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/nb920803

Text File | 1992-08-03 | 70KB | 1,541 lines

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

Lantronix Intros New Generation Of Terminal/Print Servers 08/03/92
LAGUNA HILLS, CALIFORNIA, U.S.A., 1992 AUG 3 (NB) -- Lantronix is
completely revamping its product line. Known primarily as a vendor
selling terminal and print servers that attach to networks,
Lantronix has stopped producing all of its existing line of servers
and has started shipping a new line effective July 1. The official
introduction was delayed until now to allow the sales channels to
be fully stocked with the new items.

There are a total of sixteen new terminal and print servers being
introduced at this time. Actually that's a bit deceiving as there
are only four models. Each of the models can be configured in four
different manners thereby yielding sixteen models.

The four models are: the ETS8, an 8-port terminal server; the
ETS16, a-16 port terminal server; and the EPS4 and EPS12,
4- and 12-printer servers respectively. All models can be then
configured either with a flash PROM that allows for software
upgrades to be done on site, or through the downloading of
the software via SNMP. The other option is the kind of connector
that allows connection to the Ethernet. Lantronix will
configure the servers with either the standard RJ12 connector for
TCP/IP or the DEC MMJ connector for use in DECnet networks.

There are several enhancements in this product line over the previous
line that Lantronix was producing. And these enhancements are
available across the line. For instance, memory on the server has
been increased from 512K to 1MB. Also, SLIP (Serial Line Interface
Protocol) and SNMP (Simple Network Management Protocol) support
has been added. Finally, a configuration set-up menu system has been
added which can be used by attaching a terminal to any of the serial
ports on the box, or across the network with the SNMP agent.

Prices depend on the model. However, they range from $995 to $1895.
All products are being shipped today. Lantronix offers a complete
replacement warranty that is valid for five years from date of
purchase. Under this warranty, Lantronix guarantees that they will
ship a replacement unit overnight to you in case of trouble.

(Naor Wallach/19920803/Press Contact: Brad Freeburg, Lantronix,
714-367-0050/Public Contact:800-422-7022)


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

Bantam Books Releases Networking Book By Dvorak 08/03/92
NEW YORK, NEW YORK, U.S.A., 1992 AUG 3 (NB) -- Bantam Books has
released a book it calls "the definitive guide to PC
Connectivity." This book was written by John Dvorak with the
assistance of veteran writers Nick Anis and Werner Feibel.

The book is a hefty 992 pages in length and comes with a couple of
special bonuses. First, there are a bunch of coupons bound into the
book for the products that are discussed and recommended in the
book. Secondly, there are three diskettes that accompany the
book that contain several of the programs, or demo versions of the
programs, that the authors discuss. For instance, LANtastic/Z is one
of the programs that come on the disks and that has a coupon bound
in the book.

The book attempts to cover every aspect of PC connectivity. For
that purpose, the authors start from the simplest subject and
progress to networking in the course of the book. Chapters on serial
connections, parallel connections, displays, input devices, modems,
fax machines, scanners, storage devices, printers, CD-ROM, graphics
formats, image processing, and LAN hardware and software give you an
idea of the breadth and depth of this book.

The book is titled "Dvorak's Guide to PC Connectivity." The book has
been available in book stores since July 1. It retails for $49.95.
The included disks are in 5.25" format but there is a coupon to
receive 3.5" disks if desired. For those who need to order this book,
the ISBN number is 0-553-35335-7.

(Naor Wallach/19920803/Press Contact: Adel Mariette, Bantam Books,
212-492-9531/Public Contact:212-765-6500)


(NEWS)(GENERAL)(SFO)(00003)

New For Networks: Triticom Upgrades Argus/n 08/03/92
EDEN PRAIRIE, MINNESOTA, U.S.A., 1992 AUG 3 (NB) -- Triticom has
announced a minot upgrade to its network monitoring program called
Argus/n. Version 1.50 of Argus/n is beginning to ship at this time.

The only major enhancement in version 1.50 over 1.40 is the complete
compatibility of Argus/n with Netware Lite. Aside from that feature,
the company claims that there are only minor bug fixes and small
changes. As a matter of fact, Newsbytes has learned that the company
is not planning to send an upgrade out to all its customers.
Instead, Triticom will provide the upgrade only to those customers
who call and specifically request it.

Argus/n is a two part distributed program. Arguseye is a TSR
(terminate and stay resident) that is loaded onto each workstation
in the network. Argus/n itself executes on the network administrator's
machine and allows the network administrator to observe the activity
at each node or conduct an automatic hardware audit to check on the
configuration of that node. By using this arrangement it is actually
possible for the network administrator to control the activities at
the remote nodes without physically moving from his workstation.

Although the previous version (1.40) of Argus/n worked with Netware
Lite, it did so by basically ignoring its existence which could lead
to some problems under certain rare conditions. With this upgrade,
Argus/n fully recognizes Netware Lite and the problems do not
occur any longer, the company said.

Argus/n sells for $245 for the basic version which allows for the
monitoring of up to 250 nodes off a single Ethernet segment.
There is a larger version called Argus/n Internetworking available
for $645 that allows for up to five segments to be interconnected
and controlled from the single network administrator workstation.
Argus/n Internetworking has also been upgraded to version 1.50 at
this time. All of the software is available now.

(Naor Wallach/19920803/Press Contact: Jodie Boseck, Triticom,
612-937-0772/Public Contact:612-937-0772)


(NEWS)(TELECOM)(ATL)(00004)

Consultant's Study Slams Bell Charges 08/03/92
NEW YORK, NEW YORK, U.S.A., 1992 AUG 3 (NB) -- Bruce Kushnick
began work on his ground-breaking study of the regional Bell
companies after getting a strange phone bill.

Kushnick told Newsbytes, "I started with seeing a charge in my
phone bill saying it cost 37 cents to call Montauk," at the end
of Long Island, "and only 21 cents to call Los Angeles," across
the country from his New York home.

The results of the study which resulted could dramatically change
the dynamic of telephone regulation in the US. The study showed
how the seven regional Bell companies have created enormous
increases in the bills of their captive customers, spending much
of the resulting profit overseas. Kushnick told Newsbytes he now
thinks of the Bells as the "Bank of Telecom Commerce," a play on
BCCI, an international bank now charged with being a front for
organized crime.

"In New York, local bills went up 553%," in the 8 years after
NYNEX was created from the New York and New England portions of
the old Bell System. "The FCC numbers don't look at the reality
of what happened, they don't look at value. The example I used in
a press conference was you used to order a complete steak dinner,
but now you buy everything a la carte. The basic price is up, but
you also have to pay for everything else."

How did it happen? "There is no regulator who looks at the total
bill. There is no regulator who looks at the RBOCs' rate of
return and profit. The FCC doesn't do that, neither does the SEC,
and no state agency covers an RBOC's full territory.

"The bottom line is the telecommunications market has been quite
profitable, and they don't need more revenues of powers because
parts of the telephone bill have been deregulated," Kushnick
explained to Newsbytes. "They're making more than most people
think, which is an 11-13% rate of return. If you look at NYNEX,
for instance, they made a 21% profit."

Kushnick charges that the Bell companies together have lost $300
million in information services, including videotex and audiotex
gateways, and that it's not in their interest to keep fighting
bills which would keep them out of those businesses. "There's
nothing proving they'd be successful. They've also put ratepayer
money -- $11.3 billion -- in the international market. That's a
lot of money," he says, when the companies are complaining they
can't meet federal requirements.

For proof of these claims, one needs to go no further than the
Bells' own annual reports, he says. "Their stock values have increased
238% since they started. They've been paying regular dividends
almost every quarter. Many investor newsletters call them the
safest investment you can make.

"If you look at specific international investments, there have
been successes. But there are non-profitable cellular operations
in Eastern Europe, and cellular investments don't win profits in
the early years," Kushnick adds.

But Kushnick is not just interested in indicting the Bells.
"The Consumer Federation of America has talked about various
'abuses.' Some of it may be right, but there must be solutions.
The New Networks Institute," his new company, "was created to
first identify the problems, then look at solutions with the
companies involved.

Kushnick invested over $55,000 of his own money in the study, as
well as the credibility gained in 10 years as an industry
analyst. He will make that up by selling the study, at thousands
of dollars per copy, to the phone companies and their political
opponents. And he realizes that he's stepped into a political
minefield. "I was called a fanatic in the Washington Times
today," he jokes. He also expects the Bells to make a detailed
rebuttal to his study this week, claiming his methodology is
flawed, perhaps claiming he has some political motivation.

That doesn't trouble Kushnick at all. "What makes this study
different is I've been a consultant and analyst for 10 years. I'm
like an ex-policeman telling all. The problem is no one's done
their homework," he says.

(Dana Blankenhorn/19920731/Press Contact: Bruce Kushnick, New
Networks Institute, 212-837-7867)


(NEWS)(IBM)(LON)(00005)

New For PC In UK: UKP 99 Security Software 08/03/92
HIGH WYCOMBE, BERKSHIRE, ENGLAND, 1992 AUG 3 (NB) -- Fifth
Generation Systems (FGS) has announced it is offering a complete
PC security package for UKP 99. The package, which will ship from
the end of September in the UK, includes three of the company's
best-selling software programs: Fastback Plus 3.0, Disklock PC
1.0 and Untouchable 1.1.

Announcing the package, Mike Tait, vice-president of FGS' Europe-
Africa operations, said that the three modules offer complete
protection against loss or corruption of data.

"Normally available at a suggested retail price of UK 350m this
offer provides PC users with an excellent opportunity to
experience the benefits of PC security for the first time," he
said.

Fastback Plus 3.0 is a hard disk back-up package designed to back
up the disk to a variety of other media, including floppies.

Untouchable 1.1, meanwhile, has three unique features, according
to the company: revolutionary product design negating the need
to load frequent virus signature updates; a patented virus
removal technique that is 100 percent effective; and an automatic
load-and-forget protection system.

Disklock 1.0 is a data protection/access system that allows
multiple password access to files on the hard disk. Full data
encryption is available from within the package.

Newsbytes understands that the UKP 99 security package of all
three titles is available only in the UK and certain European
countries. Similar offers, in local language translations, are
available in French and German speaking countries in Europe.
There are no plans to launch a "combi" package in the UK.

(Steve Gold/19920731/Press & Public Contact: Fifth Generation
Systems - Tel: [phone])


(NEWS)(IBM)(LON)(00006)

New For PC In UK: Link & Load - Report & Spreadsheet Merging 08/03/92
OXFORD, ENGLAND, 1992 AUG 3 (NB) -- Software 2000 has unveiled
Link & Load, a UKP 495 package that allows spreadsheet users to
automatically merge report files into their spreadsheet software.

The company claims that, as well as automating the process of
loading such files, its software only inserts the data into valid
cells, so avoiding zero value cells that are normally created on
text rows.

In use, the package generates and runs a large spreadsheet macro
to produce all the formulae and formatting effects. The software
supports the macro languages from most major spreadsheet
packages, including Microsoft Excel, Lotus 1-2-3 v2.2 and later,
Supercalc 5 and 4, and Borland's Quattro.

According to Dick Hodge, marketing director with the company, the
software has been on limited release for several weeks, and has
already received an enthusiastic response from government bodies
and other public sector bodies.

Software 2000, a specialist software reseller, is offering what
it calls an "annual priority support service" for Link & Load.
The service costs UKP 125 for single users and UKP 495 for
multiple site users, who would normally have bought a multiple PC
site licence for UKP 1,995.

The priority support service provides what Software 2000 claim is
a quick response problem investigation service, as well as free
upgrades to any new versions of the current release of the
software.

(Steve Gold/19920731/Press & Public Contact: Software 2000 - Tel:
0865-784200; Fax: [phone])


(NEWS)(IBM)(LON)(00007)

New For PC In UK: Program Analyzes Sales Failures 08/03/92
BEXLEYHEATH, KENT, ENGLAND, 1992 AUG 3 (NB) -- Lakeview Computer
Services has released what it claims is a sales business tool:
Lakeview LM -- "the no sale report."

This strangely named package is an expert system utility that
processes data on successful sales and, when a sale fails to go
through, even though the sales staff have worked on the client,
it analyzes the reasons why the sale did not take place.

According to the company, data on successful sales is contained
in conventional sales reports, but is obscured by other detail,
making its extraction too time consuming to be worthwhile.

Armed with information about changing purchasing patterns, sales
staff can approach the customer to find out whether the change is
due to problems with the product, a move to an alternative
supplier, or simply because the item has been overlooked.
According to Lakeview, practical experience with the software has
shown that more than 50 percent of these approaches result in
additional sales.

In use, the package presents the sales staff with what the
company claims is an easy-to-enter report. As data is entered, it
is compared to previous data cards and unusual patterns
identified to the user. This can signal a situation, for example,
where a customer has forgotten to include an item in his or her
order.

Pricing on Lakeview LM depends on the customer's site licence
requirements. The company claims that the software is a flexible
business package which, in addition to standard accounting and
administrative functions, offers facilities for other key
activities, including supplier, customer and a sales prospect
management, credit control and stock control.

(Steve Gold/19920731/Press & Public Contact: Lakeview Computer
Services - Tel: [phone]; Fax: [phone])


(NEWS)(TRENDS)(HKG)(00008)

Hongkong: Software For Fish Farming 08/03/92
CENTRAL, HONG KONG, 1992 AUG 3 (NB) -- The International Center
for Living Aquatic Resources Management (ICLARM) is using
software from SAS Institute to develop new breeds of fast-breeding
fish that will be used as low-cost, high-protein food for tropical
developing countries.

ICLARM is a non-profit organization funded by the United Nations, the
European community, and a number of governments and foundations. Based
in Manila, it undertakes research projects in fisheries and fish
farming throughout the world.

The Center uses SAS Software in a large number of its research
projects such as coastal area management, eco-modelling and the study
of coral reefs. The fish breeding project, called the Genetic
Improvement of Farmed Tilapia (GIFT), uses SAS to analyze variables
in breeding tilapia fish.

The GIFT project was launched in 1987 with funding from the United
Nations Development Program/Division for Global and Interregional
Program and the Asian Development Bank. It culminated in June this
year with a visit from scientists from around the world who reviewed
its results: a strain with significantly improved growth and survival
rates.

"SAS's powerful analytical and presentational capabilities were
essential to GIFT," said Carmela Janagap, research assistant and
programmer at ICLARM. "In addition, its ability to run across
platforms gave us the flexibility to work with researchers
throughout the world. It was used on site with laptops, in the
office with PCs, and on a mainframe in Norway for large-scale
number crunching."

The tilapia fish currently represents around 20 percent of fish
farming in the Philippines. One of the cheapest sources of
protein, it feeds on waste products, has a high survival rate and
breeds quickly.

The project took seven strains from around the world and
methodically, over four generations, developed a synthetic
strain. Its "GIFT" strain grows 75% faster than the most widely
cultured tilapia strains in the Philippines in a wide range of
farming systems.

ICLARM chose SAS for its sophisticated analytical features which were
necessary for analyzing a huge amount of data. Every generation of
experiment contains some 16,000 fish. Each fish has to be sampled for
characters such as sex, standard length, body weight, body depth and
traits, keeping track of family crosses. These characters are used to
measure genetic variations per family. In effect, each experiment
generates a matrix of about 16,000 x 10 data set.

"No other software could have managed a task of this complexity on a
PC," said Janagap. "SAS also enabled us to easily create new variables
throughout the project and to output results in graphs and 3D graphics
to meet different presentational needs, from academics to business
people to local Tilapia farmers."

Following the success of the GIFT project, Janagap hopes to implement
SAS in other applications within ICLARM such as accounts,
administration, personnel and inventory. "SAS is world famous as a
statistical tool, but many organizations do not realize the extent to
which they can use it throughout their operation," she said.

(Brett Cameron/19920729/Press Contact: Nigel Gasper, SAS, tel: 852-568
4280;HK time is GMT + 8)


(NEWS)(TELECOM)(HKG)(00009)

Hongkong: Chevalier CT2 Phones For Travellers 08/03/92
KOWLOON, HONG KONG, 1992 AUG 3 (NB) -- Travellers on the
Kowloon-Canton Railway (KCRC) can now make CT2 phone calls from any
station with the installation of a series of new CT2 base stations
by Chevalier (Telepoint) Ltd.

Chevalier (Telepoint), which entered the CT2 phone market in April,
has already installed CT2 telepoints at major transport hubs
throughout the territory, including bus and ferry terminals and MTR
stations. The agreement with the KCRC to provide service at all its
stations, makes Chevalier Telepoint the first CT2 operator to bring
full telecommunications support to Hong Kong's travelling public.

The new Chevalier service was inaugurated by KCRC Chairman Kevin Hyde,
who made the first CT2 phone call from a platform at the KCRC's
Kowloon Station.

"Hong Kong is a dynamic city with a mobile and fast-paced lifestyle.
This new service will bring convenience to passengers who subscribe to
the Chevalier (Telepoint) CT2 network," Mr Hyde said.

"The commissioning of this network is yet another step towards our
goal of providing quality customer service, and is very much in line
with the KCRC's continuous efforts to improve station facilities.
These efforts include installing new escalators and replacing old
ones, installing stored value ticket machines and building additional
entrances and exits," he continued.

Chevalier (Telepoint) Managing Director Neil Montefiore noted that
Chevalier (Telepoint) is the first CT2 operator to cover all the
KCRC's stations as well as other transport hubs.

"Our goal has always been to provide personalized telecommunications
coverage anywhere in the territory people might need it. This
agreement to link each KCRC station to the Chevalier (Telepoint) CT2
network is a major step towards achieving that goal," Mr Montefiore
said.

(Brett Cameron/Press Contact:Ross Lai (KCRC):[phone];HK time is
GMT + 8)


(NEWS)(UNIX)(SFO)(00010)

New For Unix: HP Computer-Aided Process Management Pkg 08/03/92
PALO ALTO, CALIFORNIA, U.S.A., 1992 AUG 3 (NB) -- Hewlett-
Packard has introduced a software tool that enables users to
construct computer-aided process-management environments,
called SynerVision for SoftBench. According to HP, the
environments created can help manage any process, including
those frequently found in business, engineering, and manufacturing.

Paul Reese, spokesman for HP, told Newsbytes that SynerVision
"allows a company to define their processes - and this can be
anything from a software development process to business
accounting process...and allows parts of those tasks to be automated
or linked together with other tasks."

He continued, "It facilitates communication between members of a
team...and the status of the overall project."

According to HP, once the process is defined, the process-
management environment provides real-time communication and
status reports that link the process with the people who perform
the tasks and the software tools they use.

SynerVision consists of general-purpose electronic templates, or
process blueprints, that can be programmed with information that
divides a process into a set of "well-defined" tasks.

HP says that users then add information to each task description,
including the desired communication among the software packages
involved, task priorities, and standards and measurements, to
collect at each stage of the process and collate into status reports.

The company gives an example of a loan-processing department at
a bank. It says that the bank can use SynerVision to automate its
process for evaluating loan requests. The bank can program
SynerVision to create a spreadsheet file containing loan-
application information. When the loan-approval information is
entered in the computer, an approval letter is generated
automatically. Monthly reports on the number of loans processed
and payment status also can be generated automatically by
SynerVision.

Chung C. Tung, general manager of HP's Software Engineering
Systems Division, said: "SynerVision helps companies bring their
process documents to life in the day-to-day tasks of each
department. By automating processes and having the ability to
see how tasks fit together, customers can improve their critical
business operations."

According to HP, SynerVision is based on technology used in
SoftBench, the framework for software-engineering environments.
HP used SynerVision as the foundation for ChangeVision, a
specialized process-management environment for managing and
measuring the software change-request management process.

The company suggests that other potential applications in the
software engineering market include automation of testing
procedures or adhering to US Department of Defense 2167A
specifications. Outside the software-engineering marketplace,
the company suggests that value-added resellers or system
integrators can use SynerVision to create specialized applications,
and end users can model specific processes within their companies.
Potential uses of SynerVision include loan or insurance-claim
processing, automating accounting procedures, and streamlining
processes used in engineering, manufacturing, or quality control.

Reese also told Newsbytes that in terms of the target market for
the SynerVision product, "we're calling it a 'general-purpose
process engine.' It can be used for automating manufacturing
processes, or just general office processes: accounting, loan
processing, that type of thing."

Additionally, Reese said that HP is also using it specifically as the
basis for its ChangeVision product, which is a product for software
development. That product addresses the process of what HP calls
the "change request process" or the "defect tracking process" in
software.....where you get a report of a change that needs to be made
to the software and then a software engineer gets involved and
makes the change, and writes a new set of test procedures to test
the change, and then ships it back as part of an updated software
package."

SynerVision for SoftBench is $3,950 for Unix-based workstations
from HP and Sun Microsystems.

Additionally, SynerVision Interactive Training, a computer-based
training package that teaches users how to program process
templates, is expected to be available for an additional $350. The
company says that the software is available in quantity discounts
and is expected to ship in December 1992.

(Ian Stokell/19920731/Press Contact: Jim Borchert, Hewlett-
Packard, 303-229-3841)


(NEWS)(TELECOM)(ATL)(00011)

 ****New Lawsuits Against Hayes 08/03/92
MINNEAPOLIS, MINNESOTA, U.S.A., 1992 AUG 3 (NB) -- The first
steps have been taken in what might be called the second legal
battle over the Hayes standard.

In the first battle, Hayes won court orders giving it clear
patent protection, and the right to collect royalties of about $1
per modem, from a court in San Francisco. The second battle
opened with a suit by Sierra Semiconductor charging that Hayes
ads were maligning Sierra's TIES escape sequence.

Now, Multi-Tech Systems, a defendant in the original patent suits,
has gotten a local federal court to halt distribution of a
"test kit" which demonstrates Hayes' point that the TIES system
isn't foolproof. Multi-Tech is trying to avoid licensing the Hayes
patent by using TIES as its escape sequence in new modems.

Hayes' strategy will be to defend the test kit, and the theories
on which it is based. "The data file contained in the test kit
offered as part of the Hayes education campaign is nothing more
than ASCII characters which may occur in users' data. Any
dependable escape sequence should ensure that the simple
transmission of data will not cause the modem to abort a file
transfer," said Hayes in a press statement. Lest anyone miss the
message, President and Founder Dennis Hayes put it clearly. "I
believe that TIES is not only a serious step backward for the
industry, but also threatens the reliable transmission of data
for business, government and other critical applications."

In exchange for a 10-day order halting distribution of Hayes'
test kit, the court did require that Multi-Tech post a bond, and
it refused to extend the order past 10 days. Sierra, in a
statement regarding its suit, charged that Hayes' patented
technology should no longer be considered a standard since it
gave an exclusive license on it to Rockwell, a Sierra
competitor, and standards are supposed to be licensed without
prejudice. Hayes' stand seems to be that its test kit, and ads
attacking TIES, are valid. Multi-Tech will use its claims of
unfairness in one more attempt to invalidate the patent.

(Dana Blankenhorn/19920803/Press Contact: Peggy Ballard, Hayes
Microcomputer Products, 404-840-9200)


(NEWS)(TELECOM)(ATL)(00012)

Clancy, Crichton Due Online Live 08/03/92
ROCKVILLE, MARYLAND, U.S.A., 1992 AUG 3 (NB) -- The GEnie online
service will host live roundtable discussions with best-selling
authors Tom Clancy and Michael Crichton.

Jack Smith, who runs the writers' roundtable section on the
service at the address writers.ink, scheduled the Clancy
conference for August 30 at 8:30 PM. Tom Clancy is best known as
the author of military thrillers, and Smith called him "an
entertaining and instructional guest to say the least."

The session with Crichton, who wrote books like "Andromeda
Strain," "Terminal Man," and "Jurassic Park" but also directed
such movies as "Coma," and "Westworld," was scheduled for
some time in November. Smith also said that a standing bulletin
board of messages will be closed temporarily on August 18, so he
can do a belated spring cleaning of the message base.

Earlier this year, GEnie was the first major online service to
host a live presidential candidate when former Governor Jerry
Brown participated in an online conference from a supporter's
home in Vermont.

(Dana Blankenhorn/19920803)


(NEWS)(GOVT)(ATL)(00013)

 ****Credit Bureau Reform Bill Faces Critical Test 08/03/92
WASHINGTON, D.C., U.S.A., 1992 AUG 3 (NB) -- A provision
preempting state laws may kill attempts at national reform of laws
governing credit bureaus.

The Associated Credit Bureaus, which represents companies
like Equifax, TRW and Trans-Union, whose reports control most
Americans' access to credit, succeeded in getting the provision
into the bill, which was reported out of the House Banking Committee
to the full House.

As it stands, the bill does offer some consumer protection, but
no more than what the major vendors have agreed to offer on
their own. For instance, it would mandate a charge of no more
than $8 for a credit report -- Equifax is already charging that.
It would also require that lenders advise consumers of their
right to a free report if their information is used to deny
credit. And consumers would have to give prospective employers
explicit permission to buy any report, and must be able to get a
copy of that report if it's considered detrimental to hiring. The
new law would also force the agencies to investigate possible
errors within 30 days, or drop data if it's not confirmed in that
time.

But now the original sponsor of the bill, California Democrat
Estaban Torres, says he'll vote against it unless the preemption clause
is taken out. The reason is that he believes all credit agencies
should abide by state laws. One state, Maryland, mandates that
residents receive a free copy of a credit report every
year, a benefit not mandated in federal law.

In interviews with Newsbytes earlier this year, however,
industry representatives insisted that the preemption clause would
be necessary for any bill they would support, saying that it would
be onerous for the computerized credit bureaus to comply with 50
different sets of state regulations. If the clause is taken out and
they would have to abide by all these state laws, the credit
association will oppose the bill.

Torres must first get the House Rules Committee to let him offer
an amendment on the preemption issue, then win a floor fight on
the issue before getting a bill he'd support.

Since the Fair Credit Reporting Act was first passed in 1970,
mainframe computer technology has created a revolution in credit
reporting. Nearly every local credit bureau is now owned by or
affiliated with one of the three majors. Employers and credit
grantors have taken to giving great weight to the reports, even
more than the agencies themselves want them to give. And some
spectacular mistakes, making credit reports the leading cause of
complaints to the Federal Trade Commission a few years ago, have
led to calls for action.

If the bill passes the House, a similar bill is waiting in the
Senate.

(Dana Blankenhorn/19920803)


(NEWS)(TELECOM)(DEL)(00014)

India: TCIL Enters Global Telecom Market 08/03/91
NEW DELHI, INDIA, 1992 AUG 3 (NB) -- In a major plan to boost its
operations overseas, the public sector consultancy company
Telecommunications Consultants India Ltd. (TCIL) is floating new
companies for manufacturing telecom products and for providing
operational services in three Gulf countries: Saudi Arabia,
Kuwait and Oman.

TCIL has already been a player in the telecom sector in these
countries. Its joint ventures there will have local partners
providing capital up to 51 percent, as required by the local
regulations. TCIL may enjoy management control and profit-sharing
as it will provide manpower, technical and managerial inputs.

Prior to the Gulf crisis last year, the company was having a
number of turnkey projects and was operating the EPABX network
in the country. After the war, TCIL was the only Indian firm to
have been invited for participation in the reconstruction activity.
As per contract, all major communication links like VIP houses and
government buildings were restored by May this year.

TCIL has also set its eyes on the emerging East European market.
Orange Telecom Software, established by TCIL last year in
collaboration with Nepostel of the Netherlands, has been asked to
explore the East European market. However, TCIL
chairman-cum-managing director, Y.L. Agrawal, rules out the
possibility of taking over sick companies in East Europe or in
the erstwhile East Germany (or CIS, till they become politically
stable) as planned by another Indian public sector company
CMC Ltd.

Meanwhile, TCIL has just bagged a contract from a Zimbabwean
company, TEE Systems, for the supply of a software package
for the management of telecommunication services in Zimbabwe.
The package called Administrator has been developed by TCIL's
joint venture company, TCIL Bellsouth Ltd.

Administrator is an integrated software for telecom operation
support system. It has separate modules for various operational
support applications. The software allows independent
implementation of modules in a phased manner to take care of
user's requirements. The entire software has been developed in a
4GL development environment and allows portability across
various hardware platforms, the company claims. Different
modules of Administrator software are already in operation at
various domestic and overseas locations.

(C.T. Mahabharat/19920731)


(NEWS)(TELECOM)(LAX)(00015)

AMIX Anticipated Growth Fuels Move To New Quarters 08/03/92
MOUNTAIN VIEW, CALIFORNIA, U.S.A., 1992 AUG 3 (NB) -- A
"shopping mall" for anything that can be bought electronically,
the American Information Exchange (AMIX), announced it is
physically relocating from Palo Alto, California into larger
office space in Mountain View, California. The company said it
needed space to house its growing computer system and has moved
into the offices twice as big which were formerly occupied by
the Software Publishing Corporation.

AMIX said its new home is a spacious 24,886 square-feet in size
and has ample room for the company's ganged Sun workstation
computer system. As AMIX is a subsidiary of Autodesk, the move
could also be seen as "moving back in with mom and dad." AMIX
says Marc Stiegler, the general manager of Autodesk's
Information Systems Business Unit, will oversee both it and
Xanadu Operating Company, which is sharing the new Mountain
View home.

AMIX describes itself as an electronic marketplace for the
buying and selling of consulting services, software and
information. The company says anything that can be stored
electronically can be bought and sold on AMIX including text,
graphics, templates, sound, software, and newsletters. The
company's customers access the AMIX electronic marketplace
using at least an IBM or compatible 286 based 12 megahertz
personal computer (PC) and modem running at 2400 or 9600 baud.

While AMIX sounds like it is similar to many of the other
on-line information services available to consumers, the company
says it is different because customers are linked directly to
the authors/vendors of the services for sale. Customers can
learn more about a vendor before purchasing by reading their
resumes, introductions, and any comments posted by prior
buyers, AMIX added.

The company says it is focusing on the programming community
and has just opened its first functional market for software
components and the Smalltalk community. Smalltalk is an object-
oriented programming language geared toward business
applications.

AMIX representatives told Newsbytes the company is also
planning to be at MacWorld to promote a Macintosh interface for
the service it plans to have available by the end of the year.

(Linda Rohrbough/19920731/Press Contact: Carrie Wong, American
Information Exchange, tel [phone], fax [phone])


(NEWS)(TRENDS)(TYO)(00016)

 ****NTT Uses Optical Soliton To Transmit Data 08/03/92
TOKYO, JAPAN, 1992 AUG 3 (NB) -- NTT has announced that it has
succeeded in transmitting data using optical soliton. The
transmission speed was 20 gigabits or 20 billion bits per second,
a world record, according to NTT.

Optical soliton is considered to be the data transmission medium
of the future. It allows extremely large amounts of data to
be sent at high speed. Soliton waves can also keep their shape for
long distances, meaning that theoretically, data can be
accurate even when it is sent to a distant location. The only
problem of soliton is said to be in the control of the balance
of pulse compression and dispersion.

NTT has been working on the control of optical soliton since
1990. Its first experiment succeeded in the transmission of data
at a speed of 10 gigabits per second using a 500-kilometer
optical fiber loop cable in 1991. In this most recent experiment,
NTT claims that it has succeeded in sending data as far as 1,000
kilometers. NTT placed special amplifiers (EDFA) every 50 meters
along the fiber cable.

NTT is planning another experiment involving the transmission of
data using soliton with a narrower pulse, which is designed to
transmit data even faster -- at 1 terrabit or 1 trillion bits
per second.

NTT envisions soliton data transmission technology can be applied to
long distance undersea cables, ultra-fast optical data
transmission and optical pulse switching devices.

It is expected that it will take at least a couple of more years
for this technology to be actually applied.

(Masayuki Miyazawa/19920803/Press Contact: NTT, [phone])


(NEWS)(APPLE)(TYO)(00017)

 ****Japan: Sculley Airs Apple Multimedia Strategy 08/03/92
TOKYO, JAPAN, 1992 AUG 3 (NB) -- Apple Computer hosted a
multimedia forum in Hakone, Japan on July 31 and August 1 to
unveil six parts of its multimedia strategy worldwide. Apple
Chairman John Sculley participated in the forum.

Apple Computer's multimedia forum was held in a cool mountainous
area, about 100 kilometers west of Tokyo.

The first plan is that Apple Computer will release a CD-ROM-based,
multimedia personal computer in 1993 in cooperation with IBM.
Apple also plans to encourage other firms to develop CD-ROM-based
personal computers in order to stimulate the growth of
multimedia software titles and interest.

Second, Apple Computer plans to create a research institute
called the New Media Center. Its mission will be to encourage TV
program producers to create multimedia software. The New Media
Center is expected to be created in Japan, with financial
support from Japanese electronics firms.

Third, Apple advocates the creation of an international-scale
electric mail system for multimedia firms. With this e-mail
system, the firms will be able to exchange multimedia
information and technology.

The fourth plan is that Apple Computer will encourage local
governments in Japan and the US to create a "hyper-network"
society, which is based on digital technology.

The fifth goal is to set up a committee to study business issues
affected by multimedia. They would include the advertising
industry, paid broadcasting and publishing, and the issue of
intellectual property rights.

The final part of the strategy is the establishment of a
committee to study future applications of multimedia on education.

(Masayuki Miyazawa/19920803/Press Contact: Apple Computer, Tokyo,
 [phone])


(NEWS)(BUSINESS)(TYO)(00018)

Mitsubishi Kasei Links With Sony On Optical Disks 08/03/92
TOKYO, JAPAN, 1992 AUG 3 (NB) -- Mitsubishi Kasei has signed an
agreement with Sony concerning the production of 3.5-inch optical
disk drives. The agreement calls for Sony to produce 3.5-inch
optical disk drives and supply them to Mitsubishi Kasei on an
OEM (original equipment manufacturer) basis.

Mitsubishi Kasei has also been manufacturing optical disk drives.
However, due to the demand in its overseas market, Mitsubishi
Kasei has decided to get its supply from Sony. It is expected that
Sony will supply 200 units of optical disk drives per month to
Mitsubishi Kasei. Mitsubishi Kasei will ship them to the overseas
market.

Currently, Mitsubishi Kasei specializes in optical disks. It has
been shipping 2.5 million units of optical disks per year in
Japan. It is said the optical disk drives of Mitsubishi Kasei and
Sony are compatible which is why Mitsubishi Kasei has decided
to get the extra supply from Sony instead of creating an extra
production line in its plant. Sony is also pleased with the
OEM agreement with Mitsubishi Kasei because the firm will be able
to reduce its costs due to mass production.

Sony will provide maintenance of these optical disk drives for
customers of Mitsubishi Kasei.

Mitsubishi Kasei will also start the production of optical
disks at its plants in North Carolina and Ireland this fall.
Meanwhile, Mitsubishi Kasei will increase production of
floppy disks at its overseas plants. At its Virginia
plant, the firm will increase production by 40 percent to
10 million units per month.

(Masayuki Miyazawa/19920803/Press Contact: Mitsubishi Kasei,
 [phone])


(NEWS)(BUSINESS)(TYO)(00019)

Sony/TI Create Video Chips For HDTV 08/03/92
TOKYO, JAPAN, 1992 AUG 3 (NB) -- Sony has started developing a
next generation digital video chip for high definition television
jointly with Texas Instruments Japan. Advanced digital
video chips are expected to ultimately lower the price of
HDTVs.

Sony and Texas Instruments Japan have been developing a digital
video signal processor for high definition televisions at TI's
new research and development center in Tsukuba City. The
chip will process color motion picture data at a rapid speed and
also will remove noise, the firms say. It is based on TI
Japan's serial video processor. The new chip is programmable
by users, according to applications. It is intended to be used in
multimedia products such as personal computers and electronic
books, in addition to high definition televisions.

Texas Instruments Japan is experienced in developing HDTV chips.
In the past, the firm has developed display chips for HDTVs jointly
with Fujitsu and Hitachi.

Texas Instruments Japan is also ahead in the development of video
chip technologies. The firm recently started shipping the world's
first 4-megabit dynamic random access memory. These chips will be
used for processing graphic data on workstations.

(Masayuki Miyazawa/19920803/Press Contact: Sony, [phone])


(NEWS)(TELECOM)(MOW)(00020)

Russian Education Network Planned 08/03/92
MOSCOW, RUSSIA, 1992 AUG 3 (NB) -- The Russian education
ministry, the Academy of Sciences, and the Kirchatov institute
have announced their intention to build and fund a non-profit
Russian Electronic Academic and Research Network (RELARN). The
RELCOM network infrastructure will be used.

Researchers told the Renews news service that current RELCOM
prices, which are market-driven and free, are relatively high
for the budget research facilities, especially those
engaged in fundamental science.

The non-profit status of the network is expected to give it a
reduction in current rates, and provide connectivity to other
non-profit networks worldwide.

A special task force composed of the Academy of Sciences, Kurchatov
Institute, and Relcom executives has been formed to prepare
governmental funding proposals and seek external sponsorship
of the project.

Relcom is the largest computer network in the former Soviet Union.
It interconnects more than 2500 computer sites. Researchers are a
big part of the active network population.

(Kirill Tchashchin/19920801)


(NEWS)(BUSINESS)(TOR)(00021)

Legent, Goal Systems Complete Merger 08/03/92
VIENNA, VIRGINIA, U.S.A., 1992 AUG 3 (NB) -- Legent and Goal
Systems International of Columbus, Ohio, have completed their
previously agreed $400-million merger.

The deal makes Legent the second largest systems management
software provider, company officials said, with about $410 million
in revenues anticipated for fiscal 1992, and figures expected to
approach $500 million in fiscal 1993.

Legent has issued about 10 million new shares for the roughly 19.1
million shares of Goal common stock outstanding. The new company
will continue to be traded on the NASDAQ national market system.

Legent spokeswoman Lori Beres said earlier that her company saw in
the deal a "tremendous opportunity to gain a tremendous presence in
the market." The combined company will have 126 products and a very
strong financial position, she said. Both Legent and Goal sell
software and services for managing enterprise computer systems and
networks. Many of the products are complementary, Beres added.

Beres also said the deal will make both firms more secure against
possible hostile takeovers.

The combined company will offer systems management products for
data center management, resource management, network management,
and applications management.

Legent has also formed five strategic business units -- VSE Data
Center Management, Inter-platform Communications, Disaster
Recovery, Database Tools and Information Technology -- representing
what it sees as high-growth markets.

The new company is based in Vienna, Virginia., with offices in
Columbus, Ohio; Pittsburgh; Westborough, Massachusetts; New York
City; Woodland Hills, California; Santa Ana, California; and
Houston. It also has offices throughout Europe, Australia, the Far
East, Canada, and South America. Legent has about 2,100 employees.

David C. Wetmore, formerly chief executive officer of Goal, will
become president of a new division, Legent Services, and executive
vice-president of Legent. Wetmore was also elected to Legent's
board of directors.

(Grant Buckler/19920803/Press Contact: Pam McGraw, Legent,
703-761-6495; Public Contact: Legent, 703-734-9494)


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

Easel, Enfin Agree To Merge 08/03/92
BURLINGTON, MASSACHUSETTS, U.S.A., 1992 AUG 3 (NB) -- Two makers of
software development tools, Easel and Enfin Software, have signed
a definitive merger agreement.

As a result of the merger, Enfin will become Enfin Technology
Corporation, a wholly owned subsidiary of Easel. The merger is
expected to close in late August or early September, subject to the
approval of Enfin shareholders.

The total value of the transaction, which will be accounted for as
a pooling of interests, is approximately $7.8 million. The
shareholders of Enfin will receive between 538,000 and 672,000
shares of Easel common stock, and the option holders of Enfin will
receive options to purchase between 242,000 and 303,000 shares of
Easel common stock. Due to this merger being accounted for as a
pooling of interests, Easel expects additional expenses of $1
million to $1.5 million in the third quarter of 1992.

Peter Eichhorst, now president and chief executive officer of
Enfin, will become senior vice-president of Easel and president of
the new subsidiary, reporting to R. Douglas Kahn, president and
chief executive of Easel.

Easel, based in Burlington, is the maker of Easel Workbench, a
software development environment meant for creating client/server
applications. Enfin, based in San Diego, offers Enfin/2 and
Enfin/3, sets of visual programming tools for programming in the
object-oriented language Smalltalk in client/server environments.

Easel will continue to sell and support both companies' products,
officials said. The company said it is committed to continued
development on both product lines and the Easel and Enfin
development teams will begin to work closely on the sharing of
features between the products. Longer term development will focus
on interoperability between the product lines.

Enfin Software employs 40 people and had annual revenues of about
$3 million in 1991. Easel has about 275 employees and reported
revenues of $28.3 million last year, a spokesman said.

(Grant Buckler/19920803/Press Contact: John McDonough, Easel,
617-221-2111; Public Contact: Easel, 617-221-2100)


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

Microsoft Bundles Windows 3.1 And DOS 5 Upgrade 08/03/92
REDMOND, WASHINGTON, U.S.A., 1992 AUG 3 (NB) -- Microsoft says it is
now bundling Windows 3.1 with the MS-DOS (Microsoft Disk Operating
System) version 5 upgrade as an integrated installation package.

The integrated package carries a suggested retail price 20 percent
less than if the two programs were purchased separately.

An installation routine automatically installs Windows 3.1 and
upgrades the user's DOS to version 5, which Microsoft says is the
best DOS version to use if you are running Windows. DOS 5 frees
more conventional memory to run DOS-based applications, including
those running under Windows, according to Microsoft.

(Jim Mallory/19920803/Press contact: Collins Hemingway, Microsoft,
206-882-8080; Reader contact: Microsoft, 800-426-9400)


(NEWS)(BUSINESS)(DEN)(00024)

Landmark Graphics Loses $7.2M 08/03/92
HOUSTON, TEXAS, U.S.A., 1992 AUG 3 (NB) -- Landmark Graphics
Corporation says it lost $7.2 million on revenues of $81.9 million
for fiscal year 1992, which ended June 30, 1992.

The company also said it lost $9.1 million for the fourth quarter.
Losses were attributed primarily to restructuring by North
American-based oil companies.

Landmark provides products and services for seismic processing and
interpretation, geologic mapping and modeling, data services, and
field studies for the petroleum industry.

Revenues for the fourth quarter were reported at $15.7 million,
compared to $26.4 million for the same period last year. The losses
amounted to $0.87 per share for the fourth quarter, and $0.67 per
share for the year.

Landmark initiated a restructuring effort in the third quarter,
which included a corporate-wide cost reduction program. It said it
also centralized its research and development functions to focus on
key products, and redistributed and resized its sales and support
functions.

The financial report reflected restructuring costs of $10.3 million
for the year. $6.9 million of that was charged in the fourth
quarter.

(Jim Mallory/19920803/Press contact: Will Seippel, Landmark
Graphics, 713-578-4265)


(NEWS)(APPLE)(SFO)(00025)

 ****Apple Rolls Out Newest PowerBook 08/03/92
CUPERTINO, CALIFORNIA, U.S.A., 1992 AUG 3 (NB) -- Building on
the enormous success of its PowerBook line of notebook
computers, Apple has introduced the Macintosh PowerBook 145.
The new mid-range notebook will replace the 140, which has been
relegated to discount warehouse outlets.

The Powerbook 145 will incorporate all the original features of
the 140 while offering 35 percent better performance and a lower
price, according to the company.

The new 145 will carry a manufacturer's suggested retail price
of $2,399- $2,799, depending on whether a 40 megabyte (MB)
or 80MB hard drive is included.

Apple's PowerBook line has been an enormous success for the
company which was late in entering the market with a workable
portable computer. The PowerBook's predecessor, the Macintosh
Portable, did not meet with much success, partly because of
its heavy weight.

Randy Battat, vice president of Apple's Portable Computing division,
said: "Customers have resoundingly endorsed the PowerBook as one
of the premier notebooks on the market today. We believe that
continuing to improve performance and push costs down, in
combination with our awarding winning design, will ensure our
continued success and will firmly establish Apple as a leader in
the notebook market."

According to Apple, the 35 percent performance improvement in
the PowerBook 145 is derived from its higher clock speed Motorola
25 megahertz (MHz) 68030 microprocessor (previously 16MHz on
the 140). Apple's move to incorporate the faster chip into its
midrange notebook comes less than one year after the introduction
of the original 140.

Neil Selvin, director of product marketing in Apple's Portable
Computing division, said: "We are continually looking at ways to
enhance our products to respond to our customers' needs. The
PowerBook 145 -- with its improved performance and lower price
-- clearly reflects not only that commitment but also our desire
to make portable computing more affordable."

Although it retains the backlit Supertwist liquid crystal display
of the original 140, the 145's speed and responsiveness is
equivalent to that of a PowerBook 170, maintains Apple.

The 145 also features an integrated trackball and palmrest,
full-size keyboard, and tilt adjustments. The 145 comes with
4MB of RAM, expandable to 8MB, and choice of 40MB or 80MB
internal hard drive. Its built-in floppy drive accommodates
Macintosh, MS-DOS, OS/2 and ProDOS formats.

The product also comes with the System 7 operating system,
a SCSI (Small Computer Systems Interface) port for connecting
a variety of Macintosh peripherals, sound input and sound output
ports, microphone, and speaker.

Available immediately through authorized Apple resellers, the
PowerBook 145 comes equipped with Macintosh System 7.0.1
software, AppleTalk Remote Access software, HyperCard 2.1
software, documentation, training software, an AC power
adapter, a battery, and a one-year limited warranty.

The 6.8 pound PowerBook 145 comes with either 4MB of RAM and a
40MB hard drive for $2,399, or 4MB of RAM and an 80MB hard drive
for $2,799. The ten-inch Backlit Supertwist liquid crystal offers
640 by 400 pixel display, and the NiCad battery is claimed to
provide between two and three hours of usage. An optional
internal 2,400-baud modem with 9,600 baud fax send
capabilities is also available.

(Ian Stokell/19920803/Press Contact: Kate Paisley, Apple
Computer, 408-974-5453)


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

Algeria's Network Takes Battering From Terrorists 08/03/92
ALGIERS, ALGERIA, 1992 AUG 3 (NB) -- Slowly but surely, Algeria
is becoming cut off from the rest of the telecom world as
terrorists continue to batter the national and international
elements of the telephone network in the country.

Reports from Algeria say that four more telephone
exchanges in Tiaret, a strategic point on the country's trunk
network, have been hit by terrorists,

Terrorists have been progressively knocking out Algeria's phone
network ever since the government cancelled plans to hold an
election at the beginning of the year. Sources suggest that the
Algerian government was worried that the Islamic Salvation Front
would have won the election. The government moved quickly to
suppress the ISF, eventually banning the party in March of this
year.

Since the ISF has been banned, secret meetings have been held and
newsletters passed around the community. Most of the propaganda
from the party has exhorted members to destroy the government
with sabotage of the telephone and other communications networks.

According to the Reuter news wire, 15 attacks on the telephone
network have taken place this year, with the result that many of
the country's trunk and city exchanges are out of action.

(Steve Gold/19920803)


(NEWS)(GOVT)(LAX)(00027)

 ****Judge Says Borland Is Guilty 08/03/92
SCOTTS VALLEY, CALIFORNIA, U.S.A., 1992 AUG 3 (NB) -- Borland
may have already taken the final blow before it even got to
trial. In a partial summary judgement of a suit brought by
Lotus charging that Borland copied Lotus 1-2-3 in its Quattro
Pro spreadsheet product, the Judge said Borland is guilty.

Federal Judge Robert E. Keeton of the United States District
Court in Boston said in a 45-page memorandum last Friday that
Lotus 1-2-3 is copyrightable, that Borland did copy 1-2-3, and
that Borland is liable. One of the questions now is how liable.

Judge Keeton said: "I conclude that no reasonable jury could
find for Borland that Borland did not take the menu commands,
menu command structure, macro language, and keystroke sequences
substantially as they were." While industry analysts have said
Borland could face paying out damages of $10 million to $100
million if it loses, Tom Lemberg, Lotus vice president and
general counsel wouldn't talk about how much in damages Lotus
plans to seek.

Lemberg did say Borland's liability depends on two issues, the
gain the company has received by selling the infringing product
and an estimate of the losses Lotus has suffered because of the
infringement. When asked if Lotus plans to seek a restraining
order or injunctive relief against Borland, Lemberg said the
company is waiting for a further procedural order, expected
this week, from Judge Keeton -- implying that Keeton may take
action against Borland before Lotus asks for it. Lemberg did
say Lotus doesn't intend to attempt to penalize Borland users.
"It's Borland we're after," he added.

Two clean-up issues are to be the focus of the procedural
order, Lemberg said. One is the menus, menu structures, and
keystrokes and the other is the long prompt similarity, Lemberg
said.

Part of the damages may be based on the number of Quattro Pro
products the company has shipped, a number which Borland
boasted last month reached 2.5 million copies.

One of the injunctive actions mentioned by Lotus was requiring
Borland to pull infringing Quattro Pro spreadsheet products off
the shelves.

A pre-trial conference is still scheduled for September 23 and
November 2 still stands as the tentative trial date, but
Lemberg of Lotus said the company hopes it can be talking
damages before those dates even come up.

Philippe Kahn said to capacity crowds in Pasadena last year
that the Lotus suit was based on one small menu in the Quattro
Pro product that his company could easily remove. "It's the
principle of the thing now," Kahn told the Pasadena audience.

According to Lotus, Borland is inconsistent in its claims.
Lemberg said regarding Borland's structure of its product,
"Borland has been saying what they have been doing is the only
effective way they can do it. The court says this is illegal
and now they say they can change it."

Borland said it expected the Judge's ruling. Spencer Leyton,
senior vice president of business development for Borland said:
"Industry observers have always maintained that our case would
ultimately be decided by the Court of Appeals."

Borland also said it has started shipping today a version of
Quattro Pro 4.0 without the optional Lotus 1-2-3 compatible
menu system.

"We removed the Lotus 1-2-3 compatible menus to prove a point,"
said Leyton. "This feature has become insignificant to virtually
all of our users; approximately 90 percent use the 'native'
Quattro Pro menu system rather than the outdated Lotus 1-2-3
system," Leyton added.

Borland is asserting the new version's functionality is the
same, including Lotus 1-2-3 file and publishing style
compatibility. "Although the menus have been removed, Lotus 1-
2-3 macros will run under Quattro Pro's native menus," said
Stephen Kahn, vice president of Borland's Applications
Division. However Lemberg of Lotus said the macros are part of
the infringement as well.

Borland, in a seemingly daredevil statement, also said it will
continue to make the optional Lotus 1-2-3 compatible command
system file (123.MU) available to customers upon request for a
nominal charge to cover shipping and handling.

Keeton's findings were consistent with Lotus' previous suit
against Paperback Software International over its VP Planner
spreadsheet product.

In the Paperback case, Keeton ruled against Paperback and
instead of appealing, Paperback paid Lotus $500,000 and removed
the product from the market. A similar suit Lotus filed against
the Santa Cruz Operation (SCO) over spreadsheet product SCO
Professional never made it to trial, but was settled out of
court. SCO removed its spreadsheet product from the market in
August of 1991 and recommended Lotus 1-2-3 to its customers.

When asked what implications Keeton's ruling will have on the
computer industry, Lemberg told Newsbytes the software industry
has grown up under copyright law in the US and the company
expects the decision will protect those who develop products.
Lemberg also said Lotus has no intention of licensing any part
of its copyrighted portions of 1-2-3 to any other software
company.

In a side note, Borland's stock, which as been falling steadily
since January, has taken a dive again. The stock fell sharply
before US trading opened today and at last report was still
falling.

(Linda Rohrbough/19920803/Press Contact: Sandra Hawker,
Borland, 408-439-1659, fax [phone]; Richard Eckel, Lotus
Development Corporation, tel [phone], fax [phone])


(NEWS)(TRENDS)(LAX)(00028)

HP, IBM Develop Fast, Cheap Optical Card 08/03/92
PALO ALTO, CALIFORNIA, U.S.A., 1992 AUG 3 (NB) -- Fast serial
communications, primarily aimed at transmission of visual
information, is the focus of the new Fiber Channel HOLC-0266
optical link card from Hewlett-Packard (HP).

Developed by HP and IBM, the new card is small enough to fit in the
palm of the hand, costs less than $500, and can transmit data at 266
megabits per second.

The card is the first product to come out of the joint
development agreement between HP and IBM announced in February
of this year. HP says the HOLC-0266 can link workstations,
high-end personal computers (PCs), and supercomputers. The new
card also complies with the American National Standards
Institute (ANSI) point-to-point communications standard known
as Fiber Channel.

HP says while this technology was available before it was too
large physically and too expensive to be practical. Already,
applications for the HOLC-0266 are being explored.

HP says a large research lab is prototyping a Fiber Channel
"fabric" that eventually will link 25 Cray-One-equivalent
supercomputers, more than 500 minicomputers, and thousands of
workstations over a one-square-mile campus to allow them to
share complex visualization images as well as other data.

In another project, a medical-electronics manufacturer is
designing products for hospitals to transmit images from
magnetic-resonance scans to hundreds of workstations throughout
a medical complex, giving the medical staff simultaneous access
to the information, HP said.

The HOLC-0266 connects the motherboard or input/output (I/O)
channel of a desktop workstation or personal computer to fiber-
optic cable for serial, point-to-point links that can span as
long as two kilometers or over 2 miles, at a rate of 265.625
megabits per second. The card itself is a dual-sided, surface-
mount printed-circuit board with transmit circuits on one side
and receive circuits on the other. A standard 48-pin (4 x 12)
male connector plugs directly into a computer motherboard or
I/O (input/output) board. An SC-type optical cable connector
accommodates either a 50- or 62-micron multimode cable.

A laser in the unit is driven by a single, silicon-bipolar
integrated circuit (IC) that takes in 10-bit-wide parallel
data, serializes it, and sets the high-speed timing. Another
similar IC performs a complementary function in deserializing
the output. A laser protection function is built-in to
insure the optical parts are correctly connected and shuts off
the transmitter if the cable is broken.

HP says IBM will also its own version of the technology. The
HOLC-0266 is retail priced at $495, HP said.

(Linda Rohrbough/19920803/Press Contact: Dave Herron, Hewlett-
Packard, tel [phone], fax [phone])


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

Apple Offers Software To Customize Macs 08/03/92
BOSTON, MASSACHUSSETTS, U.S.A., 1992 AUG 3 (NB) -- Targeting
Macintosh users in the home and education markets who share a
single system, Apple Computer has introduced At Ease, an
extension to the Macintosh System 7 operating software that
simplifies the tasks of launching applications and opening files,
while providing protection for system settings, files, and folders.

According to the company, the new software makes it easier for
users of Macintosh personal computers to share them with
children, students, and novices.

Roger Heinen, senior vice president for the Macintosh software
architecture division, said: "At Ease is Apple's first software
package that customizes the Macintosh for a specific set of
customers. At Ease makes the Macintosh an even stronger
solution for the home and education markets by providing
enhanced ease of use for parents sharing a Macintosh with
youngsters, and teachers who manage the sharing of Macintosh
computers among many students."

At Ease acts as an alternative to the standard "Finder" desktop,
and comprises a "Documents" folder and an "Applications"
folder. The company maintains that both folders feature large,
single-click buttons that make it easier to launch applications
and open documents.

All documents created by the user are automatically displayed
in the Documents folder, regardless of where they are stored,
reducing the search for a document to just one location. The
primary user of the computer indicates during setup which
applications and system controls will be displayed in the
Applications folder.

While At Ease is running, the user cannot move, rename or delete
documents or applications. Apple gives some examples of who
would use this method. A parent can create a set-up for a child's
use of games and educational applications. An educator can
manage a lab with several Macintosh computers by restricting
students to specific applications and only their own documents.
Also, a business customer can let co-workers use his Macintosh,
knowing that the system settings will remain unchanged and
confidential files will remain private.

One option of At Ease simplifies management of the shared
computer's hard disk by saving all documents on a floppy disk
or a remote file server, effectively locking the hard disk. The
company says that saving only to a floppy disk is especially
useful for sharing Macintosh computers in public areas such
as service bureaus or storefronts, and that saving to a remote
file server is useful in classrooms and computer labs.

Apple maintains that the primary user of the Macintosh can easily
alternate between At Ease and the Finder. A password can be
specified to limit access to the Finder.

At Ease includes an application that teaches novices how to use
a mouse, called Mouse Practice, a quick reference card, and
set-up documentation. In the United States, At Ease includes one year of
toll-free telephone support from Apple for the primary user of
the product. At Ease is set to become available in mid-August for
a suggested retail price of $59.

The product will also be available to educators through Apple's
education channels, both in a single-user package and as a
ten-user package.

At Ease requires a Macintosh computer running System 7 and
two megabytes (MB) of RAM. Four MB of RAM is recommended.
The company says that, while At Ease is running, instead of the
Finder, an additional 200 kilobytes of system memory becomes
available for use by applications and documents.

(Ian Stokell/19920803/Press Contact: Sue Bowdoin, Apple
Computer, 408-974-3429)


(NEWS)(UNIX)(SFO)(00030)

New For Unix: Sun Computer Conferencing Software 08/03/92
MOUNTAIN VIEW, CALIFORNIA, U.S.A., 1992 AUG 3 (NB) -- Hoping
to take advantage of the dominant trend towards corporate
networking environments and products, SunSolutions has
introduced ShowMe, a computer conferencing software package
designed for SPARC workstations.

The company, a product development venture within Sun
Technology Enterprises, claims that the product allows users to
conduct on-line meetings, allowing groups to view and interactively
collaborate on documents, graphics, spreadsheets and other images
over a TCP/IP network.

According to the company, participants use on-screen markers
to annotate shared documents simultaneously in real time, so
users interact and communicate much the same way they would
in a meeting room.

The company claims that on-line conferencing products go beyond
so-called "shared whiteboards" because they allow graphics and
images as well as text to be shared across the network by
multiple users.

Based on the Open Look graphical user interface, ShowMe
distributes documents or images to the display screens of other
participants, allowing for "instant" feedback.

Byron Ryono, director and general manager of SunSolutions, said:
"ShowMe software lets you hold a meeting without leaving your
office - or to look at it a different way - lets you bring your
whole office with you to meetings. Workstations are built for
networking, so the workstation market is the perfect proving
ground for collaborative products, and ShowMe is the perfect
software."

The company claims that key areas targeted by the company
include computer-aided software engineering, computer-aided
design, medical imaging, finance, real estate, retail,
telemarketing and government.

According to the company, ShowMe is a shrink-wrapped,
channel-ready software product, that will ship before the end of this
summer. Suggested list price for a single-user, floating network
licence is $349, including media and documentation, and $319
without documentation. A ten-concurrent-user floating licensing
package is available for $2,870, and a 25-user license package
sells for $5,975.

(Ian Stokell/19920803/Press Contact: Kathryn Watson,
SunSolutions, 415-336-6851)