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/NB112993

Text File | 1993-11-29 | 79KB | 1,694 lines

(NEWS)(GENERAL)(HKG)(00001)

Fast Ethernet Alliance Well Received In Hong Kong 11/29/93
WANCHAI, HONG KONG, 1993 NOV 29 (NB) -- In response to demands for
high-speed networking solutions, the industry coalition known as the
Fast Ethernet Alliance recently announced the first Fast Ethernet
specification that will provide customers with interoperable
products.

Known as 100Base-X, the newly completed specification addresses
100Mbps (megabits per second) Ethernet running over two pairs of
Category 5 unshielded twisted pair (UTP), shielded twisted pair
(STP) and fibre optic cabling.

The 100Base-X specification was jointly developed by the members of
the Fast Ethernet Alliance which includes SynOptics Communications,
Sun Microsystems and 3Com, as well as a number of third party
computer and computer networking vendors. It is the first offering
from the Fast Ethernet Alliance since its inception in August 1993
as a multi-vendor effort committed to providing customers with open,
cost-effective and interoperable Fast Ethernet solutions.

"Interoperability is the key to providing a solution that allows
customers to migrate seamlessly to Fast Ethernet technology,"
explained Peter Woo, General Manager, North Asia for SynOptics
Communications.

"The completion of this specification is a significant step towards
an industry standard for Fast Ethernet," he said.

Mary Theis, Marketing Manager for Sun Microsystems Hong Kong office,
views the announcement as an important milestone in the development
of larger, more powerful client-server computing networks.

"We are approaching a time where processing is becoming so widely
distributed that the network will effectively become the computer,"
she said. "Technologies like Fast Ethernet will supply the huge
bandwidths that future applications such as multimedia will need."

"The announcement of this specification will provide users with the
assurance that as they implement high-speed, 100Mbps links within
their systems, they are investing in an open and upgradable
solution," she said.

At 3Com, Asia Regional Managing Director Roy Johnson said that the
new specifications meant a new base from which a new networking
industry would blossom. "Next year will see 3Com rolling out a
complete range of Fast Ethernet hubs and network adapters," he said.

"With the rapid progress being made to formalise this standard,
customers will be able to start migrating their networks to our new
high-performance platforms secure in the knowledge they are buying
into industry-wide interoperability," he added.

"What's more, the Fast Ethernet Alliance specification preserves all
the essential characteristics of Ethernet, which means that
customers do not have to make changes to the applications to enjoy
this forklift boost to network performance," he explained.

(Keith Cameron/19931129/Press Contacts: Peter Woo (SynOptics): 852-
878 1021 Mary Theis (Sun): 852-802 4188 Roy Johnson (3Com) : 852-868
9111)


(NEWS)(GENERAL)(HKG)(00002)

Sun CEO Scott McNealy Meets Hong Kong Industry Leaders 11/29/93
WANCHAI, HONG KONG, 1993 NOV 29 (NB) -- Scott McNealy, Chairman of
the Board and Chief Executive Officer of Sun Microsystems, recently
held a series of meetings about global computing trends with several
leading Hong Kong companies, and key government officials. The visit
to Hong Kong is part of a two-week tour of Asia by McNealy and most
of Sun's senior management team.

During his meetings with Asian business leaders, McNealy discussed
the important role of open technologies, such as Sun's
SPARC/Solaris, in the creation of client-server environments.

Asia is quickly embracing this worldwide computing trend, in which
networks of workstations and servers are replacing the older
mainframe/terminal computing model. "Asia has the world's fastest-
growing economies and its computer industry growth is 40 per cent
greater than the US market," said McNealy.

"Unlike their counterparts in the US, Japan and Europe, companies
operating in these markets aren't burdened with mainframe models of
computing but can quickly adopt the cost-effective client-server
computing trend," he added.

McNealy said that he is personally meeting with the industry leaders
"who will be driving this growth in the coming years to seek out new
opportunities that will be a win/win for Sun and local Asian
economies."

McNealy is also trade chairman of the Computer Systems Policy
Project (CSPP), an organisation of 13 CEOs of the largest US
computer companies committed to develop and impact US public policy
on technology trade issues.

In this capacity, he met with Asian industry and government trade
officials and address the realities of global competition in the
computer industry and focus on the need for policies that will allow
US computer companies to share and leverage technology with Asian
companies for mutual benefit.

According to regional research organisations, Sun controls over 40
per cent of the workstation/server market in Asia, and is ranked
number one in Hong Kong, PRC and Korea. Sun's local offices are in
Singapore, Korea, PRC, Taiwan, Hong Kong and its business spans 13
countries.

Sun products have been applied to a variety of Asian industry
markets such as banking, transportation, government, finance,
manufacturing, oil/gas, education, and telecommunications.

(Keith Cameron/19931129/Press Contact: Mary Theis (Sun): 852-802
4188)


(NEWS)(GENERAL)(DEL)(00003)

Infosys Unveils Motor Control Software 11/29/93
NEW DELHI, INDIA, 1993 NOV 29 (NB) -- Bangalore-based Infosys
Technologies Limited (ITL) and US-based Analog Devices Incorporated
(ADI) have announced a joint venture to launch Gamana, a software
package capable of making AC (alternating current) induction motors
achieve high performance with variable speed.

Traditionally, induction motors have had only a small "window" of
top performance where speed is concerned. If the speed is too low,
then the induction forces required frequently drain much of the
electrical power. If the speed is too high, other forces start to
drain the electrical power prematurely.

While the software was developed by Infosys, ADI supplied the
digital signal processing (DSP) chips. Newsbytes understands that
Gamana will be marketed in the US by ADI, while Infosys will get
royalties on sales. ADI and Infosys jointly own the patents and
trademarks on the product.

According to ADI, Gamana provides motion control engineers with a
development system comparable to those which computer system
designers have been using for years. The package claims to reduce
the complexity of implementing vector control (a system for
dynamically controlling the speed and torque of AC induction and DC
brushless motors by controlling magnetic fields).

Gamana VT, the first phase of the development tool kit, allows
designers to run motor simulations on PCs. This, ADI claims, gives
them an understanding of the principles and methods involved in
vector control.

Under the second phase of the tool kit, system designers can develop
their own control architecture and simulate the results of the
benchmark control systems in real-time with a motor model of the DSP
development system.

The idea behind introducing a PC to the development mix is to hook up
a power inverter and motor to test the robustness and performance of
the control system.

In the third and final phase of the toolkit's usage, the software
that has been developed under phase two is targeted to the DSP and
an erasable programmable read only memory (EPROM) chip with the
appropriate chipset. After this stage has been completed, the system
can be moved into production without further delay.

The motor control chipset is based on ADSP 21XX and AD 2S 100 with
embedded Gamana software. The motion control development system
includes PC add-on boards that actually control the motor and a PC-
based software that could be downloaded from the host development
system.

According to ADI, Gamana's development took 15 man years of effort.
The project also involved the Bangalore-based Indian Institute of
Science (IISc), as well as ADI and Infosys. The IISc was ably to
offer support on issues relating to vector control.

According to Nandan Nilekani, ITL's deputy managing director, Gamana
is mainly pitched at the AC induction motor marketplace. Nilekani
claims that the motor control market in the US is worth between $162
and $243 million, a figure which is expected to rise to $2,000 to
$3,000 million by the end of the decade.

ADI and Infosys are now in the process of adding on more features to
Gamana. Features like rotor time compensation, sensorless control
and PMSM control are expected to be incorporated by 1994.

(C. T. Mahabharat/19931129)


(NEWS)(TELECOM)(TYO)(00004)

Matsushita & NEC Provide Music Services Online 11/29/93
TOKYO, JAPAN, 1993 NOV 29 (NB) -- Matsushita Electric has started
selling music CDs and video cassette tapes through its online
computer network. NEC, meanwhile, has gone one step further by
allowing users to download music files over its PC-VAN service/

The idea behind the Matsushita service is that subscribers can order
cassettes and CDs for delivery by mail. Because of the interactive
nature of the online services, customers can download information
and graphics relevant to their purchase, before choosing to buy the
product. In theory, it should also be possible to supply excerpts
from albums for subscribers to download and play on suitably
equipped PCs.

The Matsushita service costs 500 yen ($5) a month to subscribe to.
The NEC service, meanwhile, involves the transmission of MIDI data
over PC-VAN, NEC's Japanese online network, for downloading and
playing on MIDI-equipped PCs and musical instruments.

Subscribers to PC-VAN are able to choose which music files they wish
to download from comprehensive lists. Initially, around 300 titles
are available, with around 100 new titles being added every month.
NEC claims it wants to see at least 2,000 titles online by the end
of 1994.

The cost of downloading a set of MIDI files has been set at 350 yen
($3-50) per title. NEC expects that around 10,000 users will sign up
for the service.

(Masayuki "Massey" Miyazawa/19931129/Press Contact: Matsushita
Electric, [phone], Fax, [phone], NEC, PC-VAN, +81-
3-3798-6511, Fax, [phone])


(NEWS)(GENERAL)(LON)(00005)

Mannesmann Tally Launches Postscript Laser w/Appletalk 11/29/93
LONDON, ENGLAND, 1993 NOV 29 (NB) -- Mannesmann Tally (MT) has
announced the availability of the T9005PS, a five pages per minute
Postscript language compatible laser printer. The average buy price
(MT does not publish RRPs) of the unit is UKP 769, which the company
claims is inexpensive, given the fact that its is compatible with
PCs and Apple Macs, thanks to the inclusion of an Appletalk
interface.

According to MT, the 300 dots per inch (DPI) printer comes with its
own Microsoft Windows driver and, as well as being Postscript
language compatible, has PCL 5, Epson and IBM printer emulations
built in as integral features.

Serial and parallel ports are standard on the printer, with data
being accepted from several sources thanks to the auto interface
switching facility. The printer also features an auto emulation
protocol system for ease of use.

MT claims that the unit has been designed for a 3,000 pages per
minute office environment, but is capable of a maximum of 10,000
pages per month. The single developer unit has been designed to last
up to 15,000 copies, and is refillable with toner every 2,800 pages.
This makes the printer cost-effective and environmentally sound, MT
officials claim.

(Steve Gold/19931129/Press & Public Contact: Mannesmann Tally - Tel:
[phone])


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

Page Financial Controller Upgraded For Europe 11/29/93
SEATON, DEVON, ENGLAND, 1993 NOV 29 (NB) -- Software Resource has
unveiled a full Intrastat option for its popular Page Financial
Controller accountancy package. The Intrastat facility claims to boost
the package's ability to handle European value added tax
arrangements.

Page Financial Controller (PFC) was first launched three years ago
and, the company claims. was designed to develop to provide a low=-
cost, highly reliable and fully integrated accounts package
specifically for the small to medium-sized business. The initial
single currency option was followed by a multi-currency, the company
said.

The Intrastat facility, Newsbytes notes, claims to have all
facilities and features necessary to generate the information needed
to complete the VAT return form 100; the EC sales lists (ESL) form
101 and the supplementary statistical declarations (SSDs).

Hilary Briers, a spokeswoman for Software Resource, said that Page
Financial Controller provides fully integrated accounting between
sales, purchase, nominal and stock ledgers. Its design, she said, is
such that there is no degradation of performance as usage increases
-- Software Resource's parent company, Shareware Publishing, use
the package themselves for their 50,000 customers and 200,000-plus
transactions a year.

The single currency version of PFC starts at UKP 199, while the
multi-currency edition costs UKP 299. Multi-user licences are
available.

(Steve Gold/19931129/Press & Public Contact: Software Resource -
Tel: [phone])


(NEWS)(GOVT)(WAS)(00007)

US Economy Shows Continuing Growth 11/29/93
WASHINGTON, DC, U.S.A., 1993 NOV 29 (NB) -- Because the overall
level of business activity has a great bearing on computer sales in
general, Newsbytes often takes note of important financial events
which may not seem to have a direct relationship to the industry and
last week was no exception as the US Durable Goods orders numbers
surged a very strong 2-percent, while jobless numbers increased only
slightly.

Durable goods are those products, such as refrigerators and
automobiles, that are designed to last several years and their sales
are a good indication of the strength of the economy because they
are big ticket items which many families won't invest in unless they
have some reasonable confidence that their finances will improve.

This month's strong increase in Durable Goods orders follows several
months growth in the numbers, indicating a strengthening trend in
the economy and not just a one-time uptick in the numbers.

Newsbytes notes that jobless numbers were slightly worse, with new
claims climbing a meager 1,000, while the unemployment trend has
been showing a steady improvement.

(John McCormick/19931129)


(NEWS)(APPLE)(WAS)(00008)

English Language Talmud On CD-ROM 11/29/93
WASHINGTON, DC, U.S.A., 1993 NOV 29 (NB) -- While the Bible and
related religious documents have long been available in electronic
format, the massive, 5,000-page Talmud containing Judaic law and
commentary, has not been widely available. Now, Chicago, Illinois-
based Davka, in cooperation with the Institute for Computers in
Jewish Life, has published English and Hebrew versions of the Talmud
on an Apple Mac-compatible CD-ROM.

Besides making the documents more widely available, the electronic
version of the Talmud, which includes Rashi's commentary in Hebrew,
as well as the respected Soncino English translation in addition to
the original Hebrew, is also fully indexed. The company claim that
this allows the programs to be searched electronically using a bi-
lingual search engine using just a word or two.

Both versions of the text can be displayed simultaneously and
scrolled together and there is also a topic index as well as the
full-text search capabilities.

The Macintosh CD-ROM is priced at $299.

(John McCormick/19931129/Press Contact: Davka - 312-465-4070)


(NEWS)(UNIX)(LAX)(00009)

More On The Sunsoft/Next Deal 11/29/93
SAN FRANCISCO, CALIFORNIA, U.S.A., 1993 NOV 29 (NB) -- Former rivals
Sunsoft and Nextstep announced a series of agreements which the
companies say will have two basic ramifications. One is to attempt
to gain industry-wide adoption of Next's Nextstep object-oriented
architecture by freely publishing the application programming
interfaces (APIs) and the other is the purchase by Sunsoft of
Nextstep's object-oriented technology for incorporation into Sun's
Solaris system software.

Next has been praised for its object-oriented technology for custom
application development. The open API is being called "Openstep" and
Next representatives said that the company is "...trying to provide
the industry an alternative to Microsoft's Cairo."

Cairo is the internal code name for the next generation graphical
operating system being developed at Microsoft.

Newsbytes understands that Sunsoft has essentially purchased the
object-oriented technology, including the Common Object Request
Broker Architecture (COBRA), from the Nextstep 3.2 operating system
for a $10 million minority share in Next Computing. In addition,
Next has agreed to move Nextstep to Sun's Sparc architecture.

Next Computing, started by former Apple Computer co-founder Steve
Jobs, claims that, while it is true that it used to have a strong
foothold in the academic community, it is now stronger in the
financial services, healthcare, telecommunications, and government
markets.

Next dropped the manufacture of its own hardware platform earlier
this year and developed a version of its operating system for Intel
80486- and Pentium-based PCs which started shipping this summer. Sun
is a leading hardware vendor in the Unix community.

Industry analysts, such as those from International Data Corporation
(IDC) are saying that Unix vendors such as Next and Sun have much to
fear in the next 18 to 24 months from Microsoft in the form of the
graphical Windows NT and Cairo operating systems.

By freely licensing the Nextstep API, the companies are hoping the
market will adopt and standardize on the object-oriented technology
offered, instead of continuing to waiting for technology from
Microsoft.

(Linda Rohrbough/19931129/Press Contact: Karen Andre, Sunsoft,
415-336-3890; Karen Logston, Next Computing, tel [phone],
fax [phone])


(NEWS)(IBM)(LAX)(00010)

UCLA Storyboarding Course To Use Autodesk 3D Studio 11/29/93
SAUSALITO, CALIFORNIA, U.S.A., 1993 NOV 29 (NB) -- Autodesk has
announced that the University of California at Los Angeles (UCLA)
will be the first to offer publicly available courses in a non-
degree program for film and television script previsualization, also
known as storyboarding, using its 3D Studio Release 3 software
product.

The courses, aimed at professionals in the animation, videography,
and motion picture industries, are entitled entitled "Computer
Animation and Storyboarding with 3D Studio: Parts I and II" and are
planned for the upcoming Winter and Spring curriculums. The focus is
to learn the fundamentals of 3D Studio and then to apply those
fundamentals in film and television previsualization.

The courses will be taught by Nancy Fulton, a computer aided design
(CAD) and animation instructor and Frank Foster, vice president of
previsualization at the in-house visual effects unit of Sony
Pictures.

Autodesk has donated copies of its Animator Pro, Autocad, and other
software products for use with the copies of 3D Studio Release 3
purchased by UCLA at a discount through a special educational
account program.

To help students find work, Autodesk and UCLA Extension are also
cooperating on the development of a "talent bank" service for those
who successfully complete one or both of the 3D Studio workshops.
Prospective employers in the entertainment industry will receive the
names of students who have requested to be contacted for possible
employment opportunities.

The two courses can be taken separately at a cost of $495 and $545,
respectively, but the combined tuition for the two courses is less
at $995. The courses will be taught at UCLA Extension Center on
Universal Citywalk in Universal City, California and more
information and a catalog is available from the UCLA Extension.

(Linda Rohrbough/19931129/Press Contact: Garth Chouteau, Autodesk,
415-491-8853; Richard Macales, UCLA Extension, tel [phone],
fax [phone]; Public Contact, UCLA Extension, 310-825-9064,
Autodesk, 800-879-4233)


(NEWS)(IBM)(SYD)(00011)

Australian Bulletin Boards Hit In Anti-Piracy Crackdown 11/29/93
SYDNEY, AUSTRALIA, 1993 NOV 29 (NB) -- The Business Software
Association of Australia (BSAA) has been busy looking after its
member's rights. In particular, the not-for-profit organization has
been investigating certain bulletin board systems (BBS) in Australia
that it accuses of illegally distributing copyright software.

Proceedings have been filed in the Federal Court of Australia
against Jarrard Webb, operator of the Cove bulletin board in
Adelaide and against Gareth Morgan, operator of Terminal Velocity
bulletin board in Melbourne. The applicants in the action against
Cove were Aldus Software, Autodesk and Microsoft. The applicants
against Terminal Velocity were Autodesk, Lotus Development,
Microsoft and WordPerfect.

Newsbytes understands that Anton Pillar court orders were served
simultaneously on November 10 against the two BBSs. The orders
allowed BSAA companies' representatives to enter the premises of
the two men operating the two BBSs and to search for and seize
computer disks, tapes and documents relating to the allegedly
illegal distribution of their software. The Federal government gave
interim orders restraining Webb and Morgan from illegally copying or
distributing the applicants' software.

The court also made orders requiring Webb to deliver up to the
applicants' solicitors all computers, disks and tapes in his
possession and to file an affidavit giving the names, addresses and
telephone numbers of any BBS operator or other sources from which he
obtained copies of the applicants' software.

On Friday, 26 November, in the Federal Court of Australia in Sydney,
permanent restraining orders were granted against Morgan as part of
the settlement in the case. He agreed to pay substantial damages
(the amount is confidential) and to have equipment confiscated.

The case against Webb, meanwhile, continues, with the court granting
the applicants leave to file contempt of court charges against Webb
and his wife Reneta for failing to comply with the court requests
for information.

The BSAA said it has been investigating Australian BBSs for almost
12 months now and expects more action to be taken. The BSAA claims
that it has intercepted warning messages on the BBS networks.

One reads, in part:

"Some of you are aware that some boards in Melbourne and South
Australia have been busted or have closed down of their own accord.
The authorities have been looking for business software such as
Microsoft products, AutoCAD, WordPerfect, etc. Currently Victoria
and South Australia are under investigation, but this could spread."

(Paul Zucker/19931129/Contact: BSAA on phone [phone] or fax
[phone])


(NEWS)(TELECOM)(SYD)(00012)

Telecom Australia Launches Public Phone For Hearing Impaired 11/29/93
SYDNEY, AUSTRALIA, 1993 NOV 29 (NB) -- Australia's prime telephone
carrier has a number of specialised payphones which cater for people
with special needs, but never before did it offer a phone for people
who are hearing impaired. Now Telecom has unveiled the TTY payphone,
a text/modem terminal-equipped payphone that allows users to
interact with other TTY phone units.

Similar TTY payphones were installed recently in London, Newsbytes
notes. The phones double up as ordinary payphones, but, when
required, can be set up to function as text phones for ASCII-based
communications.

In a sign language presentation in Sydney last week, Colin Allen,
the president of the Australian Association of the Deaf said: "The
communication requirements of people in Australia who are deaf are
often overlooked. Telecom has recognised the need to provide public
payphones for people with special requirements and the TTY payphone
will greatly assist our members and give them the opportunity to
communicate while they are away from home."

Telecom now has a Payphone Access Policy which refers to all people
who may currently have difficulty using payphones, including people
who use wheelchairs or walking aids; who suffer from impaired
vision or hearing; or with language or reading difficulties.

Telecom claims to be developing a standard for future designs of
payphones to ensure that they will include facilities to accommodate
people with special needs. The majority of existing payphones
already have hearing aid couplers, volume control and touch-pad
dialling, automatic dialling once a phonecard is inserted (these can
be programmed for use at any phonecard phone) and many allow access
to wheelchairs and walking frames.

Chris Wilkinson of Telecom's Payphone Services, said that the TTY
payphone is one of the first initiatives of the policy and ease of
use, suitability of location and effectiveness of the calling guide
were some of the key considerations in the design process.

According to Wilkinson, all deaf and hearing impaired people in the
area near the first TTY payphone have been offered $5 phone cards so
they can try the new service.

The TTY payphone works like this:

The user places the handset in a cradle, inserts a phonecard and
dials the number of another TTY phone. A signal light indicates if
the called number is busy or ringing.

Once the call is answered, a drawer under the payphone opens to
reveal a keyboard and screen. If a hearing person answers, they can
be alerted to connect the TTY system at their end by pressing a
button. This activates a recorded explanation.

The caller conducts a conversation using the keyboard and screen.
TTY phone etiquette requires users to type "GA" to indicate that it
is the other person's turn to 'talk'. "SK" indicates that the call
is over. After the call, when the handset is replace, the drawer
closes.

(Paul Zucker/19931129/Contact: Colleen Duffy, Telecom Australia
Payphone Services on phone [phone])


(NEWS)(BUSINESS)(WAS)(00013)

Intelligent Electronics 3rd Quarter Dividends Up 100 Percent 11/29/93
WASHINGTON, DC, U.S.A., 1993 NOV 29 (NB) -- Intelligent Electronics,
the Exton, Pennsylvania-based computer product and services
distributor, has reported strong third-quarter results, led by a 40
percent revenue increase which, combined with marketing
efficiencies, resulted in a 92 percent increase in earnings.

Intelligent Electronics has a network of more than 1,800 resellers
who brought the company $675.9 million in sales for the third
quarter of fiscal year 1993 (ended October, 30) versus only $484.1
million gross sales for the same period in 1992, but more
importantly, income for the quarter was $10.9 million or 30-cents
per share, verses $5.7 million or only 15-cents per share for the
third quarter last year.

By offering popular new services and using strict cost controls, the
company was able to grow earnings more than twice as fast as sales.
For fiscal year 1993 year-to-date, Intelligent Electronics has
achieved an overall 84 percent increase in earnings over the first
three quarters of FY 92, but sales revenues increased only 32
percent.

According to Richard D. Sanford, the company's chief executive
officer, a major reason for the improvement has been a new financing
arrangement for resellers.

(John McCormick/19931129/Press Contact: W. Evelyn Walker,
Intelligent Electronics, 215-458-6668)


(NEWS)(BUSINESS)(WAS)(00014)

Japan Stock Market Plunges - Result? Reduced Imports 11/29/93
WASHINGTON, DC, U.S.A., 1993 NOV 29 (NB) -- A continuing and
apparently accelerating drop in the Tokyo Stock Market's Nikkei
Average has brought uncertainty to exporters wishing to sell into
the Japanese market and calls for the government to intervene in a
major way to end what has become a 25 percent drop in stock values
since September.

Although international markets have shrugged off the Tokyo problems,
many countries, including the US, have been looking to Japan to
increase imports and help spur the world economy, something which
is unlikely to happen during a recession.

Sony, almost alone among the high-tech stocks was almost untouched
in Monday (Tokyo time) trading, dropping only a minute 0.0008
percent, but major microchip and computer maker NEC plunged more
than 11 percent in one day and NTT, the Japan Telephone Company
approximately equivalent to AT&T, fell more than 7 percent on
Monday.

These domestic pressures will inevitably lead the Japanese
government and business communities to concentrate even more on
exports, the only strong part of the economy, and reduce their
imports further, not helping -- and possibly hurting -- the world
economy.

Analysts say that, despite the high Japanese consumer savings
rate, the government, even with its massive reserves of money on
deposit with the Post Office (Japanese families often save money
through the Post Office rather than their banks), can't stimulate
the economy, support the tottering Japan-based international and
domestic banks, and buy stocks all at the same time.

Many observers saw this entire year's run up in the Tokyo stock
market as being due to heavy government investment just prior to
the year's end closing of financial books at the major banks,
many of which were badly hit by the tremendous fall in the value
of Japan and especially Tokyo's real estate markets where they
were also heavily invested.

The only bright point in the international trade picture as concerns
Japan was today's suggestion that the Tokyo government, after last
week pushing through some campaign financing reforms, was about to
agree to allow some rice imports, only a small percentage starting
about 4 percent and eventually rising to 8 percent.

Observers see this as having an important impact on the vital
Uruguay Round General Agreement on Tariffs and Trade (GATT) talks
where the major hurdle to lowering international trade barriers is
the French government's fear of reaction from their powerful (and
highly aggressive) farmers who enjoy a high level of subsidies.

(John McCormick/19931129)


(EDITORIAL)(GENERAL)(WAS)(00015)

EDITORIAL: Christmas Shopping Don'ts 11/29/93
WASHINGTON, DC, U.S.A., 1993 NOV 29 (NB) -- Although computer owners
aged from 5 through 80 will probably enjoy getting an interesting
game or entertainment program geared to their interests, there are
some pitfalls that could lead many buyers to spend $50 or even more
for what appears to be a great gift, only to see the recipient's
happy smile quickly fade as they read the minimum requirements to
run the software.

The general quality level of computer games has risen
dramatically since the days since this writer wrote a game column
for the small Tandy-oriented PCM Magazine. Many of those early games
were text-based, while CGA was the top-of-the-line when it came to
graphics. Some games were a bit on the basic side, but in some ways
I wish those days could return.

You see, back then every game I received would run on one or more
of my basic home-type computers. Many were innovative, all were
somewhat fun and perfectly suitable for some computer users,
while a few were fantastic considering that they came on a
maximum of about three 360K floppy diskettes.

Today's games offer complex graphics, sophisticated simulations,
and stereo sounds (I have one that comes on three CD-ROMs!), but
they pay a heavy penalty for that sophistication by being
incompatible with the vast majority of home computers and even a
lot of business-grade systems.

Let's take a look at a couple of games I have here for testing. I
have no complaint about the quality, sophistication, complexity,
or entertainment value of these programs, but I bet a lot of
disappointed kids and adults will open them up on Christmas only
to find that they require several thousand dollars worth of
computer to run, and that their home system won't come near being
able to even load them.

Spectrum Holobyte's National Lampoon Chess Maniac promises "Great
laughs and great chess" in sick, nasty, and sexy play levels. It
also requires 27 megabytes of available hard disk space just to
load, but at least a sound card is optional rather than mandatory.

Consider next the three great Sherlock Holmes Consulting Detective
interactive multimedia games from ICOM. These are fantastic games,
but they won't even load unless they detect a compatible sound
board. Users who have computers with speakers, or those who have
relied on the headphone port on their CD-ROM drives, need not apply.

During the installation I also found that I had to change my boot
files several times to make enough DOS space available to run the
program.

Don't get me wrong, I do this for a living and have a dozen
computers available to try out different software so I am not
lodging any personal complaint and I love most of these hot new
games myself - no, my only point is that parents, grandparents,
and friends who walk into a store looking for just the right
present for a computer owner should probably steer away from
sophisticated software, especially game software.

How many such gift buyers would know the importance of having the
right sound board, or whether the intended recipient has DOS 5 or
DOS 3.11?

Even when you can see the small print on the package, few people
buying for someone else's computer would know it well enough to make
a compatible purchase and it is important to remember that most home
computers have a 386SX (or slower) processor, no sound, 2 MB memory
(or less), and small hard drive along with poor quality monitor, in
other words, one of the entry-level computers sold at Radio Shack.

So don't get carried away with buying computer-oriented presents for
someone who has a computer. Just because you think that knowing
their hobby makes them easy to buy for, that doesn't make it so.

Want a suggestion? Give a gift certificate good at a computer-
oriented store that carries lots of software! Trying to buy computer
books, hardware, supplies, and software is a bad idea unless the
product can be returned or you really know the details of the
recipient's system and needs.

(John McCormick/19931129)


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

Second Generation Ergonomic Keyboard To Ship 11/29/93
BELLEVUE, WASHINGTON, U.S.A., 1993 NOV 29 (NB) -- Kinesis
Corporation has announced it will begin shipping the second
generation of its Kinesis Ergonomic keyboard in early December 1993.

You almost have to see this unique keyboard in order to realize how
it is configured. Physically it is about the same shape as your
current keyboard and contains all the keys you are used to, with a
few additions. For example there are 17 Function keys and one
additional key action to support the international 102-key keyboard.
The specific action of the additional key varies from language to
language.

But the biggest difference is the layout of the board itself. The
keys are still in the traditional QWERTY configuration, but the
keyboard has been divided into two sections, with about six inches
of space between them. Also the keys are set up in a concave
configuration with the depth a little more than a saucer. The
company says that the division of the keys keeps the hands at
shoulder width and reduces the possibility of carpal tunnel
syndrome.

Another feature of the keyboard is a tone that sounds when you
change the state of the caps lock, num lock, scroll lock, keypad and
insert keys. The tone can be disabled. There is also an optional
foot switch that activates the numeric keypad as long as it's held
down. On earlier models the foot switch acted as a toggle to
activate and deactivate the keypad. A second foot switch can be
installed to act as a Shift key.

While the keyboard may look strange, Kinesis says it's easy to get
used to since most of the keys are exactly where you expect them to
be. The company estimates it takes about eight hours to be
completely familiar with the board.

The most difficult changes users will have to adjust to are the
changes in location of the backspace and delete keys and the space
bar. The navigational keys Home, End, PgUp and PgDn now occupy the
area where your thumbs touch the board and are divided between the
left and right sides.

Each side has a Control and Alt key, and the traditional space bar
across the bottom of the keyboard has been replaced by a key grouped
with the right-side navigational keys. That is also where the Enter
key is found.

The Kinesis Ergonomic Keyboard has a suggested retail price of $390,
and the company gives discounts for volume purchases.

(Jim Mallory/19931129/Press contact: Shirley Lunde, Kinesis
Corp, 206-455-9220; Reader contact: Kinesis Corp, 206-455-9220
or 800-454-6374, fax [phone])


(NEWS)(TELECOM)(ATL)(00017)

The Latest from Steve Roberts 11/29/93
SAN DIEGO, CALIFORNIA, U.S.A., 1993 NOV 29 (NB) -- Mobile computing
pioneer Steve Roberts remains in San Diego, working on the
Microship, a sailboat filled with high-tech computing and
communications gadgetry.

Roberts, who gained fame by peddling a bicycle across America
loaded with a Radio Shack Model 100, and later expanded his efforts
into a 350-pound, electronics-loaded recumbent bike called Behemoth,
is now aiming to take mobile computing to the inland waterways of
America.

But that will demand more of his electronics, and that delicate
balance among weight, power, and reliability which all mobile
computing users must deal with everyday. The current "visiting
scholar" at the University of California at San Diego begins with an
appropriate quotation from an anonymous sailor. "You know how to
simulate sailing? Stand in a cold shower and tear up $100 bills."

Taking advantage of over 40 volunteers from the university, Roberts
has remodeled the Microship from a kayak into a "kayacht" -- "a 30-
foot center hull 4' wide at the waterline, 18' overall beam, and
1.5-ton estimated weight." Retained are outriggers which are
"detachable pedal- and paddle-powered double kayaks based on Current
Designs 'Libra' hulls."

"The center hull is being designed by Nelson/Marek, the San Diego
yacht design firm that created the Stars & Stripes catamaran as well
as a number of custom yachts and racers," he writes. "It's not fully
defined yet, but we're dealing with a number of odd concepts that
may make this the Behemoth of multihulls." Behemoth turned into a
powerful electronic machine which was very hard to pedal up-hill.
But change could come quickly.

"None of this exists yet, but we've been working on design concepts
gathering composite materials information, working on frame stress
analysis, and learning boatbuilding techniques. No doubt there are
surprises in store, but that's part of the appeal... think how
boring it would be to just go out and buy a yacht!" he said.

"Incidentally, as we study multihull design an interesting parallel
is becoming apparent: multihulls are to monohulls as recumbent
bicycles are to diamond frames. They're faster, more interesting,
annoying to old-timers, and cover a wide quality range from
exquisite to garbage They both attract wizards and nutcases, leading
to odd alliances against Old Methods; they've both been banned from
traditional sanctioned races after blowing everyone else off the
course. And they are both so undefined that designs have not
converged upon a few established standards, but instead show up in
ever more radical configurations as designers are drawn inevitably
to the challenge of pushing the envelope. In short, both are where
the action is," he added.

But what about the electronics? Roberts is planning to link a dozen
or so Forth 68HC11 processors using a multi-drop networking system
into a network hosted by a single circuit board as a hub. "This
whole network requires so little power that it can stay on most of
the time, and the hub's low-level user interface is a simple 2-line
LCD and keypad," he writes.

"Atop that, however, will be a very robust PC," based on an Intel
chip and Ampro's PC/104 design. "The net effect here is a single
integrated environment for all shipboard electronics, data
collection, power control, navigation, charting, software
development, control network graphic user interface, and so on, he
said."

On the same Ethernet will be a pair of Macintoshes and a PowerBook
Roberts can walk away with, "linked via RF AppleTalk from Digital
Ocean. This will be the work environment for writing, email, video
production, database, and all those things that I use my PowerBook
for right now." The Mac and PC will share a single waterproof
keyboard and pointing device.

"Of course, the Internet connection is critical, and we have put a
Tadpole SPARCbook on the Net here at UCSD with the intent of using
it as a central file server on the Microship and repository for all
the unix networking tools," Roberts adds. Some of the Behemoth
technology, like the audio crossbar assembly, will also be used.

If you want to help Roberts on his way, he's still taking equipment
donations, and money to buy equipment. But he's also taking cash
contributions to defray out-of-pocket expenses. A plaque or other
display on the finished Microship will commemorate your donation,
and you'll get a special t-shirt, still being designed.

(Dana Blankenhorn/19931129/Press Contact: Steve Roberts,
Internet: [e-mail])


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

 ****Experimental, Interactive CD Catalog Debuts From Apple 11/29/93
CUPERTINO, CALIFORNIA, U.S.A., 1993 NOV 29 (NB) -- Apple Computer is
sending 30,000 registered compact disc read-only memory (CD-ROM)
users an experiment in digital catalog shopping on a CD-ROM disc.
Called "En Passant," the new CD offers 21 catalogs from 18 retail
companies as well as interviews and video segments.

The CD is unique as it attempts to maintain the "flavor" of each of
the catalogs it contains. Williams-Sonoma, Tiffany & Co., Pastilles,
LL Beam, The Nature Company, The Apple Catalog, and Pottery Barn are
a few of the catalogs included.

The CD allows the user to choose what to look at, dynamically
formatting the requested information on the fly, even if it is in
several catalogs on the disk, Apple said. One of the most attractive
features of En Passant is the ability for users to take advantage of
the digital information format to get an even better idea of what
the items in the catalog are like. For example, a user can click on
a color swatch for say a dress, and watch the dress actually change
to that color on the model in the picture.

Users can access the information on the CD by looking at individual
catalogs, or by topic, performing a search across the disc and
bringing back information from several catalogs. In addition,
Quicktime videos or audio are also available with certain catalog
items.

The disc includes interviews and articles as well. Video clips of
experts such as management consultant Tom Peters and fashion
consultant Leah Feldon are available for playback. Editorial
selections are taken from publication like The Wall Street Journal
Guide to Understanding Personal Finance and Family Life and range
from financial planning to the 20 best places to drive.

Apple USA Vice President Ian Diery said the company hopes to take
advantage of the growing trend in home shopping, which has increased
over 30 percent since 1988 to $100 billion annually. Television
shopping is the fastest growing segment, but Apple believes
interactive CD-ROM could also play an important role. Diery said
online services were still to immature to offer the kind of visual
information Apple wants users to experience, but CDs could prove to
be an important delivery vehicle.

Inexpensive and fast to produce, CDs as a catalog delivery vehicle
require the user have a CD-ROM drive. Apple has already boasted it
is "seeding" the personal computer (PC) market with the drives in
hopes to help create a market for its CD-ROM-based products.
Analysts say CD-ROM drives are increasing in popularity and 10
million CD-ROM users will be available by 1994.

The main catalog shopper tends to be the young, educated female with
young children, while television shoppers tend to be older females,
according to Steve Franzier director of business development for
Apple's New Media Division. Men are the most frequent users of
online shopping and buy mostly commodity items like airline tickets,
Franzier added. Apple hopes with En Passant it can cut across these
traditional boundaries using CD-ROM.

Franzier said that revenue for the CD, should it survive the test,
will come from catalogs who want to be involved in addition to a
portion of every sale from the catalog, and subscription revenue
from consumers on later CDs. Orders can be tallied while viewing the
CD, but must be delivered by phone to a central 800 number for
tracking, after which the caller is transferred to the retailer of
their choice. Apple implied this might change to a more direct
method like an online connection for electronic order processing.

The backbone behind the project is Redgate Communications,
headquartered in Vera Beach, Florida, who is supplying the funding
for the project. Redgate says it was responsible for initiating the
CD catalog along with Apple, recruiting EDS of Dallas, Texas for the
hardware and systems side, and is supplying the management, market
research, sales, and promotion of the concept.

(Linda Rohrbough/19931129/Press Contact: Bruce Milligan, Redgate
Communications, tel [phone], fax [phone]; Katy Gillin
Boos, Apple Computer, 408-974-2042)


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

IDB Makes New Moves 11/29/93
LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA, U.S.A., 1993 NOV 29 (NB) -- IDB has
followed-up on its move to help troops in Somalia call home by
welcoming that African country back to the world's
telecommunications mainstream.

The company's Worldcom unit told a UN conference on the
rehabilitation of Somalia that it had agreed to provide
international satellite earth stations and phone service to two
private Somali companies, Somaliland Telecom Corp. and North East
Telecom Corp. The earth stations will be installed in Hargeysa, in
Somaliland, and Boassso, in Somalia, by early next month, with
Worldcom handling service starting later in the month.

The company installed its first earth station in November, 1992, for
the UN, and has since provided six more for the US and other
governments participating in Somali relief efforts. Both local
carriers have permission from local governments for their services
and have kept the UN informed of the project throughout its
development.

Rates are expected to be in line with those elsewhere in the
region. IDB's Broadcast unit, meanwhile, signed a five-year deal
with Prime Ticket Network covering its new Spanish-language sports
network, La Cadena Deportiva Prime Ticket, and its San Diego feed.
IDB has provided satellite transmission services to Prime since
1986.

Prime is based in Century City, near Los Angeles. The deal also
includes support for digital compression. The Spanish-language
station began televising 15 hours of programming per day in mid-
November. Prime Ticket, one of the largest regional sports networks,
has more than 4.2 million cable subscribers in Southern California,
Arizona, Nevada and Hawaii. Its San Diego feed includes coverage of
the San Diego Padres baseball club.

(Dana Blankenhorn/19931129/Press Contact: Lori Gutknecht, IDB
Communications, 213-240-3758; Bob Gold, Prime Ticket Network,
310-286-3711; Kim Dewling, IDB Worldcom, 212-478-6185)


(NEWS)(IBM)(BOS)(00020)

 ****First Portable Videoconferencing System Set For 1994 11/29/93
MILPITAS, CALIFORNIA, U.S.A., 1993 NOV 29 (NB) -- Dolch Computer
Systems and GTE Vantage Solutions plan to jointly develop the first
portable videoconferencing system, and to deliver this product in
the fourth quarter of next year.

The new system will combine Dolch's Portable Add-in Computer (PAC)
family of ruggedized 386-, 486-, and Pentium-based portable PCs with
GTE Vantage Solutions' Desktop Video Teleconferencing Systems
(DVTS), a system that provides live video, voice and document
conferencing over switched 56 and Integrated Services Digital
Network (ISDN) telephone services.

Officials expect a DVTS-PAC system with built-in video camera, sound
system and teleconferencing capabilities will weigh about 20 pounds,
and to carry a pricetag of under $20,000.

The document conferencing feature in DVTS permits exchange of
images and graphics, according to the two companies. All of the
conferencing capabilities allow for simultaneous display of
annotations in Microsoft Windows.

In April, 1993, DVTS earned the Gold Award in the corporate
category in NewMedia magazine's InVision 1993 Multimedia Awards
contest. In September, DVTS was named the winner of the Video
Teleconferencing Shootout, a competition co-sponsored by Imaging
and Teleconnect magazines.

Dolch's PAC family of power portable PCs is designed for mobile
applications demanding desktop-like performance and expandability.
The PAC computers have won numerous media awards. The Pentium-
based models, displayed by Dolch at Fall Comdex, are the first
portable PCs to sport Pentium processors, officials said.

(Jacqueline Emigh/19931129/Reader contact: Dolch Computer Systems,
tel [phone]; Press contact: Steve Fritz, Dolch, tel 408-957-
6575)


(NEWS)(APPLE)(DEN)(00021)

Lasermaster Intros High-Volume Ink Color Printer System 11/29/93
MINNEAPOLIS, MINNESOTA, U.S.A., 1993 NOV 29 (NB) -- Lasermaster
Technologies has announced it will soon begin shipping a high-volume
ink delivery system for its Displaymaker Digital Color Printer that
can increase the ink capacity of the system more than 10 times.

The new unit, designated the Big Ink Delivery System, replaces the
Displaymaker's standard 40 milliliter ink-jet cartridge with an
online replenishment system that has a capacity of 440 milliliters
of ink. The system is designed to work with Lasermaster's
proprietary Colormark color management system which manages all the
variables of the printing process by providing specific color
profiles for the ink and a variety of output media.

Each ink pack ships with precisely matched color profiles loaded
onto a Colormark profiler that the user plugs into the Colormark
docking system. Dan Vatland, Lasermaster VP for advanced product
development, says Big Ink users can reduce their consumable costs by
as much as 70 percent and still ensure that they have consistent
color-matching information.

The Displaymaker is an ink-jet printer and multiplatform color
server that prints on roll-fed or cut-sheet paper up to 36 inches
wide and 110-inches long, depending on the software application. The
$19,995 printer connects directly to a user's existing Apple Mac
and/or IBM-compatible computer or computer network without the need
for special font-end hardware and software.

Lasermaster says it will factory install Big Ink if it's ordered
with Displaymaker, or it can be retrofitted by the company's field
technicians. The system has a suggested retail price of $4,995 when
ordered with a Displaymaker Digital Color Printer.

Lasermaster expects to begin shipping the Big Ink system in December
1993. Displaymaker was selected as one of the three finalists for
Byte Magazine's "Best of Show" award at the recently concluded Fall
Comdex computer trade show in Las Vegas.

The company says it will soon open a model "Big Color" Digital
Printing Center in the Minneapolis skyway system in order to help
potential customers evaluate the system.

(Jim Mallory/19931129/Press and reader contact: Lasermaster
Technologies, 612-944-9457)


(NEWS)(GENERAL)(TOR)(00022)

Manufacturing Software Updated, Will Be Released For NT 11/29/93
OTTAWA, ONTARIO, CANADA, 1993 NOV 26 (NB) -- Agra Software has
updated its FastMan manufacturing software, which lets manufacturers
try out possibilities much as a spreadsheet program lets users
experiment with numbers. The company also announced a deal with
Microsoft that will bring the software to that company's new Windows
NT operating system this spring.

FastMan is personal computer software -- currently running on the
DOS operating system -- that can pull manufacturing resource
planning (MRP) data down from a mainframe database and test various
scenarios much more quickly, the company said, than a mainframe
system could.

MRP software deals with planning the raw materials and machine time
needed to manufacture goods. Manufacturers use it to optimize the
use of their resources. Martin Horne, vice-president of customer
services at Agra, said a mainframe MRP system might take 10 hours to
do the calculations that FastMan can do in a few minutes, and
because of that manufacturers who rely on traditional mainframe
systems tend not to experiment with as many possibilities as they
might.

"This is what a financial spreadsheet was to a financial analyst,"
explained John S. Page, general manager of systems integration for
Monenco Agra Inc., a unit of Agra Industries.

An example of the kind of issue FastMan would help with, Horne said,
is replacement of one product line with another. A manufacturer
usually has various parts in inventory. Some of these parts may not
fit in the new products, and thus will be wasted if they are not
used up. On the other hand, the manufacturer may be in a hurry to
begin making the new product because there is strong demand. FastMan
could help work out the optimum point at which to change over.

The software has been on the market about three years. One major
user is Hewlett-Packard -- in fact, Page said, it was a big order
from HP that got FastMan on its feet at a time when Agra was
considering shutting down the then-fledgeling operation.

FastMan is now installed at sites in Singapore, Ireland, and the
United Kingdom, as well as the United States. Ironically, the
Canadian company is hoping soon to announce its first sales in
Canada.

The new Version 3.3 has several added features such as faster cost
roll-ups, automatic end-to-end lead-time calculations, one-button
excess inventory reporting, and The Numbers, an index of 30
individual plan performance measurement factors.

FastMan 3.3 requires a personal computer with a 486 processor, 16
megabytes (MB) of memory, a VGA display, and a mouse. The software
uses four MB of hard disk space. It costs from C$25,000 to C$50,000,
depending on the modules selected.

(Grant Buckler/19931129/Press Contact: Martin Horne, Agra
Software, 613-236-4478, fax [phone])


(NEWS)(BUSINESS)(TOR)(00023)

Computer Associates Announces Buenos Aires Subsidiary 11/29/93
BUENOS AIRES, ARGENTINA, 1993 NOV 29 (NB) -- Computer Associates
International, of Islandia, New York, has set up a wholly owned
subsidiary to serve Argentina, Uruguay, and Paraguay.

Computer Associates de Argentina SA will have between 15 and 20
employees initially and will sell the company's mainframe and
midrange software products to the three countries from its head
office in Buenos Aires, starting on January 1.

Laura Lempe, CA's vice-president of sales, said offices in Uruguay
and Paraguay may be added later, depending on the subsidiary's
success.

All of CA's software sales in the region have gone through an
independent distributor, Buenos Aires-based Conorpe SA. The US
company has now ended its distribution agreement with Conorpe for
mainframe and midrange software, Lempe said, but Conorpe will
continue to sell CA's microcomputer software in the region.

The bulk of the initial staff of Computer Associates de Argentina
will be former Conorpe employees, she added. "We'd like to keep the
people that are technically good with the products."

Computer Associates would not reveal what the company's revenues
have been in the three countries or in South America as a whole. A
company spokesman did say that CA earns about half its total revenue
in the United States and the other half in international markets.
Its revenues in fiscal 1993 were more than $1.8 billion.

The company already has a subsidiary in Brazil. Vincenzo Dragone,
managing director of Computer Associates do Brasil in San Paulo,
will also head the new Argentinian operation.

(Grant Buckler/19931129/Press Contact: Bob Gordon, Computer
Associates, 516-342-2391)


(NEWS)(IBM)(BOS)(00024)

Micro Focus Releases SDK for 32-Bit OS/2 And Windows NT 11/29/93
PALO ALTO, CALIFORNIA, U.S.A., 1993 NOV 29 (NB) -- Micro Focus has
released a software development kit (SDK) for 32-bit IBM OS/2 and
Microsoft Windows NT.

An extension of the company's existing 32-bit product line, which
has focused on Unix up to now, the new SDK allows for creation of
new 32-bit applications, as well as migration of 16-bit OS/2,
Windows and DOS applications to a 32-bit execution environment.

According to MIcrosoft, the new SDK is aimed at removing the
restrictions associated with the 16-bit architecture, such as 64K
system limits and the need for segment-crossing code, officials said
in making the announcement.

Micro Focus expects the greatest benefits to appear in applications
that are calculation-intensive, involve access to a high volume of
data, or require large numbers of modules to be executed and
debugged. Calculation-intensive applications will typically run two
to five times faster in the 32-bit environment, and so will
applications using tables greater than 64 Kbyte, the company
estimates.

The 32-bit SDK supports mixed-language applications. For example, C
programs can directly call COBOL applications, and vice versa. 32-
bit application programming interface (API) routines in OS/2 and
Windows NT, such as PM and WIN 32, can be called from COBOL.

The product is capable of producing Micro Focus Intermediate (.INT)
code, Micro Focus native code (.GNT), and standard object code
(.OBJ) files. Portability is provided at both the source and object
level through .INT code.

In addition, generated .GNT code is portable across operating
systems based on the 32-bit Intel ix86 architecture, including SCO
(Santa Cruz Operation) Unix as well as OS/2 v2.x and Windows NT. The
product is also designed to smooth mixed-language debugging.

Developers can use the company's Animator v2 to debug COBOL modules,
and then transfer to the "foreign" debugger to debug non-COBOL
programs. Animator v2 allows debugging of programs compiled to .GNT
and .OBJ linked into executables (.EXE) or dynamic link libraries
(.DLL).

By supporting the mainframe COBOL syntax, the new kit facilitates
downsizing, asserted Geoff Wells, 32-bit COBOL product manager. "It
is clear from the demand we have received to date from our corporate
customers that 32-bit systems on both the IBM OS/2 and Microsoft
Windows NT platforms are key to their future strategies for
downsizing and implementing high-performance client-server
solutions," he said.

The Micro Focus 32-bit SDK for Intel ix86 processors is shipping
now, at a price of $2,500 to new users. Upgrades from Micro Focus
16-bit products are also available.

When additional tools and components from the Micro Focus Workbench
become available for 32-bit environments, they will be sent free of
charge to customers participating in the Micro Focus SDK Program,
according to the company.

(Jacqueline Emigh/19931129/Reader contact: Micro Focus, tel 415-
856-4161; Press contact: Joanne Sperans Hartzell, A&R Partners for
Micro Focus, tel [phone])


(NEWS)(GENERAL)(BOS)(00025)

Conference/Expo On DSP/Real-Time/Image Processing 11/29/93
BURLINGTON, MASSACHUSETTS, U.S.A., 1993 NOV 29 (NB) -- A one-day
conference and exposition honing in on digital signal processing
(DSP), real-time computing, and image processing is set to happen
December 8 in Burlington, MA.

The Fifth Annual Real-Time Technical Computing Symposium will offer
special interest group (SIG) meetings on each of these three areas,
along with comprehensive training tutorials on DSP, real-time
operating systems, and imaging basics/camera selection.

The SIG meetings, an ongoing tradition, will feature presentations
and panel discussions by vendors and users. The tutorials are new
this year.

More than 50 companies plan to display their wares on the show
floor. Hewlett-Packard, Digital Equipment Corp., Kodak, Univision,
Ampersand Inc., PV-Wave, White Mountain DSP, Matlab, Data
Translation, Sky Computer, PEP Modular Computer, and Adaptive
Solutions are a few of the names on the list.

Applications to be addressed in the tutorials and SIG sessions will
include speech, sonar, radar, simulation, communications, signal
intelligence, scientific image processing, machine vision, and
measurement and control.

The tutorial on DSP will supply an overview on the origins of DSP,
industry trends, and products and applications. The SIG on DSP will
delve into computer mathematics software, operating systems, DSP
libraries, compilers, debuggers, and new PC and VME boards based on
the TMS320C40, Motorola 96000, Analog Devices ADSP-21020, and AT&T
3210 DSPs, in addition to SPOX.

The tutorial on real-time computing operating systems will examine
such issues as VxWorks versus LynxOS, mainstream real-time operating
systems versus Solaris and Windows NT, and POSIX compliance.

Embedded systems, PCs, Unix workstations, the latest Sparc boards,
high-performance mass storage systems, and application software will
all be covered in the SIG on real-time computing. The tutorial on
imaging basics/camera selection will take a look at camera
selection, lighting, algorithm basics, frame grabbers, and turnkey
application software.

The SIG on image processing is slated to examine high resolution
cameras, as well as emerging new image capture and processing
techniques.

The symposium on DSP, real-time computing, and image processing is
being sponsored by ESI Computing Inc., a Carlisle, MA-based
independent sales organization (ISO) and value-added reseller (VAR)
specializing in engineering, scientific and industrial computing.

The event will be held Wednesday, December 8 from 8:00 a.m. to
6:00 p.m. at the Burlington Marriott Hotel, Burlington, MA.
Registration is $35 in advance and $50 at the door (subject to space
availability).

(Jacqueline Emigh/19931129/Reader and press contact: ESI, tel 508-
369-8499)


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

US Order, Litle & Co. in Strategic Alliance 11/29/93
HERNDON, VIRGINIA, U.S.A., 1993 NOV 29 (NB) -- US Order, a leader in
home shopping services provided by screen-based telephones, has
signed a strategy alliance with Litle & Co. of New Hampshire, the
largest credit card processor for catalogs and other direct
merchants, processing over 150 million transactions each year for
over 600 member marketers, about 22 percent of total direct
marketing credit card sales.

One outgrowth of the alliance is a new company, InterMedia
Marketing, which will be a subsidiary of US Order. The practical
impact of the new deal is to allow hundreds of catalogs offer their
wares through PCs, screen telephones, interactive TVs and other
media, with US Order handling the order processing in conjunction
with Litle & Co., using InterMedia as an intermediary. Technically,
orders will be placed through an online service, screen phone or
interactive TV show to InterMedia for processing, forwarding the
payment and delivery information to Litle's system for fulfilment.

"InterMedia's relationship with Litle will create a portfolio of
high quality, brand name merchants" using screen telephone
technology, explained William Tobin, who put together the deal, in a
press statement. "By supplying merchants with a processing structure
and universal ordering gateway to all types of interactive
platforms, we intend to make it quicker, easier, and more economical
for merchants to participate in the interactive home retail market."

InterMedia will be based at US Order offices, while head William
Tobin will remain based in Stamford, Connecticut." Tobin told
Newsbytes he'd be in charge of marketing the services of InterMedia
to the interactive networks, including cable networks. "We
approaching videotex, audiotex, smart phones, interactive TV and
personal digital assistants," he explained.

(Dana Blankenhorn/19931129/Press Contact: Brent Robinson,
InterMedia, 703-834-9208)


(NEWS)(GENERAL)(TOR)(00027)

Canada's Northern Micro To Build Alpha System 11/29/93
OTTAWA, ONTARIO, CANADA, 1993 NOV 29 (NB) -- Northern Micro, a
Canadian personal computer manufacturer and integrator, plans to
build systems using the Alpha AXP line of processors from Digital
Equipment Corp.

The company will sell the reduced instruction set computing (RISC)
systems mainly in Canada, said Michael Whitehead, vice-president of
research and development at Northern Micro. Whitehead expects the
initial buyers to be those with a pressing need for more computing
power, including people such as computer-aided design users, stock
traders, engineers, and multimedia developers.

"In the first six months we're expecting to be somewhat missionaries
and looking for early adopters," Whitehead said. He added that
Northern Micro expects the market for Alpha systems will take a few
months to develop.

The Canadian federal government, already one of the Ottawa-based
firm's main customers, is also a likely market, Whitehead said. He
added that Northern Micro has only very limited plans to sell the
machines outside Canada. The company has some connections in Africa
and may sell some units there, Whitehead said.

Northern Micro's Spirit/150 Alpha-based system will use Digital's
150-megahertz (MHz) version of the Alpha chip. According to the
vendor, the RISC chip will give the computer four times the
performance of a 66-MHz Intel 486 DX2 chip, and nearly twice the
performance of a 66-MHz Intel Pentium.

Alpha systems will not, however, run DOS applications. Northern
Micro is promoting the Spirit/150 as a platform for Microsoft's
Windows NT operating system, which supports the Alpha and other RISC
chips as well as the Intel chip line.

The Spirit/150 will have 16 megabytes (MB) of memory, 16K bytes of
internal cache, 512K bytes of external cache, a six-slot Extended
Industry Standard Architecture (EISA) bus, a 32-bit Fast Small
Computer Systems Interface 2 (SCSI-2) disk controller and 525-MB
hard disk, a double-spin compact disk read-only memory (CD-ROM)
drive, a 3.5-inch diskette drive, a 32-bit 1,280-by-1,024 graphics
adapter and 15-inch non-interlaced color monitor, serial, printer,
and mouse ports, and Windows NT.

Larger monitors and hard disks, and more memory, will be options.
Northern Micro will sell the system in a choice of desktop or tower
cases. The standard unit will list at C$9,995.

In business since 1985, Northern Micro also builds desktop computers
and network servers around the Intel 386, 486, and Pentium chips,
and does systems integration, Whitehead said.

(Grant Buckler/19931129/Press Contact: Michael Whitehead, Northern
Micro, 613-226-1117 or 800-563-1007)


(NEWS)(BUSINESS)(SFO)(00028)

Cisco In Network Sys Integration Deal With Unisys 11/29/93
BLUE BELL, PENNSYLVANIA, U.S.A., 1993 NOV 29 (NB) -- Marketing
and distribution deals are often highly profitable for networking
hardware vendors. Now Unisys Corp., and Cisco Systems Inc., have
announced a network systems integration deal, which calls for
Unisys to resell, install and support Cisco's internetworking
products in the US.

The two companies also maintain they will coordinate sales
efforts when customers require "total network systems
integration solutions."

In announcing the deal, John Chambers, senior vice president of
Cisco, said, "We have already teamed with Unisys on a number of
accounts to provide total networking solutions for our clients.
This kind of teamwork is an important component for success in
the internetworking marketplace, where no single vendor has the
breadth of product and service offerings and expertise to meet
all of a client's needs."

According to Unisys, the agreement calls for Unisys Network Enable,
the company's US multivendor network systems integration unit, to
market Cisco's high-end and remote-access routers.

The companies maintain that up to 100 Unisys Network Enable
engineers will be trained to install and support Cisco's products.

Said John Drew, vice president and general manager of Unisys
Network Enable, "This agreement leverages our internetworking
services infrastructure and further strengthens Unisys position
as a leading network systems integrator in the open-systems
internetworking market."

Cisco claims to hold over half of the worldwide router marketplace.
Network Enable is Unisys' US network systems integration unit,
and claims to offer a nationwide technical staff of 50 Network
Systems Engineers and 165 Certified NetWare Engineers.

At the beginning of November, Newsbytes reported that Cisco
reported first quarter, 1993 results ended October 24, as
$248,457,000 in net sales, which amounted to net income of
$63,485,000, or $0.48 per share. The company said that the figures
compared to net sales of $126,379,000 and net income of
$33,243,000, or $0.26 per share in the same period the previous
year, and were increases of 97 percent, 91 percent, and 85 percent,
respectively.

In September Newsbytes reported on Cisco's agreement to acquire
Crescendo Communications Inc., a privately held, networking
company. Under terms of the deal, Cisco agreed to acquire all of
the outstanding stock and assume all the outstanding employee
stock options and warrants of Crescendo in exchange for
2,000,000 shares of Cisco common stock.

In August Newsbytes reported that Cisco entered into a "strategic
partnership," in order to ensure compatibility between routers
from Cisco Novell's NetWare network operating system products.
At the time, the companies said that the first phase calls for
Novell to certify that Cisco routers support all necessary IPX
(Internetwork Packet Exchange) router functionality. It will also
entail Cisco implementing Novell's NetWare Link Services Protocol
(NLSP) to improve internetwork performance and scalability.

(Ian Stokell/19931129/Press Contact: Jeff Stives,
215-986-6036, Unisys Corp; or Jackie Brinker, 415-903-7598,
Cisco Systems Inc.)


(NEWS)(IBM)(LAX)(00029)

 ****Canon To Show Interactive 3D Software For Windows 11/29/93
BURLINGAME, CALIFORNIA, U.S.A., 1993 NOV 29 (NB) -- Canon says it is
getting into the software development business to offer workstation
performance without a big price-tag. The company is holding a
conference on Friday to demonstrate software from its new subsidiary
formed to develop interactive, three dimensional (3D) software for
the Microsoft Windows graphical environment.

Historically, workstation computers have been known for their
powerful performance in manipulating 3D graphics, but at a cost that
makes these computers unrealistic for the mass market. Canon is
claiming, however, that its new software will provide interactive 3D
graphics at one tenth the cost of current workstation-based
products.

Canon has been the majority shareholder in Next Computer, the
company started by Apple Computer co-founder Steve Jobs. Next
Computer developed and marketed a unique Motorola microprocessor-
based workstation computer and a graphical operating system, but
canceled production of the workstation early this year. Instead,
Next came out with a version of the it graphical operating system
for Intel microprocessor-based personal computers (PCs) -- the
Nextstep 486.

Just last week, Next announced a deal with the Sunsoft subsidiary of
leading workstation vendor Sun Microsystems. Sunsoft is investing
$10 million into Next in order to get the rights to integrate Next's
object-oriented technology from Nextstep into Sun's own Solaris
systems software. Next also said it would develop a version of
Nextstep for Sun's proprietary Sparc microprocessor-based
workstations.

Canon has said the new software it will announce on Friday will not
only work with Microsoft Windows, but with the Motorola
microprocessor-based Macintosh and with Sun's workstation hardware
as well.

While Canon has been an exclusive dealer of Next computers in
Southeast Asian and Asian countries including Japan, the company
said this new software subsidiary is aimed at the US market. The
company plans to show off the new software and announce the name of
the new subsidiary Friday morning at the Hyatt Regency San Francisco
Airport in Burlingame, California.

(Linda Rohrbough/19931129/Press Contact: Christin Fabos, Smith &
Shows for Canon, tel [phone], fax [phone])


(NEWS)(IBM)(BOS)(00030)

 ****IBM's Ambra Announces Six New Portable PCs 11/29/93
RALEIGH, NORTH CAROLINA, U.S.A., 1993 NOV 29 (NB) -- Ambra Computer
Corporation, a recently established IBM subsidiary, today announced
six new mobile 486-based PCs. Three of the machines are geared
towards "road warriors," while the other three are pitched at the
desktop replacement market.

In an interview with Newsbytes, Richard Ritzema, product marketing
manager, said that the new portables are split evenly among Ambra's
brand new SN Series of ultra-light PCs and new additions to Ambra's
original N Series of notebooks, now enhanced with 33 MHz and 50 MHz
processors and hard drives of up to 200 MB.

Like other PCs from Ambra, the new portables are aimed at budget-
minded "enhanced" or power users, and at allowing for individual
customization, Ritzema told Newsbytes. But in the mobile market,
market segmentation is happening at an especially rapid clip,
spurring Ambra to offer two separate lines of notebooks, he
explained.

Ambra's N Series continues to be oriented to users who need the
power of a desktop PC in portable form, Ritzema said. The new SN
Series, in contrast, is targeted at people who do a lot of on-the-
road computing, and who require a PC that is easy to pack and carry.

Ambra's new N443C, N450C, and N450T mobile PCs each feature a dual-
scan or active matrix TFT color display, a PCMCIA Type III slot, a
3.5-inch diskette drive, and a full-size 86-key keyboard with an
integrated 16 mm trackball.

Members of the N Series weigh 6.6 pounds each, and are standard
notebook size. Processors range from an Intel 33 MHz 486SX to a an
Intel 50 MHz 486DX-2, and hard drives from 120 to 200 MB.

Members of the new SN Series are 41 percent smaller than a standard
notebook (measuring 11.0-by 7.0-by 1.5-inches), and weigh only 4
pounds apiece. The smaller notebooks feature an color or monochrome
passive matrix display, a PCMCIA Type II slot, and a removable 80 MB
or 170 MB hard drive, along with a full-size 86-key keyboard and
integrated 16 mm trackball.

Each of the SN models is also equipped with an Intel 25MHz 486SX-SL
enhanced processor and 4 MB of RAM (expandable to 20 MB). Optional
docking stations are available for each series. The docking station
for the N Series can accommodate a total of four 16-bit expansion
cards: 2 ISA and 2 ISA/VESA local bus.

The docking station for the SN Series accommodates two 16-bit ISA
expansion cards. Also for the SN family, Ambra is offering an
optional port replicator aimed at quick and easy cable management.

Also to allow for individual customization, Ambra is providing
optional packages consisting of special configurations of monitors,
desktop keyboards, fax modems, and other peripherals. The packages
are known as Road Warrior, Quick Dock, Traveler, and Instant Office.

Ritzema, who handles product marketing for all of Ambra's PC lines,
told Newsbytes that rapidly changing work patterns are causing
segmentation to happen more quickly in the portable PC market than
on the desktop side.

Many business people are spending more time out on the road, and
working more closely with customers, giving rise to the "Road
Warrior" lifestyle, he theorized. At the same time, other
individuals are starting to work at home, where they require a PC
that offers the same power as a desktop system, plus the ability to
be transported occasionally.

In the future, the trend toward segmentation will intensify, and so
will Ambra's customization efforts, Ritzema predicted. Ambra will
continue to "refresh" its mobile PCs with greater processing power,
he said. More PCMCIA options will probably become available.

The company plans to provide an active matrix color TFT display in
a lightweight and low-cost portable PC package, when that becomes
technically feasible, according to the product marketing manager.
Ambra is also taking a look at pen input. The use of the PowerPC
603 processor in the mobile PCs is a possibility for Ambra, and so
is the use of the Pentium chip after 3.3-volt technology becomes
available for Pentium.

The six new mobile additions to Ambra's current PC lineup are
scheduled for delivery in January. All models will ship with MS-
DOS 6.0 and Windows 6.1.

Members of the new SN Series range from a $1,399 model with an 80
MB hard disk drive and monochrome display (the SN425) to a $1,899
system with a 170 MB hard disk drive and color display (the
SN425C). The SN425 is also available with a 170 MB hard drive, for
$1,549. Any of the SN models can be outfitted with an external
3.5-inch diskette drive, for an extra $99.

Within the N Series, the new N433C notebook, priced at $2,299,
features a 33 MHz 486SX processor, 4 MB of RAM (expandable to 12
MB), a 120 MB hard drive, and a dual-scan color display.

The N450C, priced at $2,699, offers a 50 MHz 486DX-2 processor, 4
MB of RAM (expandable to 12 MB), a 200 MB hard drive, and a dual-
scan color display.

The N450T, sold for $2,699, comes with a 50 MHz 486DX-2 processor,
a TFT active matrix color display, 8 MB of RAM (expandable to 12
MB), and a 200 MB hard drive.

Among the optional packages, Road Warrior, available for the SN425
model, provides a PCMCIA 14.4 Kbps fax modem, carrying case,
battery, and battery charger for a price of $386. Quick Dock, also
offered for the SN425, includes a port replicator, a 14-inch UVGA
monitor, and a full-size desktop keyboard for $417.

Traveler, supplied for the N433 and N450 models and priced at $386,
includes a PCMCIA 14.4 Kbps fax modem and battery. Instant Office,
for the N433 and N450 as well, consists of a docking station, a 15-
inch flat square monitor, and a full-size desktop keyboard.
Instant Office is priced at $927.

Ambra's original notebook, the N425, came in two models, each with
a 25 MHz 486 processor and 120 MB hard drive. The N425C provided
a dual-scan passive matrix color display, and the N425T an active
matrix color TFT display.

Ritzema told Newsbytes that Ambra is discontinuing both of the
first two models. The N425Ts are already sold out. Some N425Cs
are still available, though, reduced in price to $1,999 from the
initial $2,199.

(Jacqueline Emigh/19931129/Reader contact: tel 800-25-AMBRA; Press
contact: Craig Conrad, Ambra, tel [phone]; Scott Hopley or
Anne Marie Clark, Cunningham Communications for Ambra, tel 617-494-
8202)