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/nb920226

Text File | 1992-02-26 | 73KB | 1,635 lines

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

 ****Apple President Sculley Demos Talking Mac At TED 02/26/92
MONTEREY, CALIFORNIA, U.S.A., 1992 FEB 26 (NB) -- Apple
President John Sculley demonstrated a prototype version of a
Macintosh that could accept and interpret verbal commands, at
the Technology, Entertainment and Design (TED) conference in
Monterey, California.

Apple representative John Cook said the company is in part
doing the demonstrations to interest third parties, such as
developers, and Apple is not sure exactly what direction the
technology will take.

Though voice recognition products have been available for
personal computers for some time, they require software be
trained to each user's voice and have a limited number of
commands that can be performed. Articulate Systems markets
Voice Navigator II for the Macintosh which allows a user to
give verbal commands to the Macintosh through a microphone
attached to a light headpiece the user wears.

However, for voice recognition products to be really useful,
they need to be less individual-dependent and have a larger
vocabulary, Cook said.

The voice recognition system Sculley demonstrated was able
to act on commands from different people and had a larger
vocabulary than previous systems. The Macintosh was also
able to give verbal responses.

Sculley made the connection between Personal Digital
Assistants (PDAs) Apple plans as consumer products and the
voice technology by saying voice recognition would be a
natural way to interface with products too small for a
keyboard or pen user interface.

Cook suggested other consumer products that might benefit
from voice recognition technology could be video cassette
recorders (VCRs). While Cook called programming the average
VCR the "Great American Hurdle," he added that a voice
recognition interface for programming the VCR might be the
best way to handle the task.

While Sculley sees technological devices, now segmented,
coming together in a "Grand Collision," voice recognition is
considered by some to be the most important addition to
current computer technology. Peter Norton, speaking at the
Los Angeles Computer Society this month, said voice
recognition will be as big a change in technology as the
advent of the computer itself.

Though the voice recognition demonstration is the third such
demonstration from Apple, Cook said this is only a
prototype of something Apple is investigating, not an early
production model, and no plans are in the works to mass
produce the unit.

(Linda Rohrbough/19920225/Press Contact: John Cook, Apple,
tel [phone], fax [phone])


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

Borland Announces dBASE IV v.1.5 02/26/92
SCOTTS VALLEY, CALIFORNIA, U.S.A., 1992 FEB 26 (NB) --
Borland has announced the first new version of dBASE IV
since the company took over Ashton-Tate, the inventors of
the business software product, back in October of last year.

The newly announced dBASE IV v1.5 boasts faster Query-By-
Example (QBE) performance and new QBE features, new
indexing, mouse support, automatic installation, editable
multi-file views, and file linking on calculated fields,
Borland said.

To make indexing and QBE performance faster, Borland said it
has added an automatic query optimization function called
IQ!, a SET KEY TO command, and allows the user to keep
speed-up indexes.

Other enhancements include 40 work areas, enhanced blank
support, low-level input/output (I/O) functions, an open
architecture control center, and conditional compilation,
Borland added.

Scheduled to be available in March, dBASE v1.5 will carry a
suggested retail price of $795, however upgrades from
previous versions are $99.95, Borland said. Local area
network (LAN) and run-time versions are priced as follows:
LAN Pack (1-count) is $395, ($79.95 upgrade); LAN Pack (10-
count) is $3,495 ($749.95 upgrade); and dBASE IV v1.5
Runtime is $250 ($49.95 upgrade).

(Linda Rohrbough/19920225/Press Contact: Marguerite
Padovani, Borland, tel [phone], fax [phone])


(NEWS)(TRENDS)(OSL)(00003)

 ****DEC's Alpha -- Details 02/26/92
South Queensferry, Scotland, 1992 FEB 26 (NB) -- The Alpha
program consists of two elements: a totally new, 64-bit reduced
instruction set computing (RISC) architecture designed to be
fast, reliable and open; and a single chip implementation of
this new architecture.

Alpha microprocessor architecture is designed to be scalable by
over 1,000 times over its 25-year lifetime. The design supports
both single processor and massively parallel systems. Its open
technology is able to run multiple operating systems, and it
will be licensed at every level of integration: chips, board,
and system.

Alpha will be implemented in successive generations of 64-bit
microprocessors spanning from palmtop to supercomputer. The
21064 chip, as it is also known, has double the clock speed
and up to four billion times more address space than
competitors' 32-bit implementations, with roughly the same peak
performance as a Cray-1 supercomputer. The implication for
personal computers and workstations are huge - a "Cray on your
desktop" is expected to be within an acceptable price range for many
buyers.

Alpha is the first microprocessor with a full RISC
implementation with no operating system or language bias, giving
it the ability to run different operating systems. It is capable
of running not just VMS software but also OSF/1 and a dozen
other operating systems and languages. The 0SF/1 operating
system can be run on Alpha, MIPS, and Intel platforms, offering
varying price points and performance to customers. OSF/1 and
Open VMS will be the first operating systems available on Alpha.
Other operating systems being evaluated for the Alpha processor
reportedly includes the upcoming Windows NT from Microsoft.

Alpha will be able to drive applications and systems that were
previously unachievable or too costly, says Digital. It will open new
opportunities for interacting with computers at work and at
home, and provide the power needed for color and graphics in
emerging personal use applications that are straining the limits
of today's PCs, such as voice and video, visualization systems
and imaging, Digital says.

THE PROCESSOR

Alpha is a multiple-instruction issue pipelined, 64-bit,
load/store reduced instruction set architecture, with the
world's fastest IEEE-compatible floating point chip. It is a
dual-instruction processor allowing it to handle two
instructions at once.

Alpha is built using CMOS (complimentary metal oxide
semiconductor) technology with 1.7m of transistors. Minimum
feature size is 0.75 microns transistor channel length is 0.5
microns and the chip operates at 3.3 volts, allowing it to be
used in next-generation, battery-powered notebook computers also.

It handles 30 watts of power with 64-bit virtual and physical
addresses and 64-bit integers and floating points. With clock
rates of up to 200MHz, the chip is capable of delivering 400
peak Mops and 200 peak MFLOPS -- a speed more than twice that offered
by most of Digital's competitors.

With a total transistor count of 1.68 million devices, the chip
is a complete CPU, including full integer and floating point
execution units. These units together with related addressing
and branching units are fully pipelined, and each is capable of
launching a new operation every cycle. The chip includes two
high speed memory caches. An eight Kbyte instruction cache
provides two full 32-bit instructions per clock cycle to the
instruction dispatch unit, and an eight Kbyte data cache can
provide a 64bit data access during each cycle. The resulting
cache bandwidth of 3.2 gigabytes/second far exceeds what could
be accomplished if these cache units were not fully integrated.

Initially Alpha systems will be able to run OSF/1 and VMS
although there is no bias towards a particular operating system
or programming language in the architecture.

SUPPORT PROGRAM

Digital is offering support to help companies migrate any
vendor's applications to Alpha. Extensive porting activities
are already underway with many application
software vendors. The first of 30 Alpha Upgrade Centers have
already been established in the USA, Europe and the Asia Rim,
staffed by software support personnel with expertise in VMS,
ULTRIX and DEC OSF/1.

Digital's range of support services include consulting
education and training client/server systems management) and
integration and migration services. All are designed to make
users successful in planning, designing implementing, and
managing new Alpha computing environments.

(Jan-Frode Nordli/19920225/Press Contact: Digital Equipment
Corp, Norway, Arne Cartridge, Planning & Marketing; Tel +
47-2-160290, Fax + 47-2-302395)


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

Sequent President Scott Gibson Resigns 02/26/92
BEAVERTON, OREGON, U.S.A., 1992 FEB 26 (NB) -- Just three weeks
after Sequent Computer Systems announced its return to profitability,
Scott Gibson has resigned as the company's president.

The announcement was made by Casey Powell, chairman, who has shared
the office of chief executive with Gibson.

Powell and Gibson are co-founders of the company. Powell will now
resume sole responsibility as chief executive officer of Sequent, a
position he held prior to January of 1991. Jay Richards, who became
chief operating officer for Sequent in September of 1991, will
continue in that role.

Gibson said he had been looking forward to getting the company back
on track and then being able to devote more time to his family.

Sequent reported net income for the fourth quarter of $1 million, or
four cents per share. Despite the better fourth quarter results,
the company lost $48.7 million on revenues of $213.3 million for
1991. Sequent officials have said they expect 1992 to be a better
year.

Powell praised Gibson's accomplishments, saying, "Scott is my friend
and partner. He has successfully built a strong team and managed us
through a recent reorganization. These accomplishments have made his
transition feasible at this time," he said.

The company attributed its fourth quarter improvement to new hardware
and software products. "The new products are the cornerstone of our
vision for Sequent in 1992 and beyond," said Gibson.

Just prior to Christmas of 1991, Sequent started shipping the first
of its Netware for Sequent information servers, a parallel-enabled
version of Novell Netware that is designed to tie dozens of networks
and as many as 1,000 PCs into a single network. The company also
recently introduced its 2000/x50 systems, equipped with 50 megahertz
486 processors, increased memory, more disk channels and storage
capacity, and a new VME communications bus.

(Jim Mallory/19920226)


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

Network General/NCR Sign Service Agreement 02/26/92
MENLO PARK, CALIFORNIA, U.S.A., 1992 FEB 26 (NB) -- Network General
and the U.S. Group of NCR's Customer Services Division have
announced that they have signed a one-year agreement which
calls for NCR to purchase Network General's Sniffer and Distributed
Sniffer products. The deal also gives NCR the go-ahead to resell
the Watchdog Network Monitor to NCR's customers.

"NCR's service strategy is to offer our customers an enterprise-wide
portfolio of services," said Gary Burnett, vice president of NCR's
Customer Services Division. "The NCR/Network General agreement
allows us to provide customers with 'best in class' network support
service."

NCR is committed to using only Network General equipment and
software on a sole source basis. The company expects to train up
to 2000 of its 5000 field and software engineers in the use of
Network General's equipment through the training courses that
Network General will provide.

Network General officials were ecstatic at the arrangement. Although
the agreement does not call for any specified amount of equipment
to be sold to NCR, the prospect of several millions of dollars worth
of business is not far from their thoughts.

"We are excited to be breaking new ground with NCR's field service
organization," said Harry J. Saal, president and CEO, Network
General Corp. "Network General's product mix of portable Sniffer
Network Analyzers, Distributed Sniffer Systems and Watchdog Monitors
gives NCR the necessary tools and systems to efficiently diagnose
the problems of complex, geographically dispersed networks from
centralized locations."

(Naor Wallach/19920226/Press Contact: Ben Merritt, Network General,
415-688-2700)


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

Apple Announces Distrib Pacts With Several Firms 02/26/92
CUPERTINO, CALIFORNIA, U.S.A., 1992 FEB 26 (NB) -- Apple USA is
embarking on an expanded program of attracting value-added resellers
(VAR) to the Macintosh family. At this time Apple announced that it's
picked three of the largest computer distributors in the
country to recruit, pre-qualify, and support the VARs that Apple
wants.

The three distributors are Ingram Micro, Merisel, and Tech Data.
Each of them is expected to concentrate on a slightly different
segment of the VAR population. Once a potential VAR is identified,
the distributor will recruit them to sell Macintosh products and
do a pre-qualification to make sure that they meet with Apple's
standards. If they do, the distributor will make the arrangements
between Apple USA and the VAR. Assuming that the relationship is
approved by both companies, Apple will bestow the VAR status on
the applicant and the distributor will be allows to continue
working with that company on a VAR basis.

Apple has performed an eight-month research effort to try and
see how they can improve their VAR program. Their conclusions
were that they should not go it alone but rather, that they should
use the resources that are available and already working with the
potential VARs. This lead to the decision to use these three
distributors.

There are eight areas which Apple is targeting for VARs: design
and imaging, integrated media, architecture, publishing, finance
and accounting, legal, engineering, and real estate. In Apple's
estimation there is no single distributor that serves all of these
areas best. Which is another reason for the selection of the three.

The new VAR program will be launched in the second calendar
quarter of 1992. Beginning then, Ingram Micro, Merisel, and Tech
Data will receive the authority to begin distributing all of Apple's
Macintosh equipment.

(Naor Wallach/19920226/Press Contact: Michelle Soleau, Regis McKenna
for Apple, 415-354-4465)


(NEWS)(IBM)(NYC)(00007)

IBM Doubles Disk Size On Multimedia PC 02/26/92
WHITE PLAINS, NEW YORK, U.S.A., 1992 FEB 26 (NB) -- IBM has announced
that the it is expanding the fixed disk on the PS/2 Ultimedia M57
SLC, its first desktop multimedia machine, from 80 megabyte (MB) to
160 MB. It also said that it will retain the originally announced
price of $5995 for the M57 SLC, scheduled to ship in March.

Announcing the decision to double the hard disk size while retaining
the price, Michael A. Braun, assistant general manager, multimedia,
said, "Our early users liked all of the unique features of our
multimedia machine, but felt that expanding to a 160 MB drive
would allow more audio and video storage thus improving the
operational aspects by potentially eliminating the need to delete files
or to purchase additional storage capacity. We felt that the benefit to
our customer was significant enough to replace the 80 MB drive and
offer the new M57 at the same price."

The system, when shipped, will be accompanied by a CD-ROM
containing IBM Operating System/2 (OS/2) Version 2.0, IBM DOS 5.0
and Microsoft Windows 3.0(b) with Multimedia Extensions. IBM said
that, while the version of OS/2 to be initially shipped will be OS/2
2.0 LAP (Limited Availability Program), customers will be shipped a
full OS/2 2.0 CD-ROM with documentation at no charge when it
becomes generally available.

(Barbara E. McMullen & John F. McMullen/Press Contact: Jim Keller,
IBM, 914-642-5472/19920226)


(NEWS)(GENERAL)(SFO)(00008)

 ****Microsoft Licenses Fractal Compression Technology 02/26/92
BOSTON, MASSACHUSETTS, 1992 FEB 26 (NB) -- Microsoft Corp. has
licensed a new fractal compression technology for use in its
multimedia products, Newsbytes has learned.

In confirming an unannounced licensing agreement with Iterated
Systems, the small start-up firm that developed the technology,
Microsoft officials supplied few details about how Microsoft will
implement the fractal method, except to say that a content-based,
still video application is in the works.

But Greg Riker, director of development in Microsoft's
Multimedia Publishing Group, spoke enthusiastically about the
overall benefits of fractal compression, stating that the new
technology provides much higher image quality and requires much
less storage space than the JPEG compression commonly in use, and
affords other advantages, as well.

Meanwhile, Bill Caffery, vice president and director of the
Advanced Technologies Group at the Gartner Group, told Newsbytes he
has been informed by Microsoft insiders that the application
consists of a series of CD ROM-based multimedia titles, to be
produced by Microsoft starting this year.

The agreement between Microsoft and Iterated Systems was
signed in late January and is nonexclusive, permitting the start-up
to sell its fractal technology to other customers, said Jan Ozer,
vice president of sales and marketing for Iterated Systems.

Specific, content-based applications often go unannounced by
Microsoft, explained a public relations spokesperson for Microsoft,
citing "Multimedia Beethoven," a recent joint effort between
Microsoft and Voyager, as an example.

The compression technology that Microsoft has licensed is
based on fractal transform, a technique that can determine the
fractal formula of an image in seconds, instead of the days or
weeks that used to be required, said Ozer.

By using fractal formulas, instead of standard mathematical
equations, the technology compresses still and full motion video
more tightly than JPEG does, and with less image degradation he
asserted. The files are compressed into Iterated's proprietary
Fractal Image Format (FIF).

The fractal technology carries out compression at ratios of
20,000:1 and up for still video and 100:1 and up for full-motion
video, in contrast to JPEG's radio of 30:1 or less for either form
of video, according to Caffery.

"With Microsoft's adoption of fractal compression, the dark
horse of image compression technology has been mounted by a white
knight, in the form of a Master of the Universe," the analyst
commented.

Microsoft's Riker told Newsbytes that he is attracted to the
resolution independence of the fractal technology, which permits an
image to be compressed, and then decompressed at a higher
resolution than the original image. This feature is particularly
useful in displaying the same images on monitors of different
resolutions, he noted.

Riker also pointed to a capability that lets users determine
file sizes. "Basically, you can force fit an image into any
space," he remarked. "There can be some impact on quality. But
none of the other compression schemes I know of allow you to say,
'Here's how large I want the resulting file to be.'"

Another enticement, said Riker, is a softened appearance that
fractal compression can create, similar to the visual texture
produced on film when cheesecloth is placed over the camera. "The
softened effect occurs when you use fractal compression with
photos, which is what we're typically doing. It does an especially
nice job with faces and other natural images, as opposed to graphs
and straight lines," Riker reported.

In addition to licensing the compression software technology,
Microsoft bought boards from Interated Systems, said Ozer. The
hardware is needed for the level of compression Microsoft aims to
achieve, he added.

(Jacqueline Emigh/19920225)


(NEWS)(BUSINESS)(LAX)(00009)

Conner, Intel Agree To Produce Flash Solid-State Disks 02/26/92
SAN JOSE, CALIFORNIA, U.S.A., 1992 FEB 26 (NB) -- Conner
Peripherals, known for its hard disk drives and Intel, known
for manufacture of the new flash memory chips, announced the
two companies have signed an agreement to design and market
proprietary flash memory-based solid-state disk (SSD) storage
products.

Intel said it first introduced flash memory for mobile
computing applications in 1988. Flash memory has the advantage
of being able to remember information even after the power is
off, unlike random access memory (RAM). It can also be erased
and reprogrammed electronically while installed in a system,
Intel added.

The flash SSD storage products the companies say they are
planning are geared toward the performance, size, weight, and
low-power consumption requirements of the smaller size
intelligent consumer and industrial electronics as well as
notebook, pen-based, and hand-held computers.

Already other companies are beginning to announce large storage
capacity drives based on memory chips because they offer
significantly faster performance with no moving parts. Newer
Technology of Wichita, Kansas recently announced the SCSI-II
Dart, one of the world's fastest drives. The SCSI-II Dart is a
RAM-based drive capable of 512 megabytes of storage with access
times of 0.1 milliseconds and data transfer rates of 12
megabytes per second.

Dr. Richard Pashley, general manager of Intel's Memory
Components Division in Folsom, California said: "By combining
the experience we've gained with flash since then (1988) with
Conner's expertise in hard disk drive technology, our customers
will be able to develop new types of high-performance, light-
weight, low-power mobile computing systems that will ultimately
make such systems as common and indispensable as a calculator."

Under terms of the agreement, Conner maintains it will
contribute expertise in disk drive electronics, IDE standard
interfaces developed for hard disk drives, and drive
manufacturing experience. Intel says it provides its flash
memory design, process technology, packaging, and component
manufacturing experience.

(Linda Rohrbough/19920225/Press Contact: Kevin Burr, Conner
Peripherals, tel [phone], fax [phone]; Janet
Woodworth, Intel, tel [phone]; Roger Kasten, Newer
Technology, tel [phone], fax [phone])


(NEWS)(TRENDS)(TOR)(00010)

 ****University Unveils Electronic Library System 02/26/92
PITTSBURGH, PENNSYLVANIA, U.S.A., 1992 FEB 26 (NB) -- Carnegie
Mellon University has unveiled one of the first electronic library
systems in the United States based on distributed computing. The
system stores information on a number of servers around the campus
rather than on a single mainframe computer.

Developed as part of the university's "Project Mercury," the system
lets students and faculty retrieve electronic documents stored in
the university library from almost any type of computer, anywhere
on campus, without leaving their dorm rooms or offices. And through
a connection to the Internet -- the global network linking
universities and research institutions -- it will make some of the
university's collection accessible from computers almost anywhere
in the world.

Mercury runs on the university's "Andrew" campus computer network,
which is linked to the Internet. The network uses high-resolution
workstations that can display images of documents, including
diagrams and graphics that were previously impossible to show.

Researchers have developed user interfaces to run on Unix
workstations and traditional personal computers and terminals, the
university reported. They are completing work on an interface for
the Apple Macintosh as well.

William Y. Arms, Carnegie Mellon's vice-president for academic
services, told Newsbytes the university plans to build its
collection of documents in electronic form in several ways.
Carnegie Mellon is working with University Microfilms
International, of Ann Arbor, Michigan, to put an assortment of
materials into electronic form. The university is also working on
an agreement with Elsevier Science Publishing, one of the largest
publishers of scientific and technical journals, to provide
electronic versions of 38 journals.

Carnegie Mellon is also scanning seven computer science journals
into electronic storage at the university, Arms said. Finally, the
system will provide access to technical and working papers in
computer science from six universities that are national leaders in
computer science. The Department of Defence has encouraged the
conversion of that material into electronic form, he said.

Currently, Arms said, the university has in electronic form 27,000
pages from seven journals published by Elsevier Science Publishing
and the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers.

"The potential is much greater than what is available at the
moment," noted university spokeswoman Anne Watzman.

Arms said documents to which Carnegie Mellon holds the copyright
will be available to users outside the campus through the Internet.
Some other documents may be restricted to users at the university
depending on the agreement the university has with the publisher,
he explained.

Project Mercury was started in 1989 with major gifts from the Pew
Charitable Trusts and Digital Equipment Corp. Further support has
been provided by the On Line Computer Library Center (OCLC), Apple
Computer, the American Association for Artificial Intelligence, and
Bell Atlantic Corp.

(Grant Buckler/19920225/Press Contact: Anne Watzman, Carnegie
Mellon University, 412-268-2900)


(NEWS)(IBM)(TOR)(00011)

IBM Canada Eliminates Chlorofluorocarbons From Plant 02/26/92
TORONTO, ONTARIO, CANADA, 1992 FEB 26 (NB) -- IBM Canada has done
away with the use of chlorofluorocarbons (CFCs) in its
manufacturing plant here. CFCs are a chemical believed to be
contributing to the breakdown of the high-altitude layer of ozone
that surrounds the earth and reduces the level of potentially
harmful ultraviolet radiation reaching the planet's surface.

IBM said it has abolished the use of the chemical Freon, which
contains CFCs and which was formerly used to clean solder flux
residue from circuit boards.

Two alternate processes replace the use of Freon. One involves a
non-corrosive solder paste that leaves virtually no residue,
eliminating the need for cleaning. Since that solution will not
work in all cases, IBM Canada is also using a new water-soluble
solder paste that can be removed using deionized water, which is
then filtered.

IBM Canada spokesman Stan Didzbalis said IBM is working on the
elimination of chlorofluorocarbons from its operations around the
world, and has already eliminated CFCs completely in some
countries, and from some plants in the United States.

IBM Canada was a significant contributor to the Canadian
electronics industry's use of chlorofluorocarbons, Didzbalis said,
though he added that the electronics industry as a whole only
accounts for about 12 percent of Canada's total CFC usage.

The announcement comes shortly after Canadian government officials,
alarmed over new scientific evidence that the ozone layer is
thinning over the northern as well as the southern polar regions,
advised parents to be more cautious about the amount of time their
children spend in the summer sun. This year, Canadians will begin
receiving daily warnings about ultraviolet radiation levels, a
practice already in place in some southern countries.

(Grant Buckler/19920225/Press Contact: Stan Didzbalis, IBM Canada,
416-474-3900)


(NEWS)(TELECOM)(WAS)(00012)

Skytel And HP Announce HP 95XL Palmtop Pager Link 02/26/92
WASHINGTON, DC, U.S.A., 1992 FEB 26 (NB) -- Skytel and
Hewlett-Packard have agreed to jointly market SkyStream, a new
satellite paging receiver which allows HP 95XL palmtop computers
users to receive messages from the Skytel satellite messaging
network. For now the three-ounce Skystream receiver system will
allow users of the palmtop computer to capture and store messages
or data updates on a 24-hour basis anywhere in North America.

The HP 95LX will be able to receive up about 60 words of data or
text in a single message, but Skystream will continue to capture
and store up to 32 kilobits of data even when not attached to the
HP 95LX. The data can then be downloaded to the computer and read
at a later time.

Business travelers might find the most useful feature the ability
to have updates on travel reservations loaded directly into the
appointment book feature of the HP 95LX.

The new device will sell for under $500 and be available by May.

(John McCormick/1992225/Press Contact: Elisa Fershstadt, Burson-
Marsteller, 212-614-5163)


(NEWS)(IBM)(TOR)(00013)

IBM Executives Take Pay Cut 02/26/92
ARMONK, NEW YORK, U.S.A., 1992 FEB 26 (NB) -- IBM Chairman John
Akers and the company four other top executives will be paid some
40 percent less than they were the year before, a company
spokesman has confirmed. The executives -- and other senior people
at IBM -- will get smaller performance bonuses or no bonuses at all
because IBM lost $2.8 billion in 1991.

IBM spokesman Jim Ruderman told Newsbytes that only about one third
of the total pay package for Akers and the four next-highest-paid
of IBM's executives is base salary. While that base salary will
remain unchanged, he said, the bosses will see their short-term
incentives cut drastically due to last year's loss.

Incentives based on longer-term performance also make up a part of
the top executives' compensation and are not likely to be affected
right away by the bad year in 1991, Ruderman added.

Akers, who was paid $2.6 million in 1990, is expected to get at
least 40 percent less for 1991, Ruderman said. IBM's board of
directors will set the exact figure at a meeting this week.

Ruderman added that most IBM executives have some element of bonus
in their pay packages, and many are likely to see a reduction in
their 1991 bonuses.

Details of the five top executives' compensation will be made
public in mid-March, Ruderman said.

(Grant Buckler/19920225/Press Contact: Jim Ruderman, IBM,
914-765-6631)


(NEWS)(IBM)(WAS)(00014)

C&T Lowers Chip Prices 02/26/92
SAN JOSE, CALIFORNIA, U.S.A., 1992 FEB 26 (NB) -- Chips &
Technologies has announced new list prices on its Intel-
compatible math coprocessors. The SuperMath 38700DX coprocessor
capable of speeds ranging from 16 to 25MHz now lists for $249.
SuperMath 38700SX will start at $139 list for the slowest.

C&T produces math coprocessors which are socket and software
compatible with the Intel 80XX7 line of coprocessors but are
claimed to be faster because they utilize slightly faster
algorithms - the actual step-by-step process used to perform
calculations - resulting, according to the company, in a chip-
level performance increase of up to 600 percent.

The C&T prices are "list" and single quantity street prices would
be lower for C&T chips. By way of comparison, a recent street
price for an Intel 33 MHz. 80387 (equivalent to the
SuperMath38700DX) was $209 and the Cyrix 83D87-33 was also the
same price.

Other 80387SX math coprocessors are have street prices (in single
quantities) beginning around $129.

(John McCormick/19920225/Press Contact: Gavin Bourne, C&T, 408-
434-0600)


(NEWS)(APPLE)(DEN)(00015)

New For Macintosh: Aldus Presswise 1.0 02/26/92
SEATTLE, WASHINGTON, U.S.A., 1992 FEB 26 (NB) -- Aldus Corporation
has announced Presswise 1.0, a professional page-imposition program
that will prepare multipage Pagemaker 4.2 and QuarkXPress 3.1
documents to be printed, folded, and bound in the correct page
sequence. Presswise was shown at the Seybold Seminars 92 in Boston
last week.

Asked to explain page-imposition, Brad Stevens told Newsbytes that
it is the process used to determine in what order pages are laid out
on the multi-page sheets from which printing is done on commercial
presses. The page imposition process aids that layout so that when
the pages are cut apart after printing, they come out in the correct
order.

Aldus said it has signed worldwide distribution agreements for
Presswise with Crosfield Electronics Limited of England, and Tegra,
Inc of New Jersey.

Presswise is designed for organizations that own or use electronic
page layout and imaging devices to create printed documents,
including commercial printers, service bureaus, in-house printers,
and color prepress providers.

Presswise includes page handling and page-adjustment tools that
enable professional film-strippers and production artists to impose
virtually any Pagemaker or QuarkXPress file from the desktop. For
example, a user can merge the pages of multiple publications, sort
them in a page-list palette, then apply imposition templates that
will automatically accommodate binding options and arrange the pages
in the proper order and orientation for printing. The program also
has the capability to provide a thumbnail view of the imposition
so the user can see the results of their work.

Presswise will also integrate single-page EPS files into
publications and keep track of pertinent file data, such as
a document's page size, fonts, and colors. Gutter control,
shingling adjustment, and support for the open prepress interface is
provided.

Aldus acquired exclusive worldwide marketing rights to the Presswise
technology from Cleveland-based Emulation Technologies last July.
Expected to be available this quarter, the product is being
completed by Aldus and Emulation Technologies in coordination with
San Francisco-based Professional Prepress Alliance, a consortium of
18 of the largest prepress service bureaus in the US.

Presswise will be available as part of an integrated prepress
package from Crosfield or Tegra, or can be purchased directly from
Aldus as a stand-alone program. The suggested retail price is $2,295.

Aldus said it is presently negotiating distribution agreements with
other manufacturers of electronic prepress equipment.

To run Presswise, Aldus recommends a Mac II series computer with
System 6.0.5 or later, at least 5MB of RAM, and a hard drive.
Minimum configuration is a Mac Classic with 1MB of RAM and a hard
disk. Prepress 1.0 is compatible with Apple's latest operating
system, System 7.

(Jim Mallory/19920225/Press contact: Brad Stevens, Aldus
Corporation, 206-662-5500)


(NEWS)(BUSINESS)(HKG)(00016)

Sun Celebrates Record-breaking 10th Birthday 02/26/92
WANCHAI, HONG KONG, 1992 FEB 26 (NB) -- Sun Microsystems celebrated
its 10th birthday on 24th February with record-breaking
second quarter earnings, revenue growth and market share performance.

In its second quarter of fiscal 1992, Sun achieved revenue growth of
20 percent to $909.1 million. At the same time, earnings per
employee exceeded $279,000, the highest of any computer company
that sells its products through direct sales channels.

With a workstation market share of 40.8 percent, Sun has more than
double the share of its nearest competitor and an installed base of
more than 550,000.

"Sun has grown six times faster than the industry as a whole and has
consistently led the Fortune 500 growth charts," said Bob MacRitchie,
vice president of Sun Microsystems' Asia Group.

"Just 10 years ago, a small group of people set out to change the
fundamentals of the computer business in the same way that Henry Ford
changed the fundamentals of the automobile business. By 1992, with
predicted revenues of well over $3 billion the company has, by all
accounts, succeeded in that dream."

The company forged a vision of powerful, open Unix workstations which
could deliver a low-cost, off-the shelf alternative to traditional
mainframe computing, said MacRitchie. This, combined with streamlined
designs and extensive outside assembly available to anybody, was the
formula that enabled Sun to lead the development of client-server
systems.

"In Asia, client-server computing is one of the fastest growing
computing markets with predicted annual volume growth of over 35
percent between 1990 and 1995," MacRitchie added. "Sun is the clear
market leader and has built strong relationships with key customers
and third-party resellers to consolidate its position. We look
forward to another 10 years of exceptional growth."

(Norman Wingrove/19920225/Press contact: Ching Wu, Sun, Tel +852 802
4188; HK time is GMT + 8)


(NEWS)(UNIX)(TYO)(00017)

Japan: Canon Beefs Up Next Marketing 02/26/92
TOKYO, JAPAN, 1992 FEB 26 (NB) -- Canon has announced an aggressive
strategy to push sales of Next computers in Japan. Canon will
reportedly create more Japanese training centers devoted to
instruction on Next workstations and plans to create more
software for the machines.

Canon, Next's exclusive dealer for its workstations in
Japan and Southeast Asia, is creating training centers in
Tokyo and Osaka. Each training center will be equipped with
eight workstations, which will allow the training of 16 people
at a time. Canon is also planning to hold various seminars for
low-end users and the developers of Japanese application programs
as well as peripheral equipment for the Next workstations.

Currently, Canon has been selling the Next workstations at its
retail outlets, called Zero-One shops, throughout Japan. Canon is
said to have sold only 3,000 workstations last year and aims to
triple its sales this year.

Meanwhile, Canon has also launched into the sale of
supercomputers. It recently built a new building for
supercomputer sales and features products from Cray and Kubota.
Canon aims to make 2 billion yen ($16 million) in sales this year.

(Masayuki Miyazawa/19920225/Press Contact: Canon, +81-3-3348-
2121)


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

Bill Regulating "900" Exchange Moves Ahead 02/26/92
WASHINGTON, D.C., U.S.A., 1992 FEB 26 (NB) -- The U.S. Congress
is putting restrictions placed last year on the pay-per-call
"900" exchange into law. The U.S. House has voted 381-31 for a
bill regulating the industry. The Senate has already passed a
version of the bill, and the two versions will next be
reconciled, passed again, then sent to President Bush.

Like Federal Communications Commission regulations offered last
year, the bill would require disclosure of costs as soon as a
caller connects, would require parental consent for services
aimed at children, and would prohibit dialing tones to be
broadcast so kids could hold up phones to the TV to reach
numbers. The bill also requires a separate listing on phone bills
of pay-per-call charges, prohibits phone companies from
disconnecting local service for refusal to pay for such calls,
and requires phone companies to block access to the exchange if
consumers request it.

The Federal Trade Commission would also make sure any advertising
for such numbers follows the rules, including a requirement that
ads disclose the chance of winning contests or lotteries offered
through the exchange.

When the FCC passed its version of the regulations last year, the
trade groups representing the industry applauded them, claiming
they were anxious to clean up the poor public image their
industry has. The move toward regulation first developed over
sexually explicit numbers, which conservative legislators dubbed
"dial-a-porn," many of which have since switched to toll-free 800
exchanges and local numbers. Consumer groups have charged that
many of those numbers are now blatant rip-offs, promising sexual
frankness and delivering ordinary conversation. Other such
numbers have moved to overseas exchanges, but still advertise in
the U.S.

(Dana Blankenhorn/19920226)


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

United Telecom Becomes Sprint 02/26/92
KANSAS CITY, MISSOURI, U.S.A., 1992 FEB 26 (NB) -- Fulfilling a
promise it made a month ago, United Telecommunications said it
will change its name to Sprint Corp. The stock's ticker symbol
will also change, from UT to FON.

The company made the decision on the name change after agreeing
to purchase the 19.9 percent of the Sprint long distance network
it didn't already own from GTE. The two companies bought the
network as a 50-50 joint venture in 1986, but GTE eventually
decided to concentrate on local services. The name originally
stood for Southern Pacific Internal Network Telecom --- the
railroad company laid its original fiber phone lines on its right
of ways, and operated the network for a time.

United Telecom still has 7 local telephone groups, which serve 4
million subscribers in 17 states. United Telecom's telephone
directory publishing unit, DirectoriesAmerica, will change its
name to Sprint Publishing & Advertising. North Supply, United
Telecom's equipment distribution subsidiary, will retain its name
and add a "A Sprint Company" to its logo. All companies will
replace their nine-square United Telecom logo with the red
diamond Sprint logo.

Sprint currently is the U.S.'s #3 long-distance company, with just
under 10 percent of the business. AT&T holds about 65 percent,
MCI 16 percent.

(Dana Blankenhorn/19920226/Press Contact: Tom Rafferty, Sprint,
913-624-3234)


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

NY Switches Cellular/Paging To 917 Area Code 02/26/92
NEW YORK, NEW YORK, U.S.A., 1992 FEB 26 (NB) -- New York
Telephone has moved all cellular and paging numbers in New York
City to the 917 area code. The move adds exchanges to the city,
and will also help intercept fraud, since some crooks have taken
to using pagers linked to caller-paid "900" numbers to rip off
consumers.

Numbers assigned to the new area code previously were in either
the 212 area code, covering Manhattan, or the 718 area code
covering Brooklyn and Queens. The establishment of the area code
is the first step in a plan to keep from running out of phone
numbers in Manhattan. The second stage will switch Bronx numbers
from 212 to 718 on July 1. The 917 code will help keep 718 from
running out of numbers.

In Florida, both United Telephone and GTE said that callers there
will have to add an area code to all long distance calls, even
those within their area codes. This dialing will become mandatory
starting October 4.

Many phone companies are having trouble with their supply of
phone numbers as customers accumulate them to link their fax
machines, modems, cellular phones and pagers to networks. The
congestion could increase as microwave-based PCN service comes
on-stream in the next few years. Bellcore, a research group owned
by the seven regional Bell companies, has proposed adding 640 new
area codes using center digits between 2 and 9, which will
require reprogramming of phone switches.

(Dana Blankenhorn/19920226/Press Contact: New York Telephone,
Paul Davidson, 212/395-0500; Jan Morris, GTE, 813-224-4433; Brian
Craven, United Telephone, 407/889-6807)


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

Oki Might Sign With IBM Japan: Spokesman Denies 02/26/92
TOKYO, JAPAN, 1992 FEB 26 (NB) -- Oki Electric has been talking
with IBM Japan concerning sales of IBM computers in Japan,
according to the Nikkan Kogyo newspaper. An Oki spokesman,
Akihisa Yamada, flatly denied the report.

According to the Oki spokesman, Oki will sell IBM Japan's
computers as part of its system integration, and is not going to
sign a sales dealership agreement or an OEM (original equipment
manufacturer) agreement with IBM Japan. In other words, Oki says
it will simply sell IBM Japan's computers because they round out
its own computer offerings.

Meanwhile, a Newsbytes source says IBM Japan is especially
interested in selling its general purpose office computer,
the "AS/400," with other firms.

This kind of OEM agreement is not new to IBM Japan. IBM Japan has
already singed OEM agreements with Ricoh, Mitsubishi, and Canon.
The firm has also recently signed with Hitachi concerning
sales of notebook-type personal computers.

(Masayuki Miyazawa/19920226/Press Contact: IBM Japan, +81-3-
3586-1111)


(NEWS)(TELECOM)(TYO)(00022)

Major Telecom Joint Venture By NTT And KDD 02/26/92
TOKYO, JAPAN, 1992 FEB 26 (NB) -- Japan's two major telecom firms
NTT and KDD are hammering out a plan to create a joint
venture devoted to overseas telephone business.

NTT and KDD are both former telecom monopolies in Japan -- NTT
used to dominate the domestic telephone market, while KDD controlled
the overseas telephone market.

Ventures with foreign countries are not new for the firms.
NTT has been doing business in Indonesia, England,
Germany, and France. But this is the first overseas joint
venture for the companies.

The joint venture, due to be formed this summer, will be based
on NTT's overseas business firm NTT International, which has 280
employees at present. The new firm aims to be involved in various
national projects in foreign countries especially in Southeast Asia
and the former Soviet Union. Actual business will cover consulting,
sales of telecom equipment, and setting up telephone
lines and systems.

In order to obtain business contracts from foreign firms, NTT
and KDD are asking major trading and electronics equipment
firms to join in the new venture. Such trading and electronics
firms may include Nissho-Iwai, C. Itoh, NEC, and Fujitsu.

(Masayuki Miyazawa/19920226/Press Contact: NTT, [phone])


(NEWS)(BUSINESS)(OSL)(00023)

DEC's New Open Business Practice 02/26/92
SOUTH QUEENSFERRY, SCOTLAND, 1992 FEB 26 (NB) -- With its hopes
pinned on Alpha becoming the new standard in computing, Digital
is changing its business strategy. It will license the new
technology to third party vendors. The open architecture can
be applied to systems ranging from palmtop computers to massive,
parallel supercomputers.

Cray Research has already announced that Alpha will form
the basis of its first-generation massively parallel processor
supercomputer, and Kubota will use the chip in its
high-performance graphics workstation, available in late 1992.
"The Alpha chip delivers leading edge single-chip functionality
and performance," said Cray Research Chairman John Rollwagen,
at the time of its announcement.

Digital will license Alpha at all levels of integration - chip,
board and system - to other computer companies and to original
equipment manufacturers. With such alliances Digital will try to
ensure the broadest use of the architecture with the widest
possible range of operating environments and make sure that it
will reach the market at an attractive price.

"In the next five years only a handful of computer manufacturers
will be able to design and build microprocessors, and enjoy the
inherent advantage in performance and time to market. The rest
will use off-the-shelf components and will compete on the basis
of services. With Alpha, Digital will be one of those few, and
first among equals," said Pier Carlo Falotti, president of
Digital Europe, during the announcement.

Over the next months, Digital will announce additional alliances
and partnerships that will highlight third-party Alpha support.

The company will become a partner with software vendors and provide
a portfolio of applications on Alphas and license its
operating systems (including DEC OSF/1 and VMS) compilers and
layered software products.

To facilitate this, Digital is offering a support
program to help companies migrate their applications to
Digital's Alpha platform. Extensive porting activities are
already underway with many application software vendors.

"Licensing Alpha is in line with Digital's commitment to deliver
the Open Advantage," said Falotti. "It will accelerate Alpha's
acceptance as a new industry standards which in turn will
generate revenue for applications developers and broaden the
range of products available. Thus third parties have a stake in
Digital's futures and vice versa, and the ultimate beneficiary
of this open approach is the customer."

(Jan-Frode Nordli/19920225/Press Contact: Digital Equipment
Corp, Norway, Arne Cartridge,Planning & Marketing; Tel +
47-2-160290, Fax + 47-2-302395)


(NEWS)(UNIX)(SFO)(00024)

New For Unix: Software Connects SCO Unix To Novell 02/26/92
BELLEVUE, WASHINGTON, U.S.A., 1992 FEB 26 (NB) -- Interconnections
has announced the first in a new line of connectivity products.
Called the Leverage product line, this first product, TES for SCO,
will allow PCs resident on a Novell network to log into SCO
Unix-based machines.

TES stands for Terminal Emulation Services. This product is a 100%
software answer to the problem of intermixing Novell and Unix boxes
on the same network. Interconnections has previously developed a
product that is currently sold by Novell as TES for Vax VMS.

Novell users can open up to nine simultaneous sessions on their PC
under DOS or Windows using a pop-up menu interface of Interconnections'
own devising. The program is claimed to take up very little RAM
while running, thereby leaving lots for other programs.

TES for SCO is a package deal that combines an SCO Unix server
module, a standard TES client, and an optional Windows support kit.
The software is expected to be available at the end of the second
quarter of 1992. A bundle of five copies of the software will sell for
$625. A bundle with an unlimited number of users will sell for $2500.
The optional Windows kit will add anywhere from $500 to $1300
depending on the bundle size.

The company is also saying that they expect to be able to take back
their TES for VAX VMS from Novell and upgrade it later this year.
At this time they are polling their users to discover areas that
should be enhanced. Company officials would not comment publicly on
this activity, but disclosed to Newsbytes privately that their
agreement with Novell allows them to take the product back should
Novell develop a competitive product.

(Naor Wallach/19920225/Press Contact: Mary Wiggins, Interconnections,
206-881-5773)


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

AT&T TeleTravel Service 02/26/92
BASKING RIDGE, NEW JERSEY, U.S.A., 1992 FEB 26 (NB) -- AT&T
rolled out its TeleTravel service nationwide. The service uses a
toll-free 800 number to offer a menu of information and phone
services including three-way and speed calling, voice mail and
language interpretation.

The services are readily available in airports and other locations
that aren't directly wired for such services, said Matt Bieber,
AT&T TeleTravel Service general manager.

All features except AT&T Message Service and directory assistance
have a flat charge per minute, and there is an additional monthly
service charge for voice mail. For AT&T Message Service, users
are charged per message. For directory assistance, users are
charged per call.

Voice mail users have a seven-digit authorization code plus a
four-digit personal identification number for security. The system
will accept only one user per authorization code at any given time,
which prevents multiple callers charging to the account if the code
is compromised.

People interested in more information about AT&T TeleTravel
Service can call 1-800-545-8210.

(Dana Blankenhorn/19920225/Press Contact: AT&T, Mitch Montagna,
908/221-7738)


(NEWS)(TELECOM)(ATL)(00026)

Bells Charged With Lagging on 800 Portability 02/26/92
WASHINGTON, D.C., U.S.A., 1992 FEB 26 (NB) -- Anger is growing
over a move by regional Bell companies to delay a plan to make
800 numbers "portable." The idea, approved by the Federal
Communications Commission, is that phone companies will build a
database of numbers and their owners, so that people who want to
change carriers can bring their numbers with them.

Currently, entire exchanges are assigned to specific carriers,
making it necessary for companies which change carriers to also
change numbers, at a huge marketing expense.

Pacific Telesis has now asked the FCC for permission to delay the
September order, claiming it will cost $115 million over the
next year to comply. Allnet, a small long distance carrier, filed
opposition to its petition, claiming the company is mandating it
to participate in "costly and technically inadequate" access to the
database. Allnet contends that PacTel is complaining of costs
that amount to under .2 percent of total revenues, and that the
company is trying to further subject 18 percent of its traffic
to lower standards of service.

If the delay is granted, Allnet wants the whole September 4 order
reconsidered. Allnet attorney Roy Morris also asks the FCC to
keep Bellcore -- the research arm of the regional Bells -- from
playing any further role in the deployment and operation of the
database.

(Dana Blankenhorn/19920225/Press Contact: Roy Morris, Allnet,
202-293-0593)


(NEWS)(GOVT)(WAS)(00027)

Consumers Unexpectedly Down on Economy
WASHINGTON, DC, U.S.A., 1992 FEB 26 (NB) -- While President Bush
is touting an imminent economic recovery, the stock market climbs
to new heights, and Federal Reserve Chairman Alan Greenspan
predicts a modest economic upturn, consumers, the people who
actually buy home computers or products produced by companies
which in turn purchase computers and software, are feeling very,
very gloomy about their own economic future.

The most recent data collected by the private business research
group, The Conference Board, says that Americans as a whole
are now more pessimistic about the state of the economy than any
time since the double-digit inflation days of late 1974.

The latest Conference Board report came as a shock to many people
who had expected a modest increase in consumer confidence rather
than a dramatic plunge.

Unlike other economic numbers which measure or attempt to measure
things which have already happened, such as orders being placed
for new factory equipment, consumer confidence is a measure of
how people feel and if there is one thing that most economists
agree on it is that people who are worried about the economic
future don't spend much money and therefore won't contribute to
an economic recovery.

This gloomy situation will hit industry and business across the
board from computer resellers to automobile manufacturers because
whether this lack of consumer confidence is warranted or not, it
has a real and powerful effect on the economy as a whole.

There is much debate about just what is causing this gloomy
outlook, but the strongest case seems to be that the American
people have finally awakened to the fact that the country is very
deep in debt and the politicians don't seem interested in doing
anything about it.

Couple the election year posturing with GM's recent factory
closings which will put 15,000 to 20,000 high-paid auto workers
permanently out of work with recent news stories clearly
explaining how the middle class worker of the 70s has seen a
major reduction in his actual buying power and some observers are
saying that they expect consumer confidence to drop even further.

(John McCormick/19920226)


(NEWS)(GOVT)(WAS)(00028)

China May Loose MFN, But Don't Bet On It 02/26/92
WASHINGTON, DC, U.S.A., 1992 FEB 26 (NB) -- Congress dealt a
telling, but probably not fatal blow to President Bush's efforts
to keep China as a favored U.S. trading partner despite a dismal
human rights record, sales of weapons to unstable countries, and
strict trade barriers against imported goods. On Tuesday the U.S.
Senate voted to condition extension of most favored nation or MFN
status for China on major improvements in China's domestic and
foreign trade policies.

Many Democrats and some Republicans have been asking for several
years why the President, who was once ambassador to China, is so
set on extending MFN trade status to China when the Chinese refuse to
open their markets to most U.S. goods, resulting in a major trade
deficit for the U.S.; continue to persecute their dissident
minorities; blatantly sell missile and other high-tech weapons to
third world countries, some in the Mideast; and use forced labor
to produce export goods which often, in violation of U.S. law,
find their way into the United States.

The Administration's contention is that it is better to keep
close ties with the Chinese Government so the U.S. can influence
their policies - this despite the fact that no tangible sign of
such influence has been seen in years.

The Senate has now voted to end MFN status for China unless they
make some fundamental changes, but observers point out that
President Bush is almost certain to veto their recommendations
and that the Senate very likely doesn't have the votes to
override such a veto.

At the same time, China and the U.S. are expressing totally
opposite views as to the progress of trade talks taking place in
Bejing, with China saying that there has been a major
breakthrough while the chief U.S. trade representative on the
scene (a representative of the Bush Administration) says no
progress has been made.

The next meeting between U.S. and China trade officials, aimed at
averting a possible imposition of 100 percent tariffs on Chinese
goods imported into the U.S., will take place in Washington
sometime in April.

A trade war between the two countries was only just averted last
month when China finally agreed to protect U.S. software and
other copyrighted products from illegal copying. According to
Washington insiders, it is still far too soon to know whether any
substantial changes will actually take place in the wake of this
agreement.

(John McCormick/19920226)


(NEWS)(BUSINESS)(TOR)(00029)

BCE, Systemhouse Release Details Of Deal 02/26/92
MONTREAL, QUEBEC, CANADA, 1992 FEB 26 (NB) -- BCE, the parent
company of Northern Telecom and Canada's largest telephone company,
Bell Canada, and Ottawa-based systems integrator SHL Systemhouse
have released details of an agreement announced recently.

The deal calls for Systemhouse to acquire BCE's data centers and
related operations and enter into an outsourcing agreement with the
Montreal-based company. BCE, meanwhile, is to buy additional common
stock in Systemhouse, giving it about 60 percent of outstanding
shares. Bell Canada's systems integration operations are to be
moved into a new company in which Systemhouse will hold a stake,
and the companies will work together in the systems integration
market domestically and worldwide.

A major impetus for the deal is Systemhouse's keen interest in the
business of outsourcing, in which a services company such as
Systemhouse operates a client's information systems on its behalf,
said company spokesman John Owens. Bell Canada is a major potential
customer for such services. A multi-year outsourcing contract with
Bell could potentially be worth a billion dollars or more, he said.

Specific terms call for a 10-year, renewable outsourcing agreement
under which Systemhouse will provide data center and related
services to Bell Canada. Bell Canada's data centers are to become
part of Systemhouse's existing facilities.

Systemhouse is to own up to 30 percent of the new joint venture
company. In the companies' systems integration alliance, Bell is to
supply network facilities and Systemhouse will provide integration
services.

The deal provides that BCE will not increase its ownership of
Systemhouse stock beyond 62 percent, and Systemhouse will remain a
publicly traded company. BCE is to get additional seats on the
Systemhouse board, bringing its total representation to between 25
and 30 percent of board seats. BCE is reserving the right to vote
its shares to increase its board representation if it becomes
dissatisfied with Systemhouse management.

BCE's involvement with Systemhouse dates back to 1987, when it
loaned money to Kinburn Technology, a holding company that formerly
controlled Systemhouse, to help it buy Computerland Canada, the
Toronto-based firm which operates Computerland retail franchises in
Canada. Kinburn defaulted on the loan in 1990, leaving BCE with the
25-percent share in Systemhouse it holds today.

SHL Systemhouse reported revenues of C$700 million in 1991. It has
more than 3,000 employees.

The deal still has to be approved by the directors of the
companies, Systemhouse shareholders, and regulators. Systemhouse
was scheduled to hold its annual meeting on the afternoon of
February 26, a company spokeswoman said. Board approval is expected
not later than April 30.

(Grant Buckler/19920226/Press Contact: Harry Schlough, Systemhouse,
416-366-4600)


(NEWS)(TELECOM)(TOR)(00030)

Canada Remote Online Service Offers Free Anti-Virus Utilities 02/26/92
MISSISSAUGA, ONTARIO, CANADA, 1992 FEB 26 (NB) -- Canadians worried
about the impending March 6 trigger date of the infamous
Michelangelo virus, not to mention other virus threats, can now get
some protection at no charge. Canada Remote Systems is making
several anti-virus utilities available for downloading free of
charge to both members and non-members, said Neil Fleming, owner
and president of the giant bulletin board system.

Software developer Symantec has provided CRS with a special version
of its Norton Anti-Virus program, specifically designed to find and
eradicate the Michelangelo virus. CRS also has shareware
virus-protection utilities from McAfee & Associates, of Santa
Clara, California, available for downloading.

Anyone, whether a member of CRS or not, can download these
utilities by calling the system at 416-629-7000 or 416-629-7044 in
Mississauga, Ontario, 416-798-7730 or 416-798-7731 in Toronto, or
from the United States, 313-963-1530 in Detroit.

The move is the latest in a series of computer-industry responses
to the Michelangelo virus, which is due to be triggered on March 6
-- the artist's birthday -- when it will erase hard disks on those
machines that contain it.

In mid-February, Microcom announced that it was adding a
Michelangelo disinfector to VIRx, the freeware version of its Virex
utility. VIRx detects viruses, but in most cases is not equipped to
remove them.

Just after that, Symantec announced it would provide the special
Michelangelo version of Norton AntiVirus to users for a $9 shipping
charge, and McAfee announced free availability of its Scan program
to combat Michelangelo.

(Grant Buckler/19920226/Press Contact: Neil Fleming, Canada Remote
Systems, 416-620-1439, fax [phone])


(NEWS)(GENERAL)(TOR)(00031)

 ****Two Cornell Students Charged In Virus Attacks
ITHACA, NEW YORK, U.S.A., 1992 Feb 26 (NB) -- Charges have been
laid against two Cornell University students accused of planting a
virus that locked up Apple Macintosh computers at Cornell, at
Stanford University in California, and in Japan.

David S. Blumenthal and Mark Andrew Pilgrim, both aged 19, were
charged in Ithaca City Court with one count each of second-degree
computer tampering, a Class A misdemeanor. The investigation is
continuing and additional charges are likely to be laid, said
Cornell University spokeswoman Linda Grace-Kobas. Both students
spent the night in jail before being released on bail February 25,
Grace-Kobas added.

The MBDFA virus apparently was launched Feb. 14 in three Macintosh
computer games: Obnoxious Tetris, Tetriscycle, and Ten Tile Puzzle.
Apparently, Grace-Kobas told Newsbytes, a computer at Cornell was
used to upload the virus to the SUMEX-AIM computer archive at
Stanford University and an archive in Osaka, Japan.

MBDFA is a worm, a type of computer virus that distributes itself
in multiple copies within a system or into connected systems. MBDFA
modifies systems software and applications programs and sometimes
results in computer crashes, university officials reported.

Reports of the MBDFA virus have been received from across the
United States and from around the world, including the United
Kingdom, a statement from the university said.

(Grant Buckler/19920226/Press Contact: Linda Kobas, Cornell
University, 607-255-2000)


(NEWS)(GENERAL)(LAX)(00032)

Terminator 2 Computer Graphics Wins NCGA First Place 02/26/92
HOLLYWOOD, CALIFORNIA, U.S.A., 1992 FEB 26 (NB) --
Industrial Light & Magic (ILM) of San Rafael, California ran
away with first place for "Terminator 2" Computer Graphics
Effects in the Short Films/Videos/Theatrical Motion Pictures
category at the National Computer Graphics Association
(NCGA) 7th Annual International Computer Animation
Competition.

The awards were emceed by Peter Schneider,
senior vice president of animation at Walt Disney Pictures.

ILM is well known in Hollywood for its computer graphics
effects, but over 100 other animation studios as well as
individual artists submitted entries into the NCGA
competition, many of whom are jockeying for those studio
computer animation contracts.

Phil Mittleman, of CD-I Systems and chairperson of the
judging panel for the competition, said it used to be that
student and university category submissions for the awards
were obviously crude and unsophisticated compared to the
other entries. "But now, its difficult to tell the
difference. Everyone's work is at the same level," Mittleman
said. Mittleman is probably best known for his work as
screenwriter and director of "Tron," the first feature film
to incorporate computer-generated animation.

"Computer animation is becoming more important to all
industries, especially entertainment," said Schneider. "The
winners are vivid testimonials to how much can be achieved
with today's computer-generated techniques, and they hint at
a future of exciting possibilities for applications of all
kinds."

While the awards concentrated on the use of a computer for
animation, after the ceremony Schneider told Newsbytes of
his concern that the craftsmanship that goes into films,
especially animation is being overlooked. Disney especially,
in his estimation, is being misrepresented as "just using a
computer" when in actuality all of the animation work is
still done by artists by hand.

Even in sequences like those in Terminator 2, the human
element is very much there. Actors wearing computer "suits"
wired to workstations are often the actors, generating the
smooth movement and expression, while the computer
translates their "appearance" into different forms on film.
Mittleman said a company present at the awards is working on
an hour long animation film done with actors in computerized
body suits performing the movements for the computer to
record and use for the film.

Other first place winners at the awards included "Liquid TV
Open" by XAOS of San Francisco, California in the Broadcast
Computer Graphics category; "Looking to the Future" by Ex
Machina of Paris, France in the Corporate Presentations
category; "Diabolic Wife" by Simi Nallaseth of the School of
Visual Arts in New York for the Student/Faculty category;
"Certs Minis: F/X" by Calibre Digital Design of Bramlea,
Ontario, Canada in the Television Commercials category; and
Hanna Barbera's "The Last Halloween" whose animation was
done by Pacific Data Images of Sunnyvale, California winner
in the Animation Within a Multimedia Environment category.

NCGA said the winning entries will be shown to the public at
its 1992 conference and exposition, Business Graphics '92,
to be held at the Anaheim Convention Center in Anaheim,
California March 9-12.

(Linda Rohrbough/19920226/Press Contact: Peter Schneider,
Walt Disney Pictures, tel [phone], fax [phone];
Phil Mittleman, CD-I Systems, tel [phone], fax 310-476-
8405; Andrew Barauskas, NCGA, 703-698-9600 ext. 345)


(NEWS)(APPLE)(LAX)(00033)

 ****Old Compaqs For New Macs: Apple Trade-in Program 02/26/92
CUPERTINO, CALIFORNIA, U.S.A., 1992 FEB 26 (NB) -- Apple says
its resellers will now take trade-ins of used Macintosh and MS-
DOS-compatible computers against new Apple computer equipment.

Apple USA has signed an agreement with Electro Rent Corporation
E.S.D enabling Apple Authorized Resellers to offer cash to
customers who want to trade in trade-in selected Macintosh and
MS-DOS-compatible computers. Apple representative Pat McKinley
didn't have a complete list of the selected equipment Apple
will take in trade, but said all Hewlett-Packard laser
printers, all Compaq brand computers, all IBM brand computers
and select Apple equipment are eligible for cash trade-in on a
purchase or lease of new Apple equipment.

Michael Dionne, senior vice president of sales for Apple USA
said: "The Apple Exchange Program is a real benefit to our U.S.
business and institutional customers, who are faced with an
increasingly saturated replacement market."

Apple dealers will have price sheets for trade-ins available to
them which will be updated every thirty days, McKinley said.
"What can be traded in and the trade-in prices will fluctuate
according to market conditions," McKinley added.

Electro Rent is setting the prices and handling the trade-ins,
Apple said. Electro Rent is the world's largest rental company
and the third largest reseller. Apple says resellers will
obtain the monthly price schedule from Electro Rent via the
Applelink electronic mail system. Resellers can quote trade-in
prices for quantities of 10 to 100 units, but for both larger
and smaller quantities resellers have to get a quote directly
from Electro Rent, Apple added.

This is the latest in several "aggressive" marketing programs
Apple promised to implement last year. Apple recently signed an
agreement with GE for leasing of its corporate customers,
lowered its retail prices on some of its product line, and is
now announcing agreements with Merisel, Ingram Micro, and
Compuadd for distribution of its product line.

Sun Computers, an Authorized Apple Reseller in Tarzana,
California, and Computerland of Van Nuys, California didn't know
about the trade-in program. After Newsbytes provided both
resellers with the Apple announcement, representatives for Sun
and Computerland said it struck them as unusual that Apple was
going to accept trade-ins of MS-DOS computers.

Sun representative PK said: "They should take back those old
Apple IIc, IIe, and GS machines. I get 10 calls a day from
people who say, 'I spent $2,500 on this machine and I don't
know what to do with it.' Apple has cut off support for those
machines completely."

Apple says more trade-in information is available from Apple
dealers directly. Apple has a toll-free number for customers to
locate the nearest Apple Authorized Reseller at 800-538-9696.

(Linda Rohrbough/19920226/Press Contact: Pat McKinley, McKinley
Communications for Apple, tel [phone]; Betty Taylor,
Apple, tel [phone], fax [phone]; PK, Sun Computers,
tel [phone])


(NEWS)(TRENDS)(DEN)(00034)

 ****Microsoft May Write Software For Superfast Digital Chip 02/26/92
REDMOND, WASHINGTON, U.S.A., 1992 FEB 26 (NB) -- Digital Equipment
Corporation said it is negotiating with Microsoft to develop
software for "Alpha," its superfast 64-bit microprocessor
that will allow a desktop PC to run at about the same speed as a
Cray-1 supercomputer.

Digital Equipment Europe President Pier Carlo Falotti told
reporters yesterday that he could not discuss details of the
possible Microsoft deal yet, but said "stay tuned, you will be very
positively surprised."

The only obvious drawback that keeps Alpha from taking the PC market
by storm is its cost. Presently the chip sells for $3,375 in
quantities of 1-100, and $1,599 in quantities over 1,000, but
Alpha is still more expensive than a 386SX chip. Alpha uses
RISC (reduced instruction set computing) technology which simplifies
the hardware requirements. RISC technology is commonly found in
workstations.

Falotti hinted strongly that an alliance with Microsoft would make
Microsoft's next-generation operating system - Windows NT -
available on the Alpha Chip.

Microsoft's Marty Taucher confirmed to Newsbytes that
serious discussions were underway with Digital about the work
necessary to port Windows to the Alpha chip. "We think that's an
important opportunity for us," said Taucher. "The opportunity to
work with Digital, with its strength in the connectivity area and
the server area, as well as the growing presence on the desktop,
offers us a chance to really come in and be a major partner," said
Taucher. "It will certainly help NT."

Windows NT is scheduled to be released before the end of 1992, with
the beta and software development kit scheduled to be rolled out in
July, according to Taucher.

Taucher told Newsbytes that Microsoft is enthusiastic about
Digital's interest in the Windows NT technology. He said that
Microsoft hopes to have an agreement with Digital prior to the
Windows NT developers conference, which is scheduled for July.

In an apparent move to position itself as a key player in the
personal computer market, Digital said it will license the chip to
anybody who wants to buy it, including other chip makers. Digital
is best known for its proprietary systems, but said Alpha and the
software developed for it will be completely compatible with other
systems.

Alpha has already been licensed to Kubota Corporation of Japan,
which said it plans to introduce workstations based on the chip by
the end of the year. Digital isn't expected to introduce its own
Alpha-based workstations that soon.

Falotti said that licensing agreements will be announced shortly
with two other chip companies to manufacture Alpha, with one of
those expected to be located in Europe.

Digital said it plans to produce a broad range of computers based on
Alpha, and by early next year plans to introduce systems ranging
from workstations to mid-range computers using the chip.

Cray Research has said that it might use Alpha in a new generation
of supercomputers.

(Jim Mallory/19920226/Press contact: Marty Taucher, Microsoft,
206-882-8080)