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/NB930319

Text File | 1993-03-19 | 70KB | 1,551 lines

(NEWS)(GENERAL)(DEL)(00001)

Bombay Bombs Bedevil Computer Firms 03/19/93
NEW DELHI, INDIA, 1993 MAR 19 (NB) -- Bombay's bomb blasts on the
Black Friday last week have taken their toll in the computer
community. Plunged into the havoc were the country's top two
software companies, Tata Consultancy Services (TCS) and Tata
Unisys Limited (TUL).

The online computer network at the Bombay Stock Exchange's trading
ring in Jeejeebhoy Towers was a minor casualty compared to the
human loss and chaos that befell on the commercial hub of the
country.

Two senior consultants, Brig. Natarajan and Suresh Rajsinghani,
of TCS, were severely injured and were in critical condition at
the Bombay Hospital a week after the explosion. Both were on their
way to a project meeting with UTI when a blast ripped through
the ground floor of the Air India Building. TCS's head offices
are located at 10th and 11th floors. Its chief, F.C. Kohli,
happened to have re-entered his office safely just before the
incident, though his car could not escape the damage in the
parking lot.

Dazed authorities geared up, with wartime-like vengeance, to restore
normalcy to the tragic sites. Snapped data communications lines
at the Air India offices were quickly restored by the MTNL. The
"Sangam" gateway system of the UUNET/ERRNET managed by the
National Centre for Software Technology and situated on the 8th
floor, was shut off, disrupting the link for a few days.

Away in Worli, at the Manish Commercial Complex, three stories
above the Passport Office, which was another site of bombing,
TUL's offices rattled into heaps of broken glass and pieces of false
ceiling. The staff escaped unhurt. The whole team of senior
management was out on an offsite conference at the time of
mishap downstairs. Downstairs, among the dead were a young
systems associate of NIIT's Bandra branch, Vikas Bedi, who
went there to collect his passport, and his younger brother
and uncle that accompanied him. Bedi was 25.

Having already suffered a setback in operations during the
January riots in the city, Bombay's industry and businesses
were shellshocked at the terrorist explosions, at a time
when the big city would have been buzzing for the best of
business during the financial-year end.

The bombs, planted in cars and scooters, that went off at
12 locations across the metropolis, were intended to mutilate
the financial capital of India. The Bombay Stock Exchange,
one of the targets, was operational on Monday, the 15th,
just three days after the 12th's bombing.

The quick reopening of the trading at the stock exchange, of
course, was more than a show of Bombay's resilience. For a
country opening up to foreign investors, it was an important
all's well signal, especially in the wake of travel
advisories, warning against visiting India. Also, for the
terrorists, it was meant to demonstrate that all their months
of meticulous planning was no more than a minor irritant.

Investigations are on at all levels to nab the culprits.
Four suspects, reportedly connected to the underworld "hawala"
(money laundering) or suspected drug trafficking, have been
arrested. Though not explicitly spelled out by the government,
the needle was reported to be pointing to a foreign agency
in collusion with terrorist groups inimical to India. But
the officials have so far not confirmed any particular theory
for the motive behind the blasts.

President Clinton, Prime Minister Major and other heads of
state have written to the Indian Prime Minister extending
their full cooperation in investigating the dastardly act.
Meanwhile, Delhi is on red alert as intelligence agencies
hinted at the capital being the "next target."

(C.T. Mahabharat/19930319)


(NEWS)(BUSINESS)(DEL)(00002)

Silicon Graphics To Set Up Subsidiary 03/19/93
NEW DELHI, INDIA, 1993 MAR 19 (NB) -- The government has cleared
the proposal of US computer giant Silicon Graphics to set up a
100 per cent subsidiary in India. The venture will be for
marketing support and production of visual computing systems,
including the Indigo technical workstations, for markets in
India and the SAARC region.

The company will make an initial investment of $400,000 and
over the first five years, the total investment is expected to
rise to $10 million. The unit will be set up in Noida, near
Delhi or in the neighboring state of Haryana.

"It will not only help us further sales in India and control
prices, but also enable us to meet the growing demand of
our workstations in the other Asian and Pacific Rim
countries," said Srikantha Rao, technical consultant, Silicon
Graphics Computer Systems.

"In this venture, we'll concentrate only on manufacturing,"
said Ashok Kapoor, country manager, SGI. The company intends
to produce IRIS workstations. A dedicated testing facility
will also be set up to test the assembled workstation parts.
According to Rao, the key element of the project is the
shifting of a part of the International R&D unit to India.
Presently Silicon Graphics products are tailored for the US
environment, and when they reach Europe or the Asian countries,
they face "localization" problems. Now, especially as the
company is planning to penetrate into the Japanese market,
the R&D unit will have a major role to play.

Part of the software resources will also be diverted, and
Silicon Graphics will set up a software development center
in India to develop newer applications for workstations.
For the time being, the new manufacturing unit will
concentrate on low-end machines like the Indigo.

Silicon Graphics first signed a technical collaboration agreement
with OMC Computers in January 1988 for local manufacture of
3-D super workstations used in advanced engineering and scientific
applications. The tie-up was subsequently extended to cover
new workstations. In 1990, the American giant transferred its
technology for high performance parallel processing machines
 to Tata-Elxsi (India) Ltd. through a sub-licence from its
existing licensee, Tata-Elxsi Pte Ltd. of Singapore. These
two companies will continue to act as the marketing arm of
Silicon Graphics in India.

The company wanted to have a manufacturing facility of its
own for complete quality control, and the ease to switch
over from one product to another. "This wouldn't have been
possible even if we had stepped up our manufacturing activity
in the OMC or Tata-Elxsi facility," said Rao.

Silicon Graphics was considering acquiring an equity stake
in Tata-Elxsi and OMC. It had even announced its intention
of taking 15 percent stake in Tata-Elxsi. "Now, if we have
our wholly-owned subsidiary, why take stake in these marketing
outlets?" declares Rao.

(C.T. Mahabharat/19930319)


(NEWS)(GOVT)(HKG)(00003)

Hongkong - Automated HK Chamber Of Commerce 03/19/93
KUN TONG, HONG KONG, 1993 MAR 19 (NB) -- A new computer system now
under development for the Hong Kong General Chamber of Commerce
will greatly simplify administration of its membership records.
The new software will also speed the issuing of some 600,000
certificates of origin (CO) a year which are critical to the
territory's exporters.

The system, which is being developed for the Chamber by COL
Ltd., Hong Kong's longest standing computer services company,
will integrate three formerly separate sets of records into a
single database. In future, a single entry will update
information relating to all three computer applications,
thereby reducing clerical input.

"The new system will be much faster and more versatile,"
said Francis Y.T. Lo, the Chamber's senior manager of
information services. "Instead of using codes to identify
our members' activities, we will be able to accept full
descriptions of their businesses.

"We will also be able to search membership records by more
criteria than before, using plain English commands such as
'toys' or 'watches' instead of product codes. For instance,
we are currently unable to search for members with factories
in China. That was not an issue when the previous software
was written but today it is vital information and the new
system will cater for it."

Another reason for redeveloping the Chamber's computer system
is to cater for the introduction of three-year membership fees,
which are not supported by the current software. This will give
members the option of continuing to pay annually or adopting
the three-year scheme.

Communications between the Chamber and its members will be
enhanced by regular production of a computer file of members'
names and fax numbers. Generated by COL from membership
records, this file will be loaded on to the Chamber's
computerized fax server to enable information to be sent to
selected groups of members with minimum waste or duplication.

The new computer system, comprising membership records, a
database of 13,000 factories used for checking certificate
of origin (CO) applications, and software that generates
statistical reports on COs for the government, will run on
Digital Equipment VAX computers at COL's purpose-built data
centre in Kwun Tong.

The COL computers will be linked to terminals at each of the
Chamber's eight certification branch offices, as well as its
United Centre headquarters. The US$200,000 project involves a
total rewrite of the existing software for Digital's Rdb
database environment and is scheduled to go live in June.

(Brett Cameron/19930209/Press Contact: Peter Fishwick (COL)
Tel: [phone];HK time is GMT + 8)


(NEWS)(TRENDS)(BOS)(00004)

 ****OnLine Bookstore Offers "Electronic Lit" Over Internet 03/19/93
BROOKLINE, MASSACHUSETTS, U.S.A., 1993 MAR 19 (NB) -- A new service
called the OnLine Bookstore (OBS) is letting literary-minded end
users download fiction and nonfiction, complete with sound or
scanned-in photos, right off the Internet.

The OBS has been providing an electronic version of The Internet
Companion, A Beginner's Guide to Global Networking, free of charge
since December, when informal market testing began.

This week marks the start of commercial operations. By today, the
alternative bookstore plans to be selling electronically oriented
poetry and prose from prize-winning authors John Ashberry and
Robert Coover and hot new talents Paulina Borsook and Gregory
Stock.

Three nonfiction guidebooks are slated to appear online later in
the spring: The Vintage Guide to Classical Music, Bed and
Breakfasts of New England, and Maya: The Riddle and Rediscovery of
a Lost Civilization.

Laura Fillmore, a cofounder, dubs the OBS a "virtual corporation."
For the new bookstore, the Internet is the central address. In an
interview with Newsbytes, Fillmore explained that the venture is a
joint effort between Editorial Inc., a company she launched 11
years ago, and The World, the Internet's first commercial service
provider.

The World is headed by Barry Shein, who's also president of
Software Tool & Die, a company based just west of Boston in
Brookline, MA. Editorial Inc., a book packager and literary
agency, is located some 40 miles northward, in coastal Rockport,
MA.

OnLine's first round of commercial offerings features a literary
reading that took place at Tool & Die earlier this week, in the
direct aftermath of the Great Blizzard of '93. Warmed by a
fireplace and audience applause, Ashberry and Coover took their
turns at a Silicon Graphics workstation.

Ashberry, whose literary plaudits include the Pulitzer Prize, read
aloud from his book-length poem Flow Chart and several briefer
verses. Coover, a professor of hypertext fiction at Brown
University, chimed in with "The Convention" and other short
stories, plus selections from his latest novel, Pricksongs and
Descants.

The OBS recorded the reading in CD-quality sound, and then
compressed the audio into files small enough to be run over phone
lines. The audio files and matching ASCII text can be separately
downloaded off the Internet. Also downloadable, but as text only,
are works by Ashberry and Coover not contained in the reading.

Other electronic volumes up for immediate availability are
Borsook's Virtual Romance, a novel about a relationship conducted
over e-mail, and Stock's Meta Man, a futuristic tale concerning a
global merger between humans and machines.

Aside from being a novelist, Borsook is a computer journalist, with
credits that include Wired and Byte magazine, according to
Fillmore. The electronic edition of Meta Man will be accompanied
by optionally downloadable sound bytes, in which Stock talks about
his work. "We think the stories by Borsook and Stock are uniquely
appropriate to the electronic medium," the cofounder commented.

The online edition of Laura LaQuey and Tracey With's The Internet
Companion offers a cover shot that can be downloaded as a GIFF
file. The upcoming guidebooks will move even more toward
multimedia, with multiple downloadable graphics, Fillmore told
Newsbytes. Jan Swafford's The Vintage Guide to Classical Music
might encompass sound as well, she added.

Bernice Chesler's online guide to bed and breakfasts will come with
photos that didn't appear in the printed version. Furthermore, the
electronic text will be fully searchable, Fillmore said.

Scholar Charles Gallenkamp will be updating his book on the Maya
with written material not included in the 1959 hard copy edition.
In Fillmore's view, the historical work is authoritative in an
academic sense, but also reads a lot like a mystery novel. "The
reader wants to find out what happened to these people 900 years
ago," she noted.

Each book from Online has its own Internet mailbox. Readers can
use these mailboxes for interacting with the authors over e-mail.

For the new commercial service, the OBS is charging a $5 monthly
service fee, along with fees for connection and downloading time
that vary from book to book.

(Jacqueline Emigh/19930318/Public and press contact: Laura
Fillmore, Online Bookstore and Editorial Inc., tel [phone],
fax [phone])


(NEWS)(GENERAL)(SYD)(00005)

Australia - PC 93 Show Sets Records 03/19/93
SYDNEY, AUSTRALIA, 1993 MAR 19 (NB) -- Last week's PC 93 show in
Sydney not only broke attendance records, but saw a number of
vendors come back to the fold after long absences. In the case
of Compaq, it was the first time the company had seen any need
to attend.

The show was bigger and more crowded than ever before, but many
long-time attendees told Newsbytes that the gloom of recession
wasn't quite forgotten. As one exhibitor said, "At times we were
very busy, but at other times we felt like sending out search
parties for anyone interested in what we were showing."

Attendance this year was 57,040, 15,000 more than 1992's show.
On the third of four days another record was broken with more
than 21,000 attendees. The exhibits filled three of the four
halls at the exhibition center, covering almost 4 acres
(15,000 sq metres).

As usual the computer press were run off their feet covering
the dozens of product releases times to coincide with the
show. A typical day started with a press breakfast and
ended 15 companies later with a late-night dinner.

While the PC shows have traditionally been IBM-compatible
affairs, this show had a large Apple Computer sub-show in the
center. Apart from Compaq, Sony was a first-timer with emphasis
on its multimedia, CD-mastering and other storage media. As
usual there was a strong contingent from Taiwan.

One trend at these shows is to more selling from the floor.
Apart from the usual shareware vendors, this year saw the first
"fire sale" stands carrying the new bargain-priced products
from the likes of Microsoft and Lotus.

Attendance breakdown shows that the typical visitor was in a
management or other decision-making position. According to some
observers, this is not only due to under-18's being banned, but
also reflects the changing PC market where buyers are going
after their own bargains rather than accepting what the
traditional dealer channel "dishes up."

(Paul Zucker/19930319)


(NEWS)(TRENDS)(TYO)(00006)

Japan - Nintendo To Deliver Games By Satellite 03/19/93
TOKYO, JAPAN, 1993 MAR 19 (NB) -- Kyoto-based Nintendo will start
a satellite version of its game machine service next year through
its participation in a satellite-based radio program service firm.

Within the next two months, Nintendo plans to purchase an equity
position in Saint Giga, which was created to broadcast digital music
via space satellite. However, the firm failed to attract
users, and as a result, suffered huge losses.

Nintendo's participation will certainly heat things up again. The
company plans to purchase 782 million yen ($6.5 million) of the firm
through a new subsidiary called Nintendo Giga.

Nintendo's satellite-based service will include text-based news
and information, and game hints for its game machine, the Super
Famicom. The information will be viewed on television through
a proprietary adaptor. The service is expected to start in April
1994.

In order to provide these services, Nintendo will develop a
device which is both a satellite signal decoder and an
adaptor for the Super Famicon. Plans are to release the device
early next year at a price of 9,800 yen ($80).

In related news, an educational mail correspondence firm Fukutake
Shoten will participate in Saint Giga. The firm will provide
educational programs via satellite broadcasting.

With these services, Saint Giga expects make a profit by the
spring of 1995.

So far, about 8 million of the Nintendo's Super Famicom units have
been shipped. Some 1.4 million units are expected to be shipped
by 1995. Of these, Nintendo expects about half its users will
purchase a device to take part in the satellite broadcasting
service.

(Masayuki "Massey" Miyazawa/19930319/Press Contact: Nintendo, +81-
75-541-6111, [phone])


(NEWS)(TELECOM)(MOW)(00007)

AT&T Opens Learning Center In Russia 03/19/93
ST PETERBSOURG, RUSSIA, 1993 MAR 19 (NB) -- AT&T of St Petersbourg, a
joint venture 68%-owned by AT&T Holland, has opened a learning
center to educate engineers working on the 5ESS phone exchange.
This is the first such establishment in Eastern Europe.

AT&T decided to use the service of St Petersbourg Electrotechnical
Communications Institute, also known as LEIS. The institute, with its
experience in providing higher education in communications-
related fields, is the best place for a center, an AT&T spokesman
said. The college has unique equipment and teachers to pursue the
goal, according to AT&T.

The Commersant daily reported that Alcatel, the main competitor to
AT&T in the Russian phone exchange supply market, has plans to
open a similar learning center in the same Institute.

AT&T is conquering the former USSR with its 5ESS switching
system, while Alcatel is offering System 12. In one form or
another, both companies are manufacturing or assembling those
exchanges in Russia.

(Kirill Tchashchin/19930319/Press Contact: AT&T LEIS center phone +7 812
315-3227)


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

TDMA Cellular Rolled Out 03/19/93
WEST PALM BEACH, FLORIDA, U.S.A., 1993 MAR 19 (NB) -- The
competition between digital cellular systems in the US turned
into reality as the Time Division Multiple Access, or TDMA,
scheme was rolled out commercially in Florida.

McCaw Cellular, one of the first companies to commit to TDMA,
rolled out the service in its Cellular One systems in Florida.
The company said the conversion to a "dual-standard" digital-
analog network cost $15 million. TDMA digital, which has been
approved as a standard by the Cellular Telecommunications
Industry Association, offers three times the capacity of present
analog systems. The competing system, called Code Division
Multiple Access, or CDMA, offers 10 times current capacity, which
is why companies like Bell Atlantic and US West have decided to
implement it instead. But an enhancement to TDMA, Extended-TDMA
from General Motors' Hughes division, will offer 15 times present
analog capacity.

Along with TDMA, McCaw is also going to a version of the
Signaling System 7 technology used by wired phone companies, so
it can offer services like Caller ID.

Because the TDMA system is "dual standard," callers with analog
phones will still be able to use it, getting digital service only
when they buy new "dual standard" phones.

Southwestern Bell, TDMA's other primary backer, said it is
opening a trial of TDMA service in the Chicago area, with the
intention of providing full service later this year. The trial
will have 4,000 participants and last 8 weeks.

(Dana Blankenhorn/19930319/Press Contact: McCaw, Jacqueline W.
Stewart, 407/640-1185)


(NEWS)(TELECOM)(ATL)(00009)

AT&T Sends Frame Relay Overseas 03/19/93
BASKING RIDGE, NEW JERSEY, U.S.A., 1993 MAR 19 (NB) -- Just days
after MCI announced it would offer its frame relay service to
Canada, AT&T announced European destinations for the links, which
connect computers or networks at speeds of from 56,000
bits/second to T-1 trunk speeds of 1.544 million bits/second.

MCI calls its service HyperStream, AT&T InterSpan, but they're
really quite similar. Both offer a reliable alternative to the
private digital lines now used to connect networks and computers.
Frame relay services are flexible, and can be made using the same
routers now used to connect local networks to each other. For
this reason, analysts like Joe Noel of Dataquest expect the
market, worth just $7 million in 1992, to grow rapidly. Noel's
analysis indicated that AT&T was the second-largest factor in
this market last year, MCI a non-factor, and he expected AT&T to
lead the way in 1993 and beyond.

MCI's newest effort in this area was linking HyperStream to
Canada via that nation's Stentor consortium of local phone
companies. AT&T is doing the work itself, and now offers links to
Europe via its Istel unit. In Canada, it will offer InterSpan
links via Unitel Communications.

New markets for InterSpan starting in July are Canada, Ireland,
Austria, Portugal, Switzerland, Denmark, Italy, Luxembourg,
Finland and Norway. AT&T said the service is already offered to
the United States, United Kingdom, Spain, France, Belgium, The
Netherlands, Germany and Sweden. The company said it wants to
make its InterSpan a seamless, global network, with payment in
the customer's choice of currency -- US dollars, Canadian
dollars, or British pounds -- in a single bill. AT&T will also
offer what it calls Customer Network Management Services, a set
of monitoring and performance tools aimed at optimizing the
use of customers' frame relay links and associated
applications.

AT&T is also working with Cisco, a router maker, and Stratacom, a
switch maker, to assure that frame relay services are upwardly
compatible with faster asynchronous transfer mode, or ATM
services, as they become available. AT&T said it will offer this
to its customers through protocol conversion which it will make a
part of its network. Also, the service will be offered based on
local standards, so US customers can get the 56,000 bit/second
links they're used to receiving, while European customers can get
the 64,000 bit/second links they use.

(Dana Blankenhorn/19930319/Press Contact: AT&T, Shelly London,
908/221-4355)


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

LDDS Blames Merger Costs For Loss 03/19/93
JACKSON, MISSISSIPPI, U.S.A., 1993 MAR 19 (NB) -- The costs
associated with a mega-merger designed to create a strong fourth
long distance network could severely impact earnings in the short
term. LDDS said extraordinary charges and merger-related expenses
relating to its acquisition of Advanced Telecommunications Corp.
of Atlanta resulted in a loss of $47.8 million for its most
recent quarter. The company said operating results going forward
should offer robust profits.

However, LDDS will continue to pay merger costs. It is in the
process of combining with Resurgens Communications of Atlanta, a
public company, and Metromedia Communications, a private company,
which is cost money. But they may not be as bad as they were with
ATC, where $47.5 million in unusual charges were booked,
including an increase in bad debts allowances, a settlement with
Florida officials for ATC billing practices, a writedown of the
company's assets, and other settlements. LDDS also lumped a debt
restructuring into its fourth quarter results, worth $5.8
million. Bernard J. Ebbers, president and chief executive
officer, said that of the $96.5 million in total charges made
during the quarter, about $56.1 million were non-cash charges
which will not affect operations going forward.

As proof, Ebbers noted that the company had revenues of
$70,898,000 for the month of January 1993, the first month of
combined operations following the merger with ATC, with net
income of $4,885,000.

(Dana Blankenhorn/19930319/Press Contact: LDDS Communications,
Bernard J. Ebbers, 601/364-7000)


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

US House Speaker Victim Of Calling Card Fraud 03/19/93
WASHINGTON, D.C., U.S.A., 1993 MAR 19 (NB) -- Anyone can
apparently become a victim of calling card fraud, even the
Speaker of the US House of Representatives.

MCI confirmed that it cancelled a calling card issued to Speaker
Thomas Foley's office after it noticed a number of fraudulent
calls being charged to it. MCI handles long distance services for
the US Congress. MCI said that after it issued a new card, the
fraud ceased, indicating that the code had been stolen and fraud
was not being perpetrated by anyone in legal possession of the
card.

"The Washington Times" newspaper tried to make a big deal of
this, claiming that $1,200 in 900-number "dial a porn" services
were charged to the card. But MCI denied that, saying in a press
statement that US House members are automatically blocked from
access to that area code through their calling cards, even when
calls are made from cellular phones. Speaker Foley also denied
the Times' charges. Both MCI and Speaker Foley called the Times'
story on the problem "incorrect."

(Dana Blankenhorn/19930319/Press Contact: MCI, 202-887-3000)


(NEWS)(GOVT)(WAS)(00012)

White House E-mail Flood 03/19/93
WASHINGTON, DC, U.S.A., 1993 MAR 19 (NB) -- Following Newsbytes
and other news organizations' listing of electronic mail access
numbers for the new Clinton-Gore Administration, White House
staffers have reported being swamped by the public response and
were apparently totally unprepared to deal with the flood of mail
they have received. Newsbytes has yet to receive any response
to an e-mail query sent via MCI Mail four days ago.

We requested confirmation of the e-mail addresses we had found
and information about other mail boxes and identified ourselves
as legitimate members of the working press, but although we
verified the addresses using other sources we never heard back
from the White House.

The inability to respond electronically to White House e-mail
access may prove to be an example of the failure to anticipate
some consequences and just how difficult it can be to implement
some welcome and progressive ideas. That is because the White
House lacks the staff and information infrastructure needed
to handle 500 or so e-mail messages it receives each day.

If you want to send President Clinton an e-mail on CompuServe,
America OnLine, or MCI Mail, be sure to include your paper
mailing (not just e-mail) address. White House high-tech
communications specialist Jock Gill reportedly says that
staffers are not geared up to answer you by return e-mail
and will have to mail a response via the post office.

(John McCormick/19930319/Press Contact: Dee Dee Myers, Press
Secretary to President Clinton, 202-456-2100)


(NEWS)(GOVT)(WAS)(00013)

Clinton Admin Opts For Puny Tariff For Koreans 03/19/93
WASHINGTON, DC, U.S.A., 1993 MAR 19 (NB) -- Just as
tough-talking Mickey Kantor, the Clinton Administration's
chief international trade negotiator, was trying to put
some muscle into the US's effort to open up foreign
markets, North Korea started making threatening noises and
Washington was unable to slam its South Korean allies for their
closed computer memory chip market.

At least that is how it looked when the Commerce Department
slapped a tiny 0.74 percent anti-dumping tariff on Samsung
Electronics and a relatively painless 7.19 percent tariff on
memory chips imported from Hyundai Electronics as punishment for
dumping dynamic random access memory (DRAM) chips, thereby
harming US chip makers.

But that may not be the whole picture. Trade is a very complex
topic and while some US chip makers are perhaps being hurt by
unfair competitive practices, companies and individuals buying
ever-less-expensive computers are definitely benefiting, as are
some computer makers.

Newsbytes and other news organizations reported a surge in memory
prices last year as the Commerce Department's preliminary
findings suggested that a large tariff would soon be imposed on
cheap Korean memory chips just as Windows, OS/2, and other
programs were demanding ever-larger memories. But back then the
jump was due to rumors and some opportunism playing on buyers'
fears rather than actual cost increases at the wholesale level.

The entire computer industry is understandably a bit twitchy
about any big memory wars because the last time large tariffs
were imposed on Asian-produced chips, back about six years ago,
PC sales went into a nosedive as prices soared and US-made
chips were inadequate to meet demand.

In the spring of 1992, Micron Technology filed a complaint with
the US Department of Commerce charging Korean microchip makers
with dumping their memory chips, i.e., charging less here in the
US than in Korea or other markets. Preliminary findings
last autumn suggested that tariffs of 50 percent or even higher
would be appropriate and while virtually no one expected that
such high penalties would be imposed, most industry observers
expected a significant tariff which would trickle down to
adversely impact PC prices.

The proposed tariffs, if finally enforced, are expected to
cause only a very small increase in PC prices and will not
have any real effect on US memory chip makers such as Micron,
whose stock price dropped about 15 percent just after the
proposed low penalties were announced.

Intel's stock price plunged a sharp 4 percent on the news of tiny
tariffs, apparently because investors forgot that Intel doesn't
make its money from manufacturing or selling the sort of memory
chips concerned in the dispute.

Actually, even these small tariffs are not certain to go into
effect. One more bureaucratic step is required before any actual
tariffs are collected on the Korean microchips.

After this week's determination by the Commerce Department that
tariffs are warranted because dumping did take place, the
International Trade Commission (ITC), a US agency, now has 45
days to determine whether the dumping did any actual damage to
US manufacturers. If the ITC does reach the conclusion that
US jobs were lost or companies suffered significant damage,
then the Commerce Department will instruct the Customs Service to
actually collect the additional fees on imported chips.

If the ITC doesn't find that any damage was done to US
businesses, then it may decide that the tariffs shouldn't be
imposed.

UPI names Apple Computer as one of the major US computer
companies that have been trying to moderate DRAM tariffs because
that company uses Korean chips in its computers.

The picture in Japan is quite different because where, since the
first semiconductor trade agreement in the mid-80s, the foreign
share of the microchip market has climbed from 8.8 percent for
1986 to between 15 and 17 percent last year, depending on whether
you use US or Japanese numbers.

The most recent bilateral semiconductor trade agreements were
thought by many in the US to have required Japan to increase
purchases of overseas chips to a full 20 percent of that
country's total, but Japanese officials contend that the 20
percent number was never anything more than a goal.

Earlier this week The Associated Press reported that US
manufacturers had expressed qualified satisfaction with the
current openness of Japanese markets, despite the fact that even
by Japanese estimates the purchases fell well short of the 20
percent goal.

(John McCormick/19930319/Press Contact: Office of the U.S. Trade
Representative, 202-395-3204, fax [phone])


(NEWS)(GENERAL)(WAS)(00014)

Roundup - Stories Carried By Other Media This Week 03/19/93
WASHINGTON, DC, U.S.A., 1993 MAR 19 (NB) -- Roundup is a brief
look at some computer stories carried in other publications
received here this past week.

Computerworld for March 15 reports that Computer Associates (CA)
will part company with Legent and SAS Institute by removing the
disabling encryption code from its mainframe applications
programs. Such code is inserted in expensive licensed programs to
stop them from operating when the license expires.

CA will, according to the front page report, use a messaging
system to warn of approaching expiration or unauthorized use.
Customers have complained of the danger that critical software
could be disabled by accident.

The March 15 issue of Communications Week says that Blue Bell,
Pa.-based Unisys will attempt to extend the life of its 10-year-
old CTOS operating system by putting it on a $2,000 80486-based
PC, a move down from the traditional workstation platform.
The company says that CTOS has offered the important features of
Windows NT and IBM's OS/2 since 1986, but is the world really
going to adopt or even stay with a proprietary operating system
in these days of standardization and interoperability?

Network World for the week of the 15th says that Windows NT Beta
2 offers major networking improvements over the first beta test
version. Now in NT are: automatic detection of network cards,
faster file sharing, and improved printing features.

NT will apparently come in two versions, one for high-end PC
workstations and another, NT Advanced Server, which offers more
robust features for servers.

(John McCormick/19930319)


(EDITORIAL)(GOVT)(WAS)(00015)

Editorial - How's Clinton Doing? How Are We Doing? 03/19/93
WASHINGTON, DC, U.S.A., 1993 MAR 19 (NB) -- Next week the
Treasury Department will ask Congress to raise the permissible
federal deficit to $4.1 trillion, making this a good time to look
at the state of our government.

This is not Clinton-bashing. It's too early to make a judgment on
the new administration's effectiveness, but that doesn't mean
that we shouldn't watch what's happening. Our economy is just
too dependent on what the government does or fails to do, and
that affects everyone, including the computer industry.

How the White House deals with its first set of problems is a
good guide to how and even whether it will tackle other important
problems when it comes to crunch time.

The administration says it wants to bypass the press and go
directly to the people and many people seem to agree, but the
free press has a place in this country too. It says so right here
in my copy of the Constitution (see First Amendment) and it isn't
"bashing" to point out inconsistencies or growing problems.

Late last night the House of Representatives passed the $16.2
billion Clinton stimulus and tax packages, but not with bi-
partisan support. In fact, the bills received few Republican
votes and Rep. Gerald Solomon (R./N.Y.) actually oinked on the
floor of the House, illustrating his contention that this budget
bill "replaced gridlock with ham hocks," a reference to what some
see as a pork-laden stimulus package that earmarks taxpayer
monies for such things as building swimming pools.

I don't see much wrong with the tiny stimulus package, especially
if some of the money actually finds its way to teenagers this
summer, but I would like to see some real cuts in the government
itself before people are asked to pay more.

These cuts must come from the White House - Congress with its
highly paid elevator operators (the elevators are all fully
automated), discount meals, free health care, and multi-million-
dollar pensions are not about to cut spending.

Silicon Valley is basking in the warm glow of the
administration's enthusiasm for e-mail and a proposed national
education network based on the Internet, but we need to avoid
optimism about future advances based on rhetoric rather than
actual programs. If the deficit isn't brought under control, it
will eat up our entire country, even those sitting at the top of
high-tech industries.

All we have to go on is a comparison of campaign promises with
subsequent action, but if we aren't to judge the administration
by results then what should we base expectations on?

The promised middle-class tax cut is a thing of the past and
possibly that is a good thing, but let's consider what has taken
its place.

The administration has made a big thing about cutting federal
jobs, but the actual reductions turn out to leave government a
growth business with fewer jobs being cut than would be
accomplished just by freezing new hiring. There will be more
federal employees four years from now.

What the Democrats have failed to do since being elected is
to completely cut a single visible project such as the
Superconducting Super Collider, which was definitely on
the table, along with the Space Station "Freedom," until
Texas politicians reminded Clinton that they supported his
election.

And do we really need to pay a part-time appointee nearly
$100,000/year to make certain that those Canadians don't try to
move the border when we aren't looking?

It may be too late to buck Congress and millions of bureaucrats,
but if there is any chance to do so then Clinton must lead the
fight - a real fight, not just a pillow fight - and he must do so
while he is still relatively popular - it will only get harder
and the people are more likely to rise up and support cuts in
government than they are to fight for the chance to pay higher
taxes.

Congress is actually paying some lip service to deficit reduction
and has listened to one journalist who has compiled a list of
public pork projects. But President Clinton has reprimanded
people for criticizing spending without offering their own
specific cuts, so here's mine.

We are now paying about $100 million each year to store $1
billion worth of helium gas which is part of the strategic
reserves that will be needed if we ever fight World War I again
and need artillery-spotting balloons.

I suggest that we require all politicians to suck on that helium
before speaking. It would serve the dual purpose of reducing
that stockpile and make those speeches more interesting.

Columnist Jack Anderson recently reminded everyone that there is
no need for another multi-million-dollar Congressional study to
find ways to save money. The Grace Commission pinpointed
hundreds of billions of dollars in waste and pork; all we need is
the political will to implement the cuts.

(John McCormick/19930319)


(NEWS)(GENERAL)(TOR)(00016)

Novell, DEC Ally To Put NetWare On Alpha 03/19/93
BOSTON, MASSACHUSETTS, U.S.A., 1993 MAR 19 (NB) -- In the second
announcement concerning its Alpha chips within a week, Digital
Equipment has unveiled a deal with Novell, the Provo,
Utah-based leader in local-area network (LAN) operating systems,
to put Novell's NetWare LAN operating system on the Alpha AXP
architecture.

The deal closely follows the announcement that Japan's Mitsubishi
will be a second source for the Alpha reduced instruction set
computing (RISC) chips, which are considered among the fastest
processors in the world today.

Novell is to offer Processor Independent NetWare, a version of
the LAN software that can be used on a variety of hardware, for
the Alpha chips some time in 1994. The two companies will work
together on development and marketing.

Bob Schneider, a spokesman for Digital, said Processor
Independent NetWare has a small portion of code that must be
adapted to each processor. Digital's role in the project will be
to create a version of this code that works with the Alpha chips,
he said.

Processor Independent NetWare is based on NetWare 4.0 and will
run directly on Alpha AXP hardware, offering optimal performance
because there is no intermediating host operating system, company
officials said.

The software will be sold in one package that can run on a
variety of hardware including Alpha, Schneider explained.

Software development kits for NetWare on the Alpha chips are due
to be available before the end of 1993, he said.

Digital, which is already a Novell reseller and offers NetWare
through its customer catalogs, will continue in that role,
Schneider added.

Microsoft Windows NT, a full-fledged operating system using the
Microsoft Windows user interface and expected to reach the market
later this year, is also to run on the Alpha chips. Networking
features built into NT are considered to make it a potential
rival to NetWare.

The availability of both systems would help to make Alpha-based
machines into contenders in the market for local-area network
servers.

DEC's first Alpha systems, announced in early November, included
two models that are available as network servers: the DEC 3000
Model 400 AXP and Model 500 AXP.

(Grant Buckler/19930319/Press Contact: Kelli Christensen, Novell,
801-429-5933; Bob Schneider, Digital, 508-467-9608)


(NEWS)(UNIX)(TOR)(00017)

Unix SVR4.2 On SPARC, MIPS, NCR 3000 03/19/93
SAN FRANCISCO, CALIFORNIA, U.S.A., 1993 MAR 19 (NB) -- Unix
System Laboratories has announced additions to the list of
hardware that can run its Unix System V, Release 4.2.

USL, a Summit, New Jersey-based subsidiary of Novell,
announced that Unix SVR4.2 is available now for Sun Microsystems'
SPARC architecture and for MIPS Computer's processors. Both
of these are reduced instruction set computing (RISC) processor
designs.

SVR4.2 has been available for the Intel processor line that
powers the majority of personal computers since last August.

USL and NCR also announced that SVR4.2 is now available for
NCR's System 3000 workstations, which use the Intel chips.

According to USL officials, the announcement of SPARC and MIPS
support makes Unix SVR4.2 the only operating system available
both for the Intel processor line and for the highest-volume RISC
platforms.

The port of Unix SVR4.2 to the MIPS architecture was developed in
cooperation with NEC for its EWS4800/210 workstation. The SPARC
port was developed in cooperation with ICL and Fujitsu and is
available on the ICL DRS6000 and the Fujitsu DS/90 7000 series
workstation reference platforms.

Unix SVR4.2 supports both the Motif and Open Look graphical user
interfaces, USL said, and provides a complete graphical desktop
environment suitable for novices and experienced users. New
graphical administration utilities ease system administration,
the vendor claimed.

NCR said it will offer SVR4.2 in various modules, including
client modules designed to work with a Unix server and providing
a choice of the Open Look or the Motif user interface, as well as
a development module, an administration module, and a DOS
interoperability module that can run software written for
Microsoft Windows 3.1 in a window on the Unix client.

The SPARC, MIPS, and NCR 3000 versions of Unix SVR4.2 are all
available now.

(Grant Buckler/19930319/Press Contact: Ry Schwark, Unix System
Laboratories, 908-522-6264; Jim Mazzola, NCR, 513-445-6148)


(NEWS)(IBM)(DEN)(00018)

Microsoft Ships Video For Windows, SQL Server Kits 03/19/93
REDMOND, WASHINGTON, U.S.A., 1993 MAR 19 (NB) -- Microsoft
Corporation has released tool kits for its Video For Windows and for
SQL Server for Banyan VINES.

Microsoft says the Video for Windows development kit is targeted
specifically at software developers who are developing video
editing tools, new video compression algorithms or multimedia
authoring tools, as well as to hardware manufacturers developing
products compatible with Video for Windows. The company says most
independent software vendors (ISVs) will not need the developers kit
and can incorporate digital video into their applications for
Windows using the standard Video for Windows product.

The kit includes documentation and sample source code that cover
image-compression manager applications program interfaces (APIs),
video compression/decompression drivers, video capture APIs and
drivers, video capture drivers, the Media Control Interface for
Video for Windows, the AVI RIF file format, the DIB Format
Extensions for Windows, and an explanation for using DrawDIB
functions. The kit is available in the WINEXT and WINSDK forums on
Compuserve.

Also being announced is an SQL Server Network Integration Kit (NIK)
for the Banyan VINES network operating system, designed to allow
Microsoft's SQL Server to function as a standard network service on
a VINES network, and to support StreetTalk global directory
services. Microsoft says the NIK reduces memory requirements,
improves performance and integration, and allows easier network
administration and maintenance.

The SQL Server NIK provides built-in support for the VINES/IP
protocols, eliminating the need for an extra software load on each
client. It is also automatically registered as a network service
that allows users access to application servers running SQL Server
just like any other part of the Banyan network. The NIK requires
Microsoft SQL Server 4.2 or higher, and has a suggested retail price
of $149 per server.

(Jim Mallory/19930319/Press contact: Bev Auld, Microsoft
Corporation,206-882-8080; Reader contact: 800-227-4679)


(NEWS)(TELECOM)(LON)(00019)

UK - Budget High-Speed Fax Messaging System 03/19/93
LONDON, ENGLAND, 1993 MAR 19 (NB) -- Inntel Europe has announced
its Faxpad high-speed fax messaging technology, The system has
been designed to allow up to 20 analogue fax calls to be
multiplexed over a 64,000 bits per second (bps) digital link.

This feature, the company claims, means that major companies with
fax machines at several locations can route faxes between them
over their digital network links. Normally, unless special (and
expensive) voice/data integrated technology exists on their
network, fax calls would have to be routed over the standard
phone network.

"Faxpad allows private companies to save money by using their
existing private data networks to send fax messages all around
the world for the cost of a local call," explained Robin Smith,
general manager of Inntel Europe, when unveiling the system in
London.

According to Smith, the payback is rapid on Faxpad, providing the
company concerned has digital links between sites. Added to that,
there are spin-off benefits in terms of clearer faxes, owing
to the clearer nature of the digital links.

In use, the Faxpad unit is connected between the fax machine and
the main phone line, using a standard phone connector. The user
keys in the destination phone number as normal with the Faxpad
unit intercepting the call. At this point, the Faxpad either
routes the call as normal over the phone line, or blocks the
phone line off and converts the analogue fax modem tone back into
digital data, before routing the "call" over the X.25 data
network.

Faxpad doesn't come cheaply, however, with prices starting at
around the $20,000 mark, although Inntel Europe claims that these
prices are low compared to alternative systems.

Smith reckons that, because Faxpad compresses the data before it
is inserted on to the X.25 data network, that the usage of the
data links is reduced. "By making maximum use of the bi-
directional bandwidth available over the network, transmissions
are much faster and conserve precious bandwidth for other data
transmissions," he said.

(Steve Gold/19930319/Press & Public Contact: Inntel Europe - 081-
528-9871)


(NEWS)(UNIX)(SFO)(00020)

 ****UniForum Attendees OK Gore's Info Highway Plan 03/19/93
SAN FRANCISCO, CALIFORNIA, U.S.A., 1993 MAR 19 (NB) -- The
creation of a coast-to-coast electronic information highway by
2015 is an integral part of the Clinton administration's information
technology policy. According to the results of an opinion survey
conducted by Dun & Bradstreet Software and UniForum, 68 percent
of survey respondents claim that the project goal is realistic.

The survey was conducted at the 10th UniForum conference and
trade show, held by the open systems association bearing the same
name. Over 1,000 participants respond to a variety of questions
concerning the computer industry.

According to Richard Jaross, executive director for UniForum, "The
more we understand about what end users want from vendors - and
vendors become more responsive to those needs - the more effective
the Unix community will be in delivering valuable solutions."

Of those respondents who did not share the same optimism toward
the Vice President Gore's venture, 54 percent said the project will
not get done because of a lack of understanding and management
from the government. Another 22 percent stated it will eventually
get done, but not in that time frame.

The survey results concerning the much-hyped impending battle
between Microsoft's not-yet-released Windows NT operating system
and Unix were interesting. Thirty-seven percent of respondents
believe NT will offer benefits not yet offered by Unix, which is an
indication that Microsoft's "advance-hype department" has earned
themselves a bonus. An additional 22 percent said they were unsure.

Two-thirds said they will be initiating some kind of action toward
rightsizing their organization computer systems. In responding to
a question listing the main reason for rightsizing, those moving
down from a mainframe or away from a proprietary system cited
decreasing costs (46 percent) and increasing flexibility (44 percent).
Only 16 percent of those organizations moving down from a
mainframe selected empowering end-users as a reason for rightsizing.

The survey found that rightsizing efforts appear to be a response to
the general issues affecting computing today: increased worldwide
competition (28 percent), increased productivity (26 percent), and
cost-cutting stringent times (24 percent). Business process re-design
and continuous quality improvement were selected by only nine
percent of respondents.

When asked to evaluate how well chief executive officers (CEOs)
understand the potential benefits of open systems, 70 percent said
their CEO somewhat understand or understands very well. Also, 69
percent of survey respondents said their CEos use a computer, while
only 14 percent said their CEO has a computer but does not use it.

(Ian Stokell/19930319/Press Contact: Jennifer Clegg, 508-468-1155,
Mullen PR; or Lorretta Gasper, 404-239-3651, D&B Software)


(NEWS)(TELECOM)(LON)(00021)

France Telecom Links With PC Companies 03/19/93
PARIS, FRANCE, 1993 MAR 19 (NB) -- France Telecom has announced
it is establishing links with a number of PC companies to boost
sales of the its integrated services digital network (ISDN)
services.

France Telecom was one of the first European telecom companies to
launch its ISDN service. The service was launched on the back of
the highly successful Transpac packet data network (PDN), which
was boosted tremendously when the French Government promoted the
Minitel/Teletel viewdata service in the early 1980s.

To date, liaisons with Apple, IBM, and Zenith have been made.
France Telecom is funding the development of ISDN "black boxes"
for desktop and portable PCs of the companies concerned.
Discussions are also taking place between France Telecom and
Bull, the state-controlled PC company.

Not that France Telecom is concentrating on the PC companies.
According to the company, a similar linkup with Microsoft is in
the works, with the express aim of linking France Telecom's Atlas
4000 electronic mail service up to Microsoft Mail-compatible
networks. To date, Atlas 4000 has a number of links with third-
party electronic mail companies which conform to the CCITT X.400
inter-system message handling system (MHS) specification.

(Steve Gold/19930319)


(NEWS)(APPLE)(SFO)(00022)

 ****Apple Prepares PowerBooks With Pen Input 03/19/93
CUPERTINO, CALIFORNIA, U.S.A., 1993 MAR 19 (NB) -- Apple
Computer is reportedly preparing versions of its successful
Powerbook notebook computers that will be able to use a pen
input device, as well as the conventional keyboard.

Pat Kinley, spokesperson for Apple, while declining to
confirm such a product was under development, did tell
Newsbytes that, "We have said as much as a year ago that
we were interested in pen technology. In fact, we announced
that last May at our developers conference. We said that we
were looking at it along with every other company in the
industry. Aside from that we don't have anything we can
talk about."

In response to a question as to whether a pen-input device
would be based on the PowerBook, Kinley just said, "I am
sure that we are looking at all aspects."

According to a report in the San Francisco Chronicle, Apple
expects to introduce the first Powerbook with pen input
this fall. The new devices would be the same size as the
current PowerBooks, and the same weight, which varies from
4.2 pounds to eight pounds depending on the hard drive and
type of display used. The same software would be used on
both types of machines.

The new PowerBooks are likely to cost slightly more than
conventional keyboard-based devices.

Currently, only Grid Systems and Japan's NEC Corp sell
computers that can operate with both pens and keyboards.

(Ian Stokell/19930319)


(NEWS)(APPLE)(SFO)(00023)

Macintosh Videotoolkit 2.0 03/19/93
MILLIS, MASSACHUSETTS, U.S.A., 1993 MAR 19 (NB) -- Abbate Video
reports that it is shipping VideoToolkit 2.0, a $279 videotape
logging, editing, and QuickTime Movie generation application
for the Macintosh.

Version 2.0 now embeds the videotape's time code or counter numbers
into a generated QuickTime movie. It also makes a second pass
to digitize and synchronize the audio to an assembled movie.

VideoToolkit catalogs videotapes, creates an Edit Decision List
(EDL) and assembles that EDL to a second VCR or to the Macintosh
as a QuickTime movie. Automated QuickTime movie-making from an
EDL is achieved either live or through a "step-and-grab"
routine. When making a movie with the step-and-grab routine
users can record up to 30 frames per second at full screen resolution.

By controlling many camcorders and VCRs and generating precise
edit decision lists, VideoToolkit enables the user to selectively
digitize only the material that their project requires.

Another addition reported for Version 2.0 is infrared control
that permits virtually any VCR to operate effectively as the
recording machine.

Four-year-old Abbate received a US patent in 1991 for developing
direct cable control of consumer video equipment from a personal
computer.

VideoToolkit 2.0 is available now for $279-299 depending on the
required cable configuration and as an upgrade to all registered
VideoToolkit owners for $59. The basic VideoToolkit package
includes control for logging and assembling tape with Sony's Vdeck
and Vbox, RS232-driven machines such as the Mitsubishi BV2000 and
the NEC PC-VCR, plus a patented, custom cable for controlling Sony's
Control-L (LANC) and Control-S machines, or Panasonic's
Control-M devices, and most infrared VCRs. A cable for
controlling RS-422 decks is also available.

VideoToolkit requires a Macintosh System at level 6.0.5, or
greater, with at least 2 MB of RAM and a hard disk. The
software is System 7.0-compatible and "32-bit clean."

(Wendy Woods/19930318/Press & Public Contact: Philip Palombo,
508-376-3712; fax: [phone], E-Mail to AppleLink:
ABBATE.VIDEO, America Online: ABBATE or CompuServe: 74040,2563)


(NEWS)(GENERAL)(SFO)(00024)

Device Lets HP Printers Print Faxes 03/19/93
SAUSALITO, CALIFORNIA, U.S.A., 1993 MAR 19 (NB) -- FaxPak is a $299
fax receiver that outputs faxes to HP and compatible laser printers.

From Teledisk Systems, FaxPak delivers plain paper fax output
at a fraction of the cost of plain paper fax machines, its creators
say. It installs quickly by connecting to a phone line and a
printer port without complicated setup. FaxPak also does not
require a phone line dedicated to fax because it automatically
distinguishes between voice and fax calls. It can also share a
printer with a personal computer or network.

"The FaxPak makes it easy for businesses and individuals to
upgrade to plain paper fax. It is an affordable plain paper
fax solution that uses an existing high-quality printer and
lets users save time and money over thermal fax output," said
Dan Claxton, president of Teledisk.

FaxPak is a stand-alone fax receiver that connects directly to a
phone line and a laser printer's serial or parallel port. A personal
computer or network can also be connected, and FaxPak will
automatically switch between printing incoming faxes and
computer output.

FaxPak also works if the printer is turned off or off-line.
It has its own power supply and 768K of internal memory to
receive and store up to 40 fax pages. A built-in battery
backup protects against loss of stored faxes from power failures.

FaxPak prints faxes at 300 or 150 dpi resolution. It is CCITT Group 3
compatible and operates at 9600, 7200, 4800, and 2400 bps.

FaxPak is available from selected US and international resellers
and directly from Teledisk by calling 1-800/669-3700. List price
is $299.

(Wendy Woods/19930318/Press & Public Contact: Frank Sabella,
Teledisk, 415/332-1122)


(NEWS)(APPLE)(SFO)(00025)

Multilingual Macintosh Word Processor - Nisus 3.4 03/19/93
SOLANA BEACH,CALIFORNIA, U.S.A., 1993 MAR 19 (NB) -- Nisus
Software is shipping the latest version of its namesake word processor,
Nisus 3.4, which offers multilingual text entry on the Macintosh.

Nisus is the only high-end word processor able to take
advantage of all the languages available in the Macintosh
WorldScript system, including right-to-left languages such as
Arabic and Hebrew, its creators say. Users can mix as many as 18
languages within a single document, switching languages simply
by choosing the appropriate menu items.

Edwina Riblet, Nisus Software director of marketing, said,
"We've heard from many sources that writing in English alone
isn't enough to meet the everyday demands of significant groups
of users. Corporations with worldwide operations and
customers; government agencies with international
responsibilities or multilingual constituencies; publishers
and service bureaus; frequent travelers; scholars and students,
they all need language options."

Nisus also offers graphics and layout features for desktop
publishing of documents.

There are two versions -- both include an English dictionary
and thesaurus plus the user's choice of a foreign language
dictionary for spell checking. Extra dictionaries may be
ordered. The Limited Flag Edition (3.4L) operates under
System 6.07 or later and supports text entry in languages
based on the Roman alphabet, including English, French, Finnish,
German, Italian, Portuguese, Spanish, and Japanese under
the KanjiTalk operating system or the Macintosh English System 7.1 with
Apple Computer's announced kanji WorldScript module. List price is $395.

The Nisus 3.4 Complete Flag Edition (3.4C) enables text entry in
all the Limited Edition languages plus Arabic, Chinese, Czech,
Farsi (Persian), Hebrew, Hungarian, Korean, Polish, Russian and
Thai. It is $495.

Writing in non-Roman languages with Nisus 3.4C requires special
language modules. Users can order Arabic, Eastern European (Czech,
Hungarian, Polish), Farsi (Persian), Hebrew and Russian from Nisus
Software ($45.00 each), and one language choice is included in the
purchase price of the package.

(Wendy Woods/19930318/Press & Public Contact: Edwina Riblet,
619/481-1477; 619/481-6154 - fax)


(NEWS)(IBM)(SYD)(00026)

Australia - Microsoft Training 3000 As NT Pros 03/19/93
SYDNEY, AUSTRALIA 1993 MAR 19 (NB) -- Microsoft Australia is holding
a series of training and certification courses in Windows NT
across the country in May. Microsoft Windows NT Inside Track is
for large account customers, integrators, resellers, consultants
and hardware OEMs.

Microsoft said the training was designed to have a "solid support
network in place" prior to the official product launch. The
program is an extension of two developers' conferences held in
August and November last year in Australia.

More than 3000 people will be trained as Microsoft certified
professionals and many of these in turn will train others, either
within their organizations, or professionally. In fact,
this commitment to continue training others is a requirement for
doing the course. Microsoft said it also wants resellers to be
trained and ready to sell and support the product as soon as it
becomes available.

The course includes architecture, installation, configuration,
networking, administration, security, interoperability and
troubleshooting. The training center is being prepared with
50 machines loaded with the new operating system. Course dates are
3, 5, 7, 11, 13, and 18th May in Perth, Adelaide, Melbourne,
Brisbane, Sydney and Canberra, respectively.

(Paul Zucker/19930319/Contact Roy Brady of Microsoft,
phone [phone] or fax [phone])


(NEWS)(APPLE)(DEN)(00027)

Macintosh TrueType Master Font Set 03/19/93
REDMOND, WASHINGTON, U.S.A., 1993 MAR 19 (NB) -- Microsoft
announced TrueType Master Set, a collection of 102 TrueType fonts
for Apple Computer's Macintosh.

The company says the Master Set fonts match the 14 TrueType fonts
resident in Microsoft Windows 3.1 and higher, as well as the 44
fonts found in the TrueType Font Pack for Windows and the 44 in the
Font Pack 2 for Windows. Microsoft says the compatibility will
enable Mac users to create documents and move them to the Windows
platform without having to worry about font substitution. The font
selected for printing also appears on the screen display for a
WYSIWYG (what you see is what you get) approach.

Steve Shaiman, Microsoft general manager of advanced product
development for the advanced technology and business development
group, says many Macintosh users work in cross platform environments
and are concerned with document font compatibility. "The Master Set
is a simple and inexpensive way to provide document portability,"
according to Shaiman.

Master Set provides a range of text, symbol, decorative and headline
fonts, including some new in digital form. The five new digital
fonts are Elephant, Gradl, Random, Harington, and Augsburger
Initials. Several type vendors, including Biglow & Holmes, Carter &
Cone Type, Filmotype Corporation, The Font Bureau, Gunnlauger SE
Briem, Linotype-Hell AG, Monotype Typography, and URW, contributed to
the collection.

To use the Master Font collection you'll need an Apple Macintosh
running System 7.0 or higher and a hard disk. Master set has a
suggested retail price of $99.95.

(Jim Mallory/19930319/Press contact: Beverley Flower, Microsoft
Corporation, 206-882-8080; Reader contact: Microsoft Corporation,
800-426-9400)


(NEWS)(GENERAL)(DEN)(00028)

Document Management Conference Coming 03/19/93
SAN JOSE, CALIFORNIA, U.S.A., 1993 MAR 19 (NB) -- Dataquest
says it will hold its annual Document Management Conference at the
Hotel Del Coronado in Coronado, California May 12 and 13.

The research and consulting firm says the conference will address
all facets of the printer, copier, and fax markets, and their
surrounding technologies. The opening session will focus on the
worldwide market and economic forecasts, including insight into
how document imaging, the state of the economy, and multimedia
computing may affect document management markets.

After the opening session, three topic tracks will be available:
printers, copiers, and facsimile (fax) machines. Attendees can
choose to attend whichever topic they want. The final session
Thursday afternoon will focus on trade and environmental issues
as well as multifunctional products.

Eastman Kodak General Manager and VP Joseph G. Doody heads the list
of speakers, which include executives from Canon Computer System,
Hewlett-Packard, Microsoft, Minolta, Pitney Bowes, Ricoh, Seiko
Epson, and other companies, who will share their perspectives and
experiences at what Dataquest describes as "the most comprehensive
all-in-one document conference in the world."

Dataquest spokesperson Paul Wheaton told Newsbytes the cost of the
conference is $1,395, with Dataquest clients receiving a discount.
Wheaton said participants who register prior to April 12 will pay
$1,255, a 10 percent discount. Dataquest maintains a toll-free number
for conference registration.

(Jim Mallory/19930319/Press contact: Paul Wheaton, Dataquest,
408-437-8312; Conference registration info: 800-457-8233)


(NEWS)(GENERAL)(DEN)(00029)

CompuAdd's RAID For PCs 03/19/93
AUSTIN, TEXAS, U.S.A., 1993 MAR 19 (NB) -- CompuAdd Computer
Corporation has announced its first product for personal computers
which uses a redundant array of inexpensive disks (RAID) to store
data, similar to RAID systems used on mainframe and midrange
computers.

DriveArray is hardware and software independent, and is compatible
with any personal computer and operating system that supports the
SCSI-1 or SCSI-2 (SCSI is an acronym for small computer system
interface) command set, without the need for additional software
drivers.

CompuAdd says the host computer will see the DriveArray as one very
fast, very large disk. Array operations, including data rebuilding,
are done in the background, leaving the host CPU free for other
tasks. The DriveArray has six 10-megabyte-per-second SCSI-2
channels, with one used for communicating with the host and the
other five for communicating with the drives in DriveArray. Up to
seven DriveArrays can be chained per SCSI controller for additional
storage capacity.

Scheduled to ship in April, the device will be available in
configurations capable of storing up to 4 gigabytes (GB) per array.
The company says it will have configurations that can handle up to
8GB available by mid-summer. That's also when CompuAdd expects to
receive DriveArray certification for use with Novell Netware, IBM's
OS/2 operating system, Solaris 1.0.1, Solaris x86, Unixware, and
Microsoft's Windows NT. A Microsoft spokesperson told Newsbytes
Windows NT is scheduled to publicly debut at the COMDEX trade show
in May, and should ship a few weeks later.

The company says DriveArray uses a proprietary power board that
provides fault tolerance without requiring a separate power supply
for each drive. In the event of a short circuit or component
failure, the power supply is isolated from the power bus, the SCSI
bus, and the backup power supply to prevent system failure. A failed
power supply or drive can be replaced without powering down the
system.

Five drive bays hold 3.5-inch drives of 500MB, 1GB or 2GB, while a
sixth drive holds an optional spare drive or tape unit. A
custom-designed ASIC (application specific integrated circuit)
incorporates a parity generator that enhances performance in parity
mode operation, known as RAID 5, freeing the CPU from parity
generation tasks. CompuAdd says mean time between data loss should be
about 28,500 years. A mirroring mode feature recreates data
completely in the background.

DriveArray prices start at $7,495 for a .5GB system and top out at
$15,995 for the 4GB model.

(Jim Mallory/19930319/Press contact: Wendell Watson, CompuAdd,
512-250-2530; Reader contact: CompuAdd, 800-456-3116)


(NEWS)(BUSINESS)(LAX)(00030)

Sierra On-line Layoffs Compensate For Network Losses 03/19/93
OAKHURST, CALIFORNIA, U.S.A., 1993 MAR 19 (NB) -- Sierra On-
line is facing hard times and more red ink despite strong sales
of its software products, the company said. The Sierra Network
is being blamed for the expected losses this quarter and Sierra
said it will cut its staff by ten percent at a one-time charge
of $900,000 in severance and related benefits to compensate.

Analysts have estimated Sierra might lose as much as $2.5
million this fiscal year, but the company is now saying fourth
quarter losses may be substantially higher than expected. While
the company has been making money on its software game
products, its online amusement parks and games on the Sierra
Network appear to be draining company resources. Sierra is
determined to get the online network to break even, according
to company President Ken Williams, who predicted late last year
efforts to promote the Sierra Network might cause losses
greater than the $3.5 to $4.5 already lost on the Network this
fiscal year.

While the graphical Sierra Network has received praise and
positive feed back from the computer industry, the company
estimated last December would take 50,000 users for the online
service to break even. At last count the network was at a
little over half that with 27,000 users, but company officials
say Sierra is no longer talking about how many users are on the
network. Company officials did say they expect the Sierra
Network to break even in the coming fiscal year. Efforts to
promote the Sierra Network include free trial memberships and
advertising.

On the educational and game products front, the company is
predicting increases of six percent for next year and feels
that figure is in line with growth patterns industrywide. The
company is moving its computer game titles to home
entertainment platforms and already has its "Adventures of
Willy Beamish" title out for the Sega CD system. Plans are also
in the works to produce titles on CD for the new 3DO
Interactive Multiplayer home entertainment platform which is
expected to be available to consumers this summer.

(Linda Rohrbough/19930319/Press Contact: Eugene Heller,
Silverman, Heller Associates for Sierra On-line, tel 310-208-
2550, fax [phone]; Richard Gelhaus, Sierra On-line, 209-
683-2598)