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/NB122293

Text File | 1993-12-22 | 67KB | 1,490 lines

(NEWS)(TRENDS)(LAX)(00001)

 ****HP Plans 80MHz Multimedia Chip, 125MHz PA-RISC 12/22/93
PALO ALTO, CALIFORNIA, U.S.A., 1993 DEC 22 (NB) -- Hewlett-
Packard says it will deliver the first multimedia microprocessor
and the fastest desktop system to date. Based on the company's
precision architecture reduced-instruction-set computer
(PA-RISC) chips, the new systems will be available in early 1994.

The multimedia chip, HP's PA-7100LC, is designed with on-chip
support to handle graphics-intensive, multimedia applications,
such as image processing, digital video, and digital audio. Clock
speed of the new chip is expected to be 80 megahertz (MHz)
initially, but future versions could go as high as 100 MHz
and beyond, HP said.

The new multimedia chip is planned for introduction in HP 9000
workstations and servers, HP 3000 systems and a new class of
local area network (LAN) server, the company said.

Willem Roelandts, an HP senior vice president and general manager
of the Computer Systems Organization said: "The PA-7100LC is
the first implementation of the system-on-a-chip design HP is
moving toward."

A second new chip, the 125 MHz PA-7150 chip will be the basis of
desktop systems HP believes will be the fastest when introduced
in the first half of 1994. HP claims the chip, at 125 MHz,
outperforms Digital Equipment Corp.'s 200 MHz chip in standard
benchmarks, as well as chips used by IBM, MIPS, Sun, and Intel in
competitive desktop systems.

Current HP 9000 Series 700 workstation customers will be able
to upgrade to the PA-7150-based workstation without paying an
upgrade penalty via a system board upgrade. This upgrade protects
customers' investments in system hardware, software, memory,
and input/output (I/O) devices, HP added.

In addition, chip manufacturers Hitachi, Oki, and Winbond have also
announced new PA-RISC microprocessors. Hitachi announced the
PA/50 line of low-power PA-RISC-based microprocessors designed
for use in entry-level workstations and high-end embedded
controllers. Oki announced the OP32 embedded-controller family of
PA-RISC chips for use in printers, fax machines, X terminals, and
in the telecommunications and automotive industries. Winbond
announced the W89K, an Intel 486-like, pin-similar PA-RISC chip
for embedded-control products.

(Linda Rohrbough/19931221/Press Contact: Jim Barbagallo,
Hewlett-Packard, tel [phone], fax [phone]; Jim
Christensen, Precision Risc Organization (PRO), 408-447-1678)


(NEWS)(APPLE)(LAX)(00002)

Apple Opendoc Component Software In Testing 12/22/93
CUPERTINO, CALIFORNIA, U.S.A., 1993 DEC 22 (NB) -- Apple
Computer is moving to "component software" and says it has
already offered "selected" software developers the opportunity
to test its first component software product, Opendoc for the
Macintosh.

The concept of component software is to allow users to work much
in the same way they would if creating a document by hand, so
they do not have to focus on applications for tasks associated
with document creation, contends Apple.

For example, currently users create the text portion of a document
in a word processor, then move to a graphics application for
drawing tools, then to a page-layout application to put the text
and graphics together.

Apple asserts Opendoc will be much more intuitive, as it will be
available in pieces or parts which users will purchase as needed,
so an entire document can be created from start to finish without
jumping from application to application.

Apple is hoping software developers will build interchangeable
components for Opendoc and then users can purchase the
components that best suit their needs. The ideal is that components
will integrate transparently, hence the need for input and support
from third party vendors. In this way, Apple claims users can
have a "personalized computing experience" by combining the parts
in the way that best suits a particular need.

Opendoc is intended to be a cross-platform architecture available
on the Macintosh, Windows, OS/2, and Unix system platforms.
Apple's goal is that documents created with Opendoc should be
the same on any system platforms on which Opendoc is available.

Systems integrators and in-house developers should benefit as
well, according to Apple, who claims Opendoc will deliver the
ability to quickly and easily offer custom products. Applescript
1.1, an automation tool from Apple, is part of that picture as it
allows the automation of repetitive tasks across applications.

Word processing software developer Wordperfect, hardware/
operating system vendor IBM, and networking product software
vendor Novell will deliver Opendoc on the various system
platforms, according to Apple.

Component software is on the horizon and IBM, Novell, Oracle,
Sun, Taligent (the company formed by Apple and IBM), Wordperfect,
and Xerox are participating in the formation of the Component
Integration Laboratories (CIL) industry association. The goal of
the CIL is to support the transition to component software.

Opendoc will ship in mid-1994 for the Macintosh. In addition,
Apple says Opendoc will be available for its newly announced
PowerPC-based Macintosh computers. The PowerPC is the next-
generation microprocessor developed by IBM, Apple, and Motorola.
Apple has announced that PowerPC-based Macs will be available
in the first half of 1994.

(Linda Rohrbough/19931221/Press Contact: Emilio Robles,
Apple Computer, tel [phone], fax [phone])


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

Poland - October Stock Exchange Failure Post-Mortem 12/22/93
WARSAW, POLAND, 1993 DEC 22 (NB) -- As reported previously by
Newsbytes, on October 25 the Warsaw Stock Exchange closed its
day's operations due to a major computer failure. Despite a major
investigation by the Polish authorities, it seems that the cause
of the malfunction is still no clearer.

According to the Warsaw Stock Exchange, on the Friday before
the Monday failure, two computer specialists were altering the
computer's software data. Although officials with the exchange
initially assumed that the Monday crash was caused by the
actions of the two specialists, they have been unable to prove
that it was caused by the incorrect or incomplete checking of
the new data input to the system over the weekend.

Newsbytes notes that the exchange system runs on two IBM
AS/400 series minicomputers, both of which run in parallel
with each other. If one computer goes down, then the other
can quickly take over.

The current system is run on a batch basis, whereby brokers
submit their transactions on a daily basis from across Poland. The
disks are then loaded onto the computer and processed the next day.

This system, though only able to provide daily prices, has worked so
far. According to officials, the Friday changes were in preparation
for real-time working, although Monday's crash meant that plans for
on-line working have had to be postponed until the problem is fixed.

Officials with the exchange are continuing to investigate the cause
of the October crash. They have pointed out that computers, in
themselves, rarely cause problems, but most software crashes
can be ascribed to humans.

(Sylvia Dennis/19931221)


(NEWS)(BUSINESS)(LON)(00004)

Siemens' Austrian Operation Loses Market Share 12/22/93
VIENNA, AUSTRIA, 1993 DEC 22 (NB) -- Siemens Austria, the
Austrian subsidiary of the German electronics and computing giant,
has taken a battering on the profits front in 1993, the company has
revealed.

According to the company, profits for the Austrian operation
began shrinking in 1992, and, despite cost cutting exercises, the
situation has not improved in 1993. Siemens' officials have said
that they expect the company to turn around its figures for the
coming year.

During financial year 1992/93 Siemens Austria registered a
reduction in turnover of 3.4 percent, down to AS2,620 million,
reducing annual profits from AS70 million in 1992 to below
the AS50 million mark for 1993.

The bulk of the company's turnover was generated by computer
services in Austria, accounting for 56.2 percent, with the balance
attributable to sales of computer hardware and software.

Employees of the company are also suffering from the situation.
During 1992/93 financial year, the staffing levels were cut from
849 to 809 and further staffing cuts of around 100 are expected
during the coming year.

During the coming (1993/4) year, Siemens Austria has announced
plans to achieve profits of at least AS50 million on a turnover of
AS2,800 million.

(Sylvia Dennis/19931221/Press & Public Contact: Siemens
Nixdorf, tel [phone], fax [phone])


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

Polish Radio & DEC Team For DEC Broadcasting Conf 12/22/93
WARSAW, POLAND, 1993 DEC 22 (NB) -- On October 28 and 29,
1993, Polish Radio and Digital Equipment Corp., organized a
conference to discuss the use and implementation of digital radio
technology. According to journalists attending the event, the
subject of digital radio was immensely popular, with many radio
journalists looking to DEC for further information on the area.

As a result of the conference, Newsbytes understands that Polish
Radio has contracted with DEC to computerize and install digital
equipment in its Warsaw station. Technology to be installed
includes optical and integrated services digital network (ISDN)
cabling.

According to Polish Radio, the station is not acting as a guinea
pig for the technology. DEC claims that it has installed similar
technology in radio and TV stations in Western Europe and the
US, with Ted Turner's Cable News Network (CNN), which is
headquartered in Atlanta, having the system installed first.

Polish Radio's existing computer system is based around a VAX
minicomputer, Newsbytes understands. DEC is currently working on
replacing this system with a much more powerful computer based
around an Alpha AXP processor system.

Plans call for the Alpha AXP-based computer to be used on-line by
journalists to edit their text, as well as for the editing -- in digital
format -- of sound tracks and other material. According to Polish
Radio, the computer system will allow for considerable flexibility
when it comes to mixing live and recorded sound tracks, as well as
the mixing-in of adverts.

Once Polish Radio's headquarters are fully computerized, the radio
station will start work on computerizing its network, right down
to the feeds to the radio masts. In parallel with this, the Polish
state telecommunications company is busy installing digital links
for the station and other companies to use.

(Sylvia Dennis/19931221/Press & Public Contact: Polish Radio,
48-22443251)


(NEWS)(GOVT)(LON)(00006)

Ameritech Invests In Hungary's Matav Telephone Co 12/22/93
CHICAGO, ILLINOIS, U.S.A., 1993 DEC 22 (NB) -- Ameritech Corp.,
has announced plans to make a $437.5 million investment Matav,
the Hungarian telephone company.

According to Ameritech, the US telecommunications company,
together with Deutsche Bundespost Telekom (DBT) of Germany,
which will act as its partner, were chosen by the Hungarian
government amidst a lot of competition from other European
telecoms companies.

Newsbytes understands that Ameritech will take a 15 percent
stake in Matav, with DBT taking a similar share. The 70 percent
remaining will stay under the control of the Hungarian government.

Richard Notebaert, Ameritech's president and CEO with effect
from January 1, 1994, said that the investment will be good for all
parties. "This investment is good for the Ameritech shareowner and
for the people of Hungary. By leveraging our communications and
technological expertise to bring people together, Ameritech is
helping the world become a smaller place," he said.

Matav provides its customers with local loop, long distance and
international phone services. Newsbytes notes that it is the first
former Eastern Bloc country to see its telecoms operations
privatized.

"This is a remarkable achievement for Hungary. In MagyarCom (the
DBT/Ameritech name for the new consortium), Hungary is getting a
financially strong, technologically advanced and operationally
capable partner -- all of which was evident in the quality of their
bid submission," explained Gyorgy Schamschula, the Hungarian
Minister for Transport, Communications, and Water Management.

Hungary has a total population of 10.5 million, although Newsbytes
notes that it only has 1.5 million phone lines. In contrast, the US
market penetration is closer to 80 percent. This, Newsbytes notes,
make Hungary ripe for new investment, particularly since a wait
for a phone line in parts of Hungary is measured in months
compared with days in the US.

(Sylvia Dennis & Steve Gold/19931221/Press Contact:
Steve Ford (US), 312-750-5205, Ameritech)


(NEWS)(GOVT)(LON)(00007)

Greek Ex-Premier Accused Of Bugging Phones 12/22/93
ATHENS, GREECE, 1993 DEC 22 (NB) -- A report to the Greek
Parliament has accused former conservative prime minister
Constantine Mitsotakis and his daughter of direct involvement
in illegal eavesdropping.

The report, which was prepared by Prosecutor Achilleas Dafoulis,
has recommended a full inquiry to check if there are any other
Members of Parliament involved in the scandal.

The phone-bugging scandal kicked off earlier this year when an
employee of Hellenic Telecommunication Organization (OTE), the
state-controlled telecommunications company, admitted that he
regularly tapped the phones of Mitsotakis' rivals.

The report said that government Prosecutors had now taken the
case as far as they could and parliament must take the initiative.
Newsbytes understands that parliament would have to vote to
set up an investigating committee, to lay charges and order a
criminal trial.

Without that operation, officials admit that further investigation
would be impossible because Mitsotakis and his daughter are still
deputies in the parliament and, as a result, are protected from
criminal prosecution by "parliamentary immunity."

Parliament President Apostolos Kaklamanis has announced, that,
based on evidence and testimonies in the report, Mitsotakis and
his daughter, who holds the culture minister's office, were
"directly or indirectly" involved in the 1988-91 phone-tapping
scandal.

(Sylvia Dennis & Steve Gold/19931221)


(NEWS)(GENERAL)(LON)(00008)

General Strike Looms In Spain For Jan 27 12/22/93
MADRID, SPAIN, 1993 DEC 22 (NB) -- The two biggest Spanish
unions have announced that a general strike will be held in Spain
on January 27, 1994. Their leaders claimed that the government's
economic policy has forced them to take such action.

Newsbytes understands that there have been several talks between
unions and the Spanish government to agree a wages pact and labor
market reforms, with the express aim of reducing Spain's current
23 percent unemployment. These talks, according to the government,
failed last month. Since then the government has been attempting to
force through the reforms unilaterally.

The unions are reported to be shocked with the government's plans
to make it easier for companies to carry out redundancies, using
apprentice schemes to fill the gap. Union officials have dismissed
such actions as useless contracts and have alleged they will be
financed by cuts in pensions and unemployment pay.

"If it is easier to fire people, there will be more unemployment,"
said union leader Nicholas Redondo.

In a related story, employees of the partly-state owned
telecommunications monopoly Telefonica de Espana stopped work
recently to protest against the company's offer to raise wages
this year by four percent. The employees claim the pay rise is
insufficient, because the Spanish inflation rate is expected to
reach 4.5 percent by the end of this year.

(Sylvia Dennis/19931221)


(NEWS)(IBM)(TOR)(00009)

NEBS Intros One-Write Plus 4.0 PC Accounting Prgm 12/22/93
NASHUA, NEW HAMPSHIRE, U.S.A., 1993 DEC 22 (NB) -- NEBS
Software Inc., has updated its One-Write Plus accounting software,
adding a graphical user interface with pull-down menus and mouse
support.

The menus in the new One-Write Plus 4.0 are organized around
tasks instead of accounting functions, the company said. While
NEBS has added mouse support, it has also expanded keyboard
shortcuts for those who do not want to use a mouse.

NEBS said it has streamlined the setup procedure in the new
release with a simplified setup menu and consolidated screens.
The program lets users choose setup options geared toward their
particular type of business. For example, the chart of accounts
setup offers 14 options for different types of business such as
retail, manufacturing, and professional, as well as an option to
design a chart from scratch.

More context-sensitive help has been added, along with what NEBS
calls "expert" help that explains accounting and financial terms
and concepts. Users will not need to exit a transaction to search
for appropriate help.

The software is modeled after the manual one-write accounting
system, the company said, and is aimed mainly at small
businesses. However, NEBS officials added, more than 20,000
accountants also use it. The software meets Generally Accepted
Accounting Principles (GAAP) and includes audit trails and
financial report formatting.

One-Write Plus is written for the DOS operating system and
requires an IBM-compatible computer with 640 kilobytes (KB)
RAM and a hard disk. It can also run under Microsoft Windows,
the company said.

A version written expressly for Windows is on the way, a
spokesman added, but at present NEBS believes most small
businesses are still relying on DOS. Version 4 also runs on
NetBIOS-based networks such as Novell Inc.'s NetWare and
Novell Lite, and Artisoft's LANtastic.

The list price of One-Write Plus 4.0 is $69.95. Users of previous
versions can upgrade free if they subscribe the company's Gold
support plan, for $24.95 with the Silver support plan, or for
$39.95 otherwise, the spokesman said.

(Grant Buckler/19931222/Press Contact: Michelle Mitchell, NEBS
Software Inc., 603-880-5118; John Coulbourn or Eric Eddy, The
Weber Group for NEBS, 617-661-7900)


(NEWS)(TELECOM)(TOR)(00010)

Competitive Long-Distance Service Comes To Manitoba 12/22/93
WINNIPEG, MANITOBA, CANADA, 1993 DEC 22 (NB) -- Unitel
Communications Inc., has begun offering long-distance telephone
service in competition with the provincially owned Manitoba
Telephone System in Winnipeg and Brandon, Manitoba.

Manitoba becomes the eighth province served by Toronto-based
Unitel, leaving only neighboring Saskatchewan and Alberta
without competition in long-distance service.

The company got permission to begin offering long-distance
service early in 1992, and launched its first offerings later
that year. The original regulatory decision did not cover the
three prairie provinces because their telephone companies were
still regulated by provincial authorities. Since then, Unitel has
reached an agreement to offer service in Manitoba.

The Canadian Radio-television and Telecommunications Commission
(CRTC) has also given the company permission to serve Alberta,
but because Unitel is unhappy with the amount it must pay to
local telephone companies there to subsidize local service,
company officials say it is possible only large national customers
that deal with Unitel in other provinces will be offered service in
Alberta.

New telecommunications legislation passed earlier this year gave
Saskatchewan a five-year grace period to adjust to federal
regulation, making it unlikely long-distance competition will
appear there until late in the decade.

Unitel customers in Manitoba, like those in the other seven
provinces the company now serves, initially will have to dial an
extra 10-digit authorization code to identify themselves as
Unitel customers. Company spokeswoman Stephanie MacKendrick
said the firm expects to be rid of this inconvenience in Manitoba by
late 1994, and in the other seven provinces where service began
earlier, by the middle of the year.

(Grant Buckler/19931222/Press Contact: Stephanie MacKendrick,
Unitel, 416-345-2482; Public Contact: Unitel, 800-959-9595)


(CORRECTION)(TELECOM)(ATL)(00011)

Correction - Gore Lauds Growing Consensus On Telecom 12/22/93
WASHINGTON, D.C., U.S.A., 1993 DEC 22 (NB) -- During Newsbytes'
report on Vice President Al Gore's speech on telecommunications
policy at the National Press Club, which ran December 21, entitled:
"Gore Lauds Growing Consensus On Telecom Policy," we
erroneously reported the day he plans to outline amendments to
the 1934 Communications Act.

Specifically, Newsbytes reported that the Vice President would
outline specific legislation on amending the 1934 Communications
Act on January 4, in Los Angeles. In fact, that speech will be on
January 11.

Newsbytes regrets the error.

(Dana Blankenhorn/19931222)


(NEWS)(BUSINESS)(ATL)(00012)

Reuters Buys Teknekron 12/22/93
PALO ALTO, CALIFORNIA, U.S.A., 1993 DEC 22 (NB) -- Reuters said
it will buy Teknekron Software Systems, a networking company,
for about $125.1 million in cash. Teknekron is privately held.

Reuters is a leader in selling information and transaction
services to the financial community. In that market, as in many
others, customers are moving beyond simple client-server
networks to complex schemes which encompass their entire
enterprises.

Teknekron, founded in 1986, specializes in those sorts of
network, not just in the financial area, but in the related area
of telecommunications, as well as manufacturing and construction.
The company also is a factor in the global supply of digital
trading systems, which is Reuters' main line of business.

At the heart of Teknekron is a patented software system called
the Teknekron Information Bus platform, which uses "subject-based
addressing" technology to allow for the seamless sharing of data
among applications and networks, regardless of data source or
type. This eliminates many common problems in networking,
especially when different types of computers are involved,
cutting the development time for new applications on networks
dramatically.

Vivek Ranadive, president of Teknekron, said the agreement will
help, "the effort to build a global information highway for
enterprise computing." He noted that much of his company's
expertise came from Wall Street, where financial clients rely
on their information 24 hours a day, every day.

The purchase of Teknekron also puts Reuters into new lines of
business, especially semiconductor manufacturing. Among
Teknekron's customers for the TIB platform are Intel and
Motorola. The goal in that area is to create "programmable
factories" which can change at a moment's notice. The transaction
is subject to regulatory approval and is expected to conclude
during the first quarter of 1994.

Reuters said in a press statement that it presently has about
212,000 of its terminals in use, many used in trading currencies.
The company has been working to extend its reach into the US
trading market and other financial instruments, including stocks
and bonds. 1992 revenues for Teknekron were $38.7 million and
pre-tax profits were $8.2 million.

(Dana Blankenhorn/19931222/Press Contact: Teknekron
Software Systems, Norm Siegler, 415-325-1025)


(NEWS)(TELECOM)(ATL)(00013)

Qualcomm Stock Recovering With Overseas Help 12/22/93
SAN DIEGO, CALIFORNIA, U.S.A., 1993 DEC 22 (NB) -- Qualcomm
stock has recovered a little thanks to new foreign contracts, but
remains well below its yearly high.

Qualcomm, best known for its Code Division Multiple Access, or
CDMA digital cellular scheme, announced new deals with China and
Japan's Matsushita supporting CDMA technology. China's Ministry
of Posts & Telecommunications will conduct a field trial of CDMA,
then develop a plan to create new phones supporting CDMA as well
as two analog systems for use throughout the country. The trial
will take place in Tianjin in the 900 megahertz (MHz) frequency
band, similar to bands used in the US.

Matsushita, meanwhile signed a license agreement for CDMA under
which it will be able to sell CDMA phones, not only for regular
cellular service but for higher frequency personal communications
services, or PCS systems. The US will auction frequencies in
the 1.8-2.2 gigahertz (GHz) range next year for PCS, which can be
networked into personal communications networks or PCNs. The
Matsushita agreement, according to Qualcomm, follows the
Japanese company's evaluation of its technology and patent
portfolio, based on a support agreement dating to March, 1992.

Qualcomm stock has been under pressure for some time, falling
from a high of $86 to as low as $49 per share. It has since
recovered to about $57. The selling pressure came as US
cellular phone companies decided to support a competing digital
standard, Time Division Multiple Access, or TDMA.

Recently, for example, BellSouth said it would buy digital cellular
upgrades from GM's Hughes division, a big TDMA booster whose
E-TDMA technology could increase system capacity beyond that of
CDMA. BellSouth, however, did not commit to a digital cellular
upgrade standard in its announcement.

Qualcomm also finds itself in court defending its CDMA patents
from an attack by InterDigital Communications, which also holds
TDMA patents. InterDigital launched its suit after buying a
portfolio of broadband CDMA patents through SCS Mobilecom over
a year ago. Those suits are expected to be heard early next year.

(Dana Blankenhorn/19931222/Press Contact: Thomas Crawford,
Qualcomm, 619-658-4820)


(NEWS)(TELECOM)(ATL)(00014)

Prodigy Signs D&B To Info Service Deal 12/22/93
WHITE PLAINS, NEW YORK, U.S.A., 1993 DEC 22 (NB) -- Dun and
Bradstreet will offer a simplified version of its business
information services on the Prodigy service.

D&B Solutions will be designed for novice users, a spokesman told
Newsbytes, while similar databases on Dialog and Dow Jones News
Retrieval are designed for corporate librarians and financial
officers. Prodigy estimates that 300,000 small businesses
currently subscribe to its on-line service.

The D&B spokesman told Newsbytes that the main use of the
service on Prodigy will be in creating sales prospect lists and
searching for jobs. For example, the database will be able to
offer lists of all department stores with sales of $5 million or
more, or all retail shoe stores in New York City with 15 or more
employees.

The D&B Solutions product will not include Dun & Bradstreet's
CreditScores, a measure of a firm's ability to pay its bills.
That will only be offered directly through Dun & Bradstreet and
through Find/SVP, an information broker through which the
company announced a resale agreement a month ago.

Prodigy said the agreement with D&B is similar to a deal
announced earlier this month with NYNEX to bring its Yellow
Pages on-line through the service. The new D&B service is
expected to debut early in 1994.

(Dana Blankenhorn/19931222/Press Contact: Carol Wallace,
Prodigy, 914-448-2496; Joe Eckert, D&B, 908-665-5105)


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

Banyan Stock Plunges, Oracle's Down, Despite Profits 12/22/93
WASHINGTON, DC, U.S.A., 1993 DEC 22 (NB) -- In what many long-
time investors see as a powerful indication that the stock
market, or at least the high-tech sector, is extremely vulnerable
to even the slightest earning disappointment. Banyan Systems,
the Westboro, Massachusetts-based VINES network operating
system software producer is the latest victim of market anxiety.

Banyan's stock plunged 43 percent on Tuesday on reports from
the company that its earnings would only be up by 50 percent
over last year's numbers.

Banyan, which provides high-end enterprise networking products to
government and industry, announced late Monday that the company
would report much better earnings than for the similar period
last year, but that results would be lower than expected by some
analysts.

This produced the spectacle of a relatively strong high-tech
firm's stock almost instantly dropping by 11 1/8 points, down 43
percent to 14 1/2 on a 50 percent increase in earnings and a 25
percent increase in gross sales. However, Banyan had recovered
slightly in early trading on Wednesday.

Another network system provider, Proteon, reported lowered
expectations and dropped 2 1/2 points on Wednesday morning to
$4 per share, but that company had not been expected to produce
good results.

The big news on Wednesday was the Redwood City, California-based
database software maker Oracle, which posted 28 percent higher
revenue for the second quarter of fiscal year, 1994, (ended November
30, 1993) and a massive 86 percent profit increase to $62 million
or 21 cents per share.

Surprisingly, despite the results, Oracle's stock price was down
six points at Wednesday's opening  to trade at 29 5/8 per share on
highly active trading - three times the volume of its nearest
volume competitor in early trading. Eight million Oracle shares
traded in the first 90 minutes of NASDAQ trading.

(John McCormick/19931222/Press Contact: Catherine Buan,
Oracle, 415-506-4184)


(NEWS)(GOVT)(WAS)(00016)

US Takes Stand Against Japan Reverse Engineering 12/22/93
WASHINGTON, DC, U.S.A., 1993 DEC 22 (NB) -- The US is reportedly
taking a strong stand over software in trade talks with Japan. Last
week saw tough talk by US trade negotiators who were in Tokyo
discussing software exports and copyright (intellectual property)
protection related to the Japanese market.

Software is, "One of the leading exports for the US. It is a
valuable export for the US and the government is going to protect
its exports," said Michael Kirk of the US Patent Office, one of the
members of the negotiating team who spoke at a press conference
in Tokyo. He pointed out that the US holds a 55 percent share of
the Japanese software market.

The problem is that Japanese firms are currently pushing their
government for a weakening in the copyright protection extended
to computer software by easing the current restrictions on what
is called "reverse engineering" - a technique in which programmers
work backwards from an existing product and try to create an
entirely new product which provides exactly the same features,
but without using any of the original software's code.

Reverse engineering is often done by disassembling the
applications program, a practice which is strongly objected to by
most software publishers. Disassembly means that programmers
use a special program to break down the program files sold by a
company into programming language code. This code may or may not
be identical to the original code which was used by the publisher
to create their software by compiling it. In any case, the
disassembled code provides a step-by-step guide to what the
applications software actually does.

Major US software publishers like IBM and Apple object to
reverse engineering because they feel that the only reason for
pursuing this process is because the programmer intends to create
a clone of the original software. This is denied by Japanese vendors
who, reportedly, could present no convincing explanation of why
they wanted to reverse engineer software if they did not intend
to copy the best features of the US programs.

However, this is not a black and white issue. At least one US
company, Storage Technology, says that reverse engineering would
benefit it and other hardware makers because it would allow the
company to make certain that its optical storage devices were
fully compatible with Japanese hardware and software. Storage
Tech's John Scroppo said in a statement broadcast on CNBC that
reverse engineering would triple hardware sales by its Japanese
office.

As a result, Japanese officials have said that they would delay
releasing a report which detailed plans by the government to
loosen restrictions on reverse engineering.

(John McCormick/19931222)


(NEWS)(GOVT)(WAS)(00017)

Firms Target Mexico In Wake Of NAFTA 12/22/93
WASHINGTON, DC, U.S.A., 1993 DEC 22 (NB) -- Some observers
are arguing that early reports seem to indicate that across-the-
board US companies may be gaining by the North American Free
Trade Agreement (NAFTA).

Some toy manufacturers in Mexico are running into difficulties
because they cannot compete with high-tech US firms using
computer-aided design (CAD) and advanced manufacturing
techniques. Meanwhile, other US companies are starting to open
offices south of the border.

Just this week, a California-based radio and satellite
communications company has opened a sales office in Mexico
City and Unix software publisher Santa Cruz Operation (SCO)
says that the company has greatly expanded its Latin American
operations in 1993.

SCO already had an office in Mexico City, but the company has
expanded its size, added a new southward-looking office at the
University of Miami's Convention Center, and added new
distributors in Mexico, Columbia, and Argentina.

SCO markets a Unix business operating software for Intel-based
personal computers and file servers. The company already claims
to have some major Latin American companies as customers.

An example of a U.S. company just starting to move into the
Mexican market, and attributing the move to NAFTA's passage, is
Costa Mesa, California-based Satellite Technology Management, a
manufacturer of proprietary satellite and radio communications
hardware.

The company has announced that it has opened its first sales
office in Mexico City. In a statement by Senior Vice President
Stephen A. Strohman, the company emphasized that a "further
boost" in their sales effort in mexico would take place as
NAFTA goes into effect in a few weeks. "Major new market
opportunities are developing in applications ranging from private
business and government networks to rural telephony services,"
said Strohman.

Supporters of NAFTA argue that opening up the entire North
American market by eliminating or reducing tariffs will
stabilize Mexico's economy and lead to greater US exports.

(John McCormick/19931222/Press Contact: Elisheva Steiner,
SCO, tel [phone] or fax [phone])


(NEWS)(GENERAL)(TOR)(00018)

Canon Offers Copier/Printer/Fax Combo 12/22/93
LAKE SUCCESS, NEW YORK, U.S.A., 1993 DEC 22 (NB) -- Canon USA
Inc., has announced the GP55 Series Digital Imaging System, a
photocopier that becomes a network printer with the addition of
an interface board and is available with optional facsimile
capability as well.

The basic GP55 is a 30 pages-per-minute photocopier, a
spokeswoman said. By adding an optional printer board, you can turn
it into a network printer that supports the PCL-5 page description
language as well. Another board to support the PostScript language
is due in June, the spokeswoman added.

A second model, the GP55F, also provides Group 3 facsimile
functions. It sends and receives faxes as large as 11-inches by 17-
inches and can scan two-sided originals, Canon said. The company
plans to add the ability to scan documents for electronic storage
by the summer of 1994, the spokeswoman said.

Canon is offering an Ethernet network interface board for the
machines, allowing either model to serve as a network printer
without the need for a computer to act as a print server.
According to the company, the unit can serve as many as eight
file servers and 32 print queues at the same time.

People who need to make photocopies can temporarily stop long
print jobs while they make their copies, the spokeswoman said.

Canon said a study conducted for it by Bruskin/Goldring Research
of Edison, New Jersey, found office workers make as many as 21
trips per day to file cabinets, copiers, fax machines, and
printers, and to distribute documents. The company claimed the
multifunction GP55 machines will cut down on this walking.

In a panel discussion at the Comdex/Fall trade show in Las Vegas
in November, Barry Tepper, an industry analyst who covers
multifunction products for BIS Strategic Systems in Norwell,
Massachusetts, said he expects the sale of such machines to
grow from 119,000 units in 1992 to about 1.3 million in 1997.

However, he said many users are concerned about relying on one
machine for several functions, partly because of the chance of
the unit breaking down and partly because they fear conflicts
when several people need the machine at once. He also said that
vendors may have trouble determining who to talk to in selling
such machines, since office equipment and computer peripherals
are often been bought by different people within the same
company.

Canon's GP55 has a list price of $12,995 for the basic GP55,
which is only a copier. The PCL-5 printer board costs $2,140 and
the Ethernet board $890. The GP55F lists for $13,990. An add-on
fax option for the GP55 is $2,600. Other accessories including
paper sorters are also available.

(Grant Buckler/19931222/Press Contact: Diane Nakamura, Rowland
Company for Canon, tel [phone], fax [phone]/PHOTO)


(NEWS)(TELECOM)(DEN)(00019)

Computer Press Assn Gets Dedicated BBS 12/22/93
COLORADO SPRINGS, COLORADO, U.S.A., 1993 DEC 22 (NB) --
Computer Press Association members now have a full-time,
dedicated bulletin board system (BBS) where they can exchange
mail, check job openings, and share professional information.

The board, called CompPress, is operated by CPA member and
veteran system operator (sysop) Thom Foulks. Foulks, a
freelance writer like many CPA members, covers the computer
industry and is a contributing writer for various publications
including PC World, Boardwatch Magazine, Computer Sun Times,
and Windows Online Review.

Foulks told Newsbytes the board is up and running, having
undergone a week of operational testing. CompPress uses
Mustang Software's Wildcat! software and a Practical
Peripherals PM14400 modem. Users can access the board at
speeds up to 14,400 bits-per-second (bps).

Foulks told Newsbytes CompPress will have some public access
areas for messaging activities, "where the public can talk with
members of the press," as well as the private CPA members-only
message and files areas. In addition to public messaging the
board will also carry various freeware and shareware computer
utilities that are available to CPA members and non-members
alike.

Users desiring access to CompPress should set their modem
parameters to 8 bits, no parity and one stop-bit, and dial
709-592-1528. Once the on-line registration questionnaire is
completed, Foulks said CPA membership is verified within 36
hours. CompPress supports the RIP (remote imaging protocol)
graphics format as well as ANSI and ASCII terminal settings.

CompPress replaces the bulletin board service offered by CPA
Jobs Listing Coordinator Kathy Yakal, which piggybacked on a
BBS run by Yakal's husband on a trial basis. CPA also maintains
a members-only forum on GEnie and The Well.

(Jim Mallory/19931222/Press & Reader Contact: Thom Foulks,
719-598-7828; BBS 709-592-1528)


(NEWS)(GENERAL)(DEN)(00020)

Document Imaging Industry Announces Awards 12/22/93
TORRANCE, CALIFORNIA, U.S.A., 1993 DEC 22 (NB) -- Xplor
International, a trade group for the electronic document imaging
industry, has announced its awards for 1993.

Almost 7,000 attendees at Xplor's 14th recent annual electronic
document systems conference and exhibit in Denver, Colorado,
gathered at the closing banquet to see Xplor members honored
for individual achievement.

For the first time in its history, Xplor International named
co-winners of its "Innovator of the Year" award. Marketing Director
Lars Arvidsson accepted the award for the International Data
Post, while Tom Baxter, national EDIPost manager accepted for
Australia Post.

The award, according to Xplor President Jim Bransford, was
created, "to recognize an organization that has reached new
heights in technical innovation, while having the most significant
impact on the use of electronic document systems to achieve
organizational goals."

International Data Post is jointly owned by the Danish, Finnish,
French, German, Norwegian, and Swedish Postal administrations.
It handles the development, support, financing, and marketing of
an electronic mail system that serves national postal services all
over the world. Its bulk mailing system sends computerized
information to one of the regional post office terminals via
tape, cassette, diskette, or electronic transmission. The post
office provides postal code sorting, printout, insertion and
distribution.

Australia Post operates an electronic service for outward mail
production and inward mail processing. It operates mail centers
in every state in Australia that uses leading edge equipment and
technology to provide electronic mail service.

The organization named Robert W. Wert Jr., of the Commonwealth
of Pennsylvania the recipient of this year's President's Award.
Bransford said the President's Award is given each year, "to an
Xplor member for their life-time contributions to our organization
and our electronic document systems industry as a whole."

Wert, a 26-year veteran of the Commonwealth, is the state's
manager of the Operations Division within the Office of
Administration's Central Management Information Center. The
center processes payroll, personnel, accounting, civil service,
retirement, purchasing and other documents for the entire state.
Wert has held several positions on the Xplor International board
of directors since 1985.

(Jim Mallory/19931222/Press & Reader Contact: Xplor
International, tel [phone], fax [phone])


(NEWS)(IBM)(DEN)(00021)

Landscape Design Software For Windows 12/22/93
BOULDER, COLORADO, U.S.A., 1993 DEC 22 (NB) -- A company
with the unusual but appropriate name Green Thumb Software
has introduced a Microsoft Windows version of its landscape
design software LandDesigner.

LandDesigner for Windows is a computer-aided design (CAD)
package that allows the user to create landscaping plans for
areas as large as 170 acres. The company says LandDesigner can
create gardens, lawn areas, walkways, and sprinkler systems, and
can generate accurate cost and materials estimates. Items are
added to the landscape design by opening the appropriate library
and clicking on the desired symbol. The program will even "turn
the sprinklers on" to test the water coverage pattern.

Characteristics of the items can also be changed to create a
custom library. For example, according to Green Thumb the user
can turn a "large sprinkler head" into a "Rainbird Impulse head"
or a "medium deciduous tree" into a "honey locust," with a few
key presses.

To simplify the designer's task the software comes with more
than 300 pre-drawn graphical symbols representing the various
landscape elements. There is also an extensive collection of
drawing and drafting tools, and a modifiable database collection
of plants that the user can search by criteria such as sun, soil,
and water requirements. Green Thumb also offers four optional
plant libraries for different regions of the country  based on the
US Department of Agriculture growing zones.

Once the landscaping elements have been selected, the user can
apply a "grow" option that shows what the landscape will look
like as the plants mature. There is also a database containing
more than 800 plants available from the garden catalog company
White Flower Farm. Users can incorporate specific White Flower
Farm plants in their landscape designs, then generate a detailed
list of those plants with the quantities and costs for easy
ordering.

Another handy feature for landscape designers, according to the
company, is the ability of the user to draw a regular or irregularly
shaped area then tell the program to fill it to a desired density
with plants, or to a desired depth with "mulch." It can even create
a series of lines that indicate a fence measured in linear feet. In
the case of the flower bed, LandDesigner would calculate how
many flowers are required for that size area and flower density.

System requirements include Microsoft Windows, a personal
computer powered by at least a 286 microprocessor (a 386 or 486
will probably provide more satisfactory performance for a CAD
program), at least two megabytes of RAM, a hard drive, and a
mouse. LandDesigner for Windows supports over 300 laser, ink
jet, color, and wide carriage printers.

LandDesigner for Windows is scheduled to ship in late December
and has a suggested list price of $49.95.

(Jim Mallory/19931222/Press Contact: Judy McNary, Green Thumb
Software, 303-499-1388 or 800-336-3127; Reader Contact:
Green Thumb Software, tel [phone] or 800-336-3127,
fax [phone]/PHOTO)


(NEWS)(GENERAL)(BOS)(00022)

Motorola To Announce Site Message Client In January 12/22/93
BOYNTON BEACH, FLORIDA, U.S.A., 1993 DEC 22 (NB) -- In January,
Motorola will announce Site Message Client, a new software
product for sending faxes, electronic-mail (e-mail), and calendar
messages to a pager from the user's PC, Newsbytes has learned.

The first version of Site Message Client, for Microsoft Windows
3.1, will ship in February or March, said Steve Spiro, director of
Motorola's Customer Owned Paging Operations, in an interview
with Newsbytes. Motorola also plans to develop versions of Site
Message Client for OS/2 2.1 and Windows NT, he added.

Like Motorola's Site Alert Client, Site Message Client will operate
with Site Connect Server, a software product for connecting
desktop, telephony and monitoring applications to pagers and
PCMCIA (Personal Computer Memory Card International
Association) cards, according to Spiro.

Site Connect Server and Site Alert Client were first introduced at
Fall Comdex, along with a strategic agreement between Motorola
and WordPerfect to integrate Site Connect Server with WordPerfect
Office Version 4.0. Site Alert Client is software for notifying
users by pager of critical situations detected by monitoring
equipment.

Spiro told Newsbytes that the originally announced OS/2
2/2.1 edition of Site Connect Server and Site Alert Client,
scheduled to ship in the first quarter, will be followed by the
delivery of editions for Windows NT in March and for Unix in May.

Each version of Site Connect Server will include one Site Alert
Client, Spiro added. Site Connect Server and Site Alert Client
will run together on the same hardware server. Site Connect
Server will be priced at $5,500.

Site Message Client, on the other hand, will operate on PC client
workstations, he told Newsbytes. Site Message Client will be
separately priced at $149 per client.

The upcoming Windows 3.1, Windows NT, and OS/2 2.1 versions of
Site Message Client will all work with the OS/2 2.1 edition of Site
Message Server, according to Spiro. Motorola is also considering
the possibility of developing an edition of Site Message Server for
the Macintosh, he added.

Motorola's family of on-site paging products will incorporate a
patented rules engine specifying the times at which individual
users should be paged, he said. Motorola's rules engine will be
integrated with rules in WordPerfect Office specifying the
conditions under which individual users should be paged.

The link between the Motorola products and WordPerfect will be
made through Vendor Independent Paging, an emerging application
programming interface (API) for paging, Newsbytes was told.

Motorola intends to add support for many other interfaces in the
future, including Messaging Application Programming Interface
(MAPI), Common Mail Calls (CMC), Vendor Independent Mapping
(VIM), and Dynamic Data Exchange (DDE).

In addition, Site Message Server will support a large number of
gateways, including, but not limited to, Motorola's Mobile
Networks Integration (MNI), EMBARC, Radio Mail, and X.400.

(Jacqueline Emigh/19930222/Reader Contact: Rosalie Wyatt,
Motorola Customer Owned Paging Services, 800-382-9336; Press
Contact: Marianne Radwan, Hi-Tech Communications for Motorola,
415-904-7000)


(NEWS)(GENERAL)(DEN)(00023)

Faxserve 1.01 Facilitates International Faxing 12/22/93
ROSLYN HEIGHTS, NEW YORK, U.S.A., 1993 DEC 22 (NB) -- A New
York-based software company says it has the answer to the
problems of faxing information internationally. Cheyenne
Software has introduced Faxserve 1.01, a NetWare Loadable
Module (NLM) file server-based software program that
provides support for multi-language cover sheets.

While Faxserve does not require a dedicated fax server, a
dedicated server running Novell's NetWare network operating
system on the network is required. The program automatically
translates the cover sheet message into French, German,
Spanish, Italian, Dutch, Swedish, Norwegian, Danish, Finnish,
or Portuguese, according to Cheyenne's Director of Business
Development David Weingard.

Cheyenne spokesperson Julie Gubbin told Newsbytes Faxserve
also provides unattended transmission scheduling so faxes can
be transmitted when phone rates are lowest.

Faxserve works with DOS, Microsoft Windows, and MHS electronic-
mail applications. It is compatible with Intel's Satisfaxtion 4001
and Commwave's Microfax fax modem boards. Cheyenne Software
says the Microfax board is popular in many European and Pacific
Rim countries. Like most fax software, Faxserve allows the user
to create documents in an application of their choice. The
document is then sent to a virtual printer, which is the fax board.

Faxserve has a suggested retail price of $995. Weingard told
Newsbytes the company plans to ship version 2.0 of the software
in mid-January 1994. The upcoming release will support DOS and
Windows interfaces, and new features include automatic inbound
routing. Its pricing will be based on the number of users.

Cheyenne Software also markets several networking products
and Inoculan, an anti-virus program.

(Jim Mallory/19931222/Press Contact: Julie Gubbin, Media
Relations Inc., for Cheyenne Software, 612-851-8702 or 800-
999-4859; Reader Contact: Cheyenne Software, tel
516-484-5110, fax [phone])


(NEWS)(BUSINESS)(DEL)(00024)

Hyundai Plans Manufacturing Base In India 12/22/93
NEW DELHI, INDIA, 1993 DEC 22 (NB) -- Hyundai Electronics is
planning to set up a manufacturing unit in India to service its
complete range of computer hardware in the Asian market.

It is proposed to be set up as a joint venture with Byte Systems
Pvt. Ltd., the distributor of Hyundai notebooks and PCs in India.

The joint venture is slated to manufacture a wide range of
computer hardware, including pen computers, notebooks, high-end
PCs, workstations, motherboards and machines with multimedia
applications. Hyundai already has similar manufacturing
operations in Japan and Korea.

Hyundai has already approached Byte to prepare a feasibility
report on the investment profile of the project. Byte in turn has
sought the services of Tata Consultancy Services to draw up a
detailed project report for the joint venture.

At present, Byte has an exclusive arrangement with Hyundai,
under which it can manufacture and sell notebooks, workstations
and integrated systems under the Hyundai brand name. In fact, it
already has two hardware assembly plants in Bombay and Sikkim
and is also setting up a software development unit for servicing
the needs of Hyundai worldwide.

Byte started selling Hyundai computers from the middle of this
financial year. The company intends to end the year with a
turnover of Rs 22 crore, with plans to double that amount by
the end of 1994-95.

(C.T. Mahabharat/19931222)


(NEWS)(TELECOM)(TYO)(00025)

Japan - AT&T Intros Videophone, Motorola Plans Voice Pager 12/22/93
TOKYO, JAPAN, 1993 DEC 22 (NB) -- AT&T has released its analog
videophone in Japan, following the device's release in the US,
where it has reportedly already captured about a 30 percent of
the market. Also, Motorola Japan is planning to release a new
type of pager next year, which supports voice.

AT&T Japan has released the Video Phone 2500 through Hitachi
Home Electronics and Matsushita Telecommunication Industry.
This videophone can be hooked into a regular phone line. It
supports motion pictures at a rate of ten frames-per-second.

The videophone is based on AT&T's original GVS voice compression
technology, which can reportedly also be applied to other audio
visual devices. The product is equipped with an active matrix
backlit LCD (liquid crystal display), and is sold at 188,000 yen
($1,880).

AT&T's president has announced in Tokyo that the company
wants to license the GVS technology to third parties.

Under the distribution agreement with Hitachi and Matsushita,
AT&T expects to sell between 50,000 and 60,000 units next year.

Meanwhile, Motorola Japan is planning to release a new type of
pager that supports voice messages instead of text messages,
called the Iuzou. It will be released in Tokyo, Osaka, and Nagoya
in April, 1994. A message up to 60-seconds can be sent to the
receiver.

The new voice pager will be released at 20,000 yen ($200). The
firm plans to sell 1,000 units per month.

(Masayuki "Massey" Miyazawa/19931220/Press Contact: AT&T
Japan, 81-3-5561-3170; Motorola Japan, tel [phone],
fax [phone])


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

Swan Intros Cynergy & Cygnet PCs For Retail Market 12/22/93
WESTBORO, MASSACHUSETTS, U.S.A., 1993 DEC 22 (NB) -- Swan
Technologies, a long-time player in the PC mail-order business,
has expanded into the retail market with the announcement of
two new PC product lines, to be sold through major national retail
distributors, regional superstores, and Home Shoppers Network.

Swan's new retail product lines are Cynergy, a family based on
Intel 486 technology, and Cygnet, a series using microprocessors
from Cyrix Corporation, announced Albert Agbay, chairman and CEO.

The 10-year-old company, headquartered in State College,
Pennsylvania, will continue to produce its mail-order product lines
under the existing Swan Technologies name, according to Agbay.

Swan's new Cynergy and Cygnet lines each include desktop and
minitower systems. The Cygnet family also incorporates a
"Power Tower" and Novell- and Banyan-certified server tower.

Pricing for Swan's new retail product families begins at $899
for an entry-level desktop system, including a monitor.

Under a new strategic alliance, also announced by Agbay, the
Cynergy and Cynet products are being manufactured by eight-year-
old, Huntsville, Alabama-based MGV International and its affiliates.
MGV will also serve as a major component supplier for Swan's
mail-order product lines.

Under a new multi-tiered distribution strategy, Swan recently
reached its first distribution agreements with national
distributors. According to Agbay, the two "up-and-coming"
distributors are currently selling into more than 12,000
storefront operations, and to hundreds of value-added resellers.
Agbay noted that Swan will announce the first of these national
distributors within the next several weeks, to be timed with
product availability.

In the superstore arena, Swan will focus on regionally based chains
that dominate, or have the potential to dominate, their respective
geographic regions of the US, he said.

Agbay asserted that these regional retailers -- which compete for
market share against national superstore chains and national and
regional warehouse clubs -- are more nimble and offer more in the
way of personal service and technical support.

Agbay also announced that Swan has signed a 5,000-unit deal with
Home Shoppers Network, to include the on-air sale of Swan brand
computers. The multimillion-dollar agreement will more than
double within the next 12 months, he predicted.

"Personal experience -- and current industry sales numbers --
support the notion that the Home Shopping Club represents a highly
viable, incredibly lucrative retail opportunity for our company,"
he explained.

The shop-at-home phenomenon is an example of how industry
channels and traditions are changing, and why computer vendors
must adapt to the changes to be successful in the 1990s and
beyond, he added. "Today, innovation is where it's at. If you're not
comfortable with the idea that your products may be sitting on
the same shelves as cellular phones -- or, in some instances,
coffee makers -- you'd better find a new line of work," he said.

Swan's mail-order catalog business is still growing, but there are
many prospective customers who are not comfortable ordering
though the mail, according to Agbay. "Consequently, as a result of
our exclusive mail-order focus, we were limiting our reach, our
potential recognition, our sales and corporate growth," he
maintained.

Swan's new Cygnet Desktop model provides a choice of: 25
megahertz (MHz) or 33 MHz i486SX, 33 MHz i486DX, or 50 MHz or
66 MHz i486DX2 processor; ISA (Industry Standard Architecture)
or VESA (Video Electronics Standards Association) local bus; and
214 megabyte (MB), 260MB, or 340MB IDE (Integrated Drive
Electronics) hard disk drive. The PC comes standard with 2MB or
4MB of random access memory (RAM), expandable to 64 MB. The
system includes eight kilobytes (KB) internal cache. External
cache (128KB or 256KB) is optionally available.

The new Cygnet Minitower offers a choice of 33 MHz i486DX, 50 MHz
i486DX2, or 66 MHz i486DX2 processor; ISA or VESA local bus, and
260MB or 340MB IDE hard disk drive. Standard RAM is 4MB or 8MB
(expandable to 64MB). The system includes 8KB of internal cache
and 128KB of external cache, with 256KB of external cache
optionally available.

The Cygnet Power Tower includes a 33 MHz i486DX or 66 MHz
i486DX2 processor; EISA or VESA bus, and 260MB or 340MB IDE or
450MB SCSI (small computer systems interface) hard disk drive.
Standard RAM is 4MB or 8MB (expandable to 128MB). The system
includes 8KB internal cache and 128KB external cache, with 512KB
external cache optionally available.

The Cygnet Server Tower is equipped with a 50 MHz i486DX or 66
MHz i486DX2 processor and EISA bus. Hard disk drives are available
in SCSI up to 8.0 gigabytes (GB), with a SCSI-II controller. The
system comes standard with 8MB of RAM, expandable to 384MB.
Also included are 8KB internal cache and 128KB or 256KB external
cache.

The Cynergy Desktop model comes with a 33 MHz or 40 MHz 486s,
40 MHz 486D, or 50 MHz 486DX2 processor; ISA or VESA bus, and
214MB, 260MB, or 340MB IDE hard disk drive. Standard RAM is 4MB
or 8MB (expandable to 64 MB). The system includes 2KB or 8KB
writeback internal cache, and 128KB or 256KB external cache is
optionally available.

The Cynergy Minitower provides a 40 MHz 486D or 50 MHz 486DX
processor; ISA or VESA bus; and 260MB or 340MB IDE hard disk
drive. Standard RAM is 4MB or 8MB (expandable to 64MB). The
system includes 2KB or 8KB writeback internal cache, and 128KB
or 256KB external cache is optionally available.

All systems in the Cygnet and Cynergy product lines are upgradable
to Pentium Overdrive, and all systems except the Cygnet Server
Tower support Intel OverDrive. A 12-month on-site or 24-month
return-to-depot warranty is provided for all models.

(Jacqueline Emigh/19931222/Reader Contact: Swan Technologies,
508-366-4003; Press Contacts: Allison Bachtell, Swan Technologies,
508-366-4003; Jim Joyal, Sterling Hager for Swan Technologies,
617-259-1400)


(NEWS)(TRENDS)(LAX)(00027)

 ****Worldwide PC sales Up - Dataquest 12/22/93
SAN JOSE, CALIFORNIA, U.S.A., 1993 DEC 22 (NB) -- According to
Dataquest's preliminary 1993 worldwide study of personal computer
(PC) market share, Compaq has the largest share increase of all PC
makers. Apple Computer was number two and IBM, still number one
in market share among PC makers, made the first gains in its market
share since it began losing its hold in 1989.

Compaq nearly doubled its revenue and increased its market share
by 3.9 percent. The top five PC makers -- IBM, Apple, Compaq, NEC,
and Dell -- gained 6.2 percentage points over last year's figures to
hold 44.1 percent of the total PC market. The percentage
breakdown of the $66,265 million PC market shows that IBM holds
13.6 percent, Apple has 11.0 percent, Compaq has 10.0 percent, NEC
has 5.7 percent, and Dell holds 3.8 percent.

Philippe de Marcillac, director and principal analyst of Dataquest's
Worldwide Personal Computers program said: "After years of
relinquishing market share to smaller clone manufacturers, the
top PC makers are staging their comeback. Now that pricing has
reached parity among PC makers, the top names such as IBM, Apple,
and Compaq are selling more computers than ever before and
gobbling up market share in the process."

By region, the numbers stack up somewhat differently. In the US,
the market share battle was nearly a tie between IBM and Apple,
until revenue was considered, placing IBM on top, but the other
vendors place in the same order as their market share worldwide.
However, Western Europe numbers differed with IBM clearly in the
lead at 15.3 percent and Compaq with 9.3 percent squeezing in the
number two slot over Apple's 8.7 percent.

In Japan, NEC leads with a large 52.3 percent of the market,
down from last years' 55.7 percent. Apple and IBM both picked up
market share. Apple now holds 14.8 percent, compared to 8.8
percent last year, and IBM picked up another 3.0 percent over last
year, and now stands at 11.7 percent. Dataquest says growth in the
Japanese PC market is being credited to the strength of the yen
against the US dollar in 1993.

Worldwide revenue jumped from 1992 levels of $57,045 billion
to $66,265 billion in 1993, a gain of 16.2 percent. This was
despite price slashing during the year.

Most of the top PC players have begun offering PCs via the
direct-response sales channel, a channel that is booming,
according to market research group CI Infocorp. The major players
in the PC market have all followed Dell's lead and are selling
into the growing group of sophisticated buyers who know what
they want and are looking for a deal.

Between 1989 and 1993 Infocorp claims the direct response channel
has grown 37 percent annually. This is especially noteworthy
compared to the reseller mail-order channel's growth of four
percent and nine percent growth of indirect sales, including those
from original equipment manufacturers (OEMs), value-added
resellers (VARs), dealers, superstores, and mass merchants.

In 1992 to 1993, system sales directly from the major players
grew by to nearly one million units over previous years to a high
of 3.4 million.

(Linda Rohrbough/19931222/Press Contact: Paul Wheaton,
Dataquest, tel [phone], fax [phone]; CI Infocorp,
tel [phone], fax [phone])


(NEWS)(TRENDS)(LAX)(00028)

 ****Half Of Top Executives Are Computer Illiterate 12/22/93
MENLO PARK, CALIFORNIA, U.S.A., 1993 DEC 22 (NB) -- At least
half of US and UK executives lack basic personal computer (PC)
skills, according to a study conducted by Robert Half International.
The reasons cited ranged from "fear" to "time pressures."

The survey asked 100 top executives in both the United States and
the United Kingdom, "In your opinion, what percentage of the
nation's top executives is not computer literate?" The answers
were 55 percent in the US and 51 percent of UK executives lack
computer skills.

PC industry guru Peter Norton once related a story about the time
he asked an IBM executive if the executive had trouble installing
OS/2. The executive replied, "I don't use a computer -- I have a
secretary."

Max Messmer, chairman and chief executive officer (CEO) of Robert
Half International said: "Many top executives in both countries
rely heavily on their management teams for work that requires
computer use. However, it won't be too long before this skill is
a necessity. It is already for many senior executives, who use
PCs for everything from financial analysis to strategic planning
to rapid communications."

Reasons cited for computer illiteracy among executives include:
computer skills considered a low priority; intimidated by
computers; discouraged due to the learning curve involved;
resistance to change; and a lack of time.

Robert Half International, founded in 1948, is a publicly traded
personnel service specializing in permanent and temporary
placement of people trained in accounting and finance.

(Linda Rohrbough/19931222/Press Contact: Lynn Taylor, Robert
Half International, tel [phone], fax [phone])


(NEWS)(GENERAL)(LON)(00029)

Olivetti To Train Russian Ex-Officers As Managers 12/22/93
MILAN, ITALY, 1993 DEC 22 (NB) -- Olivetti has revealed plans to
train officers leaving the Russian army for work as managers.

The idea of the scheme, which is being underwritten and paid for
by the European Commission (EC), is to train a whole new
generation of entrepreneurs and business professionals in Russia.
The scheme will cost around 6,000 million lire ($4 million) and
train as many as 16,000 officers, Newsbytes understands.

Plans call for Olivetti's training officers to work with
professional trainers from other companies, including Isvor-Fiat
of Italy, Gopa of Germany, and Thomson-Sodetag of France, to
train the ex-army officers at 15 advice centers around Russia.

This is the first time that Olivetti has been involved in a
venture of this type, Newsbytes notes. To date, the company has
concentrated its efforts on the supply of office equipment,
including computers and printers.

The operation is thought to be the first of several training
deals with the EC, although only the briefest of statements
has been issued by Olivetti's Italian headquarters.

(Steve Gold/19931222/Press & Public Contact: Olivetti,
tel [phone], fax [phone])


(NEWS)(GOVT)(LON)(00030)

European Parliament To Fight Computer Porn 12/22/93
STRASBOURG, FRANCE, 1993 DEC 22 (NB) -- The European
Parliament has called for the prohibition of advertising of
pornographic products, as well as restrictions on mail order
sales. It also wants the introduction of codes restricting
access to adult telephone and electronic message services.

According to the European Commission, the resolution says
that the prevention and suppression of pornography should be
harmonized in line with current European legislation. Also, sex
tourism should be banned completely, as seen in Germany's
notorious Reeperbahn area of Hamburg.

The resolution also seeks to demand heavy financial penalties
on the producers and sellers of pornographic products, with
specific regard to computerized services that promote
pornographic images involving children.

According to the EC, deputies from several European political
groups have expressed their abhorrence over pornography, and
are seeking to control the criminal aspects of pornography.

"Violent, hard-core pornography is an invidious evil in our society.
It should be the goal of this Parliament to create persistent
pressure on the European Union countries in order to undermine
and fatally weaken the pornography industry, whose fat-cat
millionaires are amongst the richest people today in our
recession-hit Europe," explained British Socialist Christine
Crawley during the debate.

(Sylvia Dennis/19931222)