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/nb890829

Text File | 1991-10-02 | 141KB | 3,404 lines

(EXCLUSIVE)(APPLE)(SFO)(00001)

CHEAP MAC LAPTOP: ATARI'S STACY}
SAN JOSE, CALIFORNIA, U.S.A., 1989 AUG 25 (NB) -- When Apple rolls
out its first portable from behind the curtain September 20, several
stand-ins will be waiting in the wings for the side-bar publicity, one of
them Atari, which will offer a Mac laptop clone of its own.

Atari's Stacy laptop, due to be shipped in October, an ST-type
laptop computer, will be capable of running Macintosh programs with
the help of a third-party cartridge/software product from Gadgets
by Small. Spectre GCR, $300, consisting of a software cartridge which
plugs into the Stacy cartridge port, will enable programs on 3.5-inch
Macintosh disks to be loaded and run on the machine. The buyer simply
has to purchase 128K read-only-memory (ROMs) to place inside the
cartridge, according to Gadgets spokeswoman Barbara Hahn. Such
ROMs can be purchased mail order. "Just look in the back of Computer
Shopper," she suggests to Newsbytes.

Hahn says the Spectre GCR replaces the Spectre 128 and the
need for Translator One, a program which was required before the
Spectre 128 could read and write to Mac disks on the ST. She says the
unit is in "gamma test" right now, and it has been extensively tested
and "it works with 90 percent of business software." She says the
only type of software for which the Spectre GCR fails to run many Mac
programs is games.

Gadgets by Small, run by David Small, formerly of Data Pacific, does
not have enough Spectre GCRs to meet anticipated demand and there will
be a delay in filling orders, she says. "An order taken today will be
shipped at the end of October." The number to call to order is 303-
791-6098.

October is also when Atari will ship the Stacy. The laptop machine,
with one megabyte of memory, an optional 20 megabyte hard disk, an
eight megahertz 68000 microprocessor, a single 3.5-inch floppy drive, a
standard LCD, a built-in track ball, will have a price of $1500 for the
base model, $2000 for the 20 megabyte hard drive unit. With the add-on
Spectre 128, a user could conceivably have a fully functioning Mac
laptop for half the price of Apple's model.

Meanwhile, Newsbytes was unable to reach Avante-Garde Systems of
Jacksonville, Florida, maker of pc-ditto II, an add-in board for the ST
which allows it to run MS-DOS programs. The company, on vacation
this week, is rumored to be developing a similar cartridge-based
product for the Stacy laptop.

(Wendy Woods/19890803/Press Contact: Avante Guard Systems, 303-
791-6098)


(EXCLUSIVE)(APPLE)(SFO)(00002)

MACS WORK WITH PC DISPLAY MONITORS}
ALAMEDA, CALIFORNIA, U.S.A., 1989 AUG 25 (NB) -- A new buzzword
"value-added information display," has been coined by a new firm
launching a video card which allows the Macintosh to use displays
normally reserved for the PC world.

Lapis Technologies, a two-month-old firm, has unveiled DisplayServer,
a new kind of video board for the Macintosh SE and II, which allows
them to use VGA, IBM mono, EGA, multiscanners, TTLs, Apple Mono, and a
selection of full-page displays. DisplayServer SE will ship in two
weeks; a NuBus version for the II family will follow in mid-September.
The product will be distributed worldwide by Ingram Micro D.

Lapis Marketing Director Bill Ford tells Newsbytes that the
DisplayServer fills a need in certain shops where PC-type monitors
are already on an "approved" list and companies may not want to go out
an buy a special monitor for their Mac. The low cost of DisplayServer
($449 for the SE version and $499 for the NuBus version) is a
dramatic departure from the usual cost of third-party add-on adapters
which cost $1,300 and up. The other selling point is that the use of
various monitors will enable spreadsheet users, for instance, to view
parts of a spreadsheet normally left unseen because they exceed the
Mac screen's capacity.

DisplayServer can also be used to create a virtual view of what's on-
screen, in which various monitors can display certain parts or windows
of a screen and windows can be dragged between them.

Lapis was named after a stone on cofounder Steve Beck's ring "because
all the other names for computer companies seemed to be taken already,"
according to Ford. The firm plans to issue at least half a dozen products,
all created in Beck's fertile imagination, over the first year. The
next products will address speed, higher resolution, and color.

Lapis is also cofounded by Jim Harris, former president of Hercules
Technology and a former heavy hitter in Arthur Young's entrepreneurial
advisory unit.

(Wendy Woods/19890825/Press Contact: Bill Ford, 415-748-1600)


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

VERSATILE MAC SCREEN SAVER}
BERKELEY, CALIFORNIA, U.S.A., 1989 AUG 25 (NB) -- Macintosh users
need no longer be confined to watching tiny fireworks explode or
stars whip past their screen when their screen saver, designed to
prevent screen burn-in, is activated. A new product from Berkeley
Systems provides a variety of screen-savers with everything from
shifting moire patterns to lightening bolts to drifting corporate
logos.

After Dark, $39.95, provides multiple graphic modules. A business-
oriented module allows companies to scan in their corporate logo,
which will then drift about the screen when the screen saver
engages, a feature which might be attractive to companies which keep
their unattended Macs in the public eye. There are also screen savers
that offer a night sky with streaking meteors, rain drops, flashing
lightening bolts, crawling worms, or a basic dimmer.

The product also has an "anti-snoop" feature which prevents the
machine from reawakening without a password.

(Wendy Woods/19890825/Press Contact: Nicholas Rush, 415-540-
5535)


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

MAC: TRUEFORM FORMS PROCESSOR SHIPS}
MOUNTAIN VIEW, CALIFORNIA, U.S.A., 1989 AUG 22 (NB) -- Trueform,
a forms processing program from Adobe, is now shipping. The
Macintosh software package enables existing forms to be filled out
via computer and printed out on a laser printer. The original
form is scanned into the computer via a printer, and the software
guides the user through an initial process of locating which blanks
are to be filled in, where numbers are to be subjected to math
processes, and how the form is to be printed. In addition, forms
created with PageMaker, Illustrator, MacDraw, and other page
layout programs can also be imported and used in the Trueform
program.

The program, which includes Trueform Set-Up and Trueform Fill-Out,
along with 10 sample forms, and the 4th Dimension printing module
(which allows forms to be filled out without leaving that database
application) has a suggested price of $395.

(Wendy Woods/19890825)


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

APPLE SLATES FALL AD BLITZ}
CUPERTINO, CALIFORNIA, U.S.A., 1989 AUG 24 (NB) -- Apple Computer
will launch a promotion estimated to be worth between $15 and $20
million this fall to coincide with the introduction of a portable
Macintosh and a 25MHz Macintosh IIci, and to promote its compact
disk read-only memory drive.

The report, in Macintosh News, says as part of the media blitz, Apple
will offer an unique "loan to own" program, in which for 90 days a
potential computer purchaser can borrow a system before deciding
whether to buy.

Apple has refused to comment on the report, which adds that the
promotion will run through the Christmas holiday season. There will
also be special incentives for resellers directly from Apple.

(Wendy Woods/19890825)


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

TEXT COLOR ON THE MAC}
SOLANA BEACH, CALIFORNIA, U.S.A., 1989 AUG 24 (NB) -- Word
processing on the Mac is becoming more colorful, a facet PC users
have had for years, with the release of Nisus 2.0 from Paragon
Concept.

Nisus 2.0 for the Mac Plus, SE and II lets users add color to
text. Color can be applied to a paragraph and added to the file
from a search by color. Other additions to this Mac word
processing program include footnotes, endnotes and hyphenation.
Global changes to identical ruler settings are also now
available.

The software requires one megabyte of RAM and sells for $395.

(Janet Endrijonas/19890825/Press Contact: Paragon COncept, 616-
481-1477)


(EXCLUSIVE)(APPLE)(HKG)(00007)

HONG KONG: MAC LAPTOP CLONE}
HONGKONG, ASIA, 1989 AUG 18 (NB) -- Jonathan, the Taiwanese-produced
Macintosh clone, has inspired some interest among traditional Mac users
but dealers in Hongkong and around the region share a common view that
Jonathan's little cousin, the Mac clone laptop, will probably prove
more attractive to the market.

Newsbytes heard from informed sources that orders for the
laptop have been placed with the Taiwanese manufacturer by at
least one Authorized Apple Dealer in Asia. Apparently tired
of waiting for the Apple release of its portable Mac, this
dealer hopes to capitalize on the burgeoning market in the
region.

(Keith Cameron/19890818)


(NEWS)(APPLE)(BRU)(00008)

APPLE MAY INCREASE PRODUCTION IN IRELAND}
CORK, IRELAND, 1989 AUG 26 (NB) -- As a result of increasing
computer sales, Apple is now looking at ways to increase its
production, Newsbytes' sources say.

One of the primary places where production could be increased is
at Apple's existing facility in Cork, Ireland, which supplies the
needs of much of Western Europe. Expansion plans for the Cork
facility were announced earlier this year, and the builders will
shortly move in to begin the new factories. Sources close to
Apple suggest that these plans will now be dramatically enhanced,
given the level of sales in the US.

(Eric Dauchy/19890826)


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

4 Mb CHIP PRICES FALL BELOW $100}
TOKYO, JAPAN, 1989 AUG 17 (NB) -- Major Japanese semiconductor
makers, such as Toshiba, NEC, and Hitachi, will start marketing
four megabit DRAM (dynamic random access memory) chips below
what the U.S. and European market expects this fall.

Generally, the price of a new generation of memory chips is set
some five to seven times higher than the current generation of
chips. In accordance with this market system, the 4 Mb DRAM chips
should be priced between $75 and $105 based on the current price of
the 1 Mb DRAM in the market.

Even given that rule of thumb, the price of the 4 Mb DRAM chips has
been expected to be higher, since the cost of development and
production is significantly more than that of one megabit DRAMs.
Toshiba, however, says the price will be around 12,000 yen or
$85 by June.

Toshiba's decision to lower the price of its newest chips is designed
to boost market demand and to encourage the industry to convert to the
next generation of chips at an earlier stage than in the past. The monthly
output of the next generation chips will be as follows: 200,000 units by
Hitachi in September, one million units by Toshiba in April 1990, and
100,000 units per month by NEC in October of this year.

(Naoyuki Yazawa/19890824)


(NEWS)(BUSINESS)(TYO)(00002)

MOTOROLA MAKING CHIPS IN JAPAN}
TOKYO, JAPAN, 1989 AUG 24 (NB) -- Nihon Motorola, subsidiary of
U.S.-based major microprocessor (MPU) maker Motorola, has decided
to produce Motorola's MPUs in Japan in an attempt to boost its
share in the Japanese market.

Nihon Motorola will start construction of a dedicated factory
within the year and expects initial production by fall 1990.
Nihon Motorola will assemble, complete and inspect 32-bit MC68030
and reduced instruction set-type MC88000 MPUs, as well as digital signal
processors based on wafer semi-produced in chip factories of other
Motorola Group companies. Nihon Motorola's expected initial investment is
estimated at 5 to 10 billion yen ($35 to 70 million) for the new factory.

Nihon Motorola expects the new system will allow it to conduct
swift inspection or evaluation of products, and to improve
technical support for its customers.

(Ken Takahashi/19890824)


(NEWS)(BUSINESS)(TYO)(00003)

YHP ASSISTS HP IN ASIAN EXPANSION}
TOKYO, JAPAN, 1989 AUG 22 (NB) -- Yokogawa Hewlett-Packard or YHP
will assist its 75 percent shareholder Hewlett-Packard to double its
three Japanese staff members in Hong Kong in order to better penetrate
the Hong Kong, Chinese and Southeast Asian markets.

With the increasing number of Japanese companies in the area, HP
expects to show it has a stable support and service organization,
equipped with Japanese engineers. Also, HP will be able to provide
assistance to YHP and its customers in matters involving equipment
which Hewlett-Packard has sold to Yokogawa Hewlett-Packard.

YHP has established a YHP California office, part of the International
Division of HP, last year, and has a plan to establish the same
type of office in Europe to cooperate with HP.

(Naoyuki Yazawa/19890824)


(NEWS)(BUSINESS)(HKG)(00004)

NCR WINS $3 MILLION ORDER IN CHINA}
HONGKONG, ASIA, 1989 AUG 25 (NB) -- The announcement of a $3 million
dollar sale of automatic teller machines (ATM) by NCR to the
Bank of China should increase confidence amongst China traders.

The ATMs are for installation in the bank's branches in
Guangdong (Canton) Province which neighbours Hongkong. Michael
Lee, managing director of NCR (China) Ltd, said that the orders
suggested that in the banking sector at least, investments had
been little affected by the tragic events of June 4th in
Beijing.

"It's hard to forecast potential sales, but there are more than
100 branches of the Bank of China in southern China alone and
the indications are that most of them want ATMs. We expect to
close orders from branches in two or three more cities this
year."

The order represented 43 differing types of ATMs in the NCR
range, 23 in Zhuhiang will be fitted with automatic switching
between online and offline mode to ensure continued operation
in the event of a breakdown of communications lines or the
host computer.

(Keith Cameron/19890825/Press Contact:Euan Barty, Hongkong 5-
290356)


(NEWS)(BUSINESS)(TYO)(00005)

NEC & HITACHI: NEW CHIP PLANTS OVERSEAS}
TOKYO, JAPAN, 1989 AUG 21 (NB) -- Two major Japanese chip
makers, NEC and Hitachi, have announced plans to build new
semiconductor manufacturing plants overseas.

NEC has announced plans to build a four-megabit DRAM (dynamic
random access memory) chip production plant in Roseville,
California plant. Construction starts in September and will be
complete before the end of 1990. Test runs are due in spring, 1991.
NEC will have invested some 50 billion yen by then and will have
hired some 400 American employees. The production capacity, slated
to be four to five million 4 Mb DRAMs per month, will include the
ability to produce 16 Mb DRAM chips.

Meanwhile in Europe, Hitachi has chosen a plant site in a
suburb of Munich. When built, the highly-automated Hitachi plant will
be capable of producing complete chips from start to finish.
Hitachi's investment in West Germany is nothing new.
Hitachi Semiconductor Europe in Landshut was established in 1980 for
assembling semiconductor chips.

Hitachi's semiconductor business earned 453 billion yen in fiscal 1988
and six percent of the amount came from Europe. It is expecting that all
future European-destined products will be created in Hitachi's European
subsidiaries.

(Naoyuki Yazawa/19890824)


(NEWS)(BUSINESS)(SFO)(00006)

SCIENTIFIC MICRO BOUGHT BY CHIPS & TECHNOLOGIES}
SAN JOSE, CALIFORNIA, U.S.A., 1989 AUG 23 (NB) -- Chips and
Technologies has pounced upon ailing Scientific Micro, handing out
part of the catch to Televideo Systems.

The $16 million cash deal provides Chips and Technologies with all the
assets of the company, while Televideo then purchased the board and
subsystems division of Scientific Micro from C & T for $7 million.

To Chips, the deal was worth it. "The technology, product line, and
customer base represented by this transaction will provide Chips
with an excellent complement to its existing mass storage control
activities in the disk controller marketplace," says Gordon Campbell,
president and chief executive of the firm.

(Wendy Woods/19890825/Press Contact: Mike Ares, Chips and
Technologies, 408-434-0600)


(NEWS)(BUSINESS)(SFO)(00007)

DEST IS BACK}
SAN JOSE, CALIFORNIA, U.S.A., 1989 AUG 25 (NB) -- Pulled from the
brink of extinction, scanner maker Dest Corporation, now known as
New DEST Corporation, is back and out to reestablish the company's
credibility in the IBM and Macintosh marketplaces.

The company, founded by a core of senior DEST executives and funded
by venture capital led by Wearnes Technology Corporation, has
purchased product patents, exclusive manufacturing and distribution
rights, trademarks and company name from DEST Corporation of
Milpitas, which had the largest installed base of scanners -- some
30,000 -- in the industry, according to a company spokesman.

The New DEST will design, make, sell, and service DEST products
under warranty and all new products sold.

(Wendy Woods/19890825/Press Contact: Larry Tashbook, 408-436-2700)


(NEWS)(BUSINESS)(SFO)(00008)

CENTRAL POINT SALES UP 85%}
BEAVERTON, OREGON, U.S.A., 1989 AUG 21 (NB) -- The stellar ascent of
Central Point Software appears to be in no danger of slowing
according to the company's latest financial statement. Central
Point announced revenues for its most recent quarter were $6.4
million, an 85 percent increase over one year ago's take of $3.5
million.

During the first quarter of this year, Q1 '90, Central Point claims to
have shipped 253,000 units of its PC Tools Deluxe utilities package,
and since January 400,000 units have been sold.

The firm has an installed base of more than 800,000 registered
users and its products are available in several languages, including
French and German, and are sold in 25 countries.

Central Point is now aiming its tools beyond the average PC user
into corporate and government markets, an effort spearheaded by
Phil Catterall, who has become director of corporate account
development.

(Wendy Woods/19890825/Press Contact: Corey Staton-Smith,
Central Point, 503-690-5160)


(NEWS)(BUSINESS)(WAS)(00009)

ADAGE CUTS 40 EMPLOYEES}
BILLERICA, MASSACHUSETTS, U.S.A., 1989 AUG 24 (NB) -- Adage,
Inc., a Massachusetts-based maker of interactive graphics
products for the medical, simulation, and CAD/CAM (computer-aided
design/computer-aided manufacture) markets, has announced that it
has cut its workforce by about 40, but James D. Norrod, president
of Adage, stressed that the company would satisfy all existing
orders and continue to support customers but would not actively
seek new business.

Adage has cut back on its staff and marketing effort because,
according to Mr. Norrod, the company was pessimistic about the
future of the graphics terminal business.

(John McCormick/19890824/Press Contact: Dale H. Munk of Adage,
508-667-7070)


(NEWS)(BUSINESS)(WAS)(00010)

CONCURRENT COMPUTER SHOWS 4TH-Q LOSS}
TINTON FALLS, NEW JERSEY, U.S.A., 1989 AUG 25 (NB) -- Concurrent
Computer, maker of real-time computer systems for simulations,
transaction processing, and control, priced from $10,000 to over $1
million, has reported a net loss of $600,000 or 3 cents per share
for the forth quarter, compared with a loss of $10.4 million for
the same period last year.

The results include a $3.6 million profit from sale of 40 percent of the
company's wholly owned Japanese subsidiary, while last year's
results included a one-time restructuring loss of $8.2 million.

Concurrent Computer Corp., was formed by the merger of Concurrent
Computer and Massachusetts Computer Corp. or MASSCOMP in
September of 1989.

Net loss for the year was $24.7 million, or $1.43 per share,
verses a loss of $7.9 million, or 53 cents per share in the
prior year.

The company placed the blame for the loss on a change in
accounting practices as well as the costs involved in merging the
manufacturing facilities of the two companies.

(John McCormick/1989825/Press Contact: Barbara A. Pistilli,
Concurrent Computer Corp., 201-758-7576)


(NEWS)(BUSINESS)(WAS)(00011)

WHITNEY SWEEPS PRIME BOARD CLEAN}
MILFORD, MASSACHUSETTS, U.S.A., 1989 AUG 24 (NB) -- J.H.
Whitney & Co. took control of Prime Computer today when the board
of directors brought Whitney & Co.'s nominees onto the board and
then resigned.

The new board members are: Whitney partners Russell E. Planitzer,
Don E. Ackerman, Peter M. Castleman and George C. Sheinberg,
vice chairman of Shearson Lehman Hutton Inc. John S. Dulaney, the
only board member to remain from previous management was a
director of Prime Computer for 16 years and will remain in that
position until the merger is completed.

James F. McDonald was unanimously named president and chief
executive officer of Prime and will join the board after the
completion of the merger.

Venture capital firm J.H. Whitney & Co. announced Sunday that it had
received enough stock at $20/share to complete its friendly
takeover of Prime Computer Inc.

Whitney was a white knight to the Natick, Massachusetts, computer
maker of minicomputers and workstations in its nearly year-long
battle against a hostile takeover attempt by California-based MAI
Basic Four Inc.

Nearly 91 percent of the outstanding publicly traded Prime stock had
been tendered to DR Acquisitions (a subsidiary of Whitney & Co.)
by the Friday midnight deadline, according to a Whitney
spokesman.

The 90-million-share purchase was up from the original plan to
purchase only about 50 million shares or 79 percent of Prime stock at
$21.50 (U.S.) per share. The offer was lowered to $20 per share
after Prime's unexpectedly large $19 million second-quarter loss.

(John McCormick/1989825/Press Contact: Joe Gavaghan, Prime, 508-
655-8000, ext. 7727)


(NEWS)(BUSINESS)(WAS)(00012)

WANG GETS REPRIEVE FROM BANKS}
LOWELL, MASSACHUSETTS, U.S.A., 1989 AUG 21 (NB) -- Weekend-
long negotiations with its eight-bank lending group have resulted
in Wang Laboratories obtaining an additional $175 million in
working capital, but the banks required Wang to pledge all
company assets except inventory to back the previously unsecured
debt.

Wang has agreed to pay all back debts on the loans which went
into default last week when the beleaguered company's net worth
fell below a set level. While the company previously had a $300
million credit line, it now has $575 million of short-term credit
available to finance production and marketing.

Wang's total debt is now nearly $1 billion, but with assets
approaching $3 billion it remains in a fairly good position to
recover its financial health.

(John McCormick/19890824)


(NEWS)(BUSINESS)(WAS)(00013)

WANG NAMES NEW PRESIDENT}
LOWELL, MASSACHUSETTS, U.S.A., 1989 AUG 23 (NB) -- Richard W.
Miller was today named the new president and chief operating
officer of Wang Laboratories, replacing Frederic Wang, son of the
founder An Wang, and interim president Harry Chou.

The 48-year-old Miller is taking over the $3 billion computer
giant at a time when it is struggling to remain a viable
corporation; with massive losses and difficulty meeting bank
obligations, Wang Labs has been considered by many industry
analysts to be in major trouble. Mr. Miller was formerly the head
of General Electric's $3.3 billion consumer electronics division.

An Wang, chairman and CEO, said of Mr. Miller, "I have great
confidence in the ability of Rick Miller to assume total control
of the operations of Wang Laboratories. He will have my full
support and that of the board of directors in resolving the
company's current situation and restoring it to profitability. In
a comparatively short period of time, the board and I have become
convinced that Miller is the ideal choice for this position."

(John McCormick/19890824/Press Contact: Paul Henning, Wang, 508-
967-1090)


(NEWS)(BUSINESS)(WAS)(00014)

COURT OKAYS DAYWOO'S LEADING EDGE PLANS}
CANTON, MASSACHUSETTS, U.S.A., 1989 AUG 24 (NB) -- The U.S.
Bankruptcy Court in Boston has approved a management agreement
allowing Daewoo Telecom to assume management of Leading Edge
Products. The South Korean-based Daewoo was the exclusive
manufacturer of the Leading Edge line of MS-DOS compatible
computers.

Under the agreement, dealers should eventually receive full
payment, while other creditors will get about 45 cents on the
dollar of acknowledged debt.

Leading Edge, which filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy
reorganization on February 10 of this year, resumed shipping and
support of the Model D in April, after receiving approval for an
interim agreement.

(John McCormick/19890825)


(NEWS)(BUSINESS)(WAS)(00015)

DIGITAL PLANS STAFF CUTS}
MAYNARD, MASSACHUSETTS, U.S.A., 1989 AUG 24 (NB) -- With a
partial hiring freeze already in effect, Digital Equipment Corp.
has reportedly asked its department heads to reduce overhead by
as much as one-quarter, meaning a possible staff cut of nearly
7,500 employees over a two year period.

(John McCormick/19890825)


(NEWS)(BUSINESS)(LAX)(00016)

PCPI CREATES TECHNOLOGY SALES DIVISION}
SAN DIEGO, CALIFORNIA, U.S.A., 1989 AUG 18 (NB) -- Personal
Computer Products (PCPI) has created a new Technology Sales
Division to sell and license PCPI's expertise in laser-printer
hardware, software, microprocessor technology, applications and
design to laser printer manufacturers, OEMs and systems
integrators worldwide

This new PCPI business unit, headed by Don Irby who was formerly
the company's director of manufacturing operations, will also
offer "test suites" that determine the accuracy, fidelity and
compatibility of printers, printer controller software and
languages, printer and plotter emulations and type fonts.

In another announcement on Monday, August 21, PCPI unveiled a
laser printer sharing system that automatically configures the
printer for different emulations, fonts and functions required by
each user. Dubbed ImageNet, the system integrates hardware and
software eliminating the need for swapping cartridges or
physically resetting switches and automatically isolates each
user's print job from all others.

ImageNet removes printer support and control from conventional
local area networks serving as a sophisticated alternative to
simple switching devices. It enables a laser to be used as a
plotter in computer-aided design and manufacturing applications.

Wednesday, August 23, PCPI added ImageFont to its product line.
ImageFont is a one-megabyte cartridge that consolidates the
fonts, type sizes and symbols of as many as 11 separate cartridges
into one, creating a battery of unified application-specific
packages for users of PCPI's LaserImage line of laser printers.
The cartridges retail for $295 to $395 each and are available
immediately.

(Janet Endrijonas/19890825/Press Contact: Eric Gaer, PCPI, 619-
485-8411)


(EXCLUSIVE)(BUSINESS)(LAX)(00017)

TAIWAN'S COPAM FINALLY LANDS IN US}
FREMONT, CALIFORNIA, U.S.A., 1989 AUG 21 (NB) -- A company
that for years has successfully marketed DOS based personal
computers throughout the world while ignoring the US market has
finally landed here. Copam USA opened its doors for business
officially on August 1.

In an exclusive interview with Newsbytes, Jerry Hobelmann, vice
president of marketing who runs the US operation, explained that
Taiwan-based Copam Electronics Corporation sold over a $100
million dollars in computers worldwide last year and is best
known in the Scandinavian countries.

Copam has a range of computers including 8088-, 286- and 386-based
machines. All operate on DOS, sell for moderate prices beginning
at $1500 and are fully configurable by dealers.

"We intend to be the company that supports computer dealers
better than anyone else," Hobelmann told Newsbytes. "We make
only the computer, not the monitors or peripherals and have
concentrated extensive research and development into motherboard
related product. We offer dealers a reliable product that can be
custom configured for each customer. We offer top notch support.
We return all telephone calls within an hour and deliver product
within three days. We are fielding a staff of regionally located
sales engineers, Copam and Novell trained, who will provide
customized on-site training for dealers and end users."

"Before entering the market in this country," added Hobelmann,
"we did a great deal of market research. Our product can be
called the platform for a solution. We may be another clone
company but our people, our philosophy and our quality will make
Copam a force in the US market."

(Janet Endrijonas/19890825/Press Contact: Lauren Sonstrom, New
Venture Marketing, 415-856-9090)


(NEWS)(BUSINESS)(LAX)(00018)

MAI SHOWS RED INK}
TUSTIN, CALIFORNIA, U.S.A., 1989 AUG 21 (NB) -- MAI has
released its financial statement for third quarter and the
company's loss, over half of which can be attributed to the
failed attempt to takeover Prime Computer, is set at $46.2
million.

MAI reported a $5.5 million dollar operating loss for the quarter
ended June 30 along with two one-time charges, $14.2 million in
restructuring costs and $25 million dollars in takeover expenses.
These figures compare with earnings of $8.6 million of for the
same period in 1988. Revenue dropped 23.4 percent from $112
million in the third quarter of last year to $86 million.

MAI wrote off all its tender-offer expenses in third quarter and
reported a loss for the first nine months of the fiscal year
totalling $38.3 million compared with income of $18.7 for the
same period last year. Revenue declined from $303 million last
year to $298 million.

New company President William Weksel (former president Bill
Patton left unexpectedly at the end of June) pointed to a
softening of the midrange computer market and the dollar's
declining value against European currencies as contributing
factors in the companies losses.

In a related announcement, a partnership headed by Bennett LeBow,
a New York investor who is also chairman of MAI, offered to shore
up MAI finances with $55 million in cash and preferred stock to
cover some of MAI's $150 million in long-term debt. Under this
proposal, Brooke Partners LP will give MAI $30 million in cash
and convert $25 million of MAI series B preferred stock to
restricted common stock which cannot be traded for two years
under SEC regulations.

The LeBow offer would result in current shareholder's stakes
being greatly diluted. LeBow and his family already own 51.3
percent of the outstanding stock in MAI. MAI will let current
stockholders buy additional common stock to maintain their
relative equity.

(Janet Endrijonas/19890825)


(NEWS)(BUSINESS)(LAX)(00019)

TOSHIBA ADDS FAX TO US MANUFACTURE LIST}
IRVINE, CALIFORNIA, U.S.A., 1989 AUG 25 (NB) -- Toshiba
America Information Systems (TAIS) continues to move product
manufacturing to the US. Joining the laptop computers, cellular
telephones and plain paper copiers already in production at the
company's Irvine facility are facsimile machines.

TAIS is in the process of implementing a long-range domestic US
manufacturing strategy for office automation products.

(Janet Endrijonas/19890825/Press Contact: Sean Fitzgerald,
Berkhemer, Kline, Golan/Harris, 213-620-5711)


(NEWS)(BUSINESS)(TYO)(00020)

KAWASAKI BUILDS CHIP PLANTS}
TOKYO, JAPAN, 1989 AUG 23 (NB) -- Kawasaki Steel will start
construction of its LSI (large-scale integrated circuit) factory
in Tochigi Prefecture, in order to expand its LSI (large scale
integrated circuit) business. The initial investment for the first
factory will be 28 billion yen ($200 million) and the completion and
operation are expected in early 1991. Consequently, the second and the
third plants are slated for construction in 1996 and 1999 respectively.
Kawasaki expects its investment in the new plants to be more than 100
billion yen ($714 million).

The third factory will be designed for making state-of-the-art
next generation products such as 16-megabit dynamic random memory
chips. Also, the factory will have the capacity to produce 40,000
silicon wafers per month. Such a large-scale factory could be among
the top ten chip plants in the world.

Kawasaki Steel aims to rake in 200 billion ($1.43 billion) in annual sales
with its LSI business by the year 2000.

(Ken Takahashi/19890824)


(NEWS)(BUSINESS)(TYO)(00021)

SIEMENS SELLS ONE-MEG CHIPS TO JAPAN}
TOKYO, JAPAN, 1989 AUG 18 (NB) -- Siemens of West Germany will
sell one-megabit dynamic random access memory chips in the
Japanese market through one of Japan's leading electric machinery
makers Fuji Electric. The sales agency will be Fuji Electric
Components, which opened in February 1980 as a general sales
agent for Siemens' electronic components, and which was jointly set
up by Siemens and Fuji Electric.

Siemens, which started producing one-megabit chips after gaining the
technical expertise from Toshiba in July 1985, is currently
producing a few million units per month.

As Siemens does not have production capacity to meet demand
outside Europe, it will sell specifically to big users which have
ordered many products from Siemens before.

(Ken Takahashi/19890824)


(EXCLUSIVE)(BUSINESS)(HKG)(00022)

ASIA LIKES HITACHI/EDS TAKEOVER OF NAS}
HONGKONG, ASIA, 1989 AUG 22 (NB) -- Customers and prospects alike
have reacted favourably to the purchase of NAS by Hitachi and
EDS from National Semiconductor in May this year, according to
NAS Regional Director Jerry Greene.

In an interview with Newsbytes this week, Mr Greene said:
"Although we have been very successful throughout the region,
there was always the nagging question in the minds of customers
and prospects that our supply could dry up because of a lack of
control over our manufacturer. We, of course, were confident
that it could never happen, but now the subject doesn't arise."

Mr Greene also announced that Greg Cornfield, regional
marketing manager, would be relocating to Singapore to oversee
the burgeoning markets in Singapore, Malaysia and Indonesia.

"We appointed an exclusive distributor in Malaysia recently,
Seniko Sdn Bhd. Their excellent performance, together with that
of our Singapore operation, demands that we must increase our
regional strengths in South East Asia. Greg will work closely
with our distributors in that part of the world."

(Keith Cameron/19890823/Press Contact: Jerry Greene NAS Hongkong
5- 216275)


(NEWS)(BUSINESS)(SYD)(00023)

AUSTRALIA STRUGGLES TO HOLD FRAM TECHNOLOGY}
SYDNEY, AUSTRALIA, 1989 AUG 21 (NB) -- A 51.5 percent US-owned
subsidiary of Ramtron Australia will be the first to begin the
manufacture of ferro random access memory technology, or FRAM,
despite the fact that the Australian company funded the pioneering
stages of the technology. The subsidiary, Ramtron International
Corporation, will establish a US$26 million plant in Colorado.

A lack of know-how could also foil the plans of international license
holder Ramtron Australia from building a FRAM manufacturing plant in
Australia, according to Ramtron's cofounder and chairman, Ross Lyndon-
James.

Mr Lyndon-James said an Australian plant would be similar to the US
plant if it went ahead, but the company is stymied by an agreement
made several years ago with fellow local chip firm Ramax. Ramtron
claims Ramax has not raised the full investment capital it was
expected to provide as part of the agreement.

Ramtron bought the rights to FRAM five years ago, and has since
developed the chips which retain data after power has been cut off,
to fit into a family of products the company is ready to manufacture.
Ramtron believes it is two years ahead of the competition and claims
 revenues will reach $US500 million by 1995.

(Gavin Atkins and Computing Australia/19890825)


(NEWS)(BUSINESS)(SYD)(00024)

AUS: HEART DEVICE GOES TO MARKET}
SYDNEY, AUSTRALIA, 1989 AUG 21 (NB) -- An Australian company that has
developed the world's smallest heart monitoring device is raising funds to
market its products in Europe and America. Micromedical Industries has
developed a range of Walkman-sized devices for the screening, early
detection, and monitoring of heart disease.

Micromedical directors predict they will sell 60,000 units valued at
AUS$26M by 1992. The company is currently issuing shares, and expects to
apply to be listed on the Australian stock exchange by July 1990.

(Gavin Atkins and Computing Australia/19890825)


(NEWS)(BUSINESS)(SYD)(00025)

AUSSIE INFOLINK SETS SHOP IN U.S.}
SYDNEY, AUSTRALIA, 1989 AUG 21 (NB) -- Infolink, Australia's second
largest exporter of software, has opened an office in Chicago in an
attempt to develop a foothold in the American Midwest.

With over 150 users of the Australian-developed Key-Plus package in the
US, including the US Army, Infolink claims it is well placed to gain a
significant market share of the 12,000 IBM installations in the US and
Canada. The company also has offices in London, San Francisco and
Melbourne.

(Gavin Atkins and Computing Australia/19890825)


(NEWS)(BUSINESS)(LON)(00026)

TRICOM MODEMS IN FRANCE}
HIGH WYCOMBE, ENGLAND, 1989 AUG 25 (NB) -- Tricom Communications
has signed a #1 million distribution deal with Kortex International of
France. Terms of the deal call for Kortex to market Tricom's high-speed
PC modem cards in France. The products include quin and quad-standard
modems for PC ATs and PS/2 machines.

John Hammond, Tricom's marketing manager, said that the modems
will be distributed through Tricom-Borer, a company formed as a
result of Tricom's recent take-over of Micom-Borer.

"This is the first of many such agreements, as we are looking
to expand our range of PC communications products
distributed through our Reading operation," he said.

(Steve Gold/19890825/Press Contact: Mandie Kelly, Tricom
Communications - Tel: [phone])


(NEWS)(BUSINESS)(BRU)(00027)

PHILIPS TURNOVER UP 3 PERCENT}
EINDHOVEN, THE NETHERLANDS, 1989 AUG 26 -- Philips, the Dutch
consumer electronics giant, has posted a Guilders 26,200 ($13,100
million) turnover for its first six months - up three percent on
last year. Profits for the half year, meanwhile, surged 36 percent to
458 million guilders ($228 million). The company's consumer
products group ended the first six months above average whilst
the components division ended lower than expected, due to recent
price cuts in integrated circuits.

Philips said that sales in the professional products and systems
division were up, with the exception of defence-related products.

A Philips spokesman pointed to a shift from minis to personal
computers to explain the bad figures. He also noted that it was
the first time since 1987 that Philips had released an overall
picture of its automation activities (part of the professional
systems division) but added it was not company policy to "update
this sort of information."

(Eric Dauchy/19890826)


(NEWS)(BUSINESS)(BRU)(00028)

NIXDORF POSTS 2ND QUARTER LOSS}
FRANKFURT, WEST GERMANY, 1989 AUG 26 (NB) -- Nixdorf, the
troubled West German computer company, has reported losses of DM
149 ($75 million) for its second quarter year. The losses
compound to produce half-yearly losses of DM 297 million ($150
million) for the first six months of its fiscal year. The company
says that the situation should improve in the second half of the
year, when it says 60 percent of sales occur.

Klaus Luft, Nixdorf's chief executive officer, kept an optimistic
note when reporting the losses last week. Despite this, the
company's shares lost DM 9.50 on the Frankfurt stock exchange,
before bouncing back DM 16 to close at DM 359.50.

Luft said that the company will stay in the red for the rest of
the year, but that the results have proven that Nixdorf has
broken the spell of spiralling costs. He said he was confident
sales would boost income considerably in the final quarter.
Analysts believe that after the negative results of 1988 Nixdorf
is in no position to bluff this year.

An analyst with Banque Paribas Capital Markets in London
predicted that the company's share price will not break through
the DM 400 barrier, making it a more long term investment.

In November last year, Nixdorf had a record 31,262 employees.
Since then 1,600 jobs have been shed. No further redundancies or
lay-offs are planned.

(Eric Dauchy/19890826)


(NEWS)(BUSINESS)(LON)(00029)

US ROBOTICS SNAPS UP MIRACOM}
IPSWICH, ENGLAND, 1989 AUG 25 (NB) -- In a surprise move, US
Robotics has acquired Miracom, the troubled UK modem
manufacturer. Miracom hit a troubled financial patch just under a
month ago, resulting in an administrative receiver being called
in to stave off the firm's creditors.

Earlier this year, US Robotics was said to be interested in
acquiring Miracom. The deal subsequently fell through for various
reasons. According to Casey Cowell, managing director with US
Robotics, the deal was picked up again earlier this month, and
finalized in a matter of days.

"We have three main objectives with Miracom Technology, as the
new company will be called. Firstly, to get the business running
smoothly. Secondly to getting the company settled, and thirdly to
getting the company profitable again," he said, adding that no
redundancies are planned.

Miracom's existing managing director, Gwyn John, has been moved
to a consultancy position with the company. His place is taken by
Jens Montanana, a European consultant with experience in what
Cowell calls "turning companies around."

"Jens will be with us for a short period, whilst we look for a
new managing director for Miracom Technology. We intend to hire
the right person, so the appointment may take some time," he told
Newsbytes.

Cowell said that no new modem products are planned for immediate
shipment by Miracom Technology in the UK. He said that a number
of new products with be unveiled by US Robotics at Comdex Fall in
the US this November.

(Steve Gold/19890825/Press Contact: Casey Cowell, managing
director, US Robotics - Tel (US) 312-982-5010)


(NEWS)(BUSINESS)(TOR)(00030)

CANADA: NBS TO MOVE INTEGRA EAST}
VANCOUVER, BRITISH COLUMBIA, CANADA, 1989 AUG 22 (NB) -- National
Business Systems of Mississauga, Ontario, is taking over most
assets of its subsidiary Integra Systems and merging them with
NBS operations in Ontario and Quebec, The Financial Post reports.
Integra's research department will be transferred to an NBS
facility in Kitchener, Ontario, and its manufacturing operation
will go to Montreal. The company said the move was made to reduce
overhead. About 22 Integra employees will be offered jobs at NBS.
NBS invested about C$2 million in Integra last April.

(Grant Buckler/19890824)


(NEWS)(BUSINESS)(TOR)(00031)

NEWBRIDGE NAMED SUN SUPPLIER}
OTTAWA, ONTARIO, CANADA, 1989 Aug 24 (NB) -- Sun Microsystems
will use high-speed digital T-1 and T-3 transmission products
from Newbridge Networks in its internal network worldwide. In a
deal worth C$2.5 million, the workstation manufacturer has chosen
Newbridge 4600 Mainstreet network management software, which will
operate on Sun's own workstations. The initial network will
consist of 13 nodes, mostly in the United States with links to
Europe and Asia.

(Grant Buckler/19890825/Press Contact: Simon Gibson or Sandra
Plumley, Newbridge Networks, 613-591-3600)


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

WORLD COMPUTER CONGRESS THIS WEEK}
SAN FRANCISCO, CALIFORNIA, U.S.A., 1989 AUG 26 (NB) -- The "Grand Daddy"
of computer industry trade shows, the 11th World Computer Congress,
sponsored by the International Federation for Information Processing,
will be held August 28-September 1 in San Francisco, the first time the
event has been held in the United States since 1965.

The triannual event (held every three years) is different from Comdex,
event organizers tell Newsbytes, in that it has more of an international
flavor, attracting some 1400 delegates from 60 countries. The 1986
show was held in Dublin, Ireland, and previous shows took place in Paris,
Tokyo, and Melbourne.

This year's event, held at the San Francisco Moscone Center, features a
keynote address by Hewlett-Packard President John Young and a closing
address by Sun Microsystems' founder Bill Joy, creator of the Unix
operating system.

In addition to technical sessions on everything from supercomputers
to networks, the Congress has an exhibit area where such firms as
NEC, IBM, Hitachi, Fujitsu, and others, will show their latest hardware
and software developments. Tours have also been slated of Apple
Computer, Lawrence Livermore Laboratory, and the NASA Ames
Research Center.

For registration information call 1-800-525-6338 in the U.S.or IFIP
in Denver, Colorado, 303-831-6338)

(Wendy Woods/19890825)


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

COMPUTER PROFS FOR SOCIAL RESPONSIBILITY MEET OCT 20-21}
PALO ALTO, CALIFORNIA, U.S.A., 1989 AUG 25 (NB) -- The 1989
Annual Meeting of Computer Professionals for Social Responsibility
will be held October 20 and 21 in Washington, D.C.

The first day of the affair promises to offer plenty of food for
thought, primarily on the issues of electronic privacy. The keynote
speaker is Senator Patrick Leahy of Vermont, chairman of the Senate
Judiciary Subcommittee on Technology and the Law, who will address
issues related to computers, privacy, and civil liberties in the U.S.
He is due to speak at 9 a.m. on October 20 at the auditorium of the Pan
American Health Organization, 525 23rd St., N.W.

For lunch, at the George Washington University Club, Marvin Center,
800 21st St., N.W., there's Karen Nussbaum, founder of 9 to 5, or
the National Association of Working Women. Her topic is "Privacy,
Electronic Monitoring, and Public Policy."

Additional sessions are slated on federal support of computer science
research, computers in education -- "mixed agendas and uncertain
outcomes" -- and computer ethics and accountability among programmers.

For more information, call the CPSR National Office at 415-322-3778
or write CPSR, PO Box 717, Palo Alto, Ca. 94301.

(Wendy Woods/19890825)


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

DANIEL MCCRACKEN HONORED}
PALO ALTO, CALIFORNIA, U.S.A., 1989 AUG 25 (NB) -- The Norbert
Wiener Award for Social and Professional Responsibility has been
given to Professor Daniel D. McCracken of the City College of New
York for his dedicated work for the prestige of the profession
and the safety of the public.

McCracken, who will be honored at a luncheon during the Computer
Professionals for Social Responsibility annual convention in
Washington, October 20, has taken an active role in shaping socially
responsible public policy. He formed Computer Professionals Against
the ABM in 1969, chairing the committee until 1972 when the ABM
Treaty, banning such systems, was signed. He was an early opponent
of the "Star Wars" missile defense system, and in 1976 testified before
Congress of the social implications of electronic funds transfer. He
also was instrumental in Congress' enactment of copyright legislation
for software.

"The name Dan McCracken is a household word wherever there are
professional or otherwise dedicated computer programmers," says
Norbert Wiener Award recipient Professor Joseph Weizenbaum of
MIT. McCracken has also written or co-authored 25 titles on
computer programming.

(Wendy Woods/19890825/Press Contact: Gary Chapman, executive
director CPSR, 415-322-3778)


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

ATARI LYNX CONFERENCE DRAWS 100}
MONTEREY, CALIFORNIA, U.S.A., 1989 AUG 25 (NB) -- Atari says its
conference for developers of software for its Lynx color portable
entertainment system attracted 100 of the industry's top game
designers. Atari's answer to Nintendo's dominance of the video
game industry will be shipped in October and will cost $169.

The Lynx is a one-pound unit with a 3.5-inch liquid crystal display
screen capable of displaying 16 colors from a pallet of 4,096
colors and which allows programmers to work with an infinite number
of sprites. The Lynx operates at 4 MHz and can link up to eight
units for multiple player games. The games are on 16 megabyte
credit-card sized game cards. The screen can be flipped 180 degrees
to accommodate right and left-handed players.

Atari's Ron Stingari, president of the Entertainment Products
Division, promises by the first of next year, 20 new Lynx game titles
will be available in addition to the seven that are already on the
market.

(Wendy Woods/19890825/Press Contact: Ron Stingari 408-745-4968)


(NEWS)(GENERAL)(LAX)(00005)

LOW COST LASER PRINTER FROM TOSHIBA}
IRVINE, CALIFORNIA, U.S.A., 1989 AUG 21 (NB) -- PageLaser 6, a
low cost ($1,899), general purpose laser printer for business has
been introduced by Toshiba's Computer Systems Division.

The unit has a small footprint and weighs only 35 pounds. It is
HP LaserJet-compatible. Software applications written for the HP
LaserJet as well as HP font cartridges and soft fonts are
compatible with PageLaser 6. The printer supports both
Centronics parallel and RS232 serial interfaces.

The printer has a suggested usage rate of 4,000 pages per month
and prints letter size output at 6 pages per minute. Memory of
512K and 300 by 300 dots-per-inch resolution are standard. An
available option is a detachable tray for face up printing for
straight paper path applications such as envelopes. With
separate drum and toner components, the drum does not have to be
discarded when the toner needs replenishing. The unit has been
engineered with a life of 300,000 pages.

(Janet Endrijonas/19890825/Press Contact: Chuck Stegmeir, Les
Goldberg Public Relations, 714-730-4774)


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

NEW WANG FIBER OPTIC LAN}
LOWELL, MASSACHUSETTS, U.S.A., 1989 AUG 22 (NB) -- A new fiber
optic local area network, or LAN, supporting Ethernet and IEEE-
802.3 network standards was announced toady for Wang PC 280T and
PC 380T Tempest (secure) computers.

Wang has also announced the PC 802.3 Intelligent Card and 803.2
Non-Intelligent card, PC expansion cards that provide the fiber
optic interface for the Wang PC 280 and 380 series of computers.

Tempest is the designation for all high-security computer systems
which include the shielding necessary to prevent any radio
frequency signals from escaping the computer's case. There are
relatively simple and inexpensive ways of intercepting and
interpreting such radio frequency signals, and Tempest machines
are required for many sensitive government or commercial data
processing environments.

(John McCormick/19890824/Press Contact: Linda Volpe Kincaid,
Wang, 508-967-6425)


(NEWS)(GENERAL)(WAS)(00007)

OMG GETS NINE NEW MEMBERS}
WESTBORO, MASSACHUSETTS, U.S.A., 1989 AUG 24 (NB) -- The
Object Management Group, Inc., announced last Thursday that AT&T
and Netwise, along with nine other new members, have joined the
international organization which is devoted to ensuring that
various programs are able to communicate efficiently.

OMG now has 29 members, including the following new members: AION
Corp., Palo Alto, Calif.; AT&T, Basking Ridge, N.J.; Borland
International, Scotts Valley, Calif.; Coordination Technology
Inc., Trumbull, Conn.; Eastman Kodak, Rochester, N.Y.; Netwise
Inc., Boulder, Colo.; Objectivity, Menlo Park, Calif.; Ontologic,
Billerica, Mass.; Softron Executive News Svc. Inc., Waltham,
Mass.; Unify Corp., Sacramento, Calif.; and the University of
Colorado, Boulder, Colo.

In related news, Phil Sakakihara, research and development
manager of Hewlett-Packard Co.'s Santa Clara Information Systems
Division, has been named acting chairman of the newly formed
Technology Committee.

OMG was formed in April 1989 to promote industry-wide adoption of
a common applications environment, based on a concept called
object management. Object orientation means that programs treat
standardized types of data and applications as types of objects
rather than as individual entities, making it much easier to
program for a few object types instead of a vast number of
individual types.

(John McCormick/19890824/Press Contact: Jim Dunlap, Data General,
508-870-8162)


(NEWS)(GENERAL)(WAS)(00008)

PAN PACIFIC COMPUTER CONFERENCE IN CHINA}
BEIJING, CHINA, 1989 AUG 15 (NB) -- Over 100 professionals
from 17 countries attended the four-day computer conference that
began August 16th in Beijing.

It was reported at the conference that China will build over 500
minicomputers, and nearly 60,000 microcomputers in the next year.

This conference, which included participants from the U.S.,
Japan, and Canada, shows that recent troubles in China haven't
stopped all trade in information between China and the rest of
the world.

(John McCormick/19890825)


(NEWS)(GENERAL)(SYD)(00009)

COMPUTERS DETECT OUTBACK BUSHFIRES}
ADELAIDE, AUSTRALIA, 1989 AUG 21 (NB) -- The Electricity Trust of
South Australia, or ETSA, is installing a 'distribution asset inspection
system' which will help detect and prevent bushfires in the outback.
South Australia is an Australian state, about 50 percent larger than
Texas.

Maintenance officers who patrol electricity distribution lines will use
hand-held computers to record information about the condition of
overhead electricity mains. The information will be collected on a host
mainframe IBM computer where appropriate maintenance schedules will
be prepared to forestall any fire risks.

The system eliminates the need for ETSA to install microcomputers
by enabling it to manage and control hand-held applications directly
from the mainframe using existing network and terminal equipment.
According to the distributor, this is one of the first mainframe-based
meter reading systems installed in Australia.

(Gavin Atkins/19890825)


(NEWS)(GENERAL)(WAS)(00010)

CA-ETC CHANGES FONTS}
PRINCETON, NEW JERSEY, U.S.A., 1989 AUG 14 -- Computer
Associates International, Inc., today has announced a new release
of CA-ETC, its mainframe-based text processing system. Rel 3.1
offers multiple font support for all-points-addressable (APA)
page printers which can run in compatibility mode.

"CA-ETC's powerful editor, combined with its support for the
latest laser page printers, makes it ideally suited for high-
volume text generation tasks," says Bryan Shepherd, Computer
Associates' executive vice president of marketing.

CA-ETC 3.1, with prices between $13,500 and #37,920 depending on
system size and configuration, is immediately available in VSE
and MVS environments.

(John McCormick/19890822/Press Contact: Bob Gordon, CA
Information and Systems Product Group, 201-874-9332)


(NEWS)(GENERAL)(WAS)(00011)

XEROX MAKES ENCRYPTION DEVICE}
MCLEAN, VIRGINIA, U.S.A., 1989 AUG 24 (NB) -- Xerox Corp.'s
Integrated Systems Operations has announced the Xerox Encryption
Unit, an electronic scrambling device that lets users send and
receive both secure and non-secure communications on the same
local area network.

The device has been submitted to the U.S. Government Commercial
COMSEC (COMmunications SECurity) Endorsement Program, or CCEP, as
meeting Type I data encryption requirements. The XEU is the first
device designed to provide this level of protection for
information carried on Ethernet or IEEE 802.3 local area
networks.

Installed between a computer or workstation and the network
station via a keylocked panel on the XEU, the 3 by 10 by 12-inch
device is transparent to the network but applies government-
supplied encryption keys to the secret data only when a special
code key is inserted in the unit.

The physical key, called the Crypto Ignition Key, is specific to
each XEU and contains no classified information; thus, it need
only be protected from loss. Any attempt to tamper with the
plastic housing for the encryption device causes all the secret
encryption information circuitry to be wiped clean and an alarm
to be sounded.

Due to the inherently secure design, the XEU itself is not
considered a classified device and therefore is much easier to
work with; for instance, there is no need to limit access to the
computer or the encryption device only to those with security
clearances unless the activating key is present at the time.

(John McCormick/19890824/Press Contact: Daniel C. Minchen of
Xerox, 716-423-3539)


(NEWS)(GENERAL)(LAX)(00012)

SEMATECH SYMPOSIUM FEATURES CONTAMINATION MANAGEMENT}
AUSTIN, TEXAS, U.S.A., 1989 AUG 24 (NB) -- Some 50 managers
from 14 US semiconductor manufacturers attended a SEMATECH
symposium on the latest trends in contamination management,
August 22 and 23.

The symposium was another example of the technology transfer that
occurs continuously between the semiconductor manufacturing
consortium (SEMATECH) and its 14 member firms. Speakers at the
symposium included key technologists from US-based equipment and
materials suppliers with expertise in contamination control. All
are suppliers to SEMATECH or its member firms.

During the symposium, John Goodman, business unit manager for
Fluoroware, Inc., won the Robert N. Noyce Award for Excellence
for the best presentation. Dr. Noyce, CEO of SEMATECH,
personally donated the $1,000 cash prize which was established to
encourage and reward open sharing and cooperation within the
SEMATECH community that includes suppliers, member firms,
government and academia.

(Janet Endrijonas/19890825/Press Contact: Miller Bonner,
SEMATECH, 512-356-3137)


(NEWS)(GENERAL)(LAX)(00013)

ARTISOFT UNVEILS NEW LANS}
TUCSON, ARIZONA, U.S.A., 1989 AUG 21 (NB) -- Artisoft has
announced six new products that will be shown at the upcoming
Networld show.

The LANtastic 0.7 Mbps is an adaptor for the company's NOS
network operating system that supports a network of up to 1500
feet. Users can ad daughterboards to support remote booting from
diskless workstations. The product will sell for $149 and is
expected to ship before the end of the year.

The LANtastic 2Mbps Adaptor has been enhanced to support remote
booting daughterboards. It is priced at $249 and will begin
shipping in November.

The LANtastic Ethernet adaptor is compatible with Western
Digital's Ethercard Plus and comes with 8K on-board memory
expandable to 32K. It offers remote booting and includes 16K of
boot ROM. Slated to ship in October, this adaptor will list for
$349.

The LANtastic Boot ROM daughterboard works with the LANtastic 0.7
and 2Mbps adaptors allowing diskless workstations to boot off the
server. Price is $99 and shipping will begin before the end of
the year.

Also for a price of $99 is the LANtastic RAM daughterboard that
will come with memory that allows users to load NOS onto the
board reducing workstation memory requirements to zero.

LANtastic Z is a serial and parallel zero-slot LAN that provides
communications without requiring an adaptor board. The network
supports two PCs. Shipping is planned for October and the
product will carry a price of $199.

In a related announcement, Artisoft also said it has changed its
licensing policy so users of its Starter Kit network will get
full NOS licenses as opposed to 2-user licenses. This change will
go into effect as of October 1.

(Janet Endrijonas/19890825/Press Contact: Artisoft, 602-293-6363)


(NEWS)(GENERAL)(LAX)(00014)

$200 TRADE-IN VALUE FOR YOUR OLD LAN MANAGEMENT}
DALLAS, TEXAS, U.S.A., 1989 JULY 25 (NB) -- Saber Software is
offering a $200 discount to users who trade in their existing
Novell (or other) Menu system for a complete Saber LAN Management
Package. This package will debut at Networld in September.

The LAN Management Package includes the Saber Menu System that
allows creation of customized applications menus, Saber Meter
that monitors application access and usage in the LAN
environment, Saber Security that provides intermittent
workstation-level security and Saber Print Manager, providing a
menu-driven method of setting Novell print options. The LAN
Setup Guide, a booklet for both novice and experienced LAN
administrators is also included.

The suggested retail price of the product is $985. As a special
introductory offer, the entire package is available for a limited
time at a price of $695. The $200 trade-in bonus is being applied
to the lower price. The offer will begin September 15 and
continue through December 15.

(Janet Endrijonas/19890825/Press Contact: Chris Smith, Saber
Systems, 800-338-8754, 214-361-8086)


(NEWS)(GENERAL)(LAX)(00015)

COMPAQ SUPPORTS DEALERS WITH QUICKFIND}
HOUSTON, TEXAS, U.S.A., 1989 AUG 21 (NB) -- Compaq has
introduced Quickfind, a new support tool to help its authorized
dealers provide improved customer service while saving time.

Quickfind is a compact disc read-only memory (CD-ROM) reference
library of published documentation on all Compaq products,
combining all Compaq service and technical information into a
single resource. The database can be used by Compaq dealers for
technical support to answer end user question, product research,
technician training, assistance in bid preparation and
identification of printed circuit boards.

(Janet Endrijonas/19890825/Press Contact: John Sweney, Compaq,
713-374-1564)


(NEWS)(GENERAL)(BRU)(00016)

JAPAN'S CANON EXPANDS SCHOLAR'S FOUNDATION}
BRUSSELS, BELGIUM, 1989 AUG 26 -- The Canon Foundation in Europe,
a non-profit organization sponsored the Canon group, plans to
appoint between 20 and 30 fellows next March, according to
Richard Burke, Canon's chief executive officer.

Burke, a New York-born former cabinet minister for Ireland,
served as European Commissioner in Brussels between 1977 and
1982. He said the body would be fully independent from its
sponsors, since "a Foundation can only succeed if it is
perceived as independent by the public at large and indeed can
only operate on that basis."

The Canon Foundation was started in 1987 to commemorate the
50th birthday of Canon Japan and is fully registered under Dutch
law. In common with other foundations of this nature, its purpose
is to grant bursaries to scholars. In connection with this, the
foundation is now actively soliciting applications for its first
set of annual grants.

Fellowship applications should be submitted by 15 October this
year, according to Burke, who said that he hopes that Canon
fellowship awards will number in the hundreds by the end of the
century.

To date, the Canon Foundation has sent out over 2,000 invitations and
received just 300 replies. Burke said that a typical grant would
centre around research being done partly in Europe and Japan,
assisted with a monthly stipend of Dutch Guilders 3,500
(about $1,750). Research periods last from 6 to 24 months, he
added.

(Eric Dauchy/19890826/Press & Public Contact : The Canon
Foundation in Europe, 322-647-1880 or Fax : [phone])


(NEWS)(GENERAL)(LON)(00017)

UK: CD-ROM USER GROUP LAUNCHED}
SWANSEA, WALES, 1989 AUG 25 (NB) -- The UK CD-ROM User Group has
been formed by Paul Fletcher, a computer entrepreneur from Swansea
in Wales. The group has a monthly newsletter and a quarterly
guide to CD-ROM publications. Subscriptions to the User Group
cost UKP 49 a year.

"We've got some ambitious plans for the CD-ROM user group. It
seemed obvious to us that there was very limited support for end
users of CD-ROM technology in the U.K., so we set up our own user
group," Fletcher told Newsbytes.

The quarterly guide to CD-ROM disks available is published in
both hard-copy and on disk. As well as this, and the monthly
newsletter, Fletcher has great plans for the group, including a
discount scheme for CD-ROM disks from third-party suppliers, and
a product evaluation service.

(Steve Gold/19890825/Press & Public Contact: Paul Fletcher, UK
CD-Rom User Group, High Wings, Rhyd-y-Pandy, Morrison, Swansea
SA6 1XX - Tel: (after 6:30pm weekdays) 0792-844370)


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

CANADA: COMPUSHARE OFFERS SHAREBASE SERVER}
MISSISSAUGA, ONTARIO, CANADA, 1989 AUG 24 (NB) -- CompuShare
Database Systems has introduced the ShareBase Server/8000, a
dedicated database server, to Canada. Compatible with Structured
Query Language (SQL), the Server/8000 can store more than 100
gigabytes of data and works with a range of computer systems
through shared networks. Among the clients systems supported are
MS-DOS and Apple Macintosh PCs, Unix systems, Sun and Apollo
workstations and an assortment of large processors.

Available in two standard configurations, the Server/8000 will
cost from C$500,000 to more than C$750,000. ShareBase, formerly
Britton-Lee, is based in Los Gatos, Calif.

(Grant Buckler/19890825/Press Contact: David Killins, CompuShare,
416-542-0200)


(NEWS)(GOVT)(BRU)(00001)

SOVIET COMPUTER IMPORTS SURCHARGED}
MOSCOW, SOVIET UNION, 1989 AUG 24 (NB) -- Soviet citizens will
pay double the previous import duties for computers, a spokesman
for the Soviet Customs Control told a news conference last week.

Computers with more than 128K of RAM (random access memory) will
be surcharged with roubles 5,000 in import taxes, whilst smaller
home computers will be allowed in for roubles 1,000. Video game
machines, meanwhile, escape with just roubles 200 in import
taxes, the spokesman said.

Interestingly, computers which have been bought with Western
currency will be exempt from import levies. According to the
Soviets, this allows state-owned companies, which are entitled to
earn hard currency, to purchase much-needed computers.

Despite the already-high prices paid for computers in Russia, the
sky-high surcharge will still not dissuade Soviet private
citizens from shopping in the West, an analyst said.

(Eric Dauchy/19890826)


(NEWS)(GOVT)(SFO)(00002)

APPLE: AIR FORCE DEAL WORTH $164 MILLION}
CUPERTINO, CALIFORNIA, U.S.A., 1989 AUG 25 (NB) -- Apple Computer's
contract to supply the U.S. Air Force with between 10,000 and
80,000 Macintoshes, A/UX software, and printers, could be worth as
much as $164 million. The 5-year contract is Apple's third major deal
with the federal government, succeeding ones made with the Postal
Service worth $30.2 million, or some 600 computers over the next
five years, and with Electronic Data Systems to supply 2,500 Macintoshes
to Houston's Johnson Space Center. The deals are also significant
because they represent the first time major government agencies have
opted for Apple machines rather than ubiquitous MS-DOS computers.
In fact, this is also the largest Unix contract ever for Apple Computer.
The deals also show that Apple's Reston, Virginia-based Federal Systems
Group, is finally seeing years of lobbying in Washington paying off.

Apple got the Air Force order through an alliance with Honeywell, which
won the contract.

Macintoshes will be used in a variety of secure strategic and routine
applications, including in operations for some 40 worldwide bases, and
employed as part of a massive new computer communication network
between Air Force installations. Applications include office automation,
information management, engineering support and sophisticated
computation-intensive missions.

Among the software that will run in the A/UX environment are
MacProject, MacDraw, Microsoft PowerPoint, Wingz from Informix, and
WordPerfect.

(Wendy Woods/19890820/Press Contact: Brooke Cohen, 408-974-3019)


(NEWS)(GOVT)(SFO)(00003)

ATARI MAY PAY FIRED EXECUTIVES}
SUNNYVALE, CALIFORNIA, U.S.A., 1989 AUG 25 (NB) -- Atari Corporation
has yet to decide whether to appeal an Orange County judge's ruling that
has ordered it to pay two former Federated executives nearly half a
million dollars in back salaries.

Orange County Superior Court Judge Jack Mandel on August 18 ruled that
Atari must give former Federated President Keith Powell $260,000 in
severance pay and former Vice President Merrill Lyons $175,000.
The two were accused by Atari of being engaged in questionable business
dealings, and so the computer maker felt justified in withholding pay.
But the judge ruled that Atari owed the executives and consequently has
been ordered to pay.

Atari spokesman Andy Marken says attorneys are still looking over
the court documents and have yet to decide whether to appeal. Atari's
most recent earnings statement indicates that the firm's net income in
the most recent quarter was $300,000, less than the amount of the
award.

(Wendy Woods/19890819)


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

SOFTWARE NOT TAXABLE AS PERSONAL PROPERTY}
WALLINGFORD, CONNECTICUT, U.S.A., 1989 AUG 15 (NB) -- The
Supreme Court of the State of Connecticut has ruled against the
practice of levying personal property taxes on software.

The ruling, which has important implications for nearly every
business and computer-owning individual in the state, overturned
Wallingford's previous court approval for taxes of $2.75 million
plus penalties against Northeast Datacom.

(John McCormick/19890824)


(NEWS)(GOVT)(ATL)(00005)

SEMATECH MUST PAY TAXES SAYS AUSTIN}
AUSTIN, TEXAS, U.S.A., 1989 AUG 23 (NB) -- Strapped for
cash, the county which hosts the Sematech research consortium
has taken back the tax-exempt status which lured the group to
Austin in the first place.

After two hours of debate, the Travis County Central Appraisal
District review board voted 8-4 to make Sematech liable for up to
$2 million a year in property taxes. The vote reversed a promise
made to the consortium in 1987, when Austin economic development
officials made permanent tax exemptions one of the incentives to
bring Sematech to Austin.

Peter Mills, Sematech's chief operating officer, noted that
Sematech leases its land and property from the University of
Texas and a county research authority, both of which are tax-
exempt. He adds that Sematech's tax-exempt status has been upheld
in dozens of government rulings, including opinions from the
Department of Defense, Congress, the state comptroller's office
and the state attorney general's office. A spokesman told
Newsbytes August 25 the consortium was still in consultation with
its lawyers, considering options such as lawsuits, appeals, or
paying the taxes.

(Dana Blankenhorn/19890829/Press Contact: Ann Marett, Sematech,
512-356-3500)


(NEWS)(GOVT)(LAX)(00006)

EXPORT CONSPIRACY CAUSES ARRESTS}
PHOENIX, ARIZONA, U.S.A., 1989 AUG 22 (NB) -- The US Customs
Service has arrested a pair of foreign nationals who allegedly
conspired to export a sophisticated military computer to the
USSR.

The arrests of German national Egbert Partesuis and Afghani Abdul
Aziz Ahmad capped an eight month investigation. Partesuis, Ahmad
and Hazi Azimi, who was still in West Germany, are suspected of
conspiring to purchase and export a Digital Equipment VAX 8820
mainframe which requires a validated export license from the US
Department of Commerce. Since this computer has military
capabilities, it is not eligible for the required license.

The suspects apparently paid $28,000 to undercover agents for an
IBM computer with military capabilities and shipped it to West
Germany. At that time, they paid a deposit on the VAX 8820 and
last week, paid the balance of the $596,000 purchase price.

Both men were charged in US District Court with on a number of
counts that could net each of them up to 35 years in prison and a
$2.5 million fine. The two are being held without bail.

(Janet Endrijonas/19890825)


(NEWS)(GOVT)(WAS)(00007)

CZECH COMPUTER CENTER OPENS}
PLZEN, CZECHOSLOVAKIA, 1989 AUG 07 (NB) -- It was reported in
Prague's Rude Pravo that the United Agricultural Cooperative's
Technical Services Department has opened an office in Plzen to
sell and service IBM compatible computers.

The Coop (JZD) is the largest supplier of microcomputers in the
country, making two out of three of the computers now installed.
The sales office will sell a PC-compatible 16-bit computer.

(John McCormick/19890825)


(EXCLUSIVE)(GOVT)(HKG)(00008)

HONG KONG: DON'T FORCE TECHNOLOGY}
HONGKONG, ASIA, 1989 AUG 18 -- Hongkong's third most senior civil
servant, Financial Secretary Sir Piers Jacobs, stated that
it was difficult, in a free society like Hongkong, for the
government to force its ideas on technology to commerce and
industry. He also thought it would be an undesirable
approach.

Speaking to Newsbytes on the subject of government supported
technical training and the concept of subsidized technology,
Sir Piers said that the government had to be careful how it
encouraged industrialists to introduce modern technology.
"When you are speaking with a man who owns three Rolls Royce
limousines, and you know he has a net worth of hundreds of
millions of dollars, it is difficult to persuade him that he
is doing something wrong just because his staff are still
using the abacus," he said.

"Industrialists in Hongkong must among the most successful in
the world and that is clear evidence that the `laissez-faire'
approach of government must have been effective."

Sir Piers said the government recognized that extensive use
of technology, particularly information technology, was
essential to the successful future of Hongkong but he
emphasized that the government would proceed in a different
way to its neighbors in Korea and Singapore.

"We have the Productivity Centre and the Vocational Training
Council, both of which provide services to commerce and
industry. In addition we have two universities and two
polytechnic colleges. The University of Science and
Technology, due to be opened in two years, will also
contribute to the needs of the territory."

"We are lacking in the area of application training on
technology and are reviewing ways to resolve this problem."

(Keith Cameron/19890818)


(EXCLUSIVE)(GOVT)(HKG)(00009)

HONGKONG TECHNOLOGY CENTRE IN 1990}
HONGKONG, ASIA, 1989 AUG 21 -- By the end of next year, Hongkong will
have a technology centre designed to provide smaller companies with a
means to share modern technology which otherwise would be
unaffordable to them.

Making the announcement during a radio interview on Hong Kong's The
Electric Office technology programme, Financial Secretary Sir Piers
Jacobs said that a consultant's report delivered to government in
April had been accepted in principle.

Sir Piers said that although Hongkong was a major world
manufacturing centre, more than 90 percent of companies here
employ less than 10 people. "These small companies cannot
take advantage of many technological advances simply because
of the investment involved. The Technology Centre will
provide them with the opportunity," he said.

He also stressed that the government recognized the need for
the Technology Centre to be managed by an experienced and
pragmatic business person who had an empathy with local
manufacturers, and preferably should be someone with a track
record in Hongkong. "It would be inappropriate to implant
either and academic or a civil servant in the role," he said.

(Keith Cameron/19890821)


(NEWS)(GOVT)(SYD)(00010)

AUSTRALIA MOVES TO PROTECT COMPUTER PRIVACY}
SYDNEY, AUSTRALIA, 1989 AUG 21 (NB) -- The Australian Direct Marketing
Association, ADMA, claims that direct marketing from computer
databases will be jeopardized if proposed changes to stamp out
unsolicited mailing are implemented.

ADMA is preparing to do battle over this issue after a discussion
paper was released by the New South Wales Privacy Committee, recommending 19
changes to mailing guidelines. The Privacy
Committee claims rapid computerization of the industry has
brought about a need for the changes.

ADMA National Director Greg Baker said the mailing industry
would "grind to a halt" and lose "millions of dollars" if the changes
were implemented. ADMA would vigorously oppose four of the 19
proposals.

One of the four suggests mailing lists should only be used for the
purpose they have been collected. "Every time a list is generated,
list members would have to be informed," Baker said. Privacy
Committee executive member, Jacqueline Morgan, said the committee
was responding to complaints from the public, and that data protection
laws could be expected to be in place internationally by 1992. These
were expected to forbid data exchange with countries not having
similar privacy protection laws.

(Gavin Atkins and Computing Australia/19890825)


(NEWS)(GOVT)(SYD)(00011)

COMPUTER SCIENCES WINS AUSSIE DEFENSE CONTRACT}
MELBOURNE, AUSTRALIA, 1989 AUG 21 (NB) -- Computer Sciences of
Australia spent more than AUS$2M to win a frigate contract that is
expected to be worth more than AUS$100M.

CSA and its consortium partner, the Swedish Bofors Electronics AB
company, will work with the Defence departments of Australia and New
Zealand to coordinate the work on the German-designed Meko 200
frigates and support systems. The full number of frigates to be built
has not yet been decided.

Computer Sciences of Australia will provide most of the software staff,
who are expected to number between 100 and 140, while Bofors
electronics will provide most of the software. CSA will import eight
AUS$1M Rational computers from the US to develop weapons control
software for use in the ships, helicopters, and on-shore installations.

(Gavin Atkins and Computing Australia/19890825)


(NEWS)(GOVT)(SYD)(00012)

AUSTRALIAN ELECTORAL DEBACLE}
MELBOURNE, AUSTRALIA, 1989 AUG 21 (NB) -- An investigation is
underway into why at least 18,000 Australians were left off
computerized electoral rolls during recent local government elections in
Victoria. Thousands were unable to vote, and others who have recently
changed addresses will be asked to pay fines, because voting is
compulsory in Australia.

The Victorian local government minister said that it would be
unnecessary to hold another election because it would make no
difference to the results, but one defeated shire councillor said he
would seek legal action after losing by five votes.

(Gavin Atkins and Computing Australia/19890825)


(NEWS)(GOVT)(SYD)(00013)

AUSTRALIAN GOVT TECHNOLOGY BILL: $1.5 BILLION}
CANBERRA, AUSTRALIA, 1989 AUG 21 (NB) -- The Federal Australian
government spent AUS$1.5B on computer and communications equipment
for the year ended June 30, The Australian newspaper reports.

The estimates come from the Tendernews service and are based on the
record which departments are legally obliged to publish in the
Commonwealth Government Gazette. The largest single transaction was
the AUS$600M contract that went to IBM for the Defence Department's
Desine contract. Telecom put AUS$260 million worth of government
contracts out to industry, with Concurrent, Fujitsu, and Honeywell picking
up large contracts. The average value of government tenders was
AUS$158,000, although this figure was influenced by the size of the IBM
contract. There is speculation that expenditure was actually much greater
than the published figures.

(Gavin Atkins/19890825)


(NEWS)(GOVT)(BRU)(00014)

DUTCH JUDGE SAYS RETYPED DICTIONARY NOT FOR SALE}
AMSTERDAM, THE NETHERLANDS, AUG 23 1989 (NB) -- An enthusiastic
crosswords fan, who laboriously typed in each entry in a
dictionary into his word processor has been criticized by the
Dutch courts for attempting to cash in on his efforts.

Piet Detiger, commercial director for Van Dale, the publishers of
the dictionary, said that, whilst it was perfectly legal to enter
and store the words from the dictionary (excluding the
explanations) on a floppy disk, they cannot be sold.

The fan replied that he believed he was using public domain
knowledge. Wordperfect, the publishers of the computer software
used in the project, pointed out that it had actually compiled its own
dictionary for Wordperfect 4.0.

(Eric Dauchy/19890826)


(EXCLUSIVE)(GOVT)(BRU)(00015)

EC PRESIDENT TO SPEAK IN SAN FRANCISCO}
BRUSSELS, BELGIUM, 1989 AUG 26 (NB) -- Jacques Delors, the
president of the European Commission (EC), is to address
presidents of Silicon Valley semiconductor companies in San
Francisco during his forthcoming U.S. tour.

Delors, who has recently become the architect of Europe and
the main force behind 1992 (when the borders between the EC member
states will effectively disappear), is to address a gathering of
industrialists from the area on semiconductors, Europe's ESPRIT
project (advanced research on computers) and related subjects.
Mr Delors will be accompanied by Sir Roy Denman, the head of the
EC delegation in Washington.

In addition, Delors will see President Bush to discuss matters
that pertain to EC-US relations, including industrial and business
topics.

(Peter Vekinis/19890826)


(NEWS)(GOVT)(TOR)(00016)

CANADA: NEW SUPERCONDUCTOR RESEARCH FUNDS}
OTTAWA, ONTARIO, CANADA, 1989 AUG 18 (NB) -- Canada's National
Research Council (NRC) and Natural Sciences and Engineering
Research Council (NSERC), both granting agencies of the federal
government, have announced support for a superconductivity
research consortium. The Canadian University-Industry Council on
Advanced Ceramics (CUICAC), on behalf of four Canadian companies,
will be working with four universities and the NRC's Division of
Chemistry to manufacture ceramic superconductors.

In the first year of the program, the NRC will contribute
C$146,500 and NSERC will put in C$166,500. Members of the
consortium will contribute C$200,000. Participating companies are
Alcan International of Montreal, Ontario Hydro and Shaw Pipe
Protection, both of Toronto, and Sherritt Gordon of Fort
Saskatchewan, Alberta. The collaborating universities are
McMaster University in Hamilton, Ontario; the University of
British Columbia in Vancouver; the Technical University of Nova
Scotia in Halifax, Nova Scotia; and Queen's University in
Kingston, Ontario. The research will focus on developing new
ceramic powders and evaluating materials for potential future
applications.

(Grant Buckler/19890825/Press Contact: Patricia Montreuil, NRC,
613-993-4848)

(EXCLUSIVE)(IBM)(SFO)(00001)

IBM MODEL 75 COMING}
FORT WORTH, TEXAS, U.S.A., 1989 AUG 25 (NB) -- IBM is preparing to
introduce a PS/2 Model 75 and Model 90 computer soon, according to
public relations expert Marty Winston of Winston & Winston.

Winston, who is generally acknowledged to be on the inside of such
announcements, explains in his weekly press newsletter Newstips
that the tower-standing computers, Model 75 will be an 80386-
based, 33 MHz machine and the Model 90 will be an 80486-
based, 30 MHz machine in a case which "looks like a MicroVAX."
The motherboards, he says, feature Micro Channel architecture,
SCSI socketed firmware ready for upgrade when SCSI B is introduced,
a new video standard with "4Kx4Kx256 virtual screen" and a new
"2Kx2Kx256 display."

Winston adds that all PS/2 planars from now on will have 80 MB/sec
MCA and SCSI. "A major theme will be plug-in CPU options, including
Intel Wizard i860 RISC, 80486 & ROMP processor."

He adds there will be a new PC RT annoucement October 17.

IBM could not be reached for comment.

(Wendy Woods/19890826/Press Contact: Winston & Winston, 817-332-
5222)


(NEWS)(IBM)(SFO)(00002)

FILEBANK SIMULATES FILING CABINETS}
ASPEN, COLORADO, U.S.A., 1989 AUG 25 (NB) -- MS-DOS machines
traditionally have featured a highly user-unfriendly way to file
documents based on directories and subdirectories. A new product,
which can be "popped up" over any other application, aims to put the
visual look of real office files back onto the screen.

Called FileBank Electronic File Cabinet, the $120 program is a
visually-oriented, subject-based management system for PCs, which
allows you to organize data by file cabinets, drawers and folders
labeled by whatever subject category makes sense for the work in
progress or completed. The "Electronic Fileroom" features allows
documents to be organized by subject rather than by application, and
eliminates the need to code, index, sort or search for documents.

But wait, there's more! Special features include the ability to
assemble documents in a window and print files produced with a second
program without leaving the first one.

A demo disk is available for $5 in the U.S., Canada, and Mexico, while
the cost is $10 for other countries. Request 5.25-inch or 3.5-inch
format, and you can get it by writing to Support Station Software,
PO Box 8282, Aspen, Colorado, 81612.

(Wendy Woods/19890825/Press Contact: Jim Wilson, marketing
director, 303-925-6040)


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

ADOBE STREAMLINES GRAPHICS PRODUCTION}
MOUNTAIN VIEW, CALIFORNIA, U.S.A., 1989 AUG 21 (NB) -- Adobe
Systems has announced a new product which automatically
traces bit-mapped images and converts them into high-quality
Postscript language artwork. The artwork can then be imported
into page layout, word processing, or drawing programs.

The PC tool, Adobe Streamline-Windows, for 80286 and 80386 PCs,
uses unique processes to detect the edge of filled areas as well
as the center of a line. The resulting files are said to be 90-
percent smaller than the original bit-mapped image, once converted
to the Postscript page description language.

Due out at the end of September, Adobe Streamline-Windows will
cost $395.

(Wendy Woods/19890825/Press Contact: LaVon Collins, Adobe, 415-
961-4400)


(NEWS)(IBM)(WAS)(00004)

MATHSOFT/CA FORM STRATEGIC PARTNERSHIP}
CAMBRIDGE, MASSACHUSETTS, U.S.A., 1989 JUL 21 -- Mathsoft
recently announced agreements that will give users of Mathstation
1.0 more functionality through the combination of Computer
Associates' CA-DISSPLA and the University of Waterloo's MAPLE
with Mathstation 1.0. The agreements, the first of several
strategic partnerships, will "bring together the best tools in
technical computer under the Mathstation interface," said Gordon
Gossage, Mathsoft's vice president of sales and marketing.
Mathstation is priced at $4,950 for a single user license.

Mathsoft, Inc., the leading developer and marketer of
mathematical software for technical professionals, is
headquartered in Cambridge, Mass.

Mathsoft's MathCAD software for the MAC and MS-DOS computers
provides a working environment that closely simulates a
blackboard that calculates complex mathematical problems which
are presented exactly the same way as they would appear in books
or on paper, rather than as complex programs or abstract and
unfamiliar strings of commands.

(John McCormick/19890822/Press Contact: Sue Hutchinson, Mathsoft,
Inc., 617-577-1017)


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

PCS GET IN-HOUSE PHONE BOOK ONLINE}
CHAMBLEE, GEORGIA, U.S.A., 1989 AUG 25 (NB) -- Complementary
Solutions has introduced Telemate-Phone Book, a memory-resident
program which lets companies put their internal phone books
online. Melanie Noble of CS told Newsbytes each record requires
512 bytes of memory to store, and the program requires 30,000
bytes of memory to be accessed. Network memory can be used as
well as local memory. Anyone can access the list, but only a system
administrator can change it. The program includes fields for name,
job title, extension, department, division, cost center, company,
alternate phone numbers, mailing address, and comments. The
product will ship by September 1, Ms. Noble added. Its regular
price will be $300, with site licenses available for $800.

(Dana Blankenhorn/19890829/ Press Contact: Melanie Noble,
Complementary Solutions, 404-454-8033)


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

QUARTERDECK'S UPGRADES, NEW LIBRARIES}
SANTA MONICA, CALIFORNIA, U.S.A., 1989 AUG 21 (NB) -- In a
series of announcements, Quarterdeck has announced the
introduction of QRAM, upgrades for QEMM-50/60 and QEMM-386 and
three news libraries for developers who wish to take advantage of
DESQview's multitasking windowing environment.

QRAM organizes and allocates memory resources for 8088/86-based
PCs and 286 AT-type PCs. It gives XT and AT class PCs with EMS
4.0 or EEMS memory the capacity to load programs into high
memory, the memory addressed between 640K and 1024K, previously
unavailable to DOS.

The ability to load high memory is also a new feature of QEMM-
50/60 version 5.0, the only software available that provides this
capacity to PS/2 50/60 machines using standard expanded memory
boards.

Additions to QEMM-386 version 5.0 include features maximizing the
use of high memory, the ability to detect potential hardware
conflicts with adaptors on PS/2 machines and the ability to
access up to 384K of additional reserved memory on certain
machines including Compaq.

All three products include the Manifest utility, a tool for
examining memory and understanding how it is used by programs,
DOS, devices and other system components.

These products will ship in October. QRAM will list for $59.95.
QEMM-50/60 (5.0) and QEMM-386 (5.0) will each sell for $99.95. A
special upgrade program for current QEMM users will be available
between August 21 and the product's release date.

Also introduced by Quarterdeck are three new libraries for
developers, the DESQview API (Application Program Interface)
Libraries for BASIC, Clipper and dBASE. The new libraries
complement DESQview 2 API Tools. Libraries already exist for
Pascal and C. Each DESqview library costs $149.95 and includes a
sample diskette. A DESQview API Toolkit is available for
$500.00.

(Janet Endrijonas/19890825/Press Contact: Charles McHenry, Miller
Communications, 213-822-4669)


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

USING YOUR COMPUTER TO PLAN DINNER}
DALLAS, TEXAS, U.S.A., 1989 AUG 21 (NB) -- Health conscious
consumers as well as professional dieticians and nutritionists
can now plan meals and diets using their personal computers.

The Nutrition Prospector is a new program to use in analyzing and
improving the diets of clients and family members. The program's
database, which contains over 2000 entries, is derived from
USDA's Agriculture Handbook 8 and some of its supplements. Users
can add to the database. The program tracks basic nutrient
variables.

Food Prospector lets the user enter a recommended diet.

The program comes in two versions, a professional version for
$185 and a personal version for $79. Both versions run on PCs
with 640K RAM, DOS 2.1 or higher, and a hard disk drive. The
program is currently shipping.

(Janet Endrijonas/19890825/Press Contact: Constructive Solutions,
Inc., 214-826-4327)


(NEWS)(IBM)(TYO)(00008)

JAPAN: MICROSOFT OS/2 FORCES BUILD}
TOKYO, JAPAN, 1989 AUG 23 (NB) -- Microsoft's Japanese arm has
achieved a major victory in its effort to oust NEC's operating system
as the leader in Japan. Ten major Japanese PC manufacturers have
endorsed the use of OS/2 in their products: Fujitsu, Toshiba, Oki,
Matsushita, Sanyo, Mitsubishi, Sharp, Hitachi, IBM Japan and a major
information services firm, NTT Data Communications.

The group has agreed to have a common API (application program
interface) at the system level to control routines between
the operating system and applications. The gang of 11 will finalize
a common set of rules by September and will launch a set of
Japanese OS/2 Common Rule Workshops to evangelize OS/2 industrywide.

The Japanese personal computer market has been dominated by NEC
which has a more than fifty percent market share. The yen share of
the market is 65 percent when revenues from NEC-compatible computer
makers, including Seiko Epson, are included.

NEC has been unsuccessfully challenged in the past, most notably by
the failure of the MSX or AX operating systems to take its market
share. But the challenge may work this time since key players are
the giant Microsoft and IBM Japan.

(Naoyuki Yazawa/19890824)


(NEWS)(IBM)(TYO)(00009)

IBM JAPAN'S NOTEBOOK-SIZED PC}
TOKYO, JAPAN, 1989 AUG 24 (NB) -- IBM Japan has been developing a
notebook-sized personal computer, according to Nikkei Sangyo
Shimbun newspaper. The Japanese arm of IBM is said to clandestinely
supplying prototypes and conducting negotiations with specific
customers.

The prototype is said to have a 16-bit microprocessor, to weigh 2.7
kilograms (less than six pounds), operate more than two hours with
full battery charge, have a black and white liquid crystal display,
and use a memory card for its submemory device. The newspaper
quotes one of IBM Japan's salesmen as saying that the notebook-sized
PC will be released and shipped by the end of this year.

In the notebook-sized PC market of Japan, Toshiba's DynaBook is
selling briskly at its very low price of 198,000 yen ($1,410) and is a
formidable opponent for whatever IBM creates.

Meanwhile the field is getting crowded. NEC and Fujitsu will offer
notebook-sized computers, according to Nihon Keizai Shimbun newspaper.
NEC, it reports, plans to announce either or both of two new models in
October and will ship within this year. One of the new machines will be
a notebook-size version of NEC's first laptop computer PC-98LT.
NEC is expected to set the price for the machine at about 150,000
yen ($1,070).

Another model will be compatible with NEC's prevalent laptop computer
PC-9801LV, thus will be able to use as many as 7,000 applications
already written for the PC-9800 series. NEC has not decided
to set the price below 200,000 yen ($1,430) yet. Both machines
will weigh much less than 3 kilograms (6.6 pounds) and will operate
for more than two hours with full battery charge, so says the
newspaper.

Fujitsu's notebook-size computer will be compatible with its FMR
series personal computers. Fujitsu is planning to attach some surprising
features to the new machine. It will weigh less than one kilogram,
operate for eight to ten hours with full battery charge, and have a
high-performance microprocessor. But the price is expected to exceed
200,000 yen ($1,430). Fujitsu is aiming to develop the new system by
introducing technologies from U.S.-based Poqet Computer, in which it
recently invested. The new machine is expected to be released in April,
1990.

(Ken Takahashi/19890824)


(NEWS)(IBM)(TYO)(00010)

FUNAI MAKES LAPTOP PCS}
OSAKA, JAPAN, 1989 AUG 21 (NB) -- Medium-sized Japanese consumer
electronics maker Funai has announced plans to launch into the computer
business with an IBM-compatible laptop. The brand name "Symphonic"
is used by the company in the U.S. market.

The firm has refused to comment further, but it is clear that Funai will
supply its IBM compatible personal computers to U.S. makers
on an original equipment manufacturing basis. A spokesman told
Newsbytes Funai will exhibit the machines at the Electronics Show in
Osaka on 19-23 October.

Funai is best-known for low-priced consumer electronics goods, such as
video cassette recorders, compact disc players and TV sets which it sells
both in Japan and overseas.

(Naoyuki Yazawa/19890824)


(NEWS)(IBM)(HKG)(00011)

IBM PICKS PICK REP FOR ASIA}
HONGKONG, ASIA, 1989 AUG 10 -- In an unusual display of support for
IBM systems running under the PICK operating system, IBM
China/Hong Kong Corporation appointed Transdata Services Ltd
as an Authorized Systems Remarketer for the IBM RT family. It
is the first time that IBM has formally recognized PICK in
the territory.

The PICK operating system has been much slower to establish
itself in commercial data processing here than it has in
other parts of the world. Industry sources told Newsbytes
that possibly 500 installations exist, the majority of which
have been sold in the last three years.

Recognition by IBM that the market is receptive to the PICK
O/S is taken as a very positive sign by PICK dealers on other
hardware brands. Transdata is a subsidiary of the massive
Jardine Trading Conglomerate. The company previously sold
PICK systems on a variety of hardware. It also has
considerable experience in Unix, MUMPS, MS-DOS and local area
networks (LANs).

One unique feature of the IBM RT configuration is the
inclusion of dynamic integration of the IBM AIX operating
system.

K.P. Tang, IBM director of Hong Kong operations, says: "This
partnership further enhances our mid-range systems offerings
to various commercial and industrial sectors.

(Keith Cameron/19890818/Press Contact: Mimi Li, IBM HK, 5-
8256907)


(NEWS)(IBM)(LON)(00012)

NETWORK PROCOMM PLUS LAUNCHED}
COLUMBIA, MISSOURI, U.S.A., 1989 AUG 25 (NB) -- Datastorm Technologies
has launched a networked version of its Procomm Plus PC
communications software. The package is available immediately in
the US at a price of $595 for a five-user configuration, with
additional network station packages costing $79 each.

According to Steve Lee, managing director of Shareware Marketing,
Datastorm's agents in the U.K., Procomm Plus Network v1.0 will be
released in Europe very shortly, at a price to be decided.

According to Datastorm in the US, Procomm Plus Network v1.0
supports a variety of third-party asynchronous communications
servers (ASCs). ASC standards supported include: ACS, NACS, NMP
and Netware from Novell; PCS/XNS from 3Com; ACS and Lanacs from
IBM; and Net/One fro Ungerman Bass. The NetBIOS networking system
is also supported.

(Steve Gold/19890825/Press Contact: Steve Monaco, Datastorm
Technologies - Tel: (US) 314-443-3282)


(NEWS)(IBM)(LON)(00013)

SUPERBASE 2 OUT IN EUROPE}
WORCESTER PARK, ENGLAND, 1989 AUG 25 (NB) -- Precision Software
has signed up several distributors to market its Superbase 2 PC
Windows database package throughout Europe. In addition, the
company is translating the package into several European
languages from its native English.

European distributors for Superbase 2 Windows, which Precision
claims is the only entry-level database package for Microsoft
Windows, include: Expander Informatic of Sweden, the country's
Ashton-Tate distributor; MIcrolink in Norway; Computer 2000 in
Switzerland and West Germany; LCD Software Diensten in the
Netherlands; and Micro Application in France.

"The market for Windows products in these countries is especially
vibrant, and Superbase 2 Windows is fulfilling a significant
requirement of the leading distributors throughout Europe," said
NIgel Lovett-Turner, Precision's international sales manager.

(Steve Gold/19890825/Press Contact: Alison Rutherford, Precision
Software - Tel: [phone])


(NEWS)(IBM)(TOR)(00014)

NEC CANADA SHIPS PROSPEED 286}
TORONTO, ONTARIO, CANADA, 1989 AUG 21 (NB) -- NEC Canada has
begun shipping the battery-powered ProSpeed 286 laptop computer
to Canadian dealers. Announced last October, the machine uses a
16-megahertz Intel 80286 processor and can accommodate as much as
100 megabytes of hard disk storage. It was originally scheduled
to ship in February.

(Grant Buckler/19890825/Press Contact: Thomas Ward, NEC Canada,
416-858-3500)


(NEWS)(TELECOM)(WAS)(00001)

NEW VIDEOTEX SERVICE PLANNED}
WASHINGTON, D.C., U.S.A., 1989 AUG 14 -- Public Technology,
Inc. (PTI) and the Videotex Industry Association (VIA) plan to
inaugurate the Local Government Videotex Research and
Demonstration Project, a different way of providing the public
with access to more than 70 categories of government information
and services.

PTI, an association of local governments dedicated to improving
services and efficiency via technology and management systems, is
the nonprofit research and development arm of the National League
of Cities and the International City Management Association. The
VIA, the only nonprofit association in North America solely
developing easy-to-use interactive electronic services for home,
office, and public access use, is located at 1901 N. Fort Myer
Drive, Suite 200, Rosslyn, Virginia 22209.

(John McCormick/19890822/Press Contact: Francie Gilman, PTI, 202-
626-2432, and Bob Smith, VIA, 703-522-0883)


(NEWS)(TELECOM)(WAS)(00002)

ADAPSO OPPOSES FCC ACCESS CHARGES}
ARLINGTON, VIRGINIA, U.S.A., 1989 AUG 14 (NB) -- ADAPSO (the
Association of Data Processing Service Organizations) has
announced its opposition to a Federal Communications Commission
(FCC) proposal to impose special charges on providers of enhanced
computer services which, ADAPSO spokesperson Shelly Eckenroth
told Newsbytes, would include such public access information
services as CompuServe and GEnie.

The FCC's proposed changes to the telecommunications tariffs come
on the heels of the Commission's move to drop such plans last
year.

(John McCormick/19890824/Press Contact: Shelly Eckenroth, ADAPSO,
703-522-5055)


(NEWS)(TELECOM)(ATL)(00003)

ATLANTA BANK DROPS PRODIGY}
ATLANTA, GEORGIA, U.S.A., 1989 AUG 21 (NB) -- Prodigy, the
IBM-Sears joint venture in videotex, is in trouble with one of
its first trial markets. The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
reported August 19 that the C&S Bank has been regularly writing
paper checks for Prodigy customers, not always making Electronic
Funds Transfers as customers thought. While large merchants with
electronic payment systems can easily get online payments, small
merchants without the codes need to be contacted through their
banks, or given paper. As a result, many people suffered from
late Prodigy payments to merchants, after paying $5 on top of
their $10 monthly fees for the banking service.

On August 21, C&S announced it would drop the Prodigy project,
called HomEc, next month. Sources speculate Prodigy was dropped
after a major booster within the bank left to take a job in
California. This comes just as Prodigy is preparing a major
marketing push for the project -- in fact, C&S had agreed to be
part of that push just weeks before dropping the service.

The whole incident does not help Prodigy which is struggling to
gain a wider audience. Prodigy claims to have 75,000 members
nationwide but criticism of the system is coming from experienced
online users who complain about the system's slow speed and its
inability to offer file uploading or downloading.

(Dana Blankenhorn/19890829/Press Contact: Brian Ek, Prodigy, 914-
993-8843)


(NEWS)(TELECOM)(ATL)(00004)

GENIE STARTS JAPAN ROUNDTABLE WITH PC-VAN}
ROCKVILLE, MARYLAND, U.S.A., 1989 AUG 23 (NB) -- The GEnie
service, in conjunction with NEC's PC-VAN service in Japan, has
announced the addition of the Japan RoundTable so subscribers of
both services can learn about each other.

According to Japan RoundTable System Operators Manabu Tokunaga
and Wendy Nelson: "The Japan RoundTable is the place where GEnie
users can meet people to talk about living in Japan and the
Japanese culture. This is a RoundTable for everyone to be
electronically united, whether you live in the heartlands of
America or Canada, or in the middle of Hokkaido, Japan."

The Japan RT, like all GEnie RoundTables, offers a bulletin
board capability for posting and reading messages by
categories, a real-time conference capability for online
discussions, and software libraries where users can download
public domain software related to the subject of the RT. It
also offers an area for the latest news related to the Japan
RoundTable.

Although GEnie is the largest system to offer a cross-cultural online
exchange tool with Japan, it is not the only one. A Japanese bulletin
board called TWICS, in conjunction with the Dasnet porting service,
has been running a "Japan Talk" conference with U.S. services Cignet
of Seattle, the Meta Network of Japan, and NWI in East Hartford,
Connecticut for over a year. The "Japan Talk" conference has
generated almost 1,000 notes and much praise for its sponsors,
indicating an active, mutual interest between residents on each
side of the Pacific.

(Dana Blankenhorn/19890829/Press Contact: Steve Haracznak,
GEnie, 301-340-4494)


(NEWS)(TELECOM)(ATL)(00005)

COMSAT UPGRADING TWO SATELLITE STATIONS}
WASHINGTON, D.C., U.S.A., 1989 AUG 23 (NB) -- Comsat will spend $3
million upgrading two Inmarsat-C weather satellite earth
stations. Inmarsat-C, a commercial satellite communications
system, uses lightweight, portable terminals, and provides two-
way data communications 24 hours a day in all weather conditions
using Inmarsat satellites.

Comsat will add store and forward message switching, modular
channel units, modems and software to bring the two earth
stations to Inmarsat-C standards. The stations are located at
Southbury, Connecticut and Santa Paula, California, and provide
data communications for ships, planes and other mobile modem
users.

Inmarsat is an international consortium of 57 member-country
investors. It provides mobile telephone, telex, facsimile and
data to more than 9000 ships and land transportable stations.

(Dana Blankenhorn/19890825)


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

BIG ATM NETWORK MERGER CALLED OFF}
RESTON, VIRGINIA, U.S.A., 1989 AUG 21 (NB) -- Internet Inc.,
owner and operator of the Most network of automated teller
machines, cancelled its plans to merge with three other networks
in the Southeast -- Relay, Honor, and Avail. Most operates in the
mid-Atlantic states and the mid-South. Honor operates in Florida,
Avail in Georgia, and Relay in Alabama.

Speaking on behalf of the board of directors, David A.
O'Connor, president and chief executive officer of Internet,
said he was afraid Most would lose its autonomy in the merger.
Bank Network News, an independent news source, ranks Most
among the five largest networks in the country in total
transactions. In July, Internet processed 6.3 million
transactions from the 4,000 automated tellers and point-of-sale
terminals.

(Dana Blankenhorn/19890829/Press Contact: Richard G. Lyons,
Internet, 703-620-1000)


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

PHONE STRIKE: PACIFIC TELESIS SETTLES, OTHERS TALKING}
WHITE PLAINS, NEW YORK, U.S.A., 1989 AUG 25 (NB) -- Pacific Telesis,
the Bell company serving California and Nevada, settled with its
unions, but most mid-Atlantic, Northeast, and Midwest phone workers
remain on strike.

Directory assistance is slow, but the nets themselves remain up.
Work now underway to add intelligence to the nets will further
guarantee service in the event of work stoppages. That work began
after last year's fire in Hinsdale, Illinois cut phone and data service
for weeks, but it can also be used as a club against unions. The most
creative tactic on the union side was a request that Ameritech
customers not pay their bills until the dispute is settled.

As of August 25, Bell Atlantic seemed closest to a settlement --
it was in active negotiations with unions. But the strikes at
NYNEX and Ameritech have grown increasingly bitter. The only Bell to
settle without any work stoppage, BellSouth, is in the largely non-
union Southeast.

(Dana Blankenhorn/19890829)


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

JAPANESE NEWS AUDIOTEX INTRODUCED}
TOKYO, JAPAN, 1989 AUG 21 (NB) -- Japan Broadcasting Corp.
(NHK) and Voicemail Japan will start an audiotex news service in
English in Tokyo on September 1. It will use NHK's short-wave
radio news program, Telenews Radio Japan, as the news source. The
service will be available on NTT's Dial Q service system in
Tokyo, which works like the 900 and 976 "dial-it" exchanges in
the U.S. It will cost 50 yen or $.35 for 3 minutes. U.S. prices
average 50-90 cents, or more, per minute. The news will be
updated every two hours.

This service will be extended to Osaka and Nagoya in fall and
nationwide by next March. Versions of the service in Chinese and
Vietnamese will also be available next spring. NHK and Voicemail
Japan expect about 30,000 calls a month, according to the
Teleputing Hotline newsletter.

(Dana Blankenhorn/19890829)


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

ONLINE SPORTSCASTERS COMPETE}
NEW YORK, NEW YORK, U.S.A., 1989 AUG 21 (NB) -- Competition is
heating up in the online sports news game. Comtex, which serves such
systems as CompuServe with its NewsGrid, ExecuGrid and OmniNews
online services, has added NewsBriefings, a 24-hour news digest,
to its database offerings. NewsBriefings will include sports
reports within a few minutes after it happens.

Competition will be fierce with Telebase, which has upgraded its
24-hour sports coverage in order to serve Sports Illustrated magazine's
new Sports Hotline product. SI claims it can have changes in baseball
scores posted within 80 seconds of a run crossing the plate. For
the first month it will offer a special first-minute rate of one
cent -- additional minutes are 76 cents each. USA Today also runs
a sports audiotex service.

(Dana Blankenhorn/19890829)


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

MUNICIPAL ONLINE SYSTEM HAS 1,600 USERS}
SANTA MONICA, CALIFORNIA, U.S.A., 1989 AUG 21 (NB) -- Santa
Monica's municipal electronic mail system continues its modest
success. The network run by Ken Phillips and created with help
from Metasystems Design reports it now has 1,600 users and 15
public terminals, with 20 more on the way. Even better, notes
Director Ken Phillips, the Personal Electronic Network reached
its capacity of 32 users online at once, and had to be upgraded
to 64 lines.

Besides offering mail functions and information on municipal
events and ordinances, the PEN system now offers computer
conferencing with Caucus software. The most popular conference is
a crime watch conference which simulates a block club.

(Dana Blankenhorn/19890829)


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

RESEARCHERS PREDICT 10X ONLINE GROWTH}
NEW YORK, NEW YORK, U.S.A., 1989 AUG 23 (NB) -- The New York
research firm of Frost & Sullivan predicts the U.S. online market
will grow 10-fold in the next five years, reaching over 8 million
people and approaching the $1 billion revenue mark.

But the projections, made in a study called Mass Videotex Systems
Market in the United States, are far below earlier projections,
despite the entry of IBM and the Bell companies into the online derby.
The entire industry is expected to have revenue of just $130
million in 1989.

(Dana Blankenhorn/19890829/Press Contact: Susan Core, Frost &
Sullivan, 212-233-1080)


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

DATA BROADCASTING TAKES OFF}
NORCROSS, GEORGIA, U.S.A., 1989 AUG 25 (NB) -- Scientific-Atlanta
is one of five companies now offering data broadcasting along with
audio and video service. The business is starting to take off as the
equipment used for data broadcasts becomes more efficient and lower
in price.

Scientific-Atlanta competes in this market with General Motors'
Hughes Communications, AT&T's Tridom subsidiary, GTE Spacenet and
Contel's Equatorial Services. The major features it claims are
that its data broadcasts run under the same X.25 standards used
in land-line networks, and its equipment can adjust data
bandwidths automatically.

Steve Nowick of Scientific told Newsbytes data broadcasting is ideal for
engineers who must send schematics, for transactions processors
sending hot card files, or for any application where a lot of
data must be moved to a lot of places at once. Scientific claims "99.97
percent" reliability for its data broadcasts.

Recent problems with undersea fiber cables could speed the move
to satellites. The TPC-3 cable between the U.S. and Japan was
down for a month recently after a repeater went out 18,000 feet
underwater. The TAT-8 cable to France has been out of action three
times after fishermen disconnected it with their nets.

(Dana Blankenhorn/19890829/Press Contact: John Russell,
Scientific-Atlanta, 404-925-6219)


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

PHONE USERS FIGHTING BELL DEREGULATION}
WASHINGTON, D.C., U.S.A., 1989 AUG 21 (NB) -- Major corporate
phone users have formed the Telecommunications Users for
Regulatory Fairness, or TURF, to fight plans by the U.S. Federal
Communications Commission to lift profit limits on the Bell
Companies and replace them with price caps.

The TURF members say this will cost consumers $4.1 billion over the
next four years. They charge the FCC will let phone costs rise five
percent per year without review under the price cap plan. They further
claim productivity improvement estimates by the FCC of 2.5 percent
per year are too low, and that 6-7 percent is more likely.

The TURF arguments could be buttressed by the recent success of
Bell companies in maintaining their networks despite strikes
which continued at three companies at this writing -- Bell Atlantic,
NYNEX, and Ameritech. The success of the networks indicates that
costs will be falling, perhaps faster than the regulators are
willing to admit. If costs fall faster than prices, profits for
the Bells will skyrocket at the expense of users. In that event,
trends toward bypassing the phone networks by big companies will
accelerate, and phone bills for small users will go up.

(Dana Blankenhorn/19890829)


(NEWS)(TELECOM)(LAX)(00014)

BRIDGES LINK DISPARATE, DISPERSED LANS}
NEWPORT BEACH, CALIFORNIA, U.S.A., 1989 AUG 21 (NB) -- Newport
Systems Solutions has announced the LAN[2]LAN/64 and the
LAN[2]LAN/Mega bridges for disparate Novell-based NetWare 286
LANs that work in conjunction with users modems and multiplexors.

These products are designed to link LANs in Los Angeles and
Chicago, for example, while allowing later upgrades to include
New York, San Francisco and other locations. With complete
redundancy, a five city wide area network (WAN) would require a
two-port Model 64 in three locations and a four-port Model 64 in
two locations. An alternative configuration that would yield
higher speeds could be accomplished using three, two-port Model
Megas in three of the locations.

Model 64 attaches to dial-up telephone lines while the Mega Model
requires a leased T1 line. Prices for Model 64 range from $2,695
to $6,995. Megas list for prices ranging from $5,995 to $14,495.

(Janet Endrijonas/19890825/Press Contact: Newport Solutions
Systems, Inc., 714-752-1511)


(NEWS)(TELECOM)(HKG)(00015)

HONGKONG: NO MORE AREA CODES}
HONGKONG, ASIA, 1989 AUG 18 -- Ten years of planning and technical
implementation will culminate in the elimination of telephone
area codes in Hongkong from Saturday, December 30th 1989. In
one massive switch over, 2.5 million circuits will be changed.

The territory presently has three telephonic areas - Hongkong
Island, Kowloon Peninsular and The New Territories with area
codes of 5,3 and 0 respectively.

Hongkong Telephone told Newsbytes that the present system was
unsatisfactory for two reasons. The obvious one was
the frequency of duplicate six digit telephone numbers
following the area code causing inconvenience for the
telephone user and additional loading on exchanges because of
misdialling.

The less visible reason was that the area code of zero
precluded HKTel from implementing many telephone services
for which world standards were emerging. Zero and double
zero starting digits were generally used for enquiry
services, international services and other utility reasons.
It was felt important that Hongkong conform with the
international standards.

All New Territories numbers have been converted to seven
digits over the past two years. The method by which numbers
will change is simple -- if the present number contains seven
digits after the area code then the area code is dropped; if
the present number contains six digits then the area code is
concatenated as the first digit of the new number.

Hongkong enjoys one of the most sophisticated networks in the
world today, with many innovative services for voice and
data. All the major centres are already serviced by fully
digital exchanges linked by fibre optic trunks and the
territory will be entirely digital by 1993.

(Keith Cameron/19890818/Press Contact: Alice Yau, HK
Telephone, 5-288111)


(NEWS)(TELECOM)(HKG)(00016)

EDI NIXED BY HONG KONG CONSULTANTS}
HONGKONG, ASIA, 1989 AUG 22 (NB) -- All eyes are on Tradelink, an
organization set up to introduce electronic document
interchange (EDI) to Hongkong. Industry sources told Newsbytes
that a draft report from consultants Cooper and Lybrand found
that the project was not viable.

Tradelink was set up in May 1989 by 11 major corporations in
Hongkong with the view to introducing a territory wide EDI
system. Driven mainly by bankers, anxious to improve the speed
of trade finance documentation, Tradelink initially committed
$800,000 dollars to the study, part of which was provided from
HK government resources. The study is reported to be running at
a significantly higher cost and the final report is more than
two months late.

Newsbytes learned that one of the major findings expressed in
the draft report was the logistical difficulty in introducing
electronic mail concepts to the many thousands of small and
unsophisticated trading companies throughout Hongkong. "EDI can
only be effective if all import/export companies are involved,
and it is an horrendous training task to introduce it to all
the smaller companies," said one industry pundit.

A Tradelink spokesperson denied that the project will be canned
and observed that the operation was not necessarily expected to
be profit-making as an entity. "Until the final report is
issued, and final discussions with the Government are held, we
cannot comment."

(Keith Cameron/19890823)


(NEWS)(TELECOM)(HKG)(00017)

US MILITARY SATELLITE PROPOSED FOR THAI DOMESTIC USE}
BANGKOK, THAILAND, 1989 AUG 25 (NB) -- A consortium led by the US
Stryker Group has presented a proposal to the Thai Government
which recommends the use of previously unavailable US military
satellites for a domestic communications facility. The project
is estimated to cost about US$150 million.

The consortium, which includes satellite launching specialist
Ball Corporation, project managers Bechtel and the world's
largest private satellite operator Contel, plans to form a
joint venture company with other Asian interests. This company
will be franchised with the operational management of the
satellite, including ground services, and will be based in
Hongkong.

Earlier this year the Thai Government was negotiating with
AsiaSat, a Hughes satellite to be launched by the Great Wall
Company of China and managed by a consortium which included
international telecoms suppliers Cable and Wireless, the
massive Li Ka Shing conglomerate Hutchison International and
CITIC, mainland China's trading and investment operation.
It is understood that the concept of utilizing transponders on
a satellite primarily intended for China fell out of favour in
Thai military circles because of a perceived possibility of
Chinese influence. This attitude was reinforced with the advent
of the atrocities in Beijing in June.

The Stryker proposal involves the use of a B-52 aircraft acting
as the primary launch pad at 40,000 feet for the new Pegasus
space booster. The 12-transponder satellite achieves
geostationary orbit in a few minutes, and at a fraction of the
cost of traditional rocket launches.

(Keith Cameron/19890825)


(NEWS)(TELECOM)(HKG)(00018)

HKG FAX MARKETS SLIPS SINCE CHINA TROUBLES}
HONGKONG, 1989 AUG 24 (NB) -- If the facsimile market can be
taken as a barometer for business trends in Hongkong, then the
signs are not too promising according to John Zinkin, chief
executive of Gilman Office Machines, the suppliers of greater
than 40 percent of the faxes in the territory.

Talking with Newsbytes Mr Zinkin said that the fax market had
dropped off by about 20 percent in the past two months, and
August was following the trend. "In other locations,
particularly Japan, a large replacement market has developed
for faxes, but this had not started in Hongkong. Personal
executive faxes were becoming very popular before the troubles
in China but sales have slowed down since. I think that people
are just not buying new equipment until the future is clearer,"
he said.

Mr Zinkin warned of the dangers of buying bargains in such a
delicate market: "The problem is that there is now a glut of
fax machines in inventories all around the territory, and
because of the stringent military policing in China, virtually
no sales can be expected there. This means that those vendors
who find themselves financially stretched will start dumping
products on the market. People should only buy from companies
with extremely deep pockets or else they could suffer from lack
of support," he said.

(Keith Cameron/19890823/Press Contact: Neil Fifer- Gilmans
Hongkong 5- 8930022)


(NEWS)(TELECOM)(HKG)(00019)

CHINATEL PHONE NET CHANGES NAME}
HONGKONG, ASIA, 1989 AUG 21 (NB) -- From today Chinatel, one of
Hongkong's three mobile phone operators, will be known as
Pacific Link Communications. And on September 27 this year the
company will switch to its new TACS-based Ericsson cellular
system.

Multinational First Pacific purchased 50 percent of the company
about a year ago from China Resources and Mirical Investments
and immediately set about negotiating with Ericssons. Other
partners in Pacific Link are US-based Millicom International
with 30 percent and Swedish Comvik AB with 20 percent.

In addition to enhancing the Hongkong network, the company is
reported to be in final negotiations for networks in Southern
China and the Philippines.

Recently appointed chief executive, Henry Goldstein, said: "We
felt that the name (Chinatel) was too limiting, suggesting that
we were exclusively in the telephone business in Hongkong and
China."

(Keith Cameron/19890823)


(NEWS)(TELECOM)(LON)(00020)

ERICSSON & GE TO FORM MOBILE NETWORK}
STOCKHOLM, SWEDEN, 1989 AUG 25 (NB) -- General Electric (GE) of
the U.S., and Ericsson of Sweden, have announced plans to jointly
set up a specialist venture company in mobile communications. The
joint company will be called Ericsson-GE Mobile Communications,
and will be 60 percent owned by Ericsson and 40 percent by GE.

Initially, the new company will manufacturer mobile telephone
(cellular) and radio phone systems, as well mobile data units,
for resale around the world. The company will be headed by Ake
Lundqvist, and will be formed by merging existing units.
By the beginning of 1990, the new company expects to have 4,750
employees and sales of $1,000 million, according to statement
issued last week by Ericsson in Sweden.

(Steve Gold/19890825)


(NEWS)(TELECOM)(LON)(00021)

UK: MOBILE PHONE FIRM REQUIRES DEPOSITS}
LONDON, ENGLAND, 1989 AUG 25 (NB) -- London Car Telephones (LCT)
has become the first major U.K. mobile telephone distributor to
introduce a deposit system for subscribers. New subscribers
signing up to the company for phone service who are not on the
electoral list (voting lists produced by the U.K. government) are
being asked for a deposit of UKP 350.

According to a representative of LCT, the deposit scheme has been
introduced to stop people buying a cheap phone and then racking
up several hundred pounds in phone bills in a few weeks after
giving a false address.

Deposit-paying subscribers are refunded their money in full
plus five percent interest after six months, the spokesman
added.

In a related story, a number of other cellular dealers have
introduced international call blocking by default on new
customers. Subscribers wishing to place international calls must
contact their network operator to have the computer reprogrammed
to allow expensive overseas calls. As with the LCT deposit
scheme, the move is being made to stop bad debts, as well as
adding an element of safety, should the user lose his/her phone.

(Steve Gold/19890812/Press and Public Contact: London Car
Telephones - Tel: [phone])


(NEWS)(TELECOM)(BRU)(00022)

GENEVA: WORLDWIDE TELECOM MEETING SET}
GENEVA, SWITZERLAND, 1989 AUG 22 -- Electronic media will be the
main subject at a special symposium held during the International
telecommunications Union's four-yearly meeting this October. The
symposium takes place in Geneva, between the 2nd and the 7th of
October.

More than 1,000 telecommunications specialists, electronic media
representatives and company officials with buying power are
expected to attend the event, which takes place Palais des Expositions
et des Congress (Palexpo) Congress Hall, the organizers have
announced.

The main theme of the symposium will be "towards global
information, "with three main channels: the explosion of
information in tomorrow's world, new horizons for electronic
media, and the role of the user and the supplier.

The third channel will emphasize the legal aspects of using
electronic information systems. Topics to be covered include:
cross-border communications; the content of electronic media programs
and their legal aspects; advertising' telematics; plus mergers
and acquisitions and their financial implications.

(Eric Dauchy/19890826/Press Contact : Francine Lambert: +41-22-
730-5969 - Fax: [phone])


(NEWS)(TELECOM)(BRU)(00023)

SATELLITE COOPERATION NEEDED IN EUROPE}
AMSTERDAM, THE NETHERLANDS, 1989 AUG 25 (NB) -- Satellite
communications services may abound in Western Europe, yet the
technology is still used with incredible inefficiency, according to
a report just published by the European Space Agency .

System incompatibilities, narrow national market approaches and a
huge overcapacity make systems expensive and help kill the unique
advantage of satellite communications -- its wide 'footprint' to
reach millions of users -- according to the study.

"A New Approach for Satellite Communications in Europe - A Policy
Proposal" says that, whilst Europe is technologically ahead of
the US, the needs of the user are not considered to be of
importance.

The report concludes that national PTT's restrict the uses of
satellite communication systems in order to hold on to their
monopolies. They see satellites as an uncontrollable threat from
the sky to their land-based networks.

Despite the doom and gloom, the ESA reports says satellite
communications and land-based networks are complementary systems.
Optical fibre lines are for heavy traffic routing whilst
satellites can be used for lighter traffic to remote areas.

In addition, the ESA report says that satellite applications
should be better promoted. Eutelsat, the PTT-controlled European
satellite communications governing body, should be given more
power to give users a better say in such matters without having
to resort to a myriad of national administrative bodies.

(Eric Dauchy/19890826/Press Contact : [phone])


(NEWS)(TELECOM)(BRU)(00024)

NON-PROFIT EC DATABASES PREDOMINATE}
BRUSSELS, BELGIUM, 1989 AUG 26 (NB) -- EC non-profit databases
predominate commercial ones, according to a study reported in
Information Market, an EC newsletter on technology.

Production of databases is dominated by the US, which holds 57
percent of the total while the EC holds only 27 percent. The
growth rate in the EC is better at 16 percent against the US's
13 percent.

32 percent of the databases originate in the United Kingdom, 18
percent in West Germany, 14 percent in France, 11 percent in
Italy, 10 percent in Spain with the remainder spread over the
remaining countries, says the report.

US databases are end-user oriented while European databases are
designed for bibliographical and referral usage, no doubt a
result of the US, market-oriented economy.

(Peter Vekinis/19890826)


(EXCLUSIVE)(TELECOM)(LON)(00025)

MICROLINK/DIALCOM ROW BREWING}
MACCLESFIELD, ENGLAND, 1989 AUG 25 (NB) -- In the run-up to its
transfer from Dialcom to Istel's I-Net system, Microlink has
become incensed at what it sees are Dialcom's attempts to poach
its subscribers back to the Telecom Gold electronic mail network.

Last week saw Telecom Gold 'junk mail' subscribers on the
Microlink network with a telex message suggesting that they
contact Dialcom to establish a Telecom Gold mailbox on the
Dialcom network.

"The point is that our subscriber lists are confidential. Gold
has always threatened anyone on its system that they will be
thrown off if they junk mail other subscribers. Now they've gone
and sent junk mail themselves," said Microlink's managing
director, Derek Meakin.

Meakin is sufficiently annoyed by the junk mailing that he has
written to Oftel, the UK telecoms regulatory watch-dog, to
complain of Dialcom's actions. According to Oftel, such a move
appears to constitute a breach of British Telecom's own
competitive marketing guidelines, a statement from Microlink said
late last week.

Talking with Newsbytes, Meakin said that the annoyance was that
Microlink subscribers have to pay to read the junk mail. "It may
not be much, but it's the principal of the matter," he said.

Representatives of Dialcom UK were unavailable for comment at
Newsbytes went to press.

(Steve Gold/19890825/Press & Public Contact: Derek Meakin,
managing director, Microlink - Tel: [phone])


(NEWS)(TELECOM)(LON)(00026)

MERCURY SIGNS PHONE/CABLE TV INTERCONNECT}
LONDON, ENGLAND, 1989 AUG 25 (NB) -- Mercury Communications and
Cable Camden have agreed to interconnect their respective
network. The deal is the third such agreement between Mercury
and a cable TV operator, allowing subscribers of the TV company
to place calls via their TV circuits.

Both residential and business customers will be directly
connected to Mercury's optical fibre network via Cable Camden's
local network. Customers will benefit from digital quality, and
cheaper, outgoing calls.

(Steve Gold/19890825/Press Contact: Nick Bundy, Mercury
Communications - Tel: [phone])


(NEWS)(TELECOM)(TOR)(00027)

CONSUMER UPDATES E-MAIL SOFTWARE}
VANCOUVER, BRITISH COLUMBIA, CANADA, 1989 AUG 22 (NB) --
Consumers Software has announced Release 2.0 of PC Postoffice and
Modem Mail, two software packages that give remote personal
computers access to Consumers' Network Courier electronic mail
system. PC Postoffice resides on the network, Modem Mail on the
remote PC.

Among the new features is Mailbag Maintenance, which allows
remote user to choose which messages to download and which to
leave on the LAN. Modem Mail 2.0 can operate in the background,
sending mail to and receiving mail from PC Postoffice on the
network while another application is running on the remote PC. PC
Postoffice 2.0 can phone remote users' PCs when mail arrives for
them, or wait for them to call in, a feature suited to those
using portable PCs on the road.

PC Postoffice 2.0 costs C$495 per hub, and Modem Mail 2.0 costs
C$95 per PC. Both require IBM or compatible machines with at
least 256K bytes of memory, MS-DOS or PC-DOS 3.1 or later, and a
Hayes-compatible or Telebit Trailblazer modem. The LAN must have
Network Courier 2.0, which costs C$995, installed.

(Grant Buckler/19890822/Press Contact: Michael Shandrick,
Consumers Software, 604-688-4548)


(NEWS)(TELECOM)(TOR)(00028)

NEWBRIDGE UNVEILS ENCRYPTION PROCESSOR}
OTTAWA, ONTARIO, CANADA, 1989 AUG 21 (NB) -- Newbridge
Microsystems has introduced what it says is the fastest general-
purpose public-key data encryption system available. It is also
the first such system to be implemented on a single chip. The
CA34C168 Data Encryption Processor has 150 kilobyte-per-second
throughput, Newbridge said, making it suited to the high-speed
requirements of the Integrated Services Digital Network (ISDN).

Newbridge said the device is easily made to work with eight-, 16-
 and 32-bit microprocessors. The CA34C168 costs C$175 in
quantities of 100. An evaluation and development environment that
runs on IBM PC, XT, AT and compatible computers costs C$1,950,
and a two-node development system costs C$2,950.

(Grant Buckler/19890823/Press Contact: Tony Rosati, Newbridge
Microsystems, 613-836-1014)


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

NEXT OPENS PITTSBURGH OFFICE}
PALO ALTO, CALIFORNIA, U.S.A., 1989 AUG 22 (NB) -- NeXT Inc. has
chosen Pittsburgh for its East Coast headquarters, opting to move
its offices into the Union Trust Building downtown.

The choice of Pittsburgh is directly related to the nearby proximity
of Carnegie Mellon University, which owns a small portion of Apple
cofounder Steve Jobs' new company. NeXT officers say "a few dozen
jobs" will result from the opening. The company already maintains a
small sales force in Pittsburgh.

NeXT is a Unix-based workstation, incorporating optical storage
drives, high resolution monitor, and other innovative features,
that is intended for use mostly in university environments.

The company has been very protective of its NeXT computer,
refusing to let most of those journalists who would normally
review and report on this sort of product perform hands-on
testing other than in the presence of NeXT company personnel.

(Wendy Woods & John McCormick/19890825)


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

LAN WORKPLACE FOR SCO UNIX}
SANTA CRUZ, CALIFORNIA, U.S.A, 1989 AUG 21 (NB) -- Excelan has
announced that a version of its LAN WorkPlace TCP/IP networking
software has been ported to Santa Cruz Operation's SCO UNIX System
V, Release 3.2 operating system. LAN Workplace consequently becomes
the first major third-party networking vendor to announce products
that will support this latest version of Unix.

LAN Workplace gives PC users shared resources, such as printers and
disk drives, as well as file transfer, and supports Excelan's EXOS
series of Ethernet controllers. The price is $695 and the product is
available in September.

(Wendy Woods/19890825/Press Contact: Peter Troop, Excelan, 408-
473-8361)


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

SCO TEAMS WITH HP FOR COMPLETE SYSTEMS}
SANTA CRUZ, CALIFORNIA, U.S.A., 1989 AUG 22 (NB) -- Hewlett-Packard
has joined forces with Santa Cruz Operation, maker of the SCO Unix
operating system, to offer complete multiuser systems based on
HP Vectra machines. The deal, which also involves Corollary Inc.'s
serial I/O subsystem, which enables up to 32 terminals to be connected
to a Vectra running SCO Unix V/386, gives HP a complete multiuser
system to offer to its customers who want to bypass the traditional
minicomputer market in favor of PCs.

HP says the result is lower costs for networks involving no more than
32 terminals in small to medium-sized businesses.

(Wendy Woods/19890825/Press Contact: Zee Zaballos, SCO, 408-
425-7222)


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

SABER - TI JOINT DEVELOPMENT AGREEMENT}
BOSTON, MASSACHUSETTS, U.S.A., 1989 AUG 22 (NB) -- Cambridge,
Massachusetts-based Saber Software, Inc., has announced at the
UniForum '89 conference that it has reached a joint software-
development agreement with Texas Instruments Inc.

Saber-C is a $2,500 C language programming environment used for
developing, debugging, and testing programs. Engineers from both
companies are using Saber-C as the basis for developing new
programming tools to be used in a line of programs that TI and
Saber are planning to introduce.

Available for Sun Microsystems' and Digital Equipment Corp's Unix
computers, Saber-C is becoming the "standard" program development
environment for C language programs running on these machines.

(John McCormick/19890824/Press Contacts: Tony Goschalk of Saber
Software, Inc., 617-876-7636; or Neil McGlone/Cathy Sang of Texas
Instruments, 512-250-4133)


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

PRIME PORTS CAD PROGRAM TO SPARCSTATION 1}
NATIC, MASSACHUSETTS, U.S.A., 1989 AUG 22 (NB) -- Prime
Computer has announced the porting of its CAD (computer-aided
design) software program, Personal Designer, to the Sun Microsystems
SPARCstation 1.

Personal Designer, scheduled to ship in November, is a 3-D
graphics program used by engineers and draftsmen to draw complex
shaded images.

Personal Designer also runs on the Sun386i, IBM's PS/2, and other
80286 and 80386-based IBM compatible computers using MS-DOS.

(John McCormick/19890825/Press Contact: Patrick Pecorelli, Prime,
508-655-8000, ext. 5270)


(NEWS)(UNIX)(LAX)(00006)

BETTER DISK MANAGEMENT FOR UNIX SYSTEMS}
LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA, U.S.A., 1989 AUG 24 (NB) -- 1776,
Inc., has announced an advanced form of disk mirroring and fault
tolerance for Unix systems.

The software, 1776 Advanced Peripheral Control Software, provides
a more sophisticated form of disk mirroring than that available
with some proprietary systems and with non-Unix environments such
as Novell Netware. It allows mirroring to be installed on a
file-system-by-file-system basis for more efficient use of disk
space. The software also eliminates downtime for disk
replacement by permitting a replacement disk to be installed
while the system is running.

The software is currently in beta test and will be available in
30 to 60 days.

(Janet Endrijonas/19890825/Press Contact: Robert Kramarz, 1776,
818-789-2004)


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

MATSUSHITA SEEKS MACH OS}
OSAKA, JAPAN, 1989 AUG 21 (NB) -- Matsushita Electric Industrial
has disclosed that it is negotiating to license the MACH
operating system (OS), the same one bundled with the NeXT workstation,
through its subsidiary, U.S.-based Solbourne Computer.

Solbourne Computer, 52 percent owned by Matsushita, has already
enhanced its Sun-compatible workstation business by incorporating into
its systems the SPARC reduced instruction microprocessor from Sun
Microsystems. The availability of the MACH operating system should
provide the newcomer with yet another jewel in its crown.

The MACH OS is widely considered the next-generation Unix operating
system since it is capable of performing parallel and decentralized
processing. The OS will be bundled with the NeXT computer and introduced
to Japan by Canon next month.

According to the December 1988 issue of "bit" magazine in Japan, the OS,
however, is banned from delivery outside U.S. and is strictly
controlled by the Department of Defense. Canon did not know the
barrier and will confirm the condition.

(Naoyuki Yazawa/19890824)


(NEWS)(UNIX)(TYO)(00008)

NEW NEWS FROM SONY}
TOKYO, JAPAN, 1989 AUG 23 (NB) -- Sony will release the highest-end
model of its NEWS-1800 series engineering workstations at the end
of September. The NWS-1860 has two Motorola 25 megahertz 68030
microprocessors, an MC68882 for its coprocessor, and 64 kilobytes of
cache memory. It processes 5.3 million instructions per second.

The distinguishing feature of the new machine is that it has
a built-in 640 megabyte large-capacity hard disk, so that it
provides the increasingly larger amounts of data needed for engineering
workstations.

The NWS-1860 workstation will be priced at 3.95 million ($28,200).
Sony is planning to sell 1,200 units by March, 1990.

(Ken Takahashi/19890824)


(EXCLUSIVE)(UNIX)(HKG)(00009)

HONG KONG: RCP PORTS TO VAX}
HONGKONG, ASIA, 1989 AUG 25 (NB) -- Hongkong software house RCP
Consulting enhanced its chances of success in international
markets by porting two of its popular systems from Datapoint to
Digital Equipment VMS-based computers.

Speaking with Newsbytes this week, Richard Gibson, chief
executive of RCP, said that machine independence was the key to
RCP's international success. "Despite the fact that we
developed all our systems for Datapoint equipment, our cross-
compiler capability means that we can successfully support a
single level of source code for most popular machines today,
from the PC upwards."

RCP has more than forty installations of its comprehensive
Financial Management System (FMS) in nine countries outside
Hongkong, including the USA, Australia, Europe, UK and
Singapore.

The most recent distribution agreement has been awarded to
CamCo Technology, remarketers of DEC equipment, and applies to
both FMS and RCP's Personnel Management System (PMS)
RCP is also the developer of the Hotelier front and back office
system which it markets internationally through a joint venture
with Datapoint Corporation.

(Keith Cameron/19890825/Press Contact:Richard Gibson RCP
Hongkong 5-8682733)


(NEWS)(UNIX)(TOR)(00010)

CANADA: SUN OEMS WITH KINBURN}
OTTAWA, ONTARIO, CANADA, 1989 AUG 22 (NB) -- Kinburn Technology
has announced an OEM (original equipment manufacturer) agreement
with Sun Microsystems of Canada.

Kinburn, the parent company of SHL Systemhouse and ComputerLand
Canada, will integrate the Sun-3 and SPARCstation product lines
with a variety of hardware and software for its customers around
the world. The two companies said they expect about C$100 million
(more than US$80 million) in sales to result from the agreement
over the next three years.

Kinburn controls eight technology companies as well as paper and
packaging operations. The management holding company and its
subsidiaries had total revenues of about C$1.5 billion in 1988,
and have 8,700 employees in 229 locations worldwide.

(Grant Buckler/19890822/Press Contact: Janice Murray, Sun
Microsystems of Canada, 416-477-4765; John Owens, Kinburn, 613-
238-6648)


(NEWS)(UNIX)(TOR)(00011)

EMPRESS ADDS USER-DEFINED FUNCTIONS}
TORONTO, ONTARIO, CANADA, 1989 AUG 21 (NB) -- Empress Software
has enhanced its Unix-based database management system, also
called Empress, by adding user-defined functions. Users can now
write their own functions in the C programming language. The
functions are then available from within Empress's report writer
or its fourth-generation development language, along with
Structured Query Language (SQL), or from FORTRAN and C libraries,
the company said.

According to Empress, user-defined functions will be particularly
useful for operations on variable-length binary and text data,
making it possible to manipulate these data types in the same way
as traditional data. Applications include storing maps, pictures,
medical records and fingerprints, the company suggested.

Empress has its research and development operations in Toronto
and its sales and marketing offices in Greenbelt, Maryland.

(Grant Buckler/19890825/Press Contact: Vic Hess, Empress
Software, 301-220-1919)


(NEWS)(UNIX)(TOR)(00012)

UNIGEM ACCTING PACKAGE GETS NEW OWNER}
MARKHAM, ONTARIO, CANADA, 1989 AUG 23 (NB) -- Genamation has
acquired Unigem, a modular accounting package for Unix developed
in Ireland.

Built around an accounting database, Unigem contains general
ledger, accounts payable, accounts receivable and inventory
management modules. In the basic four-user configuration, the
inventory management module costs C$2,150, each of the other
three C$1,150.

A fifth module, Unigem Design, is used to design screens, help
messages and reports and exchange data with other applications.
It is priced at C$2,500. Finally, the companion Unigem Open
provides application development tools, a report writer and
utilities. It is made up of modules corresponding to the
functional accounting modules: Inventory Management Open costs
C$4,500 while each of the other three costs C$3,000.

(Grant Buckler/19890824/Press Contact: Dermot Begley, Genamation,
475-9434)