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/nb102693

Text File | 1993-10-26 | 72KB | 1,584 lines

(NEWS)(GENERAL)(BOS)(00001)

Interleaf Rolls Out Version 6 Of Document Software 10/26/93
WALTHAM, MASSACHUSETTS, U.S.A., 1993 OCT 26 (NB) -- In a major
upgrade, Interleaf has outfitted its document software with a new
graphical user interface (GUI), along with new authoring, help,
data exchange and revision management features.

The company also unveiled new advanced color and Standard
Generalized Markup Language (SGML) editions of the product, plus
a separately packaged Document Object Application Programming
Interface (API).

The standard Motif and Windows GUIs in the new Interleaf 6 are
aimed at easier integration with outside programs, said David
Weinberger, marketing fellow, in an interview with Newsbytes.

Weinberger told Newsbytes that the new GUIs offer tear-off menus,
drag-and-drop document and object manipulation, image editing
palettes, a file browser and customizable tool bar, a command-
line interface, and more.

New document creation capabilities in Interleaf 6 consist of
wildcard search-and-replace, text undo and redo, word count, and
a graphical tab ruler, he explained. Also provided are automatic
date and time insertion within documents, support for Adobe Type
1 fonts, and improved tables, spell-checking, and find/change
options.

Newly added help functions include a "Preferences" dialog box for
defining document and other parameters "point-and-type" templates
for common document types, an online Keyboard Tool, and
hyperlinked online documentation with full-text search, bookmarks
and annotation.

Further, Interleaf 6 embodies such data exchange enhancements as
native clipboard integration for copy/paste, support for Word and
WordPerfect graphics, FrameMaker-to-Interleaf import, Interleaf-
to-TIFF export, and many other new file exchange functions, he
said.

Also offered standard with the package is a revision management
feature that furnishes a graphical "tree" representation of
document versions. This function allows multiple edits and
reviews to be managed across workgroups, Newsbytes was told.

Interleaf 6 started shipping last week for Unix workstations
running Motif, according to Weinberger. The software is expected
to become available for Windows and Windows NT in the first
quarter. In the same time frame, Interleaf expects to add Common
Desktop Environment (CDE) compliance.

Over the next four to six months, Interleaf plans to release
options for systems integration and on-demand printing, in
addition to Interleaf 6 Advanced Color, Interleaf 6 SGML, and the
Document Object API.

The new printing option will allow on-demand printing on Xerox
DocuTech, Hewlett-Packard LaserJet, and QMS PS Series printers,
Weinberger reported. The option also supplies such capabilities
as scaling, crop marks, and duplex, output tray and output bin
selections.

Interleaf 6 Advanced Color, the first package of its kind from
Interleaf, will include 24-bit color support, color matching to
industry standards, automatic trapping, batch and interactive
color separations, support for most popular scanners, advanced
color image editing, and editable text-to-graphics.

Interleaf 6 SGML, an update to Interleaf 5 SGML, will bring full
WYSIWYG (what-you-see-is-what-you-get) structured editing, native
SGML support, and enhanced tools for converting documents into
SGML and maintaining them in SGML, Weinberger stated. Further
details will be announced before the product ships, he noted.

The new integration options include an Active Link Tool for live
linking to external data files, DBLink for "intelligently"
populating a document with information stored in an SQL (Standard
Query Language) database, and HyperLeaf Toolkit for point-and-
click creation of hypertext links.

The Document Object API is an object-oriented interface for
calling Interleaf 6 from outside C/C++ programs, according to
Weinberger.

An Enhanced Developer's Toolkit for professional customization is
already shipping, he informed Newsbytes. The toolkit supports
the UIL standard user interface description language.

The toolkit also incorporates an object system with multi-
inheritance, property inheritance, and before/after methods,
online documentation, and improved Emacs support for editing,
evaluating and debugging of Interleaf Lisp.

(Jacqueline Emigh/19931025/Reader contact: Interleaf, tel 617-
290-0710; Press contacts: John Squire, Interleaf, tel 617-290-
0710, ext 4470; David Weinberger, Interleaf, tel [phone],
ext 5563)


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

 ****Turn A Mac Network Into A Telephone System 10/26/93
LA JOLLA, CALIFORNIA, U.S.A., 1993 OCT 26 (NB) -- Instead of
installing a new inter-office phone system, why not use your
Macintosh network, says 2 Way Computing. The company has
developed 2Way Talker 2.0.1, real-time voice communication
software that works on networked Macintosh computers.

The product allows users who have microphones for their
Macintosh computers to simply call someone on the network and
utilizing the Mac's sound capability, talk just as they would
on a speaker phone. Leslie Burcham, marketing manager for 2 Way
Computing, told Newsbytes the product is popular in Europe
where companies are struggling with their phone systems.

The company has released earlier versions of the product, but
this is the first version that allows full-duplex, real-time
communication without the pauses and one-at-a-time talking like
that necessitated in citizen band (CB) radio communication.
Burcham said 2 Way found a Russian programmer who had figured
out how to do full-duplex transmission and teamed up with him
to offer the new version of 2Way Talker.

The product will not work with the old Mac Plus computers and
doesn't perform well on a modem connection. It will work with
later versions of System 6 or System 7, Burcham added.

The 2Way Talker 2.0.1 product is available from 2 Way Computing
in La Jolla, California for $49.95 per Macintosh and the
product is copy-protected. Site licenses are available as well.

(Linda Rohrbough/19931025/Press Contact: Leslie Burcham, 2 Way
Computing, tel [phone], fax [phone]; Public Contact,
619-452-3888; Address correspondence to, 2 Way Computing, 4370
La Jolla Village Drive Suite 400, San Diego, CA 92122)


(NEWS)(TELECOM)(MOW)(00003)

Russia - Ural Region Buys Siemens Phone Exchange 10/26/93
IZHEVSK, UDMURTIA, RUSSIA, 1993 OCT 26 (NB) -- The Udmurtian
republic government has signed a deal with Siemens to supply an
8,000-line digital phone exchange worth DM7.5 million (US$4.7
million).

The exchange, to be installed in the city of Izhevsk in summer
1995, will provide local, domestic and international long
distance service.

According to Sergey Fomichev, chief of Udmurtian Rossviasinform,
the state-run communications company, the republic now has only
2,000 phone circuits. "The installation of the exchange will
solve the telephonization problems for a number of years ahead.
It will also help in developing of cellular communications
systems," he said.

The local government will provide 100% of required finances.

Udmirtia is a small region in the Ural mountains part of Russia, full of
various defense industry establishments, now being privatized and
internationally developed.

(Kirill Tchashchin & Newsbox Monitor/19931025)


(NEWS)(TRENDS)(TYO)(00004)

Neuro Chip Used In Artificial Hand 10/26/93
TOKYO, JAPAN, 1993 OCT 26 (NB) -- NTT has developed an artificial
hand which simulates the movement of a human hand. The robot is
equipped with NTT's top-of-the-line neuro chip which is
expected to be applied to a virtual reality system in the near
future.

NTT's artificial hand is called the Cyber Finger and was
developed by NTT's Human Interface Laboratory. The neuro chip
enables the artificial hand to make realistic hand and finger
movements. A user, wearing a wrist band, is connected to the
Cyber Finger through an electric cord, and thereby uses
the hand real-time.

After "learning" for two minutes, the Cyber Finger was able
to move its fingers according to the instructions given by
the laboratory technicians. The robot was able to move
nearly all its individual fingers correctly, NTT reports.

NTT's latest neuro chip is used in the unit to recognize
data at an extremely fast speed -- the chip recognizes a
change in electric voltage. Each electrical pole can emit
10 different electric voltages for a total of 20 kinds of
signals to be recognized.

NTT says this robot will be able to replace the "Data Gloves"
which are used for virtual reality devices. With a computer
and radiowave unit, a user will ultimately be able to control
this robot at a remote location, NTT hopes. The firm continues
to improve the system and hopes to employ it commercially
in the near future.

(Masayuki "Massey" Miyazawa/19931025/Press Contact: NTT, +81-3-
3509-3101, Fax, [phone])


(NEWS)(IBM)(DEN)(00005)

PicoPower Energy Efficient PC System Controller 10/26/93
SAN JOSE, CALIFORNIA, U.S.A., 1993 OCT 26 (NB) -- Picopower
Technology has announced its "Redwood" system controller for use
in IBM AT-compatible energy efficient desktop PCs.

Redwood is a two-chip set that Picopower says brings the power
management features of notebook computers to high performance 486-based
desktop systems and go beyond the standards of the Environmental
Protection Agency's Energy Star program.

In addition to energy efficiency, Redwood features a no wait state
level 2 cache controller, level 1 cache writeback support, write
buffering, memory bank interleaving, VESA local bus master support,
and local bus IDE.

To qualify for the Energy Star designation a system has to keep standby
power requirements to less than 30 watts. Energy Star sets no level
for active-state power. Picopower says that a typical Energy
Star-compliant PC without the monitor would use 150 watts or more
during normal daily usage and 25 to 30 watts at night when idle, if
left on around the clock. A Redwood-based system might use as
little as 20 watts peak power, 10 watts in normal usage, and have a
standby power requirement of less than two watts.

The company says an EPA study indicates that PC power usage will
grow to 10 percent of the total commercial electrical demand by the
year 2000.

Redwood uses both passive and active power management. Passive power
management saves power while the system is idle, while active
management saves power while the computer is in use by reducing the
PC's CPU (central processing unit) clock speed during wasted cycles
and by matching CPU clocks to slower subsystems. It also turns
off the cache SRAMs (static random access memory) during input/output
cycles. The company says cache SRAMs can consume from three to 15
watts even when not being used.

The company says sample chips will be available in January 1994 with
volume production beginning in March.

(Jim Mallory/19931025/Press contact: Carolyn Rogers, Picopower,
408-954-8880, fax [phone])


(NEWS)(GENERAL)(DEN)(00006)

FedEx Offers Free Package Tracking Software For Macs, PCs 10/26/93
MEMPHIS, TENNESSEE, U.S.A., 1993 OCT 26 (NB) -- Federal Express
(FedEx) is offering shippers who use its service free computer
software to keep track of where their packages are and even who
signed for them and when.

Called FedEx Tracking Software, the free program is available for
any Macintosh system as well as DOS and Windows-based PCs. FedEx
Program Management Advisor Dan Keath told Newsbytes the company has
discussed publishing a Unix-based program but has no plans to do so
at this time.

The program comes on a single floppy disk, only takes up 500
kilobytes of space on a hard disk, and supports color. Senior Public
Relations Specialist Carolyn Freeman told Newsbytes users can
determine the status of a package within minutes of delivery, since
FedEx employees utilize scanning devices at each step of package
handling to send information to Federal Express's Unix-based file
server.

When the user launches the program it auto-dials an 800 number hard-
coded into the software that connects the user with the file server
at no cost. The user can enter up to 14 tracking numbers and see on-
screen the current status of each package. The information can be
saved or printed. The display includes when it was picked up, when
it was dropped off, who signed for it and when.

Keath said there are also international versions of the software for
users outside the continental US, and US shippers can track
packages shipped to addresses outside the US.

FedEx first introduced the program in June of 1992 but has only
advertised its heavily in the past few weeks. Shippers can call
FedEx's toll-free customer service number to order the program or can
complete and send in the business reply card in the back of their
FedEx service guide.

FedEx also offers PowerShip, a hardware-software combination, to
shippers who send at least five packages a day via Federal Express.
PowerShip is provided at no cost, and eliminates hand-preparing the
air bill by printing a thermal label. Data is entered via what Keath
describes as "user friendly screens" and the information can be re-
used. FedEx Tracking software evolved from the interest of customers
in obtaining PowerShip so they could track their packages. PowerShip
users can also obtain FedEx Tracking for use in other offices.

Keath said the program is shipped via FedEx and is usually received
within two business days after ordering.

(Jim Mallory/19931025/Press contact: Carolyn Freeman, Federal Express,
901-395-3771; Reader contact: 800-238-5355 or 901-369-3600)


(NEWS)(TELECOM)(ATL)(00007)

Inventor Seeks Legacy In Patent Fight 10/25/93
GAITHERSBURG, MARYLAND, U.S.A., 1993 OCT 25 (NB) -- Inventor Peter
Tsakanikas wants the whole cellular industry to chip-in on a billion
dollar legacy he wants to leave his children.

Tsakanikas, who has sent out letters and press releases over the
last week asking for billions of dollars from AT&T, McCaw, Bell
Atlantic and now Pacific Telesis for alleged violation of his
"Alphabet Phone" patent, told Newsbytes in an exclusive interview
that cellular phones use his technology -- it involves either
"counting up the buttons" or using a Morse Code-like scheme to
input letters on a 12-button phone.

Tsakanikas, who admits his health is poor, told Newsbytes that
he expects to leave the bulk of the money, should he win in
his patent fight, to his adult children, including a son who's
already an inventor in his own right.

He said his lawyers feel safe in asking all cellular phone users
to pay $2 per month, through their network operators, through the
year 2001, when his patent expires.

Bell Atlantic and McCaw have denied any liability
for Tsakanikas' patents. "Bell Atlantic has taken a look
at this and we see no liability for our company," said spokesman
Larry Plumb told Newsbytes. Said McCaw spokesman Bob Ratliffe,
"We are aware of it. We think it's without merit. We will pursue
it through legal channels." A spokesman for the Cellular
Telecommunications Industry Association said he wasn't aware that
the technology was in wide use in the industry.

Tsakanikas is undeterred. In an interview with Newsbytes'
telecommunications editor, Dana Blankenhorn, he said: "Under
patent law, the inventor has the right to proceed against
the manufacturers, the sellers, or the users. My choice is to go
to the sellers who purchase licenses on behalf of the users,
because they have control of this." He said he's asking just a
2.5 percent royalty on all cellular revenues for the technology,
which he said is inherent "in the cellular network itself."

While the technique of counting along the buttons is most
common in services like name dialing and name searching, he
added, "The Mitsubishi phones use my relevant character scheme,
based on a time duration -- hold your finger down a long period,
about .25 second, for the letter A, a short and long for B, and
two shorts and a long for C." Major Japanese cellular phone
manufacturers have all licensed the patents, so they're safe, he
added, including Fujitsu, Sanyo, Fujitsu, Mirata and Mitsubishi.

"Murata filed a request for the patent office six months ago to
re-examine my patent, and that was denied by the patent office
based on the prior art they had shown. Once it was re-affirmed,
that I taught the apparatus how it would be done, within one week
they bought a license. I have a five-page memo from my patent
attorney providing the legal grounds for this infringement."

In his latest letter, Tsakanikas asks $1.63 billion from PacTel
for violating his patents. As with earlier letters to AT&T,
McCaw, and Bell Atlantic, he threatens treble damages if he
can't reach a settlement. Tsakanikas said that letters will
eventually go out to every cellular phone network operator in
the nation.

"We're also going to be proceeding against the manufacturers as
well, but the problem is they can't afford to cut a check as big
as I expect. The operators get $80 per month per subscriber, and
the manufacturers sell the instruments for a few hundred
dollars." He will also consider licenses on the instruments, from
companies like Motorola, but says that in his view, he can win
royalties both from instruments and use of the instruments.

Tsakanikas also addressed the point of operators working
together to try and beat his patent. "I might point out that any
conspiracy that might develop among the suppliers and service
providers to refuse to buy a license or consider the merits of
buying a license would be restraint of trade under the anti-trust
laws, which could bind both suppliers and telephone operators to
a separate claim by me. I have a real property interest in this
by the US Patent Office, and am entitled to money from it."

He's not greedy, he insists. "I would be willing to
negotiate, and have asked them to submit a counteroffer or
suggest language changes."

Tsakanikas admits that he's been slow to enforce his patent,
which was awarded to him in January, 1984. "Under the doctrine
of latches you're allowed to go back six years for infringements,
from the date you know of them. I only learned of infringements a
year ago today, and proceeded immediately to go after the
infringers. There are so many...I started with the point of sale
industry, companies like Verifone and Omron, who bought licenses,
as well as DataCard and Hypercom and International
Verifast...Then I moved to fax, and Sharp, Murata and Canon are
the largest there. It's difficult for a small inventor to know
what everyone is doing, and big companies don't always know."

He continued, "We now have a full time staff of 10 and a private
investigator. Before I make an allegation we have to get documents
that disclose how they're entering the names in the phones,
normally user guides. Then I have to make sure I have a solid
case and have the patent attorney perform an element-by-element
analysis. This takes a while. Now we're concentrating on the
cellular industry."

He adds he's already gotten some resistance from phone makers.
"Motorola asked us not to talk to customers, Oki filed a suit
against us" in California "and we filed a countersuit" in Maryland.

He adds that he's not surprised at the quick public rejection of
his patent claims. "On the same date Bell Atlantic got my notice
Michael Strauss, their in-house patent attorney, was told to hire
outside patent attorneys, and that situation is now in their
hands. Trust me, they're just beginning to look at it. They all
start in general denial, and you can expect that right until the
time they settle."

Even though he's compelled to make final license agreements
confidential, he says, "I've been able to convince licensees that
I must let people know who the good guys are," so reporters will be
notified of settlements.

(Dana Blankenhorn/19931025/Press Contact: Peter Tsakanikas, 1-
301-208-8000)


(NEWS)(UNIX)(DEN)(00008)

Cray, Sun Join To Create "Superservers" 10/26/93
EAGAN, MINNESOTA, U.S.A., 1993 OCT 26 (NB) -- Cray Research
Corporation and Sun Microsystems have jointly announced Cray's new
superserver product line of Cray Superserver 6400 systems, which
will use up to 64 processors. The products were developed by Cray
Research Superservers under a January 1992 technology agreement
between Cray Research and Sun Microsystems. The products are a
binary-compatible upward extension of Sun's product line, the
two contend.

Les Davis, Cray Research chief operating officer, said Cray Research,
known as a supercomputer company, is getting into the superserver
industry for several reasons. Davis said CRC has changed over the
past few years and has been selling lower performance-lower
priced systems. This year the company announced its first desktop
supercomputer.

"This (announcement) gives us a product offering from $125,000 to
up to $30 million." CRC says it is also familiar with desktop systems
since many users access Cray Research supercomputers from desktop PCs
and workstations.

The CS6400 runs the current version of Sun's Solaris operating
system, which is an implementation of Unix System V Release 4. "Any
program that runs on a Sun system will run on the new CRS systems without
modification, and vice versa," said Scott McNealy, Sun chairman and CEO.

Davis said the CS6400 will allow CRS to address commercial markets
with non-traditional Cray applications. CRS Marketing Manager Martin
Buchanan said the CS6400 systems are expandable and can scale with
customers' data processing needs. The systems are offered with four to
64 superSPARC RISC microprocessors which initially will run at 60
megahertz (MHz) and have, 256 megabytes (MB) to 16 gigabytes of
central memory, 1.3 gigabytes per second peak memory bandwidth,
and more than two terabytes of online disk.

Pricing begins at under $400,000 for the four processor version,
and at $2.5 million for the top of the line 64-processor systems.

Buchanan said CRS expects to sell hundreds of the new systems, and
has already received at least two orders. The German electronics
firm SICAN, based in Hannover, is scheduled to receive one system
in the first quarter of 1994 and the research division of
Electricite de France, the world's largest electric utility, has
ordered a 16-processor system with two gigabytes of central memory
for delivery in November of this year. The system will be
upgraded to double the number of processors and the amount of memory
next year.

Sun Microsystems Chairman and CEO Scott McNealy told assembled
reporters and analysts the combination of companies allows the
CS6400 to take advantage of the Solaris operating environment and
the benefits it offers. "It is an unparalleled application binary
interface. This is the scalability the customer is looking for,"
said McNealy.

CRC has made sure there are operating systems and applications
ready to run on the CS6400 line. There are memorandums
with Oracle Corporation to make the Oracle7 cooperative server
available on the CS6400; the ASK Group, developers of the ASK Ingres
intelligent database system for availability of that product on the
superserver; and a similar deal with Informix Software to make Informix
On-Line, its high performance online transaction processing database
server, available.

Other deals announced included an agreement with Brixton Systems
to make Brixton's connectivity software available (Brixton software
links IBM mainframes with open systems computers), and a version of
Sybase database software to run on the systems. Other companies also
announced support for the CS6400.

CRC said initial target markets for the new system are financial
service and investment banking, general engineering, government,
petroleum, and telecommunications. The line will be sold by CRC's
sales force and jointly with Sun.

A major feature of the system is the built-in redundancy. If a
component fails, the system automatically reboots, identifies the
fault, and reconfigures itself to bypass the failed module.
The faulty component can be replaced while the system continues
to operate, a feature called "hot swap." Upgrades can also be done
without taking the system down. An independent service processor
performs online and remote diagnostics, logging, and monitoring
functions and data is protected through features such as disk
mirroring, page isolation, and memory scrubbing.

(Jim Mallory/19931026/Press contact: Mardi Larson, Cray Research,
612-683-3538; Chuck Mulloy, Sun Microsystems, 415-336-6424)


(NEWS)(IBM)(DEN)(00009)

AMD Gets "Windows-Compatible" Logo, Intros New Chips 10/26/93
AUSTIN, TEXAS, U.S.A., 1993 OCT 26 (NB) -- Advanced Micro Devices
has introduced two new members of its 486-based microprocessor
line and said it has signed a licensing agreement with Microsoft
Corporation that gives AMD the right to use the "Windows-
compatible" logo on its 386 and 486-based chips.

The company announced a 40 megahertz (MHz) 486DX-based microprocessor
that incorporates power management features, and a clock doubled
486DX2-66MHz chip. The 40MHz 486-based CPU is targeted at the emerging
energy efficient "green" desktop and notebook PC markets, and costs
no more than a standard 33MHz 486DX chip, said the company. The clock
doubled Am486DX2-66 processor is being offered as an alternate source
for a 486 device type. The new chips are plug-in replacements for the
currently available Intel offerings.

AMD says shipment of both chips will begin this quarter. The 40MHz
unit is offered in a 168-pin PGA package priced at $283 each in
1,000-unit lots. The clock doubled chip, also in a PGA package, is
priced at $463 when bought in quantity.

(Jim Mallory/19931026/Press contact: Marvin Burkette, AMD,
408-749-2818)


(NEWS)(TELECOM)(TYO)(00010)

Japan - NEC, ASCII Link On PC Networks 10/26/93
TOKYO, JAPAN, 1993 OCT 26 (NB) -- Two major Japanese online networks
have announced plans to provide gateway services to each other.
PC-VAN will interconnect with the ASCII network. Users of
both networks will be able to exchange not only electronic mail
but view each others' databases and online information.

An ASCII spokeswoman told Newsbytes that both firms will make
the official announcement in the near future.

NEC's PC-VAN and ASCII Network have paved the way for this event
for many months. The actual connection for the public is slated
for mid-December.

ASCII Network users will be able to access hundreds of databases,
forums, and news from the world. (Newsbytes News Network is
accessible via PC-VAN's gateway into GEnie.) Also, ASCII users will
be able to use PC-VAN's nationwide Japanese access nodes (local
phone numbers to log into the system). Currently, ASCII
Network has 27 access nodes, while PC-VAN has 118 access nodes in
Japan.

NEC's PC-VAN users will also be able to get access to information
from ASCII Network, which provides mainly technical information on
personal computers.

The charge for accessing the others' network from within either
ASCII Network or PC-VAN will be 10 yen (10 cents) per 3 minutes
besides the normal usage charges.

PC-VAN is Japan's largest personal computer network with
about 614,000 registered users. ASCII Network has about
85,000 users.

(Masayuki "Massey" Miyazawa/19931026/Press Contact: NEC PC-VAN,
[phone], Fax, [phone], ASCII, [phone],
Fax, [phone])


(NEWS)(GOVT)(WAS)(00011)

Kulicke & Soffa Wins Patent 10/26/93
WASHINGTON, DC, U.S.A., 1993 OCT 26 (NB) -- Kulicke & Soffa, a
major worldwide microchip manufacturing hardware supplier, has
received US patent number 5,205,463 for "A Method of Making
Constant Clearance Flat Link Fine Wire Interconnections," a new
way to produce the wire bonds needed to connect microchips to
their packages and thus to electronic circuits.

K&S says that the new process is especially useful for
Multi-Chip-Module production and the latest generation of
integrated chips because connections are not restricted to the
edges of chips.

Readers who have seen the usual wire bonding techniques
used to wire microchips to the external circuits with which they
need to communicate, will remember that they always connect to
the near edge of the microchip based on where the other end of
the connection is made. The newly patented K&S system allows the
leads to be run across the chips up to one millimeter making it
practical to pack even more circuits on a single chip.

Thin Small Outline Packages, Thin Quad Flat Packs, and the
SmartCard, all of which are seeing growing demand, will all be
affected by the development which allows manufacturers to place
two sets of leads near the edge of a chip die, one very close to
the edge, and another further in.

The inventors of this process are Lee Levine, a staff engineer at
K&S, Douglas Gaunt, senior engineer of the K&S wirebonding
engineering group, and William Holdgrafer, a former product
manager at K&S.

The new technology allows equipment to produce flat, controlled
height loops in the connecting wires with loop heights of less
than 150 microns, using existing K&S gold ball wire bonders.

(John McCormick/19931026/Press Contact: Ed DiMingo, K&S, 215-784-
6000 or fax [phone])


(NEWS)(APPLE)(WAS)(00012)

National Instruments' Labview Used On Shuttle Mission 10/26/93
WASHINGTON, DC, U.S.A., 1993 OCT 26 (NB) -- A major element of
the current Columbia Space Shuttle mission is the attempt to
discover and eliminate the causes of space sickness, a motion
sickness-related problem which affects many astronauts during
their first few days in space.

National Instruments Macintosh Labview data collection and
analysis tools are being used to evaluate the sensor data
generated by experiments conducted on Columbia's crew.

Television news viewers who have been following the latest US
space mission have probably seen members of the shuttle's crew
sticking their heads into what appears to be a rotating drum
splattered with paint spots apparently seeing if it made them
dizzy.

Actually that is exactly what they are doing while Austin, Texas-
based National Instruments Macintosh hardware and software
samples signals from head-mounted sensors in an attempt to
isolate just what causes a persistent space motion sickness
problem that has bothered some space travelers since the early
days of the space program.

The Rotating Dome Experiment, as it is known, is studying how the
conflict between visual clues that tell the shuttle crew members
that they are either at rest or moving, and inner-ear balance
signals which send a very different message because they are not
subject to the usual gravitational effects that keep the two
in sync for earth-bound individuals.

As the astronaut looks at the inside of the dome it is rotated in
either direction and at one of three set speeds while five
sensors pickup biometric signals from his or her body.

One sensor is a joystick which the viewer uses to indicate the
direction they perceive the dome to be moving, while a second is
mounted in a special dental bite board held in the mouth. This
sensor measures involuntary movements triggered by visual clues.

Two more sensors are attached to the head and neck to measure
gross head movements and the last is connected to the dome itself
to record its instantaneous state of motion.

Data is digitized and fed into a Macintosh Powerbook 170 where it
is analyzed by Labview and a NASA (the National Aeronautics and
Space Administration)-developed expert system named CLIPS, then
the results are sent to HyperCard which displays differences
between different test subjects.

(John McCormick/19931026/Press Contact: Jane Jutchison, NASA,
415-604-4968 or Roxanne Greene, National Instruments, 512-794-
0100 or fax [phone])


(NEWS)(GENERAL)(TOR)(00013)

CA Brings Unicenter To New Hardware, CD-ROM 10/26/93
ISLANDIA, NEW YORK, U.S.A., 1993 OCT 26 (NB) -- Computer
Associates International has broadened the reach of its
CA-Unicenter systems management software by announcing progress
on versions for several more systems, a client/server edition of
the software, and a new distribution format using compact disc
read-only memory (CD-ROM).

The company said a version of Unicenter for Sequent computers has
entered beta testing, and four more -- for Sun Microsystems,
IBM RS/6000, Hewlett-Packard 7000/900, and Data General Aviion
systems -- will begin beta testing this quarter.

Computer Associates also announced CA-Unicenter/Star, a
client/server version of the software for Microsoft Windows and
IBM's OS/2 operating system.

According to CA, CA-Unicenter/Star will let systems
administrators define, monitor, and analyze CA systems management
servers running on IBM's MVS mainframe operating system, OS/2,
Unix, and Novell's NetWare at the same time and through the
same functional window. Eventually, company officials said, all
CA-Unicenter platforms will be able to be managed as servers by
CA-Unicenter/Star.

Jay Yesselman, director of systems strategies for CA, said
Unicenter/Star will make systems management operations work the
same way on all the platforms it supports. If a user knows how to
do something on one platform, he said, he or she will be able to
do it on the others. A common graphical user interface will bring
together information on all connected systems. This GUI can also
be customized, officials added.

The software includes the ability to delegate systems management
responsibility across the network where appropriate, the vendor
said. Through individual CA-Unicenter/Star workstations, systems
administration functions can be distributed across the entire
network.

CA also said it will offer a software development kit (SDK) for
creating links to let Unicenter manage software from other
vendors and third parties. A built-in macro language called CA
Basic Language Engine (CA-BLE) is meant for building customized
applications tightly integrated with CA-Unicenter/Star. The
software also has a spreadsheet-like reporting feature.

The CD-ROM version, called CA-Unicenter/CD, is currently only for
IBM mainframes running the MVS operating system. CA applies the
Unicenter name to a collection of mainframe system management
tools that are also sold individually, whereas Unicenter for
other hardware is a single platform. The files can be loaded to
the mainframe directly or by way of a networked personal computer
running OS/2 or Windows, the company said.

CA-Unicenter/CD also provides documentation in IBM BookManager
format or Interleaf for Windows format. The documentation works
with extensions to CA-Docview, a free service to CA clients that
provides online viewing, storage, and management of CA product
documentation. Data can be cross-referenced, searched and
queried.

Yesselman said the company plans CD-ROM editions of Unicenter for
other platforms "in the relatively near future." He would not
elaborate on how near is relatively near, but did say Sun
Microsystems hardware would probably be near the top of the
list, since CD-ROM is a popular distribution medium in that
market.

(Grant Buckler/19931026/Press Contact: Bob Gordon, Computer
Associates, 516-342-2391; Michael Kornspan, Computer Associates,
516-342-2463)


(NEWS)(BUSINESS)(TOR)(00014)

Modatech Systems Buys Richmond Software 10/26/93
VANCOUVER, BRITISH COLUMBIA, CANADA, 1993 OCT 26 (NB) -- Modatech
Systems Inc., a maker of high-end sales automation software, has
bought Richmond Technologies & Software, the developer of the
PC-based contact management package The Maximizer. Both companies
are based in Vancouver.

Modatech acquired all shares of Richmond in a stock swap for
400,000 of its own shares.

All of Richmond's staff will move into Modatech's nearby
Vancouver office, said Tom O'Flaherty, founder and former
president of Richmond, who becomes vice-president of marketing at
Modatech.

O'Flaherty said an interim upgrade of The Maximizer is shipping,
with "about eight new features." These were in the works anyway,
but the update was shipped sooner than planned due to the
acquisition, he said.

Modatech plans to improve integration between its own sales
automation software and The Maximizer, O'Flaherty said, with the
first steps in that direction likely to be announced in January
or February and available in the early spring.

Modatech has previously sold customized software aimed at the
upper end of the sales automation market. Company officials said
they now expect to address all levels of sales automation, with
The Maximizer focused at the low-cost end, Modatech's existing
software at the upper end, and both offerings converging on the
middle.

(Grant Buckler/19931026/Press Contact: Tom O'Flaherty, Modatech,
604-736-9666, fax [phone])


(NEWS)(IBM)(TOR)(00015)

 ****IBM Ready To Launch OS/2 Without Windows 10/26/93
WHITE PLAINS, NEW YORK, U.S.A., 1993 OCT 26 (NB) -- Unhappy at
paying royalties to rival Microsoft Corp., IBM is preparing to
launch a version of its OS/2 operating system without built-in
code to run applications written for Microsoft's Windows
operating environment.

The Windows-less OS/2 would let users run Windows applications
provided they already had Windows installed on their PCs. OS/2
would establish where the Windows code was stored and would call
on it directly when asked to run a Windows application.

This is a practical idea largely because many personal computer
vendors are bundling their hardware with copies of Windows. That
means a fair number of buyers of OS/2 already have Windows on
their PCs. By not duplicating the code in OS/2, IBM would not
only avoid paying royalties to Microsoft for its use, but reduce
the size of its OS/2 package and possibly save disk space for
users who don't take the trouble to remove the pre-installed
Windows files when they install OS/2.

The company should also be able to pass on to customers some of
what it saves on royalties. This would free buyers of PCs with
Windows bundled from paying twice for the code -- once in the
price of the PC and once in the price of OS/2.

Sources said an announcement can be expected by mid-November. The
Comdex/Fall trade show, which begins in Las Vegas Nov. 15, would
be a likely venue.

An IBM spokeswoman said the company does not comment on
unannounced products.

(Grant Buckler/19931026/Press Contact: Rob Crawley, IBM,
512-823-1779; Mee Lin Sit, IBM, 914-251-5996)


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

IBM Canada Adds To Cooperative Projects In Education 10/26/93
MARKHAM, ONTARIO, CANADA, 1993 OCT 26 (NB) -- IBM Canada Ltd., has
announced three more in a long-standing series of cooperative
projects with Canadian schools, aimed at fostering math and
science literacy.

The company has been running the cooperative program since 1982
and has provided about C$60 million worth of products and
services to schools under the initiative in that time, said
company spokesman Mike Quinn.

The latest projects are in Quebec, Ontario, and Manitoba.

A partnership with the Commission Scolaire de Sainte-Croix
(Saint-Croix School Board) and the University of Montreal's
Faculty of Education will aim to help children in kindergarten
through grade six learn scientific principles through robotics.

IBM will work with the Dufferin-Peel Roman Catholic School Board
in Ontario in a project focusing on mathematics education in
grades one to three. The program, covering teacher training,
classroom implementation, and program strategies, will use
IBM-developed math curriculum software and color ThinkPad
notebook computers.

In Manitoba, IBM is working with the Seven Oaks School Division
to set up a classroom computer network with curriculum software
and compact disc read-only memory (CD-ROM) software at its Forest
Park School in Winnipeg.

IBM Canada typically announces four to five such projects per
year, Quinn said, and they run for one to three years.

(Grant Buckler/19931026/Press Contact: Mike Quinn, IBM Canada,
905-474-3900 or 800-563-2139)


(NEWS)(BUSINESS)(SFO)(00017)

AST Posts Record 1Qtr Revenues; Intros Pentium Premmia 10/26/93
IRVINE, CALIFORNIA, U.S.A., 1993 OCT 26 (NB) -- AST Research Inc.,
has posted record revenues of $514.4 million for the first quarter
ended October 2, 1993. The company has also introduced the
Premmia LX P/60 PC, which features Intel's Pentium 228
processor and PCI (Peripheral Component Interconnect) local-bus
technology.

The company says that first-quarter revenues increased 80 percent
over the comparable prior-year period and 26 percent over the
immediately preceding quarter. Fiscal year 1994 first quarter net
income was $8.2 million compared to $7.6 million for the prior-year
period. Earnings per share were 26 cents for the first quarter of
fiscal year 1994.

In announcing the results, Safi Qureshey, AST president and chief
executive officer, said: "This quarter has been a period of significant
change and momentum for the company. As we integrate the
purchased assets of Tandy Corp.'s PC manufacturing operations, we
have continued to increase our revenues and market share position."

AST completed the acquisition of Tandy's PC operations during the
first quarter. A final purchase price of $111.7 million was paid
with $15 million in cash and a $96.7 million three-year promissory
note.

AST also announced record PC shipments worldwide during the
quarter of 332,000 units, representing a 111 percent increase over
the prior year period and a 38 percent increase over the preceding
quarter. More than 53,000 notebook systems were shipped in the
quarter.

North American sales were $355.1 million, representing a 115
percent increase over first quarter fiscal year 1993 levels. North
American sales growth increases were strongest in the consumer
retail channel during the quarter, reaching an all-time high of
$146 million, said the company. Total international sales increased
31 percent to $159.3 million, with European revenues up 44 percent
during the quarter.

The company says that the Premmia LX P/60 was designed from
the board up to optimize the 64-bit data path of the Pentium and
equipped with the fastest video accelerator chip from ATI on the
PCI local bus.

According to the company, the Premmia LX P/60 features a base
system targeting AST's VAR (value-added reseller) community.

The Premmia LX comes with 256 kilobytes (KB) second-level cache;
two PCI expansion slots for PCI-compatible peripherals; three ISA
(Industry Standard Architecture) slots; FlashBios; and four drive
bays for high-capacity storage.

The company says that the integrated PCI local bus graphics
subsystem features 1 megabyte (MB) of VRAM standard, expandable
to 2MB for 1280 by 1024 resolution, 256 colors. The system is
designed with two buffered serial ports and one enhanced
bidirectional parallel port, and comes with password security
and a chassis lock.

AST provides a three-year warranty on its Premmia systems
which includes one-year on-site and two years depot service.
The company also offers a 24-hour, 7-days-per-week toll-free
technical hotline, as well as Info-Fax and AST On-Line
24-hour bulletin board service.

(Ian Stokell/19931026/Press Contact: Gerry Lynne Baker,
714-727-7959, AST Research)


(NEWS)(BUSINESS)(SFO)(00018)

Avid Posts 94% Revenue Increase 10/26/93
TEWKSBURY, MASSACHUSETTS, U.S.A., 1993 OCT 26 (NB) -- Avid
Technology Inc., has reported revenues of $31 million for the third
quarter ending September 30, 1993, an increase of 94 percent
over third quarter 1992 revenues of $16 million.

Avid says that its net income grew 156 percent to $2.1 million,
or $0.18 per share, from $815,000 or $0.10 per share in the
corresponding quarter in 1992.

In announcing the financial results, Curt Rawley, president and
chief executive officer of Avid Technology, said: "We are extremely
proud of these results. They represent the best revenue and earnings
performance of any quarter in Avid's history and mark our tenth
consecutive quarter of record revenues. While revenues grew 18
percent from the second quarter to the third quarter, operating
expenses grew only two percent."

During the quarter, Avid began shipping version 5.01 of its Media
Composer software; Media Suite Pro 2.0 with two high performance
options; and VideoShop 2.0, a QuickTime movie editing software
program. The company also introduced the Media Composer 1000,
billed as "an affordable, online-only digital video editing system
targeted at the high end of the corporate digital editing market."

Said Dan Keshian, vice president and general manager of Avid's
Professional Products Group, "It became clear to us that a segment
of the corporate market was looking for a turnkey, online-only
solution, with one level of image quality suitable for most
corporate video presentations. The 1000 is designed to meet that
need."

In August, Newsbytes reported that Avid had announced three new
business units to deal with desktop, broadcast, and professional
video. New products for each division were also been announced.

In September Newsbytes reported that Avid had received an Emmy
Award at the 45th annual ceremony by the Academy of Television
Arts & Sciences for its Media Composer system. The award was in
recognition of outstanding achievement in engineering and
development of the Avid digital non-linear editing system.

(Ian Stokell/19931026/Press Contact: Ned Hazen, 508-640-3211,
or Mimi Englander, 508-640-3157, Avid Technology Inc.)


(NEWS)(IBM)(TOR)(00019)

 ****IBM's Third-Quarter Loss 10/26/93
ARMONK, NEW YORK, U.S.A., 1993 OCT 26 (NB) -- IBM has reported a
loss of $48 million in its third quarter, ended Sept. 30, on
revenues of $14.7 billion.

This compares to a loss of $2.8 billion on about the same level
of revenues in the third quarter of last year. Last year's
third-quarter loss included heavy restructuring charges; before
these charges the company had net income of $86 million in the
1992 quarter.

Veteran IBM-watcher Bob Djurdjevic, president of Annex Research
in Phoenix, Arizona, told Newsbytes the results brought no major
surprises. While admitting the results were slightly worse than
he had expected, he said it was "basically a break-even quarter."

One disappointment, Djurdjevic said, was that IBM's revenues
depended more heavily than expected on its personal computer
business. Because margins in that sector are thinner than in
areas such as mainframe computers, that is bad news for IBM's
profitability.

The company said its hardware revenues fell one percent year over
year, to $7 billion. Revenues from all other products and
services grew 1.5 percent to 7.8 billion.

Revenues from personal computer sales grew significantly,
officials said, while revenues in other hardware categories,
including mainframes, mid-range computers, and workstations,
declined.

Weakness in the European and Japanese markets hurt IBM as it has
other old-guard computer companies, including Digital Equipment
and Unisys Corp., that have reported results in recent
days. The North American market was somewhat stronger.

Operating expenses were down 11.8 percent compared with the third
quarter of last year, IBM said. Continued staff cuts have brought
IBM's worldwide workforce down to about 267,000 people, 41,000
less than a year ago and 34,000 less than at the beginning of
1993. The company said it expects its payroll to drop to 255,000
by year-end.

Djurdjevic said the cost-cutting measures were "long overdue" but
benefits have been slow to accrue. Some time in 1994, he
forecast, IBM shareholders should start to see some payback for
the large writeoffs the company has taken to pay for its
restructuring efforts.

(Grant Buckler/19931026/Press Contact: Rob Wilson, IBM,
914-765-6565)


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

Bell Earnings Continue Strong 10/26/93
ATLANTA, GEORGIA, U.S.A., 1993 OCT 26 (NB) -- The quarterly
earnings season continued with strong reports from most major
telecommunications companies.

BellSouth said its earnings rose 26 percent, to $434.6 million,
from $344.9 million a year earlier. Revenues, however, were up
just 8 percent, to $4.01 billion from $3.73 billion. BellSouth
has yet to be heard from in the QVC-Viacom battle for Paramount,
and some analysts have been speculating it might come in with a
"topper" bid of its own. The company already has an option on
Prime Management, Austin, Texas.

Southwestern Bell's stock price has done the best of all the
regional Bell since the 1984 Bell System break-up. The sharp
rise in its stock's value is due in large part to its purchase of
11 percent of TelMex, the Mexican phone company, and after the
purchase it moved its main offices from St. Louis to San Antonio.
For the quarter it earned $388.6 million, just slightly more than
the $385.6 million it earned last year. Revenue was $2.8 billion,
up nearly 7 percent from the year earlier's $2.6 billion. Profits
were hurt by one-time charges for the Midwestern flood and the
restructuring.

NYNEX, considered the weakest of the seven regional Bells because
competitive access providers can most easily compete with its
compact but profitable New York City and Boston markets, earned
$298.3 million, down from $319.7 million a year ago. Revenue of
$3.330 billion was also down from $3.332 billion a year ago.

NYNEX' earlier diversification efforts have been widely lampooned
-- they included a computer store chain. But it did put $1
billion into Viacom's pocket as part of the Paramount takeover
battle. Analysts, however, say that whoever wins that war is a
bad investment because of the high price Paramount is now
drawing.

(Dana Blankenhorn/19931026)


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

 ****FCC To Look Into Cable Complaints 10/26/93
WASHINGTON, D.C., U.S.A., 1993 OCT 26 (NB) -- The Federal
Communications Commission will conduct a formal inquiry into its
new cable rate regulations, following release of a preliminary
survey showing nearly one-third of subscribers got higher bills,
not lower bills, when the regulatory regime began in September.

The staff will look into whether "loopholes" are allowing
operators to raise rates in defiance of the clear intent of
Congress that they be lowered. At issue are higher rates for
"basic-basic" service, based on a per-channel "baseline" charge
mandated by the FCC, and new "a la carte" pricing, in which
separate charges are imposed for each new channel. The baseline
rates were based on a per-channel charge. Also at issue are new
tiers of service, like the GCTV "value pack" in Atlanta which
bundles three popular basic services -- WGN, WOR and the Weather
Channel -- at $1.70 per month.

While many congressional sponsors of the 1992 reregulation act
are angry and embarrassed, with Republicans crowing that all
regulation is inane and the 1992 act should be rolled back, the
September bills are not the final word on cable rates. The FCC is
now certifying thousands of cities and counties to conduct their
own rate-making proceedings. Rate reductions could be ordered,
back-dated to September, and appeals of those orders would be
heard by the same FCC which now expresses such anger at the
industry.

In addition to the "baseline" ratemaking, the FCC staff
has promised a formula for "cost-based" pricing, and some cable
operators may be considering a move to that system if they don't
like the baseline rates.

In fact, there is some speculation that the outgrowth of cable
regulation could be lower rates in Democratic-controlled areas
than Republican-controlled areas.

The Democratic city of Atlanta, for instance, has filed to be
certified for rate-making, while the Republican government of
suburban Cobb County has decided not to go ahead, for now. If
that proves a general rule, and if governments which do regulate
end up with significantly lower rates than governments which
don't, it could prove a political embarrassment. However, the
Georgia Municipal Association, which is coordinating efforts by
cities in that state to impose rate regulation, is charging about
14 cents per subscriber per month for its assistance, and if new
city-based rate cuts are less than that, it could embarrass
Democrats.

(Dana Blankenhorn/19931026)


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

Equifax, Dun & Bradstreet In Credit Report Alliance 10/26/93
MURRAY HILL, NEW JERSEY, U.S.A., 1993 OCT 26 (NB) -- Equifax and
Dun & Bradstreet agreed to cooperate in an alliance aimed at
creating business credit reports for all businesses, even mom and
pop enterprises.

Under the agreement, Equifax will apply a version of Dun &
Bradstreet's "Credit Scores" model of credit-worthiness to some
of its consumer credit reports, when D&B customers ask for
reports on companies too small to be covered directly by the
company. D&B is the leader in the production of business "credit
reports" often used by other businesses to make decisions on whom
to do business with. Equifax is one of the three major "consumer
credit report" agencies -- the other two are Trans-Union and TRW.

Dun & Bradstreet will market the service to its client list, but
spokesman Pam Spiridon indicated to Newsbytes that some marketing
details remain open, and additional products could be created
from the link. The small business credit reports should be
available to D&B customers next year.

Stung by criticism of inaccuracies in its reports, Equifax has
tried in recent years to mend its public image, offering a toll-
free number to consumers interested in checking their credit, and
sponsoring an annual survey by Louis Harris & Associates on
consumers' attitudes about privacy. Equifax also removed itself
from the business of selling databases based on its consumer
information.

In this deal, however, Equifax and Dun & Bradstreet say they are
also going to investigate how to combine their databases to
create new products, as Frank S. Sowinski, executive vice
president of marketing and analytical services at D&B, noted in a
press statement. "We expect this alliance to open doors and
allow us to develop and distribute new, more sophisticated risk
management tools that will help our customers make more
profitable decisions," he said. A statement from an Equifax
executive indicated that the company is interested in
international expansion through the alliance.

Added Spiridon in an interview with Newsbytes, "We don't feel
there are any privacy issues on our part. We're just providing
the Credit Score model for them which they'll apply to their
information, in the absence of any information on a business.
They'll apply their data to our model. If you inquire about a
small company with no business information, we will then offer
the Credit Score we've developed from Equifax' data on the
principal."

(Dana Blankenhorn/19931026/Press Contact: Dun & Bradstreet,
Pamela Spiridon, 908/665-5105)


(NEWS)(TELECOM)(ATL)(00023)

Broadband Posts Loss, Sets New Offering 10/26/93
RESEARCH TRIANGLE PARK, NORTH CAROLINA, U.S.A., 1993 OCT 26 (NB) --
The "information superhighway" story continues to bring in
investors, with a good example being the story of Broadband
Technologies Inc.

Broadband set a secondary offering of public stock, now trading
at over $40 per share, despite reporting continued losses. The
company makes a fiber-to-the-curb system called FLX, which could
be used by phone companies to upgrade their lines in order to
deliver fast-data services and video to homes. Among its big
customers are Bell Atlantic. But for the quarter ending in
September it reported a loss of $4.979 million on sales of just
$3.828 million, indicating there is as yet no great rush by phone
companies to buy this kind of equipment. In a press statement,
the company called the results "in line with the company's
plans," noting that sales rose 56 percent over the previous
quarter, and its backlog of $15.1 million in orders remains
higher than its previous year's revenues. The stock is currently
trading at levels over 60 percent higher than its low for the
year.

Why the excitement? Not only is Broadband continuing to get
technical trials and small orders from US phone companies, but
it's also moving ahead internationally. The company signed a deal
with Modacom Co. Ltd., and Taihan Electric Wire Co. Ltd., of Korea,
major suppliers to Korea Telecom. That company has bought a
pilot FLX system for providing "video dialtone services" in that
country, which could lead to big orders. Big orders may also be
coming from Canada, where Bell Canada said it will launch a test
of FLX in Montreal, Quebec.

In the US, while Broadband has sold trial systems to five of
the regional Bells and GTE, its biggest customer is Bell
Atlantic, which has committed to FLX technology for two systems
in New Jersey.

Broadband stock fell sharply, however, on the announcement it
filed a registration statement to offer three million new shares
of stock, two million from existing shareholders. The company now
enters a "quiet period" during which it will not be responding to
questions on its financial statements.

(Dana Blankenhorn/19931026/Press Contact: John Gorman, BroadBand
Technologies, 919/544-0015)


(NEWS)(IBM)(LAX)(00024)

 ****National Semi/Novell In Network/Com Agreement 10/26/93
SAN FRANCISCO, CALIFORNIA, U.S.A., 1993 OCT 26 (NB) -- Novell
and National Semiconductor are forming a strategic alliance for
networking and communications. The two companies are
announcing details of the alliance today.

National Semiconductor has moved into the personal computer
(PC) communications market with its Tyin 2000 card that
integrates modem, fax, and voice mail capabilities on a single
add-on card. Novell is known for its networking hardware and
software for PC and has made several deals to expand its
market.

Today Novell announced an agreement with Geoworks, makers of
the Geos operating system for the new Zoomer Personal Digital
Assistant (PDA), that will give the new PDA devices access to
Novell's Netware servers. Under the agreement Geoworks will be
able to license and distribute the Novell Netware Client (SPX,
IPS, and network shell) with the Geos operating system.

Geos will also be the operating system of the new Sharp
Electronics PT-9000 Personal Information Processor (PIP). Sharp
is the company that makes the Newton Messagepad for Apple and
is shipping a Messagepad work-a-like of its own called the
Sharp Expertpad.

Motorola also announced today it would support wireless
communication for Geos-based PDAs via its Electronic Mail
Broadcast to a Roaming Computer (EMBARC) system.

(Linda Rohrbough/19931026/Press Contact: Jennifer Johnson,
Novell, 801-429-5804)


(NEWS)(IBM)(LAX)(00025)

HP Laser Printers Add Postscript For Mac, Windows 10/26/93
PALO ALTO, CALIFORNIA, U.S.A., 1993 OCT 26 (NB) -- Hewlett-
Packard says its new Laserjet 4 series printers come in two
models, the Laserjet 4MP and the Laserjet 4M. Both printers are
aimed at the small business market, but the 4MP printer is
specially equipped for both Macintosh and Microsoft Windows
mixed computing environments.

Besides offering a faster printer speed at four pages per minute
and higher resolution at 600-dots-per-inch (dpi), the 4MP model
has Adobe's Postscript Level 2 built-in as well as HP's own PCL
5 page description language. The 4MP printer also includes 35
of Adobe's Type 1 typefaces and rasterizers for Type 1 and
Truetype fonts.

Each printer is powered by an Intel 80960 KA reduced
instruction set computing (RISC) processor and offers a
universal 250-sheet paper cassette that adjusts for letter,
legal, executive, and A4 sizes. Users can also print 3-by-5-
inch cards, labels, wrinkle-free envelopes, and custom paper
sizes, HP maintains.

The 4P model comes with 2 megabytes (MB) of random access
memory (RAM) expandable to 26 MB, while the 4MP offers 6 MB of
RAM expandable to 22 MB. The RISC processor of the 4P model is
a little slower at 18 megahertz (MHz) than the 20 MHz processor
in the 4MP printer.

The Laserjet 4MP is $1,729 and the Laserjet 4P is $1,229.
The 4P model may be upgraded to incorporate the Postscript
language with the addition of an optional single in-line memory
module (SIMM) for $299, HP added. Also, to print Postscript at
600 dpi, the 4M model must have an additional 4 MB of RAM added
at a cost of $309, which makes the total cost of upgrading the
4P to print Postscript at 600 dpi higher than the purchase
price of the 4MP model.

HP is introducing the new Laserjet printers worldwide.

(Linda Rohrbough/19931026/Press Contact: Patricia Pane, Adobe,
tel [phone]; Marlene Somsak, Hewlett-Packard, tel 415-857-
6805, fax [phone], Public Contact, Hewlett-Packard Sales,
800-752-0900)


(NEWS)(TELECOM)(LON)(00026)

Nokia Wins Thai Phone Contract 10/26/93
HELSINKI, FINLAND, 1993 OCT 26 (NB) -- Nokia has won a significant
contract for the supply of a DCS-1800 digital mobile phone equipment
to TAC, the Thai telecom company. Precise terms of the contract
have not been revealed, but Nokia's official statement on the deal
says that it is worth "tens of millions of dollars."

The deal is significant for DCS-1800, the main competitor to the
Global System for Mobile (GSM) communications, which, until the
launch of the Mercury One-2-One DCS-1800 network in the UK a few
months ago, had virtual dominance of the digital mobile telecom
market in Europe and Australasia.

DCS-1800 is also gaining favor in the US, Newsbytes notes, where GSM
has failed to make an impact. Because DCS-1800 uses the 1,800
megahertz (MHz) waveband -- twice the frequency of GSM's 900MHz --
its signal "cells" (defined as the transmission area around the base
station aerial) can be made much smaller if need be, making for more
effective use of radio frequencies in cities.

DCS-1800 technology's only limitation is that mobile phones cannot
hop between base stations in vehicles moving in excess of around 100
kilometers an hour (kph). This contrasts with GSM's "hand off" speed
limit of around four times that speed, which is the approximate
speed of two TGV trains in France moving towards each other on the
same set of tracks.

This higher speed hand off limit was implemented in GSM owing to the
European development team's technical requirements. DCS-1800 was
developed by a number of international companies.

According to TAC, the first stage in the Thai DCS-1800 network
should be operational by next spring, covering Bangkok and the
outlying areas of Pattaya and Ayutthaya. Plans call for the network
to be national by the end of the decade.

(Sylvia Dennis & Steve Gold/19931026/Press & Public Contact: Nokia
Oy - Tel: [phone]; Fax: [phone])


(NEWS)(TRENDS)(LON)(00027)

Europe - EC Approves European Satellite Venture 10/26/93
BRUSSELS, BELGIUM, 1993 OCT 26 (NB) -- The European Commission (EC)
has given its clearance to a joint venture between PTT Telecom BV,
the Dutch public telephone company and Nederlands Omroepproduktie
Bedrijf NV, the company that provides most television services in
the Netherlands. The new company will be called Intrax and will
offer satellite-based news feeds into and out of the Netherlands.

According to the EC, it has approved the venture, despite possible
monopolistic overtones, on the basis that the Dutch market will
still be open to competition in the TV and telecom market.
Newsbytes notes that PTT Telecom is major provider of satellite data
capacity in Europe and specifically, the Netherlands.

For its part, PTT Telecom has guaranteed the EC that it will
continue to grant satellite capacity to competitors on the same
basis as the new company.

In line with European Community regulations, the EC must ensure that
any joint ventures such as Intrax do not harm competition. Newsbytes
notes that the EC has the power to block what it considers to be
harmful activities or enforce any changes it sees fit in a venture
that it views as damaging competition.

(Sylvia Dennis/19931026)


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

Computers Fail At Polish Stock Exchange 10/26/93
WARSAW, POLAND, 1993 OCT 26 (NB) -- On Monday the 25th of October
the Warsaw Stock exchange suspended all operations after its
computer failed completely. This is the first major failure of its
type in a stock exchange for several years.

According to officials with Gielva, the Polish Stock Exchange, the
online computer system failed to accept orders from brokers from
around Poland. As a result of this, Michal Nastula, head of the
Securities Commission, the body that runs the Gielva, made the
decision to close the exchange down.

According to Nastula, the Gielva was back in operation this morning
(Tuesday), although brokers are being requested to process Monday's
instructions before today's.

This situation could easily have caused a major international
incident, since confidence in Polish companies is recovering
from decades of Communist rule. It's only in the last few
years, in fact, that the Polish Zloty, the unit of currency in
which Polish company shares are valued, has been freely
exchangeable with US dollars and other Western currencies.

The Warsaw exchange was very prosperous until the outbreak of the
Second World War. After the war, in 1945, the Communists took over
control of all industry, banking, and services in Poland, effectively
prohibiting any form of official stock exchange.

In April of 1991, the Gielva was officially reopened -- more than 50
years after it closed at the start of WWII -- when the Communists
were official ousted from power in Poland. Since then, the growth in
the number of transactions on the exchange has been explosive,
causing some problems with data capacity on the exchange computers.

To cope with the volume of data, the Gielva computers are only
online three days a week for active trading, giving Gielva officials
two other working days to ensure that paper-based systems can play
catch up. It has been suggested that the reason for Monday's
computer failure was a lack of capacity to handle transactions.

In any one trading day the Gielva handles around $70 million worth
of shares trading hands.

(Sylvia Dennis/19931026)


(NEWS)(GOVT)(LON)(00029)

EC Moves On Pan-European Computer Resource 10/26/93
BRUSSELS, BELGIUM, 1993 OCT 26 (NB) -- Martin Bangemann, in an
clear attempt to kick-start technology plans for a pan-European data
superhighway into life, has penned a paper on a "common computer
information space" and submitted it to the European Commission (EC).

Bangemann, the EC industry commissioner, has been a staunch
supporter of the EC's provisional plans for a data superhighway,
accessible to all on an "at cost" basis -- as the Internet's
services are offered to non-commercial organizations -- for some
time. Plans for the highway have fallen by the wayside this past few
months, however, as budget cuts have become the main issue of the
day at the Brussels headquarters of the EC.

This draft paper appears to approach the problem of funding the
data superhighway from a different angle. Bangemann's idea is to
establish a high-ranking "think tank" of officials from all types of
European technical organizations in order to discuss pan-European
technical issues. If the idea takes off, Bangemann says that he
foresees a committee being formed to advise the EC on funding for
technology projects across Europe.

Newsbytes notes that the proposals appear to be a mirror image of
President Clinton's suggestions of a few months ago that a super
data highway be implemented in the US. However, Bangemann's office
has refuted any suggestions of copycat tactics, pointing to the fact
that he (Bangemann) came up with the idea first.

Regardless of who thought up the idea first, Newsbytes notes that
persuading industry heads to form a committee -- almost certainly on
a self-funding basis -- could be a precursor to an EC request for
intercompany and organization funding on a data superhighway. This
raises the interesting prospect of a superhighway being established
with little or no EC funding.

(Steve Gold/19931026)


(NEWS)(GENERAL)(SFO)(00030)

Network General, Alantec Team On Hub Mgt 10/26/93
MENLO PARK, CALIFORNIA, U.S.A., 1993 OCT 26 (NB) -- The ability
to analyze and manage an internetwork from a central location
can be a sizeable benefit for many administrators. Along those
lines, Network General Corp., and intelligent switching hub
vendor Alantec have announced a joint marketing agreement.

The move comes nearly two months after Network General
announced a joint technology and marketing deal with 3Com Corp.

The deal allows users of Alantec's PowerHub hubs to integrate
Network General's Expert Analysis and protocol decode technology
into their network management procedures for a global view of
their network.

In announcing the deal, Les Denend, president and chief executive
officer of Network General Corp, said: "Customers are asking hub
and network management providers for more integrated solutions
that they can manage from a central location. Alantec and Network
General are committed to working together to provide our
customers with solutions that allow them to leverage problem-
solving capabilities across the multiple platforms and systems
found in their networking environments."

Alantec says that its Port Monitoring feature works in conjunction
with an Expert Sniffer or Distributed Sniffer System (DSS) by
dedicating one of the 12 PowerHub Ethernet segments to the
Network General products. This allows users to monitor traffic on
any Ethernet segment connected to a PowerHub through a single
Network General device as though it were physically connected to
that segment.

According to the companies, that integration provides users with
more extensive troubleshooting capabilities and greater visibility
into multiple network segments simultaneously.

George Archuleta, president and chief executive officer of Alantec,
claimed that, "The combination of the PowerHub with the Port
Monitoring feature and Network General's Expert Sniffer or DSS
offers users substantial time and cost savings and tremendous
flexibility in managing their networks."

Combined with the Expert Sniffer or DSS, the Port Monitoring
feature lets network managers perform analysis and monitoring
of critical network segments from a central location.

The joint technology and marketing deal with 3Com was
announced at the beginning of September, as reported by
Newsbytes. At the time, Donna Stein, spokesperson for 3Com,
told Newsbytes that the deal, "Allows us to tap into benefits of
Network General's network analyzer without having to have the
whole analyzer."

In April, Newsbytes reported that Network General had added to
its line of analysis products by shipping both the DSS with Expert
Analysis and the Expert Sniffer Internetwork Analyzer.

At the time, the company said that DSS with Expert Analysis is
an intelligent client-server analysis system that proactively and
automatically identifies problems on Ethernet and Token Ring
local area networks (LANs).

The Expert Sniffer Internetwork Analyzer (SIA) is designed for
router-based internetworks that incorporate different technologies.
The company says that, with real-time monitoring at speeds up to
2.048 Mbps, the SIA supports both router-based internetworks using
leased line, frame relay, or X.25 circuits and traditional terminal-
to-host networks such as async and Systems Network Architecture
(SNA).

Towards the end of September, Newsbytes reported that Network
General had signed an original equipment manufacturing (OEM)
deal with Madge Networks. Under terms of that deal, Network
General will use Madge as the sole supplier of Token Ring adapters
for Network General's AT portable Sniffer products and the
monitor cards for its Distributed Sniffer Systems.

(Ian Stokell/19931026/Press Contact: Robert Berger,
415-473-2914, Network General Corp.; or Lori Lux,
408-944-2311, Alantec)