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/NB100493

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(NEWS)(GOVT)(LON)(00001)

French Govt To Help Out Groupe Bull 10/04/93
PARIS, FRANCE, 1993 OCT 4 (NB) -- According to various European
media, the French Government is considering an investment of FF 9,200
million ($1,600 million) into Groupe Bull, the troubled state-owned
computer and electronics business. This huge level of investment,
Newsbytes notes, would effectively wipe out the group's debts and
allow a recapitalization of the company as a whole.

The French Government has already spent around FF 11,000 million in
propping up the computer company, but French newspapers, as well as
Ted Turner's Cable News Network (CNN) International, report that the
cost of allowing the company to go bust would be far greater, owing
to the long-term effect on the country's unemployment rates, which
are already nudging 12 per cent.

While Groupe Bull itself is refusing to comment on what it calls
industry speculation as to possible investment, CNN International
suggests that Edouard Balladur, the French Prime Minister, is
interesting in selling off the company in the near future. Clearing
the group's debts, rather than having them hanging around the
company's neck for the potential purchaser, is a logical step for
the French Government to take, Newsbytes notes.

According to La Tribune, the French daily newspaper, Bull has
submitted a massive restructuring plan to the French Government. The
cost of the plan, the paper asserts, is close to FF 9,000 million,
the same sum the Government is said to be considering investing in
the group.

Interestingly, the European Commission (EC) is expected to rule on
the legality of the French Government's investment of FF 2,500
million in Bull earlier this year later this week. If this deal gets
the thumbs up from the EC, then the French Government will
effectively get tacit approval for its FF 9,200 million extra
investment.

Press sources have quoted sources close to the EC as saying that
Karel Van Miert, the EC commissioner, is looking very closely at
starting an official enquiry into the FF 2,500 million investment,
citing anti-competition rules. If Van Miert goes ahead with such a
plan, then the French Government will almost certainly shelve any
plans to invest a further FF 9,200 million in the group.

Newsbytes notes that the Groupe Bull situation could be a
fundamental test on the strength and unit of the EC. If an
investigation does go ahead, it could put the long-term future of
Bull into doubt, something that the French Government would clearly
not want to happen.

(Sylvia Dennis/19931004/Press & Public Contact: Groupe Bull - Tel:
[phone])


(NEWS)(GENERAL)(BOS)(00002)

New Convex DataSeries Helps Manage "Data Explosion" 10/04/93
BOSTON, MASSACHUSETTS, U.S.A., 1993 OCT 4 (NB) -- "Data management
is already a nuisance, sort of like the common cold. But pretty soon
the problem's going to turn into something more like pneumonia.
Unless action is taken, we'll be drowning in our own data," said
Thomas M. Jones, vice president of data management development for
Convex.

The continuing growth of desktop computing, and the rise of
storage-hungry imaging and multimedia applications, are setting off
a "data explosion," agreed James A. Balthazar, vice president of
marketing for the Richardson, TX-based supercomputing giant.

At a meeting with Newsbytes in Boston, the executives explained how
Convex has widened its focus to deal with this dilemma by
introducing DataSeries, a family of products based on HP Apollo 9000
Series 700 workstations at the low end and Convex C Series
supercomputers at the high end.

The average data center today already uses 1 terabyte of data, and
by the year 2000, some data centers will be using 1,000 times that
amount, or a whopping 1 petabyte, Balthazar told Newsbytes.

As data proliferates, tasks like organizing information, locating
files, and securing enough disk space can get increasingly
difficult, added Jones.

DataSeries handles this situation by integrating Convex and HP file
servers with third-party robotic tape subsystems and Convex's own
FileServ and UniTree+ hierarchical storage management (HSN) and SM-
arch network backup software.

Jones told Newsbytes that SM-arch performs unattended backup of PCs
and workstations, and places the files in either a FileServ or
UniTree+ archive. The HSM software then transparently moves older
unused files to the robotic tape systems, freeing up costly disk
space for new and active files.

To the PC or workstation user, the files that have been migrated to
tape appear to remain on disk, said Jones. If the user needs to
call up a migrated file, FileServ or UniTree+ will automatically
load the correct tape, find the requested file, and then replace
the file on disk. The user accesses the file as though it had been
stored on disk all along.

To accommodate accelerating needs for data management, DataSeries
is extremely scalable, he emphasized. An organization can start
with just one Hewlett-Packard fileserver, for example, then add
more HP fileservers, and finally upgrade to a supercomputer.

Convex, a company established in 1982, now ranks number one in the
minicomputer segment, and number three in the supercomputer
segment, with 1,200 systems installed in 45 countries world-wide,
according to Balthazar. How did the supercomputer vendor move into
date management? Quite naturally, he answered.

In the late 1980s, many Convex customers began to confront the
issue of what to do with all the supercomputer data being beamed
from satellites and collected from seismic surveys, he said.

Convex started to install data management systems at a number of
sites, including Sandia National Laboratories, NASA Ames, Mobile
Exploration and Production, and DKRZ, Germany's climate center for
meteorological research.

By the time the installation roster had reached about 40, Convex
decided to officially announce the DataSeries product line, added
Jones. Up to now, the Convex data management systems have been
used mainly in science and engineering, he elaborated. Most US
customers have been government-affiliated, while universities have
predominated among European customers.

"But at this point, we're expanding into the corporate segment," he
told Newsbytes. Convex estimates that the total market for data
management file serving and backup will reach $8 billion in 1994,
with the technical/scientific sector accounting for $1 billion,
commercial mid-range for $1.2 billion, and workstations/PCs for
another $2 billion.

Convex entered into a partnership with Hewlett-Packard for
DataSeries in 1992. Third-party robotic tape subsystems now in use
include E-Systems' D-2 DataTower, Metrum's VHS, STK's Nearline, and
the Exabyte 120. Total pricing for a DataSeries system ranges from
$150,000 to $5 million, depending on configuration.

But the data management systems of today are only a foreshadowing
of what is to come, suggested Jones. "Right now, users are starting
to look at the question of `Where is my data?' From 1994 to 1997,
the new questions will be `What is my data?' and `How is my data?'"
In the future, intelligent agents will help to manage data on the
server, he told Newsbytes.

And by the turn of the century, Jones predicted, data retrieval
will improve to where a radiologist will be able to tell the
system, "`I've seen a case like this before. Show me all the
images similar to this, along with the diagnosis, treatment, and
prognosis for each.'" he said.

(Jacqueline Emigh/19931004/Reader contact: Convex Computer
Corporation, tel [phone]; Press contacts: Donna Burke, Convex,
tel [phone]; Mary Carol Coffman, Capital Relations for Convex,
tel [phone])


(NEWS)(BUSINESS)(SFO)(00003)

DCA & Rochester Software In Licensing Deal 10/04/93
HEW ORLEANS, LOUISIANA, U.S.A., 1993 OCT 4 (NB) -- For Windows to be
fully integrated into the corporate mainstream, it must be able to
access data from a number of platforms, including IBM AS/400
mid-range systems. Now Digital Communications Associates, has
announced plans to enter into an agreement with Rochester Software
Connection, under which DCA will license Rochester's ShowCase File
Transfer for incorporation into its IRMA/400 for Windows.

According to the two companies, the combined technologies will
allow users to extract information from AS/400 databases using
PC Support/400 file transfer.

Announcing the deal, John Freund, vice president of sales and
marketing at Rochester, said: "ShowCase File Transfer, when
combined with IRMA/400, offers DCA's mid-range customers the first
step into Windows-based PC-to-AS/400 client/server computing.
ShowCase File Transfer will also facilitate an easy, cost-effective
integration of the complete ShowCase product line for IRMA/400 users
who want to exploit more advanced, powerful ShowCase client/server
database access tools and connectivity."

According to the companies, DCA's IRMA/400 for WIndows works in
conjunction with IBM's PC Support/400, enabling users to access
AS/400-based applications and databases as well as utilize PC
Support applications such as shared folders and virtual print. When
it is used with DCA's IRMA Workstation for WIndows, IRMA/400 for
Windows reportedly allows users to access both their own IBM
mainframe and the AS/400 from a single IRMA Workstation-based
desktop.

IRMA/400 for Windows is currently available for $395. IRMA/400 for
Windows 2.0, incorporating Rochester's ShowCase File Transfer, is
set for availability in November.

(Ian Stokell/19931004/Press Contact: Kerry Stanfield, 404-442-4519,
Digital Communications Associates)


(NEWS)(GENERAL)(SFO)(00004)

Brio & Frame Technology Intro BrioPublish For FrameMaker 10/04/93
MOUNTAIN VIEW, CALIFORNIA, U.S.A., 1993 OCT 4 (NB) -- Brio
Technology and Frame Technology have announced BrioPublish, a
database publishing tool designed for use with FrameMaker 4.

According to the companies, BrioPublish automatically generates
fully formatted FrameMaker 4 documents directly from information
stored in a database. This eliminates manual cutting, pasting and
reformatting of corporate data into a document.

BrioPublish runs on both Apple Computer Macintoshes and Microsoft
windows-based PCs.

BrioPublish is claimed to be the first application to use FrameMaker
4's new C-based API (application programming interface), which
allows for client/server database access capabilities.

BrioPublish is derived from Brio Technology's DataPrism database
query tool. It features a click and drag interface that replaces
the need-to-know complex programming commands or SQL (structured
query language).

BrioPublish is accessible from within FrameMaker via a "familiar"
interface. To download data, users choose the appropriate variables
from a FrameMaker dialog box. BrioPublish reportedly then
automatically collects data from a corporate database and
places it directly into the appropriate sections of a FrameMaker
document, preserving all design and formatting elements.

The company claims that reusable BrioPublish templates retain
formats and styles, making updating data automatic.

BrioPublish for the Macintosh is now available for $795. A Windows
version is set for availability at the end of October at the same
price. However, for the first three months, both versions will be
available at an introductory price of $495.

BrioPublish for Windows requires a minimum of 2.5 megabytes
(MB) of RAM and a PC equipped with Windows 3.1 and a mouse. The
Macintosh versions requires at least System 7 and a minimum of
2.5MB of RAM.

(Ian Stokell/19931004/Press Contact: Carol Kaplan,
408-428-6143, Frame Technology; You Mon Tsang, 415-961-4110,
Brio Technology)


(NEWS)(TRENDS)(LON)(00005)

Zeitcontrol Does Smart Card Deal With US Firm 10/04/93
PORTA WESTFALICA, GERMANY, 1993 OCT 4 (NB) -- Zeitcontrol Systems
has agreed with Ramtron International, the Colorado Springs-based
company, for the German firm to integrate Ramtron's serial four
kilobyte F-RAM chips into its smart cards.

The deal appears to be the first Germany-US one of its type, as
previously, most smart card producers have either produced the chips
themselves or sourced them on a localized basis.

According to Zeitcontrol, it has contracted to take an initial batch
of 10,000 of Ramtron's F-RAM chips for inclusion in a trial run on
smart cards. If the project is a success, then a major contract will
be agreed upon.

Zeitcontrol manufactures and sells contacted smart cards for the
European market, which is exploding in France where the banks are
already using smart card technology in their Carte Blue Visa bank
cards. In Germany, meanwhile, DBT, the telecoms company, sells
telephone pre-paid debit cards that include a smart card chip as a
standard feature.

According to Wolfgang Salge, Zeitcontrol's managing director, the
Ramtron deal is a major step for the company. "The use of Ramtron's
ferroelectric RAM product in our cards is consistent with our
philosophy of providing the highest quality and most reliable smart
card systems," he said, adding: "We feel that the benefits of F-RAM
technology will help us maintain our leading position in the smart
card market."

(Sylvia Dennis/19931004/Press & Public Contact: Zeitcontrol - Tel:
[phone]; Fax: [phone])


(NEWS)(TELECOM)(LON)(00006)

Belgium Questions EC Mandate To Open Telecoms Market Up 10/04/93
BRUSSELS, BELGIUM, 1993 OCT 4 (NB) -- In one of the most ironic
twists in recent European Community (EC) events, the Belgian
Government, which hosts the EC headquarters in its capital city, has
formally announced its intention to "examine" the EC's 1991 mandate
on free market telecoms.

The 1991 legislation which, like all EC law, has gone unquestioned
until now, mandates all EC member states to ensure -- by their own
legislation -- that the telecoms market-place is opened to free
market competition.

What has caused the Belgian Government to think twice is the massive
investment that Belgiacom, the Belgian telecoms giant, is making
into the digital mobile phone network in the country. Belgiacom has
gone on record as stating that it is unwilling to roll out its GSM
(groupe speciale mobile) network across the country without
reassurances from the Government that it will have the monopoly on
services in rural areas.

Rural areas tend to have a much lower rate of phone subscribers,
Newsbytes notes, with the result that the payback on investment can
take a lot longer than the lucrative networks in the city areas.

Newsbytes also notes that GSM, though pan-European, still only
covers the city areas in many countries. The only exception to this
is the GSM Vodafone network in the UK which Vodafone claims covers
around 80 percent of the population.

According to the EC, the Belgian Government has been formally
requested to bring its telecoms networks into line with the 1991
mandate. While standard landline communications are expected to be
opened up to competition without question, the Belgian Government
could find itself in a quandary over the future of the Belgiacom GSM
digital mobile phone network if it opens up the GSM market in the
country.

(Sylvia Dennis/19931004)


(NEWS)(GENERAL)(SFO)(00007)

Artisoft Intros New LANtastic For Mac Windows Gateway 10/04/93
TUCSON, ARIZONA, U.S.A., 1993 OCT 4 (NB) -- One aspect that used to
separate peer-to-peer network operating systems (NOS) from fully
fledged NOSes, apart from there was no need for a dedicated server,
used to be the features and connectivity options available. Now,
however, high end peer-to-peer systems such as LANtastic are
offering a wide variety of capabilities.

Artisoft is offering its new LANtastic for Macintosh Windows
Gateway software, which allows a non-dedicated Windows PC to
act as a gateway providing interconnectivity between Macintosh
AppleShare and LANtastic networks.

Priced at $649, LANtastic for Macintosh Windows Gateway is set for
availability in the fall of this year. The company says it is also
offering a free upgrade to the LANtastic for TCP/IP (Transmission
Control Protocol/Internet Protocol) connectivity software, which
will be available to registered users and Artisoft Five Star
Connectivity Resellers sometime this month.

Peer-to-peer networks are becoming increasingly popular because they
are easier to install and manage that fully fledged NOS such as the
market leading NetWare from Novell. They are also easier to use and
allow each node on the network to be set up as either a client or a
server or both.

In this way, network resources, such as printers and individual user
hard disks, can be used and accessed by everyone on the network.
However, the easy availability of all resources brings problems for
the network manager, such as increased security head-aches and
difficulty in backup up vital data stored on multiple hard drives.

Announcing the LANtastic For Macintosh Windows software, Dave
Hallmen, Artisoft's vice president of sales and marketing, said:
"This new software, which takes advantage of the easy-to-use Windows
environment, saves valuable network resources because it allows a
non-dedicated PC to be accessed while it acts as the gateway between
platforms."

Artisoft says it will continue to sell its original LANtastic for
Macintosh connectivity software for DOS users along with the new
Windows-based product. Both products use a PC as a gateway to
provide networked Macintosh users with access to the LANtastic
network resources. In turn, they allow LANtastic users to access
PostScript printers on the Macintosh network.

The two products are the result of a deal with Miramar Systems.
However, they differ in the platforms supported and the way the
gateway computer is set up -- the DOS software requires a
dedicated network PC as the gateway, while the Windows product
uses a non-dedicated PC.

The non-dedicated gateway PC requires two adapters: one to connect
the Macintosh network, and to connect the LANtastic network. The
Windows Gateway product includes software drivers that are
compatible with a number of Ethernet network adapters. The
software requires Apple's System 6.0 or greater, and DOS 3.3 or
better.

The free upgrade to the LANtastic for TCP/IP software was jointly
developed with The Wollongong Group. It allows a LANtastic network
workstation to access a range of systems on the network, including
DEC VAX, HP, and Sun Microsystem workstations, IBM mainframes, and
NCR and AT&T minicomputers.

(Ian Stokell/19931004/Press Contact: Joe Stunkard,
602-670-7145, Artisoft)


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

PC InterConnect Intros One-Man-LAN 10/04/93
PROVO, UTAH, U.S.A., 1993 OCT 4 (NB) -- Hoping to appeal to small-
scale users that have additional PCs they want networking, PC
InterConnect has introduced One-Man-LAN. According to the company,
the product is designed for the user "who works with more than one
PC and would like to have LAN (local area network) capabilities
without the usual LAN complexities and expense."

The company maintains that One-Man-LAN, unlike conventional LANs, is
compatible with sector-level disk utility programs such as PC Tools
and Norton Utilities. One-Man-LAN allows these programs to handle
disk volumes installed on secondary PCs as though they were
installed on the primary PC. Additionally, DOS commands such as
DISKCOPY are "fully functional," says the company.

The company claims that the product supports data transfer rates up
to 680 kilobytes-per-second. It can also interconnect more than two
PCs, and PCs can be more than 100 feet away from each other.

Using the software, a user at the primary PC can access files
located at any secondary PC. By typing "OML," any one of the user's
PCs can be temporarily converted into a One-Man-LAN secondary, or
server, PC, says the company. Typing "Q" makes a primary PC again.
Printers attached to a secondary PC can also be accessed.

One-Man-LAN costs $199 for two PCs, which includes hardware,
software, documentation and toll-free customer support. However, it
is priced at $129.95 as an introductory offer.

The product is compatible with Windows and other LAN products such
as the market leading Novell NetWare and the popular LANtastic peer-
to-peer network operating system. The software is implemented at the
DOS device driver level and uses less than four kilobytes of memory
in the primary PC.

One-Man-LAN also comes with a free copy of the Super PC-Kwik disk
caching software, and a copy of the Stacker compression software.
The product includes two half-size ISA (Industry Standard
Architecture) add-in cards, a thin 12 foot cable, a 3.5-inch and a
5.25-inch disk, and a small installation and user guide.

(Ian Stokell/19931004/Press Contact: Heather Fabian, 708-291-1616,
PC InterConnect)


(NEWS)(BUSINESS)(DEN)(00009)

US West, PictureTel Sign Videoconferencing Network Deal 10/04/93
DENVER, COLORADO, U.S.A., 1993 OCT 4 (NB) -- US West and PictureTel
Corporation have signed a distribution agreement to provide PC-based
desktop video conferencing over a public-switched digital dial-up
network beginning in December.

Users will be able to participate in video conferencing using
PictureTel's LIVE system in conjunction with US West's re-engineered
56Kbps (kilobits per second) Switchnet 56 service. Financial terms
of the agreement were not disclosed.

US West says that users in its 14-state service area will be able to
initiate a 112Kbps interactive video session just by dialing any
location equipped with the video conferencing system and having
access to the public switched digital network.

According to US West Advanced Communications Services Product
Marketing Manager Kurt Schwabauer, the public-switched digital
network can reduce the cost of video conferencing by up to 60
percent. "Dial-up videoconferencing can make a dramatic contribution
to the functionality of dispersed work groups, scientific and
technical organizations and customer service operations."

He says that the service is ideal for engineering organizations,
design groups, medical consultation and employee training.

US West says that its Desktop Video Service is the first standards-
based commercial system to provide collaborative data and voice
conferencing in the same bandwidth. PictureTel's LIVE lets
participants copy any applications windows to a shared on-screen
"whiteboard" to view and annotate.

Images from video windows at either end of the conference can be
pasted into documents or saved as files. LIVE includes a dual
purpose-camera with zoom, focus and aperture controls that according
to PictureTel will perform satisfactorily under most lighting
conditions.

It also includes a 7Khz (kilohertz) full duplex audio system, two
plug-in PC boards that provide video and audio compression, super
VGA accelerated graphics and video mixing. LIVE will run on any ISA
(industry standard architecture)-based PC running Microsoft Windows
3.1. LIVE, configured with a dual switched 56Kbps network interface,
carries a price tag of $8,500.

Proposed rates for the Switchnet 56 range from $42 to $53 per month
depending on the length of the contract, plus two cents per minute
per line. That works out to about $2.40 per hour for a 112 Kbps
call.

Last month Newsbytes reported that Kinko's Copy Centers, a national
document creation and reproduction center chain, will link its more
than 60 stores nationwide with a Sprint videoconferencing and data
network. Kinko's spokesperson Tammy Gentry told Newsbytes
installation of the network would begin in January 1994, with all
the stores equipped by April. That system will also utilize
PictureTel's LIVE system.

(Jim Mallory/19931004/Press contact: Giulia Urquhart, US West
Advanced Communications Services, 303-965-9252 or Ron Taylor,
PictureTel, 508-762-5178)


(NEWS)(TELECOM)(ATL)(00010)

Paging Networks Become Messaging Networks 10/04/93
JACKSON, MISSISSIPPI, U.S.A., 1993 OCT 4 (NB) -- Two major paging
networks have announced they have become messaging networks at the
industry's Telocator trade show, which took place last week.

BellSouth's MobileComm unit and Mobile Telecommunications' SkyTel
service both said they'll now allow electronic messaging on their
networks. The two companies hold two of three satellite paging
licenses. Motorola holds the third, and it long-ago turned its
EMBARC service into a messaging center -- EMBARC stands for
Electronic Messaging By A Roaming Computer.

SkyTel's messaging component is called SkyWord, and it can use the
same pagers -- with screens capable of displaying four lines of text
-- used by EMBARC. At the Telocator show the company announced
SkyWord Access for the Macintosh, which allows Macs to compose and
send text messages to SkyWord subscribers. SkyWord messages are
handled much like paging messages.

They're sent by a computer and modem, using a toll-free number, to a
central office, from which they're fed via a satellite to a network
of antennae, then transmitted at a frequency of about 931 Megahertz
to waiting receivers. SkyWord has had access via IBM PCs for some
time.

The Macintosh software requires Mac System 6.08 (the Mac's operating
system) or higher, and also requires at least 2 megabytes of memory
and a Hayes-compatible modem. It will be offered free-of-charge to
SkyWord subscribers.

MobileComm is offering two new services. CompuLink is a one-way
service much like SkyWord. MessageLink offers longer messages.
Both services are designed as "open systems" meaning they can
support any number of the new Personal Digital Assistants,
including offerings by Apple and AT&T, as software is written
supporting them.

In addition to offering quick messages from offices to field
staff, the new services, like EMBARC, can handle news and
financial quotes.

(Dana Blankenhorn/19931004/Press Contact: David Allan, for
SkyTel, 212/614-5163; Jean Coppenbarger, MobileComm, 602-977-
1648)


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

PCMCIA Modem Price War Breaks Out 10/04/93
SALT LAKE CITY, UTAH, U.S.A., 1993 OCT 4 (NB) -- PC Card modems
under the Personal Computer Memory Card International Association,
or PCMCIA standard, are now the subject of a price war.

When the modems came out in the last year, they were priced much
higher than board-level modems, and many modem makers, hard pressed
to retain margins in their base business, were reluctant to cut
prices on the new product.

Now the first shot has been fired by Megahertz Corporation, which
only recently entered the market under its own name after having
acted as an original equipment manufacturer, or OEM supplier, to
laptop computer makers for some time. Megahertz has announced it
will cut its prices on PCMCIA modems by as much as 38 percent,

Included in the price cuts are modems using Megahertz' own XJACK
connector, on which it holds a patent, although the price cuts were
most severe on those products using a standard cable connection. A
14,400 bit/second data-fax modem with the XJACK connector,
previously retailing at $599, now goes to $399, for instance. A
2,400 bit/second data, 9,600 bit/second fax modem with a cable
connection, previously priced at $379, now goes to $239.

XJACK is short for "extendable jack," and provides a RJ11 phone plug
as part of the card. This eliminates the need for cumbersome
external connectors used with other PCMCIA modems. Megahertz says
the XJACK connector has proven more durable than other PCMCIA
solutions on the market.

Megahertz is hoping to make up for the price cuts with volume. The
company is citing estimates from International Data Corporation
(IDC) that the world-wide market for portable data-fax modems will
grow at a compound rate of 83 percent per year through 1995, with
PCMCIA modems representing 73 percent of that market.

(Dana Blankenhorn/19931004/Press Contact: Megahertz Corporation,
Andrew Capener, 800-527-8677 x 6914)


(NEWS)(APPLE)(BOS)(00012)

RasterOps Offers Four Macintosh AV-Compatible Monitors 10/04/93
SANTA CLARA, CALIFORNIA, U.S.A., 1993 OCT 4 (NB) -- Rasterops has
unveiled Sweet 16AV, a new monitor that brings the number of
Mac AV-compatible monitors from the company to a total of four.

With the addition of the 16-inch color monitor, RasterOps now offers
more displays that support Apple's new multimedia Macs than any
other peripheral manufacturer, said Robert Sorenson, product
marketing manager.

Other RasterOps monitors that operate with the Macintosh Quadra
840AV and Centris 660AV include the ClearVue/15 Gray-scale Portrait
Display, 20/20 Multimode Display, and 20/T Multiscan Color Display.

The Sweet 16AV works out-of-the-box with the built-in video
capabilities of the AV computers. The monitor provides a flicker-
free display and a large viewing area while conserving desktop
space, according to Sorenson.

The Sweet 16AV is priced at $1,149. In introducing the new 16-inch
AV-compatible monitor, RasterOps has lowered the price of the
previously released Sweet 16 Color Display from $1,499 to $1,099.

Like the new Sweet 16AV, the ClearVue/15 Portrait Display also
works with the AVs right out-of-the-box. Priced at $499, the 15-
inch monochrome/grayscale monitor offers flicker-free display and
user-adjustable controls for brightness, contrast, positioning, and
tilt and swivel. The monitor is also fully compatible with RasterOps
ClearVue/GSXL and ClearVue/XL display adapters and several third-
party adapters.

The 20/20 Multimode and 20/20 Multiscan are two 20-inch color
monitors that work with the AVs' onboard video capabilities via the
RasterOps Color Monitor Cable Kit, sold separately for $56.

Priced at $1,949, the 20/20 Multimode provides such ergonomic
features as digital controls and a tilt/swivel stand. The monitor
supports a range of scanning frequencies up to 1152-by-870 pixels
and can be used with Macintosh, IBM-compatible, and Sun computers.
It also works with a variety of display adapters, including the new
RasterOps Paintboard Turbo XL, Paintboard Turbo, 24XLi, and new
PaintBoard 8Li.

Priced at $2,999, the 20/T Multiscan is a Trinitron monitor aimed
at outstanding image quality and color purity. Capabilities
include improved convergence, adjustable geometry, dynamic focus,
and an anti-glare screen, according to Sorenson. The display
operates with a variety of Macintosh, IBM and Sun computers at
resolutions of up to 1280-by-1024.

The ClearVue/15 Portrait Display, 20/20 Multimode, and 20/T
Multiscan monitors are available now. The new Sweet 16AV display
is slated for release in mid-October.

(Jacqueline Emigh/19931004/Reader contact: RasterOps, tel 800-SAY-
COLOR; Press contact: Michele Janin, Cunningham Communications
for RasterOps, tel [phone])


(NEWS)(GENERAL)(BOS)(00013)

Analytical Imaging Software And Crossplatform Toolkit 10/04/93
SILVER SPRING, MARYLAND, U.S.A., 1993 OCT 4 (NB) -- Media
Cybernetics has introduced a Windows edition of its Image-Pro Plus
(IPP) analytical imaging software, plus a programmers' toolkit for
developing image-intensive applications for Windows, Windows NT,
DOS, Macintosh, OS/2, and Unix.

Previously available for DOS and Unix only, IPP is used in
Geographic Information Systems (GIS), medical and life sciences,
materials analysis, and other fields where examination and analysis
of images can help understand processes, identify objects, or make
comparisons.

IPP users can capture and process images, perform JPEG compression,
make manual and automatic measurements and classifications, analyze
histograms and line profiles, define areas of interest, extract and
merge color channels, and save data and objects in a variety of
formats. The software is compatible with an array of digitizers and
scanners, officials said.

The new IPP for Windows includes a new, BASIC-like scripting
language called Auto-Pro that allows end users who are not
programmers to create macros, encapsulating frequently used tasks
into a single keystroke or a point-and-click operation.

Other new features in the Windows edition include OLE (object
linking and embedding) compliance, a new visual file management
interface called "Gallery," support for 12-bit grayscale and
floating point image classes, "watershed" segmentation, and easy
network access. Support has been added for Kodak Photo CD and TWAIN-
compatible scanners, and for new capture boards.

The new HALO Advanced Imaging Library (HAIL) developers' toolkit
features a platform-independent applications programming interface
(API) that is aimed at easy portability from one platform to
another.

HAIL's functionality goes beyond traditional desktop imaging to
provide over 350 imaging functions, sparing researchers and
scientists from having to develop their own tools, officials noted.

The imaging functions include counting, sizing and classification
of objects, morphology, frequency domain analysis (Fast Fourier
Transform), advanced filtering techniques, image algebras,
operations in both true color and grayscale, color model
transformations, and much more.

(Jacqueline Emigh/19931004/Reader contact: Media Cybernetics, tel
301-495-3305; Press contact: Mitchell Derman for Media
Cybernetics, tel [phone])


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

Canadian Product Launch Update 10/04/93
TORONTO, ONTARIO, CANADA, 1993 OCT 4 (NB) -- This regular feature,
appearing every Monday or Tuesday, provides further details for the
Canadian market on announcements by international companies that
Newsbytes has already covered. This week: IBM's new PS/1 models,
Control Data and Intergraph sign a distribution agreement, the
Canadian editions of Quicken 3 for Windows and Quicken 7 for DOS
from Intuit, and low-power displays from Radius.

IBM Canada Ltd., of Markham, Ontario, joined its US parent today in
unveiling new models in the Personal System/1 line (Newsbytes, Oct.
4). The Canadian announcement is less sweeping than that in the
US, comprising only six models including one multimedia system. All
have the new Rapid Resume feature, which lets users switch the
machines off and pick up exactly where they left off later. Most
have the Smart Energy System (SES) power-saving technology.

The six new PS/1 models announced in Canada are due to be available
October 12, with expected retail prices ranging from C$1,800 to
C$3,500, with the multimedia machine priced at about C$2,700.

Control Data Systems Canada of Mississauga, Ontario, and Intergraph
Canada of Calgary, have announced a value-added reseller agreement.
Control Data will be the primary distributor for Intergraph's I/EMS
mechanical design and manufacturing products to Canadian
manufacturers.

Intuit, of Menlo Park, California, has announced the Canadian
edition of its Quicken 3 for Windows personal finance software
(Newsbytes, Sept. 9). The Canadian version is set up to deal with
the Canadian Goods and Services Tax and provincial sales taxes, as
well as Canadian loan amortization rules. It also provides a choice
of American (MM/DD/YY) or European (DD/MM/YY) date formats, and
comes with a supplement to the user's manual covering the Canadian-
specific features.

The software isn't so Canadian as to have its list price published
in Canadian currency, though: it's given as US$69.95. Quicken 3 for
Windows Canadian Edition is due to be available in Canada Oct. 7.

Intuit also announced a Canadian Edition of Quicken 7 for DOS, with
the same extra features for the Canadian market as the Windows
version. The list price is also the same.

Radius Canada, of Toronto, launched the Two Page Display/20gs and
21gs grayscale displays for Apple Macintosh computers (Newsbytes,
Sept. 27). Both comply with the American Energy Star guidelines.
Shipping now, the 20gs carries a list price of C$1,229. The 21gs,
due to ship in October, lists at C$1,479.

(Grant Buckler/19931004/Press Contact: Janet Carnegie, IBM
Canada, 416-485-1582 or 905-474-3900; Tom Ray, Control Data
Canada, 905-629-5122; Calvin McElroy, Intergraph Canada,
403-569-5576; Deborah L. Whitman or Sheryl Ross, Intuit,
415-322-0573; Maire Kushner, Radius Canada, 416-777-9900)


(NEWS)(BUSINESS)(TOR)(00015)

Corel Completes Ventura Acquisition 10/04/93
OTTAWA, ONTARIO, CANADA, 1993 OCT 4 (NB) -- Corel has announced its
deal to acquire the Ventura software line was completed on September
30 this year.

Corel took over the Ventura Publisher desktop publishing software,
Ventura Database Publisher, and other related products from Ventura
Software, of San Diego, California. Financial terms of the deal have
not been disclosed.

Ventura Publisher will complement Corel Draw, said Michael Cowpland,
president and chief executive of Corel, because the Ventura package
is considered best suited to the production of long documents, while
Corel has until now focused on short documents with its own
software.

Ventura Publisher was one of the first desktop-publishing software
packages. It was formerly sold by Xerox Corp., which still controls
Ventura Software. Ventura Database Publisher is a complementary
package meant to help prepare information from computer databases
for publication using Ventura Publisher.

The deal gives Corel all versions of Ventura Publisher and Ventura
Database Publisher, including foreign-language versions and new
releases now in development. A major revamping of the software for
Microsoft Corp.'s Windows environment is already in the works, and
Cowpland said a new version, built entirely with object-oriented
programming techniques and adding a number of new features, can be
expected by May of next year.

Effective October 29, Corel will take over technical support for the
Ventura products. Until then, Ventura will continue providing
technical support. Corel is taking over customer service
immediately, company officials said, and a formal announcement on
product direction is set for October 20 at the Seybold conference in
San Francisco.

(Grant Buckler/19931004/Press Contact: Fiona Rochester or Janie
Sullivan, Corel, 613-728-0826 ext. 4500)


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

The 1993 San Diego Computer Fair Useless Software Awards 10/04/93
SAN DIEGO, CALIFORNIA, U.S.A., 1993 OCT 4 (NB) -- Most programmers
write millions of lines of code to produce a program that will
perform tasks like processing words, tracking data or crunching
numbers. But not these people.

"These people" are the programmers who toiled to produce software
that for the most part has absolutely no use. Their programs fall
into the "odd, strange and unusual" category, and they gathered
recently in San Diego, California to learn if they were winners in
the Useless Software competition.

Scott Garcia and Robert Cuenca did win. The two software engineers
won the $250 grand prize in the graphics-based category for the
second year in a row with their "Flying Toilets" screen saver
program, the sequel to last year's "Bungie Cows", a screen saver
program that has cows on elastic cords jumping down into your
computer screen, then springing back up, wiping off the screen image
as they go.

This year's Flying Toilets seats newspaper-reading cows on the
ubiquitous porcelain throne of contemplation, but Garcia and Cuenca
offer options for animal lovers who disapprove of their bovine
friends being placed in such a position.

Users can select "Man" or "King". Man depicts a male seated on the
throne reading a newspaper, while King will cause Elvis to perform
the screen-wiping task.

If you think "Flying Toilets" is unusual, perhaps you would like to
get a copy of the grand prize winner for text-based software.
Canadian programmer Donovan Onishenko won in that category with
"Mirror Image," a program that causes whatever text is typed to
appear in mirror image on the monitor and on the printer.
Onishenko's instruction manual for Mirror Image promises that no
animals were harmed in the writing of his program.

A runner-up in the graphics category was a program called "Sniff," a
software program that jokingly claims to detects bad breath when the
user breathes into the opening of the computer's disk drive. Or if
you're a dedicated game player and have a strong stomach you could
try "Teeth," a program that has a pair of disease-ridden teeth
trying to keep the player from snagging bits of food that fall
through the display, using drops of fluoride.

Runners up in the text-based category include "Debt," a
Windows-based national debt calculator that displays your very own
share of the government's indebtedness. The window can be shrunk and
kept in a corner of your display, just is case you want to keep an
eye on what the administration is doing to reduce the national debt.

There is also "Diff", which calculates the time between two user-
input dates, measured by the number of rotations for each planet in
the solar system.

(Jim Mallory/19931004)


(NEWS)(BUSINESS)(DEN)(00017)

Gates Falls in "Richest" Category 10/04/93
NEW YORK, NEW YORK, U.S.A., 1993 OCT 4 (NB) -- Microsoft Chairman
Bill Gates is no longer rated by Forbes magazine as the richest
person in America.

In its newest Forbes 400 list the magazine says Nebraskan Warren
Buffet now tops the list with a net worth of $8.3 billion. Buffet
reportedly owns 42 percent of Berkshire Hathaway, the company with
the highest priced stock on the New York Stock Exchange at $16,600
per share.

Gates slipped one place with his net worth pegged at $6.2 billion,,
while Metromedia founder John Kluge ranks third at $5.9 billion.
Fourth place goes to Viacom chairman Sumner Redstone with $5.6
billion. Helen Walton, widow of Wal- Mart Inc founder Sam Walton,
garnered the number five spot with $4.6 billion. Sam Walton headed
the list for four consecutive years.

Forbes magazine reports that sometime in the next 20 years Buffet
will leave all of his holdings in Berkshire Hathaway to an unnamed
charitable foundation, and will not specify any restrictions on how
the money is used. Berkshire Hathaway holdings include 18 percent
of Capital Cities/ABC Inc, 15 percent of the Washington Post
Company, 14 percent of General Dynamics, 11 percent of Gillette
Company, about seven percent of Coca Cola Company, and 14 percent of
the voting power of investment house Salomon.

Other notable names on the list include Atlanta Braves owner Ted
Turner with $2.2 billion, John Malone, president of cable company
Tele-Communications Inc at $450 million and Ralph Roberts of Comcast
with a net worth of $435 million.

(Jim Mallory/19931004)


(NEWS)(APPLE)(LAX)(00018)

 ****Apple Mac System Update Announced 10/04/93
CUPERTINO, CALIFORNIA, U.S.A., 1993 OCT 4 (NB) -- Apple
Computer announced Apple Macintosh System Update, version 2.0.1,
which contains enhancements and bug fixes for Macintosh System 7.1
and the newly announced System 7 Pro software. Formerly called the
Hardware System Update, Apple claims the scope of the product has
expanded and it intends to regularly offer improvements via the
Updates to Macintosh users.

Apple says that key features of the Update have been included in the
System 7 Pro operating system, but users will want the Update to get
newer versions of the HD SC Setup and Apple Disk First Aid than are
available in System 7 Pro. System Update 2.0.1 requires Macintosh
System Software versions 7.1 or System 7 Pro, and is not for
Macintosh Performa users.

The Update includes Apple HD SC Setup version 7.2.2, which provides
users with overall increased reliability and more flexibility to
format large Apple hard disks between 1 and 2 gigabytes. Apple says
the software will also allow only the needed fonts to be loaded into
the Macintoshes random access memory (RAM) during start up or
booting, freeing RAM once held captive by loading all the fonts.

Version 1.2 of Autoremounter 1.2 is included and the new version is
to reduced network traffic compared to its predecessor version 1.0.
The enhanced Apple Disk First Aid version 7.2 includes a revised,
easier to use interface, according to Apple.

For Powerbook users, the Update revises the Macintosh Powerbook
Control Panel to version 7.1.3 and takes the System Enabler to
version 131 (version 1.0.3) for the PowerBook 160, 165, 165c, and
180. The new version of System Enabler allows Powerbook support of
12-inch monitors and improves reliability, Apple added.

In addition, the Update revises the Express Modem software is
version 1.1.2, which includes support for communications software
that does not use the Apple Communications Toolbox.

Like other Updates, version 2.0.1 is available immediately and can
be downloaded via Applelink, America Online, Compuserve, GEnie, and
the Internet. Macintosh user groups are also encouraged to
distribute the program by licensing the rights to distribute the
software.

US Apple customers, meanwhile, can obtain copies on disk directly
from Apple at a charge of $10 each for duplication, shipping, and
handling. A toll-free number is available for ordering the disks.
More information on the Update is available toll-free for US
customers from the Apple USA Customer Assistance Center.

For those outside the US, Apple suggests contacting the local Apple
representative for information on the availability and distribution
of localized versions of System Update 2.0.1.

(Linda Rohrbough/19931004/Press Contact: Christopher Escher, Apple
Computer, tel [phone], fax [phone]; Public Contact, Apple
Macintosh System Update 2.0.1 Only, 800-769-2775 ext 6717, Questions
may be directed to the Apple USA USA Customer Assistance Center,
800-776-2333)


(NEWS)(GOVT)(SFO)(00019)

 ****SyQuest Gets $750,000 Iomega Security In UK Court 10/04/93
FREMONT, CALIFORNIA, U.S.A., 1993 OCT 4 (NB) -- In its ongoing
court battle involving its storage products, disk drive and
cartridge supplier SyQuest Technology has announced that the High
Court of Justice in London has entered a consent order including an
undertaking by Iomega "to provide $750,000 bank security to SyQuest
to cover potential damages from Nomai SA cartridges sold in the
United Kingdom pending judgement at trial."

SyQuest's application to the court for interim relief expressed
concerns about Nomai's ability to pay damages proved by SyQuest
at trial.

SyQuest also says that the court order also joins Iomega and its
German subsidiary, Iomega Europe GmbH, as defendants in SyQuest's
lawsuit against Nomai for copyright infringement and misuse of
confidential information.

Iomega, Iomega Europe and Nomai also agreed not to solicit
SyQuest's major UK distributors to purchase Nomai cartridges.
SyQuest says it has another copyright infringement suit pending
against Iomega, Nomai and "other parties" in the US.

Syed H. Iftikar, SyQuest's chairman, president and chief executive
officer, said: "We are confident that we will succeed at trial, and
we are pleased that there is no money available to pay the very
substantial damages we will be seeking at trial along with a
permanent injunction. SyQuest will take all necessary actions to
enforce its intellectual property rights against Iomega and Nomai
and will seek an expedited trial date in 1994."

Back in April Newsbytes reported that Syquest was warning users
that cartridges manufactured by Nomai in its removable Winchester
hard disk drives could have potentially damaging effects. The
company also said it would not consider use of Nomai cartridges
"normal use and service" under its warranty of the drives. Syquest
claimed at the time that a former consultant, Nomai's director of
technology, stole its trade secrets.

Syquest claimed at the time that no one can produce a Syquest-
compatible cartridge without violating or in some way using the
company's trade secrets, even if the cartridge works with the
drive.

SyQuest has also announced that it is seeking a patent on key
features of SyQuest 5.25-inch disk cartridges from the European
Patent Office.

(Ian Stokell/19931004/Press Contact: Michael J. Perez,
510-226-4000, SyQuest)


(NEWS)(IBM)(TOR)(00020)

 ****New Fall Line Of PS/1s Adds Convenience Features 10/04/93
SOMERS, NEW YORK, U.S.A., 1993 OCT 4 (NB) -- In what is becoming
a semi-annual ritual, IBM Personal Computer Co. has come out with
a new line of Personal System/1 computers for home and small
business use.

The latest round of models, which replace previous machines, feature
new power-saving technology and a "Rapid Resume" feature that lets
PS/1 users switch their machines off without bothering to exit from
applications, then pick up where they left off later.

At the same time, IBM has dropped the monitor from the list of
standard equipment. Monitors for PS/1s will now be sold separately,
a move that company spokesman Ralph Hammock said reflects the fact
that a growing number of PS/1 buyers are now purchasing their second
computers and may want to keep their old monitors.

The new PS/1 line has 30 models, seven of which are billed as
multimedia machines with compact disk read-only memory (CD-ROM)
drives compatible with Kodak's Photo CD technology, Sound Blaster
audio cards, stereo speakers, and multimedia software.

Rapid Resume saves the contents of the computer's memory when it is
turned off, and restores it within 15 seconds when you restart the
computer. Hammock said this will mean users can leave applications
open on their Microsoft Windows "desktop" all the time, which will
encourage users to treat their computer desktops more the way they
treat real ones, leaving work out in the open until it is completed.

Rapid Resume also makes possible an energy saving feature, the
automatic power off option, which will shut the machine down
completely if there is no keyboard activity for a specified period.
This is part of IBM's Smart Energy System (SES) package, which also
includes a standby feature that turns off components such as the
disk drive when the system is idle. This capability, found on most
notebook computers, is rare on desktop systems today.

Rapid Resume is a first for the industry, Hammock said, and IBM
expects it has about a six-month lead over rivals in introducing
the feature.

All the new PS/1 models come with four or eight megabytes (MB) of
main memory, 512K bytes or one MB of video RAM, local-bus video, and
either a data or a facsimile modem. Most have a 3.5-inch, 5.25-inch,
or combination diskette drive, the company said. IBM is offering a
selection of four 14-inch and 15-inch Super VGA monitors.

Software pre-loaded on the machines includes MS-DOS 6.0, Microsoft
Windows 3.1, and the Microsoft Works for Windows integrated software
package. Access to the online service Prodigy and America Online is
also bundled with the machines, with 10 hours of connect time on
America Online and three months' access to Prodigy as part of the
deal.

A Software Preview feature makes several popular application
packages available for users to try out on the machines before
deciding whether to buy them. Finally, each buyer can choose one
from a list of four bonus programs: Delrina Technology's Winfax Lite
or Daily Planner, Disney Software's Follow the Reader, or Spinnaker
Software's Power Up! Address Book Plus, Easy Working Windows Desktop
Publisher, Easy Working Windows Labels!, or Power Up! TextAppeal.

Additional software supplied with the multimedia PS/1s includes the
1993 edition of Compton's Interactive Encyclopedia, Mayo Clinic
Family Health Book, a graphic adventure game called King's Quest,
MCS MusicRack for playing audio CDs, Microsoft Multimedia Pack 1.0,
and PS/1 Photo Display software for working with Photo CD images.

The new machines are available immediately through various retail
channels, IBM said. The company does not publish list prices for the
PS/1 product line, but said it expects the machines to sell at about
$1,000 to $2,400, with the multimedia systems ranging between $1,550
and $1,700.

(Grant Buckler/19931004/Press Contact: Ralph Hammock, IBM,
914-766-1817; Dave Dasgupta, IBM, 914-766-1885)


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

Adobe Intros Streamline 3.0 For Mac 10/04/93
MOUNTAIN VIEW, CALIFORNIA, U.S.A., 1993 OCT 4 (NB) -- Adobe Systems
has announced Adobe Streamline version 3.0 for the Apple Macintosh.
The program converts color and black and white bitmapped images into
Adobe PostScript language line art.

According to the company, the new version offers new image
processing tools, enhanced color capabilities, scanner driver
support, a redesigned user interface, post-processing features and
improved interoperability with Adobe Illustrator and Adobe Photoshop
software.

Adobe Streamline is designed for graphic artists, desktop publishers
and technical illustrators. It converts logos, photographs, sketches
and non-technical illustrations into Adobe PostScript language line
art.

The company says that version 3.0 offers the ability to scan artwork
directly into the program; to retouch images with an assortment of
pixel-editing tools; to convert images using a variety of commonly
used options or through custom settings; and to recolor and edit the
resulting Adobe PostScript paths. The artwork can be edited further,
after conversion, in a drawing program such as Adobe Illustrator or
Aldus Freehand, or incorporated directly into a page layout.

Announcing the new version, John Kunze, director of product
marketing for Adobe's Application Products Division, claimed: "In
this major upgrade we have paid special attention to making the user
interface more intuitive and more interactive for increased user
productivity. At the same time, we've added color support and new
tools that provide better conversion control and flexibility."

Version 3.0 is also claimed to provide new support for posterizing
both color and grayscale images, and converting them into filled
and stroked Adobe PostScript objects. Scanned color photos can
automatically be posterized into vector-based art by specifying up
to 256 different colors or 16 grayscale levels.

Direct scanner control is provided through the Acquire interface,
allowing any scanner having an Adobe Photoshop-compatible plug-in or
supporting the TWAIN interface to be used for scanning images
directly into the program. Image editing tools and commands allow
for the retouching of images prior to conversion.

System requirements include a Macintosh II, Classic, Centris, SE/30,
Quadra, or any other Macintosh with a 68020 processor or higher; 2
megabytes (MB) of RAM; a hard disk; Apple System 6.0.7 or
greater.

Adobe Streamline 3.0 for the Macintosh is expected in the fourth
quarter of 1993 at a suggested retail price of $199. However, Adobe
will be offering version 3.0 for a special price of $99 through the
end of the year.

Additionally, through December 31, 1993, registered users of
version's 1.0 or 2.0 for the Macintosh may upgrade to version 3.0
for $49. After December it will cost $69 as an upgrade. Users who
purchased version 2.2 after September 15, 1993, will receive a free
version 3.0 upgrade.

September was a busy month for Adobe, as reported by Newsbytes. In
addition to having a class action suit against it dismissed, the
company also settled its copyright infringement suit against Visual
Applications Inc.

It also introduced a number of products, as detailed by Newsbytes at
the time. These included the Fall 1993 edition of Font & Function
and 28 new typeface packages from the Adobe Type Library.

The company also introduced a version of its Adobe Premiere software
product for Microsoft's Windows graphical user environment.
Additionally, Adobe announced an exclusive product marketing deal
with CompuServe, whereby Adobe Acrobat Reader became available via
the on-line service at a special price.

(Ian Stokell/19931005/Press Contact: Sonya Schaefer,
415-962-2630, Adobe Systems)


(NEWS)(GENERAL)(LON)(00022)

Saber Announces Developers' Kit For Saber LAN Workstation 10/04/93
SLOUGH, BERKSHIRE, ENGLAND, 1993 OCT 4 (NB) -- Saber Software
Corporation has announced plans to ship a software development kit
(SDK) for LAN (local area network) Workstation, its integrated
network utilities package.

The company claims that the SDK will allow software developers to
integrate applications into the Saber LAN workstation management
console, a Windows-based application that provides a centralized,
standardized environment for viewing vital network data.

According to Saber, the kit provides the necessary APIs (application
programming interfaces) and documentation so that a developer can:
create data viewers for the console; create events that have the
ability to tap into pagers and electronic mail features of the
console; meter applications, both on the server and on local hard
drives; and document Microsoft Windows' DDE (Dynamic Data Exchange)
interfaces into a product.

The SDK should start shipping in the first quarter of next year and
will be targeted at corporate customers, many of whom, the company
claims, develop in-house applications for use on their own systems,
as well as other network utility providers, application developers
and hardware manufacturers.

"Network administrators don't need another box of software to
improve their local area networks. What they need are products that
work together and reduce the time spent on administrative issues,"
explained Jeff Farris, Saber's president, who added that the best
way to simplify life for the company's customers is to provide them
with a platform to build integrated utilities on.

According to Farris, the SDK will sell for UKP 349, with support
agreements priced separately. The SDK will provide support for
Borland and Microsoft C compilers, as well as for Microsoft Visual
Basic.

(Steve Gold/19931004/Press & Public Contact: Saber Software - Tel:
[phone])


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

UK: Packet Radio Service Intros Inbound Voice Messaging Service 10/01/93
NEWBURY, BERKSHIRE, ENGLAND, 1993 OCT 4 (NB) -- Cognito, the packet
radio messaging service, has announced a new service for people
wanting to send messages to Cognito message service subscribers -- a
premium rate voice bureau service.

The new messaging bureau, which is believed to the first of its kind
in the world, opens up a one-way text message facility to Cognito's
network for anyone without access to a Cognito messaging unit. And,
since callers pay a premium rate phone tariff for calls to the
bureau, Cognito claims that the service should be self-funding.

To send a message via Cognito's messaging bureau, callers dial 0891-
616747 and quote the Messenger unit number required, together with a
maximum 240 character message (around 40 words) they wish to
transmit to the user. Calls are then keyed in by the bureau operator
in Liverpool and the message is delivered with the word "bureau" to
identify the source of the message.

"The addition of this service provides a very useful facility for
colleagues, friends and relatives of existing users of our mobile
data communications network," explained Ashley Ward, the chairman of
Cognito.

"We introduced this service on a trial basis earlier this year and
the feedback we received from our customers convinced is that there
is a genuine need for the facility," he added.

Cognito was one of the first companies to be licensed to offer a
dedicated packet radio network in the UK. Today, the service offers
a two-way text communications facility between videotape cartridge-
sized Messengers that allow up to 40 words to be exchanged on a
wireless basis.

(Steve Gold/19931004/Press & Public Contact: Cognito - Tel: +44-635-
508216; Fax: [phone])


(NEWS)(TRENDS)(LON)(00024)

UK: Sales Tax Changes Costs Software Industry A Fortune 10/04/93
LONDON, ENGLAND, 1993 OCT 4 (NB) -- Addressing a meeting of the
Business & Accounting Software Developers Association (BASDA), Mike
Antoniades, the European marketing director of Systems Union, told
members that he estimated the cost to the software development
industry of new European value added tax (VAT) regulations as around
the UKP 20 million mark.

According to Antoniades, the developers have been unable to pass the
costs of the VAT regulations on to end users as many users are
entitled to free upgrades of their software. He said that the
British Government would have to improve its consultation procedures
if it was going to avoid the serious problems created by new
regulations which were implemented at the start of the year.

"There was no central planning -- each software developer was
expected to liaise with their local VAT office and many of them were
issuing different instructions," he said.

"The time frame was impossible for many smaller developers and users
could not get definitive instructions on procedure. The result was
chaos and the Government is still making changes to the rules," he
added.

To avoid a repetition, the BASDA plans to set up a liaison group
with Government departments on planning the implementation of new
regulations.

"We believe that this will benefit everybody. If we can help the
Government to see the practical effects of new regulations, the
developers can be given time to implement software changes and UK
businesses can train their staff to operate them properly," he said.

"Consultation is the key and the Government needs to understand
that," he added.

Dennis Keeling, a director of the Association, confirmed BASDA's
commitment to improving software quality and standards. He told the
meeting that BASDA had arranged a series of seminars, run by the
British Standards Institute (BSI), to help members achieve BSA 5750
(quality award) accreditation and that negotiations are also taking
place with ICAEW and BSA to reduce the costs of testing software
under their approval schemes.

The meeting, which took place last week, was attended by around 120
software developers representing all aspects of the computer
industry. Other issues discussed included compiling accurate market
research information and co-ordinating software accreditation
standards.

(Steve Gold/19931004/Press & Public Contact: Dennis Keeling - Tel:
[phone])


(NEWS)(APPLE)(LAX)(00025)

 ****Apple Intros System 7 Pro, Announces Powershare 10/04/93
CUPERTINO, CALIFORNIA, U.S.A., 1993 OCT 4 (NB) -- Apple Computer's
Applesoft division announced this morning an advanced version of
System 7, known as System 7 Pro, that incorporates Powertalk,
Applescript and Quicktime, and new network server software called
Powershare.

According to Apple, the new Mac system software is aimed at groups
of users working together across a local area network (LAN) and at
the automation of tasks.

The most heralded feature of System 7 Pro is Powertalk, available to
customers for the first time. Applesoft describes Powertalk as
personal communication software based on the Apple Open
Collaboration Environment (AOCE).

A Powertalk built-in security feature called Digisign allows a user
to attach an electronic signature to a document so that any user can
verify who approved the document and whether or not it has been
altered. Third party developers can access and use the Digisign
security and Shana Corporation was one of the companies who
demonstrated the use of the new feature in its Informed electronic
forms software product.

RSA Data Security of Redwood, California, is the developer of the
Toolkit for Interoperable Privacy-Enhanced Messaging (TIPEM), a tool
for encryption and authentication used by Apple to develop Digisign.
RSA said the ability to know who last had a document and if the data
in the document has been tampered with is crucial to paperless
electronic commerce applications such as electronic document
imagining (EDI), electronic business forms routing and approval, and
groupware.

RSA says System 7 Pro conforms to the Public Key Cryptography
Standards (PKCS), a suite of specifications aimed at interoperable
and secure applications development. In addition, System 7 Pro
adheres to the international CCITT X.500 and X.509 authenticated
directory and certificates standards, the proposed ANSI X9F digital
transaction security standards for the financial and banking
industries, and the Internet Privacy Enhanced Mail (PEM) standards.

Another portion of Powertalk, Applemail, is a letter application
that can be used to send messages and documents to any other
Powertalk user. Powertalk offers built-in catalogs for open-ended
object storage capability that will initially help customers manage
electronic addresses and other information, to make it easier to
send and access information, according to Applesoft. Key Chain,
another security feature, offers customers privacy for their desktop
mail box and a single log-on method for connecting to various
electronic mail and network services.

Applesoft says that users can expect to see applications that link
Powertalk users to other messaging services, such as voice, fax,
paging, and online services. Software agents that can be assigned to
perform a variety of tasks for users automatically are also a
possibility as are team-productivity applications that use
Applescript and Powertalk. Productivity applications could include
custom team applications, such as scheduling, calendaring,
automation of approval and review of documents, and control over the
distribution of information, Applesoft officials said.

Powertalk can take advantage of network server-based services,
including existing electronic mail systems and will also work with
Apple's new Powershare Collaboration Servers software. Powershare
extends the capabilities of an Appletalk network by offering a
store-and-forward server for electronic messaging and a catalog
server. Privacy is another feature Powershare provides as it offers
authentication of network sessions and encryption of data
transmitted over the network. Powershare also provides the ability
to consolidate gateways and other shareable resources for easy
administration. The Powershare Collaboration Servers product is
expected to be available in early 1994, Applesoft said.

Applescript has been available separately since April of this year
and offers users the ability to automate tasks across applications.
Quicktime, introduced in December of 1991 as a multimedia extension
to System 7, offers the ability to record and playback digitized
video, sound, and animations.

A Macintosh computer system with a minimum of 5 megabytes (MB) of
RAM is recommended to install System 7 Pro and a Macintosh with a
minimum of 8 (MB) of RAM is recommended to install the Powershare
Collaboration Servers product.

Apple is also suggesting System 7 Pro users get its latest Apple
Macintosh System Update, version 2.0.1, which contains newer
versions of the HD SC Setup and Apple Disk First Aid than are
available in System 7 Pro product. The Update is available for a $10
shipping and handling fee from Apple, through electronic sources
such as Compuserve, the Internet, GEnie, and through Apple Macintosh
user groups.

Applesoft says System 7 Pro is available immediately in the United
States through software resellers and Apple authorized resellers.
The single-user System 7 Pro Personal Upgrade Kit is retail priced
at $149. A ten-user package, the System 7 Pro Multipack is $999. A
$50 rebate is being offered from Applesoft to those who upgrade to
System 7 Pro after purchasing the System 7 single-user product
between August 15, 1993 and November 1, 1993.

The package is also available through resellers via the Apple Volume
License Program, which also allows United States customers to
acquire volume licenses for site locations outside the United
States. Education and local-government customers may purchase volume
licenses directly from Apple.

Pricing and availability of System 7 Pro outside the US varies.
Localized versions are expected to be available beginning in
November 1993.

The Powershare Collaboration Servers will retail for $999 in the US
when it becomes available in 1994.

(Linda Rohrbough/19931004/Press Contact: Nancy Morrison, Apple
Computer, tel [phone], fax [phone]; Kurt Stammberger, RSA
Data Security, 415-595-8782)


(NEWS)(BUSINESS)(SFO)(00026)

Media Vision In Multimedia Deal With Analog Devices 10/04/93
FREMONT, CALIFORNIA, U.S.A., 1993 OCT 4 (NB) -- Multimedia is seen
by many vendors as, potentially, the next source of high revenue. As
a result, companies are aligning in partnerships in order to take
advantage of each other's strengths. One such deal involves sound
board maker producer, Media Vision, and integrated circuit
manufacturer, Analog Devices.

The companies have signed a letter of intent to work together to
develop "next generation" multimedia semiconductors for PCs.
According to Media Vision, it expects to combine its expertise in
producing and selling audio boards and semiconductors for the PC
market, with Analog's digital signal processing and mixed signal
semiconductor technology.

The deal calls for Media Vision to have an exclusive license to
use Analog's core DSP technology in the PC sound market for four
years. The technology will be integrated into its 16-bit audio
architecture, and in such areas as sound effects and waveguide
synthesis, to "create next generation chips for adding audio and
other features to PCs."

No financial terms were disclosed, although products resulting
from the deal are expected in 1994.

Satish Gupta, Media Vision's vice president of strategic product
marketing and development, said: "DSP technology has begun to
an important place in the personal computer market, because
it allows the development of telephony and business applications
using multimedia."

DSPs are specialized processors designed to handle incoming and
outgoing signals from such real-world sources as communications
data, sound, and video.

Analog maintains that its core DSP technologies allow for the
processing of multiple media types at the same time, and for
reprogramming or upgrading capabilities via software.

(Ian Stokell/19931004/Press Contact: Elizabeth Fairchild,
510-623-5856, Media Vision; Bill Schweber, 617-461-3821,
Analog Devices)


(NEWS)(IBM)(SFO)(00027)

Autodesk Ships 3D Studio 3; AutoVision; AutoCAD Bundle 10/04/93
SAUSALITO, CALIFORNIA, U.S.A., 1993 OCT 4 (NB) -- Autodesk is
shipping the 3D Studio release 3 three-dimensional modeling,
rendering and animation software for 386/486-based PCs.

The company has also introduced AutoVision, a still-rendering
software product with photorealistic image quality that operates
within AutoCAD release 12 for DOS. The company has also announced a
bundling deal involving its flagship AutoCAD release 12 for DOS
computer-aided design (CAD) package, and 3D Studio release 3, called
the Visualization Power Pack (VPP).

According to the company, 3D Studio is used by design professionals
in all fields. The new version includes more than 200 new features,
including network rendering, workstation-quality rendering and a
list of lighting, modeling and animation enhancements.

Autodesk is offering free upgrades in the US for users who purchased
3D Studio release 2 between August 1 and October 4, 1993. Owners of
previous 3D Studio versions can upgrade for $497.

Announcing the new version, Bob Bennett, senior product manager for
3D Studio, said: "In addition to the more than 200 new features in
release 3, we've expanded the product's ability to work with plug-in
(IPAS) effects from independent application developers, as well as
completely overhauling the World-Creating Toolkit CD-ROM that's
included in the box."

The company says that IPAS stands for the four general types of
external processes -- image processing, procedural modeling, animated
stand-ins, and solid textures - that could be created in 3D Studio
release 2.

According to the company, release 3 offers "many new sophisticated
types of IPAS support" within two general areas: keyframe (.KXP) and
bitmap (.BXP) processes.

The World-Creating Toolkit CD-ROM included with version 3 is
claimed to be an expanded source of 3D objects and textures. The
company claims that its contents were carefully chosen to complement
the capabilities of 3D Studio. A variety of artistic materials and
tools are featured, including: texture maps, models, fonts, and
samples of 3D Studio creations.

Autodesk 3D Studio release 3 requires an IBM 386/486/Pentium-based
PC or compatibles equipped with MS-DOS 3.3 or later, eight megabytes
(MB) of RAM, a hard disk, a Super VGA device, a math co-processor
and a Microsoft- or SummaSketch-compatible pointing device.

Autodesk 3D Studio release 3 software is now shipping, and
carries a suggested list price of $2,995.

AutoVision is billed as an AutoCAD Development System (ADS)
application, designed to help AutoCAD users produce high-impact
images and conceptual renderings. The software reportedly combines
"exceptional rendering speed with high quality and precise control
of image details." AutoVision carries a suggested retail price of
$795 and will ship in October.

Said Jack Strange, director of marketing for Autodesk Multimedia:
"The visualization needs of the typical AutoCAD customer continue
to increase, and in any CAD-related field, photorealistic rendering
is becoming a real competitive advantage. AutoVision will enable
AutoCAD customers to achieve very high image quality within AutoCAD,
and then migrate to 3D Studio as their needs grow to include
animation."

AutoVision rendering reportedly occurs entirely within AutoCAD
and rendering information is saved to the AutoCAD .DWG file.
AutoVision software works with a range of video displays, from
VGA to Truecolor and can output to screen or file at any resolution
on 8-, 16-, 24- or 32-bit devices.

AutoVision features include: a materials editor; procedural
materials; a sun locator; lighting control; and compatibility with
AutoCAD & 3D Studio release 3.

AutoVision runs within AutoCAD release 12 for DOS (386/486),
and requires an IBM 386- or 486-based PC with MS-DOS 3.3 or
later, 8MB of RAM, a VGA display, a math co-processor, an AutoCAD-
supported pointing device and one 1.2MB, 5.25-inch floppy disk
drive or one 1.44 MB, 3.5-inch floppy-disk drive. It will ship in
October priced at $795.

The company has also announced a bundling promotion that includes
AutoCAD release 12 for DOS and 3D Studio release 3. Called the
Visualization Power Pack (VPP), the bundle is available immediately
for $4,995, a reported savings of $1,750 off the suggested retail
price if purchased separately.

(Ian Stokell/19931004/Press Contact: Garth Chouteau,
415-491-8853, AutoDesk Inc.)


(NEWS)(IBM)(TOR)(00028)

IBM, Philips Sign Optical Drive Development Deal 10/04/93
SAN JOSE, CALIFORNIA, U.S.A., 1993 OCT 4 (NB) -- IBM's Storage
Systems Division and Philips Consumer Electronics' Key Modules Group
will work together to build small optical disk drives, the companies
have announced.

IBM and Philips also unveiled the first fruits of their agreement: a
3.5-inch, rewritable magneto-optical drive in a one-inch-high
casing. The IBM Model MTA-3127 stores 127 megabytes (MB) of data on
a removable disk.

Victor Jipson, optical products manager for IBM Storage Systems,
said that the MTA-3127 is likely to be used for archival storage
such as backup, for high-security situations where users want to
remove their data from their computers when they are not in use, and
for applications such as desktop publishing and prepress work in
which large amounts of removable storage are called for.

Officials claimed the new drive is the lightest of its type at 17
ounces (481 grams) and has the lowest power consumption in the
industry at 4.3 watts. The low power consumption also means reduced
cooling requirements, Jipson said.

IBM will sell the device to original equipment manufacturers
starting in the fourth quarter of this year. Evaluation units are
available now at $595, the company said. Jipson added that IBM also
plans to incorporate the drives into its own computer systems.

Philips has no immediate plans to sell the new drive itself, said
Hoss Vozorgzad, vice-president of marketing for the company's Key
Modules Group, but the partners will consider different marketing
channels as appropriate.

The two companies have been working together on the initial product
since early last year, Jibson said. They plan additional products in
the future, likely including even smaller drives, but will not
discuss details at present.

According to Jipson, the agreement brings together Philips' strength
in optical storage -- the company invented compact disk technology -
- with IBM's strong position in 3.5-inch optical drives.

Development is being carried out in Eindhoven, The Netherlands,
by Philips, and by IBM in Fujisawa, Japan. The drives will be
manufactured in Japan and Belgium for the time being at least,
said Arned Verweij, general manager of Philips Key Modules Group.

(Grant Buckler/19931004/Press Contact: Carol Keslar, IBM,
408-256-9451; Lisa Ritter, GCI Group for Philips, 213-930-0811)


(NEWS)(APPLE)(LAX)(00029)

 ****Grayscale, Networking & Fonts On New Mac Printer Drivers 10/04/93
CUPERTINO, CALIFORNIA, U.S.A., 1993 OCT 4 (NB) -- New printer driver
software for the Apple Stylewriter and the Personal Laserwriter LS
printers has been released from the Imaging Products Division of
Apple Computer. The StyleWriter and Personal LaserWriter LS Printer
Driver Update provides capabilities for grayscale printing for
images such as halftone images, printer sharing on a network, and a
new selection of Truetype fonts.

Printing halftone images is now available for Macintosh 68020 and
above systems without the expense of purchasing an additional or
more expensive laser printer. Apple's new printer driver enhances
printing by providing up to 100 levels of gray for sharper image
quality and users can simply select the grayscale option in the
print dialogue box, Apple said.

Sharing of Stylewriter and Personal Laserwriter LS printers can now
be accomplished with other systems on a Localtalk or Ethertalk
network via the new printer software, Apple maintains. The printer
may be selected using the Chooser function and the new software can
now better manage background printing, allow users to display print
status, and delete print jobs in progress.

To top it off, 39 scalable Truetype fonts are included with the
new printer driver as well, Apple added.

Apple says the Update offers Stylewriter and Personal
Laserwriter LS users capabilities that were previously only
available in Apple's Postscript-based laser printers and its
newest Grayshare-based printers, without losing their
investment in their current printers.

The StyleWriter and Personal LaserWriter LS Printer Driver Update is
retail priced at $49.95 and is available now through the Apple
Catalog. More information is available toll-free from the Apple USA
Customer Assistance Center for US customers. Customers outside the
US are encouraged to contact their local Apple representative.

(Linda Rohrbough/19931004/Press Contact: Katie Nosbisch, Regis
McKenna for Apple Computer, tel [phone], fax [phone];
Apple USA Customer Assistance Center, 800-776-2333)


(NEWS)(GENERAL)(DEL)(00030)

SDRC Announces Plans To Invest In India 10/04/93
NEW DELHI, INDIA, 1993 OCT 4 (NB) -- Structural Dynamics Research
Corporation (SDRC), has announced plans to make significant
investments in India over the next three to four years.

Initially, plans call for the $200 million company to concentrate
its efforts on providing support and services to its customers in
South and South-East Asian countries (including Japan) from India,
explained Tony Tolani, the company's vice president.

"Later, the firm may also set up a base in India to do some basic
research for future software development," he said, adding that, at
present, this area accounts for the largest component (over a third)
of the company's sales.

Tolani said that he also plans to recruit Indian software engineers
for the first phase of the project. These engineers will be trained
abroad, he said, in order to gain experience in handling SDRC's
current range of software packages.

According to Tolani, the main advantage of having a base in India is
"the availability of good quality and inexpensive engineers."

Because of this, the firm is even planning to set up a software
research centre in India. But that project, he explained, will take
another five years to come to fruition.

"Once we find people who can be familiarized with the technology it
involves, we will definitely think along these lines," he said.

(C. T. Mahabharat/19931004)