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/nb092493

Text File | 1993-09-24 | 68KB | 1,550 lines

(NEWS)(APPLE)(LON)(00001)

Microsoft To Deliver National Gallery To The Desktop 09/24/93
WOKINGHAM, BERKSHIRE, ENGLAND, 1993 SEP 24 (NB) -- Microsoft has
unveiled Microsoft Art Gallery, a CD-ROM (compact disc - read only
memory)-based package for Mac and PC that contains an interactive
guide to London's National Art Gallery. The disc should be
commercially available later this year.

The disc is based on the National Gallery's own in-house computer
information system, which is known as Micro Gallery. According to
Microsoft, its Art Gallery disc allows home and office PC users, art
enthusiasts and educators, to learn about some of the world's
greatest works of art using their Windows-based PC or Apple
Computer Macintosh computers.

The disc itself contains images of the gallery's entire collection
of more than 2,000 paintings from Leonardo da Vinci, Michelangelo,
Raphael, Titian, Holbein, Rembrandt and Vincent Van Gogh. The
pictures are represented as high quality 256-color reproductions,
digitized from the National Gallery's photographic archives.

Vast text and graphic files are stored and accessible alongside the
painting images. The disc contains more than 5,000 pages of
information, including more than 700 artist biographies, many with
spoken names and 500 glossary terms explained. The total text comes
to more than a million words.

Neil MacGregor, the director of the National Gallery, said that he
is very pleased to have worked with Microsoft on the disc project.
"Now people all over the world will be able to have access in their
own homes to the system that has been delighting visitors to the
gallery. This will enhance their enjoyment and appreciation of great
painting," he said.

Microsoft Art Gallery will ship worldwide at the end of this
year with a suggested list price (in the US) of $79.95 or its local
equivalent. The disc needs a multimedia-equipped PC with Windows.

(Steve Gold/19930923/Press & Public Contact: Microsoft UK - tel;
0734-270-0001)


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

Home Automation With A Mac Via Enviromac 09/24/93
SEATTLE, WASHINGTON, U.S.A., 1993 SEP 24 (NB) -- Need a use for
that old Macintosh Plus? How about control of your household?
Remote Measurement Systems says its new environmental and
control system for the Macintosh, Enviromac, can make that
happen.

While researchers and scientists have been using computers to
monitor and control environmental conditions for some time,
Remote Measurement Systems says it is bringing data acquisition
and control to the desktop. The Enviromac software can continuously
evaluates external conditions via sensors and automatically
issues commands to control electrical devices such as appliances,
machinery, or electronic equipment. The system turns the
Macintosh into a unit that can monitor temperature, air quality,
and energy use.

A variety of sensors are available to monitor everything from
the amount of carbon dioxide in the air to wind direction to
temperature. The program monitors the input from the sensors
and based on that data, devices can be turned on and off
remotely. In fact, one sensor is for monitoring wattage,
meaning it is possible to monitor the energy consumption in a
home and predict utility bills, the company said.

In addition, the sensor interface is a hardware peripheral that
plugs into the serial port of the Mac via a serial port cable
and the software does not require programming to use. A simple
rule interpreter allows as many as 40 choices. For example, a
user can point and click on choices to set up a temperature
sensor so if the temperature is greater than 82 degrees, the
cooling system comes on. The company says the system also runs
in the background so the Macintosh may be used for other tasks
while monitoring the environment.

Included in Enviromac is hardware, software, a light level
sensor and a temperature sensor, an X-10 control module for
control of electrical appliances, cables for connecting to the
Mac, and complete documentation. Over thirty different modules
can be operated by the Macintosh, Remote Measurement Systems
added.

The product works with Macintosh Pluses and SEs, Classics,
Performas, the Mac II and Centris lines, Quadras, and even
Powerbooks. It requires a Mac Plus with System 6.0 and 1
megabyte of random access memory (RAM) and uses 600 kilobytes
of RAM, company officials said. Retail price for the system is
$899 with extra sensors and modules available at prices ranging
from $8 for a temperature sensor to $500 for a carbon dioxide
sensor.

(Linda Rohrbough/19930923/Press Contact: Keith Ronnholm, Remote
Measurement Systems, tel [phone], fax [phone])


(NEWS)(TRENDS)(TYO)(00003)

NEC RISC Processor For Windows NT 09/24/93
TOKYO, JAPAN, 1993 SEP 24 (NB) -- Japan's major personal computer
and chip maker NEC has released a microprocessing chip called
the VR4200 which is intended for use in computers that run
Microsoft's Windows NT operating system. NEC claims this chip is
the most power-efficient in its VR family.

This 64-bit RISC chip, jointly developed with MIPS Technologies,
is designed for notebook-type and laptop personal computers
that operate Windows NT. The VR4200 operates at 40 megahertz, and
consumes only 1.5 watts of electricity -- about four times less
than would be expected, given the performance of this
chip, according to NEC.

The VR4200 is compatible with the firm's VR4000 and the 4400 chips.
It has about 1.5 million transistors, that have been applied with a
0.6 micro million CMOS method.

The chip size is 9 x 8.8 mm. It has units for integer operation,
floating point operation, memory control, and cache memory, and
it is designed to compete with Intel's 80486DX2. NEC claims,
however, that its chip has twice the processing speed of Intel's.
As far as the processing speed is concerned it is twice faster

The RISC (reduced instruction set computing)-type chip costs
8,000 yen ($80). Mass production of the chip is slated to start
in April, 1994. NEC plans to ship 50,000 units per month at which
time the price should drop.

(Masayuki "Massey" Miyazawa/19930924/Press Contact: NEC, +81-3-
3798-6511, Fax, [phone])


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

Japan - 150-Megabit Data Transmission Service 09/24/93
TOKYO, JAPAN, 1993 SEP 24 (NB) -- NTT plans to launch a super-fast,
150 megabits-per-second data transfer service in October. This
speed is about 25 times faster than its existing high-speed
line, and requires the approval of the Japanese Ministry of Posts
and Telecommunications.

NTT is designing the service for companies that do a lot of data
transfer. Registered users will be able to exchange data between
host computers and local area networks.

The basic monthly usage fee of the network will be 810,000 yen
($8,100), and an additional 1 to 3 million yen is needed for
hourly online charges.

Despite the price, this telecommunication line could prove
cheaper for bulk users. 600 pages of newspaper data can be
transmitted each second -- that's a speed 25 times faster than
NTT's current 6-megabit service.

NTT expects users from research laboratories, the electronics,
and automobile industries. Other possible customers are
financial institutions and universities. The new telecommunication
line is expected to be used to transmit extra clear pictures and
graphics at an extremely fast speed.

NTT already has its first customer for this service --
Japan's Matsushita Electric. This company wants to exchange
computer graphics data between its headquarters and its
picture research laboratory in Osaka.

The service will begin in early October. NTT expects to have
200 corporate users of this telecommunication line in the next
five years.

(Masayuki "Massey" Miyazawa/19930924/Press Contact: NTT, +81-3-
3509-5035, Fax, [phone])


(NEWS)(TELECOM)(MOW)(00005)

Russia - St. Petersburg Communications Go Private 09/24/93
ST PETERSBOURG, RUSSIA, 1993 SEP 24 (NB) -- St. Petersburg's local,
long distance phone company, and telegraph are being privatized
following public auctions. So far, no banks nor investment funds
have received a controlling interest.

For 29% of the city phone company's shares, with a nominal value of 226
millions rubles (US$210,000), various banks and investment houses paid
20 times the face value of the shares. The largest investor acquired
a 6.5% interest; a number of local banks got 2 to 3% shares.

Analysts expect a "large foreign company" to buy the largest chunk
of shares on the open market.

The city phone company is a monopoly service provider. There are no
plans to break it apart nor to introduce any limitations on company
prices, according to state officials.

The value of St. Peterburg Telegraph was underestimated, according to
investment analysts from Commersant daily. St. Petersburg Telegraph
raised the equivalent of 17.7 million rubles (US$17700) as a result of
the public sale.

Another auction, due to take place next month, will feature the
city's long distance telephone company, which is the most
profitable enterprise compared to the other two.

The auctions were organized under the control of the State
Property Committee. Only vouchers, State privatization papers
distributed equally among the country's adult population earlier
this year, were allowed as a payment at the auction sales, although
further cash sales on the secondary stock market are legal.

(Kirill Tchashchin/19930924)


(NEWS)(IBM)(SFO)(00006)

Lightning Intros Low-Cost Pentium Local Bus System 09/24/93
SAN FRANCISCO, CALIFORNIA, U.S.A., 1993 SEP 24 (NB) -- As
availability of Intel's Pentium processors increase, more vendors
are releasing systems based on the high-end architecture at
lower prices. Now Lightning Computers has introduced the low-
priced Thunderbox Pentium III.

According to the company, the system is a 60-megahertz (MHz)
64-bit Pentium system complete with a 340-megabyte (MB)
IDE hard disk drive, 8MB RAM, local bus graphics accelerator and
a 15-inch flat screen, non-interlaced, SVGA monitor for $3,495.

In announcing the system, company President Richard McCabe,
said: "This machine is the death knell for high-end 486 systems.
The 486 is now a mid-range PC. We challenge Dell, Gateway and
Ambra to match this price and configuration."

The company claims that for $3,495, the American-made Lightning
Thunderbox Pentium includes: an Intel Pentium 60MHz CPU (central
processing unit) with three cooling fans; a local bus motherboard
with 512 kilobytes (KB) cache, expandable to 2MB; eight total
expansion slots; three VESA local bus slots with separate clock
speed control; 8MB RAM, expandable to 128MB; a 340 MB 13
millisecond (ms) IDE hard disk, expandable to 12GB; a 1.2MB
5.25-inch or 1.44MB 3.5-inch Teac floppy disk drive; S3805 local
bus graphics accelerator with 1MB RAM, expandable to 2MB; a
15-inch non-interlaced SuperVGA (1280 by 1024) color monitor
with .28 dot pitch, 70 hertz refresh rate; a tower chassis with
250 watt UL power supply; six drive bays; 101 key Mitsumi
enhanced AT keyboard; one parallel, one game and two serial
ports; and Microsoft DOS 5.0 or 6.0.

(Ian Stokell/19930924/Press Contact: Richard McCabe,
415-543-3111, Lightning Computers)


(NEWS)(BUSINESS)(SFO)(00007)

 ****McAfee Backs Out Of ButtonWare Acquisition 09/24/93
SANTA CLARA, CALIFORNIA, U.S.A., 1993 SEP 24 (NB) -- Just two
months after signing a letter of intent to acquire database developer
ButtonWare Inc., McAfee Associates Inc., says it has terminated
acquisition discussions.

McAfee says that, despite the termination of discussions with
ButtonWare, the company plans to "continue its diversification
program aimed at developing and acquiring products ideally suited
to its strong electronic distribution infrastructure."

At the time of the July acquisition announcement, Phil Talsky,
spokesman for McAfee, told Newsbytes that, in terms of a finalized
deal, "We expect it to close within 45 working days." He also said,
"It is really just a matter of completing the due diligence."

Talsky also told Newsbytes at the time that, "We are really excited
by their new Windows product - ButtonFile - and their Windows
technology in general. We clearly recognize that Windows is where
everybody needs to be, and we are increasing our base of Windows
technology."

McAfee Associates, develops, markets and distributes general
purpose personal computer utilities and network software
designed for electronic distribution. Its products include
anti-virus software which are distributed electronically through a
network of bulletin boards, CompuServe, America Online, Internet,
and through a network of 180 authorized agents who provide local
sales and technical support.

(Ian Stokell/19930924/Press Contact: Phil Talsky,
408-980-3629, McAfee Associates)


(NEWS)(TELECOM)(LON)(00008)

New Bulgaria Phone Network Opens Next Week 09/24/93
SOFIA, BULGARIA, 1993 SEP 24 (NB) -- A joint venture between the
Bulgarian Telecoms Company (BTC) and Dutch Telecom will take off
next week when the Business Star network opens for business in
Sofia, Bulgaria.

The Business Star network aims to offer dial-up international links
for phone subscribers in Bulgaria who are fed up with listening to
the engaged tone each time they want to make an international call.

The project, which has cost $3 million to get underway, has required
the Dutch telecom company to run a series of international
circuits from its own international network across to Sofia and
to offer local business and well-off residential subscribers the
facility to dial a special number, enter an access code, and be
greeted with a Dutch international dialtone.

When the service opens for business next week, there will be 480
international circuits available for callers. Subject to initial
demand, plans are in hand to boost the number of lines dramatically
if required.

According to BTC, the quality of the circuits available on the
Business Star network is as good as in Western Europe. This
compares, Newsbytes notes, with the crackly quality of the usually
analog circuits available through the state telecom company in
Bulgaria.

(Sylvia Dennis/19930924/Press & Public Contact: Bulgarian Telecoms
Company - Tel: [phone])


(NEWS)(TRENDS)(LON)(00009)

Compaq Donation To Aid Endangered Species 09/24/93
MUNICH, GERMANY, 1993 SEP 24 (NB) -- Claiming to reinforce its
international commitment to environmental issues, Compaq Computer
has announced it is making a contribution to the African Endangered
Wildlife Trust (EWT).

According to Compaq, the contribution, made through the company's
European, Middle Eastern, and African division based in Munich,
provides computer hardware and software used to track endangered
species and the illegal trade in animals and their skins and tusks.
The contribution is valued at more than $35,000.

"Compaq has initiated well-defined strategies on environmental
issues for several years now," explained Joe McNally, vice-president
of Compaq. "For example, last autumn our worldwide manufacturing
plants eliminated chlorofluorocarbons (CFCs) well ahead of
government regulatory schedules."

"We also undertake on-going environmental programs including
energy conservation, recycling, waste reduction and the integration
of environmental considerations into product design. Our support of
the EWT is another avenue for our support for environmental
efforts," he said.

According to McNally, in the Southern African region, the EWT is
taking a leading role in the struggle against the destruction of
species and ecosystems, with programs that include the involvement
of local citizens. The EWT claims to provide jobs and training in
wildlife management, making communities shareholders in their own
environmental planning.

The EWT is active in Southern and Central Africa, with projects
spanning Botswana, Zimbabwe, Zambia, Mauritius, Malawi, South Africa,
Namibia, Mozambique, Swaziland and Lesotho. The organization is a
member of the World Conservation Union (IUCN) and is a non-profit,
non-government organization, active in conservation since 1973.

Compaq computers are being used by EWT for numerous projects,
including EWT working groups and field operation administration of
rhinos, dolphins and wild dogs. The PCs will also form an integral
component in the management of information by the international TRAFFIC
(Trade Record Analysis of Fauna and Flora in Commerce) network, the
world's largest monitoring group of the illegal trade in live
animals, rhino horns and elephant tusks, Compaq claims.

Dr John Ledger, the EWT's director, said that there is an enormous
amount of essential environmental data available, but the
information is only as good as the EWT's ability to access that
information.

"Since the donation of the Compaq computers, our office has been
able to create the largest database of wildlife trade information on
the African continent," he said,

Equipment donated to the EWT by Compaq includes a Systempro/LT
server, a variety of Deskpro and Prolinea desktop machines, and four
Contura notebook PCs. Various software packages, including DOS,
Windows, Excel, Powerpoint, Word for Windows, Access and Microsoft
Mail, have also been donated.

(Sylvia Dennis/19930924/Press & Public Contact: Compaq Deutschland -
Tel: [phone])


(NEWS)(BUSINESS)(LON)(00010)

Siemens Buys Into Two Polish Companies 09/24/93
WARSAW, POLAND, 1993 SEP 24 (NB) -- Siemens of Germany has acquired
an 80 percent stake in Elwro and Zwut, two Polish telecom equipment
manufacturers.

Elwro is based in Wroclaw, and is an electronics manufacturing and
component assembler. Zwut is a telephone exchange manufactured based
in Warsaw.

Like many technology companies in Poland, Elwro and Zwut have hit
hard times as they have struggled to meet full order books that
require them to commit a large proportion of their income to
upgrade their factories. This task has not been helped by free-
floating Zloty, the Polish currency, on the foreign exchange
markets.

Announcing the investments, Polish Privatization Minister Janusz
Lewandowski said that Siemens' investment gave the German
electronics company access both to the technologies of the two
companies, as well as to the Polish telecom marketplace.

"We are finalizing a wide ranging privatization program aimed at
putting order into our telecommunications market," he said.

(Sylvia Dennis/19930924)


(NEWS)(TELECOM)(LON)(00011)

UK - Sonix ISDN Terminal Adapters 09/24/93
CIRCENCESTER, GLOS, ENGLAND, 1993 SEP 24 (NB) -- Sonix, the
communications company, has unveiled what it claims is its first
wave of integrated services digital network (ISDN) products to come
out of its analog-to-digital migration strategy.

The products, which include high-performance internal and external
terminal adapters, have been designed to maximize the price and
performance benefits of ISDN, the company claims, while at the same
time give users the minimum culture shock when it comes to
swapping their technologies.

The Volante ISDN, Canzona ISDN and Volante ISDN PC all have modem-
style interfaces which makes them plug-compatible with the company's
existing range of modems. Modem-like features have been added to the
units, such as V.42Bis error correction and data compression which
Sonix claims boosts data throughput over an ISDN channel from 64,000
to a possible 115,200 bits per second. There is also a customized
version of Sonix' Intro modem installation software bundled with the
units.

"Our philosophy is quite simple," explained Bob Jones, Sonix'
managing director. "We see ISDN as a logical extension of the
existing analog network, so we've designed the products to look like
modems."

"As far as the user is concerned, they behave like modems -- they
transmit and receive data over the public switched telephone network
just like modems, only they do it an awful lot faster. The set-up
time is much quicker and transmission is practically error-free,"
he told Newsbytes.

Jones said that users are people for whom high speed and
reliability are essential. It's these people, he claimed, that
will find ISDN a serious opportunity.

The UKP 995 Volante ISDN is a high performance ISDN terminal adapter
with a synchronous and asynchronous data port, as well as a single
voice port for conventional phones and other telecom devices to plug
into. The UKP 795 Canzona ISDN unit, meanwhile, is a similarly
specified unit, but without the analog port.

The UKP 895 Volante ISDN PC is an internal PC adapter card with two
data ports and a full voice port socket.

(Steve Gold/19930923/Press & Public Contact: Sonix Communications -
Tel: [phone]; Fax: [phone])


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

British Telecom's First ISDN Phone 09/24/93
LONDON, ENGLAND, 1993 SEP 24 (NB) -- British Telecom (BT) has
unveiled its first ISDN telephone, the DP2000. The unit includes an
enhanced V.24 terminal adapter and a conventional phone socket to
plug phones, faxes and modems in as normal.

According to BT, the arrival of the DP2000 presents businesses with
a cost-effective method of achieving high speed data communications
across ISDN between computers. It also allows non-ISDN office
equipment to be plugged easily into the ISDN network.

BT also claims that ISDN enables companies to take advantage of fast
and accurate voice, data, text and image transfer, as well as
features such as calling line identity (CLI), fast call connection
and call barring. The advantage of the DP2000, BT says, is that it
helps firms cut phone costs, save time, and improve efficiency.

Announcing the UKP 699 phone, Richard Ibbotson, Hewlett-Packard's
planning and network implementation manager, who participated in the
trials and development of the unit, was enthusiastic.

"The DP2000 lets us connect remote PCs to the office network for
teleworking, which cuts travel time and increases productivity and
therefore we gain maximum benefit from ISDN lines," he said.

As a special offer, BT is selling three or more DP2000 phones at a
discount on the retail price of UKP 699.

(Steve Gold/19930924/Press Contact: Penn Communications - Tel: +44-81-
569-9768; Fax: [phone])


(REVIEW)(APPLE)(SFO)(00013)

Review of - KidPix Companion, For Mac 09/24/93

Runs on: Macintosh

From: Broderbund Software, P.O.Box 6125, Novato, CA 94948
[phone]

Price: $39.95

PUMA rating: 3.75 (on a scale of 1-4, 4 being highest)

Reviewed for Newsbytes by: Naor Wallach

Summary: An addendum to the KidPix program that adds many
new twists and innovations in addition to more activities.

=======

REVIEW

=======

KidPix is a very good program. So how does one make it
better? Broderbund's answer is to make an additional
product called KidPix Companion which gives the purchaser
an expansion to KidPix in both additional rubber stamps
and other KidPix elements, as well as additional
capabilities and functionality.

First, there are 112 new rubber stamps and 19 new hidden
pictures. Both of these sets can be swapped in and out of
KidPix at will. Then comes the new stuff. DrawMe generates
ideas for kids to try to draw. For instance: "I'm a singing
mermaid in a spooky graveyard and I hate mayonnaise, Uggghhh!!!"
Every time you invoke the DrawMe function, a new phrase is
created. Each part of the phrase is spoken by a different voice
which gives intonations to the words in such a way as to
make it more lively.

ColorMe is a set of 17 predrawn pictures in the form of line
art drawings. Wacky TV displays QuickTime movies within KidPix.
This is more than just a QuickTime viewer. One of the more fun
capabilities is that you can leave the image on the screen
sans the viewer itself. The movie will play itself but
no one need know how that happens!

The biggest addition and improvement is a totally new
program called SlideShow. Slide Show allows you to create
a set of drawings and have them displayed, one after another
while your voice is on a soundtrack. In other words, you can
create your own stories and play them back at any time.

KidPix Companion comes on 4 diskettes. These diskettes are
accompanied by a 44-page manual, a product registration
card, and a kit of coupons and information on Broderbund's
Kids Club. The installation process takes about 10 minutes
or so as the files are stored on the disks in a compressed
form. KidPix Companion will also eat up about 3-4 MB of
hard disk space. The manual is very clearly written and
well illustrated.

After installing the program, I discovered that each of the
additions is worthwhile and simply fun. The addition of so
many things made for several hours of investigation and
play, and that was even before I called the kids over!

I am very impressed with the program. Many of the mail order
catalogs that I have seen advertise both programs in the
same space. Both those and the software stores that I
frequent have run occasional promotions in which the price of
both products is substantially reduced. If you have not
bought KidPix yet, my recommendation would be to buy both at
the same time and install the Companion once you've mastered
the basic program. If you already own the basic program,
then do go and buy the Companion. It's worth it.

=============

PUMA RATINGS

=============

PERFORMANCE: 4 The program works flawlessly. If you didn't
know that you installed a totally new program, you would
not notice the additions.

USEFULNESS: 4 It adds a lot to an already rich basic program.

MANUAL: 4 In typical Broderbund style, the manual is thorough,
clear, and well illustrated.

AVAILABILITY: 3 Widely available from mail order and software
stores. Has been heavily advertised and promoted. Broderbund
does not maintain a toll-free technical support number though.

(Naor Wallach/19930731/Karen Omholt, Broderbund)


(REVIEW)(IBM)(WAS)(00014)

Review of - US History On CD-ROM 09/24/93

Runs on: MS-DOS computers with CD-ROM drive, Microsoft Extensions
version 2.0 or later, a minimum of 640K RAM memory and DOS 3.1 or
later. A hard drive is not needed but recommended and display of
images requires a 640 x 480 x 256 VGA monitor.

From: Bureau Development, Inc., 141 New Road, Parsippany, NJ
07054. Voice 201-808-2700; fax [phone].

Price: $395

PUMA Rating: 4 on a scale 1=lowest to 4=highest

Reviewed for Newsbytes by: Rick Bender

Summary: US History on CD-ROM is an good reference resource for
writers, students, or researchers, providing easy access to
indexed articles from 107 books on US history written by
various authors.

======

Review

======

US History on CD-ROM can help you find articles and chapters from
books dealing with almost any subject related to American
History, from the Revolutionary War to recent Constitutional
battles over the right to disconnect life support.

The database consists of text broken up into chapters with a list
of short summaries at the beginning of the chapters corresponding
to different ideas or concepts. US History allows you
to search through individual chapters or the whole database for
all the occurrences of a word, title, author, or subject with the
"search" feature. This is very helpful if, for example, you want
to determine the various roles Spain has played in US history
or if you want to fully explore the impact of Lewis and Clark's
journeys into the untamed West.

As well as the search feature, users can "browse" the database
for words, titles, authors, or subjects of interest, then pick
which to view. A similar task can be performed with the
"Contents" option, which lumps all the data into a dozen or so
broad categories, such as "Science and Its Effect on Society" or
"American People." These categories are then subdivided into
increasingly specific subheadings and chapters.

As far as the writing is concerned, the included books are all
well written but the style varies with the various authors, with
lots of description and some personal accounts; most of the text
reads more like a long magazine article than a book or textbook
and most of these books on CD-ROM are more enjoyable to read than
the average college textbooks in use today.

A nice feature of the CD-ROM is the placement of pictograph
highlights throughout the text, allowing the user to see, in
crude fashion, where the explorations of Lewis and Clark took
them or what a ten-gallon hat worn by early Western explorers
looked like. The graphics were of sufficient quality to see the
hat, pistol, and trap in the second example, but not good enough
to completely make out the trails taken by the two explorers in
the second example. A SVGA .028 MM dot pitch monitor to review
this software.

Although US History does not have voice capabilities, the text is
well-written and makes good reading. I would recommend this
database CD-ROM to anyone who needs quick access to general
information about US history and anything involved with it.

===========

PUMA Rating

===========

PERFORMANCE: 4 Easy to use, and powerful enough for most users.

USEFULNESS: 3 Useful for general research and reading, but may
will not help in statistical research.

MANUAL: 4 Clear and easy to follow.

AVAILABILITY: 4 Mail order direct through the publisher or other
CD-ROM dealers.

(Rick Bender/19930611/Press Contact: Larry Shiller, Bureau
Development, 201-808-2700 voice or 201-808-2676 fax)


(NEWS)(TELECOM)(ATL)(00015)

Latest On Viacom-QVC-Paramount 09/24/93
NEW YORK, NEW YORK, U.S.A., 1993 SEP 24 (NB) -- For the first
time, a baseball pennant race has gotten into the middle of a
major takeover deal. Or so says Ted Turner, who said he wouldn't
get into the Viacom-Paramount-QVC takeover battle while his
Atlanta Braves continue their pursuit of a World Series title.

Viacom, controlled by Boston billionaire Sumner Redstone, agreed
on September 12 to buy Paramount, which also owns computer book
publisher Prentice-Hall, trade book publisher Simon & Schuster,
the Paramount movie studio, and other assets, for 1/10th of a
share of its voting stock and 9/10th of a share of its non-voting
stock for each share of Paramount common. Earlier this week, QVC
bid almost 9/10th of a share of its stock, plus $30 cash, for the
company.

Most analysts called the Turner statement disingenuous at best,
noting that Turner's company has been unable to line up financing
for a bid. A "Wall Street Journal" cartoon on the battle had
earlier drawn Turner dumping a coin from an otherwise empty
purse. As to the validity of the claim itself, the Braves are
currently 2 1/2 games ahead of the San Francisco Giants in the
National League's Western Division, but face a three-game series
at the home park of the Philadelphia Phillies, their likely
opponent in the National League Championship Series. It's the
closest of US baseball's four pennant races.

Meanwhile, Viacom Inc., filed suit against QVC's higher bid for
Paramount, alleging it's part of a conspiracy by Tele-
Communications Inc. head John Malone, the nation's largest cable
operator, to monopolize the cable industry. Malone, through TCI,
owns 22.5 percent of Turner Broadcasting and is also chairman of
Liberty Media, which owns a controlling stake in QVC and other
cable programming networks. Suits are common in takeover battles,
and QVC is expected to, in time, sue Viacom over elements in its
Paramount agreement guaranteeing it a huge profit if the deal
doesn't get done. In time, Viacom is expected to raise its own
bid, valued at $7.74 billion based on the recent price of its
stock. Based on its own stock price, QVC's bid is estimated to be
worth $10.1 billion.

Speculation continues about the entry of one of the regional Bell
companies into the fray. Bell Atlantic has said it won't be part
of a bid, and attention has turned to Ameritech, which is based
in Chicago. Other potential bidders which have yet to be heard from
include Capital Cities/ABC, Cox Enterprises and Blockbuster
Entertainment.

(Dana Blankenhorn/19930924)


(NEWS)(TELECOM)(ATL)(00016)

 ****More On FCC's PCN Pocket Phone Decision 09/24/93
WASHINGTON, D.C., U.S.A., 1993 SEP 24 (NB) -- The Federal
Communications Commission's decision on microwave-based phones,
called personal communication systems or PCSs and linked into
personal communication networks or PCNs, continued to draw mainly
favorable reaction.

Essentially, the FCC majority tried to divide this billion-dollar
baby in half, dividing 200 MHz of available frequency into many
parts to be given out on different bases. Acting FCC Chairman
James Quello had earlier predicted a compromise that would keep
everyone equally unhappy.

The government hopes for $10.2 in license fees from a spectrum
auction on PCN, based on the fact that the cellular industry has
grown to serve 11 million people and bringing $8.2 billion in
revenue since it started 10 years ago, and the fact that this
auction will involve more spectrum with more potential uses. PCN
equipment will be digital from the start, and offer paging, data,
and fax services.

A copy of the decision, obtained by Newsbytes, shows a number of
different-sized frequency bands to be handed out under different
rules. Two blocks of 30 MHz each will be given out on a wide
geographic basis. Another five spectrum blocks, one at 20 MHz and
the others at 10 MHz each, will be given out on a smaller
geographic basis. And there are two unlicensed frequency bands of
20 MHz each, similar to those now used by cordless phones but
including a data-only block. Licenses would be for 10 years, and
renewal would be like that for existing cellular licenses.

Existing cellular licensees, including the regional Bell
companies, can compete for the new licenses outside their
existing cellular service areas. Two of the blocks to be given
out on narrow geographic bounds will feature favorable terms for
small and minority businesses.

Commissioner Andrew Barrett, a Reagan appointee, called the
decision too complex, and the barriers to entry into direct
competition with existing cellular providers too high, and voted
against the rules. The Commission majority, consisting of Quello
and Commissioner Ervin Duggan, replied that the rules will allow
different visions of the new technology to prosper, from national
and regional systems to on-campus wireless phone systems. Other
critics charged that the spectrum blocks are too narrow to offer
serious competition to existing operators.

Who won? Equipment makers may be able to get the gear into the
hands of consumers as early as 1995. Existing cellular operators
were not denied entrance into the business, and Tom Wheeler,
president of the Cellular Telecommunications Industry
Association, which serves those interests, called it a "good
decision" in a press statement. But Ameritech Vice Chairman Louis
Rutigliano offered a dissent, saying limits on the amount of
spectrum his company can use may limit the services it can offer.

(Dana Blankenhorn/19930924/Press Contact: FCC Press Office, 202-
632-5050)


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

New Scanfone Test Set 09/24/93
HERNDON, VIRGINIA, U.S.A., 1993 SEP 24 (NB) -- Sprint said it
will test the US Order ScanFone service with its local phone
customers in New Jersey and Pennsylvania starting next month.

The Scanfone is a device that lets consumers pay bills and shop
from catalogs using a simplified interface. Such "screen-based
telephones" have been around for years, but they've been hampered
by their limited functionality.

Early this year Bellcore, the research arm of the regional
Bell companies, proposed a standard called the American
Display Systems Interface or ADSI that would combine services
like Caller ID with services like those performed by the
Scanfone.

But few information providers have taken to ADSI, saying the
resulting phones are too expensive and the technology too
limiting on them. Some potential service providers have also
complained that the ADSI interface, while fine for phone company
services like Caller ID, is very limiting on other types of data.

US Order officials have also said in the past that a price point
of $200 is important for screen phones to succeed in the market.
The Scanfones being used in the new test are not ADSI-compatible,
a US Order spokesman told Newsbytes, and will thus be priced low.

The new market test will be backed by television, direct mail and
other advertising. Consumers will be able to use the phones to
access their bank balances through bank teller machine networks,
pay bills by scanning bar codes, and schedule regular monthly
payments like mortgage and car loans.

This is the second big win in two months for US Order. In August,
BellSouth said it would test ADSI-based screenphones from US
Order in conjunction with First Tennessee Bank in Nashville,
hoping to roll that directly into a commercial service.

(Dana Blankenhorn/19930924/Press Contact: Elizabeth
England, for US Order, 212-979-9645)


(NEWS)(UNIX)(TOR)(00018)

Lotus Unveils Notes For Solaris 09/24/93
CAMBRIDGE, MASSACHUSETTS, U.S.A., 1993 SEP 24 (NB) -- Lotus
Development has finally come through with a Unix version of
Notes, its workgroup development software. Notes for Sun Solaris
SPARC Release 3 is to be available within 90 days, according to
the company.

The Solaris release was one of three Unix versions of Notes
promised for this year. In February, Lotus said it was working on
Notes for Solaris, Hewlett-Packard Co.'s HP-UX, and Santa Cruz
Operation Inc.'s Open Desktop. Work on these is still under way
and the company is not ready to say when they will be available,
a spokesman said.

Notes for Sun Solaris SPARC supports the Open Software
Foundation's Motif user interface and the Transmission Control
Protocol/Internet Protocol (TCP/IP) networking standard. The
Solaris version is meant to work with Notes Release 3 clients
running on Microsoft Windows, OS/2, and the Apple Computer
Macintosh, as well as X Terminal clients. An optional Simple
Message Transfer Protocol (SMTP) gateway, with support also for
Multipurpose Internet Mail Extensions (MIME), will let users of
Notes mail and Unix mail exchange messages.

Though it is really the first version of Notes for Solaris, the
software is called Release 3 for consistency with versions on
other operating systems, a practice that is becoming more common
in the industry. Lotus officials said the Solaris version has all
the features added to Notes on other systems with Release 3.

Notes for Solaris is one of two new Lotus products that use Link,
Embed and Launch-to-edit (LEL), Lotus-developed software that is
analogous to Microsoft's Object Linking and Embedding (OLE)
technology in Windows. It lets one application call another to
work with data that came from the second application originally.

Notes for Solaris and the just-announced Ami Pro for HP-UX are
the first applications to support LEL, said company spokeswoman
Michelle Goguen. Other Lotus applications for Unix, such as the
1-2-3 spreadsheet, do not support LEL yet, but the goal is that
not only Lotus but third-party software will conform to it in
future.

Lotus said LEL is compatible with OLE. For instance, if a Windows
user embedded an Ami Pro document into Lotus Notes using OLE, a
Notes user in Unix could then launch Ami Pro under Unix using LEL
just as a Windows user might have launched Ami Pro for Windows
using OLE.

Notes for Sun Solaris SPARC will cost $495 per license. The SMTP
Gateway will sell separately and will be shipping "soon," Lotus
said. International English, Australian English, German, French,
Italian, and Spanish versions of Notes for Solaris will ship
later this year and in early 1994, according to the vendor.

(Grant Buckler/19930923/Press Contact: Diane Horak or Meryl
Franzman, McGlinchey & Paul for Lotus, 617-862-4514; Public
Contact: Lotus, 800-346-1305)


(NEWS)(TELECOM)(TOR)(00019)

Canadian Regulators May Ban Recorded-Message Soliciting 09/24/93
OTTAWA, ONTARIO, CANADA, 1993 SEP 24 (NB) -- Machines that dial
telephone numbers automatically and play recorded sales pitches
could soon be banned from all but a few uses in most of Canada.

The Canadian Radio-television and Telecommunications Commission
(CRTC), which regulates telecommunications across most of the
country, has asked for public comment on a proposed ruling that
would limit the machines -- known technically as automatic
dialing-announcing devices (ADADs) -- to use for product recalls
and by public service organizations.

It appears resistance to the move may be very limited. The
Canadian Direct Marketing Association (CDMA), which represents
companies that sell their products through direct mail and
telephone solicitation, favors the ban. Scott McLellan,
communications manager for the CDMA, told Newsbytes it has been
the organization's view for a long time that "ADADs are an
inappropriate form of commercial solicitation and we are happy to
see the CRTC take measures to get rid of them."

The devices do have some legitimate uses, he said, but "when they
are used as they have been used to date for commercial
solicitation, they have created an unreasonable level of consumer
irritation."

Rosalie Todd of the Consumers' Association of Canada said her
organization is "very pleased" with the proposal. The association
has had many complaints about the devices, she said, adding that
"I personally cannot stand them."

Todd added, though, that her group might suggest loosening the
proposed rules in a few ways. For instance, the CRTC's proposal
appears to rule out retailers using ADADs to notify customers
when their orders are ready to be picked up. Todd said that seems
like a reasonable use of the machines.

Under the CRTC's proposed rules, police, fire departments,
schools, hospitals and other such organizations would still be
allowed to use ADADs for emergency or administrative purposes.
Commercial organizations would be able to use them only to notify
customers of safety-related product recalls. Nobody would be
allowed to use them to sell anything, or for solicitation of any
kind, including charity.

There are existing restrictions on ADAD use, but they have been
widely flouted. They include limits on the hours during which the
devices can be used, a prohibition against sequential or random
dialing meant to ensure unlisted numbers are not called, and a
requirement that every message begin by identifying the caller,
the nature of the call, and the fact that the call can be ended
by hanging up. Lise Plouffe, a CRTC spokeswoman, admitted the
rules have been hard to enforce.

The CRTC is asking for comments on the proposed rule by November
15. The regulatory body said it would consider alternatives to
its proposal if those making the suggestions can show why their
approach would be better than the CRTC's and that it would
effectively protect consumers against the inconvenience and
nuisance caused by ADADs.

(Grant Buckler/19930923/Press Contact: Bill Allen, CRTC,
819-997-0313, fax [phone])


(EDITORIAL)(TELECOM)(TOR)(00020)

Editorial - Stop The Invasion Of The Phone Robots 09/24/93
TORONTO, CANADA, 1993 SEP 24 (NB) -- By Grant Buckler. With
Canada in the midst of an election and no less than six
political parties trying to out-promise each other, it's ironic
that the one really good bit of news out of Ottawa this week is
that federal telecom regulators are on the verge of banning
automatic dialing-announcing devices (ADADs).

ADAD is the technical name for a machine that dials your phone
number from a preprogrammed list, by just working its way
through the possible numbers for a given area, or at random.
When you answer it plays a recorded message. There are
other names for these machines, most of them unprintable. They
are one of the worst examples of what happens when technology
becomes a tool for those who regard other people as no more than
raw material to help them meet sales targets.

The Canadian Radio-television and Telecommunications
Commission (CRTC) would be right to ban their use for all
but emergency purposes. So would telecommunications regulators
everywhere.

Canada has tried, unsuccessfully, to limit the ADAD's intrusion
into people's lives by putting some conditions on its use. But
many users of the devices have not followed the rules. They use
random and sequential dialing, which results not only in calls to
unlisted numbers -- for which many people have paid specifically
to avoid having their privacy invaded -- but to businesses and
institutions with multiple lines receiving call after call from
the same machine as it works through their sequences of numbers.

Some users of the machines not only have not identified
themselves according to the rules but have deliberately misled
the people they call. And some have placed calls outside the
allowable hours.

By their actions, many ADAD users have shown they cannot be
trusted with the technology. But even if the existing rules were
followed to the letter, they are not enough.

Today's rules require that the phone-robots identify themselves
at the beginning of the call. But by the time you pick up the
phone to hear that identification, you may already have dashed in
from outside, turned off the movie you were watching, or climbed
dripping out of the bathtub. Today's rules say the automated
calls must be made during certain hours. But many people work
hours other than nine to five, and may go to sleep in the early
evening or not get out of bed until mid-afternoon. And a growing
number of people, this writer included, work from home and rely
heavily on the telephone to do their jobs.

These machines simply should not be used, except where the need
to get information out overrides the right to privacy -- which
primarily means use by public agencies.

And there's more. Technology has not created the problem; it has
only allowed our privacy to be invaded more efficiently. Along
with ADADs, regulators should ban all telephone solicitation
except calls to individuals who have previously -- by giving
their phone numbers to the organization doing the calling --
indicated an interest in what that organization has to say.

Yes, that will stop businesses from using the telephone to
prospect for new customers. It will stop charities from using the
phone to prospect for new donors. Fine. They can use other means --
the mail, billboards, print and television advertising --
that do not force themselves on us and interrupt what we are
doing.

Our homes are our own private spaces. Our telephones are a
service for which we pay. And we are individuals, not faceless
buying-machines at the beck and call of a random number
generator.

(Grant Buckler/19930923)


(CORRECTION)(APPLE)(TOR)(00021)

Correction - MacWeek's Gore Predicts Mac Moves 09/24/93
TORONTO, ONTARIO, CANADA, 1993 SEP 24 (NB) -- In a story that
appeared in Newsbytes' daily edition Sept. 22, a typographical
error reversed the meaning of a statement by MacWeek Senior
Editor Andrew Gore.

Speaking at MacWorld Expo/Canada, Gore said anticipated Macintosh
models based on the PowerPC chip will not deliver hoped-for
performance improvements without software written especially for
the PowerPC chip. Our story used the word "with" when we meant
"without." Newsbytes apologizes for the error.

(Grant Buckler/19930924)


(NEWS)(BUSINESS)(TOR)(00022)

Lotus To Manufacture For Powersoft, Consolidate Offices 09/24/93
CAMBRIDGE, MASSACHUSETTS, U.S.A., 1993 SEP 24 (NB) -- Lotus
Development Corp. has announced its North Reading, Massachusetts
plant will manufacture software for Powersoft Corp., in what might
be the beginning of a series of contract manufacturing deals.
Lotus also announced plans to expand its head office in Cambridge
while closing another office in the city.

Lotus' North Reading plant is to take over manufacturing of
PowerBuilder 3.0, a client/server development tool, and
Powersoft's Enterprise series of software.

A spokeswoman for Lotus denied the deal was made to use up
surplus capacity at the plant. However, she said no new hiring is
planned at the North Reading location as a result of the deal.

Lotus also said its relationship with PowerSoft could expand in
future to include manufacturing at its plant in Dublin as well.

The North Reading plant makes a wide variety of Lotus software.
The Powersoft products will not account for a large percentage of
its output, the company spokeswoman said.

Lotus also said it will close its office at 55 Cambridge Parkway
in Cambridge, expand its office at One Rogers Street in Cambridge,
and move 300 office employees from 55 Cambridge Parkway to North
Reading.

The shift of office workers from Cambridge to North Reading is
not connected with the Powersoft agreement, the spokeswoman said.

Lotus plans to begin construction this fall on an addition to the
building it owns at One Rogers St., to be ready for use in 1995.
The company said this is one of a series of moves taken over the
past few years to cut facilities costs. The change will also
bring sales, marketing, development, and headquarters operations
into one building, which Lotus said it expects will improve
communications among the groups.

(Grant Buckler/19930924/Press Contact: Bryan Simmons, Lotus
Development, 617-693-1697; David Grip, Victor Cruz, Lauren
Lampinen, or Peter Bartolik, McGlinchey & Paul for Lotus,
617-862-4514)


(NEWS)(UNIX)(BOS)(00023)

 ****Unix Expo - UnixWare To Abound, Says Keynoter 09/24/93
NEW YORK, NEW YORK, U.S.A., 1993 SEP 24 (NB) -- Shrinkwrapped
UnixWare applications will ultimately be as readily available in
retail stores as Windows and Macintosh software is today,
predicted Bob Davis, vice president of marketing for Novell's new
Unix Systems Group, in a shared keynote at Unix Expo.

In remarks that followed a preface by Ray Noorda, Novell's
president and CEO, Davis outlined a strategy for UnixWare that
involves building a standard "open" operating system that
integrates the capabilities of NetWare and Unix SVR4.2 MP, is
licensed to outside vendors for Intel and well as non-Intel
platforms, and receives high volume distribution.

Novell's recent purchase of the Unix Systems Laboratories (USL),
and the integration of NetWare with USL's Unix SVR4.2 MP, are
driven by customers' needs for a "confluence of Unix and
networking," said Noorda.

In the 1990s and beyond, vendors must meet customers' demands for
an networked operating environment that brings together
multivendor equipment of the customer's choice, he maintained.
Mainframes and minicomputers will continue to play strong roles,
but desktop operating environments will show the greatest growth,
said Noorda. "Our job is to handle that situation," he stated.

Stepping to the podium next, Davis said that upcoming versions of
UnixWare will unite the Unix SVR4.2 MP microkernel with the
Directory Services of NetWare 4.0, TCP/IP, and network management
"such as SNMP."

Through the Directory Services, users will be able to access
systems information about the Unix environment as well as
NetWare, according to Davis.

Novell will release an edition of UnixWare that runs on
symmetrical multiprocessors at the beginning of 1994, he said.
Directory Services will become available for UnixWare in mid-
1994, he added. Also in the future, networked imaging and
telephony applications will become available.

Novell also intends to make UnixWare an "open" environment, said
Davis. "A lot of what's been written has suggested that our
intention is to make Unix proprietary, to close it down, to
control it. But that is not the case," he asserted.

Through partnerships with Intel and non-Intel OEMs, Novell will
license UnixWare in binary as well as source code form, he added.

"We (also) have the desire to drive the unification standard for
the industry. We have the desire to work with an industry body
to ensure (the existence) of common applications across
implementations of Unix," he stated.

A new UnixWare brand logo, to appear on shrink-wrapped UnixWare-
compliant software from Novell and other vendors, will "assure
that UnixWare is an implementation of Unix that will work not
only on UnixWare but across other implementations of Unix,"
according to Davis.

Retail stores today are teeming with Windows and Macintosh
applications, while Unix applications are usually available only
on special order. In the future, UnixWare-branded software will
be as plentiful as Windows and Macintosh applications on the
retail shelves, he noted.

In addition to enabling the development of shrink-wrapped UnixWare
software, Novell will allow users to create custom applications
through the AppWare development environment announced in June.

"Mission critical applications are important, but we'd also like
to see personal productivity applications on Unix that aren't
just ports from the Microsoft Windows environment. (These
applications) will the first time take full advantage of the
growing power on the desktop," Davis told the audience.

(Jacqueline Emigh/19930923/Press contacts: Annie Sculley, Bruno
Blenheim Inc., tel [phone], ext 145; Mark Haviland, Bruno
Blenheim, tel [phone], ext 152)


(NEWS)(GOVT)(DEN)(00024)

 ****"Smart" Highways For Wisconsin, Illinois, Indiana 09/24/93
MADISON, WISCONSIN, U.S.A., 1993 SEP 24 (NB) -- Three Midwestern
states are joining forces to develop a smart highway system that they
hope will reduce congestion and improve mobility.

Wisconsin, Illinois and Indiana are developing the "Intelligent
Vehicle Highways System" to make the Gary to Chicago to Milwaukee
corridor a marvel of high technology monitoring and traffic
systems controlled by computers. "We are trying to merge our
information highway system with our concrete highway systems to
determine how our traffic flow is operating," said Phil DeCabooter,
Wisconsin Department of Transportation coordinator for the advanced
traffic management system. DeCabooter says the initial $9 million
phase of the system is scheduled to be operational in the Milwaukee
area by August 1994.

The "smart highway" will use sophisticated monitoring equipment and
traffic signals on highway entrance ramps to regulate the flow of
traffic in the corridor. In the Milwaukee area, pavement and
overhead microwave vehicle detectors and 14 closed-circuit video
cameras will be mounted on 45-foot poles to monitor the highway for
wrecks and stalled vehicles.

Officials believe the monitors will allow them to respond more
quickly to traffic bottlenecks. "We won't have to wait for someone
to call us if there is a problem in the corridor. It will lessen
reaction time and ease congestion," according to DeCabooter.

The three-state program will be directed by an executive committee
composed of the chief executive officers of the Wisconsin, Illinois
and Indiana departments of transportation, and a representative of
the U.S. Department of Transportation. Nationwide four "smart
highway" corridors are in development. In addition to the
Gary-Chicago- Milwaukee system, other corridors are being developed
in southern California; Houston, Texas; and the I-95 corridor from
Maryland to Connecticut. Officials say selection of the test areas
was made based on traffic density, ozone population, limited space
for highway expansion, transportation facilities, and complex
traffic patterns.

(Jim Mallory/19930924/Press contact: Phil DeCabooter, Wisconsin
Department of Transportation, 608-266-2910)


(NEWS)(BUSINESS)(DEN)(00025)

Storagetek Expects $25M Operating Loss, Cuts Jobs 09/24/93
LOUISVILLE, COLORADO, U.S.A., 1993 SEP 24 (NB) -- Storage Technology
Corporation (Storagetek) said this week its third quarter results
will be lower than expected and it will cut some 200 jobs as part of
its cost reduction.

Most of the lost jobs will be in midrange operations and
redundancies that occurred when the field maintenance forces of
Storagetek and XL/Datacomp were merged last month. At the end of
June the company employed about 10,000 people worldwide. Storagetek
operates manufacturing facilities in Colorado, Florida, Puerto Rico
and Great Britain.

The company, which has been plagued by several delays in the release
of its long-awaited "Iceberg" mainframe disk drive array, said it
expects to show a loss from ongoing operations of about $25 million
for the third quarter. Storagetek attributed that mostly to a
shortfall in midrange data storage system revenue and margins.

The company will also take a one-time restructuring charge and other
charges that will total about $80 million for the third quarter.
Storagetek expects to release the specific results of the period in
mid-October.

Storagetek reiterated its pronouncement that accompanied the release
of second quarter results, saying it has been refocusing its
energies in the midrange business. "Our midrange business will be
smaller, but we expect it to have greater profit potential,"
according to Ryal Poppa, Storagetek chairman, president and CEO.
"Our goal is to improve profitability for the corporation as a whole
while we complete the major developmental projects currently
underway."

Those developmental projects include Iceberg and Nordique. Iceberg
has been delayed several times, apparently due to difficulties in
completing compatibility between the hardware and software. Iceberg
is presently up and running in Storagetek's data center and is
undergoing user testing. Silverton, a 36-tape storage subsystem,
became generally available right on schedule earlier this week, and
Storagetek expects it to be an important revenue producer starting
this year.

Poppa said the cost reduction measures being taken are expected to
yield benefits of more than $10 million in the fourth quarter of
1993 and about $40 million during 1994.

(Jim Mallory/19930924/Press contact: David Reid, Storagetek,
303-673-4815; Reader contact: Storage Technology, 303-673- 5161)


(NEWS)(IBM)(DEN)(00026)

Novell Plans Major Announcement Oct 4 09/24/93
PROVO, UTAH, U.S.A., 1993 SEP 24 (NB) -- Network operating system
software publisher Novell teased the press and customers today
saying it will make "a major announcement" on October 4 at Networld
in Dallas, Texas.

A Novell spokesperson would only say that the announcement will be
"big" and will deal with enhancement of customers' ability to manage
and keep secure computer data.

Novell Chairman and CEO Ray Noorda will lead a team of Novell
executives, customers, and partners in making the announcement. In
addition to Noorda, the Novell team will include David Cearley, META
Group workgroup computing strategies VP; Richard King, executive VP
and general manager, Netware systems group; Bob Young, marketing VP,
Netware products division; and Barbara Goldworm and Steve Dauber,
product line managers, Netware systems group.

The announcement is scheduled for 2:00 pm at the Loews Anatole
Hotel's Cannes Auditorium and will be followed by product
demonstrations and a reception.

(Jim Mallory/19930924/Press contact: Natasha Hixon, Novell Inc,
801--429-5806)


(NEWS)(UNIX)(BOS)(00027)

Unix Expo - Awards for Excellence In Open Systems 09/24/93
NEW YORK, NEW YORK, U.S.A., 1993 SEP 24 (NB) -- This week's tenth
annual Unix Expo marked the third annual presentation of the
International Award for Excellence in Open Systems.

John Brown PLC, London, England, and Burlington Coat Factory
Warehouse Corp., Burlington, NJ, tied for this year's prize,
given to recognize "innovative implementation of open systems
computing platforms in enterprise-wide information technology
systems."

Previous winners have included American Airlines, K-Mart, and the
Department of Planning and Housing in Victoria, Australia, said
Gary Donnelly of Donnelly and Associates Inc., nominations
committee chair, in handing out the awards.

John Brown PLC, part of Trafalgar House Engineering Division,
once had nine mainframes, but has no mainframes today, said
Donnelly. The company's current network includes 150 Unix
servers, 500 CAD workstations, and 5000 PCs, running at 32 sites
in 12 countries.

Burlington Coat Factory, which recently recorded more than $1
billion in revenues, has also downsized from a mainframe
environment. The company's centralized distribution system
provides an information link from headquarters to 200 stores
throughout the US for financial results, inventories and style
information, promotions, and other needs.

Also at the ceremony, Don Berey was given a special "surprise"
award for excellent performance in the job of Unix Expo show
manager.

Unix Expo is produced by Blenheim Holdings Inc., and managed by
Bruno Blenheim Inc. (BBI) of Fort Lee, NJ. BBI is part of the
Blenheim Group PLC, which produces more than 250 conferences and
expositions worldwide.

(Jacqueline Emigh/19930924/Press contacts: Annie Scully, Bruno
Blenheim Inc., tel [phone], ext 145; Mark Haviland, Bruno
Blenheim Inc., tel [phone], ext 152.


(NEWS)(GOVT)(LAX)(00028)

Creative Sues Covox Over Name Of Voice Product 09/24/93
MILPITAS, CALIFORNIA, U.S.A., 1993 SEP 24 (NB) -- What's in a
name? A lot if you're Singapore, Japan-based Creative
Technology. The company is suing Covox, the Eugene, Oregon
headquartered subsidiary of Sound Trends, over a similarity in
the names of sound products the two companies produce.

Creative Technology makes the Sound Blaster line of audio
products for IBM and compatible personal computers (PCs). Covox
makes the Voice Master and Sound Master line of PC sound cards.
However, Covox recently released voice recognition software
that also works with Creative's Sound Blaster product line and
is calling the software "Voice Blaster."

Creative Technology officials say calling the Covox product
"Voice Blaster" is a misuse of their brand name and a violation
of their trademark. While there is some question as to whether
or not Creative Technology has a trademark on the "Sound
Blaster" name, Creative Technology claims its case is
strengthened by Covox's apparent acknowledgement of its
trademark on the Voice Blaster packaging. The wording on the
Covox Voice Blaster packaging reads: "Sound Blaster and Sound
Blaster Pro are trademarks of Creative Labs Inc."

(Linda Rohrbough/19930924/Press Contact: Benita Kenn, Creative
Labs, tel [phone]; Charles Saunders, Covox, tel 503-342-
1271, fax [phone])


(NEWS)(GENERAL)(TOR)(00029)

 ****Lotus Outlines Messaging Strategy  09/24/93
SAN FRANCISCO, CALIFORNIA, U.S.A., 1993 SEP 24 (NB) -- Lotus
Development plans a cross-platform communications server
and a client/server edition of its cc:Mail electronic mail
software that will bring more integration between the e-mail
software and Lotus' Notes work-group development software. These
are highlights of a medium-term communications strategy Lotus
outlined to customers at InterChange '93, a conference the
Cambridge, Massachusetts-based company held in San Francisco
this week.

Lotus said its Lotus Communications Server (LCS) will be a cross-
platform, multi-protocol messaging service based on cc:Mail and
Notes technology. There will be a version for the DOS operating
system, the company said, plus support for multitasking
operating systems such as OS/2, Unix, Windows NT, and Novell's
NetWare local area network (LAN) operating system.

LCS will also support Simple Message Transfer Protocol (SMTP),
Multipurpose Internet Mail Extensions (MIME), the X.400
electronic mail interchange standard, and the X.500 e-mail
directory standard.

It will continue support for Lotus' Vendor-Independent Messaging
standard for mail-enabling applications, and will add support for
Microsoft's Messaging Application Programming Interface (MAPI)
and the Common Messaging Calls (CMC) specification proposed by
the X.400 Application Program Interface Association (XAPIA),
Lotus said.

Lotus described LCS as the backbone of its messaging strategy,
providing native support for both Notes and cc:Mail messaging
protocols.

The company also plans to offer two versions of cc:Mail in the
future. One will be the cc:Mail Post Office Edition, which
company spokesman Mark McHarry said is essentially the existing
cc:Mail with improvements to its database capability. The other
will be cc:Mail Client/Server Edition, which will move more of
the processing to the desktop computer and will allow unified
management of cc:Mail and Notes.

The client/server cc:Mail will use the Notes Object Store -- the
message transport used in Notes -- as its message transport.
Customers with the client/server edition of cc:Mail will be able
to put Notes client software on top of it, McHarry said. "It will
be less of a step for them to install Notes if they already have
cc:Mail Client/Server."

Customers will be able to manage their cc:Mail and Notes
installations together rather than as separate pieces, he added.
This move seems to be aimed at criticisms that Lotus's messaging
product line is fragmented because cc:Mail and Notes work
differently.

The company also said it plans special editions of cc:Mail for
use with other vendors' messaging transports, including a cc:Mail
HP Open Mail edition, a Novell Message Handling Service (MHS)
edition, and editions for public mail transports such as MCI
Mail.

Lotus gave no specific dates for releasing the products it
discussed at the briefing. McHarry said delivery should be in 12
to 18 months.

Lotus and Attachmate Corp., also announced a joint agreement aimed
at creating a real-time, bidirectional scheduling connection
between Lotus' Organizer personal information manager for Windows
and IBM's mainframe-based Professional Office System (PROFS) and
Office Vision/VM calendar system.

The company also said it is trying to improve LAN and wide area
network (WAN) management by working with other vendors.

(Grant Buckler/19930924/Press Contact: Mark McHarry, Lotus, 415-
335-6786; Betsy Kosheff, Lotus, 413-232-7057; Brenda Nashawaty,
McGlinchey & Paul for Lotus, 617-862-4514)


(NEWS)(APPLE)(LAX)(00030)

 ****Laid-Off Apple Executive Sues Company, Spindler 09/24/93
CUPERTINO, CALIFORNIA, U.S.A., 1993 SEP 24 (NB) -- Apple
Computer is under fire from a member of the company's board of
directors whose job has been eliminated as part of the
company's restructuring. Albert Eisenstat has filed a lawsuit
against Apple and its new chief executive officer (CEO) Michael
Spindler, claiming his compensation in leaving the company is
too low.

The gist of Eisenstat's suit, according to Apple Computer
representatives, is the former executive vice president felt he
should have been employed indefinitely. Sixty three-year-old
Eisenstat joined Apple in 1980 as general counsel and corporate
secretary and was promoted to executive vice president in 1987.
Eisenstat was also appointed to the company's board of
directors in 1985.

Spindler, appointed as replacement to former CEO John Sculley
in June of this year, began restructuring the company in July.
As part of the restructuring, an estimated 2,500 employees lost
jobs, most of which occurred very soon after Spindler took
over. The new CEO has been noted by industry analysts as being
the "strong hand" at Apple since his appointment to the board
of directors in 1990.

In the new organization Spindler is building, Eisenstat's
position is no longer necessary, Apple representatives said.
Eisenstat has been one of the highest paid executives in
Silicon Valley. His salary in 1992 was $749,164 and he received
an additional $760,000 in bonuses between 1990 and 1992. He
also owns a number of shares of Apple stock and has stock
options as well.

Apple says the suit is factually and legally without merit and
intends to defend itself vigorously. Kate Paisley of Apple
Computer remarked: "Eisenstat was generously compensated at
Apple for many years. He was offered a generous and dignified
package in the executive severance program and refused to take
it."

The boat has been rocking at Apple since June. The company
announced losses due to its restructuring, to the tune of
$188.3 million and its stock price plummeted. In July, five
insider trading suits were filed against the company and
several of its executives, including Spindler. However, the
there are bright spots, the brightest of which is enthusiastic
consumer acceptance of Apple's newest technology, the handheld
Newton Messagepad personal digital assistant (PDA), despite
reported problems with the unit.

(Linda Rohrbough/19930924/Press Contact: Kate Paisley, Apple
Computer, tel [phone], fax [phone])