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/NB122193

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(NEWS)(BUSINESS)(SFO)(00001)

Softbank Adds OEMs To On Hand CD-ROM Distribution 12/21/93
MONTEREY, CALIFORNIA, U.S.A., 1993 DEC 21 (NB) -- Five months
after announcing the Softbank On Hand CD-ROM, Softbank Inc.,
has announced original equipment manufacturing (OEM) bundling
agreements with five hardware manufacturers.

The deals call for Austin Computer Systems, CompuAdd Computer
Corp., Micron Computer Inc., Mitsumi Electronics Corp., and
Northgate Computer Systems to bundle Softbank On Hand: The
Software Library with their CD-ROM-ready computer systems.

As reported by Newsbytes in July, Softbank, Merisel Computer
Products, Phoenix Technologies, and Alexander & Lord announced
the creation of the new company, called Softbank Inc., to market
the CD-ROM containing multiple software products.

The company claims that the On-Hand Library enables users to
"desktop shop" for software and other products without having
to go to a store. They simply call a toll-free number to obtain
a code to "unlock" actual software programs from the CD-ROM
disc.

Softbank claims that more than 200,000 Softbank On Hand
disc sets will be distributed per month through 1994.  In addition
to OEM  bundles, Softbank On Hand will be distributed through
Merisel Inc., to resellers nationwide.

In announcing the additional OEM deals, David Blumstein, chairman
and chief executive officer of Softbank Inc., said: "We are exceeding
our launch-phase distribution goals as a result of these OEM
agreements, in addition to our retail distribution through Merisel."

Software titles encrypted on the Softbank On Hand disc can be
purchased by phone, unlocked and "fulfilled immediately" to the
user's hard disk. The disc also reportedly includes multimedia
product advertisements, interactive product trials, and
demonstrations.

Softbank On Hand features applications from such major vendors
as Borland International, Computer Associates, Lotus Development,
and Microsoft, and feature everything from word processing,
spreadsheets, databases, presentation graphics, education,
entertainment, finance, to communications.

Softbank says that, by January 1994, Softbank On Hand will be
in distribution channels in full volume. Starting immediately,
coupons for a free Softbank On Hand disc set are being included
with all CompuAdd, Micron, Mitsumi, and Northgate CD-ROM-ready
products.

In July Newsbytes also reported that the CD-ROM includes a
variety of free software. Users who obtain the free On-Hand Library
may also subscribe to a monthly series of CD-ROM discs containing
news, features, interactive multimedia ads, additional free
software, and additional new software titles that can be purchased.

The Softbank On-Hand Software Library runs under Windows 3.1 on
386 or 486-based PCs with multimedia-compatible CD-ROM drives
and sound capabilities.

At that time the company also claimed that traditional software
retailers are not cut out of the loop, as OEMs, distributors, and
retailers who distribute the Softbank On-Hand Library bundles
receive a percentage of revenue from products sold.

(Ian Stokell/19931220/Press Contact: Amy Wright,
tel [phone], fax [phone], Softbank Inc.)


(NEWS)(BUSINESS)(SFO)(00002)

Cadence Design Systems To Divest Division 12/21/93
SAN JOSE, CALIFORNIA, U.S.A., 1993 DEC 21 (NB) -- It seems that
the Automated Systems Inc. (ASI) Division of Cadence Design
Systems Inc., headquartered in Brookfield, Wisconsin, has outlived
it usefulness to the parent. As a result, Cadence plans to sell the
business to a corporation owned by members of the ASI Division
management.

According to Cadence, ASI manufactures and provides design
services for complex printed circuit boards (PCBs). The company
has annual sales of about $12 million. The sale is expected to be
closed prior to  December 31.

Joseph B. Costello, president and chief executive officer of Cadence,
explained the background to the decision to sell. "When we acquired
ASI in 1990, we were primarily interested in the Prance line of
advanced PCB physical design software. With Cadence having
successfully integrated the Prance-XL autorouting technology and
its Allegro Correct-by-Design (CBD) design system, ASI is now
focused exclusively on designing and fabricating complex PCBs, he
said. However, "Today, as primarily a hardware manufacturer, ASI
is no longer a good strategic fit with Cadence's overall business
model."

The move will help Cadence get back to basics. Continued Costello,
"Going forward, this move will provide Cadence even greater focus
on the company's core business -- software that automates and
enhances the design of integrated circuits (ICs) and electronic
systems. In regard to ASI, we are pleased that their management
will now own the business and be able to continue to grow it."

As a result of the divestiture, in the company's year-end 1993
earnings, Cadence says it will take a charge of about $12 million.

(Ian Stokell/19931220/Press Contact: Michael Busselen,
408-944-7339, or H. Raymond Bingham, 408-944-7503,
Cadence Design Systems Inc.)


(NEWS)(TELECOM)(ATL)(00003)

 ****DirecTv Satellite Launched 12/21/93
LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA, U.S.A., 1993 DEC 21 (NB) -- Arianespace
has successfully launched Hughes' DirecTv satellite, meaning
consumers across the US will have a choice on cable service
within just six months. As of December 20 the company had gotten
signals from its satellite, but full deployment will not be complete
for about a week, Newsbytes has learned.

Eventually DirecTv will offer over 150 channels, including pay-
per-view channels, using 18-inch satellite dish antennas and set-
top converters. The antennae and converters carry the RCA brand,
which is owned by Thomsen of France. The compression and
scrambling techniques used in the system are proprietary, so
DirecTv customers will be unable to use other direct broadcast
satellite services with their equipment. The first satellite,
with 16 transponders will have the capacity for broadcasting
80 channels, and a second satellite is due to go up in June.

About a half-dozen orbital slots have been assigned for Direct
Broadcast Satellite services, but only Hughes, a division of
General Motors, has made it into the sky so far. There are also
DBS services in Asia and Europe, but they have just a dozen
channels each -- Hughes is the first firm to offer digital DBS
with signal compression that allows a higher channel capacity.

At the Summer Consumer Electronic Show the company announced
agreements with major cable program suppliers, including C-Span
and the Discovery Channel. Earlier, it had announced deals with
Turner, Disney and other major program suppliers. Later, it
announced a billing deal with Computer Sciences Corp.

In interviews at CES, DirecTv officials estimated they can break
even with about three million customers, which they could get with
just a percentage of rural homes out of reach of regular cable.
To reach these homes the company has a marketing agreement with
the National Rural Tele-Communications Cooperative, a consortium
of rural phone and utility companies.

In getting its orbital slot, Hughes made a deal to share capacity
on its satellites with United States Satellite Broadcasting, an
affiliate of Hubbard Broadcasting in St. Paul, Minnesota. Hubbard
has put $150 million into its part of the system, against about
$640 million for Hughes. USSB will offer its own slate of 25
basic cable services, using the same technology as Hughes, so
consumers could theoretically buy both.

Analysts believe the big hurdle for Hughes will be the initial
cost of the system, estimated at $900 per home with installation.
Once a home is connected to the system, costs are competitive
with wired cable. Also, all local cable operators offer local
channels, which Hughes cannot. Homes which want local stations
will need separate aerial antennae. And many operators are
looking at digital compression to offer as many as 500 channels,
plus full interactivity.

But Hughes has advantages as well. Because of its high capacity,
it was able to win agreements to offer pro football on a pay-per-
view basis, and viewers can get "season tickets" to their
favorite teams.

(Dana Blankenhorn/19931220/Press Contact: Linda Brill,
DirecTv, 310-535-5062)


(NEWS)(IBM)(DEN)(00004)

Windows CD-ROM With 30 Screensaver/Wallpaper Images 12/21/93
PORTLAND, OREGON, U.S.A., 1993 DEC 21 (NB) -- If you are
looking for unique screen savers or wallpaper images for your
Windows-based PC, an Oregon-based company offers 30
collections on CD-ROM disk that contain an assortment of
professional art and photographic images.

Second Nature Software offers 30 different collections, each
with 22 "high quality" 256-color images, according to the
company. Second Nature founder Michael Brown, former president
and CEO of Central Point Software, says the business was created
to support causes that in turn support nature, the arts, and
education. " We will donate all profits or 10 percent of sales,
whichever is greater, to  non-profit organizations," says Brown.
Initial beneficiaries include The Nature Conservancy and the
Audobon Society.

The initial collections include: Ray Atkeson's western images,
David Muench's National Parks, Butterflies by Robert Michael
Pyle, Historic Planes by Michael O'Leary, images of Claude
Monet, and Watercolor Florals by Sara Steele.

You can also get Audobon's Classic Bird Collection, Space
Voyages by Don Dixon, Classic Cars by Ron Kimball, Cats by Siri,
and a number of other floral and nature images. The company
says it expects to add as many as 15 new titles each quarter.

The CD-ROM collections include a slide show, a Windows
wallpaper sequencer, and a screen saver control program. The
company says the slide show displays compressed images much
faster than competing products, scales images to fit all screen
resolutions, and includes a small tool bar with VCR-type controls
to sequence through the images.

There are also special transition effects like a jigsaw puzzle and
dripping paint, and a thumbnail view of all the images for easy
selection. You can also create your own image collection from
bitmap or JPEG (Joint Photographic Experts Group) files that you
already have. Slide Show is After Dark-compatible and can
display Microsoft Scenes collections.

To use Slide Show you need 256-color VGA, Windows 3.1 or later,
and about 1.4 megabytes (MB) of disk space for the first collection.
The company says future collections will require less than 1MB of
space.

Each collection has a suggested retail price of $15 or three for
$30 until December 31, 1993. A sampler collection can be
downloaded from Second Nature's bulletin board system at no
cost or can be ordered by phone for $6.

(Jim Mallory/19931220/Press Contact: Michael Brown, Second
Nature Software, 503-221-1460; Reader Contact: Second Nature
Software, tel [phone], fax [phone]; bulletin board
503-221-8744, 800-782-7000; or 503-291-9500 for phone
orders/PHOTO)


(NEWS)(GENERAL)(BOS)(00005)

Proteon Appoints Bergman President & CEO 12/21/93
WESTBOROUGH, MASSACHUSETTS, U.S.A., 1993 DEC 21 (NB) -- Bruce
J. Bergman has been named president, CEO, and member of the
board of directors for Proteon, a Westborough, Massachusetts,
company specializing in networking and internetworking products
for mixed IBM and multiprotocol environments.

Elliot (Doc) Honan, who has been serving as acting president and
CFO, will continue on with Proteon as vice president of finance
and administration, CFO, and member of the board of directors.

Bergman, a 25-year industry veteran, joins Proteon from Xylogics,
where he had been president and CEO for the past decade. Xylogics
is a networking and remote-access hardware and software vendor
headquartered in Burlington, Massachusetts.

"Bruce is a proven chief executive officer, and he brings a
management background that is well suited for Proteon's needs
at this time," said Howard C. Salwen, chairman of the board for
Proteon.

Prior to Xylogics, Bergman spent 12 years in the areas of
management, sales, and marketing at Control Data Corp. In his last
assignment there, he was general manager of the IBM-Compatible
Peripheral Systems Division, a business unit with annual revenues
of about $150 million.

Earlier in his career, Bergman worked in engineering management
for Honeywell. He holds a BSEE (Bachelor of Science in Electrical
Engineering) degree from the University of Minnesota and an MBA
(Master of Business Administration) degree from the University of
Southern California.

Proteon's products include multiprotocol bridging routers, token
ring and Ethernet intelligent hubs, integrated network management,
wire centers, and token ring adapter cards.

(Jacqueline Emigh/19931217/Press Contacts: Joe Grillo or Lacey
Brandt, Proteon, 508-898-2800; David Copithorne or David
Kitchen, Copithorne & Bellows for Proteon, 617-252-0606)


(NEWS)(GENERAL)(BOS)(00006)

System For Interactive, Hyperlinked SGML Documents 12/21/94
BALTIMORE, MARYLAND, U.S.A., 1993 DEC 21 (NB) -- Westinghouse
Electric Corp., has announced Pathways Interactive Electronic
Publishing (IEPS), a system for preparing, publishing and
delivering interactive hypertext documents using SGML
(Standard Generalized Markup Language) structured data.

Officials said that the system adheres to SGML -- a document
interchange standard used increasingly within government,
aviation, the automotive industry, and a variety of other fields --
while also allowing information to be classified, navigated, and
queried in a more intuitive, content-driven way.

Designed for interactive electronic publications (IEPs) such as
technical manuscripts, training programs, and diagnostic systems,
Pathways IEP consists of three software products, each running
under Microsoft Windows on IBM-compatible PCs and Motif on Unix
workstations.

Pathways-Tools is a collection of software facilities for preparing
existing SGML data for the Pathways publishing process. Pathways
Loader is the publishing engine for transforming structured SGML
files into interactive documents. Pathways-View is the software
environment for delivering IEPS, and for allowing end users to read,
navigate, query, and annotate the documents.

Pathways uses a method called Navigational Access by Content
Classification (NACC) to let organizations classify content by
topic, skill level, or whatever other designation makes sense
within the context of the application, and to ease access by end
users.

Pathways-Tools is employed to add "content intelligence" to SGML
files, and to specify formatting and behavioral characteristics
that support Pathway Viewer. The company noted that some SGML
documents of recent origin -- which already use content tagging
as well as traditional SGML structure tagging -- will not require
additional content intelligence from Pathways-Tools.

The Pathways-Loader product converts the flat SGML files into a
collection of text, graphical, animation, audio and video objects
designed to function as a multidimensional database. The
database also contains style specifications, action scripts, link
maps, and other information for accessing and manipulating the
interactive documents.

Officials asserted that the Pathways database is automatically
linked together based on the structure and content of the SGML
file, instead of hardcoded hypertext links, eliminating manual
insertion of links, along with the problem of "links that go
nowhere."

Pathways-Viewer is a "pageless" presentation environment
displaying multiple, simultaneous views of information that
isolate and highlight critical content, like steps in a procedure,
according to the company.

The viewer features cross references, bookmarks, annotation,
query by text and content, and tables with headings that remain
locked on screen while the user scrolls the contents.

(Jacqueline Emigh/19931220/Press and Reader Contact:
Westinghouse Electric Corp., 800-742-4802)


(NEWS)(IBM)(BOS)(00007)

Speech/Pen Apps From KAI & IBM Deal 12/21/93
WALTHAM, MASSACHUSETTS, U.S.A., 1993 DEC 21 (NB) -- Knowledge-
based speech recognition from Kurzweil Applied Intelligence (KAI)
will be combined with the latest speech and pen-based technologies
from IBM in a series of applications for health care and other
vertical markets, Newsbytes has learned.

In a conference call with Newsbytes, Bernard F. Bradstreet, KAI's
chairman and co-CEO, and Elton B. Sherwin, Jr., IBM's manager of
speech recognition and market development, elaborated on recently
announced plans to form a strategic alliance, outlining the
kinds of contributions each company will make to the KAI/IBM
joint development effort.

KAI, a Waltham, Massachusetts-based company founded in 1982,
produced its first speech recognition system back in 1985, and its
first knowledge-based speech application in 1987, Bradstreet told
Newsbytes.

Marketed under the VoiceMed line, KAI's knowledge-based
applications are now in their fourth generation, and include
products for emergency medicine, pathology, cardiology,
nephrology and radiology, each with a 50,000-word vocabulary.

IBM has been doing research on speech recognition for the past 21
years, but waited until earlier this year to bring its first speech
recognition products to market, said Sherwin. The IBM Speech
Server Series, a 32,000-word speech recognition system for AIX-
and OS/2-based servers and client workstations, began shipping in
January. Speech Server is a discrete speech recognition system,
meaning that it does a better job of interpreting words when there
are pauses between words.

The IBM Continuous Speech System, a small vocabulary system in
which words can be entered continuously, without pauses, was
released in June, also for servers and client workstations running
under AIX or OS/2.

The IBM Personal Dictation System, a product similar to the Speech
Server Series but aimed at standalone use on OS/2, is scheduled to
ship by the end of the year, he said. A Windows-based version of
the Continuous Speech System is targeted for delivery in January.

"In (IBM's) view, over the past 12 months, speech recognition has
crossed a point, in terms of accuracy and price, where there is
now a broad market for use by the general population," Sherwin
explained. Improved algorithms are the chief reason for the
heightened accuracy, but better microphones and faster computer
processors are also factors, he asserted.

IBM is currently concentrating its speech recognition efforts on
miniaturization, multilingual support, and "speech/pen hybrids,"
according to Sherwin. In 1994, IBM will start to introduce a
series of "hybrid" notebooks, combining speech recognition with
pen-based computing, that will ultimately include Intel-based as
well as Power PC-based systems, he added.

KAI's knowledge-based VoiceMed applications for DOS and Windows
are now being employed by 3,500 users at 800 hospitals, clinics,
and other medical sites, according to Bradstreet.

KAI also produces KurzweilVoice, a voice-enabled personal computing
and word processing system, along with tools for developing
knowledge-based speech recognition applications aimed at the
government, legal, and financial services markets. Over the past
five years, company revenues have been growing at the rate of 40
percent a year, Bradstreet said.

The VoiceMed applications speed document preparation to the point
where a doctor can create a patient-specific medical report in five
or six utterances, he maintained. The applications also include
prompts designed to help assure the completeness of a report.

By uttering "trigger" words and phrases, the user calls up a
paragraph or more of text for use in a report. The text
identifies appropriate variables, as well as "invariant" portions
that can be utilized in the report without modification by the
user.

When the trigger phrase "URI" (upper respiratory infection) is
uttered, for example, the application identifies severity and
duration of the infection as variables. The doctor is prompted to
describe the severity and duration of the patient's illness.

The VoiceMed applications are not intended to be diagnostic tools,
Bradstreet emphasized. "This isn't a situation where you put in a
bunch of symptoms, and out comes the diagnosis. But the doctor
does receive a sophisticated checklist," he explained.

Users of the discrete speech recognition applications can also move
into "free text" whenever they want. In "free text," users can say
anything they like, according to Bradstreet. The application will
interpret any utterances that are within the constraints of its
50,000-word vocabulary.

The applications to be jointly developed by KAI and IBM will
integrate the best of what each company has to offer, Bradstreet
indicated. "The knowledge-based capabilities we've developed for
speech are clearly very appropriate for a combination of speech
and pen," he told Newsbytes.

"In addition, the capabilities of the PowerPC and the other
platforms mentioned by Elton (Sherwin) will be very useful to us.
There's tremendous interest out there in combining the power of a
workstation with the power of notebooks and subnotebooks. To the
extent that these capabilities will add value and enhance
productivity for customers, we will certainly use them," Bradstreet
added.

The concept of the "speech/pen hybrid" makes business sense to
IBM due to the ready reusability of code, said Sherwin. "You're
developing a lot of the active vocabulary and other tools and
infrastructures needed for a pen application whenever you create
a speech application."

IBM has also determined that some users like to switch back and
forth between speech and pen, much as they might switch between a
mouse and keyboard. In testing, IBM has discovered that the pen is
the fastest method for editing input. "So you can start to envision
systems where the user dictates to the system by voice, and then
sits down with the pen to edit," he noted.

IBM's hybrid systems for Intel-based notebooks will use PCMCIA
(Personal Computer Memory Card International Association) cards
for holding large vocabularies, Sherwin told Newsbytes. IBM's
upcoming Power Personal Systems, which will be based on the
PowerPC chip, will not require PCMCIA cards for containing the
vocabulary.

"We intend to ship the IBM Personal Dictation System on most or all
of our Power Personal Systems. IBM's primary development effort
for speech recognition for pen is in the Power Personal Systems
Division," he reported.

In its first incarnation, the IBM Personal Dictation System will
require a half-card, according to Sherwin. The system will
typically allow a dictation speed of 75 words-per-minute, but
skilled users can achieve a rate of 90 to 95 words-per-minute.

The Personal Dictation System will initially be available in US
English, UK English, French, German and Italian. A Spanish version
is scheduled for release next year.

KAI's VoiceMed discrete speech recognition applications are
currently available in US English only, although under pilot
programs, developers have converted the applications to Dutch,
German and Italian, according to Bradstreet.

"KAI has also developed a continuous-speech prototype in Japanese,
in conjunction with Fuji Xerox. But that today is not a product,"
Newsbytes was told.

As a result of a 32 megabyte (MB) memory requirement, KAI's
knowledge-based systems are currently used only on desktop PCs
and large portable systems, such as PAC (Portable Add-In Computer)
systems from Dolch. "But we think we can reduce the (memory)
requirement," Bradstreet said.

KAI's VoiceMed applications are "speaker independent," meaning
that they do not need to be "trained" to the individual user's voice.
But the user does need to spend about four to five hours learning
the "trigger phrases" and other reporting procedures of the KAI
system, according to KAI's chairman and co-CEO.

Some of the trigger phrases are designed to help protect doctors
against malpractice suits, he said. For example, if the patient
comes to the doctor's office complaining of abdominal distress,
left-shoulder bursitis, or other problems that can sometimes be
symptomatic of myocardial infarction, a potentially fatal heart
ailment, the application prompts the doctor with questions such
as "Does the patient complain of chest pain?"

Doctors can pass over these questions if they wish. "But the
questions remind physicians to demonstrate that they realize this
could be masking a myocardial infarction, and to document that
they have tried to eliminate that as a cause," Bradstreet
explained.

The trigger phrases and structured reporting capabilities in KAI's
speech recognition applications simplify complex tasks by breaking
them into bite-sized pieces, he told Newsbytes. "So we see
additional applications in government, legal, financial, and many,
many other areas."

(Jacqueline Emigh/19931220/Reader Contacts: Kurzweil Applied
Intelligence, 617-894-0003; IBM, 800-426-3333; Press Contacts:
Mark D. Flanagan, KAI, 617-894-5151; Jan Collins or Jeff Aubin,
Brodeur & Partners for KAI, 617-894-0003; Lisa Poulson,
Burson-Marsteller for IBM, 212-614-4000/PHOTO)


(NEWS)(TELECOM)(ATL)(00008)

More On AT&T-Linkon Agreement 12/21/93
NEW YORK, NEW YORK, U.S.A., 1993 DEC 21 (NB) -- On December 16
Newsbytes reported that Linkon Corp., will supply a hardware board
and software as part of AT&T's efforts to link clients' computers
and phone companies. The AT&T system connects all the networked
telephone systems in a company, as well as their networked
computers, and allows the two to communicate. It will be sold by
AT&T's Network Systems division as the Integrated Services
platform.

Linkon provides the voice modem compression speech recognition
and text-to-speech capability for the system on a single plug-in
card, which in turn uses AT&T digital signal processors, Bell
Labs datapumps, and some AT&T software algorithms. Linkon's
software includes a proprietary operating system and a tool kit
called Teravox through which AT&T wrote applications

About 25 percent of Linkon revenue comes from exports,
President Lee Hill noted, and he also addressed some recent
export trends.

Newsbytes asked whether he was pleased at the resolution of
the new General Agreements on Tariffs and Trade (GATT)
agreement. "The big issue is regulation," Hill said, not tariffs. "If
there were some method where all the PTTs could set a universal
standard it would make our life easier. At the moment you have
to be certified separately" in each country for computer or
telecommunications equipment, which in some countries can
make life difficult.

He mentioned two prominent examples among major US trading
companies. "Australia has really tough standards, while Germany
runs 3,200 volts through your board to see if your card would be
hurt by lightning." But there is hope in technology, he added.
"When it all becomes software, maybe the requirements will go
away."

Hill added that he remains skeptical of the European Union's
progress. He says he used to work with Ray Ban sunglasses, and
was heavily involved then in selling to Europe. He found that
every nation there had different standards for imagery, and thus
there were mountainous technical hurdles to climb in each nation
to sell his sunglasses.

The lesson is that the social aspects of integration are
difficult. He said that is a good lesson.

(Dana Blankenhorn/19931220/Press Contact: Linkon, Lee W. Hill,
212-753-2544)


(NEWS)(BUSINESS)(DEL)(00009)

India - Siemens Establishes Bangalore Software Center 12/21/93
NEW DELHI, INDIA, 1993 DEC 21 (NB) -- Siemens Information
Systems Ltd. (SISL), the joint venture of Siemens (India) Ltd., and
Siemens Nixdorf, is planning to establish a 100 percent export-
oriented unit in Bangalore to undertake turnkey offshore projects
in the telecommunications area.

As a first step in this direction, the company has set up a
software center in Bangalore to develop a telecommunications
network management system. According to Anil Laud, managing
director of SISL, its facility in Bangalore will be a competence
center for manufacturing applications, real-time systems,
business "solutions," and computerized translation.

The manufacturing applications will involve the development of
software for factory automation. Real-time systems for SCADA and
process control applications and systems integration services in
business areas like financial accounting, fixed assets management
and accounting will be two other projects. Multimedia applications
for teaching aids and mass communication, GIS (geographic
information systems) and CAD/CAM (computer-aided design/
manufacturing) applications are also on the cards.

However, in the initial stages, the key project to be executed in
Bangalore is a knowledge-based computerized translation system
which will take an estimated 60 man-years to develop. According
to Laud, SISL would invest Rs 8 crore in funding its various
projects in its centers at Bombay, New Delhi, and Bangalore.

Last year, the company recorded a turnover of Rs 16 crore with
all its revenues coming from export contracts. This year the
company is also addressing some domestic clients, such as the
Indian Railways and Mahanagar Telephone Nigam Ltd.

Laud estimates that domestic revenues this year would be about
five percent of turnover. So far the company has mostly been
catering to the requirements of Siemens AG. However, there have
been some exceptions, such as Sap and softlab, both German
software houses. In the next one year, the company intends to
generate 40 percent of its business from non-Siemens projects.

(C.T. Mahabharat/19931221)


(NEWS)(TRENDS)(BOS)(00010)

 ****US Share Of World Printer Market To Slide - Survey 12/21/93
FRAMINGHAM, MASSACHUSETTS, U.S.A., 1993 DEC 21 (NB) -- The US
will continue to dominate the international printer market for the
foreseeable future, but growth in Europe, Latin America and other
regions of the world is coming even faster, says a new study by
International Data Corp. (IDC).

In the study, IDC pinpoints the compound annual growth rate (CAGR)
of the worldwide printer market at 7.3 percent through 1997. On a
worldwide basis, ink jet printers will lead the way, growing at
twice the rate of laser technologies, according to the researchers.

Meanwhile, the market share for impact printers is expected to
shrink by 11 percent, with significant declines in every area of
the world.

Latin America will be the hottest region for printer sales, with
an anticipated CAGR through 1997, IDC maintained. The Framingham,
Massachusetts-based research firm forecasts a "printer boom" in
Europe as well.

Latin America's share of the worldwide printer market is projected
to reach four to six percent over the next four years. "Although this
is a relatively small percentage of the total global market, the
rapid growth offers an opportunity for printer vendors to establish
themselves (now) as market leaders," advised Marco Boer, senior
analyst for IDC's Printer Market Planning Service.

The European printer market, already the second largest market
after the US, will grow at double the rate of the US market through
1997, according to IDC. These figures do not take into account the
Eastern European market, which is predicted to expand at an even
faster pace.

The study also discovered that the substantial growth of the ink
jet market is being driven by a few vendors who have cumulatively
invested billions of dollars in research and development. These
vendors dominate global markets through wide brand recognition,
marketing power, and control of distribution channels, the
researchers said.

On the other hand, ink jet technology was found to have taken hold
most rapidly in Europe, where the number of vendors offering ink
jet printers is many times greater than the rest of the world.

Researchers cautioned, though, that many European vendors are tied
into high price structures, and may not be able to adopt quickly
enough if US-like pricing comes to the forefront in the future.

IDC also predicted that the proportion of laser printers produced
in Japan will drop from its current level of 75 percent, "as
vendors feel the pain of currency exchange rates with the yen
and seek new sources of supplies."

(Jacqueline Emigh/19931221/Reader Contact: IDC,
508-935-4055; Press Contact: Mike Ault, IDC, 508-935-4044)


(NEWS)(TRENDS)(WAS)(00011)

Xplor 1993 Technology Directions Survey Results 12/21/93
WASHINGTON, DC, U.S.A., 1993 DEC 21 (NB) -- Xplor International,
of Torrance, California, has released the results of its yearly
survey which explores the outlook for changing priorities in
information management as seen by Xplor member companies.
Imaging systems will be a top priority next year according to 56
percent of the survey of 300 electronic document systems
professionals.

Xplor International, The Electronic Document Systems Association,
provides a forum for companies which provide electronic document
systems and services.

The 1992 Survey, which covered expectations for 1993, indicated
that 51 percent of responding members thought that mainframe
printers would be a top growth area.

Another trend seen in the survey is the move to integrate the
functions of the data processing department with in-plant
printing facilities. This is seen as important by 44 percent of
those surveyed, while 52 percent see coordination of data
processing and mailing operations as a major new area for
improvement.

But the biggest percentage gain came in multimedia where the
number of companies seeing this trend as representing a top
investment priority surging from eight percent in 1992 to 28
percent in 1993. However, this represents investments in
corporate MIS (management information systems) department
internal use, not applications programs sold to consumers.

Investment priorities for information processing departments
have changed as follows from 1992 to 1993 (expectations for the
following year), with the numbers representing the percentage of
respondents who felt that a certain area would be one of the top
three investment areas: Imaging systems, 56 percent versus 39
percent (first number is from 1993 survey, second from 1992
results); LANs (local area networks), 54 percent vs 64 percent;
digital networks 41 percent vs 31 percent; mainframe printers,
31 percent vs 51 percent; multimedia, 28 percent vs 8 percent;
LAN and desktop printers, 28 percent vs 37 percent; desktop
systems, 24 percent vs 28 percent; distributed printers, 22
percent vs 23 percent; and remote printers, 21 percent vs 26
percent.

The entire 53-page survey includes detailed numbers and charts,
as well as a copy of the survey with detailed breakdown of the
answers to each question.

Most surveys (49 percent) were answered by technical staff, with
22 percent being answered by middle management. Twenty-seven
of the companies are involved in the insurance business, with 18
percent being service bureaus. The companies responding are
mostly large, with 33 percent having between 1,000 and 5,000
employees at all locations and 41 percent having more.

(John McCormick/19931221/Press Contact: Jim Porter, Xplor,
tel [phone], fax [phone]; Public Contact:
800-669-7567 US, 0800899067 UK, 0130816572
Germany/PHOTO)


(NEWS)(GENERAL)(TYO)(00012)

Japan - Capcorn Recalls Game Software 12/21/93
TOKYO, JAPAN, 1993 DEC 21 (NB) -- Japan's major video game
software maker, Capcorn, says it has recalled almost all the
game software cartridges which were released late last week.

Capcorn plans to correct the error and re-release them early
next week.

Capcorn's most recent video game is called the Rockman X,
which is the latest version of the firm's best-selling action
game. Capcorn was hoping to sell total one million units of
the latest Rockman X.

The corrected Rockman X will be released on December 27,
however, this will mean that the product will not be available
for the Christmas sales season. However, the company hopes
that a large number of sales will come from the New Year
sales period in Japan.

(Masayuki "Massey" Miyazawa/19931221/Press Contact:
Capcorn, tel [phone], fax [phone])


(NEWS)(TRENDS)(LAX)(00013)

CD-ROM Use Increases 12/21/93
LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA, U.S.A., 1993 DEC 21 (NB) -- Software
vendors say that compact disc read-only memory (CD-ROM) titles
are becoming best sellers. At computer swaps in Southern
California CD-ROM titles and CD-ROM hardware are everywhere.

Even Dataquest concedes that the CD-ROM market is coming into
its own. Newsbytes talked with analyst Phil Devin, who said,
"CD-ROM has grown to the point where it is not going to stop."

Lynda Orban of Knowledge Adventure told Newsbytes that in her
travels to computer user groups nationwide, buyers tell her they
don't have a CD-ROM drive yet, but are buying titles for when
they do have one. This is happening even in areas that have been
traditionally behind the rest of the country, such as the southern
states. Computer user groups tend to be pioneers, but have been
slow in adopting multimedia, until lately.

The question is what is multimedia and what is only CD-ROM.
Installation of sound and CD-ROM into an existing system is a
painful process that can discourage even the most stanch do-it-
yourselfer. Dataquest says this is why they believe one in three
new computer systems now being purchased are multimedia-
ready systems preconfigured with sound and CD-ROM. The quickly
mounting number of CD-ROM titles coupled with the dropping
prices of multimedia hardware is driving the trend, according to
Devin.

But users still need some high-end hardware to be comfortable
doing multimedia, such as a super video graphics array (SVGA)
monitor, eight to 16 megabytes (MB) of random access memory
(RAM), a 16-bit sound card, speakers, a double-speed CD-ROM drive,
and a 500MB hard disk drive. Devin said prices have come down to
the point that computer users can purchase a decent multimedia
system for $1,200 to $1,500. Additionally, to really do it right, a
good quality color printer is also needed.

But is there a distinction between CD-ROM and multimedia?
Microsoft said five years ago CD-ROM is the new papyrus. That
certainly seems to be the case now with reference titles springing
up faster than they can be counted. But has multimedia arrived?
Not yet, according to Devin, although the widespread use of CD-ROM
can't hurt its arrival.

(Linda Rohrbough/19931221/Press Contact: Phil Devin,
Dataquest, tel [phone], fax [phone])


(NEWS)(GENERAL)(LAX)(00014)

Last Minute Holiday Gift Ideas 12/21/93
LEMMINGS, CALIFORNIA, U.S.A., 1993 DEC 21 (NB) -- If you are still
looking for that last minute holiday gift, but want one that will
make you a hit with your computerized friends, you might want to
try one or all of three new games on the market. One of the
versions of Lemmings from Psynosis Software is sure to be a hit
with someone on your list, and two Windows games -- Takin' a
Break Pinball and Dell Crossword Puzzles -- are likely to be
winners with those hard-to-buy-for folks.

Lemmings is a problem-solving and strategy game that comes with
200 levels in its original version. Children younger than nine will
probably need help, as it is most suitable for teenagers and adults.
The idea is to move the green-haired, purple-bodied creatures
through obstacles, sacrificing a few for the good of the whole. All
Lemmings begin as mindless walkers but can be transformed at
your command into single-minded pursuers of other tasks, such as
digging, blocking other Lemmings, climbing, and even blowing up
into a shower of confetti.

Lemmings is billed as a great stocking stuffer for about $15.
The more standard versions, such as Lemmings, Lemmings 2: The
Tribes, and Oh No! More Lemmings, are available in discount stores
for about another $10. These run on just about any IBM-
compatible personal computer (PC) that has color, although they
are better with a sound card. There are also versions for the
Macintosh, Amiga, and the Atari.

Takin' a Break Pinball and Dell Crosswords, both for Windows,
are from Dynamix, a subsidiary of Sierra Online.

The pinball title offers eight different pinball games and allows
you to hold up the flippers, capture and aim the ball, just like
in real pinball. You can even "grunch," shifting the pinball
machine to the left or the right. It is also possible to accidently
tilt it as well. However, since monitors are square and pinball
machines are oblong, the games only take up half the monitor.

Dell Crossword Puzzles offers 750 puzzles in three skill levels,
just like paper crosswords. The product has three levels of
difficulty, 20 specialty puzzles, a crosswords dictionary
included in the box, and a way to automatically check your
answers. You can cross out clues you have answered right on the
screen and print out unfinished puzzles to take along with you.
There are choices for the designs of the puzzles to choose from,
animated graphics, and if a sound card is available, there is
music and digitized speech also.

Both the Takin' a Break Pinball and the Dell Crosswords require a
video graphics array (VGA) monitor, two megabytes (MB) of random
access memory (RAM), and only come for the PC with Microsoft
Windows. You can get by with a 286 PC with the crosswords title,
but need at least a 386SX-based PC for the pinball title.

Retail price for Takin' a Break Pinball is $49.95, while the Dell
Crossword Puzzles are $34.95. An advanced crossword version
is priced at $49.95.

(Linda Rohrbough/19931221/Press Contact: Phil Sandock,
Psygnosis, tel [phone], fax [phone]; Nancy Stevens,
Dynamix, tel [phone], fax [phone]; Public Contact,
Psygnosis, 800-438-7794; Sierra Online for Dynamix,
800-326-6654)


(NEWS)(BUSINESS)(WAS)(00015)

CompuServe Signs Distribution Deal With Merisel 12/21/93
WASHINGTON, DC, U.S.A., 1993 DEC 21 (NB) -- CompuServe, which
recently announced that it had surpassed the 1.5 million
subscriber mark, has also announced an aggressive move to expand
its subscriber base by signing a new distribution agreement with
one of the largest microcomputer product distributors, Merisel.

CompuServe, which is a Columbus, Ohio-based division of the H&R
Block tax preparation business, will make its $49.95 membership
kit available directly to retail stores through Merisel. The
company says that it feels this easy access both for retailers and
consumers will help to quickly double the on-line information
service's subscriber base.

El Segundo-based Merisel distributes software and hardware to
a network of independent computer stores around the country.
Merisel carries more than 20,000 products and makes them
available through 65,000 retailers.

Prodigy, a joint effort of Sears and IBM has been very successful
in adding new members, or at least getting copies of its access
software in the hands of individuals, by aggressive retail-level
marketing. CompuServe has apparently decided to expand its
efforts in this area also.

The CompuServe membership kits, which will probably be
discounted at retail, includes a one month free subscription to all
of the basic CompuServe services ($8.95 value), along with a $25
credit which can be used to sample the added-price premium
services which the company also offers.

The heart of the kit appears to be the CompuServe graphical user
interface which is intended to make access to the on-line system
much more convenient for the many novice telecommunications-
users who are uncomfortable with the sometimes confusing text
menu hierarchy or command line navigation systems also offered
by CompuServe and used by those who sign up using their own
communications software.

In the wake of moves by Prodigy to add interesting new services
for its subscribers, and the announcement that GEnie would receive
funding from a Baby Bell to enhance its on-line services, it is
beginning to look as if the on-line wars are really heating up.

One observer pointed to the increasing membership on the massive
(and free) Internet system, which some estimate as gaining a
million new users each month, as being a strong incentive for
commercial on-line services to accelerate their attempts to
preemptively lock up a solid customer base.

Although it can be very expensive to connect to Internet, actual
use of most services are free and many businesses and schools
are providing free or very low cost access to a variety of users.

Most commercial on-line systems provide electronic-mail
gateways which allow subscribers to communicate with the ten
million or more Internet users. However, one service, BIX (BYTE
Information eXchange, now operated by Delphi) actually provides
full telnet (remote system logon) and ftp (file transfer) access
to the Internet and its nearly 6,000 user news groups, all at a
relatively low fixed monthly price.

(John McCormick/19931221/Press Contact: Michelle Moran,
CompuServe, 614-538-3497, or CIS e-mail - 70000,1201)


(NEWS)(IBM)(TOR)(00016)

 ****IBM's Upgraded PS/2 76 & 77 Delayed Again 12/21/93
SOMERS, NEW YORK, U.S.A., 1993 DEC 21 (NB) -- New versions of
IBM's PS/2 Model 76 and Model 77, which had been expected to
reach customers this month, will not get out that door until at
least the second quarter of 1994.

The new Model 76 and Model 77, which will come with faster
processors than the existing versions, have been held up by the
chip set's failure to pass tests, company spokesman Mike DeMeo
said.

The upgrades had already been delayed once, having been originally
slated for delivery in October. While IBM has never formally
announced the modified models, a number of major customers had
been told about them, DeMeo said.

In an effort to keep those customers from turning to other PC
suppliers in the wake of the latest delay, IBM is ramping up
production of the existing Model 76 and Model 77, and looking for
other alternatives to the delayed machines. "We have to find
some substitute," DeMeo admitted.

It is the latest in a series of supply headaches for IBM, which
has won respect for some well-designed machines but has had
problems in meeting demand, notably for color models of its
ThinkPad notebook computers.

(Grant Buckler/19931221/Press Contact: Mike DeMeo, IBM,
914-766-1802)


(NEWS)(GENERAL)(TOR)(00017)

DEC Canada Boss To Be Replaced 12/21/93
TORONTO, ONTARIO, CANADA, 1993 DEC 21 (NB) -- Digital Equipment
of Canada Ltd., will get a new boss in January. Ken Copeland is
stepping down as president and chief executive of the Canadian
subsidiary of Digital Equipment Corp., to be succeeded by Ronald
Larkin.

Larkin comes to the post from Australia, where he was for two
years managing director of Digital Equipment Corp. (Australia)
Pty. Ltd. Before that, he was Copeland's right-hand man as
vice-president of sales and marketing at DEC Canada. He came to
DEC from IBM Canada Ltd. in 1987.

Copeland, who has headed the Canadian subsidiary for nine years,
will remain on DEC Canada's board of directors. The official word
from the company is that he "wanted to move on to other things,"
company spokesman Martin O'Brien said. No further details of
Copeland's future plans are available, O'Brien added.

Like other old-line computer vendors, Digital has been troubled
by losses in the past couple of years. In October, the company
reported a loss of US$83.185 million, or 62 cents per share, on
revenues of $3,015 million.

The Canadian operation earned net income of C$6.76 million on
revenues of C$1.077 billion in 1992. That represented a 14.4
percent increase in revenue, but a 27.9 percent drop in net
income, over the previous year.

The company cut about 15,000 jobs last year. In October,
officials said a two-year plan begun in June of 1992 called for
some additional cuts this year, but the number was expected
to be lower.

DEC has about 3,000 employees in Canada, and runs a sizeable
manufacturing, research, and development operation in Kanata,
Ontario, near Ottawa. That plant has been successful, expanding
even as the company was cutting back worldwide.

(Grant Buckler/19931221/Press Contact: Martin O'Brien,
Digital Canada, 416-597-3162)


(NEWS)(IBM)(TOR)(00018)

Gerstner Associate To Oversee IBM PC Business 12/21/93
ARMONK, NEW YORK, U.S.A., 1993 Dec 21 (NB) -- IBM has completed a
realignment of its major business sectors with the appointment of
a new senior vice-president and group executive to oversee its
personal computer and printer businesses. As expected, the job
went to an outsider, but G. Richard Thoman is no stranger to
Louis Gerstner, IBM's chairman and chief executive, having worked
with him at McKinsey & Co., American Express, and RJR Nabisco Inc.

Thoman will be in charge of the IBM Personal Computer Co., the
Power Personal Systems division, the Pennant printer company,
and IBM's investment in the Prodigy on-line service.

His appointment follows closely on the assignment of John
Thompson to oversee IBM's RISC System/6000 and Personal
Software Products divisions. Thompson already had responsibility
for the company's mainframe computer line and its AS/400
midrange systems.

The RS/6000 and Personal Software Products units and the areas
now assigned to Thoman formerly reported to Jim Cannavino, who
was promoted to senior vice-president for strategy and
development in November.

In a memo to employees, Gerstner said Thompson's appointment,
"pulls together all of our high-performance systems platforms
and our operating systems into one group."

The two appointments seem to reflect the industry's current focus
on client/server computing by gathering the company's higher-
powered systems and software under Thompson and its desktop
products under Thoman.

Thoman takes over a personal computer operation that is showing
signs of strength after fading in the late 1980s and early 1990s.
As his appointment was being announced, California-based market
research firm Dataquest Inc., said IBM's market share in personal
computers rose half a percentage point in 1993, after falling
steadily since 1989. Dataquest's latest figures say IBM now has
13.6 percent of the market.

Thoman was named president of Nabisco International in 1992,
after three years as chief executive of American Express
International. Before that he had held senior posts as American
Express Travel Related Services International, and been a senior
associate at the McKinsey & Co. management consulting firm in the
1970s.

Thoman will start his new job January 3, and will be based in
Somers, New York.

(Grant Buckler/19931221/Press Contact: Rob Wilson, IBM,
914-765-6565; Paul Bergevin, IBM, 914-766-3770)


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

 ****Ameritech Seeks Long Distance Waiver For GEIS Deal 12/21/93
ROCKVILLE, MARYLAND, U.S.A., 1993 DEC 21 (NB) -- Ameritech's
plan to put $472.5 million into General Electric's GEIS unit, which
includes the GEnie on-line service, is the latest in a long series
of moves to enter the long distance marketplace. GEIS has
estimated revenues of $600 million annually, and the Ameritech
investment values the company at about 2.4 times its annual
revenue, Newsbytes calculates.

Ameritech spokesman Mike Brand told Newsbytes the company
presently has two requests on file to waive elements in the
prohibitions against Bell company entry into long distance
service contained in the 1982 decree breaking up the Bell System.
The first, filed by all seven regional Bell companies, would waive
the long distance prohibition for information services like GEIS,
allowing all the Bells into long distance data-hauling.

The second request, filed by Ameritech alone, would allow the
company to enter the long distance telephone business in
Illinois. Ameritech sees that as the first in a series of moves
which will make it a full-fledged player in the long distance
business, allowing it to become a full-service
telecommunications services supplier to businesses and homes
in Illinois, Indiana, Ohio, Michigan, and Wisconsin.

In exchange for getting into long distance, Ameritech has said it
will let competitors use its switches to compete for local service.
AT&T and MCI oppose the request, saying that local competition
would not be a reality until a significant portion of its customers
actually switched to alternate carriers.

In the mid-80s, Ameritech also tried to get into the long
distance and information services business through a gateway
called iNet. But that plan was dropped after waivers were not
granted. Later it bought a voice mail business called Tigon, but
sold it to Octel, which continues to supply equipment for
Ameritech's own voice mail operations in its home region.

Ameritech has also been active internationally. It owns a piece
of New Zealand Telecom, acquired with Bell Atlantic, and is
working with the Deutsche Bundespost Telekom to buy a 30
percent stake in MATAV, the Hungarian telephone company. The
company also owns parts of cellular operations in Norway and
Poland.

For General Electric, the deal means it will have capital and
control with which to expand its electronic commerce business.
Electronic invoicing, under electronic data interchange or EDI
standards, is a $2 billion business worldwide. GE estimated in a
press statement the business is growing at 20 percent per year,
and GE Information Services has built a large, worldwide data
network to service the business.

But competition is growing, with both US and international phone
companies investing heavily in it. GE also offers business
information services through its network, and the GEnie consumer
on-line service. GEnie was originally seen as a way to balance
traffic on the network, since business use of data networks is
heaviest during the day while consumer use peaks in the evenings
and at night, when costs drop.

Under the terms of their agreement, Ameritech is loaning $472.5
million to GE, which is convertible to a 30 percent equity stake
in GEIS when waivers are granted allowing it into the long
distance business. The company will continue to be headed by
Hellene S. Runtagh, a veteran GE executive, and become GE
Information Services Inc., after Ameritech converts its debt
into equity.

(Dana Blankenhorn/19931221/Press Contact: Jacelyn Swenson,
GE Information Services, 301-340-4485; Mike Brand, Ameritech,
312-750-3975)


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

Bell Telephone Company Update 12/21/93
WASHINGTON, D.C., U.S.A., 1993 DEC 21 (NB) -- Bell Atlantic is
seeking approval for a limited upgrade of some suburban phone
networks so they can offer video services.

Newsbytes has learned the company wants to deploy so-called ADSL
(asynchronous digital subscriber line) equipment in parts of its
suburban Washington network, first on an experimental basis and
later as part of a controlled market roll-out. Right now, ADSL
offers 1.544 million bits-per-second data service on regular
copper phone lines. That would let the company offer pay-per-view
videos and transaction services on those parts of the network with
the devices.

Switching centers offering the service would have to add so-called
"video servers" -- computers with huge hard disk capacity for
storing digitized entertainment. Each line buying the service would
need an ADSL device on both ends, meaning circuit cards would
have to be installed both at subscribers' homes and at Bell Atlantic
switching centers. Set-top converters would also have to be
purchased to allow the "video dial-tone" to be used on a TV set.

While ADSL is presently of limited economic benefit, because it
can only offer pre-recorded information, the technology is
moving ahead rapidly. Bell Atlantic expects that, by 1995, ADSL
equipment will be able to deliver six million bits-per-second of
information, enough capacity to allow live feeds like regular
cable channels through today's copper phone network.

Bell Atlantic also expects that the prices of ADSL devices will
fall rapidly, just as modem prices have fallen rapidly, and that
in time ADSL converters will be pre-installed in TV sets the
same way cable converters are sold in "cable ready" sets today.

Finally, Bell Atlantic expects to offer home shopping and home
banking services over its network, since ADSL today offers
16,000 bits-per-second signaling, which will be upgraded in
1995 to 64,000 bits-per-second. That is plenty of capacity for
sophisticated banking and catalog shopping services, the
company feels.

All the regional Bells are looking to "incentive regulation" to
fund upgrades. Instead of having their profits limited, the Bells
want price caps which would let them re-capture the added profits
from automation, using the additional money to provide services
which would not be subject to regulation at all. Some states,
like Michigan, have already accepted this new form of regulation,
but other states are resisting. One of the fiercest resisters is
the District of Columbia, where the government fears incentive
regulation will keep basic phone service out of reach of poorer
residents.

Bell Atlantic's arguments in this area were formerly carried by
Delano Lewis, who is leaving to head National Public Radio. Now
they will be carried by William Freeman, 41, who has been
executive director of external affairs for the company's C&P
unit in Washington, coordinating its efforts to get a $39.6 million
rate increase. His responsibilities are not really being extended,
because in January C&P itself becomes a legal fiction, replaced
with the Bell Atlantic trademark. Operational details like
construction budgets will also be handled centrally, from that
date.

In other news from the regional Bell companies, Pacific Bell
filed a plan with the Federal Communications Commission to
start building its "California First" system, a communications
superhighway estimated to cost $16 billion over seven years.

The company previously said it would have AT&T Network Systems
handle details of the upgrade, which involves adding fiber cable to
the long distance parts of the network, with so-called "fiber nodes"
serving 500 homes each and larger "service nodes" in switching
centers handling phone services.

The first phase of the network will take 15 months to build, and
approval is expected by next July 1. Pacific Bell also hopes to use
the network to enter the cable television business, and has filed
suit against the government to do so, claiming its First Amendment
rights are violated by the 1984 Cable Act. Pacific Bell hopes to
link 1.3 million homes and businesses to its new network by the
end of 1996.

Finally NYNEX said it agreed to sell its BIS Strategic Decisions
consulting business to Friday Holdings, a limited partnership
headed by Norman Pearlstine, former executive editor of the
Wall Street Journal. Other partners in Friday Holdings include
Paramount Communications Inc., QVC Holdings Inc., and investor
Richard Rainwater. NYNEX had said several months ago it
wanted to get out of businesses not directly related to
telecommunications. BIS has about 300 employees and is based
in Norwood, Massachusetts.

(Dana Blankenhorn/19931221/Press Contact: Bell Atlantic, Larry
Plumb, 703-974-2814; Pacific Bell, Craig Watts, 415-542-6864;
NYNEX, Glen Brandow, 914-644-7633)


(NEWS)(GENERAL)(DEN)(00021)

Bulletin Boards Provide Myriad Of Services 12/21/93
FORT LAUDERDALE, FLORIDA, U.S.A., 1993 DEC 21 (NB) --
Computer bulletin boards let you buy computers and peripherals,
access the Internet, get help for a computer problem right from
the manufacturer, read the news or tell an editor what you think,
or get help with your homework.

Computer Shopping Network, a reseller of computer books and
components, says it took in over $1 million in sales in its first
year of operation without placing a single advertisement. You
can get help on bulletin boards operated by hardware and
software makers like Microsoft, Gateway 2000, and nearly
all of the major sellers in the computer industry.

You can even submit "letters to the editor" or read late breaking
news and articles there was not room for at The Albuquerque
Tribune newspaper. And if you are a student in Pittsburgh's Mt.
Lebanon School District you can communicate with other
students, teachers and administrators or get help with your
homework from older students.

According to Sheri Robert, the marketing director at BBS
software publisher Galacticomm Inc., BBSes can be very flexible.
"You can simplify the system to give users as few choices as
possible or you can add on a number of specialized options, such
as a fax module, an on-line shopping module, and a connection to
the Internet."

There is no doubt that bulletin boards are popular. Boardwatch
Magazine editor and publisher Jack Richard says over 12 million
people use public access bulletin boards.

Companies like Computer Shopping Network say they benefit both
user and sponsoring company. Shoppers can order 24 hours a day
from anywhere in the world that provides phone access. Product
descriptions can be more detailed than those found in many
printed catalogs, and prices can be kept up to date more easily.

"It can take up to 45 days to get a price change printed in a
catalog and mailed out to customers. Our price updates are done
instantly. If our distributors drop the price on an item, we can put
it on-line and the next customer who calls in has the new price,"
according to Computer Shopping Network system operator Steve
Nichols.

According to Galacticomm's Robert, BBSes have evolved from a
primitive file transfer system created by computer hobbyists to
an interactive communications system, and the technology is still
emerging. "The most recent innovation has been high resolution
on-line graphics. Soon we'll be seeing interactive audio and video."

System requirements to operate a bulletin board are minimal.
Galacticomm says all it takes is a personal computer powered by
at least a 286 microprocessor and two megabytes of system
memory. Software is available for as low as $259 for a board
that can handle two simultaneous users.

(Jim Mallory/19931221/Press Contact: Erica Swerdlow, EBS
Public Relations for Galacticomm Inc., 708-520-3300; Reader
Contact: Galacticomm, tel [phone], fax [phone])


(NEWS)(GENERAL)(DEN)(00022)

Motorola Picks New CEO 12/21/93
SCHAUMBURG, ILLINOIS, U.S.A., 1993 DEC 21 (NB) -- Motorola
Inc., did not have to go far to pick their new CEO after former
chairman and CEO George Fisher unexpectedly left to head
Eastman Kodak.

The company picked Gary Tooker as the new vice chairman and
CEO. Tooker, who has been Motorola's president and chief
operating officer, has been acting CEO since Fisher left in late
October. Tooker has been with Motorola since 1962. He was
named general manager of the semiconductor products division
in 1981 and was elected president in 1990.

Motorola also named Vice Chairman William Weisz chairman after
the board of directors decided to make that position separate
from management. Weisz will not be an employee of the
company. The board said his main focus will be to direct the
affairs of the board and to be the main link between the board
and the chief executive office.

Tooker and Christopher Galvin, Motorola's senior executive vice
president and assistant chief operating officer, were considered
the most likely candidates for the CEO job. Galvin now replaces
Tooker as president and chief operating officer. The company
says Galvin and Tooker will form a two-person chief executive
office, but made it clear that Tooker is the senior officer of the
corporation and will have total responsibility to run its affairs.

(Jim Mallory/19931221/Press Contact: Motorola Corporate
Communications, 708-576-5304)


(NEWS)(IBM)(BOS)(00023)

PageCard To Double As PCMCIA Card/Standalone Pager 12/21/93
HAYWARD, CALIFORNIA, U.S.A., 1993 DEC 21 (NB) -- In April of next
year, Socket Communications plans to ship PageCard, a device that
will double as a PCMCIA (Personal Computer Memory Card
International Association) card and standalone alphanumeric pager.

In an interview with Newsbytes, Gerald Houston, vice president of
marketing, described the upcoming product as a PCMCIA card with
an attached extension that contains a two-line LCD (liquid crystal
display) and low-voltage battery.

Set to be carried by large national and regional paging
companies, PageCard will be targeted at sales people and other
mobile workers. The product is the result of a joint development
effort between Socket and its strategic partner, Mitsubishi.

On-the-go workers will slip PageCard into their pockets so they can
receive pricing and inventory updates and other messages while out
in the field, Houston said. Later, on return to the office, users
will plug the device into a PC to integrate the page messages with
e-mail, scheduling, word processing, spreadsheets and other
Windows-based software.

Houston noted that PageCard is now being beta tested for
integration with messaging software from four different vendors:
Ex Machina (the Update! and Notify! packages); Fourth Wave
Technologies (the WinBeep product); TekNow (Mobile Express);
and BPSI. The device was demonstrated at Fall Comdex running
with Update! and Notify!, as well as with WinBeep.

When PageCard ships, the product will be bundled with messaging
software for a suggested retail price of $495, according to
Houston. A decision has yet to be reached, however, on the
software vendor.

All national paging companies in the US -- including Skytel,
MobileComm, PageMart, and PageNet -- have signed letters of
intent to use PageCard, he said. MobileMedia, a large regional
paging company and a leader in the alphanumeric arena, has
also signed a letter of intent, he added.

Socket officials conceive of PageCard as offering two unique
benefits: first, the device is lighter and easier to carry than a
conventional pager; second, the product can be used for quick and
easy updates to groupware applications, the company maintains.

PageCard's extension will protrude outward, keeping the LCD
display and battery free and clear of the computer's PCMCIA slot,
according to Houston. The marketing VP also informed Newsbytes
that PageCard will be able to receive page messages when inserted
into a PCMCIA slot as well as when used on a standalone basis.
"But we expect that, inside the (PCMCIA) slot, PageCard will be
used primarily for software updates," he reported.

(Jacqueline Emigh/19931221/Reader Contact: Socket
Communications, 510-670-0300; Press Contact: Gerald Houston,
Socket Communications, 510-670-0300 ext 114/PHOTO)


(NEWS)(GENERAL)(BOS)(00024)

MathWorks Teams Up With End Users On Vertical Apps 12/21/93
NATICK, MASSACHUSETTS, U.S.A., 1993 DEC 21 (NB) -- MathWorks
has launched the Partner Series, a new software publishing
program for distributing toolboxes built by end users and third-
party developers for vertical applications in technical computing.

Users of MathWorks' MatLab technical computing software for PCs,
Macs, and Unix workstations create hundreds of new applications
each year, often as a result of their own research work, according
to the company.

Some of these applications have been distributed by users
themselves through electronic mail, networks, or conferences, but
until now, users had no formal mechanism for sharing the tools.

The Partner Series is designed to provide that mechanism by
bringing MathWorks' marketing, distribution and technical support
capabilities to the previously ad-hoc process.

MatLab software provides numeric and symbolic computation, a
high-level programming language, and graphics, as well as
application-specific toolboxes, according to officials. The
toolboxes are used for analyzing and visualizing data, analyzing
and optimizing engineering systems designs and algorithms, and
creating mathematical models.

Hundreds of specific operations are supplied by MatLab, including
object-oriented graphics, sound output, sparse matrix support,
and graphical user interface controls, the company maintained.

The first three products in MathWorks' new Partner Series are Hi-
Spec Toolbox, Model Predictive Toolbox, and Frequency Domain
System Identification Toolbox.

Officials said that these three products typify the Partner Series,
because they are practical tools that implement theories at the
cutting edge of scientific and engineering research, written by
users doing the research.

Hi-Spec Toolbox is aimed at higher-order spectral analysis in
areas such as digital signal processing (DSP), fluid dynamics, and
telecommunications research. The Model Predictive Control Toolbox
is for designing model-based control systems for industrial
processes in fields such as chemical engineering and process
control. The Frequency Domain System Identification Toolbox is
for frequency-based modeling of physical systems in fields like
acoustics and speech research, seismic research and oceanography,
and econometrics.

To provide users of the new toolboxes with direct access to the
underlying algorithms, thereby making the underlying mathematical
principles easier to learn and understand, the toolboxes are
implemented as MatLab scripts (M-files) and delivered as source
code.

The Partner Series Toolboxes run on all MatLab 4.0 platforms,
including MS Windows, Macintosh, Sun Sparc, Hewlett-Packard,
IBM RS/6000, Silicon Graphics, and DEC Ultrix and Alpha/AXP.

(Jacqueline Emigh/19931221/Reader Contact: The MathWorks, 508-
653-1415; Press Contact: Joanne Dawson, The MathWorks, 508-653-
1415 ext 401; Gene Carozza, Rourke & Company for The MathWorks,
617-267-0042 ext 325/PHOTO)


(NEWS)(IBM)(BOS)(00025)

Windows Package Offers 9 Imaging Functions For $99 12/21/93
CHARLOTTE, NORTH CAROLINA, U.S.A., 1993 DEC 21 (NB) -- A new
Windows-based software package from Lead Technologies is
supplying nine image enhancement functions at an introductory
price of $99.

Targeted at price-conscious users who are new to imaging, as well
as imaging professionals seeking specific features, LeadView 3.0
includes "lossy" and "lossless" compression, image enhancement
tools, a paint program, a photo album, file conversion, a "screen
grab/slide show," scanning, and a communications utility.

All nine features are integrated within the same Windows interface,
according to officials of Lead Technologies, a company that
specializes in image compression. LeadView 3.0 will be regularly
priced at $195. Registered users of LeadView 1.x and 2.0 can
upgrade to the revised edition for $49.

LeadView 3.0 supports 42 different variations of the JPEG (Joint
Photographic Experts Group) Interchange File Format, an industry
standard for image compression, the company explained.

Also incorporated is LEAD CMP file, a proprietary compression
method that reportedly performs lossy and lossless compression
at the high ratios of 200-to-1 and 7-to-1, respectively. LeadView
supports CCITT Group 3 and 4 as well, in addition to more than
100 color file formats, officials said.

The image enhancement component provides 12 special effects,
edge detect for quick crops, and a set of editing tools that includes
blur, sharpen, average colors, adjust tone, hue saturation, and
contrasts. The paint program furnishes 18 features, such as
freehand cut, airbrush, eraser, and mosaic.

The photo album is designed for building "thumbnail" directories of
images from different file formats. Applications can be accessed
by dragging-and-dropping the thumbnails. The album also offers
five search options and eight sort options, including Boolean
operation and "either/or."

LeadView converts between 100 different file formats, including
JPEG, TGA, TIFF, BMP, PCX, GIF, EPS, CAL, IMG, PCT, TXT, CCITT
Group 3 & 4, and PCD (Kodak's Photo CD).

"Screen grab/slide show" is aimed at allowing the artist to grab
screens from any application, using a hot key or icon, and
automatically paste the images into a slide for multimedia
presentations. Screens grabbed in this way can also be sent to a
printer, disk or clipboard.

The LeadView slide show is equipped with more than 20 transitional
effects, including wipes, dissolves, melt, and checker display,
according to the company.

As scanning software, LeadView supports the OLE (object linking
and embedding) 2.0, DDE, and TWAIN specifications for scanners
and other peripherals.

The communications utility in LeadView, for use with a modem,
supports popular protocols such as Xmodem, Ymodem, and Zmodem,
and also includes a free image viewer.

Lead Technologies also offers the LeadTools 3.6 toolkit, which
allows developers to integrate functions from LeadView 3.0 into
other applications. Companies that have already integrated
products from Lead Technologies into their applications include
Corel, Sharp Electronics, Truevision, Inset Systems, Images, and
Books That Work, officials added.

(Jacqueline Emigh/19931221/Reader Contact: Lead Technologies,
704-549-5532; Press Contact: Rich Little, Lead Technologies,
704-549-5532)


(NEWS)(GENERAL)(DEN)(00026)

IndustryWeek Recognizes Innovative Computer Firms 12/21/93
CLEVELAND, OHIO, U.S.A., 1993 DEC 21 (NB) -- Two computer
companies have been recognized by IndustryWeek magazine for
their innovative technologies.

Microsoft Corp., was one of five companies and one individual
recognized in the December 20 issue of the publication. The
software company was selected for developing Windows NT.

Windows NT (the NT stands for new technology) combines an
operating system with a graphical interface that uses icons
and drop-down menus. Perhaps most importantly, Microsoft
developed Windows NT as a scalable architecture capable of
running on a variety of hardware platforms. That provides a
consistency that could save thousands of dollars in retraining
costs as a company moves to more powerful hardware.

Windows NT by itself offers little in the way of productivity.
However, Microsoft was able to interest thousands of applications
developers in writing for Windows NT. The company says it has
shipped more than 70,000 developer kits and claims more than
2,000 new Windows NT applications are in development for
release in the near future.

Austin, Texas-based Tamarack Storage Devices Inc., was picked
for its development of Multistore, a holographic storage system
for computer data. Tamarack's technology stores computer data
as microscopic holograms in high-tech polymers and crystals.
The technology is expected to be commercially available in the
second quarter of 1994.

Multistore can store up to 50 million bytes (50 gigabytes) of data
on the write-once/read-many (WORM) system. Multiple holograms
can be stored on exactly the same spot by changing the angle of
the laser beams that record the information.

David Misunas, Tamarack's marketing director, says Multistore
also reads data faster than conventional storage systems. "The
current systems read 64,000 bits at one time, compared to just
one or two bits with magnetic storage."

The magazine also selected Dr. George Heilmeier, president and
CEO of Bellcore, located in Livingston, New Jersey to receive its
Technology Leader of the Year Award. Bellcore performs
research for the seven so-called "Baby Bells." Heilmeier was a
force in the development of liquid crystal displays, and worked on
the Stealth bomber and the Star Wars national defense program.

The awards are co-sponsored by AT&T/NCR and Motorola
Semiconductor Products Inc.

(Jim Mallory/19931221/Press Contact: John Teresko,
IndustryWeek, 216-696-7000; David Chetlain, Microsoft Corp.,
503-245-0905; Barbara McClurken, Bellcore, 201-740-6467)


(NEWS)(GENERAL)(DEN)(00027)

Commercial Model Maker Uses CAD Technology 12/21/93
BLAINE, MINNESOTA, U.S.A., 1993 DEC 21 (NB) -- Manufacturers
who need prototypes made quickly can now get them in a variety
of materials within 24 hours from a Minnesota-based company
that uses computer-aided design (CAD) software to produce the
models from the customer's CAD files.

General Pattern Company Inc., says it has brought prototyping
and model making into the 21st century with its newly acquired
Cubital Solider 5600 rapid prototyping system. General Pattern
President Dennis Reiland says the new system is producing 30-40
models a day, usually with overnight turnaround, compared to 15
to 20 models, patterns or prototypes per week when the work
was done by skilled model makers.

Customers can send their CAD files to General Pattern around the
clock via the company's computer bulletin board. The finished
products are returned via overnight air courier service. The
company says data compatibility is not a problem since it has the
ability to make its CAD stations compatible with most major CAD
formats.

The $500,000 Solider 5600 uses a method called solid ground
curing that analyzes the CAD files and divides them into layers.
Each layer of the model is created by selectively polymerizing,
hardening and curing a film of photo-reactive resin using intense
ultraviolet light. The next layer is laid atop the previous one until
the entire object has been reproduced.

The company says accuracy is one-tenth of one percent overall,
and it can produce models in wood, wax, plastic, and low-
temperature metals in its 70,000 square-foot shop.

(Jim Mallory/19931221/Press Contact: Alan Weinkrantz for
General Pattern Company Inc., 210-820-3070; Reader Contact:
General Pattern, 612-780-3518)


(NEWS)(BUSINESS)(LON)(00028)

UK - Q&E Software To Open 3rd European Office 12/21/93
LEWES, SUSSEX, ENGLAND, 1993 DEC 21 (NB) -- Q&E Software has
announced the opening of its third subsidiary in Europe.

Based in Lewes in East Sussex, the offices will open for business
under their new name in the new year, Newsbytes understands.
Prior to becoming Q&E Software (UK), the UK company was known
as Contemporary Software, the largest Q&E Software product
distributor in Europe.

The firm's other two establishments are located in Germany and
the Netherlands. According to Q&E, the new offices will allow it to
enhance the company's influence in Europe and promote the entire
range of products, as well as software packages and development
tools from other vendors.

"Our European expansion allow us to provide quality products and
timely support to our corporate customers who have locations
outside of the United States. In the coming months our European
distribution, sales and direct technical support will be further
developed to best serve our customers," explained Richard
Holcomb, president of Q&E Software.

Q&E Software claims to be the leader in supplying technology,
products and services which provide database access for the
client side of client/server computing. The company distributes
its products in Europe via subsidiaries and licensed republishers.

(Sylvia Dennis & Steve Gold/19931221/Press & Public Contact:
Q&E Software, 404-325-7555)


(NEWS)(TRENDS)(LAX)(00029)

 ****Intel Announces 2Qtr 1994 Pentium/486 Price Cuts 12/21/93
SANTA CLARA, CALIFORNIA, U.S.A., 1993 DEC 21 (NB) -- Hardware
prices are continually on the decrease. Intel, the major manufacturer
of the brains of IBM and compatible personal computers (PCs), has
announced price cuts for the second quarter of 1994 , ranging from
14 to 18 percent on its Pentium and high-end 486 microprocessors.

The microprocessor giant claims the Pentium is moving faster into
the mass market channel than any other chip introduced in the
company's history. This is despite reports that the Pentium is
not moving into the retail channels as fast as was first anticipated.
Greater capacity for building Pentium processors on the part of
Intel is being credited for the lower prices.

Paul Otellini, senior vice president, Intel's Microprocessor Products
Group, said: "Seven months after introduction, there are more than
100 manufacturers of Pentium processor-based systems on the
market -- some under $3,000. This product is on the fastest ramp
in our history. We have now shipped several hundred thousand units.
We expect to ship millions of Pentium processors in 1994, produced
at five factories, and are moving the price into a range that will
make it even more affordable for use in the high-volume PC market
segment."

However, industry analysts are saying the lower prices are driven
much faster than Intel would like by major system vendors such as
Microsoft and by competing microprocessor vendors. These forces
are pushing Intel to lower prices to stay competitive with the
introduction of cross-platform versions of popular graphical user
interface (GUI) operating systems, or compatible processors at
lower prices.

The biggest threat now to the Pentium is probably the PowerPC
processor, a less expensive, yet almost as powerful alternative
developed by Motorola in conjunction with IBM and Apple. PowerPC-
based computers have been announced by Apple for introduction in
Macintosh computers next year and are expected to be available in
IBM compatible PCs as well. Microsoft has also announced it plans
to support the PowerPC chip with Windows NT, its high-end
operating system.

Intel listed the new second quarter 1994 1,000-piece price for
the 66 megahertz (MHz) Pentium processor as $750 and the 60MHz
will be priced at $675 each, a decrease of 14 percent from the
first quarter prices. The 66MHz Intel486 DX2 processor will be
priced at $360 each in 1,000-piece quantities, down 18 percent
from first quarter prices.

Intel said it will also be lowering the second quarter prices of
other Intel 486 processors as well. This means lower prices for
all other PCs in 1994, as the move will force down the prices of
PCs across the board.

(Linda Rohrbough/19931221/Press Contact: Pam Pollace, Intel,
tel [phone], fax [phone])


(NEWS)(TELECOM)(ATL)(00030)

 ****Gore Lauds Growing Consensus On Telecom Policy 12/21/92
WASHINGTON, D.C., U.S.A., 1993 DEC 21 (NB) -- Vice President Al
Gore lauded a "growing consensus" on changing telecommunications
policy, discussing the Administration's goals before the National
Press Club.

Gore praised a bill by Rep. Edward Markey, a Massachusetts
Democrat, and Rep. Jack Fields, a Texas Republican, saying it
represents a good first step toward the re-write of the 1934
Communications Act the Administration will propose.

Speaking from a head table alongside Laura Tyson, who heads the
President's Council of Economic Advisors, and Commerce Secretary
Ron Brown, who heads the National Information Infrastructure task
force, Gore said the Administration's goals are rapid deployment
of the NII, promotion and protection of competition, open access
to the network, universal access to broadband services, and a
flexible set of rules that can last as long as the original 1934
Act.

"How we engineer those changes is vitally important," he said.
But he insisted that government must play a role in the
transition, and described the story of the Titanic, which sank
80 years ago. Gore said the Titanic sank because radio operators
on the Titanic were under no obligation to stay on duty and hear
warnings of ice fields, and operators on neighboring ships were
under no obligation to stay on duty and hear the great ship's
distress calls. "That resulted in the first efforts to bring
order to the airwaves. There are public needs that outweigh
private interests," he said.

Gore said that changes in telecommunications are already
creating huge social changes. He talked of a family scattered
around the globe which stays in touch through the Internet, of a
child with a grave illness who was able to stay in school through
videoconferencing, and another child whose live was saved by
remote medical diagnostics. Gore chided critics who question
whether the new networks will be used, noting that when the
telephone was invented members of the London Stock Exchange
questioned its usefulness as well. "We thought of new uses each
time phones changed. We'll go through the same process with the
changes in store for the next decade.

"Today most people are primarily receivers of information through
the electronic media," he said. "In the next decade we'll each
transmit more information, over the same lines. We'll send and
receive, not just on the phone but across the full range of new
technology. We'll change from being just consumers of
information, becoming providers as well."

As he has before, Gore compared the National Information
Infrastructure, or NII, to the interstate highway system of the
1950s, which his father, former Sen. Al Gore Sr., helped shepherd
through Congress. "It used to be nations were successful based on
the quality of their transportation infrastructure," he said.
"Today commerce rolls not just on asphalt but on information
highways, and millions of US families and businesses use
computers, finding that the two-way information roads built for
telephone service are no longer adequate."

The problem is not information, he said, but how it is perceived.
"We have a low bit rate but very high resolution. We can absorb
billions of bits of information if they're in a pattern -- a
human face or galaxy of stars. To convey richly detailed images,
we have to combine computers and networks. Computers have a
rapidly growing ability to transform data into recognizable
patterns that let us use it, but to communicate that data we need
networks capable of carrying those images to every house and
business." He noted that data from 20 years of Landsat photos of
the Earth are locked away in electronic silos, just as a decade
ago excess grain was stored in food silos while millions starved.
"We have an insatiable need for knowledge, yet in many cases the
information just sits rotting away, unused."

He said the technology needed for the NII is already here, and
to create it "we need to unscramble the legal, regulatory and
financial problems that threaten our ability to complete such a
network." He noted that telecommunications now represents 12
percent of the US Gross Domestic Product, and it is growing
faster than any other sector. "But the biggest impact will be in
other sectors where technology will help US companies compete
faster and smarter. A fast flexible information network is as
crucial to manufacturing as steel and plastic.

"Think of the NII as a network of highways, much like the
Interstates," he said. "It's not just one turnpike, but a
collection of interstates and feeders made of different
materials. Some will be fiber, others coax, others wireless. But
they must and will be two-way highways, so that each person will
be able to send information in video form as well as receive it.
These new highways will be wider than today's technology permits,
because a TV program contains so many more bits than a telephone
conversation, and new uses of video, voice and computers will
consist of ever-more information....these are wide loads that
need wide roads."

Gore said that, in the future, the information industry will
consist of just four components: the owners of the highways,
the makers of information appliances, information providers, and
customers. "We won't talk about cable, telephones, cellular and
wireless," but between here and there lies a transition, a phase
change like that between ice and water. "We want to manage that
transition."

Gore then got to the heart of the matter. "The Administration
will support removal, over time and under appropriate conditions,
of judicial and regulatory restraints on all communication
companies -- cable, telephone, utilities, and satellite. Our goal
is not to design the market of the future, but to provide the
principals that shape that market, and the rules governing this
difficult transition."

Gore promised to outline the specific legislation January 4 in
Los Angeles, then went on to his goals. "First, "encourage
private investment. Morse's telegraph was a federal demonstration
project. After the first transmission most nations treated
telegraphy and telephones as a government enterprise, but the
Congress said no. Our nation has a tremendous advantage because
we encouraged private investment."

But government must still steer a course between monopoly and
regulation, he added. "We must prevent unfair cross-subsidies and
avoid information bottlenecks that limit consumer choice and the
ability of providers to reach customers. There are links that are
vulnerable to control by a few, and this can lead to expansion of
monopoly to other parts of the network. We can see this in the
regional Bell company debate, and the passage last year of the
Cable Act," and proposals like that by Ameritech to allow local
competition.

"Third, provide open access to the network. If someone has an
information service, they should be able to sell it by paying a
fair price to a network service provider. Without this
assurance, companies that own networks could use that control to
ensure their customers only have access to their programming
We've seen cable companies exclude programming that competes
with theirs." Gore endorsed a concept first credited to Lotus
Development founder Mitch Kapor. "The IBM PC is an open platform
any programmer can use. We need to ensure that the NII is open
and accessible to everyone with a good idea, just like the PC.

"Fourth, we want to avoid creating a society of information haves
and have-nots. The phrase is from Cervantes, but we're not
tilting at windmills. In the past universal service meant a
limited level of service at a limited price. The most important
step we can take is adopt policies that ensure the lowest prices
for everyone. We believe the policies we propose will provide low
prices, but we'll still need a regulatory safety net to make sure
everyone can benefit. This was easy to do with the Bell System.
We have to find new ways of doing the same thing." He noted that
new FCC chairman Reed Hundt, who was in the audience, recently
noted there "are thousands of buildings with millions of people
in them who have no prospect of broadband service. They're
called schools. Our schools cannot remain the most impoverished
institutions of our society.There must be a public right of way
on the information highway, to provide affordable services or
public health, education and government.

"Fifth, we want to encourage flexibility. That's essential to
develop policies that withstand the test of time. Policies must
be broad enough to accommodate change."

He concluded with another intellectual simile. "Once when Michael
Faraday was showing Disraeli through his lab, Disraeli asked
what good are his creations. Faraday asked, what good is a baby?
Telecommunications is barely out of diapers. We need to look
ahead, protect it when it needs protecting, but not get in the
way when it needs to walk a line. Like those telegraph operators
on the Titanic, we need to stay aware when there's danger."

(Dana Blankenhorn/19931222)