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/1992/NB920406

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(NEWS)(IBM)(DEN)(00001)

Zenith Shows Network-Ready Notebooks At Comdex 04/06/92
BUFFALO GROVE, ILLINOIS, U.S.A., 1992 APR 6 (NB) - Zenith Data
Systems (ZDS) is introducing four new notebook-sized
computers at Comdex opening in Chicago today. One of the units will
have a color display.

ZDS said it would also introduce a $149 alternative to the
traditional docking station which would allow traveling computer
users to easily connect their notebook unit to the local office
network.

ZDS said all four units use the Intel 386SL for a CPU (central
processing unit). The three monochrome units weigh just under six
pounds, while the color unit, which features an active-matrix
display, weighs 6.5 pounds.

The company said that the three monochrome units can be upgraded to
color at a later date if the user desires to do so.

Suggested retail prices for the four units start at $3,599, topping
out at $7,299 for the color unit. ZDS estimates that street prices
(actual selling prices) will range from under $2,599 to under $5,299.

ZDS said the three monochrome systems will be available this month
in the US, with the color notebook hitting the market in June. The
company expects to make all four systems available in the European
market in June of this year.

One ZDS customer has reportedly already committed to outfitting its
entire sales force with the new notebooks, and another will start
buying the units for its senior sales executives.

(Jim Mallory/19920406/Press contact: Matt Mirapaul, Zenith Data
Systems, 708-808-4848)


(NEWS)(IBM)(DEN)(00002)

New For PC: Aldus Photostyler 1.1A for Windows 04/06/92
SEATTLE, WASHINGTON, U.S.A., 1992 APR 6 (NB) -- Aldus Corporation
says it is now shipping Photostyler 1.1A, an update to its
full-color image-processing program that runs under Windows.

Photostyler allows users to scan, enhance, compose, retouch, and
output to a printer 24-bit color, gray scale, and black-and-white images.

New features include support for raw-image data formats
and for the Joint Photographic Experts Group(JPEG) standard for image
file compression and expansion. Aldus said it has also improved
memory management and speeded up image handling. TIFF LZW
compression and decompression and clipboard operations have also
been added, according to the Aldus announcement.

Support for the JPEG standard will allow users to compress their
image files to a fraction of their uncompressed size, saving
valuable hard drive space. Photostyler 1.1A is believed to be the
first Windows application to support the JPEG standard.

According to Rod Bauer, Photostyler product marketing manager,
Photostyler 1.1A will now handle digital images of 20MB or more, and
it is compatible with Windows 3.1, which also made its official
debut today. Bauer said that depending on the particular operation
being performed, the upgraded program should run from 10 to 1,000
percent faster than its predecessor.

(Jim Mallory/19920406/Press contact: Brad Stevens, Aldus
Corporation, 206-628-2361)


(NEWS)(BUSINESS)(DEN)(00003)

 ****Compaq Pays $3.6 Million To Ousted Founder Rod Canion 04/06/92
HOUSTON, TEXAS, U.S.A., 1992 APR 6 (NB) -- Compaq Computer
Corporation has confirmed to Newsbytes that it has agreed to pay
$3.6 million in severance pay to its former chief executive and
co-founder Rod Canion.

Compaq's board of directors fired Canion as president and a member
of the board last October, replacing him with Eckhard Pfeiffer. The
action came just one day after the company fired over 1400
employees and reported its first loss in the nearly 10 years since
the company was formed. After the dust settled, the actual number
of reductions was about 1700, with some employees accepting early
retirement and severance. Compaq spokesperson John Sweney told
Newsbytes that none of those employees has been hired back.

According to a proxy statement mailed to Compaq stockholders last
week, the payment will be spread over 16 months. The payment is said
to be in addition to Canion's $737,286 salary for 1991. Canion got
$2.3 million the previous year.

Canion has opened an office in Houston in conjunction with Jim
Harris, another Compaq executive who left the company shortly after
Canion, and is pursuing private business interests. He reportedly
has agreed not to compete with Compaq or attempt to recruit any of
its employees for 18 months.

Compaq, which Newsbytes reported was one of two top ten computer
manufacturers not to have signed up with Microsoft to pre-load
Windows 3.1 on its PCs, is reportedly going to bundle IBM's new
operating system, OS/2 2.0, in September on its systems sold in
Europe.

(Jim Mallory/19920406/Press contact: John Sweney,Compaq Computer,
713-374-0484)


(NEWS)(BUSINESS)(DEN)(00004)

Random Access Enters Network Wars 04/06/92
DENVER, COLORADO, U.S.A., 1992 APR 6 (NB) -- Rocky Mountain
microcomputer reseller Random Access says it will enter the network
market and has hired a former Novell regional manager, Robert Henley,
to head up its efforts.

According to Random Access executive vice president, Patrick Smith,
the company is entering the local (LAN) and wide (WAN) area network
market in response to growing demand from existing customers and
overall growth in network use nationwide. Smith said the company
already provides networking products and technical support to some
of its largest customers, including US West and Texaco.

A Random Access spokesperson told Newsbytes that the company is an
authorized Platinum level Novell Netware Dealer. The company will
also handle Microsoft LAN Manager and Banyan Vines network operating
systems, according to the spokesperson.

"The market is wide open, with no dominant player, and we believe we
can leverage our size and reputation to capture significant market
share in a relatively short period of time," Smith said.

Prior to joining Novell, Henley held various positions with Digital
Equipment Corporation and Harris Corporation, and has more than 20
years of experience in the computer industry.

(Jim Mallory/19920406/Press contact: Pat Smith, Random Access,
303-745-9600)


(NEWS)(BUSINESS)(DEN)(00005)

CompUSA FY92 3Q Sales Up 50% 04/06/92
DALLAS, TEXAS, U.S.A., 1992 APR 6 (NB) -- Computer superstore
retailer CompUSA has released the results of the third quarter of
1992, reporting a 50 percent increase in sales for the period over
the same period last year.

CompUSA said its sales soared to $216 million for the period, which
ended March 31st. The report said that comparable-store sales or the
17 outlets open for a year or more were up 15.8 percent.

Results for the first three quarters were nearly comparable, with
the company reporting sales up 49.7 percent to $590 million for the
nine month period.

"We are very pleased with our quarterly sales increase and the
improving trend in comparable-store sales," said Nathan Morton,
CompUSA president and CEO. CompUSA opened five new stores during
the third quarter. Morton said the company "is well on rack with
our national expansion plan."

CompUSA operates 25 superstores in 16 major metropolitan markets,
and says it handles more than 5,000 hardware, software, accessories
and related products, offering what it describes as "deep-discount
prices to retail, business and government customers."

(Jim Mallory/19920406/Press contact: Nathan Morton, CompUSA,
214-406-4700)


(NEWS)(GENERAL)(NYC)(00006)

Xerox PARC Scientist Talks Nanotechnology 04/06/92
NEW YORK, NEW YORK, U.S.A., 1992 APR 6 (NB) -- Robert Merkle,
Xerox Palo Alto Research Center (PARC) scientist specializing in
nanotechnology and molecular machines, will address a special meeting
of the Alcor Life Extension Foundation on the heady subject of "The
Prospects for Immortality."

The meeting will be held in New York City on Sunday, April 28th at
the 72nd Street Studio, 131 West 72nd Street at 5:00 PM. Admission
to the talk is $4.00.

Charles Platt, science fiction author and an Alcor member, told
Newsbytes, "Dr. Merkle is one of the world's foremost experts on
nanotechnology and there appears to be tremendous contributions
that nanotechnology can make to cryonics. The idea of nanotechnology
is to manipulate matter at the molecular level. As you know, the
process of cryonics involves the freezing of a person at the time
of death in the hopes that, at some point in the future, a cure
for the fatal disease may be found. It would seem that nanotechnology
may have particular use in the repairing of brain damage
that might occur in the freezing or unfreezing process."

Platt, whose works include "The Silicon Man," also told Newsbytes
that the meeting is open to the public and that prior reservations
are not required.

(Barbara E. McMullen & John F. McMullen/Press Contact: Charles Platt,
212-535-3643/19920406)


(NEWS)(TRENDS)(DEL)(00007)

India: Chip-Makers Doubling Their Clocks 04/06/92
NEW DELHI, INDIA, 1992 APR 6 (NB) -- HCL Hewlett-Packard and Wipro
Infotech, the two industry leaders, locked horns with "clock doubling"
their minicomputers to rake in the year-end orders. Intel's latest
clock doubler, the 50 MHz 486 DX2 chip, has gone into HCL's Meteor
1-X which, the company says, pushes its product horizon much farther.

Wipro Infotech, claiming to be the "quickest" to assimilate the Intel
line, has chosen to speed up its 25 MHz Landmark minicomputers by
slipping in the 50 MHz 486 DX2 with an upgrade offer before the
end of March.

Both Wipro and HCL are Beta sites for Intel's new processors. The
advertisements woo the customers on the fact that the Indian
companies have brought the clock doubler technology here just
in the same week of Intel's official announcement of the
processors. Wipro claimed literally on the same day, 5 March,
that they had introduced machines "only hours" after Intel's release.

(C.T. Mahabharat/19920328)


(NEWS)(GOVT)(WAS)(00008)

Feds Seek Comments On C Test System 04/06/92
WASHINGTON, DC, U.S.A., 1992 APR 6 (NB) -- NIST (National
Institute of Standards and Technology) is seeking comments on a
proposed C compiler test system. Another recent project has
resulted in a report examining a way to bridge the Standard
Generalized Markup Language and ODA or Office Document
Architecture standard.

FIPS or Federal Information Processing Standard 160 would adopt
the ANSI Standard X3.159-1989 Programming Language C standard as
the basic conformance test for all C compilers purchased for
federal agency use after September 30, 1991. The NIST is seeking
comment from industry, federal computer users, and the public on
whether this ANSI test suite is appropriate for evaluating the C
standard compliance for federal users.

Comments should be forwarded to Computer Systems Lab., Attn: C
Test Service, A266, Technology Building, NIST, Gaithersburg, MD
20899.

A $17 report ($9 on microfiche) titled "On the Interchangeability
of SGML and ODA (NISTIR 4681)" explores the possibility of
producing a "bridge" between the two incompatible electronic
document mark-up and interchange standards.

Described in the document is a translation program that converts
documents between the two widely used standards.

Order directly from the National Technical Information Service,
U.S. Department of Commerce, 5285 Port Royal Road, Springfield,
VA 22161. Request document number PB 92-149830.

(John McCormick/19920403/Press Contact: John Henkel, NIST, 301-
975-2762)


(NEWS)(GENERAL)(TOR)(00009)

New Product: ArcLink Ties MapInfo To Arc/Info 04/06/92
TROY, NEW YORK, U.S.A., 1992 APR 6 (NB) -- ArcLink, new software
from MapInfo, allows data transfer between that company's MapInfo
desktop mapping software on various personal computers and
workstations and Arc/Info, the large-system geographic information
system (GIS)software from Environment Systems Research Institute
(ESRI).

Versions of ArcLink are available for all systems that run MapInfo,
including DOS personal computers with or without Microsoft Windows,
the Apple Macintosh, and workstations from Sun Microsystems and
Hewlett-Packard. ArcLink works with ArcInfo version 5 or 6 and
PC-Arc/Info version 3.3 or 3.4, the company said.

ArcLink allows MapInfo users to transfer maps from a central
Arc/Info system to MapInfo, where they can be edited and later
transferred back.

Many GIS users have the Arc/Info software, a MapInfo spokeswoman
said, and would like to be able to work with their Arc/Info maps on
a personal computer.

ArcLink is due to ship May 1 with a suggested retail price of $595.

MapInfo also announced an agreement with Intergraph, of Huntsville,
Alabama. Intergraph will market the MapInfo software, while MapInfo
will develop a version of MapInfo for Intergraph workstations.

Development of the new MapInfo version is under way now, said Randy
Drawas, director of marketing at MapInfo, but the release date has
not been set. Drawas would say only that the software will be
shipped this year.

(Grant Buckler/19920403/Press Contact: Lisa Jacobson, MapInfo,
518-274-6000 ext. 205, fax [phone]; Paula Mae, Schwartz
Communications for MapInfo, 617-431-0770)


(NEWS)(GENERAL)(SFO)(00010)

New For Networks: Windows-Based Pathworks Manager 04/06/92
SAN JOSE, CALIFORNIA, U.S.A., 1992 APR 6 (NB) -- Following its
successful introduction of a Macintosh-based Pathworks server,
Webster Computer is extending its line of products to the MS-DOS
and Windows marketplace by introducing a version of NAServer
Administrator that runs under Windows.

NAServer Administrators are products that are designed to replace
the need for learning Digital Equipment Corporation's (DEC) DEC
Command Language (DCL). DCL has the reputation of being somewhat
difficult to learn. This is especially true of Macintosh or PC
uses who are not normally conversant with DEC products. With many
DEC installations putting in Pathworks to support their Macintosh
and PC users, it has become a more common task for those Macintosh
and PC users to need to control and administrate certain aspects
of Pathworks.

NAServer Administrator replaces DCL with a graphical user interface
(GUI) approach more familiar to such users. Now, instead of typing
commands on a line, the user pulls down the appropriate menus, and
makes the proper selections in dialog boxes. Webster's software, the
firm says, takes care of all the rest.

NAServer Administrator for Windows will run under Windows 3.0 as
well as Microsoft's recently introduced Windows 3.1. It retails for
$1990 for a one to twenty-user license. A 200-user license would drop
the per user cost to $29.95.

(Naor Wallach/19920406/Press Contact: Tom Woolf, Media Relations,
415-508-1554; Public Contact: 408-954-8054)


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

NTT And Sharp Develops Fax Machine With Display 04/06/92
TOKYO, JAPAN, 1992 APR 6 (NB) -- Japan's NTT and Sharp will
jointly develop a fax machine with a large LCD (liquid crystal
display) and a large memory which is designed for both business and
personal use.

The goal is to create an advanced fax machine that is
superior to Toshiba's display fax machine which is currently sold
on the market.

The advantage of a display on a fax machine is that when a
message is received, the user can read it first on the LCD, and can
elect to print it out on a paper. If printing is not necessary, the
user can erase it, without any waste of paper. NTT claims to have
a prototype of the system which it will finalize with Sharp, which
boasts advanced LCD technology.

Other details of the system include a 500 kilobyte memory, and the
capacity to compress the size of letters. This would enable two
to four pieces of an A4-size document to be printed out on a single
A4-size sheet of paper. This fax machine will also be able to accept
a B4-size document.

NTT and Sharp's new display fax machine, equipped with a detachable
scanner, is expected to be released this summer at a price of
200,000 yen ($1,500). The machine will be manufactured
by Sharp and supplied to NTT on an OEM (original equipment
manufacturer) basis.

Recently, Sharp has developed an unique device which is a combination
of fax machine, copier, and a scanner for a personal computer.
Newsbytes was unable to confirm speculation that Sharp could
also be developing another hybrid -- a personal computer with a
built-in fax machine.

(Masayuki Miyazawa/19920406/Press Contact: Sharp, [phone])


(NEWS)(TRENDS)(TYO)(00012)

Japanese Chip Market Recovery Seen 04/06/92
TOKYO, JAPAN, 1992 APR 6 (NB) -- The semiconductor market in Japan
is on the road to recovery, according to the survey taken by the Nippon
Keizai (Nikkei) Newspaper. It says most chip makers believe
the worst is behind them and that the market will recover by the end
of this year.

The survey involved eight major chip makers in Japan, including
Toshiba, Fujitsu, Mitsubishi, NEC and Texas Instruments Japan.
Toshiba and Mitsubishi both reported to have experienced the worst
part of the slump during this past January and February. Fujitsu and
NEC officers also believe that the worst will be over soon.

In general, prices of semiconductors in Japan have continuously
dropped since the summer of 1991, but recently the downward spiral
has nearly come to a halt. Prices of 1 megabit dynamic random access
memory (DRAM) and 4 megabit DRAM had dropped by as much as 35
percent during the slump.

NEC experienced a 6-percent drop in sales during the January-March
time period, but the firm expects to have just a 3-percent drop during
the April-June period.

Texas Instruments Japan says it is in the worst period now, and the
market can do nothing but improve this year. Hitachi also
says it is encouraged by new purchase orders.

(Masayuki Miyazawa/19920406/Press Contact: Nikkei Newspaper, +81-
3-3270-0251)


(NEWS)(TRENDS)(TYO)(00013)

 ****NEC Group Turns To Consumer Electronics To Ride Recession 04/06/92
TOKYO, JAPAN, 1992 APR 6 (NB) -- NEC has joined with its
subsidiary NEC Home Electronics to create more home electronic
devices, rather than computers, to ride out the current recession.
Although both firms are affiliated financially, they operate
independently of each other.

NEC Home Electronics has been developing home electronic appliances
such as vacuum cleaners, refrigerators, and game machines. Some
260 of its engineers have been assigned to work at NEC to develop
various audio-visual products inside NEC's newly created
"Audiovisual Media Development" department. The new products are
a car navigation system and a pocket LCD TV. Eventually, multimedia
personal computers and workstations are also expected to be
developed.

Although the obvious reason for the joint venture is slumping computer
sales, experts say NEC is also seeking to improve its de facto standard
Japanese PC-9801, a computer apparently threatened by Apple
and IBM's market presence. The PC-9801 is also challenged by Fujitsu,
which recently released a multimedia personal computer equipped with
Windows Multimedia Extensions.

(Masayuki Miyazawa/19920406/Press Contact: NEC, [phone])


(NEWS)(TRENDS)(TYO)(00014)

 ****Next Generation CD Developed 04/06/92
TOKYO, JAPAN, 1992 APR 6 (NB) -- Japan Zeon and Kurare are jointly
marketing a compact disk (CD) made of a new technology which is said to
enable the CD to produce even higher quality sound than today's discs.

The new CD material is called "Zeonecks" which is a combination of
special alloys. One amorphous part of the disc material consists of
a combination of iron, cobalt and nickel in a random arrangement of
atoms. The advantage to this material, the companies say, is its
durability and hardness, and its sensitivity to magnetic fields.
As a result, it is said to reproduce sound crisper and clearer than
existing CDs.

Most of the existing CDs are made from polycarbonate. About
300 million CDs are produced annually in Japan.

The price of the new CD is still much higher than conventional CDs.
According to a Kurare spokesman, the new Zeonecks technology is
priced 50 percent higher than regular CDs at 400 to 500 yen each. But
both firms are confident that they will be well-accepted in the music
industry. So far, Kurare has received encouraging reviews from the music
industry, says the spokesman.

(Masayuki Miyazawa/19920406/Press Contact: Kurare, +81-6-348-
2111)


(NEWS)(TELECOM)(TYO)(00015)

Communication Tokyo '92 Opens 04/06/92
TOKYO, JAPAN, 1992 APR 6 (NB) -- Japan's major telecommunications
trade show opened at Tokyo's Harumi Exhibition Center today.
"Telecommunication Tokyo" features the participation of
164 firms, 10 more than last year. A total of 80,000 people are
expected to visit this show.

A variety of new products are in the spotlight. They include
telephones with multiple features, cordless phones, data-
telephones, display telephones, fax machines, TV phones, TV
conference systems, personal computers, workstations, mobile
phones, pocket beepers, satellite switching network systems,
voice mail, local area network systems, value added networks,
various electronic parts and software.

TV phones, including Hitachi's just-released motion picture
phone used on ISDNs (integrated services digital
networks) are drawing the largest crowds. Smart phones, or
those with some of the features of personal computers are
also drawing attention.

Next-generation fax machines, including those with large
LCDs, are on display by many Japanese electronics firms.

(Masayuki Miyazawa/19920406)


(NEWS)(TELECOM)(DEL)(00016)

Siemens Invests In India 04/06/92
NEW DELHI, INDIA, 1992 APR 6 (NB) -- Siemens is a company which
has been related to India for well over 100 years. In fact, the man
behind the construction of the first telegraph line between
Calcutta and London was its founder Werner Jon Siemens himself,
120 years ago.

While it has had an active and prosperous Indian subsidiary (Siemens
Ltd.) for years, the parent company appears now ready to take
advantage of the new liberal climate recently unleashed by the
Indian government to integrate its economy, industry and trade
with the rest of the world. Siemens will do business directly and make
new direct investments in India.

Building on India's professional strength in software, a new
company - a joint project called Siemens Information Systems Ltd.
- is being formed to develop products for both domestic and export
markets in the area of communications and process automation.
It is projected to employ 1,000 people by 1996.

In the Indian market, it plans to go into software and systems
integration, and CAD/CAM for the manufacturing sector. An
ex-IBMer, Nil Laud, is understood to have appointed as the new
venture's chief executive.

That's not all. Siemens is also planning to invest $54.95 million
in Indian telecommunications. It has recently received official
clearance for its proposal to manufacture digital telecom
switching and transmission systems and later cellular systems.
Although the location has not been finalized, the telecom unit is
expected to be set up at Salt Lake industrial complex in Calcutta,
where Siemens subsidiary Webel Telematics is located.

Siemens's involvement in the Indian (electrical) power sector has
been quite considerable. With the slated partial privatization of
the public sector corporations like Bharat Heavy Electricals Ltd,
National Thermal Power Corporation Ltd., and others, and the
government's opening up the power sector to foreign investments,
Siemens, among other multinationals, is expected to play a major
role in the mega projects of this sector which, in turn, involves
voluminous CIM (computer integrated manufacturing) activity.
And that is where Siemens Information Systems Ltd. is hoping to
reap its business to a large extent.

(C.T. Mahabharat 19920403)


(NEWS)(BUSINESS)(HKG)(00017)

Hong Kong: SAS, IBM in Cooperative Marketing Ag't 04/06/92
CENTRAL, HONG KONG, 1992 APR 6 (NB) -- SAS Institute and IBM
China/Hong Kong Corporation have signed a Cooperative Software
Program (COSP) agreement to market SAS Software on a range of IBM
hardware platforms.

IBM says the agreement, the first multiplatform collaboration
between IBM and a software supplier, reinforces its strategic
initiative to cooperate with leading software companies on a local
level.

Under the terms of the agreement, IBM will market the SAS Information
Delivery System, integrated software for accessing, managing,
analyzing and presenting data to its mainframe, PC and workstation
customers. SAS Institute will also have access to IBM's marketing
database and business centres.

"The COSP agreement with SAS is part of IBM's drive to deliver total
solutions to its customers," said Ken Johnsen, IBM's director of
marketing operations in Hong Kong. "The partnership builds on a long
association between our companies to deliver leading edge software
and hardware that gives our customers a competitive edge."

Nigel Gasper, general manager of SAS Institute in Hong Kong, said,
"SAS is delighted to be one of the first COSP software partners for
IBM in Hong Kong. As the world leader in enterprise-wide, multi-
platform information delivery, the Institute is strongly placed to
serve IBM customers across a wide range of industries."

The COSP agreement builds on existing SAS/IBM cooperation including
joint development for IBM's System Application Architecture (SAA),
ESA/390, RISC/AIX and OS/2 2.0 architectures. In terms of customer
base, more than half of SAS' worldwide customers are in IBM sites.

"The Institute has worked closely for many years with IBM to take
advantage of emerging hardware technology and port its software to
new IBM platforms," said Gasper. "The COSP marketing agreement is a
logical extension of this process. In addition, SAS' strong local
support and training resources were important in making SAS the first
major software supplier in IBM's new alliance programme."

Gasper added that while the current agreement only covers IBM
customers in Hong Kong and Macau, other SAS offices in the Asian
region were actively exploring similar arrangements.

(Norman Wingrove/19920404/Press contact Nigel Gasper, SAS, +852 568
4280; HK time is GMT + 8)


(NEWS)(BUSINESS)(TOR)(00018)

Systemhouse Names New U.S. Chairman 04/06/92
OTTAWA, ONTARIO, CANADA, 1992 APR 6 (NB) -- John Oltman, chairman
and chief executive of systems integrator SHL Systemhouse, has
drawn on contacts from his days at Andersen Consulting in naming a
new chairman and chief executive for his company's United States
subsidiary. James K. Burns, who worked with Oltman at Andersen
before joining Goldman, Sachs & Co., will occupy the newly created
position.

Burns will report to Oltman, said Harry W. Schlough, senior
vice-president of Systemhouse, while Andrew Bart, president of the
U.S. subsidiary Systemhouse Inc., will remain in his present
position and report to Burns.

Burns, who assumes the new position April 16, will be responsible
for the strategic direction and growth of the U.S. subsidiary,
Schlough told Newsbytes.

Oltman, who left the job of worldwide managing partner for systems
integration at Andersen in June, 1991, to take charge of
Systemhouse, hand-picked Burns for the job, Schlough said. The two
worked together at Andersen Consulting before Burns left the
American consulting firm in 1988 to join Goldman Sachs. Burns' most
recent position at Andersen Consulting was worldwide head of
systems integration. When he left Goldman Sachs, he was senior
vice-president and the company's most senior information technology
executive.

(Grant Buckler/19920406/Press Contact: Harry W. Schlough, SHL
Systemhouse, 416-366-4600)


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

Lotus Earmarks Old Hardware For East-West Foundation 04/06/92
BOSTON, MASSACHUSETTS, U.S.A., 1992 APR 6 (NB) -- Lotus Development
has agreed to turn over its excess and out-of-service computer
hardware to the East West Education Development Foundation, an
agency chartered to promote democracy and education throughout the
world by supplying computer tools. Lotus is the first company in
the computer industry to pledge its hand-me-down equipment to the
foundation on an ongoing basis, said Mike Robinson, associate
director of the East-West Foundation.

Lotus has already turned over 347 pieces of equipment to the
foundation in the first of what is expected to be a continuing
supply of outgrown computers.

The East West Education Development Foundation was founded in 1990
by Patrick McGovern of the worldwide publishing and research
organization IDG Corp. It is chartered to sponsor charitable
organizations that sponsor freedom of speech, free markets,
democracy, and entrepreneurship.

Donations go to a variety of organizations around the world. The
foundation concentrated at first on the former Soviet Union and
Eastern Europe, Robinson said, but it has also recently donated
hardware to organizations in the United States that promote its
goals, and has sent equipment to El Salvador to aid in the recovery
from the civil war there.

Speaking at the Comdex show in Las Vegas last fall, Alex Randall,
director of the foundation, described computers as "like the engine
of freedom of thought." Randall said some computers the foundation
provided were used by Russian and American officials in Kiev to
keep information flowing during the attempted coup in what was then
the Soviet Union last August. "They didn't stop any bullets,"
Randall said of those machines. "They didn't stop any tanks.... But
they did what computers can do -- they kept the channels of
communication open."

(Grant Buckler/19920406/Press Contact: Alex Randall, East West
Education Development Foundation, 617-542-1234, fax [phone])


(NEWS)(GOVT)(WAS)(00020)

 ****ChipSoft Defends Its TurboTax Software 04/06/92
SAN DIEGO, CALIFORNIA, U.S.A., 1992 APR 6 (NB) -- CNN reported
Friday and again Monday morning that ChipSoft's very popular
TurboTax tax preparation software includes "aggressive" tax
strategies which some people feel could trigger an IRS audit.
ChipSoft has replied that during preparation of this year's
program the company contacted the IRS directly and based software
on IRS information.

The questions involve the way TurboTax moves information from
Schedule D (Capital Gains and Losses) to Form 4952 (investment
interest deduction), and ChipSoft's spokesperson Debra Kelley
stressed to Newsbytes that not only does the program explain just
how it treats all such calculations, it also offers the user an
opportunity to use some alternative method.

Regarding the calculation in question, ChipSoft has released the
following statement: "ChipSoft consulted both the IRS forms and
the IRS regulations, which were not clear. ChipSoft then directly
contacted the representative at the IRS responsible for Form
4952, and was informed that there was no definitive regulation or
ruling on this subject and that various interpretations were
possible."

The company says further, "In the absence of a definitive IRS or
court directive, ChipSoft must chose an interpretation which it
believes is justified based on the judgment of its tax staff."

Ms. Kelley told Newsbytes that there has not been any unusual
increase in the number of telephone calls to the company since
the CNN story.

TurboTax is the number one best selling personal and small
business tax software in the U.S. and the ChipSoft company has
just announced its intention to go public with an initial public
offering of 3.3 million common shares at $12.50 per share. About
200,000 shares are being sold by current stock holders.

ChipSoft markets more than 230 tax preparation and related
software products sold under the brand names TurboTax, MacinTax,
and Taxview. Their products range from those intended for use by
accountants to programs for home use.

Robertson, Stephens & Co. and Lehman Brothers are the co-managers
of an underwriting syndicate offering the stock to the public.
ChipSoft will be listed on the NASDAQ exchange using the symbol
CSFT.

Governor Jerry Brown, the Democratic Presidential candidate,
whose proposal for a flat-tax system is mainly based on the
complexity and near impossibility of following the IRS's 4,000-
plus pages of regulations, could not be reached for comment.

(John McCormick/19920406/Press Contact: Debra Kelley, ChipSoft,
619-453-7887, fax [phone])


(NEWS)(GENERAL)(WAS)(00021)

GE Intros Cross-Platform Information Mg't System 04/06/92
WASHINGTON, DC, U.S.A., 1992 APR 6 (NB) -- GE Information
Services has announced the BusinessTalk System 2000, an
information management system for Windows, MS-DOS, and Macintosh
computers. At the heart of the software is an e-mail system that
bridges all three platforms, combined with information databases
such as electronic news clipping services and bulletin board
systems.

This is a major enterprise-wide system intended to provide a
basis for massive information sharing and e-mail across all three
major platforms.

Through a choice of icon- or menu-based interface, the
BusinessTalk software will provide large businesses with a common
user interface for everyone needing to send and receive e-mail
and access databases.

Pricing for single user copies of the interface software is $249
per copy and the common user interface will operate across a
number of different LAN platforms.

The software is available now and will be discussed at a COMDEX
press conference tomorrow in Chicago.

(John McCormick/19920406/Press Contact: Jacelyn Swenson, GE
Information Services, 301-340-4485)


(NEWS)(BUSINESS)(DEN)(00022)

Iomega Announces Distrib Deal With 3 Companies 04/06/92
ROY, UTAH, U.S.A., 1992 APR 6 (NB) -- Iomega Corporation,
distributor of Bernoulli removable mass storage devices, has
announced three new distribution agreements that the company says
will help increase its presence in the workstation market.

The agreements with Access Graphics, Government Technology Services,
and Sun Microsystems Federal provide for the three companies to
distribute Iomega's workstation removable drives and media to the
technical, commercial, and federal markets.

With the worldwide workstation market up 18 percent in 1991
according to InfoCorp, the deal holds promise for significant
sales for Iomega, says VP for marketing Mike Joseph. "The tremendous
sales forces of Access Graphics, GTSI and Sun Microsysems Federal
will help Iomega gain market share," said Joseph.

Sun Microsystems Federal said it will add the Bernoulli 90
workstation drives and media to its Sun third-party offerings
program. Sun said the Iomega products would be the only removable
disk storage products in its catalog. Sun's third party program
enables government end-users, contractors, and resellers to purchase
Bernoulli 90 products directly from Sun Microsystems Federal. Hal
Julsen, Iomega senior VP of sales and marketing, said Iomega targeted
Sun because of its 40 percent market share in the worldwide
workstation/server market, and its 54 percent share in the
government market. Those figures come from International Data
Corporation and Computer Intelligence, respectively.

Access Graphics, a Boulder, Colorado firm, says its 500 VARs (value
added resellers) will sell Bernoulli workstation 90 drives and
media, including an internal drive called the Insider, bundled with
its new line of NEC computers.

Iomea said Government Technology Services will offer Bernoulli
Workstation transportable 90 and Workstation Dual 90 products with
its Sun SPARCstations and other associated software and peripherals.

Removable mass storage products allow the user to store data on a
cartridge which can be removed and stored securely, or transported
to another system where the data can be used. Bernoulli drives can
also be used as a system drive.

(Jim Mallory/19920406/Press contact: Cara O'Sullivan, Iomega
Corporation, 801-778-3712; customer toll-free 800-777-6179)


(NEWS)(IBM)(DEN)(00023)

Windows 3.1 Includes Sound Blaster Drivers 04/06/92
MILPITAS, CALIFORNIA, U.S.A., 1992 APR 6 (NB) --Creative Labs Inc.,
(CLI) has announced that Microsoft Windows 3.1, which makes its
official public debut at the Windows World show in Chicago today,
will include drivers for CLI's Sound Blaster sound system.

CLS said the drivers were developed jointly with Microsoft.

Microsoft has estimated that it will ship more than 10 million
copies of Windows 3.1 in the next 12 months. According to CLI, the
built-in drivers will make it easier for developers to incorporate
sound in their applications, and many sound-capable applications
are anticipated.

To take advantage of the drivers, users will need Windows 3.1,
Windows-compatible hardware, and a Sound Blaster board. Last
summer, a number of companies, including Microsoft, formed the MPC
Council and established standards for hardware to make it
multimedia-compatible. Multimedia applications can include sound,
video, text, and graphics.

Larry Samuels, CLI chief operating officer, said the company is
pleased because the inclusion of the driver provides the company
with a very large group of potential customers. "We appreciate
Microsoft's recognition of our product," said Samuels.

(Jim Mallory/19920406/Press contact: Arnold Waldstein, Creative
Labs, 408-428-6600)


(NEWS)(IBM)(DEN)(00024)

 ****Windows 3.1 Makes Its Official Debut Today 04/06/92
CHICAGO, ILLINOIS, U.S.A., 1992 APR 6 (NB) -- Thousands of computer
users and industry experts will get their first look at Microsoft's
Windows 3.1 today at Windows World in Chicago.

The upgrade to Windows has already been positioned with freight
deliverers and is expected to be delivered today to those who placed
their orders early.

Windows 3.1 is being promoted by Microsoft as doing what Windows 3.0
does, but doing it easier and faster.

Microsoft and IBM have now both released new operating systems, with
IBM's OS/2 2.0 making its predicted release date last Tuesday.

Microsoft may have stolen a march on IBM in the hotly contested
operating system wars, having announced agreements with nearly 100
PC manufacturers and resellers to preload Windows 3.1. Users who
buy a PC that already has Windows 3.1 loaded are less likely to want
to try OS/2 2.0. A number of manufacturers are also preloading
applications such as word processing, spreadsheets and other
programs.

Microsoft just about cornered the market on floppy disks to get
ready to ship the estimated 1 million copies of Windows 3.1 it
expects to ship in the first 30 days.

A number of software companies have already announced that their
products are Windows 3.1 compatible.

(Jim Mallory/19920406)


(NEWS)(UNIX)(SFO)(00025)

Display Postscript Goes To X Windows 04/06/92
MOUNTAIN VIEW, CALIFORNIA, U.S.A., 1992 APR 6 (NB) -- In an
effort to break into the X terminal market, Adobe Systems has
signed an agreement calling for porting of the company's Display
PostScript system to X Window System terminals made by
Network Computing Devices (NCD).

Display PostScript is Adobe's display version of its PostScript
page description language.

Dano Ybarra, Adobe's product marketing manager for Unix, told
Newsbytes that the agreement with NCD, "expands the base of
PostScript."

Under the terms of the agreement, NCD and Adobe will jointly
port Display PostScript to NCD's family of reduced instruction-set
computing (RISC)-based X terminals. NCD will license the new
version, which is expected to be available in early 1993.

Ybarro also told Newsbytes that, in a networking environment, "up
until now, for a user to get the benefits of PostScript," they needed
a workstation on the desktop. Now, said Ybarro, "one workstation,
with multiple terminals...can display PostScript."

Judy Estrin, NCD vice president, said: "In 1985, Adobe introduced
a mechanism for applications to display graphics on the screen
using the PostScript language and X applications, but until now
this capability has not been accessible to X terminal users. Our
agreement with Adobe will for the first time give users access to
the Display PostScript system on X terminals, whose cost per seat
is about half that of workstations. In addition, X terminal users will
gain a high-level interface that is hardware independent, allowing
applications written to it to run unmodified on our line of RISC-based
color, monochrome and gray-scale products."

Adobe claims that the agreement is, in part, a response to user
requests, and that NCD, according to Ybarro, is the "leader" in the
X terminal market.

"This agreement makes the benefits of Display PostScript software
available to the sizeable installed base of X-terminal users, many of
whom have been asking for the kind of rich graphical environment
Display PostScript system provides," said Charles Geschke,
Adobe's president and chief operating officer, in the press release.

"The significance of display PostScript," Ybarro told Newsbytes,
is that "what the user sees on the screen is what gets printed" if
both are PostScript devices.

(Ian Stokell/19920406/Press Contact: Patricia J. Pane, Adobe
Systems Inc., 415-962-3967; Judy Estrin, Network Computing
Devices Inc., 415-894-0650)


(NEWS)(APPLE)(SFO)(00026)

Apple Macs And Printers Distributed Through Sears 04/06/92
CUPERTINO, CALIFORNIA, U.S.A., 1992 APR 6 (NB) -- Continuing
its new strategy of placing products in mass market distribution
outlets, Apple USA has now authorized The Office Center at
Sears to sell and service specially configured Macintosh
personal computers and printer products.

The agreement calls for Sears Office Center locations in the
United States to carry Macintosh Classic II, Macintosh LCII, and
Macintosh IIsi personal computers, as well as PowerBook 140
notebook computers. All the products are to be sold with the
ClarisWorks integrated software and an Apple modem.

Additionally, Sears the outlets will also carry Apple StyleWriter
printers.

Michelle Soleau, spokesperson for Apple, told Newsbytes that the
agreement is a significant one because Sears is "the only national
mass merchandizer to offer Apple products."

Bob Puette, president of Apple USA, said: "The authorization of
Sears Office Centers will sizably expand the availability of the
Apple brand to individuals, small business and home/office
consumers and complement current Apple distribution."

Soleau told Newsbytes that the agreement covers "all Sears
Office Centers," which are "primarily in the East." The company
actually states that the deal covers stores in Delaware, Illinois,
Indiana, Michigan, New Jersey, New York, Pennsylvania,
Virginia, Washington D.C., and Wisconsin.

Soleau said that the agreement only applies to the Sears Office
Centers, and would therefore not include marketing Macintoshes
through the famous Sears catalogue.

Asked by Newsbytes if there were more plans to offer Apple
products through national mass merchandizing chains, Soleau
said that the company on the "top level" has been "investigating
that option," but "nothing has been announced."

(Ian Stokell/19920406/Press Contact: Betty Taylor, Apple
Computer Inc., 408-974-3983; or Michelle Soleau, Regis
McKenna Inc. for Apple Computer Inc., 415-354-4465)


(NEWS)(BUSINESS)(SFO)(00027)

Radius To Post 2Q Profit 04/06/92
SAN JOSE, CALIFORNIA, U.S.A., 1992 APR 6 (NB) -- Rebounding
from an $0.08 per share loss from the second quarter a year ago,
Radius estimates its earnings for its second quarter ended March
31, 1992, to be in the region of $0.16 cents per share.

Citing a successful advertising and promotional campaign as
primary factors in revenue improvements, the company expects
net sales for the quarter to be nearly $43 million, an 87 percent
increase over net sales of $23 million for the like period in 1991,
and 17 percent above its net sales of $36.8 million for the prior
fiscal quarter ended December 31, 1991.

The company also attributes its record revenues to what it sees
as a strong acceptance in the Macintosh market of its new products,
particularly the company's family of PrecisionColor displays and
graphics boards designed for desktop color publishing.

The company also believes that margins are likely to be consistent
with the prior fiscal quarter, and maintains that it will continue to
make investments in market expansion and new product development
programs.

Final results for the second quarter are expected on April 14.

(Ian Stokell/19920406/Press Ciontact: Richard S. Stolz, Radius Inc.,
408-434-1010)


(NEWS)(GENERAL)(ATL)(00028)

 ****Spring COMDEX Draws Surprising Crowds 04/06/92
CHICAGO, ILLINOIS, U.S.A., 1992 APR 6 (NB) -- A subdued industry,
battered by recession, opened the Spring COMDEX show in Chicago
today. This year's show was expected to be smaller and less well-
attended than last year's show in Atlanta.  But surprise, surprise,
the sun came out. Crowds at the McCormick Place convention center
stunned analysts predicting a downturn.

While there were fewer booths, and most products were pre-
announced, by noon Interface Group Chairman Sheldon Adelson was
already calling this COMDEX a rousing success.

The major announcements have been anticipated for months.
Microsoft is showing its MS-Windows 3.1, with multimedia
extensions built-in. IBM counters with OS/2 2.0, and is fighting
hard to play catch-up. The two companies planned directly
competitive press conferences and receptions. Major software
vendors are trying to maintain neutrality despite the millions
many have gained from support of Windows. WordPerfect has a
series of three signs in the hallway connecting the show's two
halls. One shows a serious white male with the logo "staying with
DOS." A second features a shy white woman "Moving to Windows."
The third has a middle-aged black face "Ready for OS/2."

It is strange to see IBM as an underdog, but that's just what
they are now. Microsoft's market value is now higher than even
General Motors', let alone IBM, which let it buy database vendor
Fox Software recently for a relative pittance in stock. The move
forced down shares of Borland International, the current database
market leader, by $5 in one day. IBM, meanwhile, cut staff,
reorganized, and prepared to spin-out divisions.

So the press and vendors are treating IBM as an underdog, hoping
it will do well and provide a counterweight to Microsoft.  But the
real test will come in coming weeks when the shrink-wrap on both
products is opened, and IBM learns if its former captive market
has any loyalty left.

(Dana Blankenhorn/19920406)


(NEWS)(GENERAL)(ATL)(00029)

Pre-COMDEX Scuttlebutt 04/06/92
CHICAGO, ILLINOIS, U.S.A., 1992 APR 6 (NB) -- The heart of any
COMDEX doesn't lie in product announcements, which aren't really
new, or in speeches, which are usually thinly disguised sales
pitches, but at receptions, where between canapes and card
exchanges people chew on the future.

Rumors and hidden meanings are the coin of the realm here. At the
Tech Southeast Party Sunday night, Egil and Karen Juliessen noted
their self-published "Computer Industry Almanac" is being hawked
at the "COMDEX General Store," between the stuffed bears and "I'm
a COMDEX kid" bibs. British journalist Guy Kewney, sporting a
ponytail, showed off his new connections to Ziff-Davis via PC
World and complained about being flown in via Brussels and
Montreal. Bill Frezza of Ericsson-GE drew a crowd around him with
his Mobidem, a radio modem he brings linked to an HP 95XL
organizer in a zip-up case.

And there we heard what stands so far as the most interesting
story of the show. An analyst, spotting the 95XL, started talking
about H-P's recent decision to make terminals for TV Answer Inc.,
the Reston, Virginia company whose interactive TV scheme won an
FM sub-carrier frequency allocation from the FCC. Here's the
pitch. H-P is not really betting it will become a consumer
products company out of this. But the network, running at 19,200
bits/second, will be built. And H-P will be there to fill it with
something, maybe competing with the RAM Mobile network Frezza's
Mobidem support. If TV Answer's scheme works, consumers will
drive use of the network, and profits will roll in. If it
doesn't, H-P will pick up a powerful packet data net without
spending its own money.

If even partly true, it proves one thing. Recessions concentrate
the corporate mind, force bold, imaginary thinking, and wind up
bringing us lots of neat stuff.

(Dana Blankenhorn/19920406)


(NEWS)(GENERAL)(ATL)(00030)

 ****Dell Keynote Devoted To Users 04/06/92
CHICAGO, ILLINOIS, U.S.A., 1992 APR 6 (NB) -- Unless the computer
industry listens to its users, it will lose them to low-priced
foreign competitors. That was the message delivered by 27-year
old Michael Dell, CEO of Dell Computer Corp., as the keynote
address to COMDEX Spring '92.

Using taped clips of real users discussing their problems as a
backdrop, sometimes mixed with hectoring clips from John Dvorak,
Dell led an overflow audience in the Chicago Room of the
McCormick Place convention center on a tour of user frustration.

Dell, who built a $1 billion business out of a college dorm based
on low prices, mail order distribution and telephone-based
service, said meeting individual customer needs is imperative.
Every telephone call to a customer support line must be treated
as a real emergency, he said, because that's what it is.

He took his audience back to the big promises of the early 1980s,
which he called unfulfilled. "A lot of comapnies didn't listen to
their customers. Now in 1992 we're joking about the predictions.
But not everyone is laughing. We've heard of lay-offs, pricing
pressures, and poor results. I'm here to tell you customers are
unhappy, frsutrated, not satisfied with the purchases they've
made. And they have higher expectations for the future. They're
not buying our hype, and they're not buying computers at the rate
we expected.

"What went wrong? A lot of companies started with technology, not
customers. They didn't design around customer needs."

Specifically, Dell attacked self serving "standards" like the
Micro Channel, and the ACE group, which were created for business
reasons, to lock users in rather than grow the business. "Every
company will talk about standards, but they can't accept the
consequences of making it happen."

He continued, "Anyone remember VisiOn, SAA, TopView, Patriot
Partners? There's a long list, but the idea is the same, an
emphasis on technology for technology's sake, not to solve
customer problems. In case anyone forgot, the objective was to
make technology work for people, so they could become more
productive."

Dell pointed to a book called "The Overworked American," showing
that workweeks have been lengthening for a generation, and PCs
have played a part in it. The US spent $80 billion on computers
in the 1980s, yet productivity rose just 1 percent a year during
that time. He compared PCs to washing machines. "Both seem to
save labor. But we just do more laundry. It's the same with
computers."

After his videotaped users tried to define common industry
buzzwords like OOPs and GUIs, Dell attacked them as "techno-
nonsense," saying the industry hasn't turned the buzzwords into
real benefits. "If companies spent half the time improving ease
of use they spend on technology, customers would be better off,"
he said.

When it comes to value, however, one size doesn't fit all, Dell
said. "Customers demand quality and value, but they have their
own ways of defining it. That's a key point. There really is no
average user. We have to address each user with the right mix of
products and services, especially services."

Dell, who for his shameless cost-cutting and folksy size has been
compared to the late Sam Walton, recognized these may all sound
like platitudes. "Every company in the industry has said these
things. But have we done something? Just look at other industries
in America where companies didn't listen to their customers.
Asian competitors took the market away. We may not have quite the
head to head competition of the auto industry, but 40% of all the
computers in the world today come from Taiwan."

"We also need to look at how we work as an industry. We can all
think of industries that work to grow the market, while retaining
the right to compete for share. They work toward customer needs."
Dell concluded by calling for peace between competitors, like IBM
and Microsoft, in the name of the consumer. "If we as an industry
listen to the customer we can retain the trust and confidence of
users and finally begin to deliver on the promises we made a
deade ago."

A few moments after his speech, Dell talked briefly with
Newsbytes. He revealed that the Intel 80586 chip will be, in
fact, a RISC processor, calling the rest of the RISC wars a joke.
He added that Dell will offer a pen-based system when the
technology is right and enough customers demand them. The first-
generation machines don't recognize handwriting well enough,
weigh too much, or don't have good enough screens to meet real
customer needs, he said.

(Dana Blankenhorn/19920406)