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/NB920923

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(NEWS)(GOVT)(DEL)(00001)

India: Duty-Free Electronics Tech Park 09/23/92
NEW DELHI, INDIA, 1992 SEP 22 (NB) -- After more than a year's
deliberation, the Indian government has finally approved the
Electronic Hardware Technology Park (EHTP) scheme.

Plans call for the EHTP to be a duty-free, physically bondable
area set up by the central or state government, public or private
sector undertaking or any combinations. It may be an individual
unit by itself or one of such units located in an area located as
EHTP.

These parks appear to be similar to export-oriented units (EOU) '
and export processing zones (EPZ), as the latter are also allowed
to import duty-free goods of all kinds including capital goods. The
main difference between the two schemes lies in the value-addition
norms. In the case of EOUs and EPZs, the stipulated minimum value
addition is of 20 percent, and the access to the domestic market can
go up to 25 percent at most.

With the EHTP units, there is no stipulation of minimum added
value. It would be based only on net foreign exchange earned. The
condition is that no access to the domestic market would be
available to units with less than 15 percent value addition. For
value addition between 15-25 percent, domestic market access
will be 25 percent for equipment and 30 percent for components
and materials. In case of value addition being more than 25 percent,
the access will be 30 and 40 percent in cases of equipment, and
components and materials, respectively.

Also, unlike the case of an EPZ, where the foreign equity up to
51 percent is allowed, for EHTP units the equity can go up to
100 percent. According to N. Vittal, the secretary of the
Department of Electronics, which will administer the scheme, this
clause will lure the foreign companies to set up manufacturing
facilities here. "These companies not only want to use India as
an exporting base," says Vittal, "but also want access to the
growing domestic market."

An individual organization is also eligible to get the status of
an EHTP unit just like an EOU. ``The beauty of the scheme is that
we can convert our existing factory into an EHTP and do not have
to set up another unit for obtaining the certification," says
Veer Sagar, chief executive officer, DCM Data Products, one of
the oldest Indian computer companies. And as a company is also
given the option of making a part of its unit an EHTP instead of
its entire plant, ``now we can distribute others' products in
exchange for their buying hardware or software from us," he
adds. An EHTP unit is free to manufacture more than one product
and keep changing the product range to suit market trends and
needs. The value addition and the resultant domestic market
access will be calculated on the basis of total operations and
not on a product wise base. DCM DP is planning to declare part of
its plant as EHTP.

While the scheme will be useful for the companies which were
planning to set up units in the EPZs, large companies which
already have some units in the EPZs, or those which are already
located in the EPZ, may not find this scheme attractive, it is
being feared. The proposal has, however, found much acclaim among
companies dealing in computer components. "This will increase
prospects of contract manufacturing," says R.K. Gupta, managing
director, Vintron Electronics Pvt. Ltd. "Since labor comes
cheap in India, now one can import components, assemble them here
and then export at a profit," he explains.

EHTP units will be given additional incentives like tax holidays,
eligibility of deemed export status for supplies from the DTA.
They will also be exempt from corporate income tax for five years
in the unit's first eight years of operations. The time limit for
obtaining all clearances, along with land and other facilities, is
expected to be two weeks.

Several multinational corporations such as Compaq, Motorola and
Seagate International have also shown interest in setting up
manufacturing facilities under this scheme.

(C.T. Mahabharat/19920921)


(NEWS)(APPLE)(LAX)(00002)

New For Macintosh: Japanese Pen-based Input Tablet 09/23/92
LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA, U.S.A., 1992 SEP 23 (NB) -- In a
language where it can take 30 keystrokes to make a single
character and there are hundreds of characters, it makes sense
to offer computer users a pen-based keyboard. Computer
Intelligence Corporation (CIC) has done just that on the
Macintosh with its Machandwriter pen-based keyboard.

The company says the Machandwriter allows faster editing than a
keyboard or mouse, anyone who can write can use it, and it has
a lower rate of input error than a Japanese keyboard and mouse.

CIC says the unit has been promoted and is being marketed by
Apple Computer Japan and will work with a Macintosh, Classic,
ClassicII, LC, LCII, SE, SE/30, II, IIx, IIcx, IIsi, and IIfx
with 2 megabytes (MB) of random access memory (RAM), a hard
disk drive, and Kanji Talk 6.07 and higher.

Experiments are being conducted for an English language version
of the Machandwriter, CIC said, to see of there's a market for
a US version, CIC added.

While the market for the Macintosh in Japan hasn't been
overwhelming, CIC said Apple Computer has seen significant
growth in the market share in Japan recently.

CIC also developed the PenDOS operating system for pen-based
computers that works with DOS 3.0 or higher and allows pen
input to normal DOS applications. The company says it is 11
years old and is publicly traded.

(Linda Rohrbough/19920922/Press Contact: Germaine Gioia,
Communication Intelligence Corporation, tel [phone], fax
415-802-7777)


(NEWS)(IBM)(LAX)(00003)

 ****Pen-Based OS Wars: DOS vs Windows 09/23/92
LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA, U.S.A., 1992 SEP 23 (NB) -- While some
are talking about a fight for operating system dominance in the
pen-based computing world, it appears the pen-based computer's
usefulness as a data gathering tool is driving the market to
systems compatible with what users already have.

At the Pen-based Expo in Los Angeles, California, Windows-based
systems were everywhere and predictions are already being made
that Microsoft will be the winner of the operating system wars.

However, Microsoft Windows for Pen Computing is hardware
hungry, as is Microsoft Windows 3.1, and some vendors are
attempting to play up the benefits of DOS-based pen operating
systems.

PenDOS is one of those players. Communication Intelligence
Corporation (CIC), developers of PenDOS, say their operating
system only requires 2 megabytes (MB) of random access memory
(RAM) as opposed to the 6 to 8 MB required for Windows. PenDOS
sits on top of DOS 3.0 or higher and will work with any DOS
application, even those not developed for pen systems. Company
representatives were demonstrating Microsoft Windows and Lotus
1-2-3 running under PenDOS on an NCR pen-based computer. The
company also showed applications that had radio buttons and the
"look and feel" of Windows applications that were really DOS-
based.

Microsoft Windows for Pen Computing abounded on systems
throughout the show and while only one pen-based system was
color, vendors projected color displays of Windows from the
monochrome pen-based systems on walls all over the show floor.

Go Technology's Penpoint operating system was present at the
show, but not nearly as visible as Windows. While there was
some talk of conflict, in practice it appeared to be really two
separate directions. Go appears to be directing its operating
system toward specialized, vertical market applications that
don't require a tight interface between the desktop PCs and the
pen-based units, while Microsoft and CIC are emphasizing
compatibility.

The war, if there is one, appears to be between DOS-based pen
systems and Windows. PenDOS says it has the advantage of only
requiring the user learn seven basic gestures, while Pen Computing
Windows has 13.

No one, however, is particularly talking up handwriting
recognition (HWR), mostly because it is still heavily based on
printing neatly, which equates into slowly. The emphasis is on
data collection activities in the field where the pen-based
system is a non-distracting, natural way to electronically
accomplish the filling out of forms

PenDOS estimates that one insurance company with which it is
working, using a custom form filling application, will save
approximately 1500 hours a month. That is the time being spent
currently by agents who have to input data from their hand
written reports into the computer system. PenDOS says its
system is also accepts and interprets input faster than Windows
because its DOS-based and is therefore more practical to use.

PenDOS is also offering developer's seminars in conjunction
with Microage, the first to be held in Cerritos, California
October 21 and 22. However, Synaptix of Seattle, Washington is
offering seminars for Visual Basic programming for pen
computing in Seattle, Chicago, and Boston beginning in 1993.

Despite the attractive features of PenDOS, Ed Yourdon,
publisher of "American Programmer" magazine said in a talk on
the future of computing he is predicting Microsoft will win
out. Yourdon added, "Six months ago I wouldn't have made that
statement."

(Linda Rohrbough/19920922/Press Contact: Germaine Gioia,
Communication Intelligence Corporation, tel [phone], fax
415-802-7777, Public Contact for Penlabs Developer Seminars
800-888-8242; Microsoft, Public Contact, 800-227-4679;
Synaptix, 800-800-4693)


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

 ****Pen-Based Expo: Surprising Attendance Despite Momenta 09/23/92
LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA, U.S.A., 1992 SEP 23 (NB) -- While the
Pen-based Expo held by Digital Consultants, Inc., (DCI) has not
been a huge show compared to other shows, DCI representatives
told Newsbytes the show has approximately 25 percent more
attendees than they expected.

Show officials expected smaller numbers due to the demise of
Momenta, one of the earlybirds in the emerging pen computer
market. But despite the Momenta story, 25 percent more people
(approximately 400) signed up for the paying portion of the
show in the last week and a half before its opening, according
to Marny Peabody, vice president of DCI.

While the show officials don't have exact numbers, they
estimate 2,500 to 3,500 are attending the exhibit portion of
the show alone. Peabody credits the increase in attendance to
an interest in pen-based systems for mobilized field use in
applications such as medical and insurance.

There's lots of talk about Momenta at the show, but most of it
in the past-tense, as though the company had announced it was
closing its doors. It hasn't, but Momenta company officials
aren't talking either. Momenta's financial history, however, is
a tangled one.

David Mack, an analyst with Workgroup Technologies, told
Newsbytes that after its launch three years ago by a group of
venture capitalists, Momenta had been unsuccessfully trying to
get additional financial backing from "interests" in the
Pacific Rim.

"The former employees aren't talking, so the only way to find
out what really happened is through those interests," said
Mack. The former employees are the estimated 140 laid off in
August, leaving only 10.

According to previously published reports, in June former Apple
Computer executive Del Yocam, hired seven weeks previously as
chairman, left the pen company because Momenta had failed to
raise sufficient working capital. The same month, the company
laid off a third of its 140 workers.

At about the same time Momenta lost cofounder Kamran Elahian as
CEO, cofounder Shiraz Shivji as vice president of engineering,
and John Frank as vice president of sales.

Then, Odak Pezzani & Co., which has assisted a number of other
venture capitalists, came in to try to turn the company around.
But according to one account, which cited a source close to the
negotiations, Momenta did not have enough capital to operate
for 60 to 90 days while an acquisition deal was being made with
Pacific Rim companies and consequently laid off all but 10
employees.

Analysts say Momenta's problems stem from a product that wasn't
quite right, released before the market was ready, from a
company that was too small. Had Momenta been larger it could
have handled spending the money it needed to spend to promote
pen computing. Mack said the founding partners poured in $40
million, but it wasn't enough.

Analysts are also citing the company's difficulties finding
reliable sources for liquid crystal displays (LCDs) and
digitizers, an obstacle other pen-based manufacturers face as
well, noted Allen Isaacson, principal of Dream IT.

"Unfortunately, the pen market is not substantial yet anyway,
and Momenta's product was too expensive and too heavy," said
Mack. Isaacson concurred on the heavy weight and price of the
Momenta computer, and added that the use of a reflective as
opposed to a backlit screen caused further difficulties.

However, the Momenta saga doesn't seem to be dampening the Pen-
based industry at all. Despite reports by analysts who are
saying the pen market is not substantial, the attendance at the
Pen-based Expo argues interest is growing.

(Jacqueline Emigh & Linda Rohrbough/19920923/Press Contact:
Marny Peabody, Digital Consultants, Inc., tel [phone], fax
508-470-0526)


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

Matsushita/JVC To Make Digital Cassettes 09/23/92
TOKYO, JAPAN, 1992 SEP 23 (NB) -- Matsushita Electric and Japan
Victor Corporation (JVC) will jointly manufacture and produce
digital compact cassette (DCC) products. Both firms will cooperate
to promote sales and use of this next generation digital
device.

Matsushita Electric and Japan Victor Corporation will produce
different DCC products and supply them to each other on OEM
(original equipment manufacturer) bases. They will then market
them as their own products through their own sales channels.

The DCC products may include regular DCC players, mini-stereo
sets, DCC+CD players, headphone stereo sets, and car audio sets.
Both firms are affiliated because Matsushita has some equity in
JVC. Matsushita and JVC have previous exchanged technologies
on audio visual devices.

The Japanese audio visual device market has been suffering from
a serious slump. Many are looking to the introduction of DCC and
the Sony Mini-Disc to perk up sales.

Meanwhile, Matsushita Communications Industry, which is in the
Matsushita Group, will back up Matsushita Electric and
JVC with sales of DCCs and CDs for cars. The auto audio
equipment will be supplied by Matsushita Electric. Matsushita
Communications aims to make 300 million yen ($2.5 million)
in sales from car audio equipment within several years. That
would be about a third of the firm's total sales.

(Masayuki "Massey" Miyazawa/19920923/Press Contact: Matsushita
Electric, [phone])


(NEWS)(APPLE)(TYO)(00006)

Japan: Mitsubishi Trading/Apple In Software Alliance 09/23/92
TOKYO, JAPAN, 1992 SEP 23 (NB) -- Mitsubishi Trading has signed
an exclusive sales agreement for SNA software with Apple Computer
in Tokyo. The software is to connect Macintosh and IBM
computers. Mitsubishi Trading will add a Japanese language feature
to this program and release it next year.

Mitsubishi Trading will sell "SNA ps3270/3287." The
original English program was released in the US in November 1991.
The retail price of the Japanese language version will be around
100,000 yen ($800). Mitsubishi Trading expects to sell 10,000
units for the initial year.

This program allows a Macintosh to be a terminal computer for
IBM's large scale general purpose computer, enabling data to be
taken from the IBM computer and edited via the Macintosh.

A relationship between Mitsubishi Trading and Apple Computer
(Japan) is already established. Both firms signed a sales
agreement regarding the Macintosh this past May.

Meanwhile, Apple's Macintosh has been selling well despite the
slump in the industry. During October 1991 and September 1992,
Apple Computer (Japan) shipped 180,000 units of the Macintosh.
This is 40 percent more than that of previous year. This year's sales
are expected to be even higher as Apple Computer has more
dealers in Japan now this year.

(Masayuki "Massey" Miyazawa/19920923/Press Contact: Mitsubishi
Trading, +81-3-3 )


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

Japan: Asahikasei/TI In Chip Pact 09/23/92
TOKYO, JAPAN, 1992 SEP 23 (NB) -- Asahikasei Micro Systems has
reached a basic cross licensing agreement with Texas Instruments
concerning each others' semiconductor technologies. These
technologies includes the Kilby patent, according to the Nikkan
Kogyo newspaper.

Asahikasei Micro Systems is a subsidiary of Asahikasei, which
is a major textile manufacturer in Japan. The firm has been
reportedly talking with Texas Instruments for a long time, and
the president of Asahikasei Micro Systems was quoted by the
newspaper as saying that "both firms have entered at the last
stage of the talks." An official agreement is due in the near
future. Neither firm has made any public comment on this issue.

Just like other Japanese firms, Asahikasei Micro Systems has
been negotiating with TI to lower the Kilby patent fee.
Asahikasei, however, with patents of its own, has apparently
decided to sign a cross licensing agreement to exchange
use of these patents with TI. Asahikasei will still, however,
need to pay an extra fee to TI of about 1 to 3 percent of total
manufacturing costs.

The term of this agreement will be five years -- almost the
same as those of eight other Japanese firms including Toshiba,
Mitsubishi Electric and Oki Electric.

Asahikasei Micro Systems has mainly produced application-specific
ICs (ASICs). The firm made 14 billion yen ($110 million) in sales as
of March of this year. It expects to rake in 19 billion yen ($150
million) for fiscal 1992, which ends in March 1993.

(Masayuki "Massey" Miyazawa/19920923/Press Contact: Asahikasei
Micro Systems, [phone])


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

Japan: Price Of Game Machines Nose Diving 09/23/92
TOKYO, JAPAN, 1992 SEP 23 (NB) -- Prices of popular game machines
including Nintendo's Super Famicom and Sega's Mega Drive are on a
quick descent in the Japanese market. They have been slashed
40 percent and higher over the recommended retail price as supply
of the machines outstrips demand.

Nintendo's Super Famicom, which is a 16-bit version of the Family
Computer (NES), has been sold at prices that are 30 to 40
percent lower than Nintendo's recommended retail price of 24,272 yen
($195). Many retail shops in Japan's famous Akihabara electronics
shopping mall sell the device at around 15,500 yen to 14,800 yen
(around $120). The device was sold around 20,000 yen ($160)
as recently as this past spring.

The situation with Sega Enterprises' 16-bit game machine, the "Mega
Drive," is even more serious. It is being sold at half the recommended
retail price of 27,000 yen ($215). In Akihabara, it is now sold
for around 13,000 yen ($105). Sega has added bonus game software
"Sonic the hedgehog" to the hardware bundle, but it has not helped
sales.

Nintendo and Sega are trying to stimulate sales of these
game machines by introducing more interesting game programs for
the Christmas season. Both firms are currently shipping 1.5 million
units of the machines per month, respectively.

(Masayuki "Massey" Miyazawa/19920923/Press Contact: Nintendo,
[phone])


(NEWS)(APPLE)(SFO)(00009)

New For Macintosh: Artisoft Ships LANtastic 09/23/92
TUCSON, ARIZONA, U.S.A., 1992 SEP 23 (NB) -- Artisoft has begun
shipments of its LANtastic for Macintosh product. This new product
allows Macintosh and PC users to access each other's files and to
share printers.

LANtastic for Macintosh is a program that runs on its own dedicated
PC. This PC needs to be equipped with an Ethernet adapter for access
to the LANtastic network that is already in place, as well as an
interface card for the Appletalk network that the Macintoshes are
on. Then the LANtastic for Macintosh software is run on this
dedicated PC.

Once this whole set-up is up and operational, Macintosh and PC users
can interchange files via this gateway computer as well as share
printers and other peripherals. For Macintosh users, the gateway
looks just like an Appleshare server and even has an icon assigned
to it that resembles the Appleshare icon. Any PC that is logged into
the gateway can then have its files accessed by those Macintoshes
that log into the gateway. The Macintosh user would be presented
with the look that they are used to -- folders and files
represented as icons. Artisoft maintains a database of icons and the
programs that they represent so that if a Macintosh program and a
PC program have a common file format, they can open each other's
files and launch the program when the file icon is double-clicked.

This also works in reverse for PC users who wish to access Macintosh,
files with one difference. The files need to first be stored on the
gateway machine's hard drive. When printers are being shared,
LANtastic for Macintosh allows the PC user to access directly any
Postscript printer that exists on the Apple side and the Macintosh
user can access any networked printer on the PC side. This is also
the way it is for any other networked and shared peripheral.

LANtastic for Macintosh is being sold in two configurations. For
$599 the customer gets the software and documentation necessary
to convert a PC into the gateway. For $799 Artisoft supplies the
software and the manuals as well as the Local Talk adapter card
and a length of cable.

(Naor Wallach/19920923/Press Contact: Joe Stunkard, Artisoft,
602-690-3231/Public Contact: Artisoft, 602-293-4000, 800-TINY-RAM)


(NEWS)(APPLE)(SFO)(00010)

More On Newest Claris FileMaker Pro For Macintosh 09/23/92
SANTA CLARA, CALIFORNIA, U.S.A., 1992 SEP 23 (NB) -- Claris has
begun shipments of its highly popular flat file database program
FileMaker Pro. The company is claiming that this release represents
the next generation in the evolution of the product. There are over
50 new features that are being claimed as improvements or additions
to this program that has been the most popular database product in
the Macintosh universe over the past years.

Some of the main new features that this program provides are
complete support of System 7. Claris spokespeople were saying that
this program is now so cognizant of System 7 features and takes
advantage of so many of them that System 7 Savvy is not sufficient
to adequately describe this. They are referring to the program as
being System 7 Omniscient.

In addition to the System 7 compatibility, another main feature of
the new version is ScriptMaker. This is essentially a recorder of
activities, or a Macro maker. The user can have the program watch
what he or she does and then assign that to a key or a button on
the screen. Once the key is clicked upon, that sequence of
activities is initiated. In Claris parlance, this is being called
"power without programming."

FileMaker Pro Version 2.0 for the Macintosh is shipping now. Retail
pricing on the product is $399. Current owners of other versions of
FileMaker Pro can upgrade to version 2.0 for $89. Claris is also
planning on shipping the Windows version of FileMaker Pro 2.0 in
the October timeframe. Claris is claiming that both version look and
operate in very similar ways thereby establishing a new standard
for how cross platform applications should operate.

(Naor Wallach/19920923/Press Contact: Kevin Mallon, Claris, 408-987-
7227/Public Contact: Claris, 408-987-7000, 800-544-8554)


(NEWS)(GENERAL)(SFO)(00011)

New for Networks: DCA Upgrades, Gateway 09/23/92
ALPHARETTA, GEORGIA, U.S.A., 1992 SEP 23 (NB) -- DCA has announced
a suite of upgrades to some of its mainframe communications programs
as well as a new product that is an X.25 gateway.

DCA is now shipping the DCA/Microsoft Communications Server Version
1.2. This new version of the Comm Server can support double the
amount of concurrent users (128) as well as double the amount of
sessions (1024 divided into 512 3270 sessions and 512 LU6.2
sessions). Like the previous versions, Comm Server 1.2 runs under
OS/2.

Aside from the increased number of users and sessions, another major
new feature in Comm Server 1.2 is the ability to remotely configure
and manage the product. It is no longer strictly necessary to be
operating on the exact machine that the program resides on. For
example, it is now possible for a central machine to log onto each
Comm Server in turn and manage its operations. This is obviously of
great benefit to network administrators who find themselves in a
very distributed operation. Currently the remote configuration and
management options can only be run by using the Microsoft LAN
Manager Remote Access Server with OS/2 nodes. DCA's own RLN product
cannot control the Comm Server since it does not support OS/2 as
of yet. Newsbytes has learned that this is an upgrade that DCA is
planning on making to RLN.

Another new version that DCA announced is the DCA Select Client for
Windows V2.0. The new version is compatible with the new version
of the Comm Server but in addition has some significant new features
as well. DCA Select Client for Window users can set up a Quickpad
from which QuickScripts can be run. This is essentially a macro
recorder capability where the user can assign significant actions
to a specific keystroke and then have that functionality executed
when the key is pressed, or when the button corresponding to the key
is pressed on the screen.

Finally, DCA has also announced the upcoming availability of an X.25
gateway that is the result of a collaborative effort with CIREL
Systemes of Bourdeaux, France. DCA selected CIREL since their
implementation of X.25 has already been examined and certified by
the majority of the major X.25 vendors in Europe. With this
partnership, DCA reaps the benefits of having an immediately acceptable
X.25 stack built into their product. DCA has taken the CIREL kernel
and added support for their Intelligent Synchronous Communications
Adapter as well as application services over the top of the stack
that they are getting from CIREL.

(Naor Wallach/19920923/Press Contact: Kerry Stanfield, DCA, 404-442-
4519)


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

IBM Adds RS/6000 Models, Transaction Processing Tools 09/23/92
NEW YORK, NEW YORK, U.S.A., 1992 SEP 23 (NB) -- Transaction
processing, one of the bastions of mainframe computing because of
its high demand for computing throughput, has been attacked by Unix
workstations. The attacker is none other than the king of the
mainframe: IBM.

Along with two new models in its RISC/System 6000 workstation line,
IBM has launched new software products that it said will allow
customers such as banks, retailers, and manufacturing firms to run
critical transaction-processing applications on their RS/6000
machines.

The company said its two new RS/6000s deliver more than 20 percent
better performance than existing models, along with more storage,
memory, software development tools, and systems management
capabilities.

IBM also said more than 35 software companies would support the
RS/6000 transaction processing and/or software development
products.

Transaction processing involves dealing with transactions such as
bank withdrawals and deposits or retail purchases as they happen.
It is an area that has resisted downsizing from mainframes to
smaller machines because the smaller systems, while they can often
match the raw processing power of the mainframes, lack the big
systems' ability to move data around in a hurry.

Acknowledging that Unix systems have been seen as not suited to
transaction processing, IBM spokeswoman Judy Radlinsky said the new
software will make it practical to put "bet your business type"
transaction processing applications on the RS/6000.

IBM said its new online transaction processing environment, which
runs under IBM's AIX/6000 variant of the Unix operating system,
draws on its more than 20 years of experience in developing
transaction processing. The system also uses technology from
Transarc Corp. and the Open Software Foundation, a Unix consortium
of which IBM is a member.

The IBM offerings use a modular approach that includes a choice of
two transaction monitors, one of which is a variant of IBM's
Customer Information Control System (CICS), a widely used mainframe
transaction monitor.

The two new RS/6000 models are the desk-side 580, which Radlinsky
said exceeds the power of the previous top-end RS/6000 model by up
to 37 percent, and the rack-mounted 980, a server that offers
24-percent better performance than any previous RS/6000 model.

The new models are not specifically aimed at transaction processing
applications, said Radlinsky, and their introduction at the same
time as the transaction processing software was coincidental.

Due to be available October 23, the 580 model will cost $69,117
configured as a workstation with 64 megabytes of memory and two
gigabytes of disk storage, or $67,587 as a server with the same
memory and disk capacities. The 980, due to be available October
30, is sold only as a server, priced at $117,822 with 64 megabytes
of memory and 2.7-gigabytes of storage.

(Grant Buckler/19920922/Press Contact: Judy Radlinsky, IBM,
914-642-4634)


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

Digital Canada Does Another Outsourcing Deal 09/23/92
FREDERICTON, NEW BRUNSWICK, CANADA, 1992 SEP 23 (NB) -- The
Information Technology Utility (ITU) unit of Digital Equipment of
Canada has announced its second partnership this month. ITU will
work with Brant Interprovincial Systems, a Fredericton-based
company that sets up and supports computer systems for government,
to provide outsourcing and application support services.

Brant has facilities in Fredericton and in Edmonton, Alberta. The
companies plan to begin their partnership by offering services in
New Brunswick and the other Atlantic provinces from a Fredericton
hub. Officials said a complementary hub in Edmonton is due to be
announced in a few weeks.

The Information Technology Utility is an innovation by Digital
Equipment of Canada, unlike anything the company's parent in
Maynard, Massachusetts has done to date. Martyn Lewis, ITU general
manager for Eastern and Central Canada, said its aim is to let
customers "use computing and technology as you would use
electricity or the phone."

According to Lewis, the partnership between Digital and Brant is to
offer public sector clients "complete solutions" including
information systems design, integration, ongoing maintenance,
service, and support.

The announcement comes close on the heels of the DEC ITU's
announcement that it would work with Choice Software, a Calgary
company that supplies software to retailers, to provide a complete
service involving Choice's software and processing services from
DEC.

(Grant Buckler/19920922/Press Contact: Martyn Lewis, Digital
Canada, 416-730-7153; Bruce Lyons, Brant Interprovincial Systems,
416-333-8198)


(NEWS)(TRENDS)(TOR)(00014)

 ****Ricoh Plans Neurocomputer Prototype 09/23/92
WEST CALDWELL, NEW JERSEY, U.S.A., 1992 SEP 23 (NB) -- Researchers
at Ricoh Corp. say they have developed a neurocomputer said to
operate by "learning" in much the same way the human brain does,
and they plan to have a prototype of the machine available to
system development engineers by the end of this year.

The computer reportedly uses neural network technology, a technique
scientists have been working on for some time to mimic the way the
human brain works. The idea is that the computer learns to do a
task by attempting it and receiving feedback to show where it is
making mistakes. Eventually it becomes very adept at the particular
task -- without any software written to perform the specific
function.

Ricoh plans to apply the technology to its own products, using it
to control printing systems, for instance. The company will also
make the technology available to other companies under licensing
arrangements. A company spokesman said the technology will be
marketed first in Japan, and chips based on the Ricoh development
work will not likely be available in the United States for about
two years.

The key piece of the system is Ricoh's RN-100 chip, which the
company said is the world's first neuro large-scale integrated
(LSI) chip with built-in learning capability. This chip was
introduced in 1991. It uses the principle of pulse-density
modulation, similar to the system the human brain uses, Ricoh said.

The prototype due to be released by the end of the year will use a
new version of this chip, the LSI RN-200. Ricoh claims this is the
world's fastest-learning neural chip, operating at 1.5 gigaCUPS.

GigaCUPS do not refer to Newsbytes' correspondents' coffee
consumption just before deadline, but are in fact a measure of
neural computing speed: CUPS stands for connection updates per
second, and the giga prefix means one billion -- thus the speed is
1.5 billion connection updates per second.

(Grant Buckler/19920922/Press Contact: Kerry Regan, Robert Wick
Public Relations for Ricoh, 212-727-2500)


(NEWS)(IBM)(SFO)(00015)

 ****FoxPro for Windows Wows Developers 09/23/92
PHOENIX, AZ, U.S.A., 1992 SEP 23 (NB) -- The Fourth Annual
International FoxPro Developer Conference, put on for the first time
by Microsoft, opened with more than 1,800 developers in attendance.
Dr. David Fulton, architect of the Database and Development Tools
Division at Microsoft, launched the conference with a keynote address
to a packed auditorium.

Fulton outlined Microsoft's plans for shipping its next four
versions of FoxPro. FoxPro 2.5 and FoxPro for Windows are the top
priorities, to ship by the end of 1992; FoxPro for the Macintosh and
Unix will follow in the first half of 1993.

The heart of the presentation was a demonstration of FoxPro for
Windows, now in beta testing. With this demonstration, Microsoft
showed developers a path for migrating their applications -- and their
clients -- to Windows.

FoxPro for Windows takes advantage of Windows' graphical
capabilities, allowing use of different fonts and new icons. Windows
(with its reputation for slowing applications down) will not degrade
FoxPro's renowned performance, Fulton said, because the underlying
FoxPro engine remains the same. He demonstrated this by opening a
FoxPro for Windows database containing all the streets in the United
States (approximately 2.8 million records) and performing several
searches -- all of which executed in a several second or less.

Of great benefit to developers is FoxPro for Windows' ability to
run FoxPro for MS-DOS programs without modification. FoxPro for
Windows also features a converter that automatically converts FoxPro
2.x programs to FoxPro for Windows and allows developers to go
beyond auto conversion with Windows-specific program
enhancements.

What makes FoxPro for Windows more than "just a pretty face,"
as Fulton put it, is the way it takes advantage of three key Windows
components: DLLs, DDE, and OLE. (For the acronym-shy, DLLs are
dynamic link libraries, or collections of functions that can add
capabilities, such as spell-checking, to Windows programs. DDE
stands for dynamic data exchange, or the ability for Windows
applications to share data and "talk" to one another. OLE stands for
object linking and embedding, which provides users the ability to
launch and work with a Windows application from within another
Windows application.)

Using a sample FoxPro for Windows application, Fulton
demonstrated the power of DDE. In his first example, he showed how
all the functionality of Word for Windows word processing can be
added to FoxPro by having the FoxPro application request that Word
perform a mail-merge, format documents, and prepare mail-merge
output. Alternatively, FoxPro can act as the "server" (or provider of
services) for Word (the "client"), converting Microsoft Word into a
front end for a fast, powerful database engine.

The final part of the demonstration drew oohs and applause from
the sometimes jaded development community. Fulton showed off a
FoxPro for Windows application which, using OLE, embedded
pictures, video animations, and voice messages in the application --
turning FoxPro for Windows into a multimedia application.

(Audrey Kalman/19920923)


(NEWS)(IBM)(SFO)(00016)

Microsoft Offers New Database Support Services 09/23/92
PHOENIX, ARIZONA, U.S.A., 1992 SEP 23 (NB) -- Microsoft
Corporation has announced expanded support services for its
database products, scheduled to take effect October 1.

The company added 2-1/2 hours to its daily support, which will
now be available from 6:00 a.m. to 6:00 p.m. Pacific Standard Time,
Monday through Friday (except holidays). Since Microsoft's merger
with Fox the support staff has more than doubled to a total of 80
phone engineers.

New database products support offerings include:

- FastTips for Fox Products, an automated system available
through touch-tone phones at [phone], provides answers to
commonly asked product questions and access to a library of technical
notes.

- Microsoft Download (MSDL) service gives developers access
by modem to the latest technical notes addressing common Fox
product support issues. Dial [phone] (1200, 2400, or 9600
baud; no parity; 8 data bits; 1 stop bit). Both FastTips and MSDL will
be available 24 hours a day, seven days a week.

- With a special Text Telephone (TT), the deaf and hard-of-
hearing can obtain support by dialing [phone] during the new
support hours.

When the new FoxPro for Windows ships (which Microsoft
projects by year's end), the company will offer an advanced FoxPro
support program for developers. Based on survey responses from
database user groups around the country, Microsoft has designed a
program aimed at database consultants, value-added resellers, and
systems integrators.

As of October 1, the new support phone number for FoxPro 2.0
for MS-DOS will be [phone]. For FoxBASE+ for the
Macintosh, the number is [phone].

(Audrey Kalman/19920923)


(NEWS)(IBM)(SFO)(00017)

New For Windows: 500 Sound Effects W/o A Sound Board 09/23/92
PHOENIX, ARIZONA, U.S.A., 1992 SEP 23 (NB) -- Programmer's Warehouse
demonstrated its new program, Sound Explosion, at the FoxPro Developer
Conference.

Crashes, footsteps, horns, buzzers, boings, whistles, and squeaks
are only a few of the more than 500 sound effects now available to
Windows 3.1 users through Sound Explosion. The program adds
more than 30 new events to the Windows desktop sound accessory.
The "sound viewer" feature lets users browse through available
sounds. Attaching sounds to events (such as opening a document,
saving a document, clicking the mouse button) is a simple matter of
pointing to the event and clicking on the desired sound. For example,
you could (if you were feeling nostalgic) set up your keyboard to
sound like an electric typewriter, or set your applications to groan
each time you launch them.

Sound Explosions sound effects were developed and recorded by
a leading supplier of sound effects to the film industry, and were
digitally recorded and electronically sampled. Many of the effects
have been used in such recent movies as JFK and Truth or Dare.

The best news for Windows users is that Sound Explosion does
not require a sound board. With just Windows 3.1 and at least 2
megabytes of available hard disk space (8 megabytes is
recommended), PC users now have the same kinds of sound
capabilities Macintosh users have enjoyed for years.

Released September 14, Sound Explosion sold more than 1,000
copies during the first week it was on the market, according to
Programmer's Warehouse owner Corey Schwartz. He predicts that the
program, at $49.95, will be "the hottest thing this Christmas" for
Windows users who want to bring some fun into their computing
lives.

(Audrey Kalman/19920923/The Programmer's Warehouse: 800-323-1809 or
602-443-0580.)


(NEWS)(TELECOM)(ATL)(00018)

Cable Bill Heads For Veto Fight 09/23/92
WASHINGTON, D.C., U.S.A., 1992 SEP 23 (NB) -- After passing by
"veto-proof" margins in both the US House and Senate, a bill to
reregulate cable television rates headed for President Bush's
desk.

The US Senate passed the bill 74-25 despite a heavy industry
lobbying campaign against it which included ads on cable channels
like "American Movie Classics" which are generally ad-free. The
ads charged the bill would raise cable rates. But most Senators
who spoke on the floor of the Senate about the bill said the only
evidence for such price increases came from the cable industry,
which biased the studies.

The bill would define "basic cable" as including local stations
and government stations like C-SPAN, and give the Federal
Communications Commission power to set "reasonable rates" for
such service. Cable-only services like Cable News Network could
still be put into higher-priced "enhanced basic" tiers, and cable
companies would have to let "basic-only" viewers get premium
channels like Home Box Office within 10 years. Customer service
standards would also be set, like a 30-day notice of program or
channel line-up changes, and notices to regulators of rate
increases. Cable operators like TCI that own part of cable
programmers like Turner Broadcasting System, could not deny their
programs to competitors, like direct broadcast satellite
companies, or discriminate on pricing.

The most controversial aspect of the bill is a provision giving
broadcasters the right to either demand that local cable systems
carry their programs free, or to negotiate for compensation. In
Atlanta, for instance, this would force local cable companies to
carry Channel 14, a UHF station not carried in most cable areas,
and could let the network affiliates like WSB negotiate to win
fees for re-transmission of their programming to cable customers.

Despite the large margins in both Houses -- the House passed the
bill 280-128 -- the bill still faces an uncertain future.
President Bush has promised a veto, and could suffer political
damage if he backs down from the threat. But, so far, no Bush
veto has been overridden, and the spectre of seeing this veto
overridden within one month of an election where the President
trails in the polls would be a severe blow.

The cable industry will continue its campaign against the bill,
hoping to give wavering Republicans the political "cover" to back
the President when the veto comes down. In addition, one of the
major backers of cable re-regulation is Sen. Albert Gore of
Tennessee, the Democratic candidate for Vice President. Gore has
threatened to use the veto directly on the campaign trail, and might
even re-appear on the Senate floor to fight for the override. The
Senate is covered regularly on C-SPAN II, a basic cable channel.

(Dana Blankenhorn/19920923)


(NEWS)(TELECOM)(ATL)(00019)

MCI Intros New Videoconferencing Service, Other Products 09/23/92
WASHINGTON, D.C., U.S.A., 1992 SEP 23 (NB) -- MCI announced MCI
International 64, a digital service that allows for
videoconferences between the US, Canada, Japan and the UK.

Other countries will be added, the company said. The 64,000
bit/second service could also be used for faxing,
images, modem transfers and other applications, at the user's
discretion. More importantly, the service is available on-demand,
like regular phone service. Between the US and Canada, the
service will be offered under ISDN standards, so more than one
application could be run off the line at once. Other links will
get the capability next year.

In other news from the US number-two long distance company, MCI
said it will buy the rest of MCI Services Marketing, which has
been using telemarketing to re-sell MCI services in conjunction
with Long Lines Ltd. of Iowa. The joint venture had 14 offices,
and had been run by Gerald H. Taylor, who heads the division of
the company offering the popular "Friends and Family" calling
plan.

Finally, MCI said it will add 220 jobs through next year in
Greenville, South Carolina, mainly to support Friends and Family.
Most of the new employees will be operators working in sales and
support functions. The move is yet another win for South
Carolina's efforts to turn its section of Interstate 85 into a
major route for industry -- earlier this year BMW of Germany
announced plans to build a car plant in Spartenburg. The
continuing industrial development success has made South Carolina
a Republican Party stronghold under Gov. Carroll Campbell --
President Bush is said to be leading in polls there. Campbell's
success could even turn him into Presidential timber if Arkansas
Governor Bill Clinton, who compiled a similar record in his
state, wins a landslide victory in next month's US elections.

(Dana Blankenhorn/19920923/Press Contact: Kate Fralin, MCI, 703-
415-6941)


(NEWS)(TELECOM)(ATL)(00020)

Brooktrout Wins Another OEM Deal 09/23/92
NEEDHAM, MASSACHUSETTS, U.S.A., 1992 SEP 23 (NB) -- Brooktrout
Technologies won yet another important OEM agreement for its fax-
on-demand technology when Ricoh agreed to market its fax and
voice servers.

Brooktrout spokesman Steve Ide said the company has done OEM
deals, in which another company puts its name on and sales effort
behind a product of another company, with Sharp, AT&T and other
companies on similar devices. He said the company has become
almost entirely an OEM supplier, after making some efforts in the
consumer marketplace when the consumer fax-modem market first
took off in the late 1980s. "Everything is being done by
Brooktrout -- design, hardware, software, etc. -- in Needham. The
only thing we send out, and is PC board stuffing, but that's done
by a firm in Lawrence, Massachusetts."

Ricoh, which has its US offices in New Jersey, will sell
Brooktrout's four-line fax-on-demand system under the agreement.
The system can hold either 2,000 or 5,000 documents. A follow-on
product, for delivery in 1993, will add integrate a variety of
voice and data technologies with the fax capability. Ricoh has a
major share of the office equipment market, selling through
office machine dealers. Eventually, Ricoh said in a press
statement it will offer branded products in all categories of fax
server products, from entry-level to high-end. Ricoh said the
market it's moving in will grow to $450 million by 1995, from $38
million in 1991, according to a study by BIS Strategic Decisions.

(Dana Blankenhorn/19920923/Press Contact: Steve Ide, Brooktrout
Technology, 617-449-4100)


(NEWS)(TELECOM)(ATL)(00021)

US Cellular Update 09/23/92
ATLANTA, GEORGIA, U.S.A., 1992 SEP 23 (NB) -- US cellular
companies have placed renewed investments in their networks, in
the wake of studies indicating fast growth should continue.

PacTel Cellular said it has expanded and improved its service in
Orange County's Santiago Canyon area, adding a new micro-cell
network along a 14-mile stretch of Santiago Canyon Road where
hills and fast-growth are making service hard to reach. The new
system features 24 small antennae on utility poles and a "zone
selector" which directs calls over fiber phone lines to the best
possible antenna without switching call channels or requiring
hand-offs which can also hamper service quality.

NYNEX and Rochester Telephone said they will combine their
systems in western New York into a "super-system" covering
Buffalo, Rochester, Syracuse, Utica-Rome and New York Rural
Service Area One, which includes Jefferson, St. Lawrence and
Lewis counties. The result, a 50-50 joint venture, will undergo
final negotiations for the next 90 days. Rochester Tel is the
main phone network for parts of western New York, while NYNEX
owns New York Telephone, which covers the bulk of the state.
Rochester Tel wants to use the agreement to increase its
penetration of the fast-growing cellular phone market.

Finally, the Motorola Nortel joint-venture between Motorola and
Northern Telecom got another major contract win, as Alltel said
it will upgrade its system with the company's equipment. Alltel
said it is among the 15 largest systems in the US, covering
parts of 8 states. The agreement includes a transition to digital
service under TDMA standards. The initial upgrades will occur
near Alltel's headquarters of Little Rock, Arkansas, which could
see a vast increase in system use if, as polls indicate, Governor
Bill Clinton wins US elections next month. Other switch
upgrades, scheduled for completion by the end of 1994, will take
place in Albany, Savannah, and Augusta, Georgia; Springfield,
Missouri; Montgomery, Alabama; Gainesville, Florida; Charlotte,
North Carolina, and Jackson, Mississippi.

(Dana Blankenhorn/19920923/Press Contact: Motorola Nortel, Mark
Buford, 214/301-8512; Alltel, Laura Newman, 501/661-8115; PacTel
Cellular, Bonnie Crail, 714/222-7914; NYNEX, Jim Gerace, 914/365-
7712; Rochester Tel Mobile, Robert O. Bailey, 716/777-8003)


(NEWS)(GOVT)(WAS)(00022)

Procurement Do-Nothing Congress? 09/23/92
WASHINGTON, DC, U.S.A., 1992 SEP 23 (NB) -- Despite the
enthusiasm seen in Congress earlier this year when it appeared
that there could be a major overhaul in the way federal agencies
made computer technology purchases, the prospects for any
significant legislative action are fading rapidly in these, the
final weeks of a major election year.

Both the Federal Telephone System FTS2000 and Representative John
Conyers' (Democrat, Mich.) H.R. 3161 procurement overhaul bill
appear to be casualties of opposing lobbyists and the general
confusion, partisan wrangling, and campaign-related anxieties of
the election.

Congress will adjourn on October 3rd unless it is held in session
a bit longer in an attempt to override the President's expected
veto of cable television re-regulation, and no action on H.R.
3161 is expected by that date - a final version of the bill
hasn't even emerged yet.

But even if a miracle happens and the bill got through the House,
it doesn't appear to be making much progress in the Senate and,
in any case, one of the most important features of the bill has
already been deleted from the House version.

One major goal of the bill was to make it easier to modify
existing contracts to allow the contracting agency to obtain the
latest technology.

The importance of that feature was reinforced by the recent
Desktop IV contract debacle, which saw yet another protest of a
purchase which began in May of 1991 and won't be completed for
years. Without a consistent way to upgrade purchases, agencies
could easily be forced to purchase computers which have long
since been discarded by the private business community.

Other Congressional inaction this year involves the attempt to
force federal agencies to make public data available to the
public directly through electronic means. The current practice is
to sell such data to private companies, which then republish the
information at considerable cost.

The much-protested FTS2000 federal telephone system is also under
attack by agencies and competing vendors, leading to the need for
legislation that would enforce its mandatory use in most of the
federal government. There appears to be little or no chance that
such legislation will be passed this year.

(John McCormick/19920923/)


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

Aldus Bundles Pagemaker, Freehand, Photostyler 09/23/92
SEATTLE, WASHINGTON, U.S.A., 1992 SEP 23 (NB) -- Aldus Corporation
says it will group its Windows applications Pagemaker, Freehand, and
Photostyler programs into a promotional bundle called Aldus
Publishing Showcase.

The company says Showcase will be available only in the US and
Canada during the fourth quarter of 1992. The combined package will
have a suggested retail price of $995, less than half the price of
the three programs purchased separately.

Pagemaker 4.0 is a page layout program; Freehand 3.1 is a design and
illustration tool; and Photostyler 1.1a is an image-processing
program that allows Windows users to enhance digitized photographic
images.

"The Publishing Showcase is a very aggressive attempt on our part to
give customers - ranging from business professionals to graphics
designers - an easy, cost-effective way to set up a complete
publishing environment running under Windows," says Mike Peronto,
Aldus USA sales director.

The company says in order to use Publishing Showcase, you will need
Windows 3.0 or later, and a 386 or 486-based PC, although the
programs will run on a 286-based machine. You'll also need 4MB of
RAM, an 80MB hard drive, high resolution graphics adapter card, and
a mouse. For professional image enhancement, a 24-bit color display
system and a Super VGA card or better is recommended.

Aldus says the bundle will start shipping October 1. The special
promotion ends December 31st. Users who purchase the standard
retail version of any one of the products bundled in the Showcase on
or after September 1st are eligible for a rebate coupon on the
purchase of one other Showcase product.

Aldus has had several disappointing quarters recently, blaming the
poor results at least partly on less than anticipated sales of its
Windows-based products. Undoubtedly the company hopes that Showcase
will help those sales. It is also in the middle of a lawsuit filed
by some of its stockholders, claiming that the company inflated its
growth projections and withheld information which affected the sale
of Aldus stock.

The company is expected to announce an upgrade to its flagship
product Pagemaker in early 1993.

(Jim Mallory/19920923/Press contact: Brad Stevens, Aldus
Corporation, 206-628-2361 Reader contact: Aldus Corporation,
206-628-2320)


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

Aldus Unveils New "Green" Product Packaging 09/23/92
SEATTLE, WASHINGTON,U.S.A., 1992 SEP 23 (NB) -- Aldus Corporation
unveiled a new package design for Freehand, Persuasion, and
Photostyler, which is environmentally more sound than previous
packaging, at Seybold Seminars 92 in San Francisco. The
company says the new packages will start appearing in retail outlets
by the end of this month.

Aldus spokesperson Jill Miller told Newsbytes that new packaging for
all Aldus products will make their appearance later this year and in
1993.

According to creative services manager, Ann Senechal, it took only six
months to research, design, and implement the packaging. Senechal
said the new designs also reduce the unit cost of production. The
new packaging uses cardboard packing materials instead of foam,
substitutes paper disk envelopes for plastic ones, and provides
manuals printed on uncoated paper stocks, demonstrating what
Senechal said is the company's commitment to environmental
sensitivity.

The company says the new packaging is being introduced to emphasize
its corporate strategy to market two distinct product lines - a
professional line for graphics professionals who require precision,
and a consumer line for customers who want value-priced, easy to use
graphics software. The consumer packaging was introduced in June
with the shipment of Intellidraw.

Aldus President Paul Brainerd says the new packaging represents a
dramatic change in the visual identity of Aldus and its professional
products. "The packaging demonstrates the design and technical
sophistication that can be achieved with desktop tools," said
Brainerd.

The new packaging was designed by the company's in-house creative
services department, from design and logotype to writing, layout, and
prepress production. Aldus said it also commissioned leading
illustrators to create the unique, product-specific images on the
front of each box, using Aldus products.

(Jim Mallory/19920923/Press contact: Jill Miller, Aldus Corporation,
206-628-2352; Reader contact: Aldus Corporation, 206-628-2320)


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

New For PC: Wordperfect Forms Package 09/23/92
OREM, UTAH, U.S.A., 1992 SEP 23 (NB) -- Wordperfect Corporation has
announced Wordperfect InForms 1.0, a new addition to its product
line.

InForms is a forms design tool to create and maintain electronic and
printed forms. Once designed, the company says the forms can be
stored on a LAN (local area network), printed, or distributed via
e-mail (electronic mail) on LANs or WANs (wide area networks) and
then filled in using the Wordperfect Informs Filler.

Other InForms features include data links to databases such as
dBase, Paradox, DataPerfect, Wordperfect Secondary Merge, ASCII, and
several SQL database servers. The company says InForms can serve as
a front end to any of those databases.

Also included is an object library to save and group individual
components of forms, and an enhanced security feature that utilizes
electronic signature technology to deter unauthorized attempts to
change form information. Arithmetic, date/time, financial, and
logical calculations are also supported, and one form can directly
access more than one database.

InForms product director, Royce Bybee, says most forms packages focus
on printed output. "With Wordperfect InForms, we will focus on the
electronic distribution of forms as well as printed output. The
product will have tight integration with the electronic mail
capabilities of Wordperfect Office." InForms will be shown at the
company's booth at Networld in Dallas.

InForms will run on a 286-based PC, but the company recommends a 386
machine. You'll also need 2MB of RAM, 5MB of hard disk space, EGA
or better graphics display, a mouse, DOS 3.1 or higher, and Windows
3.1.

(Jim Mallory/1920923/Press contact: Darin Richins, 801-228-5007, fax
801-228-5077)


(NEWS)(APPLE)(DEN)(00026)

 ****Aldus Readies "Fetch" For Macintosh: Digital Media Browser 09/23/92
SEATTLE, WASHINGTON, U.S.A., 1992 SEP 23 (NB) -- Aldus Corporation
announced at the Seybold Conference in San Francisco that
it will start shipping "Fetch" in the fourth quarter.

Fetch is a multiuser program for cataloging, browsing, and
retrieving images, animations, and sound files on the Apple
Macintosh. It's targeted at users in professional graphics workgroups
who purchase, create, and reuse art files and would like to catalog
them in a mixed-media database. Without a program such as Fetch, a
user would have to scroll through filenames or open and close
source applications to find a particular image, according to Aldus.

Fetch, which Aldus acquired from Anaheim, California-based Provident
Software in July, allows more than 100 users to simultaneously
browse through a visual catalog of their files, able to see each
image or movie as a thumbnail-sized picture. You can also hear what
each sound file sounds like.

"Currently, locating graphics files can sometimes take longer than
creating them," says Fetch product marketing manager, John Testament.
"With Fetch, production professionals will be able to catalog and
retrieve their files almost instantly, then view them without having
to launch other applications."

Fetch users can create a visual catalog of up to 32,000
digital-media files, including clip art, sounds, photo images,
presentations, and video clips. Files can be stored and retrieved
from anywhere on a network, and keywords and descriptions can be
added.

Aldus will catalog files in all standard Macintosh file formats, and
can recognize several proprietary formats from other Aldus products,
including Persuasion, Gallery Effects, Illustrator, PhotoShop, and
Multi-Ad Creator. Under Apple Computer's System 7 operating system,
users can add items to a catalog by dragging and dropping the file,
folder or volume icon over the Fetch application icon.

Aldus spokesperson Jill Miller told Newsbytes that Fetch will
support Kodak's recently announced Photo CD, which stores pictures
taken with conventional 35mm cameras on a compact disk. The images
can then be played on a TV or personal computer equipped with a
CD-ROM XA, CD-ROM CDI, or dedicated Photo CD player.

Fetch will have a suggested retail price of $295. Detailed
information about licenses for volume purchasers will be announced
when the product starts shipping in the fourth quarter. OEM
(original equipment manufacturer) versions of Fetch will also be
available for publishers of clip art, photo, QuickTime movies, and
sound clip collections.

Aldus will also run under Apple Computer's System 6.0.7. The
company recommends an Apple Macintosh SE/30, PowerBook 140 or 170,
II series, or Quadra; 5MB of RAM, and a hard drive. Minimum
configuration is a Mac Classic, SE, LC, or Power Book 100, 4MB of
RAM, and a hard drive.

(Jim Mallory/19920923/Press contact: Belinda Young, 206-386-8819;
Reader contact: Aldus Corporation, 206-628-5739)


(NEWS)(APPLE)(SFO)(00027)

 ****Sculley Outlines Apple's Publishing Future 09/23/92
SAN FRANCISCO, CALIFORNIA, U.S.A., 1992 SEP 23 (NB) -- Before
a packed audience at Seybold San Francisco, a computer publishing
conference, Apple Computer CEO John Sculley outlined his company's
plans for the next 2 years, including plans for high-end publishing
products.

Saying that Apple would engage in a "strategic thrust in high-
end publishing systems beginning in 1993," Sculley said Apple,
which started as a general purpose hardware company, is moving
into customizable systems -- "a software-driven transformation."
He promised that new technologies would be usable on the
current Macintosh models.

He said Apple technology is progressing from today's Macintosh,
Photo CDs, imaging applications and printers, to media servers
and media databases in the next 18 months. In 1993, he
specified, Apple will unveil new color scanners, color printers,
and media servers, capable of delivering not only data,
but video and sound to users. In 36 months, he promised, Apple
will unveil "compound document imaging systems" through Taligent,
a company Apple formed with IBM. Taligent, he said, is "well along in
its development." The compound document imaging systems being
created will support the IBM 80x86, RS6000, and PowerPC
platforms, he said.

He said the foundation technologies for the next few years on
the Apple platform include Quickdraw GX, which, among other
traits, will enable documents to be reproduced on any other Mac,
regardless of whether the receiving Macintosh has in it the
fonts in the document. Quickdraw GX is an imaging software
architecture that will be delivered next year as an extension
to the Macintosh System 7 operating system.

Other foundation elements, said the Apple chairman, will be
Worldscript, OCE -- a communications function for use of
e-mail and faxing within documents, Quicktime, and Applescript
-- a coming software capability which will allow the user to
automate routine applications and may herald the "intelligent
agent" Sculley has and others have been touting for several years.

The appearance by Sculley also featured free Apple Font Packs on
every show-goer's chair in the auditorium at San Francisco's
Moscone Center. The new font packs offer 25 new Truetype
fonts and will go on sale at the retail level October 7 at
a suggested retail price of $99.

(Wendy Woods/19920923)


(NEWS)(TRENDS)(SFO)(00028)

 ****Seybold Himself Offers Glimpse Of Future 09/23/92
SAN FRANCISCO, CALIFORNIA, U.S.A., 1992 SEP 23 (NB) -- Offering
a rare speech himself, after years of moderating and hosting
others at his Seybold Seminars, Jonathan Seybold outlined the
trends he sees shaping the publishing industry and communication
in general during the 90s.

Seybold, speaking at a keynote session of the Seybold San
Francisco event, said that the distinction between office publishing
and the publishing industry no longer exists -- "We have
bridged the gap," he declared, adding that over time, "quality
keeps ratcheting up."

As new technologies double the power of PCs every 18 months,
the challenges and opportunities Seybold foresees include
the integration of digital technologies. Computing, publishing,
entertainments, communication, and consumer electronics, will
all produce digital data, and "we will need to separate content
from the carrier." The medium will allow video, images, text,
and functions to be copied, moved around, and interchanged,
creating a new challenge for copyrights, not to mention
delivery of these properties.

"A digital communication infrastructure is essential to this," he
stressed. Cable, telephony, broadcast, satellite, wireless
communication, "will determine what we can and cannot do." He
argued that "most of the people doing this haven't a clue
as to the implications of all this. And that's frightening."

He said digital video will especially be prevalent -- video
in all kinds of documents, as well as movies-on-demand, interactive
TV, and movies on compact disc.

In 9 years, he said, we will have a 32-fold increase in computing
power. Networks will be transparent, "mainframes are dead," he
predicted. We will have powerful hand-held devices and super smart
cards. Agents, pen and gesture user interfaces, virtual reality,
and 2d and 3-d imagery will be commonplace ways of interacting
with data, Seybold suggested.

The challenge for companies creating publishing technology in
the immediate future, he said, include mobile fonts that will
appear in documents no matter what hardware a document is printed
from, improvements in color images with systems based on
open systems standards, multiuser publishing systems, and
a move beyond "shrink wrapped" software into more customizable
applications -- moves, interestingly enough, that Apple CEO
John Sculley discussed in Apple's future at his speech following
Seybold's.

Seybold said this will be the most exciting decade since he entered
the computer business in the 60s, but stressed that the changes
he outlined will "take at least a decade. Those who participate
will shape the future. Those who do not may be blindsided."

(Wendy Woods/19920923)


(NEWS)(APPLE)(SFO)(00029)

Adobe/Apple Exchange Font Technology 09/23/92
SAN FRANCISCO, CALIFORNIA, U.S.A., 192 SEP 23 (NB) -- Apple and
Adobe used the venue of the Seybold San Francisco publishing
event to unveil a new alliance based on competing font
technologies.

The alliance calls for Apple Computer Quickdraw GX to support
Type 1 font scaling technology from Adobe, while Adobe will have
Quickdraw GX-savvy tupefaces. Sculley called the alliance
"an important message of cooperation" between the two companies.

Users would be able to use both Type 1 or Truetype fonts in their
documents when created with products from either company.

QuickDraw GX is Apple's new imaging software architecture that
will be delivered next year as an extension to the Macintosh
System 7 operating system. QuickDraw GX will provide new graphics
and typographic capabilities for Macintosh-based applications.
With QuickDraw GX, customers will be able to create documents
with a variety of new "looks."

(Wendy Woods/19920923/Press Contact: Apple, Jackie Promes,
408/974-3609)


(NEWS)(BUSINESS)(LON)(00030)

3Com Opens Irish Plant 09/23/92
DUBLIN, IRELAND, 1992 SEP 23 (NB) -- 3Com has opened its first
European manufacturing facility in Dublin, Ireland. The
Blanchardstown factory, which reportedly cost the company IRL 10
million ($16.5 million) to build and get up and running, is
3Com's first outside of the US.

Plans are in hand for the factory, which has been designed to
manufacture 3Com's network adapter cards, to employ 175 staff
within the next four years, by which time the 60,000 square foot
facility will be fully operational.

"The latest equipment and production techniques have been
incorporated into the facility. This means high product
throughput at exceptional quality levels ensuring rapid access to
3Com products throughout Europe," explained Donal Connell, 3Com
Ireland's general manager.

"Although the plant was designed specifically to build our
network adapter cards, the plant can be readily expanded to cope
with extra demand and, if necessary, 3Com's internetworking
products can be added to the production list," he said.

According to 3Com, being able to build the plant to their own
design has allowed the designers -- Studios Architecture of San
Francisco -- to build an environmentally favorable factory.

So why the decision to locate in Ireland? Like so many other
companies before it, 3Com was swayed by the Irish Government's
favorable tax breaks on companies siting their operations in the
country. In addition, Ireland has a ready source of skilled
labor for the plant.

(Steve Gold/19920923)