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/1993/NB090193

Text File | 1993-12-17 | 78KB | 1,696 lines

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

New Edition Of Computer Industry Almanac Out Now 09/01/93
LAKE TAHOE, CALIFORNIA, U.S.A., 1993 SEP 1 (NB) -- The sixth
edition, for 1993, of the well-regarded Computer Industry Almanac is
now out.

As in previous years, this latest edition is chock-full of
information including entries on some 2,900 computer companies, 930
publications, 246 market research firms, 389 associations and user
groups, 71 book publishers, 51 testing companies, 255 conferences
and over 7,300 key people in the computer industry.

The 816-page book is co-authored by two long-time computer industry
observers and users, Dr. Karen Petska Juliussen and Dr. Egil
Juliussen.

Now available in bookstores or directly from the publishers, the
1993 Computer Industry Almanac is $45 in softcover, or $55 for the
hardcover edition. For more information or to order directly,
contact Computer Industry Almanac, Incline Village at Lake Tahoe,
Nev., at 800/377-6810 or 702/831-2288, or fax [phone].

(Computer Currents/19930901)


(NEWS)(APPLE)(SFO)(00002)

"Exploring Multimedia BBS" Goes Online 09/01/93
SOMERVILLE, MASSACHUSETTS, U.S.A., 1993 SEP 1 (NB) -- "Exploring
Multimedia," a Macintosh multimedia newsletter launched in January
1993, has gone online with the Exploring Multimedia Bulletin Board
System (BBS). "Exploring Multimedia" is published by the Multimedia
Workshop.

Subscribers to the monthly newsletter can now download demos,
examples, and multimedia source materials, as well as communicate
online with other users and with the publishers of the newsletter.

"More than any other publication, we needed a way to distribute
electronic documents and materials to our readers," explained
Michael Murie, editor of "Exploring Multimedia." "The BBS makes this
possible," he added.

The BBS uses Spider Island Software's TeleFinder, a Macintosh GUI,
to provide a Mac Finder-like interface. Files are organized in
folders and users can download by dragging a file icon to their hard
disk. Spider Island is currently working on a Windows version of
TeleFinder.

The BBS does not replace or supplant the newsletter. The content of
the newsletter remains the same, but references will be made to
material available on the BBS. Back issues will also be available on
the BBS. A CD-ROM (compact disc - read only memory) version of the
newsletter is also planned.

There are no online costs when accessing the BBS other than any
telephone charges. Anyone with a Macintosh and modem can call and
download the client software, or simply log-on using the command-
line interface. Newsletter subscribers have full access and can
connect for up to two hours per day. Non-subscribers are limited to
30 minutes a day.

The phone number for the Exploring Multimedia BBS is 617-666-9447.
The "Exploring Multimedia" newsletter costs $60/year from Multimedia
Workshop, P.O. Box 44-37, Somerville, MA 02144. Voice phone 617-776-
2469.

(Marguerite Zientara/19930901)


(NEWS)(GENERAL)(HKG)(00003)

HK Businesses Want Hotline Support - Microsoft Report 09/01/93
WANCHAI, HONG KONG, SEP 1 1993 -- Hong Kong executives expect more
than just products from their PC software vendors -- they are
looking for service and support. This is the clear message from a
recent survey conducted by ResearchAsia on behalf of Microsoft Hong
Kong.

"What a surprise!" Newsbytes was told by one user of packaged
software products who preferred not to be named in case what little
support he had been receiving dried up completely. "It is heartening
that Microsoft is taking the initiative, though," he said.

The survey, which canvassed more than 230 organizations across a
broad cross-section of Hong Kong business, aimed to determine
customer satisfaction in the areas of software, support and service.
Conducted blind, it required participants to complete a detailed
questionnaire on a range of topics including hardware, operating
systems, applications and hotline support.

"Over the past few months, Microsoft has placed a great deal of
emphasis on providing first-class hotline support," explained David
Chung, Product Support Services Supervisor of Microsoft Hong Kong.

"The results of this survey highlight the fact that it is no longer
acceptable for PC software vendors like ourselves to supply products
alone. Whether respondents are registered as Microsoft users or with
other vendors, their needs are the same -- service and support is now
a top priority," he said.

One of the key questions was to establish how many customers
currently use a hotline. To support this, further questions asked
participants to choose from a list of vendors or the names of their
products.

Respondents were asked to identify vendors who offered a hotline
service; if they thought that it was offered at no charge to
registered users; and to evaluate the service against criteria such
as hours of availability, ease of use, the knowledge-level of the
engineers taking the calls, and how effectively problems were
solved.

"More than half of the respondents confirmed that they already use a
hotline service," said Chung. "Of those who don't, 40 percent felt
that it was `very important' and an additional 50 percent said that
it would be nice to have."

More than 150 companies in the sample group named Microsoft when
asked to select vendors who offer this service in Hong Kong but the
company is quick to point out that this is only part of the story.

"Surveys like these play an increasingly important role in our
market," said Laurie Kan, Country Manager of Microsoft Hong Kong.

"Customer satisfaction is paramount. We need to ensure that we're
adopting the right strategies and we need to know how we stack up
against the competition. We also expect to find problem areas that
need to be addressed and this survey is no exception," he said.

Newsbytes spoke with another information technology (IT) consultant
who commented that there had been a noticeable increase in trade in
illegally copied software at the notorious Golden Shopping Arcade
over the past year or so.

"Generally this can be read as a barometer for the status of
software support in the territory, the availability of illegally
copied software is inversely proportional to the quality of the
support services. That has been the way here for years, and it isn't
likely to change," he said.

When respondents were asked to identify areas for improvement,
faster response to enquiries was top of their list. Longer service
hours and rapid telephone answering were also priorities.

A report prepared from the survey data concludes that, although
Microsoft has a high profile for offering hotline services, it
clearly has some competition. The data suggests that that all
vendors must continue to focus on fast access to top quality
technical support.

Last year data from a similar questionnaire revealed that although
DOS was still the most prevalent desktop operating system in Hong
Kong, but the latest survey reveals some growth in Windows
applications usage, with companies in the banking and finance,
manufacturing and computer services sectors predominant in naming
Windows as their standard environment.

(Keith Cameron/19930901/Press Contact: Sasha Skinner, Microsoft -
Tel: [phone])


(NEWS)(GENERAL)(TOR)(00004)

Canadian Show Roundup: Macs, EDI, Telecom And More 09/01/93
TORONTO, ONTARIO, CANADA, 1993 SEP 1 (NB) -- The computer show and
conference circuit in Canada in September will include a wide
selection of events aimed at different industry segments.

The Canadian Business Telecommunications Alliance (CBTA) holds
its annual conference in Montreal this year, at the Palais des
Congres. The conference runs from September 12 to 16, with an
accompanying exhibit area open September 14 to 16. Key speakers
will include Richard Solomon, co-author of The Gordian Knot:
Political Gridlock and the Communications Revolution, to be
published by MIT Press later this year, and Pauline Couture, a
Quebec writer, broadcaster, and consultant.

Digital Consulting of Andover, Massachusetts, will hold its
Downsizing Expo in Toronto September 13 to 15, at the Metro Toronto
Convention Centre. Speakers will include Digital Consulting Chairman
George Schussel, columnist and consultant Cheryl Currid, veteran
Canadian computer-industry commentator William Hutchison, and Janet
Perna, director of database technology at the IBM Toronto
laboratory.

Macintosh enthusiasts can look forward to Macworld Expo/Canada, also
at the Metro Toronto Convention Centre, September 20 to 22.
Organizers say this year's show will cover 130,000 square feet of
exhibit space, and the conference program includes nearly 100
sessions.

At the same time -- September 20 to 22 -- the EDI Council of
Canada will run its regional EDI Forum at the Constellation Hotel
in Toronto. The three-day conference will include keynote
speakers, seminars, workshops, and an exhibit area.

Finishing off the month, the 16th Annual Ottawa Business and
Government Computer Show is slated for Lansdowne Park September
29 and 30. More than 150 exhibitors are expected, organizer
Industrial Trade & Consumer Shows Inc. of Toronto said.

(Grant Buckler/19930830/Press Contact: David Eliot, Macworld
Expo, fax [phone]; Patricia D. Marshall, Industrial Trade &
Consumer Shows, 613-567-8471; Public Contact: Digital Consulting,
508-470-3880, fax [phone]; Macworld Expo, 416-620-5412; EDI
Council of Canada, 416-621-7160; CBTA, 416-865-9993, fax
416-865-0859; Industrial Trade & Consumer Shows, 613-567-8471 or
416-252-7791, fax [phone])


(NEWS)(GENERAL)(NYC)(00005)

Canadian University Offers On-Line Internet Class 09/01/93
LONDON, ONTARIO, CANADA, 1993 SEP 1 (NB) -- The University of
Western Ontario has announced plans to offer "Navigating The
Internet", a five-week on-line computer communications course.

The course, which starts September 20th, costs $150 (Canadian) and
is based on a pilot course given during summer 1993. Mark Baycroft
of the University told Newsbytes that the pilot course was extremely
successful.

"We had a very good response. While the pilot was rather limited to
people in this area of the world, the new session has participants
from around the world. We have students from Alaska, Wisconsin,
Australia and, of course, Canada," he said.

Baycroft said that he views courses like this as "the future of
education as I see it. I think that we will really see marked growth
over the next few years in courses delivered in this manner. I know
that we have four or five courses on the drawing board for the
spring semester."

The course schedule, as announced, is:

Week 1: Introduction: Course outline and documentation. Getting
connected and basic instructions on using e-mail to communicate with
the instructor and other students. How to send messages to users on
other systems.

Week 2: Telnet & Gopher: How to use Telnet to access other systems
including Library Catalogs, free databases and commercial systems.
Instructions and practice on getting on systems. Finding out what is
available. Exploring the Internet with Gopher & exploring
Gopherspace with Veronica!

Week 3: USENET or NEWS: How to use the NEWS computing conferencing
system. Reading NEWS for information and making contacts.

Week 4: FTP: How to use anonymous FTP to transfer software
programs, electronic journals and data files from remote archive
sites. How to find out what is available.

Week 5: Other Tools: Archie, WAIS, the internet bbs, World Wide Web,
and more.

(Barbara E. McMullen & John F. McMullen/19930901/Press Contact: Mike
Baycroft, The University of Western Ontario Libraries, 519-661-2111
X4809, voice; E-mail on the Internet: [e-mail])


(NEWS)(TRENDS)(WAS)(00006)

Seven Million US Telecommuters Predicted By 1997 09/01/93
WASHINGTON, DC, U.S.A., 1993 SEP 1 (NB) -- According to some
statistics pulled together by telephone equipment maker PhoneMate,
the number of home offices is growing at a steady rate due both to
telecommuting and new businesses.

BIS Strategic Decisions reports that the company's latest data shows
4.5 million people in the United States now telecommute at least
part-time, a 15 percent increase from last year and the research
firm sees 7 million telecommuters by the end of 1996

Telecommuting improves productivity, cuts commuter driving time and
consequent air pollution, and reduces office space requirements,
according to BIS Strategic Decisions' Jon Hulak.

The research firm also claims that there are now about 39 million
home office workers in the United States, including both owner-
operated businesses and telecommuting installations.

More than 12 million of those workers were either fired or
encouraged to leave companies under early retirement plans and
opened up their own businesses either to tide them over until
permanent positions opened up or as permanent careers.

Unsurprisingly, the PhoneMate sponsored report quotes Noramae
Munster, owner of a small home-based, San Pedro, California graphic
design firm as saying that the basic tools for a home office include
a good telephone, an answering machine, and fax capabilities.

Jim Oblak, vice president of marketing for PhoneMate, which makes
telephone answering machines and portable phones, says: "Home office
workers really don't need to spend a lot on business equipment, with
a little research, outfitting a modern home office can cost as
little as $2,200."

Of course most home office experts also say that the average home
business will also need at least a basic computer.

(John McCormick/19930901/Press Contact: Lisa Verbeck, Bob Thomas
& Associates for PhoneMate, 310-314-6600)


(NEWS)(TELECOM)(ATL)(00007)

Fax Access To BBSs Gains Momentum 09/01/93
WHEATON, ILLINOIS, U.S.A., 1993 SEP 1 (NB) -- Fax access has given
bulletin board systems (BBSs) a new dose of popularity, and makers
of fax server systems like Copia International are rushing to cash
in on the success of the technology.

Newsbytes talked with Steve Hersee, president of Copia, which makes
a system called FaxFacts. His fax-on-demand system was originally
designed for stand-alone use, but he says sales have risen sharply
since he announced support of major BBS software systems such as
Galacticomm's Major BBS.

"For BBS people we tend to be a fax server," he said. "They have
interfaces to our software that cause us to send a fax. We're
interfaced with Galacticomm and some others. The interface is quite
simple," he said.

"Basically FaxFacts lets you offer the same information you offered
through a BBS," he added. "Both the National Cancer Institute and
Department of Commerce had computer bulletin boards. But they found
utilization wasn't what they'd like. When they added the fax their
utilitization took off."

"We point to the same data. If you've got 30,000 to 100,000 files
out there we have a mechanism to point at them with a number. That
mechanism is sitting there weekly or monthly, and once the data is
in place our stuff points to it," he told Newsbytes.

As a result, he added, the company now has nearly 700 systems in
use. "We're starting to see a pattern," he said. "Municipalities
love us."

According to Hersee, one of the newest FaxFacts systems on offer is
Flood/Fax, offered by the Department of Commerce and Greater Des
Mouines Chamber of Commerce Federation, offering updates on the
Mississippi floods and how to get help.

"The Flood/Fax system was also used for Hurricane Andrew relief, and
could be put into service immediately. They doubled the size, from
8-16 lines. It's actually the same number used for the Hurricane. In
both cases the government bought from us," he said.

"The person who put the stuff up in the Commerce Department runs
their 900 number and is familiar with how the systems work," he
added.

And Newsbytes notes that the Government isn't the only buyer. "In
the private sector we're doing well. Dow Corning has a system. We're
getting customers all the time. Fax on demand is starting to become
common," he said.

(Dana Blankenhorn/19930901/Press Contact: Steve Hersee, Copia
International, 708-682-8898)


(NEWS)(IBM)(DEN)(00008)

STB Intros 24-Bit Accelerator Card 09/01/93
RICHARDSON, TEXAS, U.S.A., 1993 SEP 1 (NB) -- STB Systems has
announced plans to start shipping its Pegasus PCI 24- bit graphics
accelerator card, a local bus-compatible card that can display 16.7
million colors at resolutions up to 1024 by 768, later next month.

STB Marketing Communications Director Robert Hoskins told Newsbytes
that a few boards are already in the hands of final beta testers
and, based on their findings, he expects the cards will ship in late
September.

According to Hoskins, Pegasus comes in two configurations. The base
system will be configured with 4 megabytes (MB) of video RAM and
will support resolutions up to 1,024 by 768 pixels at 16.7 million
colors and up to 256 colors at 1,600 X 1,200 pixels resolution on
non-interlaced monitors. Non-interlaced monitors repaint every other
line of the screen image on each scan, while interlaced monitors
have their images completely repainted on each scan.

STB claims that it will also offer a 2MB version that will support
up to 65,000 colors at 640 by 480 pixels resolution or 256 colors at
1,280 by 1,024 pixels, with refresh rates of 60, 72, 76 and 80 hertz
supported.

The Pegasus PCI cards come with software that allows the user to
change the monitor resolution and color settings from a window
accessible by double-clicking on the Pegasus icon. STB says it will
also include PowerStar, a power management utility that reduces the
monitor's power usage after a user-specified period.

Pegasus PCI comes standard with a BNC-style RGB (red- green-blue)
connector and a VGA 15-pin d-sub connector. The RGB connector is
used with high-end desktop publishing monitors. Both connectors
support variable and fixed frequency monitors.

STB says it will also include drivers for Windows 3.0 and 3.1 and
Windows NT applications, as well as for OS/2, SCO Open Desktop,
Unixware, X-Windows, and several CAD (computer aided design) and CAM
(computer aided manufacturing) platforms.

The 2MB version of Pegasus PCI will sell for $799, while the 4MB
card will have a suggested retail price of $999.

(Jim Mallory/19930901/Press contact: Robert Hoskins, STB Systems,
214-234-8750, ext 402; Reader contact: STB Systems, 214-234-8750/
PHOTO)


(NEWS)(IBM)(LON)(00009)

Olivetti Unveils New Range Of High End Servers 09/01/93
LONDON, ENGLAND, 1993 SEP 1 (NB) -- Olivetti UK has announced a
range of high-end servers that it claims will address the Novell
Netware, Unix and Microsoft Windows NT market-place.

According to Alan Hendry, Olivetti UK's LSX product manager, the LSX
5000 is the company's flagship solution for departmental networks
serving between 10 and 250 users. Olivetti claims that the machines
will act as platforms for the company's Open Systems Architecture
(OSA).

The LSX 5000 series includes four new models, all based around a 60
megahertz (MHz) Pentium processor and will ship in the UK towards
the end of the year.

Pricing on the systems ranges from UKP 4,538 for a 5015DX2 system
which comes with 8 megabytes (MB) of memory and a 340MB hard disk,
to the 5025DX2AD, which comes with 8MB of memory, a 420MB hard disk
and a 250 user Netware site licence.

According to Hendry, corporates today are demanding a far greater
choice when it comes to servicing departmental computing needs. "The
new LSX family if modular in design and enables users to migrate to
more powerful solutions as and when processing power becomes
available and the need arises," he said.

"Having established the positive correlation between performance and
available cache memory, we have built in a facility that enables
users to increase cache on selected models and thereby satisfy the
high performance requirements of `heavy duty' departmental
applications," he added.

(Steve Gold/19930901/Press & Public Contact: Olivetti UK - Tel: 081-
785-6666; Fax: [phone])


(NEWS)(IBM)(LON)(00010)

AST Europe Unveils Bravo Desktop And Notebook PCs 09/01/93
BRENTFORD, MIDDLESEX, ENGLAND, 1993 SEP 1 (NB) -- AST Europe has
launched a new range of Bravo desktop and notebook PCs for sale in
the UK. The Bravo LC and NB series join the company's recently-
announced energy efficient Bravo LP series to create what Olivetti
claims is a complete range of value-oriented computing solutions.

The key advantage of the Bravo range of energy efficient PCs is that
they all feature local bus graphics sub-systems. The first Bravo
notebook, the NB, is available with both monochrome or color
displays and claims to have been designed with optimal
price/performance in mind. The Bravo LC desktops, meanwhile, claim
to feature improved graphics performance and greater expandability
over previous Bravo desktop systems.

Announcing the new Bravo machines, Frank O'Brien, AST UK's sales
manager, said that AST has expanded the number of ranges in the
Bravo series from one to three to allow business users to have a
complete range of value-oriented computing solutions.

These include "from enhanced mid-size desktop computers and low
profile, energy efficient systems to feature-rich notebook
computers. With this broad-based product offering, users will find
the new value line ideally suited for virtually every working
environment," he said.

The Bravo NB series are based around a 25 megahertz (MHz) Intel
80486SX processor and feature a type III PCMCIA (personal computer
memory card industry association) slot, integrated tracker ball and
a choice of mono, passive or active matrix color displays. Hard
drive options are 0 (floppy only) megabytes (MB), 80MB or 170MB,
with pricing ranging from UKP 1,495 to UKP 3,095.

The Bravo LC series have a very wide range of processors --
including 25MHz and 33MHz 80486SX, 33MHX 80486DX, and 50MHz or 66MHz
80486DX2 chips. All the LC series come in three flavors -- floppy
only, 120 or 210MB hard disk-equipped. Three monitors are available
-- 14, 15 or 17 inch.

Pricing on the LC varies widely, starting at UKP 1,195 for a 4MB
memory, 120MB hard drive-equipped Model 123B with 25MHz 486SX
processor, up to UKP 2,545 for the top of the range 66MHz 486DX2
processor-based Model 213B with a 17 inch monitor and 210MB hard
disk.

(Steve Gold/19930901/Press & Public Contact: AST UK - Tel: 081-568-
4350; Fax: [phone])


(NEWS)(GENERAL)(TOR)(00011)

Gandalf Builds New Bridges 09/01/93
OTTAWA, ONTARIO, CANADA, 1993 SEP 1 (NB) -- Gandalf Premier, a
division of Gandalf Technologies, has launched two new local-area
network (LAN) bridges and software for an existing remote LAN
bridge.

The LANLine 5210 and 5211 are both local bridges meant to isolate
work groups from a corporate network backbone, explained John
Pelkola, director of business development for Gandalf Premier. They
cost less than the existing 5220L local bridge but lack some of its
features, such as support for the Simple Network Management Protocol
(SNMP), which allows bridges to be managed from a remote console.

A network bridge filters traffic on a LAN, allowing a message to
pass through it only if its destination is on the far side of the
bridge. This reduces the load by keeping messages from travelling
throughout the network needlessly.

The 5210 is a device smaller than a cassette tape and able to
plug into an existing network hub or repeater. In use, it can
support a maximum of 256 users and draws its power from the network.
Even an inexperienced user can install the bridge quickly, Pelkola
said.

The LANLine 5211 has a larger enclosure to accommodate
connections for both thick Ethernet (AUI) and thin Ethernet (BNC)
cabling, Pelkola said. It also supports as many as 1,024 users.

The previously available 5220L, meanwhile, supports about 2,000
users and provides extensive filtering options not available with
the new models, he added.

The LANLine 5210 has a list price of US$499 or C$639. The 5211 is
priced at US$895 or C$1,095. Both are shipping now. The 5220L
sells for US$1,600.

Gandalf has also unveiled OptiMiser, software for the remote version
of the 5220 bridge. The software improves data compression and
offers bandwidth on demand for users of Novell Inc.,'s IPX protocol,
the company said. The software is available now at C$800.

(Grant Buckler/19930901/Press Contact: Alex Brisbourne or John
Pelkola, Gandalf Premier, 613-723-6500; Diane Slopek, Creative
Marketing Network for Gandalf, 416-539-0694)


(NEWS)(TRENDS)(BOS)(00012)

Tech Support Productivity Low, But Software Priced Right 09/01/93
CAMBRIDGE, MASSACHUSETTS, U.S.A., 1993 SEP 1 (NB) -- Tech support
productivity at software companies is not as high as it ought to be,
according to a new survey by Softletter, presented at OpCon East '93
this week.

That news may be disheartening to CEOs, CIOs, and CFOs, but the
study arrived at some upbeat findings, too. Low-priced software is
costing vendors the least amount of money to support, while high-
priced software is costing the most to support, and this is just as
it should be, according to Jeffrey Tarter, Softletter's editor and
publisher.

Tarter told Newsbytes that the new study is the most in-depth
examination of tech support costs and productivity that Softletter
has ever done. Softletter undertook the project as a result of
vendors' needs for concrete data, he added.

"Software company execs are very concerned about costs and
productivity. They talk about these issues a lot. But they haven't
had solid numbers to work with," he explained in an interview with
Newsbytes.

Softletter explored the tech support cost issue in a survey
conducted three-and-a-half years ago, but the latest inquiry is much
more exhaustive, he said. This is the first time Softletter has ever
looked into the tech support productivity market-place.

To rate productivity, the total number of employees in a company was
divided into the total number of phone calls received. Softletter
used the total number of employees, rather than the total number of
tech support staff, on the theory that other employees are supposed
to be assisting technical staff in doing their jobs.

Results showed that the average software company employee received
ten calls a day, and the average call lasted eight minutes, meaning
that each employee was on the phone less than two hours each day.

"But this doesn't suggest that the tech support people are goofing
off," Tarter emphasized. Instead, the results indicate that tech
support staff as well as other employees are often engaged in
supplementary activities, such as research, he said. Further, at
small software houses, tech support staff often double as field
installation personnel.

To measure the costs of technical support, Softletter looked at
costs as a percentage of revenues. The ratio was 10 percent for
complex vertical/industry and job-specific applications, which
carried a high median price of $1,495, and for programming
tool/language apps, with a median price of $395. Not far behind, at
9.9 percent, were accounting/finance/tax apps, with $300 as a median
price.

At the other end of the spectrum, the ratio was 3.5 percent for
consumer/entertainment apps, with a median price of $50, and 2.8
percent for education apps, with a rock-bottom median price of
merely $47.

In between these two extremes were moderately priced packages such
as communications/networking, utility/add-on/desk accessory,
publishing/presentation/fonts, and general business. Regardless of
the degree of application complexity, the majority of tech support
time was devoted to the installation phase, Tarter said.

The findings indicate that, for tech support to be cost effective,
companies must keep the prices of complex applications relatively
high, he told Newsbytes.

(Jacqueline Emigh/19930901/Press and public contact: Softletter,
tel [phone])


(NEWS)(APPLE)(BOS)(00013)

Digitalk Ships Version 2.0 of Smalltalk/V For Mac 09/01/93
LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA, U.S.A., 1993 SEP 1 (NB) -- Digitalk has
released a major upgrade of the Apple Mac edition of its Smalltalk/V
object-oriented programming environment.

According to Michael Arrigo, vice president, Version 2.0 does an
even better job than its predecessor of hiding the maze of
complicated Mac subsystems from the developer. In addition, support
for System 7 is stronger than before, and developers can port
applications more quickly between Mac, Windows and OS/2 Smalltalk/V
platforms, he said.

Arrigo told Newsbytes that the package provides a new event-driven
user interface framework with enhanced browsers and inspectors for
faster programming, along with a new object filer for easy retrieval
and sharing of objects between users and applications.

The new interface is more consistent with Smalltalk V's Windows and
OS/2 development environments, he noted. At the same time, high-
level object-oriented support is included for System 7's Data
Access Language/Data Access Manager, letting developers access
Standard Query Language data via DAM application programming
interfaces, 32-bit color QuickDraw, QuickTime, Balloon Help, and
AppleEvents. Further, 200 new Toolbox classes have been added.

Version 2.0 also comes with new packaging and improved
documentation, Arrigo said. The 1,000 pages of documentation is
divided into three manuals. These include a revised Smalltalk/V
tutorial customized for the Mac, a complete class encyclopedia of
the base image, and a rewritten reference manual explaining the new
application framework and the enhancements to the operating system
interface.

Version 2.0 is available now at a list price of $495. Registered
users of Smalltalk/V for the Mac can upgrade for a limited time for
the special price of $149. The purchase price includes unlimited
runtime applications.

(Jacqueline Emigh/19930901/Reader contact: Digitalk, tel 310-645-
1082; Press contact: Barbara Noparstak, Digitalk, tel 310-645-
1082)


(NEWS)(GENERAL)(TOR)(00014)

Canadian Firm Offers NT Development System 09/01/93
MISSISSAUGA, ONTARIO, CANADA, 1993 SEP 1 (NB) -- Accelerated Data
has announced a reduced instruction set computing (RISC) workstation
tailored for use by software developers working on programs for
Microsoft's new Windows NT (New Technology) operating system.

Windows NT runs on personal computers built around Intel's x86 line
of chips, but also on RISC processors from MIPS Computer Inc. and
Digital Equipment Corp. The Accelerated Data system uses the MIPS
R4000 50/100 megahertz (MHz) chip.

The system comes with 32 megabytes (MB) of memory, expandable to
64MB, a 1.2-gigabyte (GB) hard disk, a compact disk read-only memory
(CD-ROM) drive, 512K bytes of high-speed secondary cache memory, an
S3 Super VGA adapter, a 15-inch 1,280 by 1,024 non-interlaced
monitor, six 32-bit Extended Industry Standard Architecture (EISA)
slots, a keyboard, and a mouse, plus Windows NT.

A version is also available using the R4400 chip, and both
versions are upgradable to future versions of the R4000 and
R4400 chips. According to Kevin Cornell, president of Accelerated,
the company builds the machines using system boards from a
California company.

The list price is C$10,750, Cornell said, and Accelerated Data
will also rent the machines for C$398 per month. They carry a
three-year warranty.

(Grant Buckler/19930901/Press Contact: Kevin Cornell, Accelerated
Data, 416-672-9299, fax [phone])


(NEWS)(IBM)(BOS)(00015)

 ****PenExpo: IBM To Announce New Mobile Line Within 45 Days 09/01/93
BOSTON, MASSACHUSETTS, U.S.A., 1993 SEP 1 (NB) -- IBM plans to
announce a completely redesigned mobile PC product line-up, ranging
from handhelds to notebooks, within the next 30 to 45 days,
Newsbytes has learned. The upcoming announcement was revealed by
Deborah Dell, product manager, Tablet Systems for IBM, during an
Information Workshop at PenExpo.

Also at the workshop, Dell divulged details of several products and
features within the forthcoming mobile series, including a
pen/notebook convertible, an "A4-sized tablet," a snap-on keyboard,
a docking station, cellular wireless capabilities, PCMCIA slots, and
ultimately, AT&T's Hobbit processors.

After the presentation, Dell told Newsbytes that the PCs will be
"upgradeable" to monochrome notebook, color notebook, and pen
screens, and that enhancements will be made throughout the line.
"You haven't seen a PDA from IBM yet, but I guarantee you will,"
the product manager commented during her talk.

The new PCs will initially use Intel processors only, but a
migration will eventually be made to the Hobbit, she told the
workshop participants.

Among the first crop of new models, only one, the pen/notebook
convertible, will run IBM's new OS/2 for Pen, Dell said. The
docking station will be able to work with any of the new IBM
models, and possibly with PCs from other vendors, she added.

IBM will also be announcing new cellular wireless capabilities
within the next 30 to 45 days, said Dell. "You'll probably see
them demonstrated on our new (mobile PC) products," she noted.

IBM's new PC series will retain some of the characteristics of the
current ThinkPad line, such as TrackPoint, an industrial design,
and ThinkPad's general display capabilities, she said. "But these
PCs will be lighter and more durable," stated the product manager.

The new pen/notebook convertible will be the first in its category
from IBM, according to Dell. IBM had developed a convertible
alongside the ThinkPad 700C, but ultimately decided not to release
that item, she revealed. IBM's upcoming convertible will be able
to use a color notebook screen without being too heavy to carry,
she explained.

The forthcoming A4-sized tablet will be a streamlined version of
IBM's current B5-sized tablet, offering the same size screen in a
steno pad-sized package weighing less than four pounds. Another
member of the new family will be an enhanced edition of the
ThinkPad 720 notebook, she said.

"There are other people working on snap-on keyboards, but I think
we'll be the first ones with it," Dell observed. The PC manufacturer
has also invested a lot of effort in PCMCIA slots, trying to decide
how many Type II and Type III slots to use, she revealed. "We have
25 people on staff who are dedicated to PCMCIA," she noted.
Advanced power management using 33 volt technology will also be
incorporated.

Cursive handwriting recognition will be added in 1994, according to
Dell. "You can also expect to see from us a trend toward ROM-based
software," she said. A PIM is one likely application, she
divulged.

"In addition to what you'll see 30 to 45 days from now, very
shortly you'll see a new announcement from IBM on multimedia," the
product manager told the workshop participants.

(Jacqueline Emigh/19930901)


(NEWS)(IBM)(DEN)(00016)

 ****Dell Intros Optiplex L PC Family 09/01/93
AUSTIN, TEXAS, U.S.A., 1993 SEP 1 (NB) -- Dell Computer has expanded
its OptiPlex line of PCs with the introduction of the OptiPlex L
family, which the company claims is targeted at "techno-critical"
users.

Dell's latest marketing strategy divided users into several "techno"
categories, a process is calls "techno-typing." "Techno-critical" is
the category Dell assigned to business users who need advanced
features and functions. The OptiPlex L systems start at $1,278
including a color monitor. The "L" line is immediately available in
the US., and Dell says it will be available in Canada in mid-
September.

The OptiPlex L models join the OptiPlex MX PCs announced in
early August. The "L" chassis includes three ISA (industry
standard architecture) and three drive bays. The OptiPlex
chassis is designed to be re-configured with the removal of
a few screws and snapping components in or out.

That feature allows users to turn an "L" model into an "MX" model if
they want to expand the system to five ISA slots and five drive
bays. An optional up[grade for a VESA local-bus slot is available.

The new line of PCs is available with a variety of Intel 486
microprocessors from 25 megahertz (MHz) to a 66MHz DX2, has two
buffered serial ports, a 128-kilobyte external cache, and easy
upgrade of system and video BIOS from the company's electronic
bulletin board.

(Jim Mallory/19930901/Press contact: Lisa Rohlf, Dell
Computer, 512-728-4100; Reader contact: Dell Computer
Corporation, 800-289-3355)


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

Microsoft Sees Big Business In Desktop IV 09/01/93
REDMOND, WASHINGTON, U.S.A., 1993 SEP 1 (NB) -- Microsoft didn't get
the contract, but its expects to sell millions of dollars worth of
software because of it.

"It" is the Desktop IV contract for the purchase by the US Air Force
of personal computers. The contract, after months of wrangling by
the various bidding hopefuls and several re-awards by the
government, finally went to Zenith Data Systems and GTSI, and will
include hundreds of thousands of copies of Microsoft software.
Ironically, Desktop IV was supposed to be awarded under a speeded-up
government purchasing procedure but instead may go into government
purchasing annals as the most difficult contract ever awarded.

Desktop IV calls for the personal computers to be supplied with
Microsoft Office, a suite of software that includes Microsoft Word,
Excel, and PowerPoint. Word is a top-selling word processing
program, Excel is Microsoft's entry in the spreadsheet wars, and
PowerPoint is a presentation graphics program.

Microsoft claims that the Desktop IV contract will add up to 300,000
users of Microsoft Word and other Microsoft Office software in
government offices all over the world. The company says about 40
percent of the copies of Word being sold are through the Microsoft
Office collection. Microsoft said it expects that percentage to
increase to 50 percent by the end of the year. The company estimates
there are about 10 million Microsoft Word users world-wide.

Microsoft has said it expects to release a major upgrade to Word, to
be called Microsoft Word for Windows 6.0, by the end of the year.
New features are expected to include support for object linking and
embedding (OLE) version 2.0 that provides drag-and-drop editing
between applications, as well as a technique called visual editing,
which allows the user to edit spreadsheets, graphics, and other
objects without leaving their current document.

Microsoft is also expected to increase the capabilities of Wizards,
the step-by-step help it has introduced in several of its most
recent releases. The company also says Word for Windows 6.0 will
offer "improved consistency and integration with other major
Microsoft business applications."

Also look for improved file conversion for Wordperfect documents as
Microsoft continues its campaign to get Wordperfect uses to switch
to Word. the features of WordArt will also be enhanced to include
TrueType fonts and an improved selection of patterns and shapes.
Word art is an easy way for Word users to form text into arcs or
circles and apply a particular type style to the text.

Version 6 of WFW is also expected to utilize a technology Microsoft
calls IntelliSense. According to Chris Peters, general manager at
Microsoft's word business unit, IntelliSense "senses what the user
wants to do and intelligently produces the desired result, making
routine tasks automatic and complex tasks easier."

(Jim Mallory/19930901/Press contact: Lisa Matchette, Microsoft
Corporation, 206-882-8080; Reader contact: Microsoft Corporation,
206-882-8080, 800-426-9400)


(NEWS)(IBM)(DEN)(00018)

Iomega Slashes Bernoulli Drive, Media Prices 09/01/93
ROY, UTAH, U.S.A., 1993 SEP 1 (NB) -- Iomega Corporation said this
week it has implemented the most aggressive price reduction it its
13-year history when it cut the retail price of its current line of
Bernoulli removable media drives and media cartridges by almost 50
percent.

Iomega claims that, with the price reductions you can now buy a
Bernoulli MultiDisk 150 drive for $589 and one of its 90MB drives
for $499. The price of the data storage cartridges used by the
drives -- resembling an oversized and thicker 3.5 inch floppy disk -
is now $119 for both 150 and 90 megabyte capacities in single unit
sales, and $99 per disk when sold in a five-pack of 90MB cartridges.

Iomega markets its Bernoulli cartridges in 35MB, 65MB, and 105MB
sizes. A single 35MB disk is now available for $39 under the new
pricing structure.

Bernoulli drives are available in various configurations for both
IBM-compatible PCs and Apple Computer's Macintosh platform. The
drives come in both exterior and interior models. Price cuts apply
across the board, and range from 17 percent to 51 percent.

The company says it's making the price reductions in order to keep
their prices in line with the lowering of desktop personal computers
prices.

(Jim Mallory/19930901/Press contact: Jennifer DeAnda, Franson,
Hagerty & Associates for Iomega Corporation, 408- 453-5220; Reader
contact: Iomega Corporation, 800-777-6179)


(NEWS)(IBM)(DEN)(00019)

 ****Wordperfect For Windows 6.0 Due Before Year-end 09/01/93
OREM, UTAH, U.S.A., 1993 SEP 1 (NB) -- Wordperfect Corporation has
announced plans to ship release 6.0 of its Wordperfect for Windows
word processing program before the end of the year.

That puts perennial competitors Wordperfect and Microsoft neck in
neck for the "who can get our word processing product out the door
first" award. Both companies are now touting the new features of
their respective programs. It isn't likely to be vaporware (a
product that is announced but never ships) of the days of yore, but
it seems that the period between features announcements of major
upgrades and the appearance of that upgrade on the shelf is getting
longer and longer.

Wordperfect says that Wordperfect 6.0 for Windows "offers everything
needed to create professional-looking documents: powerful word
processing, drawing, charting, spreadsheet functionality within
tables, and direct integration with other Windows applications."

The company is heavily touting the user-customization of version
6.0, saying virtually any aspect of the interface can be customized.
Users will also be able to have a less cluttered screen to work on
by clicking on the Hide Bars feature that removes the button Bar,
Power Bar, Ruler Bar, and Status Bar. Access to the main menus is
still available by moving the mouse pointer to the top of the
screen.

The Button Bar, which provides quick access to Wordperfect features
and macros (repetitive keystrokes that are stored for replay, such
as the steps necessary to print a document) will be able to "float"
anywhere on the screen or as a floating palette, a feature already
available to Microsoft Word users through MasterWord, a third-party
program recently reviewed by Newsbytes.

Wordperfect will also have a Power Bar that contains icons providing
one- click access to formatting tasks. Wordperfect's Power Bar can
be customized. Moving the mouse pointer over a Power Bar icon (the
little pictures that represent functions or applications, such as a
picture of a printer to start printing the document)automatically
pops up content- sensitive help for that function.

WP corporation says that version 6.0 will also have templates,
called ExpressDocs, a collection of pre-formatted fax forms, memos,
newsletters, and other documents. WP says the templates are more
than customized documents, are interactive, and will prompt the user
for the information to enter. It's a technique also used by
MasterWord which combines a pre-formatted document with a macro. We
found it very useful when we reviewed MasterWord.

WP says it's making the transition from Wordperfect for DOS users as
easy as possible. Macros will run in version 6.0 for either DOS or
Windows, and files are also compatible. The company is also
introducing Coaches, a feature similar to Microsoft's Wizards.
Coaches are prompts that lead the user step by step through a
variety of common tasks.

There will also be a feature called QuickMenus. By clicking the
right mouse button, a context-sensitive menu will appear that
contains commands appropriate for the current task. For example, in
a document, a right-button click will present a menu that allows you
to select text, change margins, or add comments to a document.

There's also a Preview Windows feature that lets the user see what
the document will look like if you make changes such as setting
different margins or changing the line spacing.

WP for Windows 6.0 will also allow the user to launch any Windows
application or file from within Wordperfect. Suppose you use a
Windows-based spreadsheet program frequently and want to be able to
access it from within Wordperfect. Just drag the spreadsheet program
file icon to the Wordperfect Button Bar. Click on the spreadsheet
icon to launch the spreadsheet application.

Wordperfect for Windows 6.0 supports dynamic data exchange (DDE) and
object linking and embedding (OLE). spreadsheet and database files
can be directly imported to WP. The company claims that Paradox,
dBase, Oracle, and popular SQL formats are supported. Once imported
the user can do queries to extract only the desired data. You will
also be able to launch Wordperfect Draw from within the word
processor, create a drawing, and embed it in the document via the
OLE support.

WP Corp says the suggested retail price of release 6.0 will be $495.
Present users can upgrade for $125, while users of competitive
products can change for $149 if their original product cost at least
$395. You will need at least a 386- based PC, a minimum of four
megabytes of memory, and Windows.

(Jim Mallory/19930901/Press contact: Liz Tanner, Wordperfect
Corporation, 801-228-5004; Reader contact: Wordperfect Corporation,
800-451-5151)


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

America Online Picks Up Bundling Deals, Simba Forum 09/01/93
VIENNA, VIRGINIA, U.S.A., 1993 SEP 1 (NB) -- America Online
announced new deals to bundle its software with computer hardware,
and added a new special interest section from a unit of
Communications Trends.

Simba Communications Trends, owned by Cowles Media of Minneapolis,
said it will begin offering a forum on America Online starting in
October, which will include the posting of many of its 60
newsletters and other products, searchable by keyword, as well as a
bulletin board through which its editors will answer reader
questions. The America Online deal will also include a daily
electronic news service covering the media industry. The deal is
non-exclusive.

Simba also said it's bought NewsInc., a magazine covering the
newspaper industry, from Fadner Media Enterprises and will turn it
into a twice-monthly newsletter starting in October. NewsInc
personnel will stay at Simba to edit the new newsletter as well as
the daily news service, which will be called Simba Media Daily.

President Alan Brigish explained that the company's strategy is to
become a leading business publisher for the media industry, "from
the traditional to the futuristic."

Simba was bought a few years ago by Cowles, which is best known for
publishing Folio, a business magazine for magazine publishers.

More important for America Online, however, are its deals with
Compaq and Compudyne under which the two computer makers will bundle
AOL software on their machines aimed at the consumer market. Other
companies which announced last month their intention to pre-install
AOL software are IBM, Tandy, Apple, and AST, NEC and Acer.

By pre-installing its Windows-based communications software and
interface on computer hardware, the online service gets the first
shot at becoming the online home of new computer buyers.

(Dana Blankenhorn/19930901/Press Contact: Jean Villanueva,
America Online, 703-883-1675; Simba Communication Trends, Chris
Elwell, 203/834-0033x130)


(NEWS)(APPLE)(SFO)(00021)

Claris & Quality Computers Announce AppleWorks 4.0 09/01/93
SANTA CLARA, CALIFORNIA, U.S.A., 1993 SEP 1 (NB) -- Claris and
Quality Computers have announced that AppleWorks 3.0 and AppleWorks
GS will be developed, marketed, sold, and supported by Quality
Computers, effective October 1. Also, Quality Computers has
announced version 4.0 of AppleWorks 4.0, which will begin shipping
in October.

Kevin Mallon, a spokesman for Claris, told Newsbytes that the
company realized there were " a few AppleWorks users," and therefore
"looked for a vendor willing to upgrade the product and avoid
abandoning the product completely."

Announcing the deal, Dick Gorman, Claris vice president of world-
wide marketing, said: "While continuing its central focus on
productivity applications for Windows and Macintosh, Claris has
secured a robust upgrade path for AppleWorks and AppleWorks GS user
and institutions with Quality Computers. As soon as AppleWorks moves
to Quality Computers, a brand new full-featured upgrade will be
available to every current AppleWorks 3.0 user."

According to the companies, AppleWorks 4.0, written by AppleWorks
3.0 authors Randy Brandt and Dan Verkade, provides a number of
improved features, including a built-in macro player plus several
macros that will automate some AppleWorks functions.

Version 4.0 also offers better integration capabilities that link
the AppleWorks modules -- a word processor, data base, and
spreadsheet. Other new features include built-in AutoSave, split
screen word processor window, and a number of new Activities Menus
that give users the ability to Edit Disk Activities, and File
Activities.

(Ian Stokell/19930901/Press Contact: Kevin Mallon, Claris - 408-987-
7227)


(NEWS)(GENERAL)(SFO)(00022)

LAN Times Rates Artisoft's LANtastic In Top Slot 09/01/93
TUCSON, ARIZONA, U.S.A., 1993 SEP 1 (NB) -- Artisoft's LANtastic
peer-to-peer network operating system (NOS) has selected for the
"Best of Times" award by McGraw Hill's LAN Times magazine.

The award names LANtastic as the top peer-to-peer Windows-based NOS
as selected by the LAN Times Testing Center. According to Artisoft,
LANtastic was evaluated against six other leading  peer-to-peer
networking products, including Novell's NetWare Lite  and
Microsoft's Windows for Workgroups.

The products were evaluated on networking functionality,
performance, management, installation, and ease of use. The award
appeared in the August 23, 1993, issue of LAN Times magazine.

Peer-to-peer NOS local area networks are becoming increasingly
popular among small businesses and even individual departments
of large companies because they do not require a dedicated
server.

Computers on the network can be either a client or a server, or
both. This allows network systems to access each other's resources
such as hard drives, CD-ROMs and printers. Peer-to-peer NOS are
lacking in a number of features compared to dedicated server-based
products such as the market-leading NetWare.

For example, notes Newsbytes, security can be a problem for managers
of peer-to-peer LANs because of everyone's ability to access most
resources. Also, the back-up of vital files can be a problem, with
the data dispersed over many hard drives -- on a dedicated server
system, all data would be on the server, and therefore easy to back-
up on a regular basis.

Concerning the award, Artisoft's William Keiper, president and chief
executive officer, said: "We are extremely pleased to win this
prestigious award from such as highly regarded publication. Version
5.0 continues the LANtastic award-winning tradition, and Artisoft
takes its networking know-how into more market segments."

International Data Corporation (IDC) reportedly ranks Artisoft as
the number two network vendor in overall world-wide NOS license
shipments. IDC also maintains that LANtastic holds a 46 percent
share of the peer-to-peer NOS market, nearly doubling its next
closest competitor. LANtastic also has a claimed installed base of
over 1.6 million users world-wide.

LANtastic is available for DOS and Windows environments, and offers
multiplatform connectivity for NetWare, TCP/IP (Transmission Control
Protocol/Internet Protocol) and Apple Macintosh systems. It allows
up to 500 users on one network to connect and share information and
peripheral devices.

(Ian Stokell/19930901/Press Contact: Joe Stunkard, Artisoft 602-670-
7145)


(NEWS)(TELECOM)(ATL)(00023)

International Phone Update 09/01/93
ATLANTA, GEORGIA, U.S.A., 1993 SEP 1 (NB) -- Privatization, cost-
cutting, and competition have remained the watchwords in the world's
telecommunication networks over the last week.

In New Zealand, Telecom's share price slumped as traders feared a
court would roll-back planned lay-offs. The court had ruled that
unions must be consulted before lay-offs, but it doesn't require
that the union agrees to the lay-offs.

Telecom is owned in part by Bell Atlantic and Ameritech of the US.
The job-cuts, amounting to a third of the workforce by 1997, were
combined with a share buy-back scheme and increased dividend to send
the company's stock shooting up 50 percent over the last few months.
Telecom is moving to compete more closely with Clear Communications,
a new competitor.

Competition is also coming to Poland, where a private firm called
RP Telecom, owned by US. and polish investors, began building an
$80 million network in northwest Poland, near the German border.
The company plans eight more networks, and links among them, in
its $2 billion modernization plan, which is going up against a
state-owned company called Telekomunikacja Polska.

In Mexico, where the government is hoping its Free Trade pact
with the US wins Congressional approval, Telmex announced
completion of the first stage of its modernization plan. The
country will have 7.5 million phone lines by the end of the
year, a fiber network linking 54 cities will be done early next
year, and the nation's link to international fiber cables,
called the Columbus II network, should go onstream by the end of
1994.

Southwestern Bell of the US owns about 11 percent of the company and
its profits, driven mainly by the rising price of the stock, has
encouraged other US phone companies to invest heavily in privitized
nets around the world.

Elsewhere, the privatization of Telebras may still be held-up by an
ongoing scandal. President Adyr da Silva has been asked to resign by
the nation's press, but President Itamar Franco is sticking by him.
Finance Director Mauro Brito is charged with bribery involving the
company's move to issue American Depository Receipts, or ADRs, in
the US.

ADRs offer US investors ownership rights in foreign countries, and
the protection of US accounting standards, but do not convey
control and the right to vote on directors as US shareholders get
from domestic holdings.

Finally, the Asian Development Bank said it will lend Indonesia's
state-owned PT Telkom $100 million to expand its network in southern
Sumatra by 76,000 lines, while Tele Danmark reported its profits
rose nearly 50 percent for the half-year ending in June, as the
national government moves to cut its stake in the carrier from over
90 percent to just over 50 percent.

(Dana Blankenhorn/19930901)


(NEWS)(GENERAL)(SFO)(00024)

Broderbund Ships Print Shop Deluxe Companion For Windows 09/01/93
NOVATO, CALIFORNIA, U.S.A., 1993 SEP 1 (NB) -- Broderbund Software
has begun shipping The Print Shop Deluxe Companion for Windows-based
personal computers, priced at $39.95.

The Print Shop Deluxe Companion can be run independently or in
combination with The Print Shop Deluxe, and helps users design
and print "professional-looking" documents.

According to the company, the program can help design envelopes,
and can also co-ordinate envelope, letterhead and card designs in
order to create stationery for business and personal
correspondence. It can also design business cards, name tags,
gift tags, and post cards.

The company claims that the Print Shop Deluxe Companion includes
more than 350 color graphics and 25 TrueType fonts.

Other features of The Print Shop Deluxe Companion include: a name
and address list manager, for the creation of a personal database
and to manage multiple mailings; initial caps and numbers feature,
which allows for the designing of lead characters for paragraphs
of text or monograms for stationery; Timepieces, which allows the
user to select from a cabinet of clocks and cartoons to display the
time of a party or meeting; the Border Maker feature, which allows
for the creation of customized borders; and the Graphic Library
Manager, which lets users merge and rename graphics for creating
personal graphics libraries.

The Print Shop Deluxe Companion is designed for IBM PC/Tandy and
100 percent compatibles with a 386SX or greater microprocessor.
The software requires two megabytes (MB) of RAM (although 4MB
is recommended), a hard disk, a high-density 1.2MB 5.25-inch or
720 kilobyte (KB) 3.5-inch drive, a VGA monitor, and a keyboard or
mouse. The package also requires at least Windows 3.1.

(Ian Stokell/19930901/Press Contact: Karen Omholt, 415-382-4639; or
Dawn Montoya, Broderbund Software - 415-382-4637)


(NEWS)(GENERAL)(SFO)(00025)

Claris Ships FileMaker Pro 2.1 For Macintosh & Windows 09/01/93
SANTA CLARA, CALIFORNIA, U.S.A., 1993 SEP 1 (NB) -- Claris has
announced the shipment of its FileMaker Pro 2.1 for Windows and
Macintosh cross-platform database. According to the company, the new
version offers expanded peer-to-peer networking support.

Kevin Mallon, a spokesman for Claris, told Newsbytes that the new
version contains "no inherent changes in the graphical user
interface," but it does contain "more networking support." The
version number is the same for both platforms, he said.

The company claims that the new version allows PC and Mac users
to share complete multi-user database applications with a single
menu selection across local area networks (LANs) without need
for special configuration of server-based data files and applications.

FileMaker Pro is claimed to be fully compatible with Novell NetWare,
Microsoft LAN Manager, Microsoft Windows for Workgroups, Banyan
Vines, Artisoft LANtastic network, and other NetBIOS
networks. The package is claimed to support the standard NetBIOS
application programming interface (API).

The new version also supports Novell's MacIPX, a tool that
reportedly provides streamlined peer-to-peer integration between
FileMaker Pro 2.1 Windows and Macintosh users, without need for
special configuration of server-based data files and applications.

Announcing the product, Dick Gorman, Claris vice president of
world-wide marketing, said: "FileMaker Pro 2.0 was the first true
end-user cross-platform database, and now, in less than one year,
FileMaker Pro 2.1 enhances cross-platform computing, running over
more LAN products than any other database in its class,"

According to Claris, the product was designed to support QuickTime
for Windows. FileMaker Pro 2.1 for Windows also supports Windows'
DDE (dynamic data exchange) facility. The company also claims that a
new ScriptMaker step within version 2.1 allows FileMaker Pro Windows
users to automatically send e-mail to Microsoft Mail and Lotus cc:
Mail and other applications that support MAPI and VIM APIs.

FileMaker Pro 2.1 for Windows will carry a suggested retail price
of $129 through January 1994. FileMaker Pro 2.1 for Macintosh is
available for $399. Updates for 2.1 from both FileMaker Pro 2.0
Macintosh and Windows versions are priced at $20 (shipping and
handling costs only).

Competitive trade-ups for FileMaker Pro 2.1 for Windows, all
priced at $99, are available to users of other popular DOS and
Windows database software products, including Access, FoxPro,
Approach, PFS Professional File, Q & A, dBase, rBase, Reflex, PC
File, Paradox, Alpha Four, and ACT Contact Manager.

Competitive trade-ups for FileMaker Pro 2.1 for Macintosh, priced
at $119, are available to users of 4th Dimension, dBase Mac, Double
Helix, FoxBase+, Omnis 7 and Panorama.

Mallon told Newsbytes that, like version 2.0, version 2.1 has four
basic modes: "browse," "find," "layout," and "preview." At that time
the company claimed that, by switching between these four screens,
users could design a database, present and format data, search for
records, summarize data, print reports and print mailing labels and
envelopes.

To set up a database, users define fields from a central menu either
with a mouse or using the keyboard. Fields can contain text,
numbers, dates, times, sound, video, graphics, calculations, or
summaries, and can be changed at any time.

Mallon told Newsbytes that the files can be password-protected,
and users do not have to know how to program.

(Ian Stokell/19930901/Press Contact: Kevin J. Mallon,
408-987-7227; or Steve Ruddock, 408-987-7202, Claris Corp.)


(NEWS)(IBM)(BOS)(00026)

 ****PenExpo: Eo Is Targeted At "Frequent Travellers" 09/01/93
BOSTON, MASSACHUSETTS, U.S.A., 1993 SEP 1 (NB) -- Eo Incorporated is
aiming the Eo at "frequent travellers," a group of executives and
other white color professionals who are on the road extensively, but
who are not intensively computer literate, according to Ted Barnett,
director of hardware product management, in a presentation at
PenExpo.

Barnett told the audience that Eo's recent merger with GO was
designed in part to help deliver PDA hardware and software more
smoothly. Upcoming Eo hardware, he said, will be smaller and
lighter, he added. After the presentation, he told Newsbytes that Eo
will be announcing new hardware in the fourth quarter of this year.

The frequent travellers the Eo is targeted to spend 48% of their
time outside of the office, and take an average of 5.5 trips per
month, according to Barnett.

Although 60 percent of the group uses fax when out of the office,
and 17 percent use notebooks, few of them yet use e-mail yet, he
added. But the fax users have become very reliant on faxing, often
finding out before a trip whether the hotel has fax facilities, or
whether a copy shop is located nearby, he noted. In the future, the
group will turn increasingly to e-mail, he predicted.

The frequent travellers consist of professionals such as doctors
and lawyers, in addition to executives, said Barnett. "They're not
spreadsheet guys, or word processing guys. They're not document
creators, but document annotators," he commented.

Frequent travellers are also frequent users of daytimers, he added.
The Eo provides daytimer-type capabilities in the area of address
books and calendars, in addition to a wide range of other
capabilities that travellers need.

Send and receive fax, cellular voice calling, the ability to take
notes at meetings, relational databases, and connectivity with
desktop PCs are some of these features, he said.

The development of new applications for PenPoint is helping to meet
some of these needs, Barnett suggested. He then demo'd two
applications, introduced at PC Expo, to prove this point.

Barnett showed how Aha! Software's InkWriter application lets
frequent travellers easily search for, edit and annotate handwritten
words in the form of electronic ink, without first translating them
into electronic text. He also demonstrated how Numero 2.0 allows
them to change data on spreadsheets, quickly create pie charts and
bar graphs from the data, and add comments to documents.

Then, to an audible "ahhh" from the audience, he showed how the
Numero 2.0 user can quickly fax or e-mail a completed document to
a subordinate, simply by touching the pen to a "fax" or "e-mail"
box on a menu.

(Jacqueline Emigh/19930901)


(NEWS)(UNIX)(TOR)(00027)

 ****Common APIs To Unify Unix At Last 09/01/93
NEW YORK, NEW YORK, U.S.A., 1993 SEP 1 (NB) -- In a move that may
well turn out to be the real end of the "Unix wars," the two major
Unix camps -- X/Open and a long list of hardware and software
vendors -- have announced plans for a set of common application
programming interfaces (APIs) that they claim will make Unix
applications fully portable.

In a New York press conference this morning, Unix International (UI)
and the Open Software Foundation (OSF), which for several years have
backed similar but competing versions of Unix, joined X/Open in
backing a comprehensive Unix specification. They said any Unix
application that complies with the APIs would be able to run on any
implementation of the operating system that does so, with only
recompiling needed.

Geoff Morris, president and chief executive of X/Open, told
Newsbytes that the announcement ends the fragmentation of Unix that
has been seen as a key weakness for many years. The only way Unix
could become more standardized, he said, would be if there were a
single source of the system, which would not necessarily be
desirable.

Industry analyst Norton Greenfeld, director of Unix systems and
applications at Infocorp, agreed. "I think it finally means hat
Unix as viewed by application builders is really one system," he
told Newsbytes.

The list of vendors backing the initiative is a virtual census of
the Unix business, including AT&T, which developed Unix in the
1970s, IBM, Digital Equipment, Sun Microsystems, Hewlett-Packard,
Unix International, Santa Cruz Operation, and a variety of major
applications software vendors such as Computer Associates
International, Lotus Development, and WordPerfect.

The biggest name missing from the list is that of Microsoft, whose
Windows NT operating system is considered something
of a threat to Unix and may have helped concentrate the minds of
Unix vendors on the need for a true standard.

Morris admitted the NT threat played a role, saying "competitive
claims from the Microsoft NT community that the Unix community is
fragmented" helped push Unix vendors toward a common standard. So
did a growing user interest in open systems, he said.

The efforts of the Common Open Software Environment (COSE)
initiative, in which a group of vendors last spring announced
agreement on several vital Unix specifications, also helped lay
the groundwork for the latest announcement, Morris said.

Greenfeld said the move "takes a little bit of the wind out of
the NT marketing," but he believes that user demand was a bigger
factor in forcing the standards move than the NT threat was. Unix
vendors have finally realized that they can differentiate their
products in other ways that do not require making them mutually
incompatible, Greenfeld observed, and the move is "long overdue."

The effort's backers said that APIs were chosen based on formal
industry standards, including X/Open's Portability Guide, and widely
used specifications, such as the System V Interface Definition
(SVID) and Application Environment Specification (AES).

A working group of Unix system vendors, Unix International, and the
OSF has put together an initial draft specification, and will work
with X/Open to finalize it. Member companies of both UI and the OSF
will review the final document, which X/Open will add to its
Portability Guide.

The draft will be available for review by the end of September, from
UI or the OSF, and is to be submitted to X/Open for approval through
that organization's fast track process in November. After that, test
suites for verification and X/Open branding will be developed.
Standardized documentation should be available by the middle of
1994. Products supporting the specifications can be expected by late
1994 or early 1995, Morris said.

The final specifications will be available to all organizations,
the standards-makers said.

(Grant Buckler/19930901/Press Contact: Tim Hurley or Mel Webster,
Copithorne & Bellows for X/Open, Unix International, and Open
Software Foundation, 617-252-0606)


(NEWS)(IBM)(BOS)(00028)

 ****PenExpo: Kalidor Intros Pen PC, IR Docking Station 09/01/93
BOSTON, MASSACHUSETTS, U.S.A., 1993 SEP 1 (NB) -- At PenExpo in
Boston, Kalidor has introduced a ruggedized 386-based pen PC with
an infrared-capable docking station to match.

An even more capable version of the new K2000 pen computer, with a
486 processor along with an integrated GPS (global positioning
system) and 24-bit camera, will be announced by the company at
Comdex, Scott B. Hansen, company president, told Newsbytes.

The first version of the K2000 weighs only 3.5 pounds, and is built
to withstand rugged treatment in vertical field applications, said
Hansen, in an interview with Newsbytes.

The new K100 docking station uses infrared technology to
communicate with a desktop PC, he added. The PC can be used as a
gateway to communicate with multivendor hosts over local and wire
area networks, he explained.

"A technician can come in from the field, place the pen computer in
the docking station, and download the day's data into a Unix or
mainframe host," Hansen illustrated. The use of the wireless
docking station eliminates the need for cables between the pen
computer and the desktop PC, he emphasized.

Kalidor decided to integrate wireless capabilities into the docking
station, instead of using a wireless LAN PCMCIA card, because of
the need for ruggedization, he explained. PCMCIA slots can
interfere with a pen computer's insulation, and PCMCIA cards can be
relatively fragile, he told Newsbytes.

The K2000 pen-based computer includes an 85 MB ruggedized hard disk
drive, 4 MB of memory (expandable to 16 MB), a 6-by-4-inch VGA
pressure-sensitive display, a tetherless pen, amd a nickel metal
hydride battery rated for eight hours of operation between charges.
The PC runs MS Windows with Pen Extension. PenRightPro and
PenPoint operating systems are optionally available.

The K100 docking station has a two-hour direct, or eight-hour
inductive recharging system. Each docking station is individually
addressable by a host computer, and a variety of network protocols
are supported, including Novell and TCP/IP, he said.

Kalidor can also supply system integration services for linking the
K2000 and K100 to enterprise computing resources, according to
Hansen.

Manufacturer's suggested prices are $3,495 for the K2000 and $965
for the K1000. The docking station and the first version of the
pen computer are both scheduled for availability in the fourth
quarter.

(Jacqueline Emigh/19930901/Reader contact: Kalidor, tel 800-2-
KALIDOR; Press contacts: Fred Gladney, Kalidor, tel 800-2-KALIDOR;
Jennifer De Anda, Franson, Hagerty & Associates for Kalidor, tel
408-453-5220)


(NEWS)(GENERAL)(LAX)(00029)

AST Shipping Penright Pro 3.5 For C Programmers  09/01/93
IRVINE, CALIFORNIA, U.S.A., 1993 SEP 1 (NB) -- AST has announced the
latest version of its pen-based software development product aimed
at C programmers, Penright Pro version 3.5. The company claims that
enhancements include an integrated database manager and a library of
database functions as well as improvements to the data
communications capability and other new functions.

Version 3.5's database manager is implemented for developers to use
alternate database software without adding overhead that might slow
performance. In addition, a library of database functions to allow
developers to create one or more databases is included. These
functions can be used to data between forms and databases, search
for specified values, create index files, and create query sets.

The data communications functions now allow applications developed
in Penright! to communicate with a remote computer using the
standard Hayes compatible modems that have become a standard in the
personal computer (PC) industry.

The functions include: configuration and initialization functions,
basic modem controls to establish communications sessions over
telephone lines, and functions to perform data and file transfer
operations between the connected computers. An integrated data
communications manager has been incorporated as well to provide the
option of using other alternate data communications libraries
without adding overhead.

Four other new features aimed at allowing further customization
of applications are: (1) the incorporation of new verb lists; (2)
the ability to create and define sets of verbs; (3) a Global Window
for entry of codes or other data that a developer would want to
appear in the global area of the C code; and (4) the support of new
parameter types, such as ControlType, FieldType, FormType, ListType,
and WindowInfoType structures from within CodeStart, the code
generation tool included in Penright Pro.

Penright Pro is designed for the Penright! pen-based supported by
major pen-computer manufacturers such as AST Research, Fujitsu, IBM,
Microslate, NCR, NEC, Norand, Samsung, Superscript, and Toshiba.
Industry analysts indicate the Penright! operating system has more
than 80 percent of the pen- based market and AST reports sales of
the operating system are up more than 200 percent.

The Penright! operating system is designed for handwriting
recognition and recognizes upper and lower case characters, pen
gestures and offers international character support for languages
including Turkish, US and UK English, French, French Canadian,
Spanish, German, Italian, Danish, and Norwegian. AST claims there
are over 600 developers who have developed 1500 applications for the
Penright! operating system using Penright Pro.

Penright Pro Version 3.5 is retail priced at $795, but current,
registered Penright Pro users can upgrade for $249. The product is
shipping now and more details are available via AST's toll-free
information line on 1-800-876-4278)

Irvine, California-based AST is a Fortune 500 company. It recently
announced the purchase of computer manufacturer Tandy Corporation
and Tandy's pen-based Grid computer manufacturing. This purchase
makes AST the fourth largest US manufacturer of computers and the
sixth largest world-wide, according to 1992 unit volume shipment
data from International Data Corporation.

(Linda Rohrbough/19930901/Press Contact: Lauren Baker, AST, tel
817-491-5369, fax [phone])


(NEWS)(IBM)(LAX)(00030)

Sybase Announces Momentum Client/Server Tools 09/01/93
EMERYVILLE, CALIFORNIA, U.S.A., 1993 SEP 1 (NB) -- Sybase, a company
known for its client/server tools announced a new family of tools
under the name Momentum. The Momentum tools consist of three
integrated products for developing graphical, enterprise- wide
applications under Windows, Windows NT, Macintosh, and Motif
platforms, the company said.

The three Momentum products are: Build Momentum, Gain Momentum, and
Enterprise Momentum. Build Momentum is described by Sybase as an
industrial strength tool that combines a highly visual graphical
interface with the team development capabilities and scalability and
is aimed at building high performance production applications.

The package is targeted at front office applications which are often
characterized by graphical, management-oriented, and real-time
decision support applications and can also be of use to customers
who are moving back office on-line transaction processing (OLTP)
applications from character terminals to new graphical platforms.

The company claims that Gain Momentum is the first object-oriented
multimedia development environment that combines an information-rich
user interface with seamless integrated access to relational
database management systems (RDBMS).

The package is targeted at information delivery in the extended
office where "elective" users within a company (such as executives)
or outside the company ( such as customers or trading partners) need
"enticement" to interact with the computer system.

Other uses include: decision support systems, electronic information
kiosks, command and control systems, interactive product catalogs,
computer based training, on-line help, and reference applications.

For example, in the area of geoscience, Sybase says Gainmomentum is
being used to integrate structured query language (SQL) databases
containing massive amounts of data with multimedia information such
as contour maps and well analysis charts to help geologists find oil
reserves.

Enterprise Momentum is an object-oriented development framework,
based on an active repository, that provides a new development
process for building complex, enterprise-wide applications.

Enterprise Momentum consists of the Enterprise Modeler, the
Enterprise Meta Server (repository) and Enterprise Application
Builders, Sybase added. This product is targeted at large-scale,
multi-departmental applications and allows application development
to be done directly from models built to demonstrate what the system
might look like in operation, Sybase maintains.

Stewart Schuster, Sybase vice president of marketing, commented:
"People have been developing applications with procedural code for
the past 30 years. Recently, many users have adopted object-oriented
programming techniques in order to realize the benefits of reusable
code. With Enterprise Momentum, we've combined the benefits of
object-oriented technology with model-driven application generation
to create 'model-oriented' development."

Build Momentum is scheduled to go into beta test in the fourth
quarter of 1993 and begin commercial shipments in the first quarter,
1994. Gainmomentum has been available previously but the multimedia
version 2.0 has just been released commercially. Enterprise Momentum
is scheduled for release in the second half of 1994.

Sybase also maintains the products are based on an open architecture
and will work with third-party development tools, computer aided
software engineering (CASE) products and heterogeneous databases and
data sources so customers can mix and match products in a
heterogeneous, networked environment.

The company said it will continue to support its previously released
APT Workbench product, but claims customers will be able to easily
migrate APT applications into Build Momentum. Further, Deft,
Sybase's CASE product, will be migrated into the Enterprise Modeler
components of the Enterprise Momentum product. Both the Build
Momentum and Gain Momentum tools will work as application builders
in the Enterprise Momentum environment, Sybase claims.

Emeryville, California-based Sybase offers client/server-based
software products and services for on-line, enterprise-wide
applications. The company claims is has over 2,000 licensees
world-wide and boasts revenues of $265 million.

(Linda Rohrbough/19930901/Press Contact: Holly McArthur,
Sybase, tel [phone], fax [phone]; Public Contact 800-
8-SYBASE)