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/NB120893

Text File | 1993-12-17 | 77KB | 1,686 lines

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

Delrina Adds Lotus Notes Support To FormFlow 12/08/93
TORONTO, ONTARIO, CANADA, 1993 DEC 8 (NB) -- Delrina Corp., has
announced that FormFlow, its forms-based work-flow automation
software, has new links to Lotus Development Corp.'s Notes
workgroup software.

According to Delrina, FormFlow can now serve as a front-end to
the free-form databases created in Notes, and can rely on Notes
to replicate information across databases on multiple linked
networks.

The mail component in Notes can also now serve as the electronic
mail transport for FormFlow, said Delrina spokesman Shelly Sofer.

FormFlow uses electronic forms to route information through an
organization and as a method of access to databases. The new
support for Notes means that FormFlow can now be used to link
data in traditional databases such as dBase IV to free-form
information stored in Notes, Delrina said.

For instance, an employee evaluation system using FormFlow might
link to basic information such as name, address, and employee
number in a conventional database, and also to performance
evaluations or a spreadsheet file outlining a bonus plan stored
in Notes, the company said.

The other key value of the Notes connection is that Notes is able
to replicate databases across linked servers -- the software will
send information from each copy of the database to other copies
to ensure that each copy is kept up to date with all changes.

FormFlow will use this capability to help it track the movement
of forms across more than one network, Delrina officials said.
Without Notes, FormFlow can track where a form is within a single
network by writing the information to a database on the server.
Now it will be able to track movement across multiple networks,
the company said.

Delrina hopes to extend distribution of FormFlow, which was first
launched in May, 1993, by added current Notes value-added
resellers (VARs) to its own network of VARs, Sofer said.

(Grant Buckler/19931207/Press Contact: Shelly Sofer or Josef
Zankowicz, Delrina, tel [phone], fax [phone]/PHOTO)


(NEWS)(GENERAL)(LON)(00002)

UK - "Clue" Insurance Anti-Fraud System Now On-line 12/08/93
LONDON, ENGLAND, 1993 DEC 8 (NB) -- The Association of British
Insurers (ABI) has officially inaugurated Clue, a computer system
designed to tackle the problem of insurance fraud.

As previously reported by Newsbytes, the system should reduce
the amount of fraudulent claims by as much as UKP400 million,
the ABI claims.

"I issue a warning to all fraudsters and potential fraudsters," said
Bob Scott, insurance company manager in charge of Clue. "You will
be caught and insurers will encourage prosecutions and insist on
restitution of any payments made."

Many industry experts see Clue's benefits to the insurance industry
as more deterrent than active, but Joe Cash, senior vice president
of Equifax, the US company behind Clue, said that the system was
just the start of an information exchange between competing
insurance companies.

In the future, he said, an investigations service may be introduced
to complement computer screening. This would include private
investigators questioning the neighbors and employers of suspect
policy-holders about their day-to-day activities.

According to Cash, insurance fraud is a problem which is costing
insurance companies and their honest policy-holders several
percentage points on the cost of their policies.

(Steve Gold/19931207/Press & Public Contact: Association of
British Insurers, 44-71-248-4477)


(NEWS)(GENERAL)(LON)(00003)

UK - QMS Addresses Japanese Printer Market 12/08/93
LONDON, ENGLAND, 1993 DEC 8 (NB) -- QMS, the non-impact printer
specialist, has announced the appointment of Dicoll Technology in
Basingstoke as a new QMS Quality Center. The difference with Dicoll
is that the reseller will handle Kanji-configured printers from the
company for supply to Japanese companies in the UK.

According to QMS, within days of the contract being awarded, Dicoll
finalized the first Kanji language printer contract with Mitaka's
headquarters in Leamington. Terms of the contract call for Dicoll
to supply a Kanji QMS 1725 print system to the Japanese company.

Moira Craig, QMS managing director, said that sales of Kanji
language printers are an extremely important part of QMS'
business worldwide. "Obviously, there are a large number of highly
successful Japanese companies operating in the UK which represent
an enormous potential market for Kanji language departmental
printers right across the QMS range," she said.

Additionally, she said that: "Dicoll is a well established value-added
reseller with a high level of expertise and an excellent reputation
in sales, support and maintenance of major network products. It's
an ideal partner for QMS for our new Japanese initiative."

In addition to Kanji versions of QMS' full standard printer range,
Dicoll will sell the special PS-430 and 460J printers. These
printers comes with a free 12 month on-site warranty.

(Steve Gold/19931207/Press & Public Contact: QMS,
44-784-430900)


(NEWS)(BUSINESS)(LAX)(00004)

Spinnaker Stockholders To Get Less In Merger 12/08/93
CAMBRIDGE, MASSACHUSETTS, U.S.A., 1993 DEC 8 (NB) -- Spinnaker
stockholders are going to get less for their stock than originally
announced in the merger between software developers Wordstar,
Softkey, and Spinnaker. The reason is that Spinnaker claims it is
having to clean up some of its dirty laundry.

The problems go back to early 1991, when Spinnaker made a deal
with Software Publishing Corp. (SPC) to purchase the PFS
product line. The deal was to be an exchange of Spinnaker's stock
for the software line, but Software Publishing said Spinnaker
never delivered the registration rights for the stock. Software
Publishing took legal action in an attempt to get paid, but when
Spinnaker stock dropped to less than a dollar a share in 1992,
SPC's financial officials advised the company to write off the
stock as a loss.

Spinnaker's finances looked even more precarious when in October
of 1992, Spinnaker's accounting firm, Deloitte & Touche, and its
chief financial officer resigned.

SPC continued to pursue the legal action and just last week an
arbitration panel decision made Spinnaker liable for at least
$1.4 million in damages -- not counting interest, attorney's
fees, the fees of the American Arbitration Association, and other
expenses. The case is not finished yet, according to SPC officials,
who told Newsbytes the company is waiting further decisions by
the arbitration group.

The effect on the merger is Spinnaker's stockholders will get
between 1.599 and 1.641 shares of Wordstar stock per share of
Spinnaker stock, instead of the 1.615 to 1.657 shares stated when
the merger was announced. Softkey stockholders will get 2.194 and
2.252 shares of Wordstar stock for each share of Softkey stock,
up from the 2.172 to 2.230 in the original announcement.

Spinnaker management says the merger will continue forward
unaffected by the arbitration decision. The company also asserts
it can borrow the money to pay SPC out of existing credit facilities.

At the close of trading Tuesday Spinnaker stock was unchanged at
2.281, Softkey stock was down 0.375 to close at 4.375, and
Wordstar stock was up 0.031 to close at 1.219.

Spinnaker is located in Cambridge, Massachusetts, and is known
for its Calendar Creator, PFS: Windowworks and PFS: Resume and
Job Search Pro software. Boca Raton, Florida-based Softkey
develops software under the Key, New Vision Powerware and
Titanium Seal brands. Wordstar, headquartered in Novato,
California, is best known for its word processing software by
the same name.

(Linda Rohrbough/19931208/Press Contact: Paul Brauneis,
Spinnaker, tel [phone] ext 443, fax [phone];
Tom Rickey, Wordstar, 415-382-8000; John Suske, Softkey,
617-374-1450 ext 567; Fran Brooks, Software Publishing
Corp., 408-450-7129)


(NEWS)(GENERAL)(WAS)(00005)

VideoLabs Intros Low-Cost Document Camera 12/08/93
WASHINGTON, DC, U.S.A., 1993 DEC 8 (NB) -- VideoLabs has
announced, what the company claims is, the first "affordable"
document camera intended to compete directly with the Elmo,
Canon, and Panasonic cameras at about one-third the cost.

Document cameras are intended to scan and digitize high-quality
images of any flat document or small three-dimensional (3-D)
object placed within range, as opposed to scanners which require
the object to be placed in contact with the scanner.

VideoLab's $995 FlexCam camera ($1,045 with optional stereo
mikes) is designed to scan very tiny objects (50:1 magnification
possible), traditional document pages, photographs,
transparencies, and 3-D objects.

The camera, which is mounted on an 18-inch flexible gooseneck,
provides PAL or NTSC (National Television Standards Committee)
color output which can be connected directly to a VCR,
teleconferencing system, or computer digitizing board.

Using an eight millimeter (mm) lens to cover a maximum image size
measuring about the size of a piece of typing paper, the camera can
also be focused as close as one-quarter of an inch, producing an
effective 50-times magnification when the image is displayed on a
25-inch monitor.

High-quality images are claimed in low-light conditions and
improved quality is provided in bright-light situations because
the FlexCam, unlike most electronic cameras, uses a mechanical
iris to cut light input rather than a variable-speed electronic
shutter.

Comparable competing products from Canon, Elmo, and Panasonic
range in price from $2,200 to nearly $4,000. At only 2.2-pounds,
the FlexCam is also claimed to be considerably lighter than its
competitors. The Canon RE-650, for instance, weighs about
22-pounds.

Maximum resolution for the one third-inch color CCD (charged
coupled device) is 300 TV lines horizontal and 350 TV lines
vertical.

(John McCormick/19931207/Press Contact: Chris Smith,
VideoLabs, tel [phone], fax [phone]/PHOTO)


(NEWS)(IBM)(DEN)(00006)

Microsoft Money 3.0 Offers On-line Banking 12/08/93
REDMOND, WASHINGTON, U.S.A., 1993 DEC 8 (NB) -- Microsoft
Corp., has announced a major upgrade to its Microsoft Money
program that adds an integrated on-line banking service.

Microsoft says Microsoft Money 3.0, "ushers in a significant era
for personal finance software" with the integration of integrated
Bank On-Line Service, a feature that allows the user to conduct
banking transactions from a personal computer.

In addition to the on-line banking service, Microsoft Money 3.0
also offers investment tracking,  on-line payment of bills and the
updating of stock and mutual fund portfolios.

Bank Online gives the user electronic access to their checking,
savings and credit card accounts and the ability to check account
balances, transfer funds between account, and download
transaction information automatically. Money 3.0 automatically
balances and electronically reconciles accounts for the user by
comparing downloaded transactions with the information that the
user has entered.

Three regional banks will initially participate in Bank Online: First
National Bank of chicago, Michigan National Bank, and US Bank.
National Payment Clearinghouse Inc., is facilitating Bank Online by
providing networking switching and processing services.

With banks competing for user's checking and savings accounts,
Alan Ostroff, senior BP of Michigan National Bank, says Bank
Online also helps the banks serve their customers more
effectively. "We're seeing a growing demand from our customers
for access to their banking information. It's one way customers
choose one bank from another," he said.

To use the on-line services offered by Microsoft Money 3.0 you
need a modem and an account with a participating bank, as well
as the software itself. Cost of the on-line banking service will
vary with the individual banks, but is expected to run about $7.95
per month. Pay Online will cost $9.95 per month and will allow the
user to pay up to 20 bills per month electronically. An additional
10 monthly payments costs $3.50. Receipt of payment is
guaranteed within four business days. The clearing house pays
the bills by issuing a check or electronically transferring the
funds and debiting the Microsoft Money user's bank account.

The Quotes Online service gives the Microsoft Money user access
to the latest closing price information for more than 16,000
stocks and mutual funds listed in the NYSE, AMEX and NASDAQ
exchanges, and automatically updates prides in the user's
investment accounts, says the company. For $3.95 per month, a
Money user can make four calls to Quotes Online, with an unlimited
number of individual stock of fund queries per call. Additional
Quotes Online beyond the basic four calls per month costs $0.50
each.

Microsoft Money 3.0 includes Financial Planning Wizards, tools
that assist the user in calculating loan and mortgage payments,
planning retirement, calculating savings, and estimating
interest. Investment tracking supports both summary and detail-
level tracking of investment accounts and extensive investment
reports, and works in conjunction with the Quotes Online service.

Microsoft Money is scheduled to ship in February and will have a
suggested retail price (SRP) of $34.95 through April 15, 1994.
After that date, the SRP will be $69.95. Users of Microsoft Excel
and Microsoft Works get an additional five dollars off the
suggested retail price through an in-box rebate coupon. Users of
Microsoft Money version 2.0 can upgrade to release 3.0 for $15.
Microsoft Windows is required to run Microsoft Money 3.0.

(Jim Mallory/19931208/Press Contact: Julie Larkin, Microsoft
Corp., 206-882-8080; Reader Contact: Microsoft Corp., 206-882-
87080 or 800-426-9400)


(NEWS)(TELECOM)(DEN)(00007)

Multi-Tech Offers Voice Over Data Comms 12/08/93
MOUNDS VIEW, MINNESOTA, U.S.A., 1993 DEC 8 (NB) -- Multi-Tech
Systems Inc., has announced that it is enhancing its MultiModem
PCS with V.32terbo technology, a "Talk Anytime" feature, and
enhancing MultiExpressPCS Windows.

The MultiModem PCS, known as the Model MT1932PCS, supports
the AT&T open standard known as V.32terbo, and operates at
16,800 and 19,200 bits-per-second (bps) by extending current
9,600 and 14,400 modem technology, adding two new data rates.

The company says the higher speed V.32terbo technology
enhances the performance of simultaneous voice and data
communications by providing up to 33 percent more throughput.
The Talk Anytime features activates voice-over-data
communication just by picking up the handset.

Multi-Tech President Raghu Sharma says many voice-over-data
applicants need the extra throughput afforded by the V.32terbo
technology. He also cites the convenience of being able to switch
between voice over data and pure data transfer simply by handing
up the phone. "This is useful in sending a medical images during
consultation, for instance," said Sharma.

The Talk Anytime feature is hardware-only, allowing the user to
use any communications software without having to reprogram,
change setup strings, or reconfigure the modem. The
MultiExpressPCS software includes the ability to export WAV
files -- the Microsoft sound file format.

(Jim Mallory/19931208/Press Contact: Paul Kraska, MultiTech
Systems, 612-785-3500 or 800-328-9717; Reader Contact:
Multitech Systems, 612-785-3500 or 800-328-9717)


(NEWS)(UNIX)(BOS)(00008)

Parallax Brings VideoStream Desktop Video To HP 9000 12/08/93
SANTA CLARA, CALIFORNIA, U.S.A., 1993 DEC 8 (NB) -- Parallax
Graphics will be porting its VideoStream desktop video hardware
technology to the HP 9000 Series 700 workstation family.

Already available for Sun workstations, Parallax's VideoStream
video hardware technology is based on a proprietary ASIC
(application specific integrated circuit) design aimed at supplying
24-bit color, 30 frames-per-second video at full resolution.

Parallax's VideoStream-based XVideo, PowerVideo, and MultiVideo
products are targeted at videoconferencing, video editing,
telemedicine, collaborative engineering, and video-on-demand.

"HP continues to see accelerated demand for high quality video in
the Unix system marketplace," said Gary B. Eichhorn, vice president
and general manager of HP's Workstation Systems Group, in
announcing the pact with Parallax.

As a result of the agreement, Parallax video products will add
compatibility with HP MPower, HP's collaborative multimedia
environment.

The HP MPower product suite includes a shared whiteboard
application, image viewing, CD-quality stereo audio, and HP
SharedX, a software tool for real-time sharing of X Windows among
remote locations.

Applications developed for the Parallax Graphics products will be
highly portable between hardware platforms, because the Parallax
products are built on standard Xt widgets, officials said.

GDE Systems, a third-party developer specializing in digital imager
processing systems, has announced its intentions to work with HP
and Parallax to port image processing applications. "Existing
applications targeted for porting include remote medical
consultation, surgical planning, and navigation," noted Mike
Vaughan, manager of new business development for GDE.

According to Douglas F. Whitman, an analyst at Montgomery
Securities, the videoconferencing market is estimated to grow
at a rate of 40 percent over the next three years, to become a
$1 billion market. Desktop systems are expected to represent
approximately 30 percent of the total market.

(Jacqueline Emigh/19931208/Reader Contacts: Parallax Graphics,
408-727-2228; Hewlett-Packard, 800-752-0900; Press Contacts:
Barbara Kay, Parallax, 408-727-2220; Tim Hurley, Hewlett-
Packard, 508-436-5049)


(NEWS)(IBM)(BOS)(00009)

Fujitsu Intros Windows Software Conferencing System 12/08/93
STAMFORD, CONNECTICUT, U.S.A., 1993 DEC 8 (NB) -- Fujitsu has
introduced Desktop Conferencing for Support (DTC-Support), a
Windows-based software support environment for medium- to
large-sized corporations.

The new, multi-party application is aimed at boosting productivity
by allowing "clients" and a variety of "experts" to communicate in
real-time over a local or wide area network, officials said in
making the announcement.

In DTC-Support terminology, a "client" is any end user who needs
assistance with a software application. "Experts" are help desk
staff, MIS (management information systems) staff, or even first-
line departmental "power users" who are capable of answering
questions for clients or providing application training.

Up to seven experts can conference with a client at any one time.
As a result, clients do not need training or experience in DTC-
Support. Experts can share control of a client's keyboard and
mouse, allowing an expert to take immediate action to solve a
problem.

DTC-Support includes a Flipchart that lets clients and experts
brainstorm ideas, annotate information, and take notes. When the
flipchart is invoked, experts and clients can each access pen and
pointer tools on blank white pages or captured screens.

A Flipchart Organizer also incorporated is designed to ease the
creation, management and storage of Flipchart pages, permitting
users to create a visual database of problem resolutions.

A File and Clipboard Transfer function allows experts to send or
receive the contents of the local or remote Windows Clipboard, or
complete files. The recipient can copy/paste text or graphics
from a file or from the Clipboard into an application.

A Messaging feature makes it possible for an expert to send text
messages of up to 240 characters to any or all of the other experts
in the conference.

Fujitsu DTC-Support is available immediately. A single client
version is priced at $99. Expert versions are $299 for a single
user, $2,490 for a 10-pack, and $17,900 for a 100-pack.

Fujitsu has also started to ship a new update to Fujitsu DeskTop
Conferencing, its flagship product. Version 1.4 features an
enhanced graphical user interface with a new Windows toolbar.

Fujitsu DTC-Support and Fujitsu DeskTop Conferencing require
Novell NetWare 2.2, 3.11, or 4.0, and the IPX (Internetwork Packet
Exchange) protocol. The applications run on any network topology.
For wide area interconnects, a bridge or router with a minimum
bandwidth of 56 kilobits-per-second is recommended.

(Jacqueline Emigh/19931208/Reader Contact: Fujitsu Networks
Industry Inc., 203-326-2700; Press Contacts: Jim Zimmerman,
Fujitsu, 203-326-2723; Leahanne Hobson, Copithorne & Bellows
Public Relations for Fujitsu, 617-252-0606)


(NEWS)(IBM)(TOR)(00010)

 ****IBM To Sell LANs Directly 12/08/93
SOMERS, NEW YORK, U.S.A., 1993 DEC 8 (NB) -- The IBM Personal
Computer Co., has announced that it will sell complete local area
networks (LANs) through its IBM Direct order line.

The Net Select service will let customers order hardware,
software, desktop and network operating systems, LAN adapters,
peripherals, and LAN service and support, the company said.

Buyers will be able to obtain all the pieces they need and
install their own LANs, or order cabling and consulting services
through IBM Direct to help get the network running, said company
spokesman Mike DeMeo.

IBM expects the service to appeal to a range of customers from
small to fairly large organizations, DeMeo said, though he added
that the company does not expect very large networks will be
ordered this way. Nets of more than 500 nodes would be too
complicated for Net Select, DeMeo said.

Net Select offers customers a choice of servers and clients, IBM
said. Servers include the PS/2 Model 9585 and ValuePoint Model
6387 Mini-Tower. The ValuePoint Si, ValuePoint Desktop and
ValuePoint Mini-Tower are available as clients. Novell's
NetWare, OS/2 LAN Server, and OS/2 LAN Server Requester
come factory-installed on these servers and clients, along
with network interface cards for Ethernet or Token Ring,.

Customers can also use IBM's Soft Select pre-loaded software
service to have popular software applications factory-installed
on the client PCs.

IBM launched PC Direct in October, 1992, as a unit of IBM PC Co.,
to sell personal computers directly through a toll-free order
number.

(Grant Buckler/19931208/Press Contact: Mike DeMeo, IBM,
914-766-1802; Public Contact: IBM Direct, 800-IBM-2YOU or
800-426-2968)


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

Cognos Brings PowerHouse Windows To DEC 12/08/93
OTTAWA, ONTARIO, CANADA, 1993 DEC 8 (NB) -- Cognos Inc., has
announced a new version of PowerHouse Windows, the client/server
version of its fourth-generation language (4GL), that now supports
Digital Equipment Corp.'s OpenVMS operating system.

PowerHouse Windows runs on personal computers with Microsoft
Windows installed. It provides a client connection to PowerHouse,
Cognos' fourth-generation application development software,
running on a host system. The client/server software was launched
first in February, 1992, for Hewlett-Packard Co.'s HP 3000
computers running that company's MPE/iX operating system.

PowerHouse Windows works with terminals as well as with PCs
in a client/server mode. The new release adds panel mode and an
improved block mode for terminal applications, company officials
said.

Other parts of the software are: PowerHouse Windows Run-time,
the interactive run-time environment on Windows, providing a
user interface to PowerHouse applications; PowerHouse Windows
Development, a screen painter to help developers use Windows
features; and PowerHouse Windows Services, the communication
and connectivity part of the package, which manages security
and the distributed forms library.

Although Cognos said at the introduction of PowerHouse Windows
that it planned a version for IBM's AS/400 systems, the company
has now decided against that, said Lyse Teasdale, AS/400 product
manager. Cognos found the remote presentation capabilities of
PowerHouse Windows did not deliver enough benefit for AS/400
applications, she said. Cognos will support client/server
development on the AS/400 with its Axiant software.

PowerHouse Windows 1.2 is available directly from Cognos at
C$405 for the run-time version, with the developer edition
starting at C$1,095.

(Grant Buckler/19931208/Press Contact: Roberta Carlton, Cognos,
617-229-6600 ext 2446; Public Contact: Cognos, 800-267-2777)


(NEWS)(TELECOM)(LON)(00012)

BT & Phonelink To Offer PC-Based Directory In UK 12/08/93
PRENTON, BIRKENHEAD, ENGLAND, 1993 DEC 8 (NB) -- Phonelink, the
specialist telecommunications software company, has launched a
"pay as you go" version of its CD-ROM (compact disc read only
memory) -based UK phone directory package.

Previously, Phonelink's software, which was based around BT's
CD-ROM directory of UK business and residential subscribers, was
available on a flat-rate annual licensing basis. This new version,
Newsbytes notes, has had the software updated to take account of
the Windows graphical user interface and is known as
Teledirectory.

Pricing on the package is UKP300 per year, plus 12 pence per
enquiry on the package. This contrasts with BT's standard 48 pence
per call for up to two enquiries over the standard directory
assistance number.

Teledirectory has the advantage, BT says, in that it is operated
by the subscriber company's staff and is thus ideal for use on a
switchboard.

According to Phonelink, the Teledirectory software is faster than
making a call to directory assistance numbers, as each enquiry can
be completed in an average of 15 seconds. The company claims that
any user making more than five calls per business day to BT's
directory assistance service will be better off using Teledirectory.

(Sylvia Dennis/19931208/Press & Public Contact: Phonelink, tel
44-51-608-0205, fax [phone])


(NEWS)(GOVT)(LON)(00013)

EC Plans Harmonizing Euro-Telecom/Postal Services 12/08/93
BRUSSELS, BELGIUM, 1993 DEC 8 (NB) -- After years of partial and
fragmented legislation and instruction to member state/country
governments, the European Commission's Telecommunications
Council has announced plans to adopt resolutions (legislation) on a
"global basis" for telecoms and postal services throughout the
European Community.

At a series of meetings of the Council taking place in Brussels this
month, European Commission (EC) ministers claim they will be
debating questions from companies and individuals, as well as
governments, on various topics. The Council claims that, from now
on, however, it will be considering these questions within the
context of a European-wide network, rather than on a local country
basis.

The move, though strategic, could have important ramifications for
those EC member countries who have been sluggish when it comes to
opening up their postal and telecoms markets to open competition
from within the EC, Newsbytes notes.

For example, one topic up for discussion is how to complete the
final phases of liberalizing the British and Dutch telecoms market,
which will undoubtedly drag countries such as Spain and Portugal,
whose liberalization attempts have been rather slow. When adopting
a planned timescale for England and the Netherlands, EC officials
will consider what to do about Spain and Portugal. Previously, each
country was considered and dealt with on a separate basis.

One important result from the change of strategy at the EC
headquarters is that a new draft resolution regarding universal
service is being considered. A resolution, Newsbytes notes, is a
piece of legislation that applies across the whole of the EC, just
as of a law had been passed by all the individual governments in
the Community.

The EC universal service draft resolution, Newsbytes understands,
mandates that all telecoms service providers will offer telephone
services to all comers, guaranteeing a minimum level of services
and quality for all users. This means that, even if a subscriber
lives in a remote mountain settlement, the country telecoms
company must offer them the same basic level of phone service as
would be available to a subscriber in a city.

To fund what the EC describes as "uneconomic" services (such as to
remote subscribers), the draft resolution proposes to finance them
using fees, internal transfers and other controlled mechanisms.

This is an interesting development, Newsbytes notes, as cross-
subsidizes have been banned outright by the EC in many public
services, telecoms included. Newsbytes notes that allowing
companies the ability to cross-finance uneconomic services could
be an interesting "get out" clause to allow telecoms service
providers the ability to offer basic services to all subscribers
without being forced to swallow the loss themselves or ask the
subscriber for a contribution towards the extra cost of providing
service.

Newsbytes' readers in the EC should not expect the wholesale
provision of telecoms services under the universal service banner,
however, as EC officials are still wrangling over what, exactly,
universal service constitutes.

According to some sources, officials with the English, German, and
Dutch EC groups want universal service to refer merely to basic
voice telephony, leaving services such as voice mail, advanced
messaging and Integrated Services Digital Network (ISDN)
provision outside the scope of the resolution.

(Sylvia Dennis & Steve Gold/19931208)


(NEWS)(TRENDS)(LON)(00014)

Belgian Firm Intros Smart-Card Water Meter System 12/08/93
BRUSSELS, BELGIUM, 1993 DEC 8 (NB) -- Wameter has announced
the development of the Econocarte, a smart card-based water
meter system.

A smart card is a credit card-sized piece of plastic containing a
thin battery-backed memory chip with an ability to function as a
simple computer in its own right. This allows the card to be removed
and inserted in card reading and writing units and have data input
and output on request.

According to Wameter, thanks to a transfer of technology agreed by
the card's inventor, Roland Moreno, and research and tests carried
out by Lyonnaise des Eaux in Bordeaux, France, production of the
device will commence at Dison, France, where an initial investment
of BFr40 million has been approved.

Wameter officials claim that the advantage of the Econocarte
system is that the intelligence is mostly in the smart card. This,
the company claims, greatly simplifies the mechanics of the water
meter which, in turn, allows factories producing water meters to
double or even triple their meter output.

This has allowed Wameter to offer lower pricing on the Econocarte
than on conventional water meters. The company claims that the
Polish state water company has already ordered 4,000 units, while
interest has been shown from other companies around the world,
notably those in the France, Israel, and the UK.

Wameter is a pan-European division of the Peltzer Group and has
operations in the Wallon region of Belgium, as well as Lille, France
and Switzerland. The company's French and Swiss operations are
known, respectively, as Watteau and Soltex.

(Sylvia Dennis/19931208/Peltzer Group, 32-2-762-0353)


(NEWS)(GENERAL)(LON)(00015)

HP Offers Low-Cost Router With Flash memory 12/08/93
BRACKNELL, BERKSHIRE, 1993 DEC 8 (NB) -- Hewlett-Packard (HP)
has announced what it claims is the industry's first low-cost router
(costing UKP2,375) with built-in flash memory, advanced network
management and true "plug-and-play" capabilities.

The new router, known as the HP J2540A Router PR, claims to
expand HP's EtherTwist family of bridges and routers and is,
according to Mark Hollister, the company's UK network marketing
manager, an ideal remote-access router for companies that need a
cost-effective, easy-to-install, easy-to-manage routing "solution."

HP has also announced its Embedded Advanced Sampling Environment
(EASE) traffic-sampling technology is scheduled to be available
on the new router and all EtherTwist routers with immediate effect.

The HP Router PR supports TCP/IP (Transmission Control Protocol/
Internet Protocol) and Novell IPX (Internetwork Packet Exchange)
routing protocols as well as bridging. It also provides one Ethernet
port with a choice of AUI (Autonomous Unit Interface) or BNC
connector and one synchronous WAN (wide area network) connection
for PPP or ISDN (Integrated Services Digital Network) links.

According to HP, router management is available through the router's
console (RS-232) port and via TELNET in-band access over the
network. As with all HP routers, the company claims, software
upgrades can be made locally or over the WAN into the router's flash
memory.

(Steve Gold/19931208/Press & Public Contact: Hewlett-Packard,
[phone])


(NEWS)(TELECOM)(LON)(00016)

UK - Mercury Invests In "Next Century" Billing System 12/08/93
LONDON, ENGLAND, 1993 DEC 8 (NB) -- Mercury Communications
has signed a contract worth more than $22 million for the purchase
and development of a core billing system from GTE, the US phone
giant.

According to Mercury, the system will be brought on-line for
both residential and business customers during 1994/95. The aim
is to partially or, in some cases, totally, replace the current
in-house billing software.

Mercury claims that, as a result of these actions, it will be able
to adopt a more flexible approach to tariffs and billing, such as
expanding the "duration discount" scheme offered on calls to the US,
to other calling rates. It will also, the company claims, allow for
the introduction of universal numbering at a later stage.

Universal numbering is the system whereby callers dial a single
number for one person and, no matter where that person is, they have
calls routed to their chosen phones. The advantage with universal
numbering is that callers have just one number to dial and remember.

"Off the shelf" elements of the system, which is known as the
Customer Billing and Service System (CBSS), account for around half
of Mercury's total investment. The remainder of the money will be
spent on customizing and developing the system to suit the specific
needs of Mercury's customer base.

According to Colin Wileman, customer services and development
director of Mercury's business and consumer business unit, "The
GTE system will fulfil all of our basic requirements for a flexible,
future proof billing system and, importantly, it will allow us far
greater freedom in the type of services we plan to offer our
customers."

Don Hayes, GTE Data Services' president, who flew into the UK
to sign the contract with Mercury, said he is delighted that
Mercury has opted to go with CBSS. "By selecting CBSS, we are
confident that Mercury will see enhanced quality, new levels of
customer satisfaction and reductions in the cost of its billing
program," he said.

(Steve Gold/19931208/Press & Public Contact: Mercury
Communications, 44-71-528-2000)


(NEWS)(IBM)(LON)(00017)

IBM UK Offers Information Services Catalog 12/08/93
PORTSMOUTH, HAMPSHIRE, ENGLAND, 1993 DEC 8 (NB) -- IBM has
announced a new range of Dataguide products which is will be
offering to its major customers and dealers in the coming months.
The products are essentially a range of interactive catalogs that
run under the MVS or OS/2 operating system environments.

According to Big Blue, the aim of the on-line catalogs is to offer
users on a network access to information on all of IBM's products
and services, which can be searched or browsed on a keyword search
basis.

IBM claims that the most important feature of the Dataguide
catalogs is that they describe the available information and data
in non-technical business terms or groupings, so that it is easy for
business managers and administrators to locate information.

Once they have found this information or a data source of interest,
existing applications or tools can be used to easily retrieve it.
The creation and administration of the information catalog is
simplified by a starter set of object types and attributes, as
well as extract tools for popular IBM and non-IBM catalogs and
directories.

Initially, two products comprise the Dataguide family of catalogs:
Dataguide/2 and Dataguide/MVS. The former is the OS/2 version
which runs under OS/2 2.1 and stores its catalog information using
IBM's Database/2 OS/2 database package. The latter is the MVS
version and provides 3270-based users with information catalog
functions through the facilities of the IBM common data
facility/MVS.

IBM claims that both versions of the catalog will ship to
customers next week, each of which will be asked to take part
in a quality testing program.

(Steve Gold/19931208/Press & Public Contact: IBM UK, tel
44-705-561000, fax [phone])


(NEWS)(TELECOM)(ATL)(00018)

Latin America Phone Update 12/08/93
ATLANTA, GEORGIA, U.S.A., 1993 DEC 8 (NB) -- Trends toward
privatization and modernization are re-asserting themselves in
Latin America, despite the victory of Rafael Caldera, an opponent
of privatization, in Venezuela's presidential election. Caldera,
a former president, won a narrow plurality in a four-way race.

In Brazil, where opposition to privatizing the Telebras phone
monopoly is strong, Economy Minister Fernando Cardoso said in a
speech that the company's monopoly on service should be ended.
Competition could force a sale of the company, even at a lower
price than would otherwise be the case. Moves to sell the
monopoly have been blocked by labor and leftist opposition.

In Peru, the Tele 2000 cellular operation signed a supply
contract with AT&T worth about $36 million. The new operation,
which could serve 50,000 customers by 1995, is a cornerstone of
President Alberto Fujimori's plan to modernize the country
through private enterprise. Peru has just two phone lines for
every 100 people, the lowest ratio on the continent, mainly due
to an ongoing civil war against drug traffickers and leftist
rebels. It is the first contract for AT&T in Peru.

Perhaps more important to the long-term future of the country is
a separate contract between Tele 2000 and AT&T, under which
they will jointly install an 85 kilometer (km) fiber ring around
the capital of Lima, which could in time be used to improve phone
and data services. Lima has a population of about 7.5 million. Tele
2000 offers public pay phones, cable television services and
business communications services.

Finally, Ericsson has won a $27 million contract in Uruguay to
improve the network of Antel, the local monopoly which was
saved from privatization by popular vote last year. Antel will buy
digital Axe switches in the Montevideo, an intelligent network
node and Synchronous Digital Hierarchy, or SDH, equipment needed
to make its network 90 percent digital. Antel has a reputation
for running the best network in Latin America, which was one
reason voters opposed selling it.

(Dana Blankenhorn/19931208/Press Contact: Ericsson, Kathy
Egan, 212-685-4030; AT&T Network Systems, Barbara Mierisch,
201-606-2457)


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

SkyTel Announces E-Mail Connections 12/08/93
WASHINGTON, D.C., U.S.A., 1993 DEC 8 (NB) -- Mobile
Telecommunications' SkyTel system has announced new links
using the X.400 standard with both public and private networks.

SkyTel is a satellite paging network which has been upgrading to
offer short electronic mail (e-mail) messages using new digital
technology that lets its narrow-bandwidth channel on the 931
frequency support up to 6,400 bits-per-second (bps) of traffic.

While the parent company's stock price rose sharply, to a peak of
$39 per share, earlier this year when it was awarded a "pioneer's
preference" for a wider frequency band it will use for what it calls
a Nationwide Wireless Network, the price has since fallen to about
$24 as the paging market has become more competitive.

Standard & Poor's recently gave a B-Plus rating to $96 million in
MTel's convertible debentures, which carry a dividend and can be
turned into common stock. The rating was based on greater
competition in paging markets, offset by the potential of the NWN.

In its latest moves, the SkyTel network will be able to link with
General Electric's GEIS network, and with Internet addresses,
under X.400. Internet and GEIS subscribers with SkyTel accounts
can also be alerted to the receipt of e-mail while roaming with
their pagers, SkyTel said. The company estimated there are about
five million Internet users and 200,000 GEIS users. GEIS' links
will be through its BusinessConnect Email Service.

SkyTel also announced it can support six leading LAN (local area
network)-based e-mail systems: Lotus cc:Mail; Microsoft Mail;
WordPerfect Office; Novell MHS; Banyan Vines; and DaVinci and
Beyond. Between them, those software products have over 10
million users.

Again, users with SkyTel accounts can get alerts of new messages
in their e-mail inboxes while roaming with SkyTel pagers. SkyTel
President David W. Garrison said this can be critical to frequency
business travelers. He added that 25 million people now use
e-mail and that is growing 35 percent per year. "We expect that
messages with information, not just notification, will become a
wireless messaging standard, " he added in a press statement.
SkyTel also has links to MCI Mail and AT&T EasyLink.

To support this increased traffic, MTel said it has completed
its first field test of Motorola's FLEX multiple-speed paging
code at its highest rated speed of 6,400 bps. This will double the
capacity of SkyTel's network. Motorola-made pagers supporting
FLEX could be distributed next year.

(Dana Blankenhorn/19931208/Press Contact: David Allan,
212-614-5163)


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

Georgia Awards 2nd N11 Number 12/08/93
ATLANTA, GEORGIA, U.S.A., 1993 DEC 8 (NB) -- The Georgia Public
Service Commission voted 4-1 to let Williams Communications
offer information services in Atlanta using the number 711.

Newsbytes discussed the so-called N11 situation with PSC
spokesman Harriet Van Norte. She said that a one-year trial using
the 511 number has been underway for two months, with Cox
Enterprises' Atlanta Journal-Constitution and Southern Bell
working together.

"There were an average 100,000 calls per month," she said, to the
511 number, which charges 50 cents for each five minutes of
service. That was five times the volume found in a similar trial
in Florida, where the Palm Beach Post, also a Cox newspaper, was
operating the system. "Someone asked why, and it seems to be the
advertising is greater and the calling area is larger," she indicated.

While the Cox service is automated, Williams has filed to offer a
live service with live operators. In a filing this spring,
Williams indicated it would offer a "help-all" service, providing
general information to both consumers and small businesses.

Williams will face "the same requirements as with Cox," Van
Norte said. That means it is getting a one-year trial, free
blocking of the number for consumers who do not want access,
reports to the PSC staff monthly on system traffic, and
"mandatory migration to star technology when it's available."

Star technology involves use of the "*" key to create gateways to
more services, which would allow the PSC to let any company
enter the business.

The commissioner who voted against the Williams award, Bobby
Rowan, claimed in an interview he felt "politically squeezed" to
make the award, citing the fact that Williams' owner, Virgil
Williams, is chief of staff to Governor Zell Miller.

However, an examination of "N11" applications on file at the PSC
office by Newsbytes earlier this year revealed that Williams was
the only applicant requesting use of a live operator service who
had a complete business plan and was prepared to do business
immediately upon licensing.

The state is getting no money from any of this, said Van Norte,
aside from normal business taxes. But Southern Bell has filed a
tariff calling for a set-up charge on the numbers, and regular
fees based on call volumes.

The N11 proceeding started over a year ago when Cox and Southern
Bell separately asked for permission to use the numbers, which
work just like the "411" number used for directory assistance
and the "911" number used for emergencies. The numbers work
only  in a local calling area, but since they are just three digits
they are thought to be very valuable.

The aim of Cox and Southern Bell, which agreed earlier this year
to a joint-venture covering the entire BellSouth number, is to
offer low-cost audiotex services. Since that announcement, the
two have made numerous agreements with newspaper chains in
the region to operate services like Atlanta's "511" service, using
the local papers as an advertising vehicle.

(Dana Blankenhorn/19931208/Press Contact: Georgia PSC, Harriet
Van Norte, 404-656-4537)


(NEWS)(TELECOM)(ATL)(00021)

 ****Cox, SW Bell Form Cable Partnership 12/08/93
ATLANTA, GEORGIA, U.S.A., 1993 DEC 8 (NB) -- Southwestern Bell
and Cox Enterprises formed a joint venture which will own Cox'
cable operations and seek to purchase more, as well as buy
programming.

Cox will offer 21 of its cable operations, with 1.62 million
customers, to the deal, and estimated the value of that at $3.3
billion. Southwestern Bell will offer $1.6 billion in cash, which
will be used to buy more cable systems and acquire interests in
programming. For its investment SW Bell will get 40 percent of
the venture, with the option to buy another 10 percent.

A SW Bell spokesman told Newsbytes that the timing and size of
investments by the partners in upgrading the cable systems to
the Clinton Administration's "data superhighway" ideal have not
been determined. Cox is presently testing such a two-way system
in its San Diego operation.

Three Cox Cable operations are not part of the deal. Two of them
are within Southwestern Bell's five-state service territory. The
other is in Fort Walton Beach, Florida, and owned in an existing
joint venture between Cox and Time Warner. This is the second
major investment in cable for Southwestern Bell. Earlier it
agreed to buy Hauser Communications, which owns cable systems
in the suburbs of Washington, D.C. That system is also not part of
the new joint venture.

Southwestern Bell and Cox will jointly manage the partnership
with each having two seats on an executive committee. James O.
Robbins, president of Cox Cable, will serve as CEO of the
venture. Robbins said the deal will give Cox Cable the market
power to fund growth continue to diversify. The partners will
immediately begin searching for additional acquisitions, which
should help raise the asking price of cable operators for their
systems. Robbins noted that Southwestern Bell and Cox are already
partners in cable operations in the United Kingdom, adding this
deal is just an extension. He claimed the two firms' cultures are
similar -- decentralized and customer-driven.

The deal is expected to close by the end of September, 1994. It is
just the latest in a series between phone and cable operators,
both of which will need billions more to upgrade their systems
into two-way broadband networks. US West invested $2.5 billion
into Time Warner Entertainment, getting a 25 percent stake not
only in its cable operations, but in its entertainment assets.
BellSouth put $1 billion into Prime Management, a cable operator
which once ran the system in Atlanta. And in the largest such
deal, Bell Atlantic agreed to buy TeleCommunications Inc., the
nation's largest cable operator, for $11.8 billion.

(Dana Blankenhorn/19931208/Press Contact: Southwestern Bell,
Bill Dickinson, 210-351-2117; Cox Cable, Ellen East, 404-843-
5854)


(NEWS)(TELECOM)(ATL)(00022)

Ameritech Seeks Entry Into Long Distance 12/08/93
CHICAGO, ILLINOIS, U.S.A., 1993 DEC 8 (NB) -- Ameritech has
formally asked the US Justice Department for a waiver from the
Bell break-up decree that will let it begin offering long distance
services from Illinois by early 1995. The request may be expanded
to a second state, and the company hopes eventually to serve all
the states in its five-state service region.

The regional Bell companies are prohibited from terms of the 1982
decree which created them in 1984 from offering long distance
services or manufacturing. But a similar prohibition against
owning information services has since been broken, and there have
been moves in Congress and before regulators to allow the other
restrictions to lapse as well.

Newsbytes discussed the Ameritech move with spokesman Mike
Brand. "The Justice Department needs to approve the waiver and
then forward that to Judge Harold Greene, who oversees the
decree, under existing procedures," he explained.

"We're hoping for a waiver by the late summer of 1994. That would
let us into business in 1995. Obviously there's an awful lot of work
between getting the waiver and going into business. Technical
work will be hardware and software changes, working out leasing
arrangements for facilities. Marketing will be a new way of
getting people to think of Ameritech, he added.

He continued: "It's possible we'll add a second state to the trial in
the near future. While Illinois was the focus yesterday, we hope
to identify a second state. As part of our request, after December,
1995, we've left the door open to add additional states."

He concluded: "The focus on the trial is originating calls, first
within the state, and all the states, then we'll think about
terminating in the future. About half the calls that originate in
our region terminate there -- a $3-4 billion business."

AT&T and MCI immediately attacked the move, saying the company
should not be allowed into their business until there is meaningful
competition in local phone services. Brand addressed those
criticisms. "The issue is, what does the customer want? That's
what we're responding to. Customers are saying they want a single
company to serve their communications needs. Clearly the
technology is evaporating distinctions between local and long
distance service, and cable."

The latest move is part of a plan, called "Customer First," which
Ameritech announced earlier this year. Under the concept,
Ameritech will allow competitors access to its local phone
system, and allow them to compete directly for the local phone
business, in exchange for letting it into long distance.

(Dana Blankenhorn/19931208/Press Contact: Ameritech, Mike
Brand, 312-750-3975)


(NEWS)(GOVT)(DEN)(00023)

Texas County Approves Apple Tax Benefits 12/08/93
GEORGETOWN, TEXAS, U.S.A., 1993 DEC 8 (NB) -- In an about-face
from a decision just days ago, Williamson (Texas) county's five-
member commission has voted to approve a revised tax benefits
plan that clears the way for Apple Computer to bring its nine-
building $80 million support facility to Round Rock, a Williamson
county city a short distance north of Austin.

It is not unusual for a lawmaking body to approve benefits in order
to attract a company and a significant number of jobs to the area.
What is unusual is that just a few days ago the county
commissioners voted to turn down the $750,000 tax break for the
computer manufacturer, saying it opposed Apple's policy of
extending benefits to same sex partners of employees.

That decision led to national media coverage and created a
waiting list of other cities across the country, including nearby
Austin, that said they would welcome Apple with open arms.
Austin offers city employees benefits coverage similar to that of
Apple.

The issue became a political as well as a moral one, with the
Texas Republican Committee supporting the commissioners and
Ann Richards, the Texas Democratic governor, encouraging Apple
to keep the facility and its 700 jobs in the state.

One commissioner, David Hays, was the center of the controversy.
Initially Hays was one of the three commissioners to vote against
the tax breaks for Apple. One week later Hays changed his vote,
supporting the revised tax abatement plan, after the new agreement
gave the county the right of way for the roads and about $1 million
in improvements to the proposed Apple site.

"Until last Tuesday I never had to choose between economic
development and traditional family values," Hays told the British
news service Reuters. He said his vote switch does not signal a
change in his values, but is "merely an acknowledgment that Apple
has the right to come into Williamson County under a very favorable
 economic relationship for the people of our county."

Construction is expected to begin on the new plant, which could
eventually employ as many as 1,700 in the Spring and is expected
to be completed in 1995 according to an Apple spokesperson.
Local officials estimate the indirect impact could mean as many
as 4,000 new jobs in the county.

(Jim Mallory/19931208/Press Contact: Apple Computer Inc.,
408-974-2202)


(NEWS)(IBM)(DEN)(00024)

Microsoft Intros New SQL Server Products 12/08/93
REDMOND, WASHINGTON, U.S.A., 1993 DEC 8 (NB) -- Microsoft
has introduced two new SQL Server products it says will make it
easier for companies to integrate Microsoft client-server
platforms into heterogeneous computing environments.

Microsoft SQL Bridge for the Windows NT operating system is a
protocol gateway that connects Microsoft client-server platforms
with Unix environments from Sybase Inc. That allows clients and
servers to communicate across dissimilar networks without
having to use host-based protocols on desktop PCs.

Microsoft Database Transfer Utility provides a method for
migrating databases from other platforms, such as Unix or Novell
Netware, to Windows NT-based servers. It also provides the
ability to transfer databases between Intel-based and RISC
(reduced instruction-set computing)-based implementations of
SQL Server for Windows NT.

Prior to the availability of tools such as the Microsoft SQL
Bridge, deploying large scale client-server applications in mixed
computing environments has necessitated the use of common
network protocols on all platforms. For example, a company
trying to integrate Unix-based servers and PC local area networks
(LANs) would need to use TCP/IP (Transmission Control Protocol/
Internet Protocol) protocols and connectivity software at each PC.
That could cost as much as $400 per workstations.

SQL Bridge serves as a router, automatically applying the proper
transport protocols to network traffic. Bridge has a suggested
retail price of $2,495 per server for an unlimited number of users.
It replaces Microsoft SQL Bridge for OS/2. It supports Novell's
IPX/SPX (Internetwork Packet Exchange/Sequenced Packet
Exchange), Named Pipes, TCP/IP sockets, and Banyan Vines/IP.
Support for VMS-based servers and DECnet protocols is
expected in the future.

Microsoft's Data Transfer Utility is a new tool being included with
Microsoft SQL Server that simplifies the process of integrated
Windows NT-based platforms into existing Unix or Netware
environments. It provides for the migration of databases from
other SQL Server-based platforms, including those running Unix,
OS/2, or Netware, to Windows NT. either Microsoft or Sybase SQL
Server can be the source server, with the destination server
running Microsoft SQL Server for Windows NT.

DTU also includes functions for transferring databases between
Intel and RISC-based Microsoft SQL Server installations.
Databases can be transferred from one architecture to another
in a one-step procedures. The utility has multithreaded 32-bit
architecture and runs on Window NT or windows NT Advanced
Server. A pre-release version is available for downloading from
the Microsoft SQL Server forum on the Compuserve information
service (GO MSSQL). Both products are scheduled to ship in
January 1994.

(Jim Mallory/19931208/Press Contact: Catherine Miller,
Microsoft, 206-882-8080)


(NEWS)(TRENDS)(BOS)(00025)

SGML '93 - IBM, DEC, Novell & Intergraph Move To SGML 12/08/93
BOSTON, MASSACHUSETTS, U.S.A., 1993 DEC 8 (NB) -- IBM, DEC,
Novell and Intergraph are each moving some or all of their
documentation to SGML (Standard Generalized Markup Language),
officials of the four computer industry giants said in a
presentation at SGML '93.

DEC's Unix Publications Software Group, IBM, and Intergraph are
migrating from legacy SGML-like, but proprietary, architectures.
Novell, on the other hand, decided to place its documentation
on-line just a year ago. Novell's documentation is being authored
in a commercial desktop publishing program, and then converted to
SGML.

IBM's legacy documentation language, BookMaster, is based on an
in-house architecture known as GML (Generalized Markup Language).
DEC's SGML-like architecture is called SDML (Standard Digital
Markup Language), while Intergraph's legacy system goes by the
acronym IRITE, speakers told the audience.

IBM's new SGML documentation language, IBMIDDOC, is based on the
company's new InfoMaster architecture. DEC's emerging SGML
system is known as DECBook, and Intergraph's as Proteus.

IBM first developed BookMaster about ten years ago as an in-house
corporate standard, and later expanded the use of the language to
external distribution of product information, specifications, and
correspondence, said IBM's Wayne L. Wohler.

IBM now has several million pages of BookMaster documents on hand
and tens of thousands of trained BookMaster users, according to
Wohler. "But there are urgent needs to support more platforms and
delivery vehicles, and to interchange information with outside
enterprises," he added. Also, users are demanding processing on PCs
and workstations, and better on-line editing tools. "Our conclusion?
To migrate IBM Information Development operations to SGML," he
said.

IBM's new InfoMaster architecture combines architectural forms
borrowed from the HyTime approach to SGML with a "retrieval-based
processing model" invented by IBM, according to W. Eliot Kimber,
also of IBM.

The architectural forms from HyTime allow semantics to be re-used
on different processing systems, he said. IBM's retrieval-based
processing model "removes sequential processing biases," preventing
a situation, occurring in other SGML systems, in which searches are
affected by where information lies in the SGML information
hierarchy. Unlike other systems, Kimber added, InfoMaster "views
all relationships between elements as hyperlinks."

InfoMaster will ultimately spur major changes in content creation,
so that the task of technical writing becomes much more abstract,
Kimber predicted. But until tools become available that will
support the new approach, IBM is avoiding anything drastic. "Right
now, it's still relatively easy to create a paragraph in InfoMaster,"
he reported.

DEC's Unix Software Publishing Group, the company division that is
migrating to SGML, handles documentation for all of DEC's Unix-
based systems, said Eve Maler of DEC. Documentation for VMS and
other DEC systems is generated by other groups within Digital.

DEC adopted SDML and a proprietary reader called BookReader at
about the same time IBM started to use GML and BookMaster,
according to Maler. But in DEC's Unix Software Publishing Group,
tech writers have been free until now to use either SDML or any
desktop publishing or word processing package of their choice.

The Unix group opted to switch to SGML for two different but
complementary reasons, she added. On the one hand, officials of
the division wanted greater internal structure and consistency. On
the other hand, there was a need to communicate more easily with
customers and to respond to market changes in a more
entrepreneurial way.

Getting the tech writers to adjust to SGML is posing a challenge,
she conceded. But the Unix group has already converted some of its
Document Type Definitions (DTDs) to the Arbortext SGML format,
and has also begun to use Interleaf's WorldView, an SGML-capable
document viewer. DTDs are used to specify rules for SGML
documents.

In the future, the DEC division plans to submit its DECBook
specification for SGML, a variant of the DOCBook model, to the Open
Software Foundation for consideration as a standard, she stated.

At Intergraph, the proprietary IRITE documentation system has
been little used, because the language is unstructured and also
difficult to learn, said Beth Micksch, who heads up a project
team that is introducing SGML at the company. Instead of IRITE,
tech writers have been employing an array of different desktop
publishing and word processing programs.

Intergraph's SGML system needed to support Unix, Windows NT and
DOS/Windows, as well as the four document types used by the
company. "The system is named after Proteus because he was a
Greek sea god capable of changing forms," Miksch noted.

Proteus runs on a PC, and contains filters for converting documents
from existing tagged ASCII and Controlled FrameMaker formats.

The system was jointly developed by Intergraph's Systems
Integration, Electronic Publishing, and Corporate Publishing
Services divisions, with additional input from one customer
representative, one independent tester, and six users (tech
writers) from three beta sites within the company.

Resistance to Proteus was minimized, she maintained, by obtaining
early "buy-in" from all parties concerned: management, developers,
and tech writers. "Now, we refer to IRITE as IROTE," she joked.

Out of all the companies discussed during the session, Novell is
the only one to come to SGML without a legacy on-line documentation
system. Novell's Jon Bosak advised other companies in similar
situations to "Start with native SGML if politically possible."

Over the past year, said Bosak, Novell has succeeded in converting
41,000 pages from a commercial desktop publishing format into a
commercial SGML format. These pages have included documentation
for the NetWare Software Developers Kit (SDK) and four different
versions of NetWare. But the process has been far from easy, he
emphasized.

Desktop publishing programs and SGML are as different from each
other structurally as relational and object-oriented databases, he
asserted. The authors of documentation typically lack the
specialized knowledge required for carrying out the conversion,
necessitating a "guru" at each site. "And many of us (the gurus)
look and feel ten years older than we did a year ago."

(Jacqueline Emigh/19931207/Reader & Press Contact: Tanya
Bosse, Graphic Communications Association, 703-519-8160)


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

Managing Your Money DOS Update, Windows Version Planned 12/08/93
BOSTON, MASSACHUSETTS, U.S.A., 1993 DEC 8 (NB) -- MECA Software
has released version 10 of Managing Your Money for DOS. Also,
Newsbytes has learned that the first Windows-based version of the
package is now in the works.

In a visit with Newsbytes on a press tour of Boston, Jennifer
Moeller, product manager, personal finance, said that the DOS-based
Managing Your Money 10 adds the Clinton Administration tax laws,
plus a new Debt Reduction Module and Reconcile Magic Key and
enhancements to existing help, check register, and check printing
capabilities.

The Fairfield, CT-based software vendor plans to release a Windows
edition of Managing Your Money in March or April of 1994, Moeller
revealed.

Like previous editions of the financial package, Version 10 for DOS
provides on-line assistance with banking, bill paying, investments,
tax planning, insurance planning, and figuring out your personal
net worth.

Specific capabilities include account reconciliation, cash
forecasting, asset allocation, electronic bill payment,
IRA/retirement planning, on-line stock price updating, tax
estimation, and expert financial advice from author Andrew
Tobias.

The new Debt Reduction Module in the DOS edition is aimed at the 60
percent of people who now revolve their personal debts, according
to Moeller. During the meeting, the product manager demonstrated
to Newsbytes how the module analyzes personal debts and devises a
strategy for paying off debts quickly and cost effectively.

Users are shown how to pay off the highest-interest debts first,
and how to continue to apply the same monthly payments to the
remaining debts, with increasing portions of those payments going
towards principal. You can also see how much money you will save
by following this payment strategy.

Moeller also demonstrated how the new Reconcile Magic Key
searches for and instantly identifies common user errors, such as
inversion of a pair of digits.

In addition, she displayed the expanded help menu and the enhanced
check register in Managing Your Money. The help menu has been
embellished with a new help index, accessed through the F1 key, and
a "how-to" option listing commonly asked questions and answers,
accessed via F3. Tutorials on paycheck entry and portfolio account
set-up are new, as well.

The check register in Managing Your Money is now able to let the
user switch between one-, two-, and three-line modes. Also new in
version 10 is the ability to add and edit transactions directly
within the register. Further, the user can now display a check,
together with the register, on the same screen.

MECA's personal finance program is newly able to print budget
allocations on business check stubs, and support has been added
for three-per-page laser checks.

As in the past, Managing Your Money can also print out over 85
reports and graphs related to personal finances. A pie chart
showing "distribution of expense categories" is one example.
Custom reports can be generated, too.

Moeller also gave Newsbytes a look at the beta version of the
upcoming, more graphically oriented Windows edition of Managing
Your Money.

The menu to the Windows edition consists of a color drawing of a
home office, complete with a desk, file cabinets, bookshelves, and
a scenic view of the out-of-doors through the office windows.

The new menu is known as "MECAland." Features in the Windows-
based program are accessed by clicking on appropriately labeled
books and drawers for taxes, reports, and so forth.

One capability of the Windows edition has a name ("Snapshot")
but not an assigned function, as yet. "We're thinking about using
`Snapshot' to let customers generate custom graphs," Moeller
said. A chart depicting "income versus expense growth" might
be one possibility, she advised.

The suggested retail price (SRP) for Managing Your Money 10 is
$79.95, but the package is typically available for around $40
through software specialty chains, independent distributors, mail
order outlets, and direct mail, according to Moeller. Upgrades
from previous editions of Managing Your Money are available
directly from MECA for $29.95.

The DOS-based package requires an IBM-compatible PC with a
hard disk, 640 kilobytes of RAM, and DOS 3.0 or later. A mouse
and modem are optional.

(Jacqueline Emigh/19931208/Reader Contact: MECA Software,
800-820-7457; Press Contact: Lydia Trettis, Connors
Communications for MECA, 212-995-2200)


(NEWS)(BUSINESS)(LAX)(00027)

AOL Offers 1 Million More Shares Of Common Stock 12/08/93
VIENNA, VIRGINIA, U.S.A., 1993 DEC 8 (NB) -- America Online
(AOL), a provider of graphical electronic information services,
is offering another one million shares of common stock. The stock
is priced at $66 per share, pushing the total number of
outstanding shares to 6.98 million.

While most analysts believe AOL is destined to make money, there
is variation as to how much. Taking a cross-section of analysts,
the Institutional Brokers Estimate System (I/E/B/S) is predicting
earnings of $4.9 million or $0.82 per share by June of 1994. This
would be a 78 percent increase over the $0.46 per share the
company earned on $40 million in revenues in fiscal 1993.

In deals made with hardware manufacturers, AOL, like Prodigy, has
managed to get its software bundled with new computer systems.
The service has also boasted it is up to over 450,000 subscribers.

In addition, it is the darling of the burgeoning personal digital
assistant (PDA) hardware platform. The AOL access software is
built into the operating system of the Zoomer PDA marketed by
Tandy and Casio and Apple Computer has licensed the AOL
technology for Newtonmail, an electronic mail service for the
Newton Messagepad PDA.

To avoid take-over, the company instigated a "poison pill" in
April of this year, giving existing shareholders one share of a new
preferred stock for every 100 shares of common stock held if an
investor attempted to gain 25 percent of the then existing 5.98
million outstanding shares. The investor AOL was trying to fend
off is multi-millionaire Paul Allen, who made his millions by co-
founding Microsoft with Bill Gates and is now head of multimedia
software corporation Asymetrix.

Allen told the Securities and Exchange Commission in May his
interest in AOL is a proposed joint development of multimedia
network software for use over the faster on-line links telephone
and cable companies are working to develop. Allen might still be
able to make in roads via Commodore Holdings and Tribune, who
each hold 10 percent. But AOL's Chief Financial Officer (CFO)
Lennert Leader told Newsbytes there is nothing to report
concerning Allen since the SEC meeting in May and nothing
further is expected.

Despite what appears to be a bright financial future, there is a
downside. Standard and Poors points out that the earnings will
now be divided over 22 percent more stock, AOL faces a high cost
in gaining revenues as it gives away software and on-line time to
attract subscribers, and the company is facing higher costs.

Wall Street appears to be less than enthusiastic about the new
stock offering. AOL (NASDAQ: AMER) stock had fallen almost a
point in Wednesday morning trading from yesterday's close of 66
and 1/2.

(Linda Rohrbough/19931208/Press Contact: Lennert Leader,
America Online, tel [phone], fax [phone])


(NEWS)(GOVT)(WAS)(00028)

 ****SPA To Rate Video Games? 12/08/93
WASHINGTON, DC, U.S.A., 1993 DEC 8 (NB) -- Reports from several
sources in Washington indicate that the Software Publishers
Association will step into the growing controversy over violent
video games by forming a rating group which would determine how
to label video games with violent or sexual content. The SPA is
expected to announce the new rating system on December 9,
possibly at a congressional hearing.

Senator Joseph Lieberman (D. Conn.) and Herbert H. Kohl (D Wisc.)
are scheduled to hold a joint hearing on video game violence and
voluntary rating systems December 9 at 11 am. The hearing is
scheduled to be carried live by CSPAN.

Sen. Lieberman's press spokesperson, Jim Kennedy told Newsbytes
that the Senator's office is aware of some efforts to form an
industry rating group and that the Senator is personally in favor
of self-regulation in the software game industry rather than
having to promulgate new legislation.

Although Newsbytes has not yet been able to confirm it directly
with the SPA, reports out of Washington and from other sources
indicate that the trade association of more than 1,000 software
companies will take the lead in rating video games in an attempt
to head off federal government action.

Nintendo, according to a report on the CNBC cable business
channel, says that its games are family-oriented and therefore do
not require such rating, but it is not clear whether that major
game maker will join in the SPA-sponsored group. SEGA already
rates its games.

Apparently this rating system would set up a panel similar to the
motion picture rating group headed by Jack Valenti which is
responsible for giving movies their G, PG-13, R, and X ratings.
The SPA-sponsored group would apparently award some
combination of letter and number ratings to video games based
on their violent or sexual content.

Recently there has been an increasing demand by legislators and
interested groups that video games, some of which graphically
portray extreme violence and sexual acts or violence against
women, be rated for their content.

The most recent of these calls came back on December 1, when
beloved children's program pioneer Bob Keeshan, known to tens of
millions as Captain Kangaroo, joined two Senators in holding a
press conference to criticize the graphic violence found in some
video games. Keeshan said that the fact that this violence is
interactive, resulting directly from the action of the player, it
is far more threatening than mere passively viewed violence seen
on television and in movies.

Senators Joseph Lieberman (D. Conn.) and Herbert H. Kohl (D
Wisc.) joined Keeshan in calling for voluntary labeling of
such violent programs and suggested that if the publishers do
not take action on their own that Congress will step in with
some new legislation.

Specifically cited in last week's press conference were two
SEGA games, Mortal Combat, and another which reportedly
shows the graphic abuse of women.

(John McCormick/19931208/Press Contact: Jim Kennedy, Senator
Lieberman's Office, tel [phone] or fax [phone];
Dave McClure, SPA, 202-452-1600 ext 320)


(NEWS)(GENERAL)(WAS)(00029)

Bruno Blenheim 1994 Trade Show Schedule 12/08/93
WASHINGTON, DC, U.S.A., 1993 DEC 8 (NB) -- Fort Lee, New Jersey-
based trade show organizer Bruno Blenheim has released the
schedule for its 1994 information technology shows. Show
listings follow:

Networks Expo '94 Boston, will be held from February 15-17 at the
John B. Hynes Convention Center in Boston, Massachusetts. This is
the sixth annual show and will focus on "real-world" network
computing applications. Tutorials start one day earlier.

Networks Expo '94 San Francisco is the first such event and will
be held from April 19-21 at the Moscone Convention Center in San
Francisco, California. Blenheim says that this will be the only
major networking show to be held in the Bay Area next year.

DB/Expo '94 will also be held at the Moscone Convention center
from May 23-27. The organizer says that this show will be the
world's largest database, client/server, and information
technology exposition and conference, having more than 700
exhibitors and hosting more than 30,000 attendees.

PC Expo in New York will be the twelfth annual occurrence of this
major personal computer show and this year. It will be held on
June 28-30 at the Jacob K. Javits Convention Center in New York
City.

Networks Expo '94 Dallas will be held for the ninth time in
Dallas, Texas at the Dallas Convention Center from September
20-22.

The eleventh annual Unix Expo will be held from October 4-6 at
the Jacob K. Javits Convention Center in NYC.

The ninth annual PC Expo in Chicago is scheduled for McCormick
Place in Chicago, Illinois from October 19-21.

HRMS/Expo '94 will be held at the San Jose (California)
Convention Center from October 24-26 where the 100 leading
companies will exhibit human resources information technology
software and hardware.

DB/Expo New York, will be held from December 5-9 at the Javits
Convention Center in New York City.

The first annual Interactive Information Expo will be held from
December 6-8 in NYC at the Javits Convention Center.

(John McCormick/19931208/Press Contact: Jill K. Reynolds, DB and
HRMS Expos, 800-232-2976; or Annie Z. Scully, for the other shows
at 800-829-3976, 201-346-1400 ext 145, or fax [phone],
both of Bruno Blenheim)


(NEWS)(TRENDS)(TYO)(00030)

Hitachi & Matsushita Develop Advanced Memory Devices 12/08/93
TOKYO, JAPAN, 1993 DEC 8 (NB) -- Hitachi claims that it has
developed a significant single electronic memory unit which
can store 1,000 times more data than that of current semiconductor
memory chips. Matsushita Electronics has also developed a highly
integrated optical circuit device, which reportedly has considerable
potential in multimedia devices.

Some electronics firms, including Hitachi, have already developed
a single electronic memory. However, these existing single
electronic memory devices should be used under temperatures
at minus 273 degrees. Unless the memory units are cooled down,
the data is lost due to excessive heat.

Hitachi has overcome this problem by putting the electronic device
into a silicon container. As a result, this single electronic memory
unit can function in room-temperature. It is reported that the data
will not be lost even when the switch is turned off.

Meanwhile, Matsushita Electric has developed an optical electronic
integrated circuit (OEIC), which has 64 units of semiconductor
lasers and a driver transistor. It is a two-tier structured IC,
and the transistor is placed on the semiconductor laser.

With this structure, each laser unit is controlled directly. As a
result, the processing speed is increased almost 10-fold. The
size of the IC unit is just one third of a current IC.

Matsushita needs to improve the IC unit before it can be used
commercially. The OEIC can be used in a multimedia data
transmission control device, for example. Matsushita aims to
use the IC in home-use optical network devices, which receive
and transmit voice and picture data via optical fibers.

(Masayuki "Massey" Miyazawa/19931208/Press Contact: Hitachi,
tel [phone], fax [phone], Matsushita Electric,
tel [phone], fax [phone])