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Text File | 1992-10-21 | 69KB | 1,487 lines

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

Artisoft, NCR, Solectek Sign LAN Pact 10/21/92
TUCSON, ARIZONA, U.S.A., 1992 OCT 21 (NB) -- Artisoft, Solectek, and
NCR have signed an agreement to share the knowledge necessary to
develop software drivers for their wireless interface adapters for
Artisoft's LANtastic.

While the agreements are signed, Newsbytes has learned that the
earliest any of the companies are expecting to have products is
in the first quarter of 1993. Newsbytes has also learned that
discussions have started between Artisoft and Proxim aimed
at reaching the exact same kind of agreement.

(Naor Wallach/19921020/Press Contact: Joe Stunkard, Artisoft, 602-
690-3231/Public Contact: Artisoft, 602-293-4000)


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

Firefox Enter US Market With Novix For Netware 10/21/92
KIRKLAND, WASHINGTON, U.S.A., 1992 OCT 21 (NB) -- Firefox, a UK-
based company taking its products to the US market, has opened
offices in the US and has attracted Victor Woodward from Spry
to head its US operations. The company is taking advantage of
the NetWorld and InterOp shows to introduce its first products
in the US.

Firefox will be showing Novix for Netware at its booth at the
InterOp show. Novix for Netware is a set of software modules that
run on the Novell server and give Novell users access to TCP/IP
hosts and services. This is a different approach than that used by
many other companies which have produced TCP/IP protocol stacks that
run on individual PCs.

Firefox claims there are distinct advantages to its server-
based approach. For instance, there is no need to install a protocol
stack on each PC with its heavy use of memory and installation
resources. Other advantages include the ability to completely manage,
administer, and support all of users from the central server. Without
Novix, the network administrator has to take time on each PC to
perform assigned management tasks. This can interfere with normal
operations for the user and can become somewhat of a problem.
By using Firefox's approach, the inconvenience is eliminated.

Novix for Netware will be available in November. Firefox is
establishing sales and support channels for their products. Most of
the company's participation at NetWorld was geared toward
identifying and recruiting qualified resellers. At the InterOp show,
they hope to concentrate on selling the product.

Novix for Netware is shipping already in the UK. Newsbytes
has learned that there are at least 200 server installation already
operating in the UK. Licenses are sold in quantities of 5, 10, 20,
40, 60, 80, and 100 users so that network administrators can match
their exact configuration needs. These licenses are for simultaneous
users. The server downloads the necessary code resources to the
nodes and keeps track of how many are in use at any one time. Should
the number of licenses be exceeded, the user will get a message
telling them of the unavailability of the channel and will be urged
to try again later. A 5-user license will sell for $500.

(Naor Wallach/19921020/Press Contact: Victor Woodward, Firefox, 206-
827-9066/Public Contact: Firefox, 206-827-9066)


(NEWS)(GENERAL)(LAX)(00003)

Wordstar Offers Jokes, Writing Bundles 10/21/92
NOVATO, CALIFORNIA, U.S.A., 1992 OCT 21 (NB) -- Wordstar is
offering a new twist on its traditional writing products with
a collection of jokes, a bundle of seven writing tools, and a bundle
of three writing applications with a rock music compact disc
included. Wordstar calls the new packages Just Joking, The Works
for Writing, and Rock and Write.

Just Joking offers 2,800 jokes, one-liners and humorous
quotations from contemporary comedians and famous personalities
from the past, according to Wordstar. The collection is drawn
from "The Comedy Quote Dictionary," by Ronald L. Smith, and
"Friendly Advice," by Jon Winokur and is cross-referenced so a
search for a writer or a subject can be accomplished, Wordstar
maintains. A cut and paste operation can be used to insert the
joke or quote into any document, the company added.

While the product is available for the Macintosh, DOS and
Windows, the Windows and Macintosh versions offer the user the
ability to add their own jokes or quotes to the collection,
Wordstar said. Just Joking is retail priced at $49, the company
added.

Works for Writing is geared toward the DOS personal computer
(PC) market and includes WordStar for DOS 7.0; the American
Heritage Dictionary; Correct Grammar; Correct Writing; Correct
Letters; Correct Quotes, and graphics program PC Paintbrush IV
Plus. Wordstar says purchase of each package separately would
be valued at over $1,000, but the company is offering the
bundle for $495.

The Rock and Write bundle offers Correct Letters, Correct
Writing, and Correct Quotes with a CD of music from popular
female vocalists such as Sheena Easton and Tina Turner.
Wordstar says the bundle is retail priced at $49.

(Linda Rohrbough/19921020/Press Contact: Kathleen Raycraft,
McLean Public Relations for Wordstar, tel [phone], fax
415-377-0325; Public Contact 800-523-3520)


(NEWS)(IBM)(SFO)(00004)

Radius Cuts Price On MultiView 24 PC Graphics Card 10/21/92
SAN JOSE, CALIFORNIA, U.S.A., 1992 OCT 21 (NB) -- Hoping to
take advantage of the enormous popularity of Windows-based
PCs and the need for accelerated graphics capabilities, Radius
has cut the price of its MultiView 24 color graphics board for
IBM PCs and compatibles running Windows.

According to the company, the 24-bit MultiView 24 offers
advanced Windows drivers, photo-realistic color, and now
carries a suggested list price of $1,499. In addition, it comes
with a full seven-year warranty.

Designed for professionals in the color publishing, graphic design
and presentation markets, the MultiView 24 supports 16.8 million
colors and features three on-board accelerators. It also offers
1024 by 768 non-interlaced resolution and refresh rates of up to
75 hertz (Hz).

The board supports ISA (Industry Standard Architecture), EISA
(Extended ISA), and compatible computers with 386SX or faster
CPUs (central processing units). It drives monitors capable of
1024 by 768 non-interlaced and interlaced resolution.

Two weeks ago Newsbytes reported that Radius had signed a
deal with IBM, in which Radius will manufacture AT Bus XGA-2
graphics cards for IBM to resell through its sales channels in
Europe. Part of the agreement calls for IBM to recommend the
Radius product for sales in North America.

In September Newsbytes reported that stockholders had filed a
class action suit against the company, and that then President
and Chief Executive Officer Barry James Folsom had resigned.

Also in September Radius introduced the Radius PrecisionColor
Matching System (PCMS), intended to provide accurate color
proofing and monitor calibration capabilities for Macintosh
users.

(Ian Stokell/19921020/Press Contact: James Strohecker,
Radius Inc., 408-954-6828)


(NEWS)(BUSINESS)(SFO)(00005)

Sun & OEMs Choose Seagate Drives 10/21/92
SCOTTS VALLEY, CALIFORNIA, U.S.A., 1992 OCT 21 (NB) -- Seagate
Technology is having some success in getting major computer
manufacturers to use its hard drives. The company now says that
its Elite 2 product has been selected by Sun Microsystems for use
in its high-end multiprocessor servers. At the same time, major
OEMs (original equipment manufacturers) such as NEC, Texas
Instruments, and Commodore have selected Seagate's ST9144
hard disc drives for use in their new notebook computers.

According to the company, the Elite 2 features an 11.5
millisecond average seek time with a data transfer rate of 10
megabytes (MB) per second. It also provides 2.5 gigabytes (GB)
of unformatted storage capacity with either a single-ended or
differential SCSI (Small Computer System Interface)-2
interface.

According to Seagate, Sun will continue to use the Elite 1 in its
"first-generation of general purpose multiprocessor servers."

Bernie Carballo, Seagate's senior vice president of product line
management and marketing, said: "Both companies are pleased
with the results that the strategic relationship has yielded with
the introduction of the Elite 2."

According to Seagate, the 2.5-inch low-profile ST9144 line,
available with an embedded AT interface, offers high shock
resistance and maximum capacity of 127 MB.

NEC has selected the 42MB ST9052A as the hard drive for its
PC-9801 ns/L40 notebook computer. Texas Instruments has
adopted the ST9144A for use in its TravelMate 4000 25
megahertz (MHz) WinSx/25 and WinDx/25 notebooks. Commodore
is using the dive in its Amiga 600 home entertainment system.

Seagate has been in the news a couple of time already this month.
At the beginning of October, Newsbytes reported that the company
had shipped its first hard disk drive with magnetoresistive (MR)
heads to an OEM (original equipment manufacturer) for technical
evaluation.

In mid-October the company claimed that it was the first to
bundle compression software with its hardware. This involves
the bundling of a special version of Addstor's Superstor product,
Superstor Personal Edition (PE), with its 40 megabyte (MB)
ST351A/X hard disk drive.

In April, Newsbytes reported that Seagate had signed an
agreement with Microsoft that allowed it to preload MS-DOS
and Windows 3.1 onto its hard disks. The agreement was
reported to be the first time a hard disk manufacturer had
made this type of agreement with Microsoft or any operating
system supplier. These arrangements are more common with
OEMs.

(Ian Stokell/19921016/Press Contact: Brian P. Ziel, 408-439-
2838, Seagate Technology)


(NEWS)(IBM)(BOS)(00006)

New Grid Color Notebook 10/21/92
FREMONT, CALIFORNIA, U.S.A., 1992 OCT 21 (NB) -- GRiD has announced
its first color notebook, a 6.9-pound, 25 MHz 386SL-based PC
oriented to on-the-road presentations as well as desktop use.

In an interview with Newsbytes, Bett Cook, product manager, said
that the GRiD 1660c comes standard with a 125 MB hard disk and 64
KB cache memory, plus 4 MB of RAM. Unlike many other notebooks,
the new computer provides simultaneous internal and external video
support, she emphasized.

The same application can be run simultaneously on the notebook's
built-in active matrix color screen and on a larger external
monitor, connected to the PC through the VGA port, according to
Cook. "This feature permits the person controlling the
presentation to view the application at close hand, while at the
same time displaying the show to a wider audience," she explained.

The 8.4-inch screen that comes with the notebook offers a clear
viewing angle of almost 180 degrees, Cook told Newsbytes. The
screen displays 16 colors at 640 by 480 resolution, or 256 colors
at 320 by 200 resolution.

The active matrix technology used in the screen provides maximum
contrast and prevents shadowing by supplying a separate transistor
for each pixel, the product manager said. The user can choose
between three brightness settings, achieving ultimate crispness at
the highest level and power savings of up to 20% at the lowest
level, she maintained.

Other power management features are also helpful when on the road,
added Cook. Through a resume/suspend capability, the notebook can
automatically shut down its components when not in use. Then, when
called upon again, the computer will return to where the user left
off in the application.

The 1660c is also equipped with a 3.5-inch floppy disk drive, a
built-in trackball, MS-DOS 5.0, Windows 3.1, and an internal
removable/rechargable nickel metal hydride battery pack.

A built-in 200-pin AT bus provides connectivity to an optional
docking station. Used by GRiD's previously released 1660
monochrome notebook, as well as by the new color portable, the
docking station supports one full-length 16-bit and one half-length
AT card.

Other options for the GRiD 1660c include a 25 MHz 80387SL math co-
processor and a proprietary 2400/9600 bps data/fax modem with MNP5.

Memory of the machine is initially upgradable to 8 MB, and will be
upgradable to 20 MB by January of 1993, according to GRiD. "The
1660c will probably starting shipping this week," Cook told
Newsbytes. GRiD's first color notebook is priced at $4,495.

(Jacqueline Emigh/19921020; Press contact: Kathy Truesdell, GRiD,
817-491-5200)


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

$349 Bundle Lets PC Users Try Pen Computing 10/21/92
PALO ALTO, CALIFORNIA, U.S.A., 1992 OCT 21 (NB) -- Mouse
Systems, manufacturers of the Penmate desktop "work pad," says
it is offering Microsoft's Pen Windows and pen-based
spreadsheet product Pencell Lite for Windows as a bundle with
the company's Penmate product.

Mouse Systems is hoping the $349 retail price of the bundle
will prompt potential users to try pen computing. Penmate
connects to the serial port and will work with any PC with a
286, 386, or 486 microprocessor and Pen Windows installed,
Mouse said. A special pen stylus allows the user to input
commands to the computer by making special gestures or writing
on the "work pad," the company said.

The Pencell Lite, bundled with the Penmate hardware, offers
much of the functionality of the standard Pencell spreadsheet
product, according to developer Penware. Penware says Pencell
takes advantage of the pen as a pointing/selecting device and
also allows users direct manipulation of the spreadsheet. Drag
and drop of cells, delete, copy, and sum operations can all be
done with the pen directly. Also, the pen can be used as
"electronic ink" so notations can be made on the spreadsheet in
the users own had that are not interpreted into ASCII
characters or commands, but just appear on the spreadsheet each
time it is viewed.

Pencell Lite is missing macro support, support for Microsoft
Excel file formats, and the ability to handle larger
spreadsheets, but the company provides a coupon for a
discounted upgrade for interested users.

Fremont, California-based Mouse Systems describes itself as a
leading supplier of input devices for computers. Penware,
located in Palo Alto, California offers application software
for pen-based computer systems.

(Linda Rohrbough/19921020/Press Contact: Tom Nunan, Penware,
tel [phone], fax [phone]; Lara Kaplinsky, Mouse
Systems, 408-727-0351)


(NEWS)(IBM)(MOW)(00008)

New For PC: Russian Language Tools 10/21/92
MOSCOW, RUSSIA, 1992 OCT 21 (NB) -- Informatic, a language
tools company exhibiting at the Softool exhibition in Moscow last week,
reported that two new programs, including a new version of its
Orpho spelling checker program, have been released.

Natalia Artemova, the manager of Informatic, said the spelling checker
will work under Microsoft Windows and has an improved user interface,
a larger upgradable dictionary, and will be able to check style,
hyphenation, as well as regular spelling.

Another product in the works is Context, which the firm
bills as bidirectinal computerized dictionaries that simplify the
process of translating text between various languages.

A third product, still in development, is a full text search
utility, which will allow keyword searching of Russian words in
plain text files.

Natalia Artemova said Orpho and Context are immediately available
and the price is "reasonable."

Informatic is a private company established in 1988 to develop
Russian language software.

(Kirill Tchashchin & Vladimir Shliemin/19921020/Press Contact:
Informatic,Natalia Artemova, phone [phone])


(NEWS)(BUSINESS)(MOW)(00009)

Russia: Microinform, Others, Offer Amnesty, Sells To Govt 10/21/92
MOSCOW, RUSSIA, 1992 OCT 21 (NB) -- Microinform, the developer and
distributor of Lexicon, a popular Russian-made word processing
package, has declared amnesty for all owners of illegal copies of
the program. Microinform has also scored a software sale to the
Russian government.

Lexicon, in wide used but seldom bought, would be supported under
the amnesty program, plus those who signed up would also get
15% off the price of newer versions. Microinform claims the "amnesty"
program is already quite popular.

Amnesty isn't unique to Microinform. Autodesk Russia, which sells
AutoCAD, a popular design package, says "amnesty" is available for
10,000 rubles (US$30), while the "upgrade price" on newer versions
is set at the 90,000 rubles level (US$270) for those purchasing amnesty.

Novell said it will provide regular service and support for owners of
illegal copies who pay 50% of the regular price, which is somewhat in
the US$1500 range, or 1,500,000 rubles.

In other Microinform news, the office of Russian President Boris
Yeltsin has bought 100 copies of Lexicon and plans to use them in
offices of the President's representatives in various regions,
according to an announcement made by Boris Friedman, Microinform's
general manager.

More than hundred local representatives of the President have been
appointed, and most of their offices have more than one computer.

(Kirill Tchashchin & Vladimir Shliemin/19921020/Press Contact:
Microinform, Boris Friedman, phone [phone])


(NEWS)(BUSINESS)(MOW)(00010)

Ovsen Builds Bridge Between Russia And Ukraine 10/21/92
MOSCOW, RUSSIA, 1992 OCT 21 (NB) -- Ovsen, a private company, has
entered a partnership agreement with the Ukrainian state software
certification center to promote Russian-made software in Ukraine
and vise versa.

Ovsen and SoftRating agreed to both use each others' existing
dealership networks and to protect intellectual property rights of
authors, Sergey Savvinov, marketing chief of Ovsen told Newsbytes.

As an example of the cooperation, Savinov quoted Moscow-based
Argumenty and Fakty, a weekly claimed to have the world's largest
circulation. Savinov said the weekly publication has decided to
use the service of Ukrainian software developers in creating
an internal subscription database.

(Kirill Tchashchin & Vladimir Shliemin/19921020/Press Contact: Ovsen,
phone [phone]; e-mail: [e-mail])


(NEWS)(BUSINESS)(DEN)(00011)

Aldus 3Q Revenues Up, Earnings Down 10/21/92
SEATTLE, WASHINGTON, U.S.A., 1992 OCT 21 (NB) -- Desktop publishing
firm Aldus Corporation announced its third quarter results
yesterday, reporting third quarter revenues up 12 percent, but
earnings were down a whopping 80 percent.

The company reported revenue of $45.3 million, up from the $40.3
million reported for the 1991 third quarter. However net income for
the period was only $1 million, or $0.07 per share, compared with
$5.5 million, or $0.35 per share for the same quarter last year. "We
still have some work to do to get the figures in line," Aldus
spokesperson Brad Stevens told Newsbytes.

The company said international revenues accounted for slightly more
than half of total sales during the quarter. "We are pleased that
revenues improved from the second quarter in light of continued
recessionary conditions and seasonally slower markets in Europe," said
Aldus VP of Finance Bill McAleer. He said the revenue increase was
related to improved results from the company's German subsidiary and
record sales from the Pacific Rim division, particularly Japan.

Operating costs were up from the previous year, with sales and
marketing costs reported at $18.7 million, compared to just under
$13.6 million the previous year. Research and development costs
were up, from $3.3 million to $4.7 million. The company also took a
one time $1.4 million charge which included domestic restructuring
costs, reserves for obsolete product inventory, and costs incurred
in establishing the company's Ireland subsidiary. The company
laid off 100 employees during the period.

Aldus doesn't talk about future financial projections, but in the
fourth quarter last year the company reported increased revenues but
reduced earnings. Earnings were $4.5 million, of $0.29 per share.
This year's second quarter was a disappointing one, with Aldus
reporting the fourth straight poor earnings quarter.

With Pagemaker reaching the end of its product cycle, Aldus is
expected to release a major upgrade to its flagship product, a
popular desktop publishing program. Stevens told Newsbytes the
upgrade will incorporate some specific features requested by
professional users. Those will include incremental rotation of
images (image rotation of any user-specified number of degrees), the
ability to open multiple publications simultaneously, and what
Stevens described to Newsbytes as "significantly" faster printing.
Stevens declined to specify the version number of the Pagemaker
update, but industry watchers speculate that it will be release 5.0.

Asked about other new products, Stevens declined to be specific, but
said the company is working on upgrades on all its major products.

Aldus announced two new products during the period, Fetch, a
multi-user program for cataloging, browsing and retrieving images;
and TrapWise, a color trapping product for use in the pre-press
process. As reported by Newsbytes, the Aldus board of directors had
authorized a share buyback program of up to two million shares. So
far, the company has re-purchased 1.2 million shares.

(Jim Mallory/19921021/Press contact: Brad Stevens, Aldus
Corporation, 206-628-2361; Reader contact: Aldus Corporation,
206-622-5500)


(NEWS)(GOVT)(TOR)(00012)

IBM Suing Over Modified Circuit Boards 10/21/92
WHITE PLAINS, NEW YORK, U.S.A., 1992 OCT 21 (NB) -- IBM is suing
several companies for allegedly selling illegally modified IBM
products and bootleg IBM software. In documents filed in US
District Court in Charlotte, North Carolina, IBM accused the
companies of selling counterfeit circuit cards for IBM 3174
Establishment Controllers, along with copied IBM internal code.

IBM spokesman Clifton Scott said the companies modified IBM circuit
boards "to make them do things they weren't designed for."
According to IBM, the accused then attached fake part numbers and
labels to the cards and software to make them resemble genuine IBM
products.

The suit alleges that in the course of modifying the cards, the
defendants subjected them to damaging heat, chemicals, and physical
processes, resulting in latent defects that can cause customers'
computer systems to fail.

The companies named in the suits are: American Data Company of
Charlotte, North Carolina; Brookwood Computer Industries of
Alpharetta, Georgia; Classicblue Computer Services of Randolph, New
Jersey; Com-Gear Unlimited and Computer System Services, both of
Canton, Georgia; Five Star Computer Services of Carrollton, Texas;
and Savon Systems of East Setauket, New York.

Principals of some of the companies were also named as defendants.

IBM is seeking temporary and permanent injunctions to stop the
companies selling the hardware and software, as well as unspecified
monetary damages from the seven corporate and five individual
defendants.

IBM officials said the company is continuing to investigate other
third parties who may be involved in similar activities.

The 3174 Establishment Controller is used in computer networks for
applications such as airline reservations, patient information
systems in hospitals, and electronic banking.

(Grant Buckler/19921021/Press Contact: Ed Trapasso, IBM,
914-642-5359; Clifton Scott, IBM, 914-642-5457)


(NEWS)(IBM)(DEN)(00013)

 ****Compaq Doing Well, Says Price Wars Will Continue 10/21/92
HOUSTON, TEXAS, U.S.A., 1992 OCT 21 (NB) -- Compaq Computer
Corporation President Eckhard Pfeiffer told Reuters yesterday that
he doesn't think the personal computer price wars will be over in
1993. "We are prepared for that," Pfeiffer told the British news
agency. "We will be seeing very intensive price fights at the very
entry level."

Pfeiffer declined to predict when the price wars would end. In
contrast to Pfeiffer's comments, Dell Computer Chairman Michael Dell
said in late September he believed the price cuts were over. Dell
told analysts that the personal computer market is now so strong
that he sees no need for further PC price cuts. According to Dell,
"We are overwhelmed with demand, so if we lowered prices it would be
like a self-inflicted wound."

Pfeiffer told Reuters it's not important when price cuts among PC
makers end "because the goals we are setting are independent of
that." He said cost leadership is essential for good times and for
bad times. "The most cost efficient manufacturers will become the
industry leaders," according to Pfeiffer. He predicts that system
prices are tied to the cost of microprocessor chips, with the
prices of 386 and 486-based systems will continuing to drop just as
the prices of 286-based systems did as those chip prices fell.

Intel is expected to introduce its next generation chip, the Pentium,
in early 1993. Until now the chip has been referred to by its
development code name, P5, and frequently referred to as the "586."
However, Intel decided not to use the generic number system in order
that it could copyright the name, and conducted an extensive
campaign both within the company and from without before deciding on
Pentium.

The company had no comment about rumors that it would demonstrate a
PC running Pentium at next month's COMDEX trade show in Las Vegas.
Comdex is traditionally the place where many companies introduce new
products. Nor would Compaq had no comment on fourth quarter
projections, but according to Pfeiffer "We are bringing out new
products as fast as production permits."

Meanwhile, Compaq reported a strong third quarter, in stark contrast
to the company's earnings for the same period last year.

Compaq said it earned $49 million on sales of a record $1.07
billion. For the same period last year the company reported a loss
of $70 million on sales of $709 million last year. Both third
quarters were affected by restructuring and other special charges
and credits.

Compaq President and CEO Eckhard Pfeiffer said record product
shipments during the third quarter "are customer affirmation of the
strategy we put in place just one year ago to lead the industry in PC
technology, price competitiveness and customer support." It was a
year ago that the Compaq board of directors ousted president and
co-founder Rod Canion, saying it was time for a change. The board
felt that Pfeiffer's experience in sales, marketing and
manufacturing, was what the company needed. It cost Compaq $3.6
million to remove Canion.

Earlier this week, Newsbytes reported that Compaq had cut prices on
13 of its desktop and portable personal computers. Earlier this
month the company issued pink slips to about 1,000 employees, or 10
percent of its worldwide work force. Compaq had reduced its work
force by 1,400 employees earlier.

(Jim Mallory/19921021/Press contact: John Sweney, Compaq,
713-374-4583)


(NEWS)(APPLE)(DEN)(00014)

New For Macintosh: Fifth Generation Maintenance/Recovery 10/21/92
BATON ROUGE, LOUISIANA, U.S.A., 1992 OCT 21 (NB) -- Fifth
Generation Systems (FGS) says it is now shipping Public Utilities,
a preventive maintenance and recovery software program that runs on
Apple Computer's Macintosh line.

According to Barry Bellue Sr., FGS president and CEO, Public
Utilities can help users of all levels protect against and recover
from potentially damaging disk problems. "It is the only product on
the market that works transparently to prevent most common disk and
data corruption problems from happening," says Bellue.

The program periodically scans the user's hard disks in the
background, doing its work when the processor is idle, to find
potential problems. Once a problem is noted, the program displays a
message on the user's screen, and can also make recommendations
about how to fix the problem. The user can also set up Public
Utilities to scan for problems when the computer is turned on or at
shutdown. Similar to another FGS program, Fastback, the program can
be installed for the novice or for more experienced users.

FGS spokesperson John Crowe told Newsbytes Public Utilities scans
for such problems as damaged partition maps, drivers and driver
maps, and problems in the System Folder. It also checks for bad
blocks and scans all disks and/or partitions in a single operation.
The program also optimizes disks, defragmenting files and relocating
them for maximum disk performance. Deleted files can be removed
after optimization.

The $149 program is compatible with System 6.0.2 and higher,
including System 7. FGS recommends the minimum system configuration
include a Mac Plus with megabyte of system memory.

(Jim Mallory/19921021/Press contact: John Crowe, Miller
Communications for FGS, 310-822-4669)


(NEWS)(GENERAL)(SFO)(00015)

OnTime For Networks To Use Banyan Vines 10/21/92
SOUTHFIELD, MICHIGAN, U.S.A., 1992 OCT 21 (NB) -- Campbell Services
has chosen the develop the enterprise network version of its
OnTime for Networks using Banyan Vines as the basic network
operating system. OnTime for Networks is Campbell's group
calendaring and scheduling software.

Campbell has chosen Banyan Vines primarily because StreetTalk
and the Vines transport protocols are the most robust designs in
existence today and the ones that meet Campbell's goal to support
large enterprise networks, the company says.

Campbell's Anik Ganguly told Newsbytes that the company is
convinced that group scheduling and calendaring must be done
in real time since delays inherent in a store-and-forward operation
would be a major detriment to the use of such a program.
Being able to use the Vines real-time transport facility
in conjunction with StreetTalk lets Campbell's OnTime for Networks
operate in real-time. Most scheduling takes place in a time span of
a few minutes, regardless of the size of the enterprise or its
dispersion.

Campbell also announced support for the ENS for Netware product
that Banyan recently introduced.

A final factor in the decision to go with Vines as the network
operating system was customer demand. Campbell found that most of
their customers who are interested in an enterprise-wide system
were Vines users, or, at least, were asking for Vines compatibility.

Campbell has begun development of this new product, which is
not an upgrade to their existing line. Campbell expects to begin
shipments of it in early 1993.

(Naor Wallach/19921021/Press Contact: Don Campbell, Campbell
Services, 313-559-5955/Public Contact: Campbell Services, 313-559-
5955)


(NEWS)(GENERAL)(SFO)(00016)

New For Networks: Accton's 2 New Components For Hub 10/21/92
FREMONT, CALIFORNIA, U.S.A., 1992 OCT 21 (NB) -- Accton Technology
will introduce two new stackable modules for its hub system
at the InterOp show that will be held next week. The two new
modules will provide either 6 ports for fiber optic connections or
8 ports of thin Ethernet.

The Accton stackable hub concept is somewhat unique in that it does
not provide a hub with modules that plug into slots. What Accton
does is sell different modules that are essentially stand-alone hubs.
If a customer exceeds the capabilities of a single module, they add
another and connect the hubs together. The Accton system can support
up to 14 hubs connected together.

In addition to hubs that support different amounts of ports and
different wiring types, Accton also makes a module that provides
management capabilities. This module gives complete SNMP management
capabilities to the overall system.

The EtherHub-6FI contains 6 pairs of ST-type connectors. It will
retail for $2395. The EtherHub-8Ci is an 8 port devices with BNC
connectors. The EtherHub-8Ci will retail for $2295. Both units will
begin shipping on December 7.

(Naor Wallach/19921021/Press Contact: Tom Woolf, Woolf Media Relations
for Accton, 415-508-1554/Public Contact: Accton, 510-226-9800)


(NEWS)(BUSINESS)(SFO)(00017)

 ****LSI Logic Posts Huge Loss 10/21/92
MILPITAS, CALIFORNIA, U.S.A., 1992 OCT 21 (NB) -- As expected,
semiconductor manufacturer LSI Logic has posted a third-quarter
loss of $111 million, after taking a restructuring charge of $102
million.

LSI revenues were $154 million, down nearly 11 percent from
revenues of $172 million in the like period last year. In the
year-ago quarter, earnings were $804,000, or 2 cents a share.

As reported previously by Newsbytes, the restructuring charge
will be used to cover the cost of closing a production plant in
Braunschweig, Germany, during the next six months, shifting
some production from the Silicon Valley to the Far East in the
next 18 months, and reducing the company's Headland Technology
subsidiary in Fremont to a division that will be run out of its
headquarters. The charge will also be used to dismiss 175
employees, or four percent of its work force.

At that time, Wilfred J. Corrigan, LSI's chairman and chief
executive, said: "The reality is that our cost structure is out of
line with the current level of revenues and we are compelled to
reduce costs, and do it quickly."

The quarterly loss will come to more than $2 per share. Last
quarter, LSI reportedly lost $5.8 million on revenues of $152
million. The operating loss in the quarter, without the
restructuring charge was $3 million, compared to an operating
profit of $4 million in the third quarter a year ago.

Said Corrigan: "Excess manufacturing capacity combined with
a fiercely competitive chipset market had the effect of
overshadowing the true results of the ASIC (application
specific integrated circuit) business. With the financial
restructuring behind us, LSI Logic now expects to return to
profitability in the fourth quarter of 1992."

For the nine months ended Sept. 30, LSI lost $116 million,
compared with earnings of $7.4 million, or 17 cents a share, in
the year-ago period. Revenues were $456.3 million, compared
with $533.6 million.

According to the company, additional ways to cut costs, planned
for the future, include accelerating the phase-out of older process
technologies, increasing the role of the Far East for high-volume
wafer manufacturing and assembly and test, and relying upon
subcontractors and other outside sources to satisfy an increased
portion of the company's requirements.

(Ian Stokell/19921021)


(NEWS)(IBM)(TYO)(00018)

IBM Japan Releases Low-cost PCs 10/21/92
TOKYO, JAPAN, 1992 OCT 21 (NB) -- IBM Japan has followed its Western
brethren by announced 10 low-cost personal computers. These PCs
include the PS/V and the Thinkpad and are priced at about half that
of Japanese personal computers with equivalent features. The move is
expected the escalate price-cutting wars in Japan.

IBM Japan's latest personal computers are an 80486-based 32-bit
"PS/V," the Japanese version of the PS Valuepoint introduced in the
West. It is basically the same unit except that the PS/V has a
Japanese language interface in addition to an English language
interface. The retail price of this entry-level PC is 198,000 yen
($1,650), which is about half the cost of most 80486-based personal
computers in the Japanese market.

Another major release is the Thinkpad, a B5-sized pen-input
notebook-type personal computer. It has a color TFT (thin-film
transistor), touch-panel type display. IBM Japan has also released
an upgraded version of the Japanese notebook-type PC called the
PS/55. It weighs 1.2 kg, and costs 338,000 yen ($2,800).

IBM Japan will sell these PCs through a number of dealers
including Canon Sales and Catena Group. Also, IBM Japan has about
130 dealers throughout Japan, and over 500 PC wholesale dealers.

These new PCs are expected to directly vie with NEC's PC-9801
family, which is currently dominating the Japanese market. The
PC-9801 has an over 50 percent share of the PC market in Japan. Its
share is eroding, however, from higher sales of Apple Computer's
Macintosh, IBM's DOS/V PC, and Fujitsu's multi-media PC FM-Towns.

Compaq, Apple Computer, and Digital Equipment Japan recently started
the price war in which IBM is now engaged. The prize will be to
capture the largest share of computer buyers during the
Christmas sales season. Due to the price war, NEC is also expected
to lower prices in the near future.

(Masayuki "Massey" Miyazawa/19921021/Press Contact: IBM Japan,
 [phone])


(NEWS)(TRENDS)(TYO)(00019)

Fujitsu Releases 1.8-Inch Optical Disc 10/21/92
TOKYO, JAPAN, 1992 OCT 21 (NB) -- Fujitsu has developed an
extremely small optical magnetic disc 1.8-inches in diameter, or
half the size of a regular credit card.

Fujitsu, which is aiming the disc at the multimedia device market,
reports that its optical disc is covered with a cartridge the
size of 5 x 5 cm. The current version can store 60 megabytes of data,
but Fujitsu plans to make the final version store up to 128
megabytes, or the equivalent of 100 floppy disks. Fujitsu's optical
disc is much smaller than one made by Japan Victor which is 2.5-inches.

Fujitsu, waiting for the market to mature, expects to release this
tiny disc in 1995. By that time, the firm may able to go into mass
production of the devices and the retail price may be affordably low.

Fujitsu wants to sell this optical disc for various new media
products including personal computers, telephones, fax machines,
and electronic still-cameras. The optical disc can be an ideal
device for storing motion picture data and sound data, and
it may replace current floppy disks, Fujitsu claims.

(Masayuki "Massey" Miyazawa/19921021/Press Contact: Fujitsu, +81-
3-3215-5236)


(NEWS)(GENERAL)(TYO)(00020)

Japan: DCC Tape OK'd For Release, Defect Solved 10/21/92
TOKYO, JAPAN, 1992 OCT 21 (NB) -- DCC (digital compact cassette
tape) software makers will finally release the first DCC music
software next month. Due to a defect in DCC tape, the
release of the DCC software was delayed.

Matsushita and Philips had just approved the release of
DCC tapes several weeks ago when Japan Victor Corp. discovered a
defect in the medium. Due to this defect, Matsushita and Philips,
the advocates of DCC, ordered software makers to put off the
release of the DCC software. Some seven Japanese record
makers had to wait for the next word from the two companies.

Both firms seem to have pinpointed the problem in the DCC tape
now, and have apparently found a solution. They have not
yet made a clear explanation of the defect. An industry source
says the tape was extremely weak in humidity, and it had a
durability problem. The problem DCC tapes were destroyed. JVC has
started manufacturing the error-free tapes at its Mito plant in
Japan. These tapes will be supplied to major record firms such as
Polydore and Victor Music.

The release of music software was initially planned for October
1. However, due deficiencies of the tape, the release was
delayed. Now the first DCC music tapes will be released on
November 21. Toshiba EMI is also planning to release DCC
music software in December.

DCC as a medium now needs the support of the consumers. Due to its
compatibility with existing audio cassette tapes, it is expected
to catch on quickly and to replace regular audio cassette
tapes in the near future.

Meanwhile, Sony is also preparing to release its Mini-Disk
software by the end of this year. The firm is now seeking support
from the music industry.

(Masayuki "Massey" Miyazawa/19921021/Press Contact: Matsushita
Electric, [phone])


(NEWS)(GOVT)(NYC)(00021)

NY State Police Decriminalize The Word "Hacker" 10/21/92
ALBANY, NEW YORK, U.S.A., 1992 OCT 21 (NB) -- Senior investigator
Ron Stevens of the New York State Police Computer Unit has told
Newsbytes that it will be the practice of his unit to avoid the use
of the term "hacker" in describing those alleged to have committed
computer crimes.

Stevens told Newsbytes, "We use the term computer criminal to describe
those who break the law using computers. While the lay person may have
come to understand the meaning of hacker as a computer criminal, the
term isn't accurate. The people in the early days of the computer industry
considered themselves hackers and they made the computer what it is
today. There are those today who consider themselves hackers and do not
commit illegal acts."

Stevens had made similar comments in a recent conversation with Albany
BBS operator Marty Winter. Winter told Newsbytes, "'Hacker' is,
unfortunately an example of the media taking what used to be an honorable
term, and using it to describe an activity because they [the media]
are too lazy or stupid to come up with something else. Who knows, maybe
one day 'computer delinquent' WILL be used, but I sure ain't gonna hold
my breath."

Stevens, together with investigator Dick Lynch and senior investigator
Donald Delaney, attended the March 1993 Computers, Freedom and
Privacy Conference (CFP-2) in Washington, DC and met such industry
figures as Glenn Tenney, congressional candidate and chairman of the
WELL's annual "Hacker Conference"; Craig Neidorf, founding editor and
publisher of Phrack; Steven Levy, author of "Hackers" and the recently
published "Artificial Life"; Bruce Sterling, author of the recently
published "The Hacker Crackdown"; Emmanuel Goldstein, editor and
publisher of 2600: The Hacker Quarterly" and a number of well-known
"hackers."

Stevens said, "When I came home, I read as much of the literature
about the subject that I could and came to the conclusion that a
hacker is not necessarily a computer criminal."

The use of the term "hacker" to describe those alleged to have committed
computer crimes has long been an irritant to many in the online
community. When the July 8th federal indictment of 5 New York City
individuals contained the definition of computer hacker as "someone who
uses a computer or a telephone to obtain unauthorized access to other
computers," there was an outcry on such electronic conferencing system as
the WELL (Whole Earth 'Lectronic Link). Many of the same people
reacted quite favorably to the Stevens statement when it was posted
on the WELL.

(Barbara E. McMullen & John F. McMullen/19921021)


(NEWS)(BUSINESS)(DEL)(00022)

India: Arthur Andersen Eyeing Opportunities 10/21/92
NEW DELHI, INDIA, 1992 OCT 21 (NB) -- Andersen Consulting, the
world's largest management consultancy firm (with income over
$2.3 billion), is pepping up its Indian operations for "new
opportunities after the economic liberalization here."

Keith Burgess, managing partner, UK, who has personally been responsible
for some of the biggest information technology projects in the UK,
was on a visit for an Indian review. "We solve business problems.
Solution of business problems involves predominant usage of
information technology and software applications," said Burgess.

In the process of standardizing on custom application systems for its
clientele worldwide, Arthur Anderson has evolved a set of CASE
(computer-aided software engineering) tools called Foundation.
Foundation provides systems methodology for the company's analysts
and software developers.

"We have access to all this resource," said S.K. (Sid) Khanna, the
"partner" in-charge of Arthur Andersen & Co. in India, pointing to
the bulky volumes of Foundation on his shelves. The latest version
of Foundation is now available on CD-ROM with his Western counterparts.

Burgess is eloquent about the imperatives in the application of IT.
"If we look back to 80s, there was neglect on people's side and
technology did not solve problems," Burgess said. While there was
multiplicity with emphasis on vertical sectors of operations, the
current trends in technology -- like client-server computing -- now
enable organizations a "horizontal" view. Across the four facets of
"strategy, technology, operations and people," he observed, there is
already a forced shift from the "production lobby" to
"customer/people" orientation.

Burgess oversaw the development of the biggest network anywhere,
outside the defence sector -- for the Department of Social Security in
UK. The nationwide integrated network with about 40,000 terminals
handles about 50 million records. It involves disbursement of various
social security allowances to the unemployed and pensioned,
amounting to over 50 billion pounds. "It's like printing money (for
the government)!" The network itself has cost more than 600
million pounds.

(C.T. Mahabharat/19921020)


(NEWS)(BUSINESS)(DEL)(00023)

India: Hinditron Signs Handful Of SW Export Orders 10/21/92
BOMBAY, INDIA, 1992 OCT 21 (NB) -- The Bombay-based Hinditron
Informatics Ltd. has recently bagged software export contracts from
Global Weather Dynamics Inc. (GWDI) and Chemshare Corp., both of the
US.

For the former, Hinditron will develop unified message switch
applications on DEC systems in THE Ultrix operating environment. Work on
the project, which is scheduled to be completed by April next year,
has already begun at Hinditron's software facilities at Andheri in
Bombay. GWDI, which is also looking at Hinditron as a potential
partner to service its customer base in Asia and Europe, is involved
primarily in weather forecasting and message switching applications.

Chemshare Corp, a Houston-based software company specializing in
process applications for refineries and petrochemical companies, has
awarded a remote delivery project to Hinditron. The order entails
development of an application program interface for "Design
Master" (a proprietary process design software from Chemshare) with
RKH02, a general purpose heat transfer application. The venture,
which is slated to be completed in one person year, will be developed
on Sun SPARC II workstations. If the project is successfully
implemented, Chemshare may develop a service alliance with Hinditron
for its customers worldwide, especially the Japanese market.

Hinditron is also undertaking software development for its sister
concern, Hinditron Tektronix Instruments Ltd. The agreement involves
software development on X-terminals for Simple Network Management
Protocol (SNMP), an Internet Data Communication Agent which will
include Management Information base II (MIB II). Another project
entails development of VT-340 emulation on X-terminals. This is
expected to provide all VT-340 capabilities, and commands in some
European and other languages will be included in it.

(C.T. Mahabharat/19921020)


(NEWS)(TELECOM)(ATL)(00024)

Motorola PCMCIA Modem 10/21/92
BOYNTON BEACH, FLORIDA, U.S.A., 1992 OCT 21 (NB) -- Motorola's
announcement of a PCMCIA wireless modem highlighted news in the
field computing area.

The Motorola NewsCard is the first wireless receive modem in a
PCMCIA card format. PCMCIA is a standard format for chip-based
cards which can be plugged into small computers using a standard
interface. The cards themselves are about the size and shape of
extra-thick credit cards, and could feature memory, software
programs, or discrete devices like modems, depending on the types
of chips inside them.

Motorola is aiming its NewsCard at the vapor market of "personal
digital assistants" or "personal communicators" like the Apple Newton
and AT&T-Eo Hobbit.

The NewsCard is based on technology used in the NewsStream, a
receiver used by Motorola's EMBARC system for electronic mail. It
can link with both one-way paging and two-way electronic
messaging networks, including SkyTel's SkyStream, BellSouth's
MobileComm paging system, and EMBARC. SkyTel said it would
display the NewsCard at its booth during the Comdex show in
November. Motorola also announced a new version of its Altair
wireless local area network system, which will also ship in
November.

In other news, Casio said its BOSS organizer will have
electronic mail access to AT&T EasyLink Services. The AT&T
EasyLink Communications Package is designed to provide a low cost
electronic mail system for the growing organizer market.

Finally, the paging industry continues to move forward at a
double-digit annual growth rate, which may surprise advocates of
new technology who see paging as old news. The industry is
consolidating, with new big players like Cue Network and PageNet
of Dallas, fighting hard against SkyTel, BellSouth's MobileComm,
and a host of smaller companies. Drivefone made a move toward
being more competitive by announcing it has reached a final
agreement to acquire a paging frequency for the New York/New
Jersey metropolitan area. The transaction is scheduled to be
consummated in late November, with construction scheduled for
completion in early summer 1993. The company also signed a letter
of intent to acquire a small paging carrier in Tampa, Florida
with approximately 5,000 subscribers. Drivefone also added the
new operations will be added to its own re-selling operation and
three paging systems it will build in upstate New York. The
company also plans to combine its paging subsidiary, with a
private, metropolitan New York-based paging reselling company.

(Dana Blankenhorn/19921021/Press Contact: Drivefone, Lee R.
Montellaro, 201/843-6400x206; Elisa Fershtadt, for SkyTel, 212-
614-4253; Ken Countess, Motorola, 305-475-5603; Ed Lopez, AT&T
Easylink, 201-331-4136)


(NEWS)(TELECOM)(ATL)(00025)

Phone Earnings Mostly Good 10/21/92
ATLANTA, GEORGIA, U.S.A., 1992 OCT 21 (NB) -- While most
attention in the phone industry is focused on San Francisco,
where PacTel directors will decide this week whether to split-up
the company to enhance shareholder value, earnings reports in the
rest of the industry show solid growth.

MCI said it earned $154 million for the quarter ending in
September, up from $141 million in the previous quarter and $133
million a year ago. Revenues were up 11.2 percent from a year
ago, to $2.682 billion, with traffic up nearly 15 percent.
President Daniel Akerson credited large accounts, consumer and
international markets for the gains, while acknowledging the
general US economy remains weak.

GTE, the largest local phone company, said its earnings rose 8
percent during the quarter, thanks mainly to those operations. It
earned $500 million, up from $461 a year ago, but revenues were
up only 2 percent, to $4.97 billion, compared with $4.85 billion
in the third quarter of 1991. Most local companies have been able
to reduce staff while increasing revenue in recent years, thanks
to automation.

Among the regional Bells, BellSouth said its net actually fell 3
percent, to $345 million. But that was blamed on a one-time
refinancing charge, $40.7 million for refinancing $550 million
in bonds. Over the long term, the company said, the deal will
save money. Revenues, however, were up considerably, to $11.29
billion from $10.75 billion. NYNEX, which did not have those
kinds of charges, said its net rose 9.6 percent, despite a soft
economy, to $319.7 million from $291.8 million a year ago. Sales
at NYNEX rose just 1.6 percent, to $3.32 billion from $3.27
billion in the third quarter of 1991.

Bell Atlantic also reported strong earnings, $386.6 million
against $331 million a year ago, on flat sales of $3.2 billion.
That company's results were boosted by the sale of a stake in
Hospital Corp. of America, the result of its acquisition of Metro
Mobile, a cellular phone operation. The company has also shrunk
its financial services and real estate units, adding that profits
from New Zealand and its cellular operations also helped results.

US West, meanwhile, said its net rose 5.2 percent to $283.4
million, up from $269 million a year ago, even though revenue
fell from a year earlier. Like Bell Atlantic, US West blamed real
estate operations for the revenue shortfall. US West said its
subscriber base grew 3 percent over the last year, while cellular
subscribers are up 40 percent, and a British joint-venture it has
providing phone service and cable television services is also
succeeding in the market.

Among smaller companies, Rochester Telephone reported strong
earnings of $18.4 million, up from $15.6 million a year earlier.
Rochester's gains were helped by its sale of some cellular phone
interests, but profits were up even without those gains. ACC, a
small long distance company also based in Rochester, which has
considerable operations in Canada, also report much higher
earnings, $685,156 against $145,183 a year earlier, on revenues
which rose to $22.08 million from $13.71 million. Results were
great despite the fall of the Canadian dollar and increased costs
from the expansion of that network.

(Dana Blankenhorn/19921021)


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

UK: Cognito Packet Radio Network Revived 10/21/92
NEWBURY, BERKSHIRE, ENGLAND, 1992 OCT 21 (NB) -- Three months
after the Dowty Group wound down its Cognito packet radio
operation, a group of investors have acquired the name Cognito,
along with the assets and subscribers for an undisclosed sum.

A group of five, including two former managers with the company,
have bought into Cognito using Swiss private investor's money.
According to Noel Leslie, marketing manager with the company, the
network will go live again on November 30, barely four months
after Dowty shut the packet radio network down as part of the
arrangements for when Cray Electronics bought into the telecom
and electronics group.

"To be fair to Cray, I think they were after the Case division of
Dowty rather than ourselves. We're glad we have managed to revive
the network with most of the infrastructure intact," he told
Newsbytes.

When the network goes live again, it will cover around 80 percent
of the UK -- around the same coverage as the company's two main
rivals in the packet radio market-place, Hutchison and Ram Mobile
Data.

Leslie said that the bulk of the old network's subscribers have
signed up to the new network. That will enable the company to put
1,000 terminals on the network, which is capable of supporting
100 times that number of subscribers.

"We've raised the monthly rental per unit on the network from UKP
35 to UKP 50, although that does now include all packet switching
charges on the network," Leslie said, adding that pricing on the
two-way Messenger and Radio Transmission Units (RTUs) has yet to
be set. Customers, Leslie said, will have a choice of buying or
renting the Messengers and RTUs.

The Messenger is a two-way radiopager unit with a Qwerty keypad
and an LCD screen. The battery-powered unit comes in a box the
same size as a pocket PC or Casio IQ/Wizard personal organizer.
The RTU, meanwhile, is a stripped down Messenger, without the
screen or keyboard, and is essentially a packet radio modem.

Early next year, Leslie said, Cognito will launch a number of new
services, including a message handling system (MHS) hub for
Novell Netware. This will allow Cognito network users to link
straight into Novell Netware.

(Steve Gold/19921021/Press & Public Contact: Cognito - Tel: 0635-
508200; Fax: [phone])


(NEWS)(BUSINESS)(LON)(00027)

UK: Husky Completes Major Order With French Railways 10/21/92
COVENTRY, ENGLAND, 1992 OCT 21 (NB) -- Husky Computers has just
completed one of its largest ever orders in Europe by supplying
SNCF, the French national railway, with 700 Hunter series
portable computers.

The computers are being used by SNCF as part of an information
technology program to record the movement of all freight on the
French railway network.

The Hunter 16 computers are the mainstay of the French contract.
The DOS-compatible units are what Husky calls ruggedized, meaning
they are suitable for use in adverse weather conditions, the
company claims. This is important, the company added, since the
units will be in use 24 hours a day, seven days a week, with data
downloaded from the computer back to regional centers and the
national central office in Paris.

SNCF plans to use the data collected on the hand-held computers to
optimize the use of space for freight on its trains. The French
railway service has an annual turnover of FF 14,000 million a
year on freight alone, so the logistics are incredible.

Andrew Faulkner, Husky's managing director, said that hand-held
computers are proving to be a major growth area for the computer
industry. "This trend is undoubtedly set to continue as
companies, such as SNCF, recognize that computerization using
hand-held technology gives them cost and time savings, as well as
a significant competitive edge," he said.

SNCF has used Husky computers for the last four years, Newsbytes
notes. According to Husky, the Hunter 16 was chosen because of
its easy to program user interface, as well as its DOS
compatibility in a rugged casing.

(Steve Gold/19921021/Press & Public Contact: Husky - Tel: 0203-
604040; Fax: [phone])


(NEWS)(IBM)(SFO)(00028)

Borland Bundles Training Video With Spreadsheet 10/21/92
SCOTTS VALLEY, CALIFORNIA, U.S.A., 1992 OCT 21 (NB) -- In the
fierce business of spreadsheet products, companies are turning
to innovative methods to sell their wares. Now Borland
International claims it has become first software company to
ship a "comprehensive" training video as part of a spreadsheet
software product.

According to the company, Quattro Pro Special Edition, originally
released last year, was designed specifically for first-time
spreadsheet users in homes and small businesses. The $89.95
spreadsheet product now includes a 100-minute training video
and 50 built-in sample spreadsheets.

Borland claims that the Quattro Pro training video instructs
users "in all aspects of spreadsheet use, from installation and
set-up to graphing and creating electronic slide shows."

The sample spreadsheets include formats for financial
statements, shipping and receiving, sales and order entry,
mortgage amortization, loan comparisons, day planning, home
finances, proposal and invoicing, and requisition and purchasing.

Quattro Pro Special Edition includes such features as a "solve-for"
tool for goal-seeking; "what-if" scenarios; the ability to connect
with databases; over a dozen graph types; and electronic slide
show tools.

Quattro Pro Special Edition requires DOS 2.0 or later 100 percent
compatible versions, a minimum of 512 kilobytes (KB) of RAM, a
hard disk with minimum of 4MB of space, and a graphics card and
monitor to display graphs.

(Ian Stokell/19921020/Press Contact: Mara Stefan, 408-439-
4704, or Vallee Ghosheh, 408-439-4705, Borland International
Inc.)


(NEWS)(GOVT)(LAX)(00029)

Court Says Sega Acts Illegal, Sega Files Rehearing 10/21/92
REDWOOD CITY, CALIFORNIA, U.S.A., 1992 OCT 21 (NB) -- The
written decision from the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals in the
Sega/Accolade case has been made available and Sega says the
court decision opens up the door for the company to continue
its battle against Accolade. However, the decision states
clearly that some of Sega's acts were illegal and confirms
Accolade's release by the Ninth Circuit Court from a lower
court injunction.

In an unusual move, the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals handed
down the decision freeing Accolade to sell and develop new
titles for the Sega Genesis game system in August before
completing all the written documentation. Accolade said the
decision was announced so it could get back into the business
of making game software.

The entire issue started when Sega changed its game hardware so
any cartridge inserted displays "Produced By or Under License
From Sega Enterprises Ltd" and then sued Accolade for reverse
engineering, claiming a violation of Sega's copyrights.

Alan Miller, president and chief executive officer of Accolade, said
Sega has been attempting to force Accolade into agreeing to
what amounts to a non-negotiable, third-party licensing
arrangement. The whole issue here is whether or not a hardware
manufacturer can force those making compatible software to pay
them for doing so.

Michael Crick, president of third-party software development
company for Nintendo machines, Mica, says Sega's hardware
change amounts to a trick to drive Accolade into compliance.
Crick says the design of the hardware now requires any software
manufacturer to deliberately display the license message in
order to get the cartridge to work at all. Crick says while it
can be argued Accolade should not be displaying that which
misleads consumers, using the copyright laws to stifle a
competitor is not the manner in which the laws were intended to
be used.

Sega says it changed the design to lay the groundwork to stop
software pirates. However, the decision from the Ninth Court
states: "Thus, in addition to laying the groundwork for
lawsuits against pirates, Sega knowingly risked two significant
consequences: the false labeling of some competitors' products
and the discouraging of other competitors from manufacturing
Genesis-compatible games. Under the Lanham Act, the former
conduct, at least, is clearly unlawful."

The case is being carefully watched as a precedent setting case
and already other companies were using the Sega/Accolade fight
to fuel fights of their own. Thomas F. Smegal, legal counsel
for Media Vision, who this summer was defending itself against
similar claims against personal computer (PC) sound board
manufacturer Creative Labs (a fight recently settled out- of-
court), offered an explanation of reverse engineering and its
implications.

In a paper entitled, "Reverse Engineering of Software
Scrutinized In Sega," Smegal says the Sega vs. Accolade suit
"... is the strongest challenge yet to what seems to have been
a widely held assumption in the law that a reverse engineer may
make fixed 'interim' copies of a copyrighted program so long as
the final product is non-infringing." Smegal says criticism
levied at the Sega vs. Accolade case contends that only the
final product that is sold on the market or used in a
functional manner should be scrutinized for copyright
infringement.

The Ninth Circuit Court said: "By facilitating the entry of a
new competitor, the first lawful one that is not a Sega
licensee, Accolade's disassembly of Sega's software undoubtedly
"affected" the market for Genesis compatible games in an
indirect fashion. We note, however, that while no consumer
except the most avid devotee of President Ford's regime might
be expected to buy more than one version of the President's
memoirs, video game users typically purchase more than one
game....

"In any event an attempt to monopolize the market by
making it impossible for others to compete runs counter to the
statutory purpose of promoting creative expression and cannot
constitute a strong equitable basis for resisting the
invocation of the fair use doctrine. Thus, we conclude that the
fourth statutory factor weighs in Accolade's, not Sega's favor,
not withstanding the minor economic loss Sega may suffer."

Evidently the Ninth Circuit Court agrees with Smegal, however
Sega's legal counsel Riley Russell said in a prepared
statement, "In our opinion, the court improperly applied the
doctrine of fair use and disregarded established precedents in
this area of law. We feel the court's ruling, if it stands,
substantially reduces the ability of manufacturers to protect
their intellectual property. The ruling also fails to recognize
the significant problem of international piracy."

Accolade has already been required to clearly state on its game
cartridges the cartridge was not produced by or licensed under
Sega, a decision the Appeals Court has upheld.

Sega lists Apple, DEC, Intel, IBM, Lotus, Wordperfect, and
Xerox, the Computer Business Equipment Manufacturer's
Association, and the International Anticounterfeiter's
Coalition as in support of its position as those company's
filed supporting Amici Briefs for Sega during the hearings.
Crick maintains companies like Sega and Nintendo are attempting
to force third- party developers to license from them and
follow their rules for production of game titles. While such
practices are illegal, Crick told Newsbytes a good deal of what
the third-party developers are calling unfair competition
Nintendo and Sega are calling attempts at quality control.

The hardware game manufacturers want to determine how many
titles can be introduced in a year by a licensee, among other
things. Crick maintains such practices, while illegal, do drive
up the quality of titles for a system as the developer has to
concentrate all available resources on a few titles. While
quality control is a laudable goal, Crick said the effect could
be a far reaching one for the entire industry if Sega manages
to win.

Peter Choy of chairman The American Committee for Interoperable
Systems (ACIS) which includes companies such as Chips and
Technologies, Phoenix Technologies, Seagate Technology, Zenith
Data Systems, and Sun Microsystems, has publicly released
statements saying a decision against Accolade could seriously
damage the computer industry as a whole. Choy said: "The life
blood of the computer industry is the ability of any competitor
to make and distribute interoperable software and hardware."

Sega says it has an open door to pursue the case further and it
has filed for a rehearing. Sega quotes the written court
decision which says: "This case presents several difficult
questions of first impression involving our copyright and
trademark laws... To oversimplify, the record establishes that
Accolade, a commercial competitor of Sega, engaged in wholesale
copying of Sega's copyrighted code as a preliminary step in the
development of a competing product. However, the key to this
case is that we are dealing with computer software, a
relatively unexplored area in the world of copyright law... Our
conclusion does not, of course, insulate Accolade from a claim
of copyright infringement with respect to its finished product.
Sega has reserved the right to raise such a claim and it may do
so on remand."

In another patent suit settled in May of this year, Sega was
found by a jury to be deliberately in infringement of a patent
held by inventor Jan Coyle and paid out $43 million to Coyle.
The Coyle patent was on display of color images on a video-
screen via low-frequency audio signals audio signals, or
"sprites," the figures that move in the foreground against the
still background, like the Mario characters or Sonic the
Hedgehog.

Sega Enterprises, based in Tokyo, has offices in Redwood City,
California. Accolade is based in San Jose, California describes
itself as the third largest developer of 16-bit video game
software.

(Linda Rohrbough/19921021/Press Contact: Brian Webster,
Manning, Salvage, & Lee for Sega, tel [phone], fax 415-
802-1448; Charlotte Skeel, Accolade, tel [phone], fax 408-
246-0885; Michael Crick, Mica, tel [phone], fax
206-869-0155)


(NEWS)(TRENDS)(LON)(00030)

Expert Edge Survey Reveals Corporate Role For Windows 10/21/92
LONDON, ENGLAND, 1992 OCT 21 (NB) -- According to a new survey
conducted by Expert Edge, the major role for Microsoft Windows in
the corporate computing market-place is to give user-friendly PC
front ends to mainframe applications.

In the survey, conducted by the software tools development
company, management information service (MIS) managers from 50 of
the top 500 companies were interviewed by phone and their views
on Microsoft Windows sought.

According to survey, which was conducted by Profile Market
Research, 74 percent of MIS managers felt that Windows' most
important usage was in creating a user-friendly interface to
mainframe applications, ahead even of client server or stand-alone
PC facilities.

Of the managers surveyed, 70 percent believe that Windows will be
the most influential PC platform over the next five years and 80
percent of survey respondents said they are planning to support
Windows over the next three years.

The majority of these respondents (57 percent) said that they
plan to support more than one platform, while of those planning
to concentrate on a single operating system, 65 percent opted for
Windows, 20 supported DOS and 10 percent support PS/2. Only five
percent supported the Apple Mac's operating system.

"This is the first survey of its type which has demonstrated the
importance of corporate user places on front ending the Windows
environment," explained Donal Daly, Expert Edge's managing
director.

According to Daly, survey shows there is little doubt that
Windows is winning the battle to become the leading desktop
operating system.

"Our results show that Corporate MIS departments are using the
Windows environment to develop co-operative applications,
consequently protecting their existing IT investment. Downsizing
to a client-server environment seems to be less important than
rightsizing, using Windows to rejuvenate old mainframe
applications," he said.

Copies of the survey results, which make for interesting reading,
can be obtained from Expert Edge's offices.

(Steve Gold/19921021/Press & Public Contact: Expert Edge - Tel:
081-941-7433)