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/NB920506

Text File | 1992-05-06 | 60KB | 1,321 lines

(NEWS)(APPLE)(LAX)(00001)

New For Mac: Low-Cost Rasterops 24-bit Graphics Board 05/06/92
SANTA CLARA, CALIFORNIA, U.S.A., 1992 MAY 6 (NB) --
Rasterops says it is announcing the Paintboard Li, a 24-bit
graphics display adapter for Macintosh II 20-inch monitors that is
half the price of other 24-bit boards for the Macintosh.

The new board also offers speed, as Rasterops says drawing
speeds are up to 600 percent faster in Quickdraw, a System 7
utility. Rasterops credits the speed to its custom application
specific integrated circuits (ASIC) used on the board. The company
says the board offers additional features such as extended desktop,
gamma selection, hardware pan and zoom, and bit depths of 1-, 2-,
4-, 8-, 16-, as well as 24-bits per pixel are supported.

Graphics intensive applications are faster with the single-slot
adapter's block transfer support that moves blocks of information
across the Nubus faster or with the adapter used as a Nubus master
to accelerate other display adapters and support Apple's standard
block data transfer, Rasterops added.

The company says the Paintboard Li supports displays ranging from
the 13-inch Applecolor RGB monitor and the Rasterops Sweet 16,
up to the RasterOps 20-inch Trinitron monitor with 1024 by 768
resolution. Rasterops also points out that the Paintboard Li is also
compatible with the Correctcolor Calibrator, Correctcolor Management
System, and Correctprint 300 used for color accuracy from input to
output across the desktop publishing process.

Newsbytes' sources in the Macintosh world say the market is
becoming more price sensitive. In the past few months, Apple has
dropped prices as well as several other peripheral manufacturers.
Heightened marketing and promotional efforts, such as nationwide
seminars, trade-ins for used Apple and IBM hardware, and rebates
are being offered as well.

(Linda Rohrbough/19920506/Press Contact: Carrie Coppe,
Rasterops, tel [phone], fax [phone])


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

New For Windows: OCR/Fax Software 05/06/92
LOS GATOS, CALIFORNIA, U.S.A., 1992 MAY 6 (NB) -- Caere
Corporation, makers of Omnipage optical character recognition
(OCR) software, and Bit Software, makers of telecommunications
software Bitcom, have announced Bitfax/OCR for Windows. The
companies say Bitfax/OCR Windows allows IBM personal
computers (PCs) and compatibles to receive, store, and convert
incoming faxes into text.

Text brought in to the computer via a fax/modem can be edited in
a word processor or spreadsheet, the companies maintain. This
is in contrast to other fax software for PCs that allows the
sending and receipt of faxes, but only as images with no ability
to edit characters.

For example, the companies say a lawyer can now receive an
incoming faxed contract from a client in a fraction of the time it
takes to retype the original, edit the contract in a word
processing program, and resend it.

"Everyone can now achieve full value from their fax board by
reading faxes as well as sending them," said Larry Miller, Caere's
vice president of marketing. "Adding OCR to BitFax significantly
expands the application and productivity benefits for the user."

Caere says it has added its Anyfont OCR technology to Bitfax/OCR
for Windows, which is the same technology in its OCR software
product Omnipage, one of the leading OCR products on the market.

Bitcom, the telecommunications package from Bit Software is less
well known, but became widely used because it was bundled by
modem manufacturers with modems. Bit Software also recently
introduced Bitcom for Windows.

(Linda Rohrbough/19920506/Press Contact: Larry Miller, Caere,
tel [phone], fax [phone]; JoAnn Johnston, Regis
McKenna, 415-354-4496)


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

Reliability Ratings Survey Says Best UPS Most Reliable 05/06/92
WASHINGTON, DC, U.S.A., 1992 MAY 6 (NB) -- Reliability
Ratings, an independent customer research group whose
co-founder, Greg Strakosch, is considered by many an expert on
midrange systems such as the IBM AS/400, has recently
completed a survey of UPS or uninterruptable power supplies. The
survey determined that Best Power Technology's Ferrups is
the most reliable of five major brands in the survey.

Users of five UPS systems from Best Technologies, Liebert, Exide,
Emerson, and Deltec were surveyed for their opinions of the
systems they use, and questioned about problems and whether
they would purchase similar model equipment from the same
manufacturer again.

According to the study's conclusions, which were based on more
than 3.6 million hours of running time, and published in the
March 1992 issue of "Reliability Ratings," Best not only had the
highest "buy-again rating of the five," but at about 11 years MTBF
(mean time between failures), the Ferrups had almost double the
MTBF of the second most reliable system.

More than 97-percent of Best customers in the survey said that
they would purchase another UPS from Best Power Technology.

Reliability Ratings covers products used by midrange system
shops using the IBM AS/400 line of minicomputers.

A copy of the survey is available from Reliability Ratings, 163
Highland Ave., Needham, MA 02194.

(John McCormick/19920506/Press Contact: Ed Coudal,
Best PR, 813-966-1888)


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

Merisel To Distribute Proteon Equipment 05/06/92
EL SEGUNDO, CALIFORNIA, U.S.A., 1992 MAY 6 (NB) -- In its
continuing efforts to become the networking distributor of choice,
Merisel is actively courting the various Token Ring network vendors
to distribute their products. Proteon is really the first in a series of
vendors who will distribute their products through Merisel.

Proteon and Merisel have an established relationship already.
Merisel distributes Proteon's products in Canada and has done so
for a couple of years now. With this new agreement, the relationship
between the two companies is expanded to cover the whole of the
North American continent.

This agreement is of a strategic nature to Merisel which is trying
to expand its presence in the Token Ring marketplace. Next to IBM,
there are only a handful of companies that have a commanding
presence in that market and Proteon is among that handful. Sources
within Merisel tell Newsbytes that they are working on a relationship
with IBM that would be consummated soon. Newsbytes has learned
that an agreement between IBM and Merisel is in the very final
stages and may, in fact, have already been signed by Merisel
already.

With IBM and Proteon on the bandwagon, Merisel would certainly
be able to claim a dominating role in the Token Ring distribution
arena. Training by Proteon will be provided to all of Merisel's
salespeople within the next month. Merisel will begin stocking
Proteon parts and equipment within the next month for shipments
to dealers.

(Naor Wallach/19920506/Press Contact: Catherine Quattrocchi,
Merisel, 310-615-1230)


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

New For Mac: Neon Ships Version 2.0 Of RouterCheck 05/06/92
LAFAYETTE, CALIFORNIA, U.S.A., 1992 MAY 6 (NB) -- Neon
Software has released and begun shipments of version 2.0 of its
RouterCheck software for the Macintosh.

There are many enhancements and upgrades to this version which
was originally introduced at MacWorld in January as version 1.1.
The company claims that they suffered from "feature creep" and
when they recognized this, they made the decision to illustrate
this by moving a whole version number higher, rather than just a
fraction.

The main enhancement is in the added support for SNMP (simple
network management protocol). This features marks the growing
support within the Macintosh community for this standard and
follows on the heels of Apple's statement of support for SNMP
after they dropped their own proprietary effort that was aimed at
network management.

Other features of version 2.0 include: a router response time
monitor which can be activated when the response time varies
beyond a threshold set by the user; a net and zone change
monitor which notifies the user immediately upon a change in the
configuration of the network, such as can occur when a server
goes down; and a notification and alarm package which allows the
user to set the kind of notification that the user can receive up to,
and including, placing a call to their pocket pager. The product
also offers the ability to remotely restart routers like the Shiva
FastPath, Cayman GatorBox, and Compatible Systems
Ether (star) Route.

Version 2.0 of RouterCheck is available now and retails for $895.
Upgrades are available to version 1.0 users for $150. It is also a
part of Neon Software's Network Management Series.

(Naor Wallach/19920506/Press Contact: Elyssa Edwards, Neon
Software, 510-283-9771)


(NEWS)(APPLE)(SFO)(00006)

Sigma Designs Ships Apple PowerBook 15-Inch Monitor 05/06/92
FREMONT, CALIFORNIA, U.S.A., 1992 MAY 6 (NB) -- Sigma
Designs has started shipments of its newest monitor family. The
Power Portrait series is a line of two 15-inch monitors that are
intended for use with the Apple PowerBook notebook systems
or the compact Macintoshes.

The Power Portrait requires no video card to be placed in the
computer. This is done to eliminate the need to occupy one of the
precious slots in those computers that only have one or maybe
even none. Instead, the monitor attaches to the computer's SCSI
(Small Computer Systems Interface) connector.

A software driver that runs in the Macintosh is responsible for
capturing all screen activity and sending it out the SCSI port. Built
in to the monitor's case is a Quickdraw accelerator that accepts
those commands and executes them directly within the monitor.
This arrangement allows for significantly faster screen displays
than if the data was duplicated out of the SCSI port as it was
drawn on the screen.

The Power Portraits come in two case colors to match the kind
of computers that they will be attached to. There is a "platinum"
model and a "granite" (black) model. In addition, the monitors
can be configured to operate at one of three different resolution
choices: 72 dots-per-inch (dpi) yields 576 by 768 pixels; 80 dpi
yields 640 by 870 pixels (this is a full page); and 88 dpi yields
704 by 940 pixels.

In any case the screen will refresh itself at a 97 Hz refresh rate,
which is very high. The monitors also meet the Swedish guidelines
for reducing very low frequency (VLF) and extremely low frequency
(ELF) emissions. There is also an optional anti-glare, anti-static
coating available.

The "platinum" model comes with a DB25 to DB25 cable and
retails for $995. The "granite" model comes with the HDI-30 to
DB25 cable and it retails for $1,095. The optional coating will add
$50 to the price.

(Naor Wallach/19920506/Press Contact: Laura Olson, Sigma
Designs, 510-770-2647)


(NEWS)(GENERAL)(SFO)(00007)

Proteon Intros Second Generation Token Ring Adapter 05/06/92
WESTBOROUGH, MA, U.S.A., 1992 MAY 6 (NB) -- Proteon
is unveiling its first second-generation Token Ring adapter card
for the PC compatible market. According to the company, this
card is an all new design that takes advantage of advances in
technology to reduce its size to a half card and offer significant
performance increases.

Proteon is claiming that the combination of the new design with
their software RapiDrivers allows them to achieve almost "wire
speeds." This would mean full 4- or 16-Mbps throughput. The
company is also claiming that these boards are now twice as
fast as IBM's speediest board.

A further major enhancment is the application of "flash" memory to
the board. Proteon is claiming that this will allow for significantly
reduced life cycle costs as new software version and updates need
simply be loaded into the flash memory. there would be no need to
replace EPROMs (erasable programmable read-only memories) or
do anything physically with the computer.

The ProNet 4/16 p1392 is available now and retails for $795,
which is $100 lower than its predecessor model.

(Naor Wallach/19920506/Press Contact: Marsha Goff, Proteon,
508-898-2106)
(NEWS)(TELECOM)(ATL)(00008)

International Phone Update 05/06/92
ATLANTA, GEORGIA, U.S.A., 1992 MAY 6 (NB) -- Despite labor
action, new connections remain the watchword on the international
telecommunications front.

IDB Communicatinos Group, which already resells considerable
phone system capacity between the US and Russia through Sprint,
has announced new joint service offerings with the Russian Satellite
Communications Company and Morsviazsputnik. In an exclusive
deal, IDB and RSCC will offer public phone and data
communications between the US and former Soviet states over
Russia's Statsionar 5 satellite. As part of that deal, IDB will built a
new Earth station near London to access Statsionar 5, and
beginning this fall the two companies will jointly offer "end-to-
end" private lines using satellites, PTT facilities and private
phone systems.

IDB and Morsviazsputnik, meanwhile, will provide mobile satellite
communications over the INMARSAT satellite system from within
the Commonwealth -- Morsviazsputnik is the Russian signatory to
INMARSAT. IDB's services to maritime and land mobile users are
provided through the company's IDB Aero-Nautical unit, a joint
venture of IDB Communications Group and Teleglobe of Canada.
Morsviazsputnik is also supporting IDB's "one-stop shopping"
approach, coordinating all clearances necessary to smooth
deployment for Western users, while IDB handles billing and
accounting.

In other news, Germany's phone strike continued, while Columbia's
Communications Minister resigned. Mauricio Vargas, 31, took the
fall for privatization plans which led to a strike, and suspected
sabotage of long-distance links. Finally, the Middle East News
Network reported that Hungary will buy a new communications
satellite from Israel, both for telecommunications and television
broadcasts.

(Dana Blankenhorn/19920506/Press Contact: IDB
Communications Group Michael Teeling, 713-791-5611)


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

Bell Atlantic Testing New Roaming Technology 05/06/92
WASHINGTON, D.C., U.S.A., 1992 MAY 6 (NB) -- Bell Atlantic
will test a revised roaming technology designed to cut fraudulent
use of cellular phones and allow "roaming" users from outside
the service area to continue use of their phones without dialing
special codes.

GTE is providing network and information services to the test,
while AT&T equipment will be used. The tests will be conducted
in Washington, D.C. and Baltimore, Maryland. The technology is
called Interim Standard 41 Revision A.

Roaming, an increasingly common practice, occurs when a cellular
phone user leaves his home network and activates service with
another operating company. Business agreements among the
nation's cellular providers make roaming possible, but each phone
user must alert each new system they drive through of their arrival.
This involves entering complex codes into the phone. While the
entire Continental US is expected to have cellular service by
the end of this year, limited roaming agreements limit customers'
access to it. IS-41 Revision A is an attempt to make using
roaming services easier, which could stimulate new demand.
Despite the hassles of using cellular phone services, the
industry said its business grew by over 40 percent in 1991,
despite the recession.

(Dana Blankenhorn/19920506/Press Contact: GTE, Laurie Douglas,
813-273-3143; Bell Atlantic Mobile Systems, Karen Ann Kurlander,
908-306-7552; AT&T Network Systems, Barbara Mierisch, 201-606-
2457)


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

Sprint Announces Polling Service 05/06/92
OVERLAND PARK, KANSAS, U.S.A., 1992 MAY 6 (NB) -- Sprint
TeleMedia, which runs the number 3 US long-distance company's
toll-free 800 exchange and caller-paid 900 exchange lines, has
announced a new application called Opinion Plus, which enables
thousands of viewers to simultaneously take part in interactive
television polling/survey programs. The turnkey service can be
implemented quickly and easily to complement a wide variety of
other programming formats.

With an automated 800 or 900 phone program integrated into the
polling event, Opinion Plus can provide real-time results
announced to viewers before the end of a TV program, and callers
can even been interviewed on-air. In addition, call data can
yield such things as geographic location on callers, as well as
and demographic and psychographic profiles.

CNBC, a cable television network owned by General Electric, is
already using Opinion Plus in conjunction with its video magazine,
The Real Story. Following a story segment on a current issue,
viewers were encouraged to call one of two 900 numbers to
express their opinions.

(Dana Blankenhorn/19920506/Press Contact: Robin Pence,
Sprint, 202-828-7454)


(NEWS)(TELECOM)(LON)(00011)

Nokia Wins Mobile Radio Contract With Scottish Firm 05/06/92
HELSINKI, FINLAND, 1992 MAY 6 (NB) -- Nokia
Telecommunications has announced it has secured a prestigious
mobile radio contract with Hydro Electric, the Scottish electricity
company.

The deal is significant, since it involves setting up a mobile
radio services covering most of Scotland, an area of 54,000
square miles according to Nokia. Terms of the deal, which is
said to be worth several million dollars, have not been revealed.

Most electricity companies rely on public telecoms carriers, such
as British Telecom, for their communication links. Hydro Electric
is unusual in contracting with Nokia for its telecoms facilities,
since it will allow the company to own and operate its own mobile
radio network, rather than rely on a third-party operator.

This is not the first time that electricity companies have hit
the telecoms headlines. Last month, Scottish Electric announced
it was applying for the third UK public telecoms licence and,
although the company said it had no current intention to operate
a full public service, it had significant plans in the area.

Hydro Electric has no plans to operate a public service like
Scottish Electric, but Newsbytes notes that the installation and
operation of Nokia's mobile radio technology will give its
technical staff the expertise they need to do so, if they decide
to operate a public service at a later date.

(Steve Gold/19920506)


(NEWS)(BUSINESS)(LON)(00012)

Sweden's Ericsson Expects To Report Quarterly Loss 05/06/92
STOCKHOLM, SWEDEN, 1992 MAY 6 (NB) -- L M Ericsson, the
Swedish telecoms company, has revealed that it expects to
announce a pre-tax loss, when it announces its quarterly results.
The reason for the losses, according to sources close to the
company, is declining sales caused by the recession that is
currently sweeping Europe.

Analyst's first quarter forecasts for the company suggest that a
loss of around 200 million crowns is likely. This projected
figure compares with the 1,010 million crowns profit generated
during the same period last year.

Detailed examination of Ericsson's figures for the last financial
year illustrates the company's problem. During the full 1991
financial year, the company generated a total pre-tax profit of
1,600 million crowns, despite the healthy profits reported during
the first quarter of the year. In 1990, the company reported a
pre-tax profit of 4,860 million crowns.

Ericsson's executives are reported to be working hard on ways to
beat the red ink on the balance sheet. According to analysts, the
company expects to announce a relatively flat second quarter, but
a profitable third and fourth quarter to the year. This is due,
the analysts say, to a slight upswing in the fortunes of business
in Europe, coupled with a general round of belt-tightening in the
group.

The cost saving exercises currently under way within Ericsson
are not new, however. A year ago, the company began a general
round of staff cuts, along with a drive to cut expenses.

Full details of the first quarter results are expected on May 7,
when the company's annual general meeting is held in Stockholm,
Sweden.

(Steve Gold/19920506)


(NEWS)(BUSINESS)(LON)(00013)

France: Hachette And Matra Companies To Merge 05/06/92
PARIS, FRANCE, 1992 MAY 6 (NB) -- Hachette, the French
media group, has announced plans to merge with Matra, the
defense and transport consortium. Both companies are linked
together financially, with the combined operation expected to
generate FF 53,000 million a year in sales.

When combined, both company's payrolls come to more than
50,000 staff. The merger is the result of a business decision by
Jean-Luc Lagardere, the head of MMB, which controls both
companies. Lagardere is also the chairman of both firms.

According to Lagardere, plans call for the Matra-Hachette
consortium to be split into nine divisions: audio-visual, cars,
defense, distribution, press, publishing space,
telecommunications, and transport.

Part of the reorganization will involve MMB pumping FF 2,800
million into Hachette, which lost a total of FF 1,930 million
last year owing to losses at La Cinq, the French TV station,
which recently closed it doors for the last time.

At a press conference in Paris, Lagardere said that he felt like
an ageing prize fighter after the problems he has experienced
with La Cinq, which he revealed lost more than FF 3,500 million
for the group last year.

"I have suffered a serious setback, the most serious setback of
my life, with the death of La Cinq. I am getting close to the
final round," he said.

(Steve Gold/19920506)


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

UK: BT First In Europe To Sign To Visaphone Network 05/06/92
LONDON, ENGLAND, 1992 MAY 6 (NB) -- Next time you are in
the UK and want to make a phone call, all you will need is your
Visa credit or debit card, as British Telecommunications (BT) has
just announced it is joining the Visaphone network.

Visaphone, a network of telecoms companies in the US and parts
of the Far East, allows individual company operators to accept
calls and charge them directly to a Visa card. The service is
similar to charge cards operated by AT&T, BT and the like, but
calls are billed straight to the Visa card rather than through, an
often expensive, intermediary.

Setting up the service may take some time, BT officials said, but
Visa card holders will be allowed to use their cards with the
BT operator from early next year.

BT also operates a computerized credit card call service,
accessible by dialing 144 and keying in BT calling card details,
plus a personal identification number (PIN). Plans call for the
Visaphone service, using the Visa card number plus a PIN, to be
extended to include the computerized call service as well as the
normal operator-assisted service.

BT is the first European telecoms operator to join Visaphone.
Other telecoms companies in Europe are expected to announce
they are joining Visaphone shortly.

(Steve Gold/19920506)


(NEWS)(GENERAL)(LON)(00015)

UK: Lotus Forms User Group For Lotus Notes 05/06/92
STAINES, MIDDLESEX, ENGLAND, 1992 MAY 6 (NB) -- Lotus
has taken the unusual step of assisting in the formation of the
Lotus Notes Focus User Group, owing to demand from users
of its Notes package.

Lotus Notes is an open workgroup computing environment that
allows users on a network to share information. Lotus claims that
the package allows all manner of information to be shared over
the network, in such a way that it encourages interaction.

The software company has just hosted the inaugural meeting of the
group, which was attended by 12 of, what Lotus describes as, its
most forward-looking company users of Notes. The group is,
however, independent of Lotus, and is chaired by KPMG
Management Consulting.

Nigel Kirkham, Notes consulting manager at KPMG and a founder
member of the group, said that organization exists to develop and
promote the use of the package throughout all businesses.

"As early adopters of Lotus Notes, we want to exchange ideas and
experiences and learn from one another. As a group, we also have
the credibility to bring together both Lotus and its alliance
partners to influence future product developments," he said.

Attending the inaugural meeting was Bill Conklin, a senior Notes
software engineer with Lotus US. Conklin is also a founder of
the New York Notes User Group, and highlighted plans to link
the Notes Focus Group with its US equivalent via the Lotus
information network. The Lotus network is an electronic service
that has network nodes in 100 cities around the world and has
15,000 users, including Lotus staff.

Isabel Oswell, Lotus' Notes marketing manager, said she is
pleased with the decision to form a user group. "An increasing
number of Times 1000 companies are backing Lotus Notes and
using Notes technology to develop core business applications.
The user group brings together the innovators who are not only
talking about workgroup computing but are really improving their
productivity through Notes," she said.

Lotus Notes users interested in joining the user group can
contact Nigel Kirkham of KPMG Management Consulting on
071-236-8000.

(Steve Gold/19920506/Press & Public Contact: Lotus UK,
0784-455445)


(NEWS)(TELECOM)(ATL)(00016)

Pacific Bell Announces Resale Agreements 05/06/92
ANAHEIM, CALIFORNIA, U.S.A., 1992 MAY 6 (NB) -- Pacific Bell
has announced a number of marketing agreements, some aimed at
pushing ISDN (Integrated Services Digital network) digital services
for business, others aimed at the e-mail and toll-free 800 call
markets. Pacific Bell calls its ISDN offering Centrex IS.

Under a nonexclusive arrangement Pacific Bell will sell ISDN
adapters from Hayes Microcomputer Products of Atlanta, which
has been working for years on such equipment. As part of the
deal, Pacific Bell will also sell Hayes' line of modems and
communications software. Pacific Bell said it will focus its
efforts this year on real estate, health care, education,
technology research and development, and telecommuting.

Pacific Bell has also announced a joint marketing with Teleos,
which also makes adapters and other equipment for ISDN. Pacific
Bell will sell Teleos' basic-rate ISDN terminal adapter and other
equipment with its Centrex IS.

Teleos offers terminal adapters, called the PC Terminal
Adapter/Series 101, for IBM and compatible personal computers
for high-performance access to local area networks, host
computers, image data bases, and servers at 56, 64, 112 and
128 kilobits-per-second using Transmission Control
Protocol/Internet Protocol.

Pac Bell has initially targeted the offering of Teleos and Hayes
equipment for a service for Realtors called Realtylink, a service
that allows Realtors access to more detailed information about
available homes via their PC, including photographic information.
Pac Bell says the service offers conveniences for all aspects of
buying a home from house hunting to shopping for a mortgage.

Pac Bell says in its agreement with Hayes, it will offer customers
Hayes ISDN System Adapters, ISDN PC Adapters, and terminal
adapters as well as high speed modems. Hayes says it will offer
support on the hardware it provides through its established
support channels both in the US and abroad.

Pacific Bell Connection, the company's electronic mail offering,
was enhanced with a new service called LANmail Connection,
designed to allow the transfer of messages and documents from
local area networks to a variety of outside systems and services.
The idea is to make these remote users appear to be other LAN
users, and increase the volume of communications. No complex
addressing is required, and messages are sent under a variety of
LAN formats. Pacific Bell Connection handles the chores of
X.400, a standard for linking mail between different systems.

Finally, Pacific Bell said it has linked with Sprint for nationwide
toll-free 800 number service. Previously, the company could only
offer such services within California. Under the Sprint deal, which
the company hopes to replicate with other long distance carriers,
California businesses will be able to offer its Custom 800 numbers
nationwide.

(Dana Blankenhorn & Linda Rohrbough/19920506/Press Contact:
Pacific Bell, Lou Saviano, 415-545-8191; Sprint, Robin Pence,
202-828-7454; Hayes Microcomputer Products, Beth McElveen,
404-840-9200; Teleos, Roxanne D'Amore, 908-389-5700)


(NEWS)(GENERAL)(LAX)(00017)

Pixelcraft Scanner Offers Half-tones At Low Cost 05/06/92
EL SEGUNDO, CALIFORNIA, U.S.A., 1992 MAY 6 (NB) -- Xerox
Company's Pixelcraft says it is entering the desktop computer
optical scanner market with its new product, the 7650 Pro Imager.
The company claims the scanner offers the advantage of expensive
features for less than a third of the price of other scanners with
the same features.

The 7650 Pro Imager is an 11.7- by 17-inch flatbed monochrome
scanner that offers resolution up to 1,200 dots-per-inch, Pixelcraft
said. The features the company says are of special interest are the
scanner's ability to accurately capture line art as well as continuous
tone and halftone originals. The scanner comes with software and
is aimed specifically at the graphic arts, professional publishing,
and prepress industries, the company added.

The new scanner is compatible with Apple, IBM or compatible,
and Sun computer systems via standard industry interfaces and
software, the company maintains.

Pixelcraft says it is new to the scanner market and the 7650 is its
first offering. However, the company is a Xerox company and starts
with a worldwide network of distributors including Kodak, Varityper,
Information International, SCI Tex, and CCI Europe.

(Linda Rohrbough/19920506/Press Contact: Ken Felderstein,
Pixelcraft, 800-222-7650)


(NEWS)(APPLE)(LAX)(00018)

New For Mac: Fifth Generation's Data Recovery Tools 05/06/92
BATON ROUGE, LOUISIANA, U.S.A., 1992 MAY 6 (NB) -- Fifth
Generation Systems (FGS), probably best known for its software
compression backup program Fastback, has announced a
preventative maintenance/data recovery software package for the
Macintosh it calls Public Utilities.

FGS President Barry Bellue says the emphasis in introducing the
package is on prevention of data corruption problems and the
package is geared toward the novice user. FGS says the product
monitors the hard disk for potential trouble at time intervals set
by the user, which can be as often as every 30 seconds.

If a problem is discovered, a setting in the software allows the
choice between an automatic fix of the problem with a notification
of the fix or a detailed explanation and a suggested solution that
the user then decides to act on.

A detailed log is kept of what happens no matter which setting is
chosen, so users have it should a call to FGS support is
necessary, the company added.

The software offers diagnostics and repair of hard disk problems
such as damaged partition maps, drivers and driver maps, and
system folder problems, FGS said. The software is automatically
set to check all the hard disks, relieving the user of telling it to
do so and also checks for bad blocks as well, FGS said.

An optimizer for defragmenting the hard disk to improve disk
access speed that also allows the user to retrieve deleted files
afterwards is also included, the company said.

FGS says it recognizes and integrates other third party diagnostic,
repair, undelete/recovery, backup, optimization, and compression
utilities with its "Launch Pad Feature." FGS also emphasizes its
product is safe to use as it does not allow sector editing and other
functions that could irreparably damage data.

The software is compatible with System 6.0.2 and higher, including
System 7 and requires at least a Macintosh Plus with one
megabyte (MB) of RAM, FGS said. Public Utilities is also
compatible with Macintoshes connected via Appletalk. Retail
pricing is $149.

(Linda Rohrbough/19920506/Press Contact: Debbie Lacy, Miller
Communications for Fifth Generation Systems, tel [phone],
fax [phone])


(NEWS)(GENERAL)(DEN)(00019)

High Tech Grocery Stores Use More Than Price Scanners 05/06/92
AKRON, OHIO, U.S.A., 1992 MAY 6 (NB) -- You may not know
it, but your grocery store uses more computer technology than
just the price scanners at the checkout counters.

Much of that technology is installed by Telxon (pronounced Tel-zon)
Corporation, which has just acquired Retail Management Systems
Corporation (RMS), a supplier of store software programs. RMS
specializes in designed software that integrates product pricing
information with various store-level functions such as
direct-store-delivery (DSD) receiving and DEX/UCS data exchange.

DSD is what Telxon calls the delivery of goods to the store direct
from vendors, such as the bread trucks, soft drink trucks, and
other vendors you see parked at the back of the store. DEX/UCS
stands for Direct Exchange/Uniform Communication Standard.

Telxon spokesperson Kathy Taylor told Newsbytes that simply
means that invoicing from a direct vendor can be sent directly from
the vendor's computer system to the store's computer, eliminating
an intermediate paperwork step.

RMS said it was the first company to introduce receiving using
radio frequency technology, allowing the store's receiving personnel
to check in items using a hand held device that talks to the store's
host computer via a radio link. The combination of Telxon's hardware
systems with RMS's software provides a network that allows
complete pricing control within one database as the products are
received.

Telxon said it provides its systems to 22 of the top 25 grocery
chains in the US, including Kroger, Safeway, A&P, Winn-Dixie,
Shop & Stop, Vons, and Ralphs.

Taylor told Newsbytes that Don Schoen will remain at the RMS
site in Des Moines as the division manager, with RMS maintaining
its independent identity.

(Jim Mallory/19920506/Press Contact: Kathy Taylor, Telxon
Corporation, 216-867-3700)


(NEWS)(TRENDS)(DEN)(00020)

Superconducting Super Collider Laboratory Planned 05/06/92
DALLAS, TEXAS, U.S.A., 1992 MAY 6 (NB) -- The
Superconducting Super Collider facility 40 miles south of Dallas
will not do anything at all until the end of the decade, but scientists
from around the world are already there planning experiments and
designing detectors.

Scientists hope that the facility will enable them to simulate the
conditions that existed at the moment our universe was born.
Originally the computing facility associated with the super collider
was designed with the capacity to process one billion computing
instructions per second. Now the facility has been upgraded to
have twice that much computing speed.

The scientists gathering at the Texas site hope to record the
results when the collider particle accelerator goes into operation
more than eight years from now.

The one-of-a-kind super collider, said to be the world's largest
scientific instrument, causes subatomic particles at very high
speeds to help scientists learn more about the fundamental forces
and particles of the universe. The scientists at the computer facility,
called the physics detector simulation facility, will use computers
to simulate collisions of the particles, and record and track the
debris. They say the results will help them develop experimental
programs and detectors.

According to Phil Leibold, manager of the collider's computing
division, more than $3 million has been invested in the simulation
facility. The upgrade included the addition of 32 Hewlett Packard
HP 900-720 workstations, expanded memory, and fiber optics.
The workstations will exchange data over the fiber optic network
at a rate of 100 million bytes of data per second. A byte
is approximately equal to one letter of the alphabet. Fiber optics
are used because data can be transferred over such a network
much more quickly than would be possible using cable.

The supercollider consists of an underground tunnel containing
two rings. Each ring has a stream of protons moving at near-light
speed in the opposite direction from the other ring. Over 1,500
magnets guide and focus the proton beams.

The multi-billion project is funded by the US Department of Energy.
Newsbytes reported in June of 1991 that the Laboratory had
selected an Intel iPSC/860 parallel supercomputer to help design
and build the collider. Parallel computers use multiple processors
to perform different parts of the computing task, while a desktop
PC has one processor, such as an Intel 286, 386, or 486 chip, to
perform all processing.

Last February the Japan Foundation for Shipbuilding Advancement
announced that it planned to launch a superconducting ship. The
vessel employs two superconducting thrusters instead of
conventional screw propellers. The thrusters are soaked in liquid
helium at minus 269 degrees centigrade. A spokesperson for
Mitsubishi Heavy Industries, a partner in the venture, said
the engines are extremely quiet, and while they will initially only
be able to develop speeds of about nine miles an hour, the
technology has the potential to achieve speeds of 120 miles per
hour.

(Jim Mallory/19920506/Press Contact: Russ Wylie,
Superconducting Super Collider Laboratory, 214-708-1045)

(NEWS)(IBM)(TOR)(00021)

 ****IBM To Sell Three PS/2 Models Directly 05/06/92
WHITE PLAINS, NEW YORK, U.S.A., 1992 MAY 6 (NB) -- IBM is
going to sell some of its PS/2 personal computers through a toll-free
order number. The company announced that three PS/2 models are
available now in the United States by calling 800-IBM-2968.

IBM is offering through the toll-free number three specially
packaged PS/2 models, including two desktops and a laptop unit.
The PS/2 Model 35 SX-043 and 40 SX-043 both come with 20
megahertz (MHz) 386SX processors, 40 megabyte (MB) hard
drives, DOS 5.0, and video graphics array (VGA) 8512 color
displays. The Model 35 SX is priced at $1,495 and the 40 SX is
priced at $1,595. The L40 SX laptop, with a 60 MB hard drive and
DOS 5.0, is priced at $1,695.

A free on-site warranty for one year is included with all three
models, and they also come with IBM's HelpWare service and
support program.

The three models will be offered through IBM dealers as well as
through the toll-free number, company spokesman Christopher
Clough said, and dealer prices may vary. Clough acknowledged
that in light of the common dealer practice of discounting PCs
below manufacturers' suggested retail prices, the machines could
be cheaper on dealers' shelves than when ordered by telephone.

Also, shipping and handling charges will be added to the telephone
orders. Telephone orders will be payable by check, money order, or
credit card only.

The company has "no specific plans" to offer other PS/2 models
through the direct channel, Clough said, but might decide to do so
depending on the response to the initial models.

(Grant Buckler/19920506/Press Contact: Christopher Clough,
IBM, 914-642-5372)


(NEWS)(BUSINESS)(TOR)(00022)

 ****DEC, Lotus Announce Promotional Giveaway 05/06/92
CAMBRIDGE, MASSACHUSETTS, U.S.A., 1992 MAY 6 (NB) --
Digital Equipment and Lotus Development have announced that
Digital will give away Lotus software to buyers of its personal
computers in the United States for the rest of this year.

Until the end of June, customers who buy a Digital PC will get a
free copy of SmartSuite for Windows, a bundle of four major Lotus
applications that lists for $795 in Digital's Desktop Direct catalog.
For the rest of 1992, buyers of DEC PCs will be able to choose
one free Lotus application.

SmartSuite for Windows includes the latest versions of the Lotus
1-2-3 spreadsheet software, Freelance Graphics, the Ami Pro
word processor, and a cc:Mail electronic mail Single User Pack.

DOS 5.0 and Microsoft Windows 3.1 come factory installed on
Digital PCs. The Lotus applications will not be factory installed but
will be shipped separately, said Digital spokesman Bob Schneider.

The offer applies to all Digital PCs using the 386 and 486
processors sold through all of Digital's distribution channels,
including resellers and the Desktop Direct catalog.

Schneider said the offer is intended as a limited-time promotion to
help boost sales of Digital PCs, although he also said there seems
to be growing customer demand to have popular software
applications supplied with the hardware.

While acknowledging that profit margins in the personal computer
hardware business are very slim, Schneider said Digital can still
make money on its PCs when sold with the Lotus software thrown
in. The deal with Lotus has promotional value for the software
vendor as well, he pointed out, and "obviously we're not paying full
price" for the software.

(Grant Buckler/19920506/Press Contact: Bob Schneider, Digital,
508-480-4620; Chris Carleton, McGlinchey & Paul for Lotus,
617-862-4514)


(NEWS)(IBM)(TOR)(00023)

IBM Consolidates Canadian, US Sales/Service/Marketing 05/06/92
MARKHAM, ONTARIO, CANADA, 1992 MAY 6 (NB) -- IBM has
established a new IBM North America group that has the effect of
consolidating the IBM Canada subsidiary's sales, service, and
marketing operations with similar operations in the United States.

IBM Canada will now report through Robert LaBant, head of the US
sales and marketing organization and now general manager of IBM
North America.

IBM Canada President William Etherington had reported directly to
John Akers, chairman of the parent company, since the departure of
William Armstrong, former head of IBM World Trade, a few months
ago. However, IBM Canada spokesman Stan Didzbalis told
Newsbytes this was always meant to be a temporary arrangement.
IBM Canada was the only country subsidiary reporting directly to
Akers, he said.

Didzbalis downplayed the move, saying it will have little effect on
the way IBM Canada operates. All that has really happened is that
"Bill (Etherington) has a new boss," he said.

One reason for the change was to work more effectively with
customers who increasingly make their purchasing decision on a
North American basis rather than separately for Canada and the
United States, Didzbalis said.

The change is also part of ongoing cost-cutting efforts at IBM.
Although the company did not immediately announce any job
cuts arising from the move, Didzbalis admitted it could lead to
reductions sooner or later, though he said that will not
necessarily happen.

Independent observers are more definite about the outcome.
"The whole point of this is to reduce duplication of services," said
Richard Morochove, a Toronto-based computer consultant. He
predicted that "further downsizing in the sales and marketing
area" at IBM Canada would result.

Late last year, IBM Canada announced that it would set out to
cut 2,000 jobs from its payroll of about 12,000 as part of IBM's
worldwide restructuring. At the time, the company said few of
the cuts would come in its manufacturing and research and
development operations. IBM Canada also said at that time that
it hoped to avoid involuntary layoffs.

(Grant Buckler/19920506/Press Contact: Stan Didzbalis, IBM
Canada, 416-474-3036)


(NEWS)(TRENDS)(DEN)(00024)

Computer Game Helps Urban Planners 05/06/92
CHICAGO, ILLINOIS, U.S.A., 1992 MAY 6 (NB) -- Scientists at the
University of Chicago are using computer games to test the abilities
of new artificial intelligence software. The AI software will sit in for
the human player and use SimCity, a computer simulation game
from California-based Maxis, to see how well it can perform as a
human urban planner in building and operating a city.

In an experiment that will last two years, AI software developed by
the University of Chicago will play the SimCity game on a
Macintosh IIfx computer, while scientists observe the AI software's
ability to learn and adapt from its successes and failures as it
performs the role of an urban planner.

Dr. Kristian Hammond, professor of computer sciences at the
university of Chicago, said the school selected SimCity because
it is the closest thing we could find to real life for testing
artificial intelligence on a personal computer. Hammond said
traditional computerized games such as chess have narrowly
defined rules and a limited number of endings. "In SimCity, there
are no right or wrong answers, but an unending series of decisions
that can lead to a wide variety of results.

An artificial intelligence program builds a base of information
from data provided to it, and operates from a set of rules. The
program learns as it operates, adding additional information,
which in turn allows it to make more informed decisions. So far,
artificial intelligence is the closest thing a computer can offer to
the human mind.

Maxis spokesperson Sally Vandershaf told Newsbytes that the
computer displays a portion of the city somewhat like a map,
showing  buildings, roads, and other features. Other details
include items such as police stations, power lines, parks and
sports stadiums. The buildings can "grow," depending on what
decisions are made by the player. "You can even set fires and
see their result," said Vandershaf.

The player acts as the mayor of the city, fighting crime,
unemployment, pollution, and other problems faced by
municipalities. Perhaps hardest, the "mayor" must balance the
budget. The objective is to attract enough "Sims" (simulated
citizens) for the city to grow and prosper.

Two sets of graphics are available -- Ancient Cities and Future
Cities. Players can also design their own city using any of six
different sets of architecture, and the program includes a Terrain
Editor to design maps.

Dr. Charles Martin, co-creator of the AI software to be used in the
experiment, said he looks forward to seeing just how skilled a
SimCity player his software will be. "It's one thing for a computer
to solve a math problem," said Martin. "It's quite another or it to
decide how to put out a fire in a high-rise building without losing
countless lives, or how to solve traffic problems without running a
city government into debt."

SimCity, one of several simulation games offered by Maxis, is
available for IBM compatible, Amiga, Atari, Commodore, Nintendo
platforms, and Vandershaf said the company has just released a
Microsoft Windows version. The Windows version, said Vandershaf,
has a command bar with five buttons, each able to place a
"bookmark" at a particular part of the city for quick return to that
part of the game. SimCity for Windows supports VGA graphics and
multitasking.

(Jim Mallory/19920506/Press Contact: Sally Vandershaf, Maxis,
tel [phone], fax [phone]; Dr. Kristian Hammond,
University of Chicago, 312-702-1570)


(NEWS)(IBM)(DEN)(00025)

Gateway 2000 Offers Notebooks With Six Hour Battery Life 05/06/92
NORTH SIOUX CITY, SOUTH DAKOTA, U.S.A., 1992 MAY 6 (NB) --
Gateway 2000 says its newly announced line of notebook
computers can all provide up to six hours of battery life.

Battery life has been a concern since laptop and notebook
computers  were first introduced, with many offering only about
three hours before requiring recharging.

Dubbed the Nomad Family, the line includes 20 and 25 megahertz
(MHz) 486-based systems, and a 25 MHz system based on the
Intel 386SX chip.

Gateway says all three will run six hours or more before the
batteries need to be recharged if its Battery Pro power
management system is used. Without Battery Pro in use, the
systems will run at least 2.5 hours, said Gateway. All of the
Nomad units weigh less than six pounds.

The 25MHz 386 notebook comes standard with 2 megabytes (MB)
of random access memory (RAM), can be upgraded to 6MB, and
is equipped with a 80MB hard drive. The other two units are
configured with 4MB of RAM, and can be expanded to 20MB. The
25 MHz 486 system comes with an 80MB hard drive, while the
25MHz 486 is equipped with a 120MB drive. All three units have
a high density (1.44MB) 3.5-inch floppy drive, black-and-white
backlit VGA display and 10-inch screens. One parallel and one
serial port are standard, as are a PS/2 mouse port and an external
keyboard port. The two 486-based systems also have a port for
an external monitor, and all three have an expansion bus port. A
Small Computer Systems Interface (SCSI) interface is optional on
all the dark charcoal gray units

Prices, including a pointing device, are $1,995 for the 386-based
system, $2,795 for the 20MHz 486 unit, and $3,495 for the 25MHz
486. Gateway 2000 sells its products direct to the end user.
Gateway spokesperson Glynnis Gibson told Newsbytes the
Gateway notebooks are using a unique pointing device designed
to fit in the user's palm. According to Gibson, the device is about
1.5-inches in width and length, with the ball on top. It is specially
designed, said Gibson, for users working in cramped space such
as on airplanes.

Gibson told Newsbytes that with the design of the Gateway
notebooks, a user has the convenience of a laptop, but can plug in
a desktop keyboard and an external monitor and have all the
convenience of an office system when working at their desk. She
told Newsbytes the new systems will begin shipping next week.

(Jim Mallory/19920506/Press Contact: Glynnis Gibson, Gibson
Communications for Gateway 2000, tel [phone], fax
312-883-2395; Reader Contact: Gateway 2000, tel [phone]
or 800-523-2000)


(NEWS)(IBM)(WAS)(00026)

New For PC: Microcom Virex Update 2.2 05/06/92
DURHAM, NORTH CAROLINA, U.S.A., 1992 MAY 6 (NB) --
Microcom's anti-virus division, which is based in Durham, N.C.,
has shipped version 2.2 of its popular Virex PC virus detection
and removal software. In addition to carrying more virus definitions
to cover recent discoveries of new strains, Virex 2.2 has several
new capabilities which aid in the detection of unknown viruses.

"Emergency Recovery" is an enhanced installation utility which
can be used to recover more easily from a virus infection whether
the virus is of a known or new variety. There are 75 new virus
detectors and a new disinfector for the Maltese Amoeba virus.

Virex is updated from a write-protected Virex disk so the user
can immediately scan for any previously undetected infection
without running the risk of infecting the new removal software,
but the disk is not copy-protected so there is no hassle involved
in performing the upgrades which come along pretty often judging
from the stack of new copies of Virex we have here in this
Newsbytes bureau office.

(John McCormick/19920506/Press Contact: Rebecca R. Greene,
tel [phone], fax [phone])


(NEWS)(BUSINESS)(WAS)(00027)

EDI Able And Grid Ally On GridPad 05/06/92
MALVERN, PENNSYLVANIA, U.S.A., 1992 MAY 6 (NB) -- EDI
Able, a Malvern, Pennsylvania-based provider of translation software
and value-added network services, has signed an agreement with
Tandy's Grid Systems to provide development and conversion
support to Grid and its applications partners which will result
in converting the proprietary GridPad (pen computer) applications
to the major electronic data interchange standards.

ANSI X12, UCS, VICS, WINS, TDCC, and EDIFACT are among the
standard data formats which will be supported, and EDI Able will
also provide electronic mail support and management services for
Grid applications.

According to Grid, there are already more than 20,000 GridPad
pen computers in use in the US, so the need for data conversion
utilities is becoming very important if the pen computer industry
is to continue to grow.

(John McCormick/19920506/Press Contact: Maryann Wilhelm,
EDI Able, 215-644-1231)


(NEWS)(BUSINESS)(WAS)(00028)

Dataware Buys Distribution Arm Of Archetype Systems 05/06/92
CAMBRIDGE, MASSACHUSETTS, U.S.A., 1992 MAY 6 (NB) --
Dataware Technologies of Cambridge, Massachusetts, one of the
world's major producer of CD-ROMs and CD-ROM retrieval software,
has agreed to acquire the CD-ROM Services Division of Archetype
Systems Limited of Watford, England.

This marks a solid expansion of Dataware into the UK market.
The newly acquired business, renamed Dataware Technologies
(UK) Limited, will be headed by a founding director of Archetype,
Keith Taylor, who becomes managing director.

Dataware Technologies (UK) Limited will come under the supervision
of Dataware Europe. Archetype has been a Dataware distributor
for about five years.

Dataware, the largest independent CD-ROM developer in the world,
produces a number of CD-ROMs for foreign companies and
government agencies.

Dataware recently expanded its marketshare by purchasing its
major competitor, Reference Technology, and merging the two
companies' product lines.

Even before that acquisition, Dataware was already the world's
largest supplier of retrieval and authoring software for CD-ROM
and had produced more than 200 titles using the company's CD
Author/CD Answer products. Reference Technology's software has
been used to develop more than 100 titles. The two companies
have between them about 225 client companies and government
agencies around the world.

(John McCormick/19920506/Press Contact: Kathleen Hunter,
Dataware, tel [phone], fax [phone]; or Angela Ross,
(UK)[phone])


(NEWS)(BUSINESS)(LAX)(00029)

 ****Computerland Aquires TRW Customer Service Div. 05/06/92
PLEASANTON, CALIFORNIA, U.S.A., 1992 MAY 6 (NB) --
Computerland is buying support for its customers in an $110 million
buyout of TRW's customer service division. The deal will place
Computerland in a position to offer multi-vendor microcomputer
support, and the company says it will then take the number one
slot in the support arena.

Computerland says its support resources combined with TRW's will
make it a $280 million service and support business. Computerland
most recently acquired Nynex Business Centers in June of last year.
While details of the TRW transaction were not announced,
Computerland says the deal should be completed in 60 days.

Computerland's William Y. Tauscher, chairman and chief executive
officer, says the company is aiming at the American corporate
market and plans to be the leading source for technology, service,
and support in that arena. Estimates are that $2.25 billion is spent
annually by corporations on outside microcomputer services,
according to Computerland. That figure is predicted to grow to $3.8
billion by 1995, the company maintains.

Computerland says while corporations are still focused on
downsizing from minis and mainframe computers to personal
computer (PC) systems, it plans to make itself known. TRW has
been involved in corporations who are downsizing, despite the fact
that other manufacturer's have entered then withdrawn from the
third-party service market.

About 15 percent of the company's overall business is expected to
come from the service and support with the addition of TRW,
according to Al Andrus, senior vice president of service and support
for Computerland.

TRW has long been established in the corporate PC maintenance
business with 13,000 clients. The company has offered support on
point-of-sale terminals (POS) and automated tellers as well as
PCs, Computerland said.

(Linda Rohrbough/19920506/Press Contact: Dave Murray,
Computerland, Neale-May & Partners for Computerland,
tel [phone], fax [phone])


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

 ****Computer Associates To Acquire Nantucket 05/06/92
LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA, U.S.A., 1992 MAY 6 (NB) --
Nantucket, creator of the dBase compiler Clipper, is being
purchased by Islandia, New York-based Computer Associates
(CA). After Borland's purchase of dBase software company
Ashton-Tate last year and Microsoft's planned purchase of Fox
Software announced in April, a pattern seems to be forming
with IBM-aligned CA purchase of Nantucket.

Newsbytes talked with CA representative Bob Gordon who said the
deal is finalized and should be sewn up officially in 30 days. No
details are being released as to what CA is paying for Nantucket,
but Gordon said plans are to keep Nantucket's flagship product
Clipper remain alive and well.

CA has a database product, CA-dBFast, which the company claims
is the only multi-user, stand alone dBase/xBase- compatible
development language and database for Windows. However, the
product has not gained much in the way of market acceptance
despite the apparent market hunger for a database product for
Windows.

Nantucket's flagship product, Clipper, started as an add-on product
for Ashton-Tate's dBase, but has since grown away from full
compatibility with the leading database language. Clipper has
strong roots in the corporate management information systems
market. However, industry observers, such as Tom Rettig,
owner of Tom Rettig software and former developer on the Clipper
product said publicly last month to the Los Angeles Computer
Society that his prediction was Nantucket would not last out the
year.

Clipper is a database management system and application
development tool for personal computers, compatible with the
top-selling dBase IV from Borland International of Scotts Valley,
California. CA's purchase of Nantucket is the third of a series of
acquisitions that, in less than a year, have brought dBase and its
two major compatible rivals from the hands of virtually single-
product companies into the grip of three of the PC software
industry's giants.

The process began last fall when Borland announced plans to buy
Ashton-Tate, the company that developed dBase. It continued this
spring when Microsoft announced plans to buy Fox Software, the
Perrysburg, Ohio, maker of FoxBase, another dBase-compatible
database package.

Coughlin told Newsbytes that CA saw Clipper as a well-regarded
product that until now has lacked the marketing support that
Computer Associates can provide.

Nantucket will be amalgamated into Computer Associates,
Coughlin said, and its development team will be joining CA.

While some industry observers are calling dBase nothing more than
a utility package for viewing database files, Nantucket went back to
its roots and introduced a compiler for dBase, Matt Whelan's dBase
Compiler kit for dBase IV. The compiler allows the user to write
commands in dBase IV, then make those commands into a stand
alone .EXE file that can be run and distributed royalty free. Since
dBase IV now has its own compiler, the Nantucket product is not
breaking new ground as its former Clipper products did.

Speculation as to why the buy up of these leading database
companies by the major software companies has included the
fact that database software products are extremely complex and
difficult to write and it is cost effective to purchase the technology,
rather than rewrite it.

The race for dominance in the database for Windows field is growing
with the addition of the CA/Nantucket combination. Nantucket has
done a poor job of keeping secret its Clipper for Windows product,
codenamed Aspen. Fox Software made no secret about its plans for
a Windows version of Foxpro and was demonstrating alpha versions
as far back as last Fall. Further, Borland has announced enticing
deals for developers on its planned release of dBase for Windows,
expected this month.

However, developing a Windows-based database product that can
stand the tests of the large applications companies expect to be
able to achieve may not be an easy task. For Nantucket, the CA
buy-out may be a guarantee that Clipper and Nantucket will survive
after all and perhaps achieve multi-platform diversity as well.

(Grant Buckler, Paul Zucker & Linda Rohrbough/19920506/Press
Contact: Bob Gordon, Computer Associates, 516-342-2391)