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/nb920528

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(NEWS)(IBM)(TOR)(00001)

New For PC: Crystal Offers Report Writer For ObjectVision 05/28/92
VANCOUVER, BC, CANADA, 1992 MAY 28 (NB) -- Crystal
Services has launched Quik Reports for Windows, a database
report writer and print engine that works with Borland International's
ObjectVision. Both Crystal Services and Borland are selling the
product, a company spokeswoman said.

According to Crystal Services, Quik Reports links to existing
database files created by packages such as Borland's dBase and
Paradox, and produces reports, forms, and letters. Users design
reports in an interactive report generator by placing fields on a
template. Quik Reports can insert totals and calculated fields, the
company said, and it will set sort and selection criteria on
records and groups. A preview facility lets users view their
reports before printing them.

When users select on ObjectVision application file, Quik Reports
will automatically recognize all of that application's databases
and build links between them, the company said. Once designed,
reports can be called from within an ObjectVision application.

The Quik Reports Print Engine dynamic link library (DLL) lets
application developers link Quik Reports dynamically to their
applications, officials said, and the print engine can be called
from any Windows development tool.

Quik Reports 1.0 is available now, company spokeswoman
Shannon McDonald said, at an introductory price of US$99.95. The
suggested retail price will be US$195 after the introductory period,
she added. Network packages are available at US$395 for five
users and US$2,995 for 50.

Eight-year-old Crystal Services is best known as a developer of
accounting software products that work with Computer Associates
International's Accpac accounting line. Its products include Quik
Reports for Accpac, a report writer for the CA accounting software.

(Grant Buckler/19920528/Press Contact: Terry Cunningham, Crystal
Services, 604-681-3435, fax [phone]; Shannon McDonald, Crystal
Services, 416-842-7404, fax [phone])


(NEWS)(GENERAL)(TOR)(00002)

Progress To Port Its 4GL To DEC Alpha 05/28/92
BEDFORD, MASSACHUSETTS, U.S.A., 1992 MAY 28 (NB) --
Progress Software plans to have its fourth-generation programming
language (4GL) and relational database management system
available on Digital Equipment's new Alpha systems some time
next year.

Progress announced it will port the 4GL and database software, also
called Progress, and associated developer productivity and end-user
query and reporting tools to the 64-bit computer architecture DEC
announced earlier this year. The Progress software is already
available for Digital's existing VAX minicomputers running the
proprietary VMS operating system and DEC's Ultrix variant of Unix,
as well as for other versions of Unix, operating systems from
Unisys Corp., and Microsoft Windows on personal computers.

The company plans to port its products to Alpha under Digital's
OpenVMS and DEC OSF/1 operating systems, and to Microsoft's
New Technology (NT). Progress, working with Digital as an
Independent Software Vendor since 1989, recently signed an
agreement with Digital to become a Cooperative Software House.

Progress expects to have all the components of DEC's Alpha
architecture to work with in-house by the first quarter of 1993,
company spokesman David F. Smith told Newsbytes. It will
release its software for the new DEC systems "as soon as
possible after that," he said.

Application developers use Progress mainly to create
transaction-oriented applications such as manufacturing resource
planning (MRP), just-in-time (JIT) inventory, accounting, and point-
of-sale systems, company officials said.

(Grant Buckler/19920527/Press Contact: David F. Smith or
Anthony Dolph, Progress Software, 617-275-4500)


(NEWS)(GOVT)(HKG)(00003)

Call For IT Representation In HK Legislative Council 05/28/92
CENTRAL, HONG KONG, 1992 MAY 28 (NB) -- Democracy in
Hong Kong is somewhat different to many other countries. Direct
elections to the Legislative Council (LEGCO) were only introduced
in 1991 and then for less than 30 percent of the LEGCO
membership.

The balance of members comprise those officially appointed by
the HK government in true colonial tradition, together with a group
of individuals who represent a variety of functional constituencies.

Functional constituencies are in place for the legal fraternity,
the accounting fraternity, both the Hong Kong and the Chinese
Chambers of Commerce, the medical profession, the engineering
profession, and a number of manufacturing and service industry
associations.  Despite calls over the years to do so, no IT
professional functional constituency has been recognized by
government.

According to a report in the South China Morning Post, the IT
industrial and professional bodies are now coming out in a
coordinated endeavor to persuade the government to recognize the
IT world as an electoral college in the 1995 LEGCO elections.

Industry commentator, James Riley, says that the application
government has sparked up wide-spread debate in the territory.
At the center of the debate is how the term "IT professional" is
defined for voting purposes.

Carlye Tsui Wau-ling, a veteran of the IT profession and an
Urban Councillor, is leading the team which is applying to the
Select Committee on Legislative Council Elections. The
application said that LEGCO needed to guard Hong Kong "from
the pitfalls arising from insufficient understanding of information
technology."

It defined information technology as the "largest industry in the
world" with more than 30,000 IT professionals and practitioners
and an annual growth of 12.5 percent, but this is where the
arguments really begin.

Various studies performed by supposedly well-informed bodies
such as the Vocational Training Council (VTC) and the Hongkong
Productivity Center have claimed far larger numbers of
practitioners than that, with some estimates almost double that
figure.

On the other hand, the memberships of the Hong Kong computer
Society (2,600), the Hong Kong Association for Computer
Education, and the British Computer Society (Hongkong Section)
total only 2,600 at present. This abysmal representation is hardly
conducive to a positive decision from the government.

James Riley says: "Even taking into account the 12.5 percent
compound growth of membership, the total full membership of the
 three organizations can only be projected to reach 3,300 by
1994, and 3,700 by the time the LEGCO elections are held in 1995."

Despite comments that suggest all the IT profession is trying to
do is to bolster up there membership figures, the team is one of
the most influential ever seen from the local IT industry. Joining
forces with Tsui are: Anthony Au, current president of the
Hongkong Information Technology Federation; Dr N.V.
Balasubramanian, president of the Hongkong Association for
Computer Education, and head of the City Polytechnic's Department
of Computer Science; A.F.M. (Con) Conway, chairman of the
Hongkong Polytechnic Computer Studies Advisory Committee and
the man who sold the first computer in Hongkong in 1963; Dr
Miranda Leung; Graham Mead; K.K. Yeung; and Donald Wong.

(Keith Cameron/19920527/Press Contact: Sofia Chen, The PR
Company, [phone] Fax: [phone]; HK time is GMT + 8)


(NEWS)(GENERAL)(HKG)(00004)

Bi-annual CommunicAsia In Singapore First Week Of June 05/28/92
SINGAPORE, 1922 MAY 28 (NB) -- Billed as the most successful
communications and integrated systems exhibitions in the region,
CommuncAsia, will be staged from June 2 - 5. It is held every
two years, which could well be the reason for its previous success.

In 1990 it attracted 13,000 visitors of whom 30 percent were from
overseas. In 1988 the event was equally well supported and, as has
been the case with all previous shows, there will be an associated
conference this year with the theme: "IT and Telecommunications
-The Key to Dynamic Regional Growth."

The Hongkong Telecom stand will be featuring the company's
Calling Card and Hong Kong Direct Services together with its
innovative International Toll Free service which enables overseas
customers to call their suppliers in Hongkong at no charge.

(Keith Cameron/19920514/Press contact: Con Conway,
Hongkong Telecoms, [phone] Fax: [phone]; HK
time is GMT + 8)


(NEWS)(GOVT)(WAS)(00005)

Mail Order Tax Gets Ax From Supreme Court - Door Still Open 05/28/92
WASHINGTON, DC, U.S.A., 1992 MAY 28 (NB) -- Just when you
thought it was safe to shop, the Supreme Court has banned taxes
on mail order. But at the same time it has opened up the mail order
business to potential state taxing - not the state in which the
company is located - but in every state where a purchaser lives.

The actual ruling overturned the North Dakota Supreme Court's
earlier declaration making that state's tax on mail order items legal,
but some observers worry that what the US Supreme Court, by
upholding the law's due process provisions (which could have
made any such tax unconstitutional on its face), actually did was
open up the door to a major push for a new law clearing the way for
states to collect just such a tax.

This could be a major blow to many catalog order firms, including
a large number of discount computer companies, but Congress still
has to pass a new law, so look for a flurry of lobbying.

In what one Washington insider likened to the ill-conceived
luxury tax which placed a massive tax on high-priced cars,
planes, and boats, costing thousands of jobs and raising little
money, the US Supreme Court has ruled that states do have a
legal right to force out-of-state companies to collect and pay
sales tax on any goods sold to people or companies in their tax
region.

Until now there was considerable question as to whether states
and localities even had the right to impose such taxes under the
doctrine of due process, but the eight-to-one decision of the
Court ruled that, according to the decision written by Justice
John Paul Stevens: "Congress is now free to decide whether,
when, and to what extent the states may burden interstate mail-
order concerns with a duty to collect use taxes."

All the court decided yesterday was that on their own the
individual states could not collect such taxes, but at the same
time it opened wide the door for state pressure on Congress to
pass a national law making such taxes legal.

Right now any mail order company shipping goods via a common
carrier (US Mail, Federal Express, UPS) but lacking any
business office in a state, is not required to collect and pay
taxes for sales made to anyone in that state.

For small ticket items, especially heavy ones, this savings on
taxes is often eaten up by the shipping and handling charges
imposed by most companies on all orders, but for a $4,000 laptop
computer weighing only seven pounds the shipping cost would only
run a few dollars while in many areas the tax savings would run
into the hundreds of dollars.

Local merchants who must collect sales taxes as well as maintain
expensive stores claim this is an undue burden on them, an
argument countered by mail order companies which point to the
massive costs of printing and mailing catalogs.

States look at the upwards of $200 billion in untaxed sales as a
major source of new income, while mail order vendors point out
that the added costs to them in calculating and collecting taxes
would be very high since there are many hundreds or even
thousands of state and local tax structures.

The Supreme Court recognized this problem back in 1967 when it
ruled that such tax collection would pose a major burden on mail
order companies, but times have changed and the Court majority
agreed that computerized systems could track and collect such
taxes fairly easily for the larger companies, clearing the way
for a new law making it legal for states to impose such taxes
even on companies with absolutely no physical presence in their
state.

Some observers claim that small mail order companies, many of
which are tiny family-operated home-based businesses, would be
driven out of business entirely if they were required to calculate
and collect taxes based on thousands of different rates.

The lone dissenter, Justice Byron White, said that the 1967
decision had outlived its usefulness and should be scrapped.

One possible scenario that would definitely not please the states,
but might easily eliminate most opposition from mail order firms,
would see the US Congress passing a straight tax, perhaps five
percent on all mail order sales, but making it a federal tax
dedicated to helping clear up the massive federal budget deficit.
Mail order companies could have little complaint about such a
tax since it would be simple to collect and pay - furthermore, it
would not affect them much because it is the customer who
eventually pays, not the company.

In an interesting coincidence, a few minutes after completing
this story a catalog (the first we have seen) arrived in this
bureau from Illinois-based Quill Corporation, the mail order
office company which was involved in the North Dakota tax
dispute.

(John McCormick/19920527)


(NEWS)(IBM)(SFO)(00006)

Motorola Upgrades Modem Control Package 05/28/92
ATLANTA, GEORGIA, U.S.A., 1992 MAY 28 (NB) -- Motorola has
announced a major upgrade to their modem management system -
GlobalView. GlobalView 2.0 has a host of new features of which
the most important one is the enhanced security feature for use
with synchronous modems.

Using the new feature, the person who calls in is presented with
two short tones upon accessing the modem. This tells the person
that the modem is ready for their password. The user then enters
their password using a touch tone keypad. This feature is being
touted by Motorola as a significant improvement since it blocks
unauthorized users from being fully connected with the modem,
let alone access to data that they should not access.

Other features in version 2.0 include a complete facelift for this
Windows-based program including more color choices and new
icons. The program will now allow for the display of several windows
at once so that network administrators can have one window that
shows the status of all of the racks of modems, while another
concentrates on a specific modem.

System and device alarms are handled more intelligently with the
new version as well as allowing the managers to view more
information and set up different responses to each kind of alarm
condition.

Motorola will begin shipping the new version in July. Pricing will
remain the same as the previous version with a base price of
$5,000.

(Naor Wallach/19920527/Press Contact: Bill Schlosser, UDS
Motorola, 205-430-8000)


(NEWS)(APPLE)(SFO)(00007)

Broderbund Releases Educational Games For Apple II 05/28/92
NOVATO, CALIFORNIA, U.S.A., 1992 MAY 28 (NB) -- Broderbund
recognizes that there are a substantial amount of Apple II
computers in the hands of people who have young children. That
was the reason given for the recent unveiling of Apple II versions of
Broderbund's "The Treehouse" and "Where in America's Past is
Carmen Sandiego?"

The Treehouse is a follow-on program to the company's award-
winning program - The Playroom. As in the Playroom, the idea
behind this game is to encourage youngsters to explore and
learn on their own - through play. The Treehouse is aimed at
six to ten year old children.

The children are introduced to a pair of Opossum playmates
(known as Awesome "Possums" who act as the children's
playmates. The Opossums guide the children through the program
and its associated games. The main area contains a chalkboard
for drawing and a calendar that reveals historical events. There are
four major game areas and countless other little things to do and
see. The Apple II version of the Treehouse is available now for
$49.95.

The other program that Broderbund released for the Apple II is
"Where in America's Past is Carmen Sandiego?" This is the fifth
program in the series which has won lots of accolades and even
has a TV series modeled after it.

"America's Past" comes complete with a 1,300 page encyclopedia
that covers the important dates and events that the program is
concerned with as well as lots of other material that talks about
American history. As in the other games in the series, the player
needs to travel and learn about the subject area in order to discover
clues that lead him or her towards solving the mysteries. In this
program there are 45 possible destinations and nine different time-
periods to choose from. The program is available now for the
Apple II for $49.95.

(Naor Wallach/19920527/Press Contact: Kathleen Burke,
Broderbund Software, 415-382-4567)


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

SMC Moving Into Network Management 05/28/92
HAUPPAUGE, NEW YORK, U.S.A., 1992 MAY 28 (NB) -- SMC
is planning on moving into the network management arena. At the
recently concluded Interop show, they announced their future
plans in this area.

At this point they are planning on bringing out three network
management products over the next few months with three
additional ones discussed as being within their strategic direction.

SMC's network management strategy is based on the Simple
Network Management Protocol (SNMP). To implement this in
their existing, as well as future, Ethernet adapter card, they are
planning on having a software product called PC Agent/SNMP
that will be shipped with every one of their adapters.
PC Agent/SNMP will be backward-compatible with the existing
line of SMC cards and customers who wish will be able to acquire
the program.

EliteView will be a Windows-based program that will manage SNMP-
based networks. This $295 program is slated to become available in
the third quarter of this year and will allow the user to control
SMC's recently introduced 3512TPi concentrator down to the port
level. There is also a mode whereby the program will go out and
search for all SMC concentrators and gather information on their
state. This is true even across a series of bridges and routers.

The third new product is also a software product that is called
SNMP over IPX. This is an enhancement to the 3512TPi
concentrator that allows it to take advantage of SNMP management
capabilities even when the network itself is running Novell's Netware.
Previous to this, it was necessary to run TCP/IP over Novell which
meant  that users had to purchase and install an expensive NLM
(Netware Loadable Module) and live with the added complexity that
this entailed.

In the future, SMC plans on developing an advanced version of
EliteView that will allow a user to control and manage multivendor
SNMP-based networks. The company is also planning a product
that allows Novell's HubCon NLM to control SMC concentrators,
that will be known as Hub Redirect. Also planned is an Elite PC
Hub which will be a PC internal hub based on Novell's HMI (Hub
Management Interface) specification and supporting 13 ports.

(Naor Wallach/19920527/Press Contact: Ellen Roeckl, SMC,
516-435-6340)


(NEWS)(GENERAL)(TYO)(00009)

Japanese Virus May Be Rampant On August 31 05/28/92
TOKYO, JAPAN, 1992 MAY 28 (NB) -- A new virus program
seems to be spreading among Japanese personal computers. It
is called Aug31, and is thought to be set to activate on August 31
to erase data, according to a local software maker Jade.

Aug31 will display the message "You must go to school" on the
screen and will erase the user's data. This virus program runs
on MS-DOS-based personal computers including the best-selling
Japanese personal computer NEC PC-9801.

According to Jade, this virus program has already been found at
eight prefectures in Japan. These areas include: Shizuoka, Chiba,
Niigata, and Okinawa. It appears that this virus originated in Japan.
August 31 is the last day of the summer holidays in Japan. It is
suspected that the virus program was created by a student.

The Aug31 virus was first uploaded to a radiowave-based personal
computer network as a free graphic software. Jade is now providing
a free vaccine program via Shizuoka Network at: 054-273-3669.

(Masayuki Miyazawa/19920527)


(NEWS)(GENERAL)(TYO)(00010)

Riso Develops Digital Printer Interface For IBM & Apple 05/28/92
TOKYO, JAPAN, 1992 MAY 28 (NB) -- Tokyo-based office
equipment firm Riso Kagaku Industry has developed a digital
printer interface for IBM PCs and Apple's Macintosh. With this
printer interface, the IBM and the Macintosh can be connected
with Riso's large-scale digital printer.

Riso's personal computer interface was jointly developed by
Peerless Corporation in Los Angeles. The interface is currently
being produced by SCI Corporation of San Jose in the US. The
interface is used to connect Riso's large-scale office printer, the
Risograph 5800. With this digital printer, almost all kinds of
printing, including books, are possible. The Risograph sold
45,000 last year, and it has over 40 percent share in the office
printer market in Japan.

Riso is preparing to distribute this digital printer through its
250 outlets in the US. The retail price will be $5,500. Riso is
also preparing to sell this digital printer in Germany and England.

The Risograph printer can be connected to other Japanese
personal computers such as NEC PC-9801 and Fujitsu FMR.

(Masayuki Miyazawa/19920527/Press Contact: Riso Kagaku
Industry, [phone])


(NEWS)(GOVT)(LAX)(00011)

NatSemi And Israeli Govt Enter Joint Manufacture Deal 05/28/92
SANTA CLARA, CALIFORNIA, U.S.A., 1992 MAY 28 (NB) --
Migdal Haemek, Israel, will be the location of a consortia of
electronic companies for the manufacturing of semiconductors,
according to National Semiconductor. The consortia is being
formed per an agreement between National Semiconductor, the
Association of Electronics Industries, and the government of
Israel.

The deal is a joint venture between the two companies and the
Israeli government and the first plan is to include National
Semiconductor's existing Migdal Haemek wafer manufacturing
facility for the development of an independent, stand-alone
business, National Semiconductor said. The new stand-alone
business will be owned 54.1 percent by Israeli companies, 26
percent by the government of Israel, and 19.9 percent by National
Semiconductor itself, the company added.

While National Semiconductor says the joint venture is consistent
with the company's plans for worldwide restructuring of
manufacturing operations, it expects sales to increase as well.
Demand for products made in Migdal Haemek are expected to
increase, the facility's utilization is expected to increase, and
National Semiconductor says it has the advantage of sharing the
cost of the manufacturing among the three partners.

Analysts at market research company Dataquest recently said
wafer production is becoming increasingly global in nature and US
companies are increasing their presence in the export market.

National Semiconductor said it opened its first facility in Israel in
1978, and began production at the Migdal Haemek manufacturing
site in 1986. Current employment at Migdal Haemek is about 400
and the plant produces integrated circuits for local area networks,
PC products, and embedded control applications such as laser
beam printers, copy and fax machines, and digital telephone
recorders.

A staff of 150 man a National Semiconductor design center as
well as marketing offices located in Herzlia, Israel. However, the
company says those offices are not part of the partnership joint
venture.

(Linda Rohrbough/19920527/Press Contact: Mary Ann McKay,
National Semiconductor, tel [phone], fax [phone])


(NEWS)(GENERAL)(LAX)(00012)

AST Donates Computers To Rebuild LA 05/28/92
IRVINE, CALIFORNIA, U.S.A., 1992 MAY 28 (NB) -- AST says it is
joining the technology coalition formed last week to help the Rebuild
LA extra governmental task force, headed by former baseball
commissioner Peter V. Ueberroth, by donating desktop and portable
personal computer systems to the task force. The coalition is now
populated by such companies as Microsoft, Novell, Epson America,
Wordperfect, Symantec, AST, and Compex, AST said.

All the coalition companies have pledged product donations that will
be used in the relief effort, AST said. The computers donated by
AST will be operational at LA food distribution organizations for
administration and inventory control of foodstuffs, clothing, and
personal care supplies. The plan is to reduce the amount of time
devoted to logging-in and tracking down supplies, replacing the
present hand-order methods used in most locations, the company
claims.

AST maintains the computers will be modem-equipped to allow
communication and data transfer between other food distribution
centers and the Rebuild LA offices. The notebook systems will
allow for portable operation at remote locations, AST added. Also,
the donated services of Arthur Andersen will allow Rebuild LA to
link the personal computer (PC) systems at individual food
distribution agencies together in a network to better allocate
resources and deliver vital supplies to displaced families.

Supplies are being collected all over the city by church groups,
volunteer organizations, and businesses. Carl's Jr. and Taco Bell
restaurants are some of the retail establishments currently
offering services as food collection sites for the Rebuild LA effort.
Also volunteer groups, some numbering as many as 200 at a time,
are going into the riot torn areas of South Central LA to paint and
clean.

(Linda Rohrbough/19920527/Press Contact: Emory Epperson, AST
Research, tel [phone], fax [phone])


(NEWS)(GENERAL)(SFO)(00013)

India: Oberoi's Client-Server Software For Deluxe Hotels 05/28/92
NEW DELHI, INDIA, 1992 MAY 28 (NB) -- Oberoi Software, a
division of East India Hotels Ltd., one of the biggest hotels chains -
the Oberoi group, has launched O'pm/OPEN recently.

Targeted towards medium and large deluxe hotels, it is designed
to cater to all aspects of a hotel's front office operations -
reservations, reception, cashiering, night audit, guest history,
group handling, advance deposits, corporate accounts, travel agents,
house-keeping, and marketing and management information system.

It also handles accounts receivables and interfaces to a variety of
hotel automation systems such as point-of-sale cashiering systems
and electronic private automatic branch exchanges (PABXs). The
package can be used on a variety of computer systems such as
DEC, Sun, HP, IBM, AT&T, Pyramid, Next, DG or most 386 and
486 Unix-based computers or even PS/2 local area networks.

O'pm/OPEN has been developed using the generically client-server
relational database, Sybase. To use O'pm/OPEN, the user can
configure his hardware, either as a server with a network of clients
or in the traditional minicomputer architecture of a mainframe and
dumb terminals. In the latter case, the hardware should have a
network card and software to stimulate both the client and the
server environment within the same CPU (central processing unit).

In another move, CMS Computers Pvt. Ltd. has also launched a
software package for hotel management. Priced at $1,600, it is
designed to manage entire operations of a medium range hotel.
Of the three modules in the package, the first is for front office
and includes room and service management. There is also a
module for back office functions which takes care of food and
beverage, and accounts. The third module provides on-line
information on the front office as well as the back office. Data from
room service, house keeping and restaurants are entered into the
system whenever a guest avails of any of these facilities, which
enables the generation of bills whenever required.

The package runs on Novell Netware, and CMS will be supplying
HMS on its PC 286/386/486 EISA (Extended Industry Standard
Architecture) platforms.

(C.T. Mahabharat/19920527)


(NEWS)(GENERAL)(SFO)(00014)

India: PC Networking Without LAN Cards 05/28/92
BOMBAY, INDIA, 1992 MAY 28 (NB) -- United Networks Pvt.
Ltd., a Gandhinagar, Gujarat-based manufacturer of data
communication products has launched a PC network, christened
Mail+. The company claims the new network will eliminate the
use of LAN (local area network) cards.

A RS-232 cable connects the serial port of each machine to an
active hub, each supporting five machines.

Priced at $300, it can interconnect up to 25 PC/XT/AT
compatibles running on DOS. With a network speed of 38,400
bits-per-second, it can transfer a two-page document in less than
one second. A user is allowed to collect a file or mail only from
a designated mail box.

United Networks, manufacturer of line drivers, multiplexers and
LANs, also offers services like free factory-based training, field
upgradation of software, system planning assistance, and on-site
maintenance.

(C.T. Mahabharat/19920525)


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

India: Ventura Utility For Postscript Printers 05/28/92
BOMBAY, INDIA, 1992 MAY 28 (NB) -- Digital Studio, a Bombay
-based firm, has introduced vp-fx, a Ventura utility for postscript
printers. The package, with a price tag of $250, has been
structured to meet the requirements of original equipment
manufacturers (OEMs).

It supports a multitude of soft-fonts (including Indian script fonts)
and different types of postscript alternatives like pacific-page and
ultra-script.

The utility enables the user to give the font-fx, text-fx, graphics-fx,
and frame-fx types of effects to Ventura Publisher documents.
With font-fx, the user is given the choice to select from the
existing fonts and give it one of the 20 pre-defined effects like
neon, shadow, glow, or silhouette.

The second type allows a user to place lines of text in an arc or
circle or even rotate, sheare, expand, or contract the font.
Graphics-fx enables outlining or filling graphical or text objects
with line tints, dot tints, or normal tints at any angle. The fourth
utility helps to modify any Ventura frame and position it
horizontally or vertically.

The software can run on any IBM XT or AT, Ventura Publisher
2.0 or Ventura Professional. The hard disk drive requirement for
the package is two megabytes of RAM and a Postscript or
compatible printer or interpreter.

(C.T. Mahabharat/19920525)

(NEWS)(BUSINESS)(DEN)(00016)

 ****Control Data To Split Into Two Companies 05/28/92
MINNEAPOLIS, MINNESOTA, U.S.A., 1992 MAY 28 (NB) -- Control
Data Corporation has announced that it will divide into two
independent companies. In a simultaneous announcement, CDC
said it has signed a letter of intent for Silicon Graphics to buy a 10
percent interest in one of the new entities.

Control Data Systems Inc., will be the new company taking over
the former computer products business, while Ceridian Corporation
will be the new name for the remaining businesses. Those include
information management services and products for business and
government customers.

CDC will become Ceridian Corporation effective June 1, while the
Control Data Systems (CDS) name is effective immediately. The
separation will be accomplished by incorporating CDS and
distributing its stock as a dividend to holders of Control Data
Corporation's common stock during the next few months.

The deal will not be final until CDC's banks and its board of directors
approve it, and the company said the previously announced sale of
its automated wagering business will be completed first. A review
by the Securities and Exchange commission is also required.
However,  CDS VP of Communications Peter Gove told Newsbytes
that while the banks are very involved, he doubts either the banks
or the board will oppose the split.

Gove said the split really started in 1989 when CDC decided to
get out of the supercomputer business and concentrate on open
systems integration. The company has been working on the
separation in earnest since last September, said Gove.

Don't look for any change in senior management. Lawrence
Perlman, presently president and CEO of CDC will be Ceridian's
president and CEO. James Ousley, senior executive of the
computer products business, will be president and CEO of CDS.

CDC said it will capitalize CDS with $50 million in cash, payable
when the split is finalized, and another $45 million in December of
1992. The companies say there will be no ongoing material
ownership or management relationship between the two companies
after the spinoff. However, they say they will continue to provide
products and services to each other over a transition period.

CDC said it expects to record charges of about $400 million in the
second quarter. That amount includes about $130 million to CDS,
$115 in restructuring charges, and $15 million of inventory-related
charges. The restructuring charges reflect actions to be taken by
CDS during 1992 and beyond as part of its continuing transition from
proprietary CYBER systems to the integration of open systems and
applications, said the company.

The remaining $270 million includes an expected loss and related
accruals of $55 million in connection with the sale of the automated
wagering business, and provisions of about $55 million for lease
and other obligations associated with excess or under-utilized
facilities. That's primarily the company's headquarters building,
which the company said it plans to sublet. CDS vacated the facility
last fall. However, a spokesperson told Newsbytes that much of the
space has already been leased. Ceridian said it hasn't selected a
location for the approximately 200 corporate staff personnel yet,
but that it will remain in the Twin Cities area.

The company said it is also anticipating an $80 million loss and
expenses related to other reshaping actions, and about $50 million
associated with the decision to adopt a different financial
accounting standard next July. Other charges of about $30 million
relate to charges and expenses associated with the separation.

While not willing to quote specific numbers, a financial
spokesperson for Ceridian told Newsbytes that even with the
chargebacks the company expects to show better financial results
for the second quarter than it did for the same period last year.
Asked if the stockholders would be disappointed with the quarter's
results, the spokesperson told Newsbytes "the stockholders will
be glad we are getting the past behind us."

According to Perlman, the separation is a major step in the effort
to strengthen the businesses and help them grow faster. "We
expect the separation to provide each company with increased
flexibility and ability to pursue cooperative ventures, business
combinations and other actions to grow and to improve their
competitive positions," Perlman said. He expects the ability of
both companies to attract capital will be enhanced.

Holders of CDC common stock will receive a dividend distribution
of one share of CDS common for every four shares of CDC
common in a tax-free transaction. Stockholders will automatically
receive the dividend, according to the company.

In related news, NEC and CDS say they will expand their current
supercomputer marketing agreement to include joint marketing
and technical activities in the Unix/RISC area. NEC says it will
consider making an equity investment of five percent in CDS.
Gove told Newsbytes the next step in the investment process will
probably be taken in a month or so. The split will have to be
completed before either company can invest, said Gove.

Control Data stock rose yesterday after news of the separation
was announced, trading up 1-3/8 at 13-1/8. "It's a sensible,
positive  move," one Piper Jaffray analyst reportedly said.

(Jim Mallory/19920528/Press contact: Charlotte Fransen,
Control Data Systems, 612-482-4857)


(NEWS)(IBM)(DEN)(00017)

 ****IBM To Lose Windows License Next Year 05/28/92
REDMOND, WASHINGTON, U.S.A., 1992 MAY 28 (NB) --
Microsoft says  IBM's license to use Windows code will run out
in about a year, and there has been no move on the part of Big
Blue to renew the license.

If IBM doesn't get a new license, it could mean that its OS/2
operating system wouldn't be able to run any future versions of
Windows, and the applications which run under it. That could
divide the personal computing world into two non-compatible
camps, those that run OS/2 applications, and those that run
Windows apps. If that happens, Windows-publisher Microsoft
could be the big winner.

There are already about 10 million Windows 3.0 users, and about
three million copies of Windows 3.1 have been shipped since the
latest version of the graphical user interface was introduced. IBM
has reportedly shipped about 400,000 copies of OS/2 Release 2.0.

Microsoft is also expected to release Windows NT (for New
Technology) by the end of this year. Under the current agreement,
IBM has rights to any Windows code that comes out before their
license expires. Microsoft could play hard ball and decide to delay
the release of NT until after the license expires. Whether that
strategy, if employed, would backfire on them is uncertain. Users
could see a delay in Windows NT as indicating problems with the
code development. Or they could decide Microsoft was playing
"dirty pool."

Even the reliability of the present Windows code incorporated into
OS/2 may be questionable. There have been recent reports of
Windows program experiencing random problems when running
under OS/2. Reported problems have included random crashes,
system lockup, memory crashes, and icons that assume the
identity and properties of other icons, according to some sources.
If Windows under OS/2 gets a reputation of unreliability, and users
know the Windows under OS/2 path is a dead end, it could spell
real trouble for IBM.

(Jim Mallory/19920528/Press contact: Marty Taucher, Microsoft,
206-882-8080)


(NEWS)(BUSINESS)(DEN)(00018)

Tandy, Casio Collaborate On New Personal Info Processors 05/28/92
FORT WORTH, TEXAS, U.S.A., 1992 MAY 28 (NB) -- In a move that
the two companies claim signals a major advance in the next
generation of personal, portable information devices, Tandy has
announced that it has agreed in principle with Casio Computer
Company Ltd. of  Tokyo, Japan to work together to design, develop,
manufacture, market, and distribute a new family of "Personal
Information Processors."

Tandy and Casio say they expect to set the pace for the emerging
market of hand-held portable information devices, by combining their
extensive technology and distribution systems.

"This cooperation is an important milestone in the emerging market
for small, pocket-sized processors," said John Roach, chairman and
CEO of Tandy Corp. "Access to information wherever you go is not
only desirable, but will soon be indispensable. Tandy intends to
create a broad range of products throughout the 1990's to meet this
need.

The two companies will be joined by Geoworks and Palm Computing in
the project. GeoWorks which will supply its GEOS operating system
and Palm Computing, Inc., will supply applications software. GEOS
is an open-architecture, object-oriented, graphical operating system
which supports a wide range of input devices, including the pen.

Tandy said that GEOS is an ideal operating environment for this new
family of devices, while Palm Computing has extensive expertise in
easy-to-use, pen-based systems. The PalmPrint handwriting
recognizer, developed for GRiD Systems' GRiDPAD computer, will
be used for this project.

Grid's Bob Goligoski told Newsbytes the PalmPad system is
immediately available.

(Jim Mallory/19920528/Press contact: Ed Juge, Tandy Corp.,
817/390-3549)


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

Abacus Offers Toll Free Software Help 05/28/92
MIAMI, FLORIDA, U.S.A., 1992 MAY 28 (NB) -- Abacus Global
Support has announced it is now providing toll free worldwide
telephone support for over 100 popular software packages.

Abacus says its subscribers can call a toll free number between
the hours of 10am and 7:00pm Monday through Friday to get help
regarding hardware, software, and equipment compatibility.

According to an Abacus spokesperson, the company also provides
subscribers access to product problem reports from hardware and
software makers. The company says that service will help the
subscriber make intelligent purchasing decisions. Spokesperson
Jack Wolfe told Newsbytes Abacus will fax hardware requirements
for specific software to subscribers.

Wolfe said the service is primarily targeted to the individual user,
although corporate support is also available. For individuals and
small businesses, the annual cost is $59.95 per workstation,
although it's available through discount software seller Dustin
Discount Software for $55. Corporate discounts are also available,
said Wolfe.

Wolfe told Newsbytes most of the popular software applications
and operating systems are supported, including Novell, Windows,
Wordperfect, Word, Lotus, Excel, and PageMaker. You can find
out if your particular programs are supported by calling the
company's toll free number.

(Jim Mallory/19920528/Press contact: Jack Wolfe, Impact
Communications, 305-477-7181; Reader contact: Abacus Global
Support, 800-848-9192)


(NEWS)(IBM)(DEN)(00020)

Identity Markets Memory/Mice/Drives Like Tomatoes 05/28/92
RICHARDSON, TEXAS, U.S.A., 1992 MAY 28 (NB) -- Identity
Systems Technology thinks it has found a new way to market
board level upgrades and extensions for their systems. The
Texas-based company is showing its retail merchandising support
program at the Consumer Electronics Show in Chicago this week.

According to Identity, consumers are now knowledgeable enough
about computers that many of them want to upgrade their own
systems, add a mouse or a math coprocessor, or increase memory.
Marketing their blister-packed and shrink-wrapped products through
mass merchandising outlets like Best Buy, Price Clubs, and Sams,
Identify thinks its program benefits retailers and users alike.

"Why prohibit consumers from performing their own upgrades, when
straightforward instructions and elementary safety precautions are
all that are required to enable them to do so?" asks Executive VP
Troy Cooper.

To make it easy to install the item, Identity provides the necessary
instructions. For some products, including memory upgrades, hard
drive and math chip installation, or adding a CD-ROM, the company
also provides a step-by-step video tape. And if you get stuck, or
your PC doesn't work when you turn it on after doing the installation,
the company has a toll free number so you can get help from an
expert.

The Identity marketing method also benefits the mass retailer,
spokesperson Alan Weinkrantz told Newsbytes. The company has a
staff of 250 merchandising support specialists who assemble and
maintain displays and stock products on the sales floor. Similar to
the people who give you a sample of the latest cheese flavor in the
supermarket, Identity's staff provides sales training, does
demonstrations, and provides promotional support. They are trained
to handle defective stock problems, provide inventory management
services, and serve as a conduit for communication with company
management, said Weinkrantz.

Identity is also introducing its 213 megabyte (MB) notebook
computer at CES. A 25 megahertz (MHz), 386SX-powered system,
the unit weighs slightly less than seven pounds, and has a footprint
of 8.6 by 11 by 2.1 inches. The NiCad battery powered $3,295 unit
has an average battery life of 2.3 hours between charges, said
Weinkrantz. It has a VGA 8.5-inch display with 640 by 480 pixel
(picture element) resolution, 256 kilobytes (KB) of video memory,
and can also run from an AC adapter.

An external VGA color monitor connection is provided, as is an
external keyboard outlet, two serial ports, and one parallel port.
The unit comes with a soft carrying case and a one year limited
warranty.

(Jim Mallory/19920528/Press contact: Alan Weinkrantz, for Identity
Systems, 512-820-3070, MCI:Mail AWeinkrantz; Reader contact:
identity Systems, 800-723-8324)


(NEWS)(IBM)(LAX)(00021)

 ****Doubler 486's Used To Mimic 486 50 MHz Systems 05/28/92
LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA, U.S.A., 1992 MAY 28 (NB) -- The heat
generated by a 486 chip makes it advisable to put a heat sink device
on it to help keep it cool. However, some people are finding the heat
sink offers unscrupulous original equipment manufacturers (OEMs) the
opportunity to sell a 486 system designed for 25 megahertz (MHz)
operation as a higher priced 50 MHz system if an Intel 486DX2
25/50 is substituted for the 25 MHz microprocessor.

The scam involves a particular speed of the speed doubler or clock
doubler chip introduced by Intel in the last two months -- the 486DX2
25/50. The new chip runs internally at a clock speed of 50 MHz, but
looks to the system like a 25 MHz chip. The chips are designed as
an upgrade for the 486DX running at 25 and do provide faster
performance. However, when placed in systems designed for 25 MHz,
the speed doubler chip faces the bottleneck of the slower bus of the
25 MHz system.

These speed doubler chips have been sold in systems that are billed
as 50 MHz 486 systems, however, in some cases it has been
discovered the system was not built for the 50 MHz speed, but for 25
MHz. Unsuspecting buyers are being duped into paying for a 486
50 MHz system when they're really getting a supped-up 486 25 MHz
computer.

The scam has been exposed by Norman Bailey, the inventor of the
CPU Kooler, an invention designed to cool the 486 chip and by doing
so, prevent intermittent system problems. Bailey said the scheme
was uncovered because the Kooler's installation requires users to
read the top of the chip to determine the type of microprocessor.

Bailey said users began calling his company, Pcupid, because the
description they read on the chip didn't match what was on their
invoice. So far Bailey says he has six documented cases of the
scam, and suspects more.

Bailey said the scam is especially insidious because even indexing
tests by diagnostic programs such as Norton Utilities, which
determine the system speed, may not find the presence of the DX2
chip. That's mainly because those programs are small enough that
they can be processed within the internal cache of the DX2 chip,
which runs at 50 MHz. However, a larger diagnostic program will find
the discrepancy because it cannot be run inside the cache of the
486DX2 and once it has to go out to the system bus, will have to
slow down to the 25 MHz speed of the system, Bailey said.

Even worse is the fact that some chips may have the heat sink
glued to the chip, Bailey said, which hides the identity of the chip
forever, as a heat sink attached in this manner cannot be removed.

Users could get caught in battles over semantics if they don't
specifically say the system and the central processing unit (CPU)
should both run at 50 MHz. A shortage of the 486DX 50 MHz chips
might be part of what is driving the scams, Bailey added.

(Linda Rohrbough/19920528/Press Contact: Norman Bailey,
Pcupid, tel [phone], fax [phone])


(NEWS)(IBM)(LAX)(00022)

 ****$40 Device Solves 486 Clone Intermittent Heat Problems 05/28/92
SACRAMENTO, CALIFORNIA, U.S.A., 1992 MAY 28 (NB) -- Heat
problems in 486 PC clones are prevalent according to Norman Bailey,
the owner of a start-up company in Sacramento, California, who has
invented a small $39.95 device called the CPU Kooler that fits on
the 486 chip to cool it.

Bailey says the problem lies in the fact that the design of cases
and components used in 486 clones are for the 286 and 386 chips
that run much cooler. Consequently, intermittent problems and
system lockup can occur because of overheating even if
temperatures are not extreme, Bailey said. Problems such as the
computer simply halting, error messages in Windows, data
corruption, and corrupted file allocation tables (FAT) can all occur
when the microprocessor gets hot, even if it is not at it's maximum
operating temperature, Bailey maintains. And the more work the
processor does, the hotter the silicon its made of gets, Bailey added.

Bailey said he first discovered the problem last summer when he was
at work redesigning an airborne F1-11 computer for General Dynamics
at McClellon Air Force Base. Two of 486 computers he was operating
simply quit after two hours of operation. Bailey said the air
conditioning failed, but the room was only 12 degrees warmer than
normal or around 80 degrees. When he opened up the 486 and put
his finger to the chip to see if it was warm, he received a serious
burn and the imprint of his finger was left on the silicon chip. That's
when he decided to create the CPU Kooler.

While the Intel specifications say the 486 chip should not be cooler
than 32 degrees and not warmer than 185 degrees. The normal
operating temperature for the 486 chip is about 170 degrees, a
temperature Bailey says is just too close to the maximum. "Some
of the name brand manufacturers are putting three fans in the case
to handle the heat, but that's a noisy and expensive answer," Bailey
quipped.

Also, since many users are putting together the components
themselves, heat problems can be more critical, especially with
small or very thin cases, Bailey added.

The CPU Kooler, however, is an aluminum heat sink with a small
fan added that attaches over the CPU chip and gets its power from
one of the extra cables that power the disk drives. If extra cables
are not available, a "Y" adapter can be used to power the Kooler,
Bailey added.

Last summer, when Bailey started trying to market the CPU Kooler
he said people told him all he had was a "pet rock," but the number
of success stories is mounting.

One is from Craig Dwayne, owner of PC Pros, an original equipment
manufacturer (OEM). Dwayne says his company specializes in
serving knowledgeable customers with state-of- the-art 486 50 MHz
personal computers (PCs) and he said his company doesn't sell one
without a CPU Kooler installed. When asked how he found out about
the Koolers, Dwayne said his firm went looking for a product to handle
the heat from the 486. Dwayne also said his firm uses tower cases.
"OEMs using those slimline cases are just asking for trouble,"
Dwayne quipped.

Dwayne said, "Large reputable companies are continuing to insist
they don't have heat problems. But heat can destroy a microprocessor
chip over gradual periods of time."

Jeffery Voss, of Voss Engineers, Planners, and Surveyors has been
widely quoted as a fan of the CPU Kooler. Bailey said Voss spent
money on consultants and months looking for the answer to the
problems with his 486 system. An architect, Voss had critical
drawings and deadlines that forced him to back-up his 486 system
three to four times a day, because failures were so frequent. Voss
was quoted in PC Week as saying that since he installed the CPU
Kooler he hasn't had a single failure.

What does Intel have to say? Intel representatives have been
frequently quoted saying the chip maker has provided adequate
documentation and specifications to the OEMs for how to handle
the 486. Intel's documentation shows a heat sink, how to put it on,
and how to direct airflow around it. Intel says it cannot be
responsible for how OEMs implement the chip.

Bailey says his company guarantees the CPU Kooler will keep the
chip at a temperature not above 10 percent of that of the computer
cabinet, and claims the Kooler will drop the operating temperature
of the 486 down a whopping 90 degrees.

Interestingly enough, while Bailey says he makes a Kooler for the
Macintosh, it is not really necessary. Apple put a large heat sink on
the Motorola chip for the Macintosh and mounted a fan near the heat
sink, so heat problems are much more rare on Macs, Bailey added.

Bailey says liability could be what is preventing some OEMs from
addressing heat problems in their systems. "If a major OEM gives
in and says 'OK, let's install these on all our systems from now on,'
what does that do for their liability for systems they've already
sold without the Kooler?" Bailey asked.

Bailey's company makes CPU Koolers in sizes to fit the Intel 486,
and Motorola chips. Custom arrangements for 386 and lower chips
can also be obtained, Bailey said. Pcupid said it is planning ahead
and has made a Kooler prototype for the 586 chip Intel says it will
release this year.

(Linda Rohrbough/19920528/Press Contact: Norman Bailey, Pcupid, tel
916-338-1338, fax [phone]; Craig Dwayne, PC Pros, 708-810-1010)


(NEWS)(GOVT)(WAS)(00023)

Hills Calls For Japan Semiconductor Market Investigation 05/28/92
WASHINGTON, DC, U.S.A., 1992 MAY 28 (NB) -- US Trade
Representative Carla Hills took time off from talks with the
European Community about its $150 billion farm subsidies (US
subsidies are only about $50 billion) to chide the Japanese for a
lack of progress on the semiconductor trade agreement. At the
same time she announced that an investigation was taking place to
determine if Japan was violating the 1991 semiconductor trade
agreement.

In this election year recession, the administration is apparently
taking a stronger line against Japanese import restrictions
against US products, and one place there is an obvious problem
is in the semiconductor market where the Japanese government's
own MITI (Ministry of International Trade and Industry) reported
just this spring that there had been no substantial progress in
increasing the US share of the domestic Japanese chip market.

Despite Japan's own report that the US share had reached less
than 14.5 percent of the Japanese market by the final quarter of
1991, last week the Japanese semiconductor industry claimed that
the administration was just engaged in Japan-bashing and that the
semiconductor agreement was actually working well.

The semiconductor trade agreement now in force between the US
and Japan calls for the total foreign share of the market (most
of which would go to US firms) to increase to 20 percent, but
Japan's own numbers show that there has been little if any
progress toward that goal in several years.

On Wednesday Carla Hills, the chief US trade negotiator, said
that there would be a thorough review of Japanese semiconductor
trade practices which would be completed by the end of July.

The 1991 agreement which is now in force was only the latest
US-Japanese trade agreement -- the previous one made in 1986
was violated almost immediately by the Japanese, leading to trade
sanctions.

The latest US-Japan arrangement on semiconductors is the direct
descendant of the September 2, 1986, agreement between the two
countries, whereby Japan agreed to stop the practice of dumping
(selling at or below cost to capture a market) EPROM (erasable
programmable read-only memory) chips and 256 kilobyte and larger
dynamic memory chips (DRAMs) in the US and Third World
countries.

Japan was found to be in violation of the 1986 agreement only
nine months later and the US imposed $300 million in sanctions
against specific Japanese high-tech imports such as laptop
computers. The dumping was deemed to have ceased by the end
of 1987 and the sanctions were dropped, but $164 million in
sanctions under Section 301 (restriction of market access) have
continued because of allegations that the Japanese restrict
foreign competition at home.

Since 1986 the foreign market share of semiconductor sales in
Japan has increased from 9.1 percent (in 1986) to 13.2 percent in
1990, while the US share of the Japanese home market had
climbed to $2.2 billion by 1990.

Since mid-1990 the total foreign market share of Japanese chip
business has hardly budged.

The 1991 trade agreement was praised at the time it was signed as
being much more focused on opening up Japanese markets.
Some analysts maintain that the US computer industry well
remembers the results of the Reagan Administration's 1987
sanctions which led not to increased trade but to a Japanese
restriction on memory chip exports to the US, a restriction which
drove up the cost of computer memory by a large amount and
caused a major stagnation in the personal computer business.

(John McCormick/19920528/Press Contact: L.W. Koengeter,
spokesperson for the US. Trade Representative, 202-395-3204,
fax [phone])

(NEWS)(TELECOM)(LON)(00023)

Ericsson/Motorola Pool GSM Mobile Phone Technologies 05/28/92
STOCKHOLM, SWEDEN, 1992 MAY 28 (NB) -- After months of
competing with each other on the Groupe Speciale Mobile (GSM)
next-generation digital mobile phone front, Ericsson and Motorola
have decided to pool their resources and share technology patents.

Terms of the agreement call for both parties to license each
other's GSM mobile phone patents, primarily for use in their
phone hardware. The agreement also covers Orbitel, the UK
mobile phone manufacturer, a joint venture company between
Ericsson and Vodafone, one of the two UK cellular network
providers.

So why the volte face as regards dealing with "the enemy?"
According to Jack Scanlon, vice president of Motorola's mobile
phones division, the market is moving steadily towards an open
architecture rather than the proprietary technology seen in
today's cellular phones.

Kurt Hellstrom, president of Ericsson, also said that open
architecture is the way forward in the mobile telecoms market.

"We recognize that open architecture will be a key element in the
acceptance and success of the GSM standard. Our policy has
always been to make this technology readily available because
we believe everyone benefits from expanding a new market as
quickly as possible," he said.

GSM is the next-generation mobile phone system. The service
differs markedly from existing analog cellular services in that
much of the intelligence of the network is actually devolved to
the firmware of the phone, which is contained in a slot-in smart
card.

The smart card can be moved from phone to phone, allowing the
subscriber almost total freedom of hardware -- for instance, the
smart card could be used in a payphone, which, for the duration
of a call, becomes the user's home phone.

The key advantage of this is that the phone number can be moved
between countries, with the network forwarding calls between
countries automatically, routing the call to the phone which has
the smart card inserted at the time.

So far, several European telecoms companies have begun pilot
GSM services. In the UK, Vodafone has its GSM network up and
running, but only in the London area at present.

(Steve Gold/19920528)


(NEWS)(IBM)(TOR)(00025)

IBM Canada Announces AS/400 Software Agreements 05/28/92
MARKHAM, ONTARIO, CANADA, 1992 MAY 28 (NB) -- IBM Canada
has signed cooperative marketing agreements with two Canadian
software developers, covering computer-aided software engineering
(CASE) tools for IBM's AS/400 midrange computers.

IBM Canada will carry on joint marketing efforts with Cognos, the
Ottawa-based developer of the Powerhouse fourth-generation
language, and Insight Business Consultants, a Toronto company
that sells a development tool called Lansa. Insight is a division of
Softkey Software Products, a Toronto software developer best
known for its low-priced personal computer applications packages.

IBM Canada will cooperate with the two companies on marketing
programs, including advertising and seminars, and may conduct
some joint sales calls, said Peter Oppenheim, manager of market
development for IBM Canada's Software Enabling Center. "Detail
selling" will mostly be done by the software companies, he added.

The agreement is strictly between the software companies and IBM
Canada at present, Oppenheim said. "Other countries may follow,
but that's not necessarily the case....each country will make its
own decision."

IBM Canada said it continues its strategic relationship with Synon
Canada, another CASE tool developer whose software fits into IBM's
AD/Cycle development framework. The Cognos and Insight products
are not part of AD/Cycle, Oppenheim said, but "may be viewed as
alternates to the Synon product."

(Grant Buckler/19920528/Press Contact: Anne Hay, IBM Canada,
800-563-2139 or 416-474-3112; Lyse Teasdale, Cognos,
613-738-1440)


(NEWS)(BUSINESS)(TOR)(00026)

 ****Wang To Chop More Than 1,000 Jobs 05/28/92
LOWELL, MASSACHUSETTS, U.S.A., 1992 MAY 28 (NB) -- Still
struggling to make the transition from its proprietary minicomputer
and word processor roots to open systems and office automation,
Wang Laboratories has announced plans to cut at least 1,000
jobs from its worldwide work force over the next few months.

The reductions -- most of which will take the form of involuntary
layoffs -- will amount to at least a seven percent reduction in
Wang's payroll, which numbered 13,532 at the end of April.

The specifics have yet to be determined, company spokesman Ed
Pignone told Newsbytes. "What we're doing is a careful analysis
of the number of people we have, the skill set we have internally,"
Pignone said. Wang has not set a definite target date for
completing the cuts, nor does the company know exactly how
many jobs will disappear or where the jobs will be cut.

Pignone did say the cuts would be worldwide, and not just in the
United States, but "at this point I think it's unfair to try and say
they're mostly here or mostly there."

In a prepared statement, Wang's chairman and chief executive
officer, Richard W. Miller, said the cuts were necessary as part of
Wang's Office 2000 strategy, which aims to focus the company on
office automation and image processing technologies using
industry-standard hardware and operating systems.

Wang has eliminated close to 10,000 jobs over the past two
and a half years.

(Grant Buckler/19920528/Press Contact: Ed Pignone, Wang,
508-967-4912; Frank Ryan, Wang, 508-967-7038)


(NEWS)(TELECOM)(ATL)(00027)

 ****Sprint Wins Centel, Without Applause 05/28/92
OVERLAND PARK, KANSAS, U.S.A., 1992 MAY 28 (NB) -- The
race to buy Centel is over, and the winner is, surprisingly, Sprint.
Sprint, the third-largest long distance company in the US, said
it will acquire Centel, which put itself up for sale in January,
for stock. At 1.37 Sprint shares for each share of Centel, that
comes to 35 percent of Sprint's common.

Seen one way, in relation to revenues, the price is very high.
Centel had 1991 revenues of $1.18 billion and employs 9,300,
while Sprint had $8.8 billion in revenues and employs 43,000.
Seen in relation to the price arbitrageurs at first put on
Centel, however, the price is low, since 1.37 shares of Sprint
stock, at its recent price of $24, is worth $33.57, well under
Centel's recent price of $42.50. Both companies opened down in
early New York trading, with Centel's stock losing $11-a-share in
the first 15 minutes of trading. The two companies said they'd
been discussing the possibility of a merger even before the
January announcement by Centel that it would put itself up for
bid.

When Centel's decision to sell-out was first announced, some
traders expected to get $50 or more from their shares, expecting
that GTE one of the regional Bell companies would place a bid, or
that the Bells would take it over in pieces at a high premium.
But only a few bids for parts of Centel, notably a bid from
Ameritech, ever materialized. In the end, Centel management was
faced with a decision between negotiating a merger with Sprint,
breaking the company up, or continuing going alone. Chairman
Jack Frazee had said at the beginning that their motive for
seeking a partner was because they didn't think they had the
size to compete effectively.

Still, this could be a "win-win" situation for both sides. For Sprint,
the key acquisition may be Centel's respected management
team. For Centel, this is really a chance to "take over" in the
figurative sense, a much larger company. The merged firm will
retain the Sprint name and FON stock symbol, but it's expected
that Centel managers will play key roles in the new company. It
reminds some of an old story told by Humble Oil head Ross
Sterling, when asked why he was being taken over by Standard
of  New Jersey to form what is today known as Exxon. "Hell," he
reportedly replied, "We're taking over the Standard!" Exxon today
is based in Houston.

For Sprint, acquiring Centel also gives it more play in the local
phone business, where revenues can be huge, and its first real
play in the fast-growing cellular market. The company had been
heavily criticized in recent years for agreeing to buy GTE's half
of the Sprint long distance network. GTE's reliance on local
service gave it steady profits while Sprint remains third in a
highly competitive long distance market. The move to buy Centel,
which gets the bulk of its sales from local service, is thus a
repudiation of Sprint's past strategy.

The move, could however, be a renaissance of sorts for the career
of Ron Ponder, a former top executive with Federal Express, now
a senior vice president at Sprint.

The Centel cellular operations, combined with Sprint's
own manufacturing and distribution units, could put the company
into the fast-growing realm of "field computing," automating the
work of "field staff" using handheld terminals and wireless
networks. Until now, that revolution had been passing Sprint, and
Ponder, by. Centel and Sprint both emphasized in defending the
merger that their company is now the only one offering local,
long distance, and cellular service. The value of this "synergy,"
however, is questioned by analysts.

According to the two new partners, their combined company will
have an asset book value of nearly $14 billion and annual
revenues of $10 billion. The ratings of both companies were
reaffirmed by both the Fitch and Moody's rating services. Centel
said the merger will be tax-free for its stockholders, and it
will redeem all its preferred stock, except for one issue which
will be turned into Sprint preferred.

Centel Chairman Frazee emphasized his original goal of seeking
financial and personal economies of scale in any deal. "From the
outset of this process, we identified the need for greater size
to achieve economies, and to have the financial and other
resources needed to compete effectively in today's worldwide
telecommunications business, and to create a partnership that has
long-term potential."

Sprint Chairman William Esrey, for his part, emphasized Centel's
cellular operations. "Cellular and other wireless communications
are increasingly important in today's world. Our combined corporation
will be able to serve customers no matter what type of
telecommunications services they require." Both companies
mentioned a "compatible corporate culture." Frazee will become
president of the combined companies, while Esrey will remain
chairman.

In its statement, the Fitch service noted that through the merger
Sprint is reacquiring cellular properties it sold to Centel in
1988, adding that while long distance operating results are
gradually improving, "...its local telephone operations still
contribute the bulk of its operating income. The proposed merger
would lessen Sprint's exposure to and reduce the impact of the
long distance results on consolidated financial results."

The transaction is not expected to close until the fourth quarter
of this year or the first quarter of 1993. While both regulatory
and shareholder approvals are pending, it's the latter which may
be hardest for Centel to get. Arbitrageurs who bought the stock
in expectation of a price around $50 objected strongly in a
conference call the day after the announcement, and some have
threatened to go to court to block the sale, saying they're not
getting fair value.

(Dana Blankenhorn/19920528/Press Contact: Judith Shannon, Sprint,
913-624-3221; Bill White, Centel, 312-399-2735; Timothy Cain,
Fitch, 212-908-0587)


(NEWS)(TELECOM)(ATL)(00028)

Phones Win Headlines During CES Week 05/28/92
CHICAGO, ILLINOIS, U.S.A., 1992 MAY 28 (NB) -- In past years,
most of the excitement at the twice-annual Consumer Electronics
Show has been on entertainment products -- new types of stereo
equipment or televisions. This year, for the first time in some
time, the excitement of the week is in the telephone system.

AT&T grabbed the headlines by demonstrating its Smart Phone 2100
and Videophone 2500. The former is almost a computer terminal,
offering access to a variety of as-yet undefined shopping and
banking services. Huntington Banks of Ohio is working with AT&T
on Smart Phone applications. The Videophone 2500 offers video
service on regular phone lines. AT&T also showed cellular phones
in its booth. "People want their phones to do more, go anywhere,
be smaller and be easier to use," said John F. Hanley of AT&T
Consumer Products, predicting that by the year 2001 70 percent of
consumer communication products sold will be wireless. AT&T's
entry in the market is made by Oki Telecom, a Japanese company
with a large presence in the US.

National Semiconductor, meanwhile, announced a new chip set,
called Dispatch, which will let any company create a "smart
phone." Travelers to Europe could even retrieve faxes by calling
their home numbers, if they're equipped with the chip set.
Answering machines can now retrieve messages from remote
locations when activated by electronic tones from push buttons or
beepers. For security, each chip set is trained to recognize only
its owners' voice, using a command vocabulary of two-dozen words,
including a password. Ten manufacturers have committed to using
Dispatch in everything from fax machines to answering machines
and telephones.

Also, the same day it announced it will buy Centel, a cellular
phone operating company, Sprint announced Premier Microcel, a
digital wireless key telephone system. Key telephones are
business systems with multiple extensions that can work with a
PBX (private branch exchange) or telephone-company switch
offering so-called Centrex service.

The portable handsets offer multi-line access, a flat screen
display and popular business phone features such as conferencing,
paging, redialing, and speed dialing. Patents have been awarded
on key portions of the radio design, the digital format and the
encrypted security scheme. Steve McMahon, president of Premier,
said the sound quality is superior to that on cordless or cellular
phones, despite the lack of an exposed antenna. The new
phone system will be available solely through North Supply,
Sprint's distribution arm.

(Dana Blankenhorn/19920528/Press Contact: Steve Dykes,
Sprint, 202-828-7435; Jo Johnston, AT&T, 201-581-3905)


(NEWS)(TELECOM)(ATL)(00029)

International Phone Update 05/28/92
ATLANTA, GEORGIA, U.S.A., 1992 MAY 28 (NB) -- Czechs,
Hungarians,  and residents of the Ivory Coast were big winners
in the international telephone derby recently.

Czechs are seeing their state-owned sector spun-off to them.
Citizens are being given the chance to take vouchers representing
shares in the money-losing enterprises, which they can then
trade. Some will get rich, while others will lose-out, as the
people learn about free markets. The move, and the possibility of
gain, also increases support for the government. In contrast,
Hungary is having the Rothschild banking group seek foreign
buyers for its MATAV phone network.

The Ivory Coast, despite losing its own phone service to a cable
cut recently, and despite a move by its Prime Minister to
privatize the local phone network which some say smacks of
corruption, won a battle with Nigeria to host Africa's regional
satellite organization. Abidjan, not Lagos, Nigeria, will be the
home of the Regional African Satellite Communications System,
or RASCOM, which hopes to put a $500 million communications
satellite into space in five years, serving West Africa.

Brazilians hoping to cash-in on recent trends toward phone
privatization, meanwhile, were told they'll have to wait at least
until next year. Eduardo Modiano, representing the nation's
economics minister, told a conference that privatization is a
priority, but it can't happen this year. First, the country must
try to link its currency to the dollar, something it can't do now
for lack of foreign exchange, and implement other restructuring
programs. Among them is the privatization of the country's energy
sector, he said. An auction to sell the petrochemical company
Alcalis is slated for June 30. On July 16 the steel company Cst
goes on the block, while the fertilizer group Fosfertil will be
sold August 12. All those sales are expected to result in foreign
exchange which could help Brazil stabilize the cruzado against
the dollar, and lead to a telecom auction.

Also NTN, which offers interactive games like "QB1" in the US,
mainly via satellite to bars and clubs, said it will introduce
its services to Mexico, Central and South America through a new
Mexican subsidiary, NTN Intercontinental. Founding board member
Tony Aleman will first look to hotels, then seek markets for the
company's educational games. Earlier, NTN won license
agreements to serve Australia and New Zealand. NTN games are
also available on cable via the GTE/Mainstreet service and via
GEnie.

(Dana Blankenhorn/19920528/Press Contact: NTN Communications,
Robert Klosterman, 619/438-7400)


(NEWS)(GOVT)(LAX)(00030)

Opti Wins Judgement On One Of Two C&T Patent Suits 05/28/92
SANTA CLARA, CALIFORNIA, U.S.A., 1992 MAY 28 (NB) -- Fighting
among chip makers continues and in this latest round chip maker
Opti says it has won in the first summary judgement to be handed
down by any court on any patent case. The judgement was in
regard to one of two suits filed against it by Chips and Technologies
charging patent infringement.

Opti says the judgement determined the company did not violate
the patent on Chips and Technologies' page interleave, US Patent
4,924,375. More specifically, the court's decision was Opti's block
interleave chipsets do not infringe Chips' '375 page interleave
patent. This decision will also apply to another motion filed against
Opti by Chips and Technologies with the Federal Trade Commission,
Opti said.

Although this is just a partial win, it is a significant one. Chips and
Technologies suit, filed June 17, 1991, also charges Opti with
violation of US Patent 4,899,272, a patent having to do with basic
multiple memory addressing. However, Opti's patent and business
counsel, Michael Ladra of Palo Alto law firm Winson Sonsini, said in
a prepared statement: "We are extremely encouraged by this first
step."

Opti has claimed during the course of the suit that it was anti-
competitive device for Chips to hurt Opti in the marketplace. Opti's
President Kenny Liu again raised the question of whether or not the
Chips patents were valid. Lui said: "All of our current products
simply do not infringe any of Chips' patents. Moreover, we believe
that ongoing discovery establishes that Chips' patents are invalid."

(Linda Rohrbough/19920528/Press Contact: Raj Jaswa, Opti, 408-980-
8178; Gavin Bourne, Chips and Technologies, 408-434-0600)