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/nb930114

Text File | 1993-01-15 | 66KB | 1,507 lines

(NEWS)(BUSINESS)(LON)(00001)

UK: Networking Distributor Azlan Acquires Nett Ltd 01/14/93
WOKINGHAM, BERKSHIRE, ENGLAND, 1993 JAN 14 (NB) -- Azlan,
the networking distributor, has acquired Nett Limited, another
distributor that specializes in network utilities and enhancement
products.

Terms of the deal call for Azlan to take over the ongoing business
of the company, relocating all of Nett's staff to its Wokingham
headquarters. Nett will operate from there, trading under its own
name.

According to David Randall, Azlan's managing director, the
acquisition gives the company access to a wide range of network
utilities, including Saber, a front-end menu and management
system for LANs (local area networks); LAN Auditor; and
Nettconnection, a Lotus Notes application for inter-office
electronic mail package for use between sales offices.

"The deal strengthens our position as a single source supplier of
networking products and service, and confirms the financial
strength of the operation," explained Randall, who added that Nett
has been distributing network utility software through the same
resellers as Azlan.

Plans call for Nett's managing director, Helena Bullen, to become
the director of Azlan's Nett division, once the move to Wokingham
is complete. Ironically, before joining Nett, Bullen was head of
training services with Azlan.

(Steve Gold/19930113/Press & Public Contact: Azlan -
Tel: [phone])


(NEWS)(TELECOM)(LON)(00002)

RAM Mobile Data To Host UK Mobile Data Event 01/14/93
WEST DRAYTON, MIDDLESEX, ENGLAND, 1993 JAN 14 (NB) -- Ram
Mobile Data has announced it plans to host the UK's first
international mobile data event.

The event, which takes place at the Royal Lancaster Hotel in
London on February 3 and 4, aims to educate businesses about the
practical benefits of wireless data communications. In addition,
Ram plans to demonstrate how existing IT (information
technology) systems can be extended to mobile workforces.

The conference's keynote speakers include Sir John Harvey-Jones,
Frances Anne Cairncross of the Economist, and Chris Rees, a senior
consultant with Touche Rosee and author of a number of business
books.

Announcing the event to the press, Karim Khoja, general manager
of Ram Mobile Data, said that mobile data communications is no
longer an emerging technology for a few companies in the know,
but is relevant to all businesses.

"Just as cellular phones now form an integral part of a company's
communications, so too will mobile data, ensuring that all staff,
regardless of location, have constant access to the right
information," he said. "The mobile data event does not focus on
the technology but on how it can be used to provide effective
communication and, ultimately, to improve efficiency and
productivity."

Ram Mobile Data is one of the companies licensed to operate a
public mobile data network for 25 years in the UK. The company
is a business venture between Ram Broadcasting Corporation
and Bellsouth in the US, with investment from France Telecom,
Swedish Telecom and Bouygues.

(Steve Gold/19930113/Press & Public Contact: Ram Mobile
Data - Tel: [phone])


(NEWS)(TELECOM)(LON)(00003)

UK's Vodafone In GSM Roaming Deal With Denmark's Sonofon 01/14/93
NEWBURY, BERKSHIRE, ENGLAND, 1993 JAN 14 (NB) -- Vodafone of
the UK, and Sonofon of Denmark, operators of GSM (global system
for mobile communications) digital mobile phone networks in
their respective countries, have signed a bilateral agreement
covering international roaming of subscribers between their
two systems.

The Sonofone agreement follows closely on the heels of similar
roaming agreements in Finland and Sweden between Vodafone
and three network operators.

The roaming arrangements between GSM network operators do not
involve subscribers having to pre-register with the foreign
network operator. All that is required is for the "smart card"
appropriate to the subscriber to be slotted out of the "home"
phone and into another phone on the foreign network. The network
then completes all necessary switching of calls between the
networks and handles billing back to the home system.

GSM is a digital mobile phone technology that has been
implemented by 27 operators in 18 countries. Vodafone launched
its GSM network In December, 1991.

Currently, GSM network coverage is available to 50 percent of
the UK, with 90 percent coverage planned for the spring of
1993.

(Steve Gold/19930113/Press & Public Contact: Vodafone -
Tel: [phone])


(NEWS)(IBM)(LON)(00004)

UK: Aashima Launches Unbranded Range Of PCs 01/14/93
WITHAM, ESSEX, ENGLAND, 1993 JAN 14 (NB) -- Aashima
Distribution, the Essex-based trade distributor, has launched a
new range of, what it calls, high specification mini-tower and
large tower Intel-based PCs. The machines are unbranded, which
Aashima claims allows resellers the option of selling as their
own PCs.

According to Aashima, the new PCs are being supplied as system
units, with a set of peripherals available separately. Aashima
says it will work with resellers to fit logos on to the machine,
which can then be sold as the resellers' "own brand" of systems.

So why introduce yet another set of machines to an already
crowded market? The distributor maintains that these unbranded
PCs will sell well, because their low price - it claims - gives
resellers the chance to make more profit than selling branded
systems.

"Price is extremely important in this market," explained Stuart
Greenfield, managing director of Aashima.

"In an effort to increase margins and market visibility, many
resellers are passing over established brand names and buying
individual components to build their own solutions. Unfortunately,
these resellers are running the risk of having to strip down an
entire unit in order to return a single component for post-sales
maintenance. Our OEM (original equipment manufacturer) solution
totally eliminates this risk and fits in with our policy of
providing resellers with the lowest-cost and most flexible
solution, enabling resellers to compete successfully," he said.

Trade pricing on the Aashima machines is very competitive. All
machines come with a base specification of four megabytes (MB)
of memory and a removable hard disk module. Other standard
features include an Intel upgradable motherboard and a
200-watt power supply unit.

Pricing ranges from UKP 430 for a 33 megahertz (MHz)
80486SX-based system to UKP 899 for a 66MHz 486DX2-based
system.

(Steve Gold/19930113/Press & Public Contact: Aashima -
Tel: [phone])


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

NetWorld: LAN Escort Configures Windows/Manages Nets 01/14/92
BOSTON, MASSACHUSETTS, U.S.A., 1993 JAN 14 (NB) -- At NetWorld
Boston, LANovation has introduced a software package billed as the
first product capable of configuring Windows servers and
workstations as well as administering NetWare networks.

LANovation debuted version 2.0 of LAN Escort in a press briefing.
Now in beta testing, the product is slated for release in february,
said Anne Peterson, product manager.  After the press
conference, Peterson told Newsbytes that, although version 1.0
started shipping last fall, the NetWorld announcement marks the
start of LANovation's major promotional efforts for the product.

Both editions of LANovation offer drop-and-drag management of
Windows desktops and servers, group and user accounts, and
network applications and printing, according to Peterson.

However, version 2.0 will add the ability to configure multiple
Windows servers simultaneously, and to print multi-page
reports on Windows and network management activities. In
addition, administrators will be able to let users view all
network server resources on a single screen.

LAN Escort requires Microsoft Windows 3.1 to operate, but the
program also permits network management of NetWare-compatible
DOS-based machines, pointed out Mary Henschel, senior systems
analyst, during the briefing.

The Windows management function in LAN Escort allows Windows
desktops to be created, assigned to users, and modified, all by
pointing and clicking. Screen colors and icons can be changed, for
example.

The network management capabilities are designed for easy
performance of such tasks as adding new users to a network
group, moving file and directory permissions from one user to
another, and assigning printers to individual and group user
queues.

End users can print to any printer on the network and launch
applications on any server. Users of Windows-compatible PCs
can print automatically by "dragging and dropping" a file from
File Manager to a printer icon.

LAN Escort 2.0 is priced at $995 for systems with the 50-user
version of NetWare 3.11 and at $1,595 for systems with the
100- and 250-user version of NetWare 3.11.

(Jacqueline Emigh/19930113/Press contacts:  Anne Peterson
or Mary Henschel, LANovation, tel [phone])


(NEWS)(TELECOM)(ATL)(00006)

FCC Wants Your Help On Long Distance Ruling 01/14/93
WASHINGTON, D.C., U.S.A., 1993 JAN 14 (NB) -- The Federal
Communications Commission can use your help to enforce a new
regulation on long distance calling.

The new rules, which took effect this year, mandate that you be
able to use the long distance carrier of your choice from any pay
phone. The same rules, impacting phones in hotels, motels and
hospitals, are being phased in over the next five years.

How can you help? Take your calling card to the pay phone of your
choice, and try to reach the carrier's access line. AT&T, which
has the largest share of the US long distance market, should be
reachable by dialing 10-288, then your number. Listen for a
recorded  announcement telling you that you are on the network
of your  choice. If you cannot get into the regular networks, note
the  phone's location and write the Informal Complaints Branch,
Common  Carrier Bureau, of the Federal Communications
Commission at Room  6202, Washington, D.C. 20554.

The new rules are aimed at so-called alternative operator
companies, which signed exclusive contracts with pay phone
owners  in the 1980s. Under those deals, consumers who used
the pay phones were switched to the alternative company, which
frequently bought capacity from a major carrier and jacked-up
the rates on the call, billing through credit cards months later
and splitting the profits with the pay phone owner.

Consumers were often unaware of the switch, since they might
get the alternative company even if they used a major phone
company calling card to switch charges to their home phones.

The danger in the new rules is that crooks could use the access
codes to steal long distance services, routing calls back through
the pay phone and making its owner liable for charges. That is
why implementation of the rules are being delayed in some
instances.

Consumer Action of San Francisco, which petitioned for the
new rules, praised them. Ken McEldowney, executive director
of Consumer Action, hailed the FCC regulations as "absolutely
necessary to end rip-offs at pay phones."

(Dana Blankenhorn/19930113/Press Contact: Consumer
Action, Ken McEldowney, 415-777-9648; FCC Press Office,
202-632-5050)


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

Dissent On Prodigy's Profit-Making Future 01/14/93
NEW YORK, NEW YORK, U.S.A., 1993 JAN 14 (NB) -- While some
analysts feel that there is a way Prodigy can turn a profit after
laying-off 250 people and reorganizing its executive suite,
Joshua Harris of Jupiter Communications might quote "Wayne's
World" and say "Way? No Way!"

"There's no way they're going to make a profit this year," Harris
told Newsbytes. "They're not making enough money. They're
spending $30 million on promotion, they've got operating
expenses, they've got royalty and other expenses, and they have
to buy some of their content. That's balanced by subscriber
revenues, advertising revenues, and service revenues. There's no
way they're going to match. The money isn't there. It's costing
$120 million to operate, and no way what they had before was
close" to bringing in that kind of revenue. "CompuServe, with a
much better situation, is only doing $40-$80 million" in
business a year.

Harris feels that, while cutting layers of management,
outsourcing customer service functions, and eliminating 250
employees might help it turn a profit if revenues remained
stable, they will not. That is because "Prodigy stopped
advertising," late last year, and so will not be able to make up
for defections of existing users.

"Their original paradigm isn't right, and they haven't adjusted it.
The reason advertising people are on there, and sometimes
making money, is because Prodigy is spending so much money to
bring new people on-line. The cost to Prodigy to put someone in
front of a Wolf Camera ad is more than it" collects. "It's an
artificial environment."

The big losers from Prodigy's troubles, however, may be competing
on-line services, especially America OnLine. Harris says "Eighty
percent of their subscriptions come from Prodigy advertising.
The most interested advertising parties there were competitors,
people who had products competitive with Prodigy," Such as
America OnLine.

Prodigy had claimed in the past such companies were not
competitors, then their ads were suddenly refused late last year.
The only on-line network advertising remaining on Prodigy is
Sierra On-Line, a games network. "The days of good deals for
the industry from Prodigy are over."

Harris' conclusion. "They just need to get rid of top management.
They need fresh meat in there." The problems at Prodigy are, in
fact, "a microcosm of IBM" where many analysts don't feel a
comeback is possible until chairman John Akers and his entire
way of doing business are thrown overboard.

Prodigy spokesman Steve Hein, alerted to Harris' comments,
said "I'm not going to comment on that." Prodigy president Ross
Glatzer's view is that, "Today's actions will help Prodigy grow,
better serve our members, and move more quickly toward
profitability."

(Dana Blankenhorn/19930113/Press Contact: Joshua Harris,
Jupiter Communications, 212-941-9252; Prodigy, Steve Hein, 914-993-
8811)


(NEWS)(BUSINESS)(PAR)(00008)

Hewlett-Packard Slows Work Schedule At French Plant 01/14/93
PARIS, FRANCE, 1993 JAN 14 (NB) -- Hewlett-Packard has slowed
production at its factory at Grenoble.

The northern French plant which produces PC cards had been
running on a five-day week. HP has cut the hours at Grenoble
down to a four-day week consisting of 34 hours and 40 minutes.
HP had threatened to move its  PC card production to Southeast
Asia if the plant's union would not agree to the slowdown.

HP refused to comment on the slowdown. The company says that
it plans to keep the factory running seven days a week from now
on. HP is reportedly hoping to generalize this employment
practice for all its plants in France.

(Andrew Rosenbaum/19930114/Press Contact: Michel
Martineaud, Hewlett-Packard, tel [phone])


(NEWS)(GENERAL)(BOS)(00009)

 ****NetWorld: WordPerfect Office 4.0 Details 01/14/92
BOSTON, MASSACHUSETTS, U.S.A., 1993 JAN 14 (NB) -- Version
4.0 of WordPerfect Office is now pegged for release in April,
to be followed by another program upgrade later this year,
 Newsbytes has learned.

The latest edition of the electronic messaging (e-mail) software
was first announced at NetWorld Dallas last fall, but this week
at NetWorld Boston, WordPerfect Corp. supplied the details.

In an interview with Newsbytes at the Boston show, David V.
Clare, marketing director for electronic messaging, said that
WordPerfect Office 4.0 incorporates several new categories of
applications designed to help organizations work in groups and
manage time.

In addition to e-mail and personal calendaring, the program
will now provide task management, workflow, electronic forms,
group calendaring, and expanded scheduling, he told Newsbytes.

Initial availability is slated for DOS, Windows, and Macintosh.
Ports to OS/2, Unix and VAX/VMS are expected to appear soon
afterward.  The Windows version will be compatible with
Windows for Workgroups as well as Windows 3.x, according to
Clare. An edition for Windows NT will be released as soon as
NT comes to market, he stated.

GUIs (graphical user interfaces) for WordPerfect Office are
tailored to take advantage of the strengths and capabilities of
individual platforms, but all user interfaces share such common
features as sizable windows and a Mac-like "in box," "out box,"
and "trash" management system.

Clare told Newsbytes that version 4.0 will enter previously
unannounced international beta testing in February, two months
before the release of the first editions.

By the end of 1993, the messaging program will be upgraded with
two new features, the marketing director added.  One enhancement
will further strengthen a new "rules" feature in  version 4.0. The
other, a newfound ability to accept scanned-in images, will
probably be ready first.

Version 4.0 will come with the ability to display "still"
computer graphics and to play back sound and video, but without
the capacity to work with paper-based images, said Clare.

However, interfaces to imaging and OCR (optical character
recognition) software, due later in the year, will give the
capacity to accept images from multivendor scanners. "We
probably won't be bundling the (imaging and OCR) software with
WordPerfect Office. Generally, we prefer to reference
(recommend) third- party applications," he commented.

The "rules" feature in version 4.0 enables the establishment of
"if/then" criteria for message management, he told Newsbytes.
For example, a rule can be set that automatically forwards an
e-mail message to the marketing department if the message
deals with sales.

Under a more elaborate scenario, a user going on vacation might
set rules that delegate to a colleague all meetings scheduled
for the week, and forward to an assistant all e-mail received
during that time.

The enhanced rule capability coming later in the year will be
based on a new scripting language, he told Newsbytes. "The level
of complexity you'll be able to achieve will be about similar to
what you can get with WordPerfect macros," he elaborated.

During the interview with Newsbytes, Clare demonstrated many
of the new capabilities for Office 4.0 that will be beta tested
over the next couple of months. He showed, for example, how the
expanded scheduling lets the user schedule not just group
meetings, as in the past, but "to-do items," as well.

The to-do items are assigned through the new task management
feature. "We also call task management 'the job saver,'" quipped
Clare. Supervisors can employ task management to parcel out
responsibilities, adding a task to another user's to-do list with
a priority attached. A completed status is returned to the
supervisor when the worker marks the task as done.

A user has the right to accept, reject, delegate, or postpone
response on a scheduling request. When delegated, the schedule
request is forwarded to another user, he said.

Clare also demonstrated how the new workflow feature in Office
4.0 provides electronic "mail routing." Messages are sent along
through a list of people. After being delivered to the first
person on the list, the message is passed to the next person,
and so on.

Workflow can be used for the routing of electronic forms that must
be signed off or approved in a particular order, he remarked. These
forms can be created in WordPerfect Informs, a package also
first announced at NetWorld Dallas. WordPerfect Office 4.0
contains the filler interface to InForms, allowing the forms to be
distributed to Office 4.0 users as attachments to e-mail
messages.

The new group calendaring feature in 4.0 lets the user retrieve and
view several different calendars side by side on the same screen,
according to Clare. Calendar access can be assigned to multiple
users. As assistant, for example, might be granted access to the
calendar of a boss for reading the manager's e-mail and changing
appointments.

The beta test that begins next month will take place at sites in
the United Kingdom and Australia as well as North America,
Clare told Newsbytes. "We'll be including legal and government
locations in addition to corporations," he noted.

(Jacqueline Emigh/19930114; Press contact: Brian K. Chapman,
WordPerfect, tel [phone])


(NEWS)(TELECOM)(SYD)(00010)

Australia: AOTC Strengthens Vietnamese Connections 01/14/93
SYDNEY, AUSTRALIA, 1993 JAN 14 (NB) -- AOTC (Australian and
Overseas Telecommunications Corporation), through its
international arm, OTC, has signed a memorandum of understanding
(MOU) with the Vietnamese government which strengthens the
corporation's ties in that country. The MOU is another development
in the increasingly close relationship between OTC and Vietnam's
Director-General of Posts and Telecommunications.

The MOU, signed during a tour to Asia by AOTC Chief Executive Frank
Blount, will see OTC continue and increase its participation in the
modernization and upgrading of Vietnam's telecommunications
infrastructure. Blount and his Vietnamese counterpart, Director-
General of Posts and Telecommunications, Dang Van Than, signed
the agreement in Hanoi as Blount ended his tour of South-East
Asia and Indo-China.

In a joint statement after the signing, the two telecommunications
carriers said, "The MOU acknowledges the need for the continuing
development of Vietnam's telecommunications and covers the
upgrading of the international facilities, the introduction of new
advanced systems, and the provision of network management and
marketing expertise."

The MOU also reaffirmed an earlier agreement between the
two carriers to cooperate in the laying of the TVH cable, an
undersea telecommunications cable between Thailand, Vietnam,
and Hong Kong. OTC will provide technical and managerial
assistance, as well as financial facilities.

(Sean McNamara/19930114)


(NEWS)(TELECOM)(SYD)(00011)

Australian Videoconferencing Firms Lay Down Hatchets 01/14/93
SYDNEY, AUSTRALIA, 1993 JAN 14 (NB) -- Two rival New South
Wales-based teleconferencing providers - SVT Video Systems
and GEC Video Systems - have joined together to demonstrate
an Integrated Services Digital Network (ISDN)-based
videoconferencing system.

The Focus 300 series of videoconferencing equipment is
jointly distributed locally by SVT and GEC, and uses existing
ISDN lines and "plug-in equipment to provide videoconferencing
facilities to companies.

Commenting on the cooperation, Stephen Wright, of SVT, said, "We
are both keen competitors, but in this case we have decided to
work together, in a sense, for the benefit of videoconferencing."

Over the next two months, SVT and GEC will hold a number of
demonstrations of the Focus 300 equipment (manufactured by
British firm GEC Plessey) in Sydney, Canberra, Melbourne,
Adelaide, Perth, and Brisbane.

Wright sees the system as marking the start of affordable
videoconferencing systems for businesses. "It is very much
getting to the stage where medium businesses can get into
videoconferencing now. The price is coming down, by as much
as 50 percent over the past five years, and it should halve
again over the next year or two," he said.

The basic Focus 300 system comprises of a color camera,
microphone, loudspeaker, audio system, desktop keypad controller
and a codec (coder-decoder), which integrates the components
into the videoconferencing system.

The user has a choice between a dedicated video monitor or a
normal television for delivering video. Once all the components
are plugged in, normal ISDN lines are used to dial the remote
site (at which there must be a compatible system installed) to
begin the videoconference.

(Sean McNamara/19930114/Press & Public Contact: SVT Video
Systems, phone in Australia [phone])


(NEWS)(GENERAL)(TOR)(00012)

Environmental Clip Art For Mac & PC 01/14/93
OTTAWA, ONTARIO, CANADA, 1993 JAN 14 (NB) -- A collection
of clip-art following an environmental theme is the first product
from an Ottawa-based startup. Arro International is launching
Arroglyphs Environment 1, a collection of 200 images in
Encapsulated Postscript (EPS) format.

The images include detailed illustrations relating to
environmental topics, as well as simple accent graphics
following the same theme. Versions are available for IBM and
compatible PCs and for the Apple Macintosh.

Arro chose the environmental subject matter because the topic
is currently popular and yet there are no collections of clip art
devoted to it, said Gabriela Rosen, marketing manager. The
company plans further clip art collections and hopes in future
to move into producing animated clip art, she said.

Arro is selling Arroglyphs Environment 1 direct in the United
States and Canada, promoting it through advertising in
publications oriented to desktop publishing, Rosen said. The
company hopes to work with a mail order house to expand
distribution in future, she added.

Environment 1 comes on eight disks and sells for $199.99. A
10-image sampler is available for $10.

(Grant Buckler/19930113/Press Contact: Gabriela Rosen, Arro
International, 613-591-1406, fax [phone]; Public
Contact: Arro International, 613-591-1406 or 201-746-9620)


(NEWS)(GENERAL)(SFO)(00013)

ASP Expands Print Server Family, Gets Novell Certification 01/14/93
SUNNYVALE, CALIFORNIA, U.S.A., 1993 JAN 14 (NB) -- ASP
Computer Products is set to introduce a new member of their
printer server line. The company has also announced that it
has achieved Novell certification.

The new member of the print server family is known as the
JetLAN 2P. It is an expanded version of the company's JetLAN P
in that it can attach up to two printers directly to the network.
The JetLAN 2P can be placed apart from the network file server
so that it can be positioned in a more convenient location for
users to access.

Security is enhanced as the network file server itself can now
be placed in a locked room without inconveniencing users. Also,
the installation does not need to dedicate a PC to the print
server functions as the device performs that function by itself.

ASP is making three models available. One is for Ethernet networks.
It comes with a BNC and an RJ45 connector for the network wiring.
It is officially known as the JL2P300 and will retail for $695
when it starts shipping in February. Another model in the line will
support Token-Ring with a nine-pin female connector and an RJ45
connector. It is expected to ship in early April. The Arcnet model
will have twisted-pair or a BNC (Bayonet-Neill-Concelman)
connector and should become available by the end of March.
Pricing on the Token Ring and Arcnet versions will be decided
closer to shipping date.

ASP has also announced that they have received certification
from Novell. The certification means that Novell has performed
significant testing of the its devices and found that they work
with the Novell NetWare software under a variety of conditions
that most networks are likely to encounter.

"This latest certification increases our network users' print
server options and adds reassurance to their purchase decision,"
said Amnon Even-Kesef, ASP president. "Novell Lab's Tested and
Approved Netware Compatible certification means that network
administrators can be assured that our JetLAN/P and JetLAN
print server products will work on their Netware network."

(Naor Wallach/19930111/Press Contact: Kristin Keyes, McLean
PR for ASP, 415-513-8800/Public Contact: ASP, 408-746-2965)


(NEWS)(IBM)(SFO)(00014)

DCA Announces IRMA Smartscreen For Windows 01/14/93
ALPHARETTA, GEORGIA, U.S.A., 1993 JAN 14 (NB) -- DCA has
entered into an agreement with Capella Systems of Atlanta,
Georgia, to create a new product that will act as a front-end to
PROFS and Office Vision/VM for Microsoft Windows. The new
product is known as IRMA Smartscreen for Windows (ISW).

ISW is a front-end for PROFS and Office Vision/VM users. It will
take over all of the functions that are done with those two
packages and display a Windows-oriented user interface. The
end result is that users will not have to bother with learning the
specific commands and idiosyncracies of PROFS or Office
Vision/VM.

For instance, by pressing a button in a window, ISW will log into
the mainframe, retrieve all of the mail that accumulated for the
user, download the mail to the PC, and log off the mainframe.
Then, the user will be able to view and manipulate the mail
messages off-line using the tools provided by ISW. ISW also
downloads the mail directory to the PC so that uses can forward
and generate mail from the PC.

The company maintains that, another advantage to this approach,
aside from reduced training costs and time, is a reduction in
connect times to the mainframe. Many organizations have a
chargeback system that is based on mainframe time. With ISW
connect times are significantly reduced and, consequently, so are
the connect time charges.

DCA is making ISW available to IRMA Workstation for Windows
2.1 users for free between now and June 30, 1993. After that
time DCA will charge $125 for ISW. Users who currently have an
earlier version of IWW will also be able to receive ISW for free
with the paid upgrade to IWW until June 30.

(Naor Wallach/19930111/Press Contact: Kerry Stanfield, DCA,
404-442-4519/Public contact: DCA, 800-348-3221)


(NEWS)(BUSINESS)(HKG)(00015)

Hong Kong: AST's MD Reveals Effects Of PC Price War 01/14/93
CAUSEWAY BAY, HONG KONG, 1993 JAN 14 (NB) -- In a recent
interview at AST Asia Pacific's Hong Kong Office, Managing
Director Philip Wong disclosed his views on the effects of the
personal computer price war.

Despite a general perception of a downturn in the PC market,
Wong believes the current intense price war and the resulting
price cuts will generate new demand for PCs.

Wong said that while many people feel that the price war is a
sign of market saturation, it is actually just the beginning of
a rapid growth phase of the industry life cycle.

He also believes the increasing affordability of PC's will have a
three-pronged effect: "Speeding up replacement purchases by
corporate users; increasing demand by small businesses; and
generating demand by first time home purchasers."

Although PCs have been in the local market for more than a
decade, the utilization rate varies from industry to industry.

"The current price drop helps facilitate product trial by industries
that are less PC intensive, such as small trading businesses or the
manufacturing sector and encourages replacement purchases by
corporate users to improve performance, efficiency, and
productivity," Wong said.

"The PC market resembles the TV market in many ways and it still
shows healthy growth. The affordability of PCs ensures not only
that they emerge as an indispensable business-productivity tool,
but also an indispensable household commodity in the
home-environment."

Wong said that 1993 will be a big trial for PC vendors can as the
price war will result in the "survival of the fittest."

"As PCs have been around for over 10 years and there are a large
number of educated users, vendors can no longer rip customers
off with a premium price disguised as a novelty," claimed Wong.

He feels that an industry consolidation is inevitable and such a
filtering process ensures that the survivors will be able to offer
good products and services to end-users. "The increasing
affordability of PC's and the narrowing of the price-gap between
branded PC's and no-name clones will force the latter out of the
market," he said.

Wong added that the traditional technology and performance gaps
between minicomputers and PCs have now become almost
seamless, and the rising performance of PCs will pose ever-rising
threats to existing minicomputer vendors.

(Brett Cameron/19930113/Press Contact: Diane Chan, AST
Asia Pacific, Tel: [phone];HK time is GMT + 8)


(NEWS)(GENERAL)(HKG)(00016)

Hong Kong: 3Com FDDI Adapter For High-Speed LANs 01/14/93
CENTRAL, HONG KONG, 1993 JAN 14 (NB) -- 3Com has started
shipping its FDDILink family of 32-bit Extended Industry
Standard Architecture (EISA) FDDI (Fiber Distributed data
Interface) network adapters to Asia.

The family, 3Com's first range of FDDI adapters, is priced up to 50
percent lower than similar adapters offered by competitors and is
expected to drive the acceptance of FDDI to the desktop. The base
price of the FDDILink-STP (shielded twisted-pair) is $1,295 and
the fiber-based FDDILink-F is $1,895. However, prices will vary
in Asia due to import tariffs.

The company will also launch an FDDILink UTP (unshielded twisted-
pair) adapter after the American National Standards Institute
(ANSI) standard for this technology is finalized. As well EISA,
3Com has also announced plans to develop FDDILink adapters for
other popular high-speed buses including NuBus, Micro Channel,
and S-Bus.

FDDILink adapters are targeted at users of data-intensive
applications, such as image processing, graphics, and multimedia.
According to the company, they offer an average 7.8 percent
better performance than their closest competitors and are the
only FDDI adapters available from a major vendor that meet FCC
class A and B standards on STP copper as well as fiber cables.

"Recent proposals for 100 Mbps Ethernet and vendor plans for
asynchronous transfer mode have confused the marketplace," said
Doug Dennerline, general manager of 3Com Asia. "In addition,
many users who would like to take advantage of a high-speed
technology have been constrained by high-cost FDDI options.
The availability of high speed, low priced and media-flexible
FDDI adapters...will play a significant role in bringing FDDI to
the desktop."

The company claims that the FDDILink adapters are a safe
investment for users who are concerned about the future of
copper-based FDDI and other media additions to the FDDI
standard. FDDILink adapters are designed to be used with either
fiber optic, shielded twisted pair, or Level 5 unshielded twisted
pair copper cable.

If users want to upgrade or change cable type, they can remove
the FDDILink's interchangeable media module and plug in a new
module. The company says that the design provides users with a
flexible system regardless of the ANSI committee standards
direction for FDDI over UTP copper cable.

"The FDDILink family of adapters rounds out our total FDDI solution
from backbone all the way to the desktop," said Dennerline. "FDDI
is a key component of our high-speed networking strategy helping
to provide increased bandwidth benefits for our customers and
moving them closer to true global data networking."

(Brett Cameron/19930113/Press Contact: Doug Dennerline
(3Com): Tel: [phone];HK time is GMT + 8)


(NEWS)(IBM)(TOR)(00017)

 ****Wang Launches Three PCs 01/14/93
LOWELL, MASSACHUSETTS, U.S.A., 1993 JAN 13 (NB) -- Wang
Laboratories has extended its PC Series of industry-standard
personal computers with the announcement of three new
machines: the DTI250, the DTI266, and the DTE33.

All are desktop PCs based on Intel's 486 processors. Shipments
are due to start in February in the United States only, a
spokesman said.

The DTI250 and DTI266 use Intel's 486DX2 clock-doubling
processors, which run internally at twice the speed of the PC's
system memory and support logic. The DTI250 uses the 50
megahertz (MHz) chip, while the DTI266 uses the 66 MHz
processor.

Both DTI models have seven Industry Standard Architecture (ISA)
expansion slots, two of which must be used for "required
options," which are the video controller and a combination serial
port, parallel port, and Integrated Drive Electronics (IDE) hard
disk controller card. Both come with 210 megabyte (MB) hard disk
drives and four MB of memory, which is expandable to 32MB.

Both models also have two local-bus slots compliant with the
VESA standard, for options such as local-bus video and hard drive
controllers. A 16-bit, one MB local-bus SVGA video controller is
standard. Secondary cache memory up to 256 kilobytes (KB) is
optional. The DTI250 has a list price of $2,359, and the DTI266
lists for $2,748.

The DTE33 uses the Extended Industry Standard Architecture
(EISA) system bus. Wang said it is designed to replace the
existing Wang EC480/33C. Based on the Intel 486DX CPU (central
processing unit) running at 33 MHz, the DTE33 has eight EISA I/O
(input/output) slots, with six free after required options are
installed.

The DTE33 includes a 210MB hard drive and four MB of memory,
which is also expandable to 32MB. It also supports an optional
local-bus SVGA video controller. It can be upgraded to Intel's
clock-doubling CPUs and secondary cache memory is an option.

This model is also available as the DTE33-VS, preconfigured
with features aimed at easy connectivity to Wang's VS line of
minicomputers.

List prices are $2,536 for the standard DTE33 and $2,999
for the DTE33-VS.

All three models come in a 16-by-15.5-by-6.25-inch chassis and
have room for as many as five storage devices, including up to
three externally accessible half-height drives. Each unit is
powered by a 200-watt power supply, and comes with a mouse,
and Microsoft's MS-DOS operating system and Windows graphical
user interface.

Wang has been operating under the protection of Chapter 11 of
United States bankruptcy law since last August.

(Grant Buckler/19930113/Press Contact: Tom Mitro, Wang
Laboratories, 508-967-2081)


(NEWS)(BUSINESS)(TOR)(00018)

 ****DEC Reports Another Quarterly Loss 01/14/93
MAYNARD, MASSACHUSETTS, U.S.A., 1993 JAN 14 (NB) -- Troubled
Digital Equipment Corp., has, as expected, reported a loss in its
second quarter, 1993. In the quarter ended December 26, DEC
lost $73.86 million on revenues of $3,689.44 million.

The results compare with a net loss of $155.24 million on
revenues of $3,479.49 million in the same quarter a year earlier.
Per share results for the quarter were a loss of $0.57 versus a
loss of $1.25 for the second quarter of fiscal 1992.

For the six months ended December 26, the company reported
total operating revenues of $7,003.74 million, up three percent
from the $6,772.57 million of the same period a year ago.

The net loss for the first six months of fiscal 1993 was $334.41
million, compared to a loss for the first half of fiscal 1992 of
$629.07 million, which included a $485.5 million charge for a
change in accounting principles related to post-retirement health
benefits, DEC said. In the first six months of fiscal 1993, DEC
lost $2.60 per share, versus $5.05 in the first six months of
fiscal 1992.

The loss, which investment analysts had expected, continues a
series of losses in recent quarters for a company that had been a
consistent money-maker since its creation in 1957. The company
lost $2.8 billion in fiscal 1992, and $260.55 million in the
first quarter of the current year.

Last summer, founder and President Ken Olsen resigned. There had
been criticism of his management and some say he left because
he was unwilling to undertake massive staff cuts DEC's board of
directors - and industry observers - judged necessary.

Olsen's successor, Robert Palmer, has said the company is likely
to cut some 20,000 to 25,000 jobs in the next couple of years.
DEC's worldwide head count has already dropped by about 30,000
since 1989.

In December, Palmer announced details of a restructuring into
nine business units, five built around industry sectors and four
around DEC product lines, through which all company revenues
are to be channelled. The new structure is to be fully in place in
time for the start of the company's next fiscal year in July,
according to a company spokesman.

A senior DEC official said recently that the company is unlikely
to make a profit in fiscal 1993, but that there are hopes it can
do so in 1994.

(Grant Buckler/19930114/Press Contact: Bradley D. Allen,
508-493-7182; or James Chiafery, 508-493-8009, both of
Digital Equipment Corp.)


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

 ****AT&T Works On Follow-On To Frame Relay - ATM 01/14/93
NEW YORK, NEW YORK, U.S.A., 1993 JAN 14 (NB) -- As the market
for frame relay data services heats-up, with companies like
CompuServe, WilTel, MCI, BT Tymnet, and Sprint all offering the
service, market-leader AT&T has begun working with major
equipment suppliers on a follow-up, called asynchronous
transfer mode, or ATM.

Frame relay can push data at up to 1.544 million bits/second,
much faster than X.25 networks like Sprintnet and BT Tymnet. It
achieves this speed by reducing the amount of system overhead
devoted to error-correction and retransmission of mistakes.
Frame relay has become very popular for such applications as
linking local area networks together.

However, so-called "T-1" speeds of 1.544 million b/s look slow
when companies want to transmit digitized multimedia
information - video, data, voices, and music - over the same data
pipe. Thus, equipment suppliers have begun working on a follow-on
ATM standard, which could achieve speeds of 600 million
bits/second.

Now AT&T, which runs the largest US data and voice networks,
has teamed with Cisco, the major maker of routers used to pump
data through frame relay or ATM nets, and Stratacom, the leading
maker of frame relay switches. The three companies say they will
work together to create open standards for ATM, so that the
technology can become a working reality within a few years, and
so that current investments in frame relay equipment will not be
lost. Without such cooperation, ATM might not reach the market
for 10 years.

"What we announced was a shared vision with Cisco and Stratacom,
a shared interest in bringing this to market," AT&T Product Line
Manager Jayne Fitzgerald told Newsbytes. "Behind this vision is a
commitment to drive toward standards and technologies that will
enable customers to use" ATM.

While standards for ATM are being worked on, more important
are so-called implementation agreements, documents that tell
vendors how to tell vendors how to build products that meet the
standards. AT&T is presently offering ATM, but in a proprietary
manner, Fitzgerald said.

ATM may be even more important to Stratacom Inc., whose IPX
switch dominates the frame relay market. The company recently
announced a follow-on product, the BPX switch, which can handle
ATM speeds. Brian Button, the company's director of product
marketing, says one key here is an agreement to make ATM and
frame relay work together, so customers do not have to wait for
the faster service before buying switches for the slower one.

(Dana Blankenhorn/19930114/Press Contact: Shelly London,
AT&T, 908-221-4355)


(NEWS)(BUSINESS)(DEN)(00020)

 ****Inacom Acquires Sears Business Centers 01/14/93
OMAHA, NEBRASKA, U.S.A., 1993 JAN 14 (NB) -- Inacom Corp., has
announced that it has acquired the Sears Business Centers (SBC)
division of Sears, Roebuck and Company.

SBC was formed by Sears in 1981, and sells and services
computing equipment and networking products for businesses
throughout the US from its 49 separate branch offices. Financial
details were not disclosed. A Sears spokesperson said at least
500 of the present 750 SBC employees were expected to join
Inacom. The rest will apparently lose their jobs.

Sears said the SBC sale does not affect its Office Centers at Sears
departments located in Sears stores, which sells computers to the
home office market. Sears merchandising group Chairman Arthur
Martinez said the SBCs do not fit into Sears long-term
merchandising strategies.

"After several months of assessing and reviewing the business
centers, we have determined they no longer are consistent with
the long-term merchandising strategies of our core retail
business," he said. Chicago-based Sears, Roebuck and Co., is also
divesting some of its other business interests, including most
of its financial services operations.

Inacom Chief Executive Officer Bill Fairfield said after the
announcement that he expects the company to report 1992 earnings
double that of the previous year. "Preliminary results will be out
next week and are expected to be in line with analysts estimates
of $1.20 to $1.25," Fairfield told the British news service Reuters.
In 1991 the company reported earnings of $0.56 per share.

SBC President William Lenahan will join Inacom to serve as
president of its direct operations division, succeeding Robert
Schulz, who will take over another Inacom division. Lenahan said
the SBCs generated over $500 million in revenue in 1992. Sears
said it would ask the US government to transfer a three-year
computer contract with the Department of Defense worth about
$400 million to Inacom. Lenahan said that contract has generated
about $30 million in revenue since it was awarded in August
1992.

Inacom was formed through the merger of ValCom and Inacomp
Computer Centers in 1991, and will acquire certain SBC fixed
assets. According to the company, the majority of the SBC
offices will continue to operate, with some being integrated
into InaCom's national network of computer centers and some
remaining as separate operations. Sears said the offices not
covered in the agreement will be closed. It will provide service
continuity for a four-month period after the deal is closed.

(Jim Mallory/19930114/Press contact: Geri Michelic, Inacom,
402-392-3923; Perry Chlan, Sears Merchandise Group,
708-286-7079)


(NEWS)(GOVT)(DEN)(00021)

 ****Wisconsin Plans Unemployment Claims By Phone 01/14/93
MADISON, WISCONSIN, U.S.A., 1993 JAN 14 (NB) -- The state of
Wisconsin says it will close all 25 of its local employment
offices under a plan to use touch tone telephones to file
unemployment claims.

Like most states, claimants in Wisconsin currently have to file
their application for unemployment benefits in person at a local
office, then refile by mail or in person each week in order to
receive benefits.

According to Wisconsin Secretary of Industry, Labor and Human
Relations Carol Skornicka, the weekly refilling will be done by
phone beginning in the fall of 1993, and eventually even the initial
claim can be handled by phone or mail. Skornicka estimates that
the new system will save the state $2.5 - $3.5 million annually.

Under the new system, when a claimant calls a special toll free
number, they will answer a series of questions with "yes" or "no"
responses by pressing the appropriate keys on their telephone
dial pad as directed by a computerized program. The program
uses those responses to determine if the person is eligible for
unemployment compensation.

A similar system is already in use in Oregon and North Carolina.
Skornicka says the number of claims went up after the system
was started in those states. "People find the (unemployment line)
intimidating," says Bruce Hagen, an administrator in the
Wisconsin agency. Skornicka also points out that the system will
benefit the unemployed who do not have automobiles, or cannot
afford child care while they go to the unemployment office.

The agency says that about 60 percent of Wisconsin phones have
touch-tone service, and for those that do not, a pay phone would
probably be closer than having to travel to an unemployment
office. No estimate of cost is available, as the state has not
solicited bids for the system yet, according to Skornicka.

(Jim Mallory/19930114/Press contact: Wisconsin Department
of Industry, Labor and Human Relations, 608-266-3131)


(NEWS)(TRENDS)(DEN)(00022)

 ****Low-Cost Inkjet Printers Overtaking Laserjets 01/14/93
BOSTON, MASSACHUSETTS, U.S.A., 1993 JAN 14 (NB) -- According
to market research company International Data Corp., (IDC), the
laser printer is losing market share to its less expensive inkjet
sibling. IDC says inkjet printers held only 10 percent of the total
printer market last year, but predicts it will overtake laser
printers as soon as next year.

An inkjet printer uses a small computer chip sealed into a
disposable ink cartridge with tiny nozzles to control the spray of
microscopic drops of ink on paper to form words and images. When
the ink is used up, the user snaps out the old cartridge and pops in
a new one. A laser printer uses technology similar to a copy
machine, charging a piece of paper electrically to attract tiny
particles of powered ink called toner into the shapes of letters
or graphics that are melted onto the paper.

Cost is another factor. As an example, the Hewlett-Packard (HP)
Deskjet sells for less than $400, while the lowest-cost laser
printer is more than twice that price. Models of both machines
are  available that will print color, but here the price gap is even
wider, with the inkjet much cheaper. A replacement for the inkjet
cartridge costs about $14, while a toner cartridge for a laserjet
runs from $70 to $100, depending on the printer model.

HP makes both types of printers, and has been dominant when it
comes to inkjet machines. However, rival Canon Inc has its own
version of the inkjet, and says inkjets are the wave of the future.
"Inkjet technology is accelerating very, very quickly," says Peter
Bergman, marketing chief for Canon Computer Systems, a Canon
subsidiary located in Costa Mesa, California. Epson, best known
for its line of dot matrix printers, has also introduced an inkjet
model and has marketed a laser printer for several years.

Market research company Dataquest estimates that the computer
printer market was worth over $8 billion in North America in
1991, and expects the market share for inkjets to jump as more
small businesses and consumers buy the inexpensive but
sophisticated desktop printers now available and want equally
inexpensive and sophisticated printers.

(Jim Mallory/19930114/Press contact: Marc Boer, IDC,
508-872-8200)


(NEWS)(BUSINESS)(DEN)(00023)

Storagetek Announces Organizational Changes 01/14/93
LOUISVILLE, COLORADO, U.S.A., 1993 JAN 14 (NB) -- Storage
Technology Corp., known for its data backup systems in the
midrange and mainframe market, has announced a change in its
organizational structure that combines the leadership of its
marketing planning efforts with those of research and
development.

David Weiss, until now Storagetek's senior vice president for
marketing, has been promoted to an executive vice president
position. In his new position, he will be in charge of both
product development and product delivery. Weiss will not have
responsibility for field marketing activities.

According to Storagetek Chairman, President, and Chief Executive
Officer Ryal Poppa "The organization that (now) reports
to Dave Weiss will help us integrate the strategic planning for our
product lines with executive-level management of new product
development."

The company said that research and development functions that
relate to manufacturing have been placed under the direction of
Thomas Gooch, executive vice president for operations. Gooch has
responsibility for worldwide manufacturing, advanced
manufacturing, support services, and technology operations. Both
Weiss and Gooch report to Poppa.

Weiss joined Storagetek in 1991 after 23 years with IBM Corp.,
where he was involved in development, manufacturing, and
strategic planning. Storagetek spokesperson David Reid told
Newsbytes that in his new position Weiss assumes the
responsibility for oversight of research and development, formerly
held by Robert Costain, who left the company several months ago
"by mutual agreement."

Storagetek is reported to be ready to announce a network server
for Unix-based  networks sometime in the next few weeks that
links the company's existing data library to the network for data
backup. Reid also told Newsbytes that "Iceberg," the long-awaited
redundant array storage product, is still on schedule.

(Jim Mallory/19930114/Press contact: David Reid, Storagetek,
303-673-4815)


(NEWS)(IBM)(BOS)(00024)

NetWorld:  Upgrade To PC/TCP Implementation Of TCP/IP  01/14/93
BOSTON, MASSACHUSETTS, U.S.A., 1993 JAN 14 (NB) -- At NetWorld
Boston, FTP Software has announced version 2.2 of PC/TCP for DOS
and Windows, its PC implementation of the TCP/IP (Transmission
Control Protocol/Internet Protocol) protocol for cross-platform
communications.

In an interview with Newsbytes on the show floor, Margaret
Forsythe, director of technical services, said that the latest
edition adds greater international accessibility, more ease of
use, and improved file management and printing, among other
capabilities.

Forsythe told Newsbytes that FTP's internetworking software is
newly equipped with several international character sets that
support NFS directory and file names in languages other than
English.

"This feature is important because PC/TCP is now distributed in
just about every country that uses TCP/IP extensively," Forsythe
commented. International distribution takes place through some
60 to 70 VARs (value-added resellers) in Europe and the Asia
Pacific, she said.

Version 2.2 also brings an enhanced installation program that
offers onscreen help, automated configuration detection, and
utilities for smoothing the process of upgrading from previous
versions. "The installation program is especially advantageous
to users who are not that familiar with TCP/IP," Forsythe told
Newsbytes.

Like previous editions of PC/TCP, version 2.2 can be used in
either DOS or Windows mode. One new set of file and printer
sharing capabilities lets the user access networking services
from multivendor hosts through the Windows 3.1 file manager,
as well as through the PC/TCP network control panel provided
in the past.

Windows 3.1 file manager connectivity is made possible by
PCTCPNET, a new Windows front-end for Interdrive, FTP's
implementation of NFS.

In addition, to increase the performance of file and printer
sharing over WANs (wide area networks), version 2.2 is equipped
with support for NFS/TCP. The two new capabilities were added
because FTP has discovered that most PC/TCP users employ
networks mainly for file and printer sharing, remote log-in, and
electronic mail.

Also new in version 2.2 is WMSG, a Windows application for real-
time messaging. Additional enhancements include EMM support
for greater interoperability with other platforms and router
discovery for building fault-tolerant networks.

PC/TCP for DOS and Windows 2.2 requires an IBM-compatible PC,
DOS 3.x or higher, and, for use in the Windows mode, Microsoft
Windows 3.x. The software is available now at a price of $400.

(Jacqueline Emigh/19930114; Reader contact: FTP Software,
tel [phone]; Press contact: Roberta Carlton, Sterling
Hager for FTP Software, tel [phone])


(NEWS)(IBM)(LON)(00025)

UK: AST Unveils New Powerexec Notebook PC 01/14/93
BRENTFORD, MIDDLESEX, ENGLAND, 1992 JAN 14 (NB) -- AST Europe
has launched the Powerexec EL, a budget version of its Powerexec
range of portable PCs.

AST's previous Powerexecs, the 3/25SL and the 4/25SL series,
were pitched as premium products by the company. According to
Con Mallon, AST's product marketing manager, the EL is an
entry-level machine, priced from UKP 1,295.

Despite its budget nature, the EL is powered by an 25 megahertz
(MHz) 80386SL chipset and features an upgradable 9.5-inch
monochrome display, a single PCMCIA type II slot (as compared to
two on the other Powerexec machines) and an upgradeable hard
drive.

"We're in the business of providing technologically strong
computing solutions at a price point for mainstream computer
users. In a maturing notebook marketplace characterized by
professional and entry-level sectors, the EL provides high
productivity and value-added features at an entry-level prices,"
he said.

The 5.9-pound portable comes with DOS 5.0 as standard. The
monochrome display can be replaced  by a 9.5-inch FSTN passive
matrix color or a same-sized TFT active matrix color system.

The base model is the model 63, which comes with a 60 megabyte
(MB) hard drive and 2MB of memory, (expandable to 20MB), and
costs UKP 1,295. The model 123/W comes with a 120MB hard
drive, 4MB of memory, Windows 3.1 and AST's Smartpoint
wireless trackball, and costs UKP 1,695.

Optional extras for the Powerexec EL include a Powerstation
docking station and Easyport port replicator. The Powerstation
has two ISA (Industry Standard Architecture) expansion slots
and drive bays. The Easyport, meanwhile, is designed for users
who want instantly accessible ports on a desktop unit.

(Steve Gold/19930114/Press & Public Contact: AST Research -
Tel: [phone]; Fax: [phone])


(NEWS)(BUSINESS)(LON)(00026)

DCA Enhances Its European Distribution Channels 01/14/93
HEMEL HEMPSTEAD, HERTFORDSHIRE, ENGLAND, 1993 JAN 14 (NB) --
Digital Communications Associates (DCA) has announced, what
it claims, are a number of significant enhancements to its
European distribution arrangements.

According to the networking and connectivity company, the
arrangements are designed to take advantage of the newly-
created free European marketplace, which came into being on
January 1 this year. The Pan-European distribution agreements
involve Computer 2000 of Munich, Ingram Micro of London, and
Merisel Europe of Brentford in the UK.

"As we move towards a more cohesive European marketplace, we
are faced with two challenges: first, we need to develop a broad,
open distribution network that reflects the changing marketplace
throughout Europe; and second, we need to offer our customers
consultative services that provide strategic solutions for their
increasingly complex communications requirements," explained
Lindsay Cox, DCA's European marketing manager.

Under the Pan-European distribution arrangements, either of the
three distributors will be free to market DCA products in any
European country in which they have offices.

"Within each of our subsidiaries across Europe, networking and
communications products are a key component to our growth,"
said Steve DeWindt, co-president and member of the executive
board of Computer 2000. "Because of this and the fact that DCA
has the premier name in connectivity, Computer 2000 is anxious
to expand its relationship with DCA," he said.

Tom Reeves, managing director of Merisel Europe, said that he
welcomed DCA's initiative in forging Pan-European agreements.

"To be competitive, manufacturers today must view distribution
in Europe as Pan-European rather than country-specific. Merisel
and DCA have long enjoyed a successful partnership in the UK
and France, and we are excited to extend this partnership to
Germany, Switzerland, and Austria," he said.

Reeves went on to say that DCA's commitment will be welcomed
by European computer dealers. "This Pan-European DCA partnership
has vast growth potential as Merisel Europe continues to expand
into new markets," he said.

Newsbytes notes that DCA is the first company to announce a Pan-
European distribution strategy since the January 1 free market
start date. Several other companies have hinted at their own
strategy, but DCA appears to be first off the starting block.

(Steve Gold/19930114/Press & Public Contact: DCA UK -
Tel: [phone]; Fax: [phone])


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

2GB 5.25-Inch Hard Drive Due From Fujitsu 01/14/93
UXBRIDGE, MIDDLESEX, ENGLAND, 1992 JAN 14 (NB) -- Hard disks
seem to be getting bigger all the time, but Fujitsu appears to
have beaten the competition with its latest shipping M2564 drive,
a 5.25-inch form factor unit with a formatted capacity of two
gigabytes (2,000 megabytes).

According to a spokesman for the company, the drive is aimed at
the large file server using department computer systems, as
well as non-stop computer applications. Fujitsu claims that the
drive has one of the highest sustained media data rates in the
industry at 4.75 megabytes-per-second and an average seek
time of 12 milliseconds.

The rapid data transfer is achieved through the use of a high spin
speed - 5,400 revolutions per minute. An onboard 256 kilobyte
memory cache speeds up the sustained data transfer rates
considerably, the company claims.

A spokesman for Fujitsu's marketing department told Newsbytes
that the drive has a very high mean-time-between-failures (MTBF)
of 300,000 power on hours. This is one of the highest achieved in
the computer industry, Newsbytes notes.

"The proven pedigree and design of the drive suits it to a wide
range of applications, including non-stop and on-line systems,"
said Joe Jura, Fujitsu's storage products manager. "This power
drive is also extremely effective as a direct access storage
device (DASD) for computers being used for scientific and
engineering applications, such as 3D modeling and complex
graphical analysis," he added.

Pricing on the new drives has yet to be confirmed. Evaluation
units in both differential and single-ended SCSI-2 (Small
Computer Systems Interface) formats are available now, with
volume shipments expected in February.

(Steve Gold/19930114/Press & Public Contact: Fujitsu Europe -
Tel: [phone]; Fax: [phone])


(NEWS)(GENERAL)(SFO)(00028)

 ****Banyan Releases Vines 5.50 01/14/93
WESTBORO, MASSACHUSETTS, U.S.A., 1993 JAN 14 (NB) -- Banyan
has taken the opportunity presented by the Networld show being
held this week in Boston to announce the newest version of their
network operating system - Vines.

Vines 5.50 is available now and comes with several much requested
additions. One of the main improvements is the incorporation of
StreetTalk III. StreetTalk has long been considered one of the
premier directory services on the market. Now Banyan has
enhanced it with a new Directory Integration Architecture,
Advanced Object Query Model, and Advanced Management Facilities.
The enhancements represent a much easier-to-use version
of StreetTalk.

Banyan is claiming that the enhancements made to StreetTalk have
moved it into the next generation of global directory services.
The new features make finding information about where people and
services are much easier, while at the same time extending the
capability of many other programs to tap into this service.

The new management functions are also concerned with making
life easier for network administrators who will have an
increasingly larger role to play as networks become more
global and expansive.

Another major improvement came in the wide area networking
area where Banyan has now added support for ISDN (Integrated
Services Digital Networks) and T1 server-to-server capabilities.
Banyan has also added source level routing for remote
Token-Ring bridges to version 5.50.

Banyan has included the full suite of features from Vines 4.11 and
Vines 5.0 so there is no need to maintain two different network
operating systems in one installation. Finally, Vines 5.5 has
beefed up its support for the leading computer operating systems
with complete integration of Vines services with Macintosh,
DOS, Windows, and OS/2.

Vines 5.50 is available now. Vines 5 (the five-user package)
retails for $1,495, Vines 10 for $2,895, Vines 20 for $4,595, and
Vines Unlimited for $8,495. Vines SMP retails for $13,995 and is
intended for use on multiprocessors. The two new options are
priced as follows: T1 Server-to-Server Software Option $3,995;
ISDN Server-to-Server Software Option - $2,495. A base
documentation set can be purchased for $395.

Existing Vines users who are part of Banyan's subscription
program will receive this upgrade for 15 percent off the new
purchase price. Others may purchase the upgrade for 45 percent
of the new purchase price.

(Naor Wallach/19930113/Press Contact: Joann Anderson,
Copithorne & Bellows for Banyan, 617-252-0606/Public
Contact: Banyan, 508-898-1000)


(NEWS)(IBM)(LAX)(00029)

IBM's Adstar Unit Sells San Jose Facility 01/14/93
SAN JOSE, CALIFORNIA, U.S.A., 1993 JAN 14 (NB) -- IBM, in
another attempt to reduce its expenses, says it plans to sell a
building and land it has at 6450 Guadalupe Mines Road in
Southwest San Jose, California.

No layoffs are planned at the site, as the employees and
projects currently housed in the space will be relocated to
other buildings in the San Jose area, the company said.

The building for sale is a satellite building of IBM's Adstar
site, also in San Jose, but located on Cottle Road. The 86,000-
square-foot building on 130 acres of land is used currently as
office and laboratory space.

IBM has been losing big money in 1992, its first revenue drop
in 45 years, and is taking steps to stay the tide of lost revenue.
Revenue fell 6.1 percent to $64.8 billion and IBM reported a net
loss of $2.8 billion for the calendar year 1991.

In addition to major staff cuts, in the neighborhood of 20,000
at a time, the company also said it would decentralize many
operations.

During 1993 one or more of the decentralized units were
predicted to begin issuing their own financial statements and
Adstar was on the top of the company's list to begin that trend.

Selling real estate in San Jose may not be any more profitable
for IBM than selling computers has been this last year.
Depressed business and economic conditions in the area have
caused a severe slow down in the real estate market.

(Linda Rohrbough/19930114/Press Contact: Lynn Watkins,
IBM, tel [phone], fax [phone])


(NEWS)(GOVT)(LAX)(00030)

Borland Hit With Class Action Shareholder Suit 01/14/93
SCOTTS VALLEY, CALIFORNIA, U.S.A., 1993 JAN 14 (NB) -- Borland
has been served with a class action lawsuit representing
investors who acquired the company's common stock between
March 5, 1991, and April 27, 1992.

The period represents the time when Borland was acquiring
database developer Ashton-Tate, a move some analysts say has
driven the company into its current financial difficulties.
However, the Ashton-Tate acquisition was announced in July
of 1991 and completed in early 1992.

Borland, however, says the suit is baseless and it plans to put
up a vigorous defense.

The company has been struggling, with the announcement of
restructuring and layoffs of 350 employees just before the
holidays in December. Analysts have been lowering their
expectations of the company's performance as well.

However, the company announced that it planned to enter the
lucrative Japanese spreadsheet market with its Quattro Pro
product. After only three months of development, Borland said
it was able to release the Japanese version, which will sell
for nearly twice as much as the English version.

(Linda Rohrbough/19930114/Press Contact: Martha Isham,
Borland, tel [phone], fax [phone])