RATES
KANSAS CITY, MISSOURI, U.S.A., 1989 JUL 10 (NB) -- U.S. Sprint
is dropping its Virtual Private Network rates 4.3 percent on August 1,
and will introduce a switched 56 kilobyte per second capability.
Virtual private networks are packages of voice and data lines
leased outright to corporations, which fill them and connect them
as they will. They're an important component of big corporate or
government contracts, and competitors MCI and AT&T have the
capability to create such networks already.

(Dana Blankenhorn/19890714)


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

MCI IMPROVES INT'L PRIVATE NETS
RYE BROOK, NEW YORK, U.S.A., 1989 JUL 11 (NB) -- MCI has improved
its international Private Network services offering with lower
prices and new service points. The minimum bill needed to
profitably use such services, it said, is $5,000 per month, but
discounts of up to 29 percent can be had if you're spending $65,000 per
month in overseas calls for five years. The discounts can be
transferred to other MCI services, including MCI Mail and telex.
MCI now has 21 international gateways for its services.

(Dana Blankenhorn/19890714/Press Contact: Jane Levene, MCI, 914-
934-6480)


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

COLORADO TOURIST BBS GROWING
DENVER, COLORADO, U.S.A., 1989 JUL 14 (NB) -- Highly-specialized
bulletin boards keep finding ways to grow, and while system
operator Jay Melnick admits his Colorado TravelBank is not yet a
full-time living, it's getting there.

The board is capable of handling 16 callers at once, and its data is
used by X-Press Information Services for a cable-TV newswire. The
system gets almost 400 calls each day, Melnick says, and pays for
itself through advertising such items as condominiums for rent.

Melnick started his board in 1985 as the Colorado Snow Bank, but
interest is now steady year-round with the addition of things like
white-water and river flow reports and other summertime information.
The BBS can be reached on speeds of 300, 1200, and 2400 baud at
303-671-7669, 8-N-1.

The TravelBank runs the TBBS bulletin board program on an IBM PC
AT computer. Melnick himself makes his living writing advertising
and public relations copy, and says the key to success in the
bulletin board business is persistence. "The longer you're around
the more lists you get on. A lot of this business is word of
mouth."

(Dana Blankenhorn/19890714/Press Contact: Jay Melnick, 303-320-
8550)


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

DATASTAR ADDS FLIGHTLINE
WAYNE, PENNSYLVANIA, U.S.A., 1989 JUL 11 (NB) -- Data-Star, the
small online database service owned by Radio-Suisse, has added
the full-text of Flight International and Airline Business
magazines from Reed Business Publishing. The new database is
called Flightline, and covers business and technical subjects
relating to air transport. It offers extensive coverage, for example,
of battles over creating worldwide computerized reservations
systems, as well as airline safety.

(Dana Blankenhorn/19890714/Press Contact: Data-Star, 215-687-
6777)


(EXCLUSIVE)(TELECOM)(LON)(00013)

DIALCOM/MICROLINK SLUG IT OUT
LONDON, ENGLAND, 1989 JUL 14 (NB) -- Dialcom and Microlink, two
U.K. e-mail service providers, appear to be fighting a war of
words, judging from the press releases flashing across the
Newsbytes news desk in the U.K. Early last week Dialcom
published an 'offer' statement for subscribers to Microlink who
wish to stay directly on the Dialcom network, once Microlink
defects -- as its announced a few weeks ago -- to I-Net, the Istel-
run network.

Microlink's offer to subscribers consists of two parts: offer one
is a straight transfer from Microlink on System 72 to a Telecom
Gold 'club' mailbox, which costs UKP 5-00 plus usage, compared to
UKP 7-00 plus usage for Microlink. Gold's charging system is 17
percent higher than Microlink's, however.

Offer two is a combined Micronet/Prestel/Telecom Gold
subscription for UKP 23-00 per quarter for residential users, UKP
30-00 for business users, plus usage charges. Applications received by
30 September, 1989, get their first quarter's subs free of charge -
effectively a UKP 23-00 discount. Again, Gold's charges are some 17
percent higher than those of Microlink, with, Newsbytes notes, a
surcharge of UKP 7-00 levied for business users. The deal offers a good
discount for Micronet, the computer-oriented online magazine service
on Prestel.

In both cases, Dialcom is offering Microlink subscribers the
chance to retain their MAG mailbox number, although a different
system number from Microlink's existing System 72 will be used.

Intriguingly, Steve Wood, head of messaging at Dialcom UK, said
in an official statement earlier this week that "As far as we are
aware, there is no existing or planned link between Istel and
Dialcom within the U.K."

Within of hours of Dialcom's offer to Microlink subscribers, Microlink
issued its own press release and statement to subscribers. Microlink
did not mince its words:

"Microlink has used Telecom Gold as its host since it started more
than four years ago. It says it is transferring its subscribers to Istel
because of increasing dissatisfaction with the way Gold has been
restricting the growth of the service."

Microlink Chairman Derek Meakin said: "Istel is not only a much
bigger and more experienced service than Telecom Gold, it is also
staffed by enthusiasts who are determined to push back the
frontiers of electronic communications."

Meakin pointed out that many of the facilities promised by
Telecom Gold - 2400bps, MNP access, as well as x-modem y-modem,
and Kermit - are already in place on Microlink on Istel and are
ready for the switch over. He also noted that Microlink
subscribers will still continue to be able to communicate with
users of Telecom Gold and other Dialcom systems, as well as
with several other non-Dialcom networks, including Compuserve.

"Microlink will continue to undercut Telecom Gold prices,
resulting in considerable savings compared to the standard
Telecom Gold Club charges," said the Microlink statement.

"We have always made a point of being cheaper than Gold while
offering exactly the same facilities," said Meakin. "After
October, we intend to maintain our price advantage, while
offering so much more to our users," he added.

(Steve Gold/19890714/Press Contacts: Dialcom - Christine Ott,
Jenny Bailey Associates - Tel: [phone]; Microlink - Derek
Meakin, managing director, Microlink - Tel: [phone])


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

PRESTEL MAILBOX REWORK DUE
LONDON, ENGLAND, 1989 JUL 14 (NB) -- Prestel, the UK's public
access viewdata network run by British Telecom, is readying a
major upgrade to its e-mail system. From 23 August, the existing
single frame system of sending 600/700 characters will disappear,
to be replaced by a multiframe, multi-address system with
features seen on other e-mail networks.

Since its launch in 1984, Prestel mailbox has been criticised by
some users as being too simple. Facilities such as reply
requested, acknowledgement of receipt and store and forward have
been seen on other e-mail systems such as Telecom Gold, Prestel's
stablemate in the Dialcom group. Its simplicity has been its
success, however, with Prestel attracting close on 100,000
subscribers to date.

The new e-mail system on Prestel will allow multiframe messages
(up to 5 frames) to be sent with acknowledge, reply and store and
forward facilities. In addition, personal mailing lists are
available, along with a number of other facilities.

The bad news is that Prestel is to charge for the facility one
pence per message sent, plus a 20 pence charge for unsolicited e-
mail (to be sent using a specific advertising frame). Single
frame messages remain free of charge.

Newsbytes UK has been using the new Prestel e-mail service since
earlier this month and can report the facilities to be greatly
improved over the original single frame system. Prestel is now
issuing a protocol explanation leaflet for communications
software developers to include ASCII to Prestel mailbox (and vice
versa) facilities.

(Steve Gold/19890714/Press Contact: Chris Ramsey, Mailbox
Manager, Prestel - Tel: [phone])


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

PROFILE EXPANDS
LONDON, ENGLAND, 1989 JUL 14 (NB) -- Profile, the information
retrieval system run by the Financial Times, has added two new
sets of files to its database -- UK government press releases and
Deloitte EC 1992.

The UK government PR database is being added to at the rate of an
average 30 notices a day, whilst the Deloitte European Community
(EC) database has details of all Deloitte 1992 free European
market reports issued by the company.

Profile is available via the U.K.'s PDN (public data network) on
PSS (Packet Switch Stream) and internationally via most X.25
PDNs, as well as via direct dial. The service is available on a
gateway basis from several online systems, including U.K. Dialcom
affiliates (Campus 2000, Telecom Gold and Microlink), Mercurylink
7500 and One to One.

(Steve Gold/19890714/Press Contact: Jenny Bailey Associates -
Tel: [phone])


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

UK: ELEC MESSAGING CONFERENCE SLATED
LONDON, ENGLAND, 1989 JUL 14 (NB) -- Blenheim Online has
announced a conference entitled 'electronic messaging and
communications systems,' will be held in London on 6/7 December,
1989. The two-day conference is billed was 'the last business
communications conference of the decade and the most important.'

Conference delegates will have to shell out UKP 595 for attending
the event, but, as a sweetener, Blenheim is offering a free book,
Future Networks by Ray Reardon, for bookings made before 31
August, 1989.

(Steve Gold/19890714/Press & Public Contact: Blenheim Online -
Tel: [phone])


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

UK MOBILE COSTS HIGHLIGHTED
LONDON, ENGLAND, 1989 JUL 14 (NB) -- What to buy for business, an
independent consumer reports publication for English businesses,
has issued a major report on mobile phones. The report highlights
in some detail the pitfalls and rip-offs occurring in the U.K.'s mobile
telephone marketplace.

According to Julian Lloyd, the magazine's editor, whilst phone
prices have plummeted, with buyers being offered more than 50
percent discount on many phones, the cost of running cellular phones
have spiralled.

"The cost of making cellular calls has always been high -- up to
33 pence a minute in peak time -- but some dealers are now trying
to take up some of the strain of operation in such a competitive
market-place by jacking up call charges and network/connection
fees," he said.

The magazine lists a roll call of dealer abuses, including call
charges of 50 pence a minute; charging for failed connections;
billing in minutes, where Cellnet and Vodafone recommend 30
second units; 'minutes' of less than 60 seconds; charges for
itemized bills (which should be free); and charging for all calls
at peak rates, regardless of what time of day the call is made.

The magazine also lashes Cellnet and Vodafone which, the report
claims, have developed a cartel when it comes to connection and
monthly charge fees.

(Steve Gold/19890714/Press & Public Contact: Kate Bull, What to
buy for business - Tel: [phone])


(NEWS)(TELECOM)(LON)(00018)

KDD OPENS NY/LONDON OFFICES
TOKYO, JAPAN, 1989 JUL 14 (NB) -- Kokusai Denshin Denwa (KDD),
the Japanese telecommunications company, has announced plans to set up
wholly owned subsidiary companies in London and New York. The new
companies will supply telecommunications and associated
consultancy services to Japanese firms in the U.K. and U.S..

KDD America will be capitalized at $1.6 million, whilst KDD
United Kingdom will be capitalized at UKP 900,000. The two new
companies join other KDD operations in Belgium and Hong Kong.

According to Kyodo news service in Japan, the aim of KDD setting
up the new companies, is to establish a marketing foothold in the
world's three major markets: Asia, North America and Europe.

(Steve Gold/19890714)


(NEWS)(TELECOM)(KUL)(00019)

JORDAN/MALAYSIA MAKE PHONES
PETALING JAYA, MALAYSIA, 1989 JUL 11 (NB) -- Uniphone
Telecommunications Bhd (UT) and a company from Jordan have signed a
memorandum of understanding to manufacture and market telephones
here, according to UT's Managing Director Ramli bin Musa. They are
presently discussing details of the joint-venture firm which will
produce the popular and modern S2000B series telephones.

Speaking to reporters after UT's annual general meeting, Musa said
said that the new joint-venture company will also be the distribution
centre for its telephone products in the West Asian market. He added
that UT has already obtained approval from the American Telephone
Administration and the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) to
export the S2000A and S2000B series to the U.S.

He said, "What we want is only one percent of the U.S. market. We are
confident of breaking into the U.S. which has the biggest export
potential."

UT is already exporting about 1,000 units of the S2000B series a month
each to Japan and Singapore, and has sold about 10,000 telephones to
Bangladesh.

(Michael Worsley & S.Roowi/19890711)


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

HITACHI 4-MEG DRAM IN U.S.
BRISBANE, CALIFORNIA, U.S.A., 1989 JUL 14 (NB) -- Hitachi has become
the first company to produce four-megabit dynamic random access
memory chips in volume, and has done so at its U.S. plant near San
Francisco here.

The powerful new memory chips, destined to be the hottest new item
for computers, puts Hitachi in the early lead, since it began shipping
the chip to distributors July 1. Toshiba, a competitor in the four-
megabit chip race, has announced plans to begin volume production "later
this year."

Hitachi expects to produce 100,000 units per month through September
and 250,000 per month starting in October. The price will be $100
each. In contrast, Toshiba has promised a monthly output of one
million units by the end of the year, and a price of $80 per chip.
A Hitachi spokesman says he believes the general price will stabilize
at about $50 per chip by mid-1990.

Hitachi has invited the press for the official opening of the Brisbane
facility on July 26.

(Wendy Woods/19890714)


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

TV SPORTS CAPABILITY ON THE DESKTOP
CAMPBELL, CALIFORNIA, U.S.A., 1989 JUL 14 (NB) -- When John Madden
draws circles around football players on screen during a TV sports
broadcast, he's using technology not unlike that now being offered by
a Campbell, California-based Chisholm.

The company has announced Light Writer, the industry's first electronic
writing tablet that operates in tandem with a liquid crystal display
projection panel. An LCD projection panel is a transparent device that
attaches to a personal computer's video output and duplicates the
image shown on the monitor. When placed on an overhead projector
like a regular transparency, the LCD projection panel displays the image
on a screen or wall for viewing.

The Light Writer allows the user to point, highlight, or write information
on the projected image with a choice of line sizes.

The combination unit of Light Writer and Looking Glass, the LCD
projection unit, is priced at 3,295. U.S. residents can inquire about
the product toll-free at 800-888-4210. All others call 408-
559-1111.

(Wendy Woods/19890714/Press Contact: Chris Lotz)


(NEWS)(TRENDS)(WAS)(00003)

NEW OPTICAL PLASTIC
MURRAY HILL, NEW JERSEY, U.S.A., 1989 JUL 13 (NB) -- AT&T
announced today that its scientists have created a fundamentally
new class of plastics based on silicon instead of the usual carbon.

Polysilynes, AT&T's name for the new material, have an "unique
combination of optical properties and chemical sensitivity to
light that makes polysilynes more than laboratory curiosities,"
according to AT&T research chemist Timothy Weidman who
synthesized the new plastic.

Applications for the new plastic may include optical circuits and
waveguides.

(John McCormick/19890713/Press Contact: Russ Glover,
201-564-4097, or Bob Ford, 201-564-4260)


(NEWS)(TRENDS)(ATL)(00004)

PHOTOLINK TAMES CABLE JUNGLE
CAMPBELL, CALIFORNIA, U.S.A., 1989 JUL 10 (NB) -- Using light
to activate electronics is as old as the wireless microphone and
television remote control. Now it's being applied to computer
networks by Photonics Corporation in a new network scheme called
Photolink.

Dick Allen is the man behind this new wrinkle, which bounces infrared
light, instead of cabling, to send data between networked computers,
and bounces data off sensors on the ceiling. The problem remains getting
around corners. The best prospects for Photolink are companies with
open offices, huge rooms using moveable chest-high dividers.

Allen explains that Photolink can be likened to an open office in
which one worker aims a flashlight at the ceiling and spells out
"SOS" in Morse code.  That message could be communicated to
virtually anyone in the office with an unobstructed view of the
light "spot" on the ceiling. The light pulses are fast enough to
simulate a data bit stream as on the common television remote
control. Each Photolink will support up to four computers or
terminals and their accompanying peripherals.  Priced at $995
each -- about $250 per connection -- Photolink will be sold
initially in the United States and Canada.

Among the investors in Photonics, founded in 1985, are Apple
Computer and four major venture capital firms: Partners,
Cornerstone Ventures, Crosspoint Venture Partners, and Venrock
Associates.

(Dana Blankenhorn/19890714/Press Contact: Photonics, Stephen P.
Walsh, 408-370-3033)


(NEWS)(TRENDS)(ATL)(00005)

TI EXPANDS PROGRAMMABLE NICHE
DALLAS, TEXAS, U.S.A., 1989 JUL 10 (NB) -- Texas Instruments has
become a second-source supplier of Altera's EP1810, a leading
chip in the erasable programmable logic device, or EPLD, field.

The company also announced a development kit, including both add-
in boards and software, to make customized application design as
simple as downloading a software program. Security is enhanced
because now such systems can be completely created in-house,
without resorting to outside jobbers. The kit includes features
like worldwide support, a customer hotline, and a bulletin board
service for exchanging tips.

(Dana Blankenhorn/19890714/Press Contact: Sheree Fitzpatrick,
Texas Instruments, 214-997-5470)


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

ANOTHER TINY XT-COMPATIBLE
TOKYO, JAPAN, 1989 JUL 7 (NB) -- A small system house in Japan,
Microsystems, has "one-upped" Toshiba with a tiny, compact, PC-XT-
compatible computer that's lighter in weight than Toshiba's Dynabook,
which was recently released. Called The Book, the machine runs
English-version software written for the PC/XT (the Dynabook does
not) as well as Japanese software for Toshiba's J-3100 series.

Sanyo is producing the machine under the manufacturing contract
with Microsystems. The notebook-sized computer measures 298 by 210
by 47 millimeters (11 by 8.2 by 2 inches) and weighs 2.5 kilograms or
5.5 pounds. Inside is a central processing unit equivalent to 80C86, and
storage and extra programs are loaded from small memory and IC
(integrated circuit) cards. The Book also offers the MS-DOS operating
system, BIOS (basic input/output system) and a Kanji dictionary in its
built-in ROM (read only memory).

The small unit does not come with a floppy disk drive, as does the
Toshiba Dynabook, but an optional 3.5-inch unit can be attached to the
outside of the computer. The price of the machine is 250,000 yen or
$1,785 -- $300 more than the comparably-equipped Toshiba Dynabook.

Microsystems is shipping the machine in Japan now and is considering
overseas export, but no definite plans have been announced.

(Naoyuki Yazawa/19890713)


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

SMALLEST 4-MEG DRAM
TOKYO, JAPAN, 1989 JUL 7 (NB) -- Toshiba claims to have fit a four
megabit chip inside a one-megabit chip-sized package. Toshiba says its
next-generation four-megabit dynamic random access memory (DRAM)
chip has a circuit line 0.1 micron thinner than the current 4-megabit
chip, and that access speed has been improved to 60 nanoseconds, 20
nanoseconds faster than ordinary 4-megabit chips.

Toshiba plans to sell this product next March after monthly output of
its first-generation 4-megabit DRAM exceeds one million units. Toshiba
expects that the new chip will immediately be attractive to firms
already buying one megabit chips and will help Toshiba gain the upper
hand in the DRAM market.

(Ken Takahashi/19890713)


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

16-MEGABIT DRAMS ON THE WAY
TOKYO, JAPAN, 1989 JUL 7 (NB) -- Makers of photoresists for
semiconductor manufacturers, such as Japan Synthetic Rubber and
Sumitomo Chemical, have started shipping sample photoresists for
16-megabit DRAM chips to large chip makers. Photoresist is a
material needed to print circuit patterns on silicon wafers, which are
the basis of integrated circuits. Each photoresist can be used to draw
circuit lines as thin as 0.4 micron. Since a line width of 0.5 micron
is vital to 16-megabit DRAM chip production, these photoresists are
the precursors to volume production of this massively powerful
memory storage medium.

Chip makers are now proceeding with technical evaluation of the
photoresist on each test line. Photoresist makers intend to
further improve the quality of the photoresist in the areas of
sensitivity and heat resistance, which are necessary for
volume production.

Though each new photoresist is targeted at 16-megabit DRAM chips,
it could be adopted for manufacturing miniature versions of 4-megabit
DRAM chips at an early stage.

(Ken Takahashi/19890713)


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

PARALLEL PROCESSING OF LISP
TOKYO, JAPAN, 1989 JUL 6 (NB) -- Researchers at IBM Japan's Tokyo
Research say they've successfully parallel-processed the
Common Lisp language. Called TOP-1 Common Lisp, the parallel-
processed language is based on Kyoto Common Lisp developed by Kyoto
University and operates on a parallel processing workstation
called TOP-1, produced by the research center on a trial basis.

Common Lisp is a programming language which the International
Standards Organization (ISO) is considering as an international
standard. Recently the language has been employed in artificial
intelligence programming.

IBM Japan claims that TOP-1 Common Lisp is unique in several ways.
First, parallel processing and single processor languages will not
compete with each other. Secondly, a "Garbage Collection" feature,
which reclaims memory area, does not cause any processing
interruptions to users.

(Ken Takahashi/19890713)


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

A SMARTER DRAM FROM NEC
TOKYO, JAPAN, 1989 JUL 10 (NB) -- NEC will strengthen its
application-specific memory (ASM) business by developing ASM
products based on 4-megabit dynamic random access memory
(DRAM) starting next year. NEC projects its ASM memory sales will
account for 30-percent of its memory business in 1992, up from the
current five percent. NEC expects ASMs to become flagship memory
products, next to DRAM chips.

ASM is a memory that is designed and developed according for specific
use, such as image processing or communications. NEC claims that the
use of ASMs cut costs, save space, and allow for optimal equipment
design, compared to general-purpose memory chips. NEC expects demand
for ASMs to create a whole new market.

The ASM circuits will provide up to four megabits of storage and
would be used for such applications as image processing in "smart"
televisions, video cameras, fax machines, and computer graphics
coprocessors.

(Ken Takahashi/19890713)


(NEWS)(TRENDS)(SIN)(00011)

HK RUSHES FOR SINGAPORE EMIGRATION
HONG KONG, ASIA, 1989 JUL 12 (NB) -- A rush by some 20,000 people in
Hong Kong to take advantage of Singapore's relaxed immigration rules
brought police intervention which stopped the distribution of
application forms from a Singapore booth for reasons of safety,
according to a Straits Times report.

Chaos reigned barely two hours after SMC (HK), a Singapore
government-backed company in charge of recruiting immigrants, started
distributing forms under a recently announced liberalized scheme
to recruit skilled white and blue-collar workers here, causing Michael
Lim, SMC's general manager, to exclaim, "This is overwhelming! We were
expecting 10,000 people but I think there are more than that."

According to a further report, computer companies in Singapore want to
hire experienced computer professionals from Hong Kong, but many fear
that these people may use Singapore as a "stepping stone" since
similar opportunities in the computer field exist elsewhere.

However, many top executives in Singapore feel that the Hong Kong
professionals are good at their job, and Geh Ik Hoon, assistant
general manager of Singapore's National Computer Board, said, "I have
had no bad experience of job-hopping among Hong Kong professionals."

Geh said that since the board hired the first of its less than 20
Hong Kong professionals since 1983, most have stayed.

(Michael Worsley & S.Roowi/19890712)


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

SUN LOSES SOME SHINE
MOUNTAIN VIEW, CALIFORNIA, U.S.A., 1989 JUL 14 (NB) -- With its glory
already diminished by what analysts term highly competitive offerings
this week from Digital Equipment, workstation maker Sun Microsystems
announced it may report its first quarterly loss. Revenues, says the
firm, may drop below the $497 million mark and may result in the first
quarterly revenue decline since 1986 -- the year Sun went public.

The bad news, attributed to production problems, has caused Sun
Chief Executive Officer Scott McNealy to implement an immediate
austerity program. Employees must "view the future with caution,"
said Sun VP of Corporate Resources Crawford Beveridge, reportedly
in a memo. "We want to take those steps which are most protective
of employees and therefore do not want at this time to consider layoffs."

The austerity measures include cutbacks in travel, phone calls, and
client entertainment, as well as a slowdown in completion of a
Linlithgow, Scotland assembly plant. A limited hiring freeze has also
been implemented.

(Wendy Woods/19890714)


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

UNIX WORLD SOLD
MOUNTAIN VIEW, CALIFORNIA, U.S.A., 1989 JUL 14 (NB) -- Unix World
has been purchased by McGraw-Hill, publisher of Byte magazine, for
an undisclosed sum. The purchase, from Tech Valley Publishing,
indicates the Unix market, and this Unix magazine in particular,
is attracting the interest of the largest corporate publishers.
Unix World has a paid readership of 51,000.

"Part of McGraw-Hill's long-range plan is to acquire publications
in strong growth markets," said Joseph Dionne, chairman and chief
executive officer of McGraw-Hill. "Unix World affords us an immediate,
market-leading presence in this market segment, while complimenting
our other products and services in the computer field."

Immediate plans call for no change in personnel, including no change
of publisher -- Robert Billhimer.

(Wendy Woods/19890714/Press Contact: Elizabeth Russo, 212-512-3493)


(NEWS)(UNIX)(WAS)(00003)

OSF/MOTIF AVAILABLE
CAMBRIDGE, MASSACHUSETTS, U.S.A., 1989 JUL 11 (NB) -- Unix has
a new face designed to make it far more "user-friendly." The Open
Software Foundation has announced the availability of the Motif
user environment, the first graphical user interface or GUI with
PC-style behavior and appearance on any system running X Windows.

Source code sells for $1,000, with binary code licenses going for
$10 to $40 depending on volume. The licenses would be required
for any application software using the Motif interface.

The following vendors have announced a commitment to integrate
OSF/Motif into future software: Bull Information Systems,
Digital Equipment Corporation, Hewlett-Packard, Hitachi, IBM,
Interactive Systems, Intergraph, MIPS, Nixdorf, Oracle, Sequent
Computer, and the Santa Cruz Operation.

Unix is a powerful but very user-unfriendly operating system
first created by AT&T and widely used in scientific and university
applications. A GUI offering easier user interface and more consistent
command structures would go a long way toward making Unix a more
popular operating system among less technically-inclined users.
A common Unix interface would also greatly reduce training and
support costs for corporate Unix users.

Motif is based on the Massachusetts Institute of Technology X
Window System and conforms to X/Open's XPG3, ANSI C, and POSIX.

While this graphical user interface is not in legal trouble, others
have been the subject of court battles. Apple Computer claims that
both Microsoft Windows and Hewlett-Packard's NewWave GUIs violate
Apple's copyrights. Observers suggest that should Apple win, however,
other GUIs, such as OS/2's Presentation Manager and OSF/Motif would
also be seriously affected.

(John McCormick/19890713/Press Contact: Donna Ruane,
617-621-8772)


(NEWS)(UNIX)(WAS)(00004)

UNIFORUM BOSTON
BOSTON, MASSACHUSETTS, U.S.A., 1989 JUL 13 (NB) -- UniForum
Boston, a Unix system exhibition and training conference, will
take place August 22 through 24 at the Hynes Convention Center in
Boston.

There will be free introductory workshops and exhibits as well as
a series of extra cost tutorials and luncheons. Pre registration
for the exhibit is free but $10 at the door.

For further information write UniForum/Boston, 2400 East Devon
Ave., Suite 205, Des Plaines, Ill., 60019-9871 or call 800-323-
5155. In Illinois call 312-299-3131.

UniForum/Washington will be held in January of 1990 at the
Washington, D.C., Convention Center.

(John McCormick/19890713/Press Contact: Rosa Guzman 800-323-5155)


(NEWS)(UNIX)(WAS)(00005)

NEW VAXES MATCH WITS WITH SUN, HP
MAYNARD, MASSACHUSETTS, U.S.A., 1989 JUL 11 (NB) -- Digital
Equipment has announced new hardware which will help it go
head-to-head with the likes of Sun Microsystems and Hewlett-
Packard in the workstation market, and which enhances the
connectivity of its products.

Among the new products is a very aggressively priced DECstation
2100, a RISC or reduced instruction code-based Unix workstation
with eight megabytes of memory, which will be offered at $7,950
for the monochrome version.

The new VAX 6000 System 400 will feature an 85 percent performance
increase over the previous model, providing up to 36 times the
performance of a VAX 1180 with prices starting at $239,000.

The MicroVAX 3100 System 40 will provide a lower entry level to
the MicroVAX computer family and the new 6000 Model 210 will
start at only $129,000.

Upgrades for current VAX 6000s are available and DEC has
announced its intention to add vector processing to Model 400
systems next year.

The main thrust of the new software and hardware announcements
was to place DEC squarely in the forefront of vendors offering
integrated services extending across computer systems using
hardware from different vendors.

(John McCormick/19890712/Press Contact: Myles Faldalla, 508-264-
5986)


(NEWS)(UNIX)(TYO)(00006)

LOW-COST X-WINDOW TERMINALS
TOKYO, JAPAN, 1989 JUL 6 (NB) -- Takaoka Electric, Nippon
Computer and Omron Tateishi have jointly developed low-priced
terminals that run X-Windows, a feature which displays multiple
programs running at the same time on the screen. With an engineering
workstation as a host computer, and terminals connected to it,
each terminal can access different data and process it all
simultaneously. The terminals should reach the market in October.

Scheduled to be called UWS (for user interface workstation), the
terminals have a Motorola 68030 central processing unit and Ethernet
connections. The terminal from Takaoka have a 15-inch black and
white display and will be priced at 360,000 yen or $2,500. Nippon
Computer will adopt a 17-inch color display and price its offering
at 598,000 yen or $4,100.

Omron Tateishi will release a terminal with a 17-inch plasma
display at the price of 600,000 yen or $4,150 in April next year.

The three firms expect to sell 5,000 units the first year under their
own brand names, and also will sell the units to original equipment
manufacturers.

(Ken Takahashi/19890713)


(NEWS)(UNIX)(TYO)(00007)

VAX CONNECTS WITH FACOM M SERIES
TOKYO, JAPAN, 1989 JUL 11 (NB) -- Digital Equipment Corporation
Japan has released software which allows VAX computers to connect
with Fujitsu's mainframe computer FACOM M series without the need
for DECnet software on the VAX and VMS/SNA on the Fujitsu.

DEC Japan is planning to further develop software which connects
its VAX computer with the host computers of Hitachi or NEC.

(Ken Takahashi/19890713/Press Contact: Digital Equipment
Corporation Japan,03-989-7145)


(NEWS)(UNIX)(LON)(00008)

SCO FORUM 21 AUGUST IN CALIFORNIA
SANTA CRUZ, CALIFORNIA, U.S.A., 1989 JUL 14 (NB) - The Santa Cruz
Operation (SCO) is drumming up business for SCO Forum 89, the
international conference for developers and resellers of the Unix
system software. The five day conference, which aims to attract
attendees from around the world, will be held at the University of
California, Santa Cruz, on 21-25 August, 1989.

Sessions and panels at the event will include participants from
many different companies such as: Acer, AT&T, Compaq, Hewlett-
Packard, IEEE Posix, Intel, Microsoft, Olivetti, Open Software
Foundation, Seybold Computing, Unisys, Unix International and the
X/Open consortium.

The conference will cost $595 for the full five days, or $395 for
a three-day booking. On-campus housing or lodging in Santa Cruz
hotels is being arranged by SCO.

European contact: Sara College - SCO Europe - Tel: (UK) 0923-816344
US Contact: Santa Cruz Operation - Tel: (US) 408-425-7222.

(Steve Gold/19890714/Press Contact (UK) - Niki Sanderson, Talking
Point - Tel: [phone])


(NEWS)(UNIX)(TOR)(00009)

SHAREBASE NAMES AGENT
MISSISSAUGA, ONTARIO, CANADA, 1989 JUN 30 (NB) -- ShareBase, of
Los Gatos, Calif., has named CompuShare Database Systems of
Mississauga, Ontario, exclusive Canadian distributor of its line
of SQL database server systems. ShareBase works in multi-vendor
environments including Digital Equipment VAX minicomputers, IBM
mainframes and Unix systems from a multitude of vendors. It
allows multiple "client" computers to query a central database
using the Structured Query Language (SQL) developed by IBM.

CompuShare's president is David Killins, former president of
Apple Canada and former director of international sales and
marketing for Apple in Cupertino, Calif.

(Grant Buckler/19890710/Press Contact: Bill Robertson, Wm.
Robertson & Associates, 416-444-0321; Scott Humphrey, ShareBase,
408-378-7000)