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/nb930119

Text File | 1993-01-19 | 67KB | 1,498 lines

(NEWS)(GENERAL)(TOR)(00001)

CA Offers COBOL Suite 01/19/93
ISLANDIA, NEW YORK, U.S.A., 1993 JAN 19 (NB) -- Computer Associates
has welded together several of its COBOL-language development tools to
form CA-Realia II Workbench, a package aimed at mainframe computer
users seeking to downsize to smaller platforms or offload some of
their development work from the big iron.

According to the company, the $2,500 workbench brings together
everything that program developers need at a substantial savings over
buying the pieces separately. The package includes:

[] CA-COBOLvision, a graphical COBOL analysis and debugging tool
 for programs running on the mainframe or PC;

[] CA-PAN/LCM, an integrated change and configuration management
 system that works with the company's to CA-Panvalet and
 CA-Librarian data management software and Partitioned Data Sets;

[] CA-Realia COBOL, a mainframe-compatible COBOL development
 platform for the PC; and

[] CA-Realia CICS, a mainframe CICS emulator for the PC.

In addition to putting the four tools in a single package, CA has
surrounded them with a graphical user interface shell so they look
like "a brand new product," according to Marc Sokol, the company's
director of product strategy.

CA will still offer the component products separately, Sokol
said, but the complete suite "will be the obvious choice" for
customers working on downsizing projects or seeking to take some
of the load off their large computers.

Current users of CA-Realia COBOL can upgrade to CA-Realia II
Workbench for $1,500. For a limited time, clients who license
CA-Realia COBOL and CA-Realia CICS will receive CA-Realia II
Workbench free.

The initial release of CA-Realia II Workbench, which will work
with Microsoft's Windows software, will enter beta testing in the
second quarter. A later release will support the OS/2
Presentation Manager user interface, CA said.

CA also announced CA-Optimizer II 2.0, a COBOL II optimization
and debugging tool, which the firm said provides full support for
IBM's Systems Application Architecture (SAA) COBOL/370 release 1.0.

(Grant Buckler/19930119/Press Contact: Bob Gordon, Computer
Associates, 516-342-2391)


(NEWS)(IBM)(LAX)(00002)

Computerized "Rubber Stamp" For Wordperfect 01/19/93
LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA, U.S.A., 1993 JAN 19 (NB) -- Wordperfect users
can get their computer to "rubber stamp" their documents, with a new
program called Stampit from Enhancement Software. Stampit works with
Wordperfect 5.1 and Wordperfect for Windows and puts text over the
document text sideways so it looks like it was stamped onto the page.

Stampit version 2.0 offers 58 different words or phrases, each
in solid, hollow, and shaded formats for a total of 174
different "stamps." Users can place the stamp on any part of
the page, rotate it at any angle, and scale it to the size they
wish within the printable area of the page. The stamps can be
positioned right over the main text without effecting the
readability of the text.

The package can even stamp multiple copies of the same document with
different stamps, so one can have "FILE COPY" stamped across the text,
while another might say "CLIENT COPY" in the left margin, and still
another copy can be printed with the stamp "CHRON FILE" at the top of
the page.

Enhancement Software claims that the package works with virtually all
laser, Postscript, and dot matrix printers and is not memory-resident
(also known as a TSR) or a printer "overlay" so it avoids memory
conflicts with other programs.

Security is another issue, as the stamps placed over the text
of the document are nearly impossible to white out or cover up
to photocopy.

The company can also provide users with custom stamps for
$13.95, with a limit of 146 custom stamps for the Wordperfect
for DOS version and an unlimited number for the Wordperfect for
Windows version.

The package requires the Wordperfect 5.1 version be dated June 1990 or
later, and the Wordperfect for Windows be dated April 1992 or later.
For a retail price of $89 the company offers both the DOS and Windows
versions. A network version is also available.

Enhancement Software told Newsbytes that versions of Stampit are being
developed for other word processing software as well, such as
Microsoft Word.

(Linda Rohrbough/19930119/Press Contact: Alexander Auerbach,
Alexander Auerbach Public Relations for Enhancement Software,
tel [phone], fax [phone]; Enhancement Software,
Public Contact, 800-869-1122)


(NEWS)(IBM)(LAX)(00003)

Multimedia Travel Guide To California Now On CD 01/19/93
UNION CITY, CALIFORNIA, U.S.A., 1993 JAN 19 (NB) -- Travel writer Lee
Foster, winner of the Lowell Thomas Award for travel journalism in
1992, is offering his California travel expertise, advice, photos, and
even video clips on a compact disc read-only memory (CD-ROM) volume
called the California Traveler.

The CD offers travel information on the entire state, but especially
of interest to computer enthusiasts might be the Northern California
section on Silicon Valley.

Foster offers photographs and explanations to would-be visitors
including this advice, "If you want to rub elbows with the electronics
wizards making their deals over lunch, stop in at The Lion and Compass
Restaurant at 1023 North Fair Oaks, in Sunnyvale. Nolan Bushnell,
video game inventor and founder of Atari, started this restaurant in
his spare time."

Foster told Newsbytes that he took 1,000-plus photographs on the CD
himself. "The CD format is very exciting," Foster said. "Only this
media allows the lavish use of graphics, video, and sound to
complement text."

Hypertext links offer a jump to other information in the text,
and there's video clips of Foster himself at landmarks like the
Golden Gate Bridge introducing a particular segment of
California or its history.

The CD is published by Ebook, which also offers multimedia storybooks
for children, an Electronic Library of Art series, and multimedia
comic books. The California Travel CD retails for $49.95 and the Ebook
said a Macintosh version is planned as well.

(Linda Rohrbough/19930119/Press Contact: Lee Foster, Travel
Writer, tel [phone]; Jessee Allread, Ebook, 510-429-1331,
fax [phone])


(NEWS)(IBM)(BOS)(00004)

NodeRunner Ethernet Cards, First Products Based On Alice 01/19/93
TUSCON, ARIZONA, U.S.A., 1993 JAN 19 (NB) -- Artisoft has announced
the LANtastic NodeRunner 2000 Series of PC Ethernet adapter cards,
the first products to be based on the company's space-saving new
Alice Ethernet controller chip.

Alice, an IC (integrated circuit) about half the size of counterparts
from other vendors, is also being marketed to OEMs for integration
into notebook PCs and computer peripherals, a company spokesman told
Newsbytes.

The NodeRunner 2000 Series is being sold in models for four different
wiring configurations. Each card comes with a one-user LANtastic
network software license for the LANtastic network operating system,
said the spokesperson, speaking with Newsbytes in the Artisoft booth
at NetWorld Boston.

NodeRunner cards and other equipment using Alice controllers in
conjunction with LANtastic will be identifiable to customers by a
new logo. Bearing a yellow diamond and the words "LANtastic on
Board," the logo signifies that the product is ready to run on a
LANtastic network straight out of the box.

Alice measures less than one square inch. Moreover, the new IC
(integrated circuit) is the only product in its category to support
both the ISA and Micro Channel architectures.

Independent benchmarks have shown the new chip to be 40 percent faster
than most competitors, the spokesman said. Further, the semiconductor
is completely software configurable, requiring no dip switches, he
emphasized. "For the end user, this means there's no need to open up
the computer," he explained.

The four new, 16-bit NodeRunner adapters from Artisoft are each
equipped with 32K onboard buffer RAM, along with autosense between
8- and 16-bit slots. The cards are compatible with Artisoft's AE-2
Ethernet design as well as with Novell's NE 1000, NE 2000, and NE/2
Ethernet adapters.

The 2000/C model of NodeRunner provides a BNC connection for thin
coax cable. The 2000/T model has an RJ-45 connection for UTP
(unshielded twisted pair) wiring, plus the ability to be connected
internally to an Artisoft Peer Hub 10BASE-T concentrator. Each
model is priced at $200.

The 2000/A model, priced at $349, has BNC and RJ-45 connections,
along with an AUI connection for thick coax and an internal
connection to the Artisoft 10BASE-T concentrator.

The 2000M/TC model is a Micro Channel adapter with BNC and RJ-45
connections for use with thin coax and UTP, respectively. The
2000M/TC is being sold for $399.

To take advantage of the LANtastic network one-user license that
comes with a NodeRunner adapter, the customer must also purchase a
LANtastic starter kit. One option, Artisoft's LANtastic Software
Starter Kit, supplies software to support up to 300 users of
NodeRunner or AE Series adapters.

Artisoft is also offering a new starter kit that includes two
NodeRunner adapters, together with cabling and the LANtastic
network operating system for up to 300 users. The LANtastic
NodeRunner 2000/c Starter Kit is priced at $699 for DOS and $799
for Windows.

(Jacqueline Emigh/19930119/Press Contacts: Joe Stunkard, United
States, tel [phone]; Adriana Gomez, International, tel 602-
670-7300)


(NEWS)(APPLE)(SFO)(00005)

Cabletron Offers New Networking Products 01/19/93
ROCHESTER, NEW HAMPSHIRE, U.S.A., 1993 JAN 19 (NB) -- Cabletron
has begun shipments of its Macintosh based FDDI card -- the F6069 --
and held a demonstration of ATM technology working through its
concentrator, the MMAC, at the Networld show in Boston last week.

The F6069 card was actually unveiled a few months ago. It is a network
interface card for the Macintosh II and Quadra computers that supports
the full FDDI data rates (100 Mbps). Cabletron promises that the
F6069 will also support Apple's recently announced Appletalk
Update-based Routing Protocol (AURP). This means that users can
safely buy Cabletron's product knowing that it is completely
compatible with Apple and will completely integrate the
F6069-equipped Macintosh into the rest of the Cabletron network,
company officers say.

"Cabletron's support for Apple's advanced routing software provides
Macintosh users with a cost effective solution that allows
organizations to reduce the number of routers necessary to connect
small workgroups and departments." said Ken Kennedy, Cabletron's
product manager of desktop connectivity solutions.

Cabletron also pledges to implement various technologies into
its MMAC concentrator. The first stage of this 2-step process
is the incorporation of ATM technology via a partnership with
Fore Systems, a company that is a pioneer in the ATM industry.
At Networld, Cabletron had a Fore Systems ForeRunner GIA-100 ATM
card acting as a service point between a Cabletron MMAC and a
Fore Systems ASX-100 ATM switch network.

Chris Oliver, Cabletron's director of engineering and manufacturing
was asked by Newsbytes about the company's new strategy.
His response was that "Cabletron's strategy is to augment existing
standards-based networking technologies like Ethernet, Token Ring,
FDDI, SNA, bridging, and routing with a manageable ATM solution. The
integration of ATM into the hub is an enabling technology that will
permit the connectivity and management of broadband applications such
as multimedia, full motion video, and mass file transfers."

(Naor Wallach/19930119/Press Contact: Darren Orzechowski, Cabletron,
603-332-9400 Extension 1282/Public Contact: Cabletron, 603-332-9400)


(NEWS)(GENERAL)(SFO)(00006)

Futurus Network Product Upgrades 01/19/93
ATLANTA, GEORGIA, U.S.A., 1993 JAN 19 (NB) -- Futurus has
revealed an upgrade to Futurus Team Windows, is supporting RAM's
Mobile Data Wireless Network; and has joined in the MHS Alliance.

Team Windows version 2.1 is the latest version with such
improvements as tightened-up code execution so that start up
times are better. This has also resulted in faster performance
when the product is used with wide area networks.

Futurus had implemented a smart icon bar across the top of the
display in previous versions. However, there was no indication as to
which of the functions were available to a user at any one time.
That has now been corrected as the icon bar only makes available
those icons that lead to functions that are available.

Futurus has also redesigned many dialog boxes and other user interface
elements with the goal of making them easier to understand.
This was also extended to the help system. Futurus also added the
ability for users to drag and drop messages as a way of moving them
around the different system modules.

Prior to this version, each message would need to be separately
identified and manipulated via the pull-down menus.

Futurus has also expanded the fax support area by adding the
capability to print viewed faxes as well as support for additional
gateways from other companies.

Futurus Team Windows v2.1 is available now. Current users can
upgrade at no charge by calling the company.

Futurus has also announced software support for the RAM Mobile Data
Wireless Network. This will allow Futurus users to communicate from
almost anywhere as long as they have a Mobidem modem and software
utility that converts the mail messages from MHS format to the
RAM format. All functionality is completely transparent to the user.

(Naor Wallach/19930119/Press Contact: Sharon O'Brien, Futurus, 404-
392-7979 extension 130/Public Contact: Futurus, 404-392-7979)


(NEWS)(BUSINESS)(TOR)(00007)

Meca Completes Sale Of One-Write Line 01/19/93
FAIRFIELD, CONNECTICUT, U.S.A., 1993 JAN 19 (NB) -- Meca Software
has completed the sale of its One-Write Plus small-business
accounting software line to New England Business Services.

New England Business Services paid $8.25 million in cash at
closing and another $1 million to be held in escrow and paid out
over the next 12-month period. Meca is also to get another $1
million over the next year in return for delivery of certain
software products, plus management fees that, if fully earned,
would bring the total value of the deal to just under $11
million.

Meca bought the product line along with its former publisher,
Great American Software last January for $4.35 million in cash
and shares, plus contingent amounts based on the operation's
earnings through the end of July.

Paul Harrison, Meca's chief financial officer, said that the resale of
the unit was prompted by financial pressures and added strain on
management brought on by the acquisition. The purchase "used up a lot
of working capital," and Meca found it difficult to incorporate the
new unit into its business, he said.

Meca lost $959,000 on revenues of $5.8 million in the quarter
ended September 30. Harrison said that poor results in that quarter
are normal for the company, since much of its revenue depends on the
seasonal tax software business. However, he agreed the company has
faced financial pressures recently. In the quarter ended March 31 --
traditionally the strongest -- Meca lost $4.94 million.

Meca has a line of personal and business financial and legal
software, including Andrew Tobias' Managing Your Money, Andrew
Tobias' TaxCut, and Hyatt Legal Services Home Lawyer. New England
Business Service sells business forms and related business
products to small businesses in the United States, Canada, and
the United Kingdom.

(Grant Buckler/19930119/Press Contact: Paul D. Harrison, Meca
Software, 203-256-5000)


(NEWS)(BUSINESS)(TOR)(00008)

BCE Proceeds With Systemhouse Sale 01/19/93
MONTREAL, QUEBEC, CANADA, 1993 JAN 19 (NB) -- BCE Inc., the
holding company behind Northern Telecom and Bell Canada, has
signed up an underwriter to handle the sale of its interest in
SHL Systemhouse Inc., an Ottawa computer services firm.

BCE had announced earlier that it planned to sell off its
25.6-percent stake in Systemhouse. Now the firm -- Canada's
largest company -- has announced that Gordon Capital Corp. of
Toronto will handle the sale, which is expected to be completed
by February 10. BCE will sell its 9.69 million Systemhouse shares
at C$8.55 per share, for a total of about C$83 million.

Company spokesman Marcel Saint-Germain said it is not known who
the buyers will be. A Montreal-based investment analyst, however,
predicted the shares will probably be taken up by a number of
institutional investors.

BCE has held a stake in Systemhouse for several years. During
1992, the company attempted to forge a closer relationship that
would have seen Systemhouse take over the computer operations of
its Bell Canada telephone company and BCE acquire a controlling
interest in Systemhouse. The deal fell through after weeks of
negotiations.

(Grant Buckler/19930119/Press Contact: Marcel Saint-Germain, BCE,
514-499-7090)


(NEWS)(TELECOM)(TOR)(00009)

Teleglobe Canada Unveils Five-Year Plan 01/19/93
MONTREAL, QUEBEC, CANADA, 1993 JAN 19 (NB) -- Teleglobe Canada,
an international satellite communications carrier, has made
public some of its priorities for the next five years. The plan
is aimed at cementing the transition from government-owned to
private operation and carrying the company through the possible
end of its monopoly on satellite traffic in and out of Canada in
1997.

Teleglobe Canada, formerly owned by the Canadian government, was
sold to Montreal-based Memotec Data in 1987. In 1991 Memotec
changed its name to Teleglobe. Last year, the company's
exclusive right to provide satellite communications services
between Canada and the rest of the world was renewed for another
five years.

Teleglobe officials said that their priorities for 1993 include
increasing the firm's productivity, improving its communications
network, lobbying for regulatory changes, boosting foreign market
share, and creating new and stronger relationships with Canadian
telephone companies and foreign partners.

To cushion the possible blow of losing its monopoly in four
years, Teleglobe officials are working to lock in their major
customers.

Last year, Teleglobe struck a deal with Stentor, the consortium
of Canada's regional telephone companies, that commits Stentor to
keep dealing with Teleglobe for 10 years in exchange for
preferred rates on Teleglobe's services.

The company is negotiating with Unitel Communications of
Toronto, the larger of two companies given permission last year
to compete in long-distance service, for a similar deal,
confirmed Teleglobe spokeswoman Cindy Hoffman.

Teleglobe is also looking to form alliances with foreign partners
and boost its market share overseas. Hoffman said Andre Lebel,
the company's president, will be travelling to the Far East this
week to work on this.

Teleglobe will also be opening liaison offices this year in
Australia, Eastern Europe, and Italy, and in Miami and Los
Angeles in the United States.

Teleglobe is also trying to boost its internal productivity. This
involves some shuffling of jobs and possibly some cuts. The
company cut 83 jobs this month, Hoffman said, 35 of them through
layoffs and the rest through transfers and early retirement
incentives. Most of these were in administration and support
areas. Meanwhile, the firm plans to create about 70 new jobs
during 1993, mainly in areas such as marketing and operations.

Teleglobe is still working to change the corporate culture the
company developed as a state-owned operation.

"We had a great deal of people working on the administrative side,"
Hoffman said. Some frills such as an in-house printing shop are being
cut. Services will be contracted out instead, as part of an effort to
"make people a bit more responsible for whatever they spend," she
added.

The company's unprofitable Globefax and Globetex value-added facsimile
and data services will be dropped in the next few months.

Meanwhile, Teleglobe plans to allocate six percent of its
revenues to research and development, exploring areas such as
intelligent networks, image transfer, and digital signal
processing. And the company will be working to improve its
domestic network and reduce network operating costs.

Hand in hand with its effort to become more efficient, Teleglobe
is asking federal regulators for a rule change that would allow
it to reap the rewards of that efficiency.

At present, regulators allow Teleglobe a fixed return on equity of
between 12.75 and 14.75 percent. That means that if the company cuts
operating costs it must also cut rates to pass the savings on to its
customers. But Teleglobe officials say this removes its inventive to
maximize productivity and revenues, and want a different kind of
regulation.

The company will be working on a proposal for the Canadian
Radio-television and Telecommunications Commission (CRTC) this
year and hopes to have new rules in place by the beginning of
1994, Hoffman said.

(Grant Buckler/19930119/Press Contact: Cindy Hoffman, Teleglobe,
514-868-7483)


(NEWS)(GENERAL)(TOR)(00010)

Lotus Offers Free Upgrades In US 01/19/93
CAMBRIDGE, MASSACHUSETTS, U.S.A., 1993 JAN 19 (NB) -- Lotus
Development Corp. has changed its policy on upgrades to older
versions of software bought after newer versions are announced.

Effective February 15, anyone who buys a Lotus package after a newer
version is announced, up to 30 days after the new version ships, will
be able to get the new version at no additional charge.

The policy applies to all Lotus' personal computer software sold
in the United States. This announcement does not apply to Lotus
sales in other countries, company spokesman Bryan Simmons said.

Under the new program, if you buy a Lotus package after Lotus has
announced the shipment date for a newer version but less than 30
days after the new version ships, you can get a free upgrade if
you submit your original sales receipt to Lotus within 60 days
after the new version is on the shelves.

This replaces a policy that offered a $49 upgrade to any new
version that shipped within six months of your buying the
software.

Simmons said there is usually a time lag of one to two months
between Lotus' announcing a ship date and the software shipping.

That means the free upgrade will apply to packages sold within a
two- to three-month period in most cases. Packages sold before
the ship date is announced will now be subject to the regular
upgrade fee of $150.

The Free Upgrade Program does not include cross-platform upgrades.
Customers will be charged $10 for shipping and handling.

Software bought up to February 15 will still be subject to the
old policy, meaning purchasers will be able to get the $49
upgrade until October 15 or six months from the purchase date,
whichever is sooner, if a newer version ships in that time.

(Grant Buckler/19930119/Press Contact: Bryan Simmons, Lotus,
617-693-1697)


(NEWS)(IBM)(LAX)(00011)

Media Vision Intros Sound Compression, Contest 01/19/93
FREMONT, CALIFORNIA, U.S.A., 1993 JAN 19 (NB) -- Sound card maker
Media Vision says it will offer an audio compression scheme to
compress sound files to take less disk space, yet still play sounds in
real time.

The company is also starting a shareware contest, and has announced
that the former senior vice president and chief operating officer at
semiconductor manufacturer Seeq Technology, William T. Malanczuk,
will head the company's semiconductor operations.

The compression scheme is being offered free to software developers
and is capable of compressing sound files as much as 4:1. Media Vision
says the importance of smaller sound files is more than simply disk
space considerations, but also will help the implementation of
business audio, voice and sound annotations to business documents. A
sound file compressed 4:1 means an 16-bit stereo sound can now take
the same amount of space as an uncompressed 8-bit mono sound, and
therefore will take less time to transfer the sound files on a network
or via modem.

The company says the algorithm for the compression is designed
to the specifications of the Interactive Multimedia Association
(IMA), doesn't require a separate digital signal processor
(DSP), and can be used to create a single compressed sound file
which can be used with every type of IBM compatible personal
computer (PC) sound hardware available.

The company has also announced a shareware development contest
geared toward application development for its Pro Audiospectrum
16 sound card. Any shareware application that utilizes 16-bit sound on
the Pro Audiospectrum 16 under the MS-DOS or Microsoft Windows
operating system is eligible for the contest, sponsored in conjunction
with Compuserve, and running through July 15, 1993.

All contestants will receive a Media Vision t-shirt. Prizes for
the contest include $100 shopping sprees to the 50 developers
who qualify as finalists, and grand prizes of $5,000, $2,000,
and $1,000 online shopping sprees.

Media Vision is also planning to evaluate the entries for a possible
bundling contract with itself, and the entries may have the
opportunity to be included on an upcoming Media Vision compact disc
read-only memory (CD-ROM) title.

(Linda Rohrbough/19930118/Press Contact: Abigail Johnson,
Roeder-Johnson, tel [phone], fax [phone]; Contest
Entry Forms and Information, Compuserve type GO PASCONTEST and
download PASCON.TXT from library 1, General Information; Media
Vision BBS, 510-770-0968 or 510-770-0527; Voice, US 800-356-
7886, International 408-655-6014 ext 211)


(NEWS)(BUSINESS)(SYD)(00012)

Australia: Microsoft Revenues Up 39% In 3 Months 01/19/93
SYDNEY, AUSTRALIA 1993 JAN 19 (NB) -- Microsoft Australia is also
celebrating its parent company's 39 percent growth in net revenue
for the last quarter of 1992, and 46 percent for the last six months.

Managing Director Gary Jackson said Windows and Macintosh software
sales have been at a record level despite the poor economic climate.
"And we achieved these results while maintaining our emphasis on
improving customer support and efficiencies in the business. Sales
of Microsoft Access, FoxPro, and Windows for Workgroups have all
exceeded our targets."

Worldwide, Microsoft reported revenues of US$938M for the last
quarter, a 38 percent increase over the US$682 for the same quarter in
1991. Net increase worldwide for the quarter was 35 percent. Microsoft
does not post absolute figures for its Australian subsidiary.

(Paul Zucker/19930119)


(NEWS)(APPLE)(SYD)(00013)

Australia: Apple Computer 4Q Revenues Soar 01/19/93
SYDNEY, AUSTRALIA 1993 JAN 19 (NB) -- Apple Computer Australia has
announced an almost one-third increase in sales for the last quarter
of 1992 over the same quarter in 1991. This represents a revenue
increase of 27 percent.

Although Apple won't reveal actual numbers of machines sold, it is
still the largest shipper of personal computers in Australia,
according to IDC figures, and its market share is increasing.
Despite once vowing that Apple computers would never be sold by
discount and appliance stores in Australia, Managing Director
David Strong has authorized just such a move in 1992, seeing a
number of chains take on the machines.

Interest in the Apple Mac in Australia continues to grow, now that
Apple's price cuts in the Northern Hemisphere have at last percolated
"down under." Newsbytes understands that several publishers are taking
a keen interest in Macintosh magazine publishing for the Australian
marketplace.

(Paul Zucker & Steve Gold/19930119)


(NEWS)(APPLE)(DEN)(00014)

New For Mac: LAN-Ready Modular Accounting Software 01/19/93
FARGO, NORTH DAKOTA, U.S.A., 1993 JAN 19 (NB) -- Great Plains Software
has announced that it is now shipping its new accounting product Great
Plains Dynamics for Apple Computer's Macintosh platform.

Great Plains Dynamics is a LAN (local area network)-ready modular
accounting and business management software program that allows
data to be shared between users working on Macintosh and
Windows-based workstations connected to a network.

Current modules include System Manager with Report Writer and
General Ledger. Great Plains says it will release additional modules
in the second quarter, including Advanced Financial Analysis,
Receivables Management, Payables Management, US Payroll, Inventory,
and Warehouse Management.

The company says the Advanced Financial Analysis module expands the
capability of the core GL module to include unlimited history and
budgets, with a what-you-see-is-what-you-get (WYSIWYG) drag-and-drop
financial report generator that combines word processing and
spreadsheet metaphors for customized financial reports.

Warehouse Management is an add-on to the core inventory module that
allows tracking of inventory information across multiple warehouses
or sites, and includes price schedules by unit of measure, and the
ability to track serial-numbered and lot-numbered items.

The program offers a cross-module zoom capability that allows the
user to zoom back to a transaction's original screen entry from any
module. Two user-defined fields in each module can be established in
the setup program, and all posting journals can be reprinted if a
historical audit trail is desired.

Great Plains says that, starting in the second quarter, the program
will support AppleScript, Apple Events, and the Apple Open
Collaboration Environment (AOCE). Users will be able to copy
accounting information into spreadsheets, word processors, or other
applications that support Apple Script. The data can then be
modified and copied back into the accounting program. Module prices
range from $500 to $1,500.

(Jim Mallory/19930119/Press contact: Terry Kalil, Great Plains
Software, 701-281-3130; Reader contact: Great Plains Software,
800-456-0025 or 701-281-0550, fax [phone])


(NEWS)(IBM)(DEN)(00015)

Iomega's 300MB PC-Powered Removable Media Drive 01/19/93
ROY, UTAH, U.S.A., 1993 JAN 19 (NB) -- Iomega Corporation, known
for its removable mass media data storage devices, has introduced
the Multidisk 150 PC Powered drive.

The new system uses a removable storage disk which has the capacity
for 150 megabytes (MB) of data, which can be compressed to 300MB
using software provided by Iomega when the user returns the warranty
card.

The Multidisk 150, an external device, draws its power from the PC
through the connecting cable which also carries the data. It comes
with an adapter for ISA/EISA PCs, driver software, and one storage
disk. Iomega says it is downward-compatible, able to read from and
write to disks with capabilities of 35MB, 65MB, 105MB and 150MB. It
will also read and write Bernoulli 90 and 44 disks.

Iomega doesn't publish suggested retail prices, but company
spokesperson Jennifer DeAnda told Newsbytes the street price will
probably be about $799. The 5.25-inch disks, which resemble a larger
version of a 3.5-inch high density floppy in a hard plastic case, will
probably sell for about $99. Street price is an industry term that
refers to the price at which you can actually buy an item, and can be
as much as 20 percent lower than the suggested retail price.

Removable data storage media provides several advantages to users.
Large quantities of sensitive data stored on removable media can be
locked up to protect the information, and can also be used on
different PCs much like floppy disks.

Iomega also markets mass media storage devices for Macintosh
platforms, including transportable and dual external drives, and the
Insider, an internal drive for IBM-compatible personal computers. As
reported by Newsbytes, the company recently introduced a
second-generation Floptical drive which uses holographic technology.

(Jim Mallory/19930119/Press contact: Cara O'Sullivan, Iomega
Corporation, 801-778-3712; Reader contact: 800-777-6179)


(NEWS)(IBM)(LON)(00016)

UK - Wordperfect Presentations 2.0 For DOS 01/19/92
ADDLESTONE, SURREY, ENGLAND, 1993 JAN 19 (NB) -- Wordperfect UK has
begun shipping Wordperfect Presentations 2.0 for DOS, a DOS-based
multimedia package.

Announcing the package, Simon Palmer, Wordperfect's Presentations
product manager, said that it provides advanced presentation,
charting, drawing and painting features, plus more than 1,000 clip art
images. "Nothing like our easy to use, graphical interface exists out
there in the DOS presentation graphics market. We're giving users
Windows-like functionality in a DOS presentation graphics program," he
said.

Palmer said that Wordperfect has revamped the package with
version 2.0 to give customers a more intuitive interface, as well as
adding sound, paint tools, and several other facilities.

Wordperfect Presentations sells for UKP 359, with registered
Drawperfect 1.0 and 1.1 users being offered the chance to upgrade to
Presentations 2.0 for UKP 75.

Customers who bought their copy of Drawperfect 1.x after June 23,
1992, can upgrade to Presentations 2.0, although they must do so
before the 1st of February.

As if all this wasn't enough of an enticement for PC users to upgrade
to Presentations 2.0, Wordperfect is also circulating registered users
of Wordperfect 5.1 and selected graphics software with the offer of
buying the new package for UKP 99 directly from the company.

Palmer said that Presentations 2.0 for Windows is due later this year
and that registered users of the DOS version will be allowed to
upgrade to the Windows version when it is released.

(Steve Gold/19930119/Press & Public Contact: Wordperfect UK - Tel:
0932-850500; Fax: [phone])


(NEWS)(BUSINESS)(LON)(00017)

UK - Borland Plans To Concentrate On Dealer Sales 01/19/93
TWYFORD, BERKSHIRE, ENGLAND, 1993 JAN 19 (NB) -- Borland International
has announced it is adopting a new sales strategy -- concentrating on
selling its products through dealers.

The announcement comes after several months of trade and industry
press comments about Borland's apparent strategy of selling through
dealers as well as on a direct sales basis. Because of the recession
in the UK, many dealers are cynical of companies that adopt this
policy, claiming that the companies are more concerned with selling
direct that paying part of their profit margin to the dealer to handle
the company's products.

Clive Taylor, Borland's sales director, said that he believes the new
strategy will benefit both the company and its dealers. "It will help
us all develop a more profitable business in all our key markets," he
said.

Taylor said that effective use of the dealers channel will
greatly extend the number of companies that Borland can reach
throughout the country. "We can... improve the service and support
provided to these companies," he said.

Seemingly putting its money where its mouth is, Borland has begun a
program of recruiting new dealers to handle its products. The
company has split its sales force into two groups, corporate sales and
channel sales.

Plans call for the corporate sales team to work exclusively with
Borland's main dealers (known as Premier Partners) to assist them in
winning business from major customers. The channel sales team,
meanwhile, is charged with the task of developing a countrywide
dealer network over the next few months.

Borland's dedication to dealer-only sales has been welcomed by the
computer distribution industry. Alistair Handyside, commercial vice
president of Ingram Micro in the UK, one of Borland's distributors,
said he is delighted with the company's decision.

"We believe this will provide an excellent opportunity for the channel
to profit through selling the range of Borland products to the benefit
of resellers and, ultimately, end users," he said.

(Steve Gold/19930119/Press & Public Contact: Borland UK - Tel: 0734-
320022)


(NEWS)(GENERAL)(LON)(00018)

 ****UK - Campaign Counters Nintendo "Death" Scare 01/19/93
MACCLESFIELD, CHESHIRE, ENGLAND, 1993 JAN 19 (NB) -- Europress, the
publisher of computer software and a number of computing magazines,
has reacted angrily to recent media reports in the UK that
Nintendo games can be harmful to user's health.

Derek Meakin, chairman of the Europress group, said that he is
concerned about the "irresponsible distortion of the facts," about the
death of a 14-year-old boy while playing a Super Mario video game
recently.

As a result of this, Europress has launched a nationwide campaign to
help allay what Meakin calls the fears of hundreds of thousands of
Britain's young games players.

"The scare was whipped up with both The Sun and the Daily Mail
devoting their front pages to highly coloured and inaccurate accounts
of what actually happened, and other papers then jumped on the
sensational bandwagon," he said.

Meakin said that the treatment of the story was completely
irresponsible. "Both facts and explanations were distorted. Such
massive coverage is playing on parents fears and is irresponsible
journalism at its worst. It is completely inexcusable," he said.

Europress' first move this week has been to place a full page
advertisement in the latest edition of Computer Trade Weekly, a
computer trade paper that circulates to the UK's 2,000-odd games
console and software dealers.

Dealers are being encouraged to display the ad, which is of the
"cut out and keep" variety. The advert includes a reproduction of a
report commissioned from a specialist researcher who suffered from "TV
flicker" long before the arrival of video games on the market.

Europress is also distributing several thousand copies of leaflets
with the advert information printed on them to dealers, so that they
can pass them on to their customers if they are worried about the
stories.

(Steve Gold/19930118/Press & Public Contact: Europress - Tel: 0625-
878888; Fax: [phone])


(NEWS)(GOVT)(SYD)(00019)

Australia: Flaws Found In Law Enforcement Net 01/19/93
CANBERRA, AUSTRALIA, 1993 JAN 19 (NB) -- A report by an Australian
parliamentary committee has found "major shortcomings" with the way
the Australian Federal Government's Law Enforcement Access Network
(LEAN) is being developed.

The database gives Federal and State Government agencies with law
enforcement and revenue collection duties access to several publicly
available databases of company and land ownership data.

Commenting on the network, the chairman of the House of
Representatives Standing Committee on Banking, Finance, and Public
Administration, Paul Elliott, said, "The cost-benefit ratio is about
1 to 2 over a period of some five years. This is not substantial in
monetary terms with the benefits derived largely from the Australian
Tax Office's data-matching activities."

Another detail of the operation of the network which needs
attention, according to the report, is the compilation of additional
databases by participating bodies using cross-matched data from
searches on LEAN. The network specification calls for this to be
impossible, but several bodies are already proposing building such
databases.

Although the Australian Privacy Act has privacy principles which are
designed to disallow agencies from using data collected for one
purpose to be used for another, Section 1(d) of principle 10 provides
a loophole agencies can use if "use of the information for that other
purpose is reasonably necessary for enforcement of the criminal law or
of a law imposing pecuniary penalty, or for the protection of public
revenue." State agencies are not covered by the Act, and their
compliance is to be under a memorandum of understanding, which is yet
to be completed.

Although stopping short of outright condemnation of the system, the
report calls for further legislation to govern the operation of LEAN
(at the moment, it is treated as a matter for administration, and,
therefore, operational legislation is not required).

Elliott has also criticized the sometimes secretive nature of the
Attorney-General's Department (the Department responsible for the
establishment of LEAN) dealings with the committee.

"The efforts to which the committee itself had to go to on several
occasions to get basic information about LEAN has heightened its
concern that the facility is not being developed as openly as it
ought," he said.

(Sean McNamara/19930119)


(NEWS)(IBM)(DEN)(00020)

Graphical Wordperfect Due For OS/2 01/19/93
OREM, UTAH, U.S.A., 1993 JAN 19 (NB) -- Wordperfect Corporation
continues its promise to support OS/2 as well as Windows with an
announcement that it will ship a graphical version of its popular word
processing program Wordperfect 5.2 for IBM's OS/2 operating system
this spring.

The company has also announced that Wordperfect 5.2 for Windows,
released in December, integrates with Digital Equipment Corporation's
TeamLinks 1.0 for Windows.

TeamLinks is an integrated workgroup program that enables PCs running
under Windows to integrate into enterprise-wide networks and take
advantage of Digital's electronic mail, file sharing, workflow, and
other workgroup applications. "It's particularly useful for Windows
users working in a VAX environment," Wordperfect spokesperson Liz
Tanner told Newsbytes.

Wordperfect 5.2 for OS/2 is being jointly developed by Micrografx,
and uses the same feature set as Wordperfect 5.2 for Windows. Its
file format is identical to that of Wordperfect 5.1 for DOS and 5.2
for Windows, making files created in the OS/2 version compatible
across the other platforms.

The company says WP for OS/2 will also be compatible with Wordperfect
Presentations and Wordperfect Office 4.0 for OS/2. Those programs are
scheduled for release by the third quarter, Tanner told Newsbytes.

Tanner said the company expects to ship Wordperfect for Windows 6.0
in the spring or summer of 1993.

(Jim Mallory/19930119/Press contact: Liz Tanner, Wordperfect,
801-228-5004; Reader contact: Wordperfect Corporation, 800-451-5151)


(NEWS)(TRENDS)(TYO)(00021)

Japan - Pen-Driven Lotus 1-2-3/Windows Notebook 12/19/93
TOKYO, JAPAN, 1993 JAN 18 (NB) -- Wacom of Japan has unveiled a pen-
driven notebook PC that comes equipped with Microsoft's Pen Windows
and a special version of Lotus 1-2-3 for Windows.

Wacom is no stranger to the world of pen-driven computing. The
company, which specializes in tablet computers, already supplies Apple
Computer and IBM with its notebook computers.

This new machine, known as the Pentop, is actually the second
in the series, as the DOS V version was unveiled last July. That
release runs Windows applications as well.

Unusually, the Pentop splits into two pieces. The main body weighs
1.5 kilos and has a tablet shape that is the same size as the main
body, but weighs just one kilo.

As you'd expect from an evolutionary machine, the Pentop can exchange
data with the DOS V version of the PC.

The 40-megabyte model retails for 698,000 yen ($5,600), while the 80MB
model sells for 868,000 yen ($6,900). Street pricing may be much
less than these prices, once the systems start shipping on January 25.

Not that Wacom is resting on its laurels. February 10 will see the
company release an 880-gram tablet that connects to Apple Computer's
Macintosh using the Mac's desktop PC. Data is input to the
Mac via the tablet using a cordless pen.

The Mac tablet has been designed to augment, rather than replace, the
Macintosh. Pricing on the unit, which Wacom claims is extremely powerful,
has been set a relatively modest 78,000 yen (about $625) -- half the
cost of the current Macintosh add-on from the company.

(Masayuki "Massey" Miyazawa/19930119/Press Contact: Wacom, +81-480-
72-6811, Fax, [phone])


(NEWS)(TELECOM)(MOW)(00022)

 ****Russian Space Agency To Compete With Iridium 01/19/93
MOSCOW, RUSSIA, 1993 JAN 19 (NB) -- NPO Energija, the top Russian
space agency, has announced plans to launch its own network of low
orbit telephone satellites. The scheme, which could see the first
satellites up and running this year, will eventually see 48 satellites
operation by 1994 -- several years ahead of Motorola's Iridium
project.

Unlike the Motorola plan, however, NPO's system will mainly offer
satellite-based telephone service in Western and Eastern Europe. No
details of the planned technology or frequencies to be used were
available to Newsbytes at press time.

Again, unlike Iridium, NPO claims to have obtained substantial
funding for the project, which centers around the use of the Signal
range of satellites. The service is expected to be relatively low
cost, at around five rubles a minute (around a cent a minute at
current rates). This compares with the several dollars a minute
projected by Iridium for its service.

A consortium known as KOSS has been formed by the Russian space agency
to fund the venture. KOSS has been capitalized at 2,800 billion
rubles (around $5.6 million) in order to fund the project, which
initial estimates suggest will cost around 4,300 billion rubles.

Newsbytes understands that the lightweight Signal satellites have been
launched by the Cosmos and Cyclon series of rockets. The Russian
Radiopriborostroenija (translation - radio equipment development)
research institute will design and develop the electronics
communications technology necessary for the project.

(Kirill Tchashchin/1993019/Press Contact: NPO Energija, phone +7 095
516-4726; KOSS company, phone [phone])


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

 ***AT&T Develops Phone TV Technology 01/19/93
LARGO, FLORIDA, U.S.A., 1993 JAN 19 (NB) -- Using a compression
algorithm from Compression Lab Inc., which also worked on its
VideoPhone 2500, AT&T has announced a set-top converter for TVs that
works with regular copper telephone wiring.

AT&T's Paradyne division has said that, without its technology,
telephone companies would have to spend $400 billion ripping out
copper and installing fiber before getting into video transmission.

The resulting converter could be sold to the nation's telephone
companies to get them into competition with cable television
companies as early as next year, pending approval by US
regulators.

Approval for a "video dialtone" was given last July, but action will
still be necessary to overturn portions of the 1984 Cable Act
prohibiting direct telephone-cable competition.

AT&T's Paradyne unit said the new converter will combine AT&T
Paradyne's transmission technology, called Asymmetrical Digital
Subscriber Line, and Compression Lab's Compressed Digital Video
technology, which is based on the Motion Pictures Experts Group,
or MPEG, standard.

AT&T officials said that, in addition to allowing the delivery of
movies, the converter would also enable phone companies to offer
catalog shopping and educational multimedia. AT&T Paradyne for
announced it was getting into the video-over-copper area in January,
1992 with what it called Carrierless, Amplitude/phase Modulation, or
CAP, which uses the ADSL technology.

ADSL, standards, meanwhile, are now being developed by both the
American National Standards Institute and Bellcore, so all phone
companies can implement it in the same way. The devices could be
available for test by the end of the year.

(Dana Blankenhorn/19930119/Press Contact: Garrick Case, AT&T
Paradyne, 813-530-8221)


(NEWS)(UNIX)(DEN)(00024)

NCR Announces Midrange System Tools 01/19/93
NAPERVILLE, ILLINOIS, U.S.A., 1993 JAN 19 (NB) -- NCR Corporation
has unveiled a set of software, services and tools that it says will
bring "near fault tolerance" to its line of midrange computer
systems.

Called Lifekeeper FRS, the tools provide automatic failure detection
and recovery from system, application, and even component failures.
NCR says Lifekeeper will particularly benefit companies running
mission-critical applications such as hotel and airline
reservations, credit authorizations, automatic teller
machines, medical records systems and emergency services such as
9-1-1 systems and computer aided dispatch systems.

Lifekeeper's functions include limiting computer outages to minutes
by pairing computers, providing multi-directional switchover
without manual intervention. Automatic recovery is done using
user-definable recovery scripts available for major database
systems and communications interfaces.

Van Aggelakos, NCR product marketing and support assistant vice
president, says Lifekeeper is designed for use with NCR's 3445,
3447, 3450, and 3550 midrange systems, and eliminates the need to
replace installed equipment when there's a problem. It links
multiple NCR System 3000 computers with one system running
mission-critical applications while the second runs lower-priority
tasks. If the first system fails, the second machine takes over the
mission-critical tasks. NCR says system recovery time is typically
less than two minutes.

The company says that Lifekeeper FRS clusters, which will be available
in the second half of 1993, will introduce the ability to cluster
multiple systems. Clustering is a method of providing fault
resilience and the ability for multiple systems to share data, with
the cluster appearing as one large system. FRS clusters will allow a
single database image and Unix file systems to be simultaneously
manipulated by several physical computers in a mirroring effect. NCR
says clustering will cut down time from minutes to seconds.

"Ultimately our vision is to allow users to access data worldwide
without concern over where computer resources are physically
located, transparent to any hardware, software or communications
component failures," said Howard Mitchell, NCR midrange products
assistant VP and general manager.

The NCR System 3000 series machines are Micro Channel-based systems
powered by 486 microprocessors. The 3450 and 3550 systems support
multiple processors.

NCR says it is already delivering Lifekeeper to some customers, with
general availability scheduled for the second quarter of 1993.
Prices range from $6,000 to $30,000.

(Jim Mallory/19930119/Press contact: Jim Mazolla, NCR, 513-445-6148)


(NEWS)(BUSINESS)(PAR)(00025)

 ****SGS-Thomson Battles Intel For World EPROM 01/19/93
MILAN, ITALY, 1993 JAN 19 (NB) -- SGS-Thompson Microelectronics is
gearing up for a head-to-head battle with America's Intel over the
storage medium for the next generation of laptops, the so-called flash
EPROM (erasable programmable read only memory).

According to preliminary figures released last week by Dataquest in
London, SGS-Thomson already has a larger share of the world EPROM
market than Intel. The Franco-Italian company has 14 percent of the
world EPROM market, while Intel's share has fallen slightly below
that. The world EPROM market was worth $1.2 billion in 1992, according
to Dataquest.

Intel has invested heavily in a kind of semiconductor called Flash
EPROM. Whereas EPROMS are programmable once only, flash EPROM
technology allows for multiple reprogramming. The new chip will be
used to make memory cards that replace disk drives on laptops,
notebooks, and palmtops.

A lightweight memory card using flash EPROM technology can hold more
data than a conventional floppy. And flash EPROM will increasingly
supplement DRAMs for internal computer memory.

While Intel is unquestionably the world leader for flash EPROM, the
Franco-Italian SGS-Thomson is gearing up to compete for this promising
future market.

In the coming two weeks, the company will put its first 1-megabyte
flash EPROM on the market. SGS-Thomson also expects to have a 16-
megabyte flash EPROM available by 1994, according to director of
strategy, Mario Licciardello.

SGS-Thomson is also talking with American disk drive manufacturers
like Seagate about agreements to integrate conventional drives with
flash EPROM storage, Licciardello claims.

SGS-Thomson is 45 percent owned by the French government and 45
percent by the Italian government. The two nations have agreed to
recapitalize the company, wiping out its $900 million debt. The move
is expected to give ST more funds for its competition with Intel.

SGS-Thomson has its strategy mapped out, but the French government has
just reorganized its holding for the company, and SGS-Thomson could be
faced with important management and strategy changes in the future.

(Andrew Rosenbaum/19930119/Press Contact: Maria-Grazia Prestini
SGS-Thomson Microelectronics, Agrate Brianza, Italy tel.


(NEWS)(TELECOM)(PAR)(00026)

 ****STET, British Telecom Close To Share Swap 01/19/93
ROME, ITALY, 1993 JAN 19 (NB) -- STET, Italy's state-owned holding
company for telecommunications services, is close to signing a share-
swap agreement with England's British Telecom.

For the past six months, the Rome-based company has been negotiating
with foreign telecommunications services companies with the object of
putting together a cooperation agreement. It has also been
negotiating with America's AT&T and several other European telecom
operators.

According to industry sources in Rome, STET is close to a share-
swap agreement with Britain's principal telecommunications operator.
STET officials will not reveal what the substance of the accord
involves, but it is known that a 10-20 percent share swap between
the two companies is to be expected.

STET owns two of Italy's three telephone companies, the national
service provider known as the SIP, and the inter-continental phone
company called Italcable.

But Italy now has a third state-owned telephone company called IRITEL,
which handles inter-city and infra-European phone service. IRITEL is
supposed to bring all of Italy's public network under a single
management but the government has not yet determined how the new
organization will be arranged.

The rise of IRITEL could affect STET's position as one of the favorite
investments on London's SEAQ stock exchange. IRITEL could take a hefty
share of STET's business, if STET is not somehow merged into IRITEL.

(Andrew Rosenbaum/19930119)


(NEWS)(TRENDS)(SFO)(00027)

 ****CAD/CAM Revenues Grow 10% 01/19/93
SAN JOSE, CALIFORNIA, U.S.A., 1993 JAN 19 (NB) -- Although the
computer-aided design/manufacturing/engineering and geographic
information systems market was sluggish in 1992, revenues still
increased 10.5 percent, according to Dataquest.

The company's preliminary 1992 worldwide CAD/CAM/CAE/GIS
market share survey results show Hewlett-Packard, Cadence,
and Autodesk posting double-digit growth.

Dataquest's preliminary 1992 worldwide CAD/CAM/CAE/GIS
systems market share estimates, in millions of dollars, puts
IBM at 1,892.5 in revenues for 1992, up from 1,802.5 in 1991,
which represents a five percent growth to 12.11 percent market
share. Intergraph revenue was up from 1,148.0 in 1991, to
1,170.8 in 1992, which represents a two percent growth, and
7.49 percent market share.

Hewlett-Packard was next with revenues up from 830.2 in 1991 to 933.0
in 1992. This translates to a healthy 12.4 percent increase, and 5.97
percent market share. Sun Microsystems revenue was up from 819.1 in
1991 to 878.5 in 1992; a 7.3 percent growth, and 5.62 percent market
share. Digital Equipment Corp., had revenues up from 816.1 in 1991 to
821.1 in 1992, an increase in sales of just 0.6 percent. DEC now holds
just 5.26 percent of the market.

Speaking of the results, Mike Seely, director of CAD/CAM research for
Dataquest's Software Group, said: "With potentially the lowest growth
rates in the history of the industry, this was a year of transition.
For many, 1992 was the first year for serious discussion in trying to
solve some of the sticky problems imbedded in the complexity of
integrating technologies and people."

Hewas optimistic though, saying: "The process is painful but the
result should fuel healthy CAD/CAM/CAE/GIS market growth for
the next five years."

Dataquest estimates that turmoil in world economic forces
"found recessionary pressures of the oldest and strongest
markets for CAD/CAM/CAE/GIS. The brunt of slowing market
growth was felt by many of the major players in 1992."

The leading vendors (in millions of dollars) were: IBM with 464.3
in revenue, an eight percent growth rate and 9.41 percent of the
market; Autodesk with 353.6 in sales, a 26.5 growth rate and
7.17 of the market; Cadence with 350.3 in revenues, which
translated to a 90.1 percent growth rate and 7.1 percent of the
market; Intergraph with 311.4 in revenues, an 11.1 percent
growth rate and 6.31 percent of the market; and Computervision
with 234.1 in revenues, a negative growth rate of 5.4 percent
and 4.74 of the market.

(Ian Stokell/19930119/Press Contact: Paul Wheaton, 408-437-8312,
Dataquest)


(NEWS)(IBM)(TOR)(00028)

 ****IBM Reports First Quarterly Operating Loss 01/19/93
ARMONK, NEW YORK, U.S.A., 1993 JAN 19 (NB) -- IBM has reported a
decline in revenues and a net loss in 1992, and, for the first
time, an operating loss in the fourth quarter. While special
provisions for restructuring once again widened the company's losses,
it was the first time IBM had lost money before the effect of such
restructuring was added in.

In the fourth quarter, which ended Dec. 31, IBM said it lost $45
million or eight cents a share before capacity and workforce
reduction charges. After those charges, the loss was $5,463
million or $9.57 per share. Revenues amounted to $19,560 million.

In the fourth quarter of 1991, after restructuring charges, IBM
lost $1,457 million on revenues of $21,968 million.

For the full year, the company had net earnings before
restructuring charges of $1,420 million, but lost $6,865 million
after the charges. Changes in accounting principles, however,
reduced that loss to $4,965 million.

Last year's loss was $598 million, but would have been $2,861
million if adjusted for the changes in accounting principles that
took place during 1992, IBM said.

The accounting changes resulted from new rules on accounting for
employee retirement benefits.

IBM's annual revenues in 1992 were $64,423 million, down slightly
from $64,766 million in 1991.

Announcing the results, IBM Chairman John F. Akers said: "Our
financial results are not acceptable to us or our shareholders."

"We are taking aggressive actions to improve our competitiveness and
profitability by addressing the accelerating changes that are sweeping
our industry, while adjusting for weakened business conditions
throughout the world. These actions include reallocating resources to
growth businesses, increasing the autonomy of our businesses, and
reducing costs," he added.

In December, after shedding 40,000 jobs in 1992 through various
means that included early-retirement plans and other incentives
to employees to leave the company, IBM announced it would cut
another 25,000 jobs this year. For the first time, the company
admitted it might have to result to involuntary layoffs to do so.

For the past few months IBM has also been moving forward with a
strategy of breaking its operations up into nearly autonomous
units. The creation of the IBM Personal Computer Company last fall
was a key step in this direction.

However, observers have been doubtful about the company's
progress. Recently, veteran IBM-watcher Robert Djurdjevic, editor
of Annex Computer Report in Phoenix, Arizona, said the company's
new units are not closely enough aligned to customer needs and
what IBM really needs is new management.

There have been rumors it might get just that through the ouster
of Akers by unhappy directors and shareholders. So far, though,
Akers has appeared to have enough support to keep his job.

(Grant Buckler/19930119/Press Contact: Rob Wilson, IBM, 914-
765-6565)


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

 ****Sequent NT-Based Server To Support 100s Of Users 01/19/93
BEAVERTON, OREGON, U.S.A., 1993 JAN 19 (NB) -- Workgroup computing is
the new buzz-word and Sequent Computer Systems has announced it is
developing a new family of Microsoft Windows NT-based database
application servers named Winserver, for workgroup, department-level,
and enterprise-wide computing.

The next-generation graphical operating system from Microsoft,
Windows NT, is expected to ship shortly, and is a cross-platform
32-bit operating system which requires a minimum of a 386
personal computer (PC) in order to run. However, the operating
system will also run on workstation computers such as those
from Silicon Graphics as well as on computers with multiple
Intel central processing units (CPUs) such as the AST Manhattan
SMP.

Winserver could be the next critical step in downsizing, as the
remaining single advantage to mainframe computers is the
ability to serve hundreds of connected users. Sequent says
Winserver will be sold with the Windows NT operating
preinstalled and it will be able to handle hundreds of users
accessing a common database in networked computing
environments.

Since August, Sequent and Microsoft have been demonstrating
Windows NT on Sequent Symmetry computer systems with 2 to 16
Intel 486 microprocessors running Microsoft Structured Query
Language (SQL) Server and database product Oracle7. Sequent
boasts its Symmetry systems can be scaled to as many as 30
processors.

Microsoft's local area network (LAN) Manager and Sequent's
parallel version of Novell SPX/IPX protocols have also been
demonstrated, with client-server applications connected via
Windows-based PCs.

Sequent says it has leveraged its ability in Intel-based
symmetric multiprocessing (SMP), parallel-enabled
communications, transaction processing, and decision support to
make the Winserver product possible.

Announcing the new products, Casey Powell, president and chief
executive officer of Sequent said: "We believe Windows NT, over time,
will become a leading operating system in information systems
organizations supporting large mission-critical applications. Our
WinServer family, together with our Unix-based Symmetry systems, will
enable customers to seamlessly integrate high-performance servers to
meet their increasing needs for client-server computing."

Sequent has a joint development agreement with Tricord Systems,
a developer of superserver systems, and the two firms have
agreed to codevelop NT-based superservers, which Sequent will
exclusively market.

Sequent describes itself as a provider of scalable, open
systems for commercial on-line transaction processing (OLTP)
and decision support applications. The Beaverton, Oregon-based
company says it has more than 4,000 installations worldwide.

(Linda Rohrbough/19930119/Press Contact: Mike Green, Sequent
Computer Systems, tel [phone]; Arlene Watkins, Waggener
Edstrom for Sequent, 503-245-0905, fax [phone]; Public
Contact 800-243-6768)


(NEWS)(IBM)(LAX)(00030)

 ****Borland: Big 3Q Losses; Lotus Merger Talks 01/19/93
SCOTTS VALLEY, CALIFORNIA, U.S.A., 1993 JAN 19 (NB) -- Borland
is hurting with losses that have surprised the software community. The
company has lost $61.3 million last quarter alone and reports suggest
that Borland officials have met with Lotus officials to consider a
merger.

In its just released third quarter report, Borland said revenues
were $104.3 million compared to $114.6 million in the same
quarter a year ago, but losses are hefty $61.3 million compared to a
net profit in the same quarter of last year of $7.5 million.

In December, Borland suddenly announced layoffs and restructuring and
says workforce reduction, facilities and write-off of software
technology account for $25.0 million of its third quarter losses.

For the nine-month period, the company is actually losing less
money overall at $54.3 million than it did in the same nine
month period a year ago when it reported $83.5 million in
losses. However, Borland says selling, general, and
administrative expenses for the quarter are up 12.3 percent,
and research and development costs are also up another 34.8
percent.

No specific mention was made of how much it cost Borland to
purchase Wordtech's dBASE compiler developer team and product,
a purchase Borland made to help get its own dBASE for Windows
product, originally announced to ship last year, out the door.

Lotus chief Jim Manzi and Philippe Kahn, president of Borland, are
said to have met in December at a hotel in San Francisco to
discuss a possible merger, according to the Wall Street Journal.
Reports are that nothing substantial has come of the talks.

While the two companies are hardly friends, both Borland and
Lotus are facing severe competition from software giant
Microsoft in both the spreadsheet and database markets.

Borland is facing a suit with Lotus over the menu structure
similarities between spreadsheet product Quattro Pro and Lotus'
1-2-3 in which Borland has already been pronounced as guilty by
a US District Judge Keaton. While Borland has said it would
appeal, the pronouncement of what it might cost Borland has yet
to be made -- but is expected to be expensive.

(Linda Rohrbough/19930119/Press Contact: Sandra Hawker,
Borland, tel [phone], fax [phone])


(NEWS)(TRENDS)(SFO)(00031)

 ****Windows Credited As PC Software Tops $7 Bil 01/19/93
SAN JOSE, CALIFORNIA, U.S.A., 1993 JAN 19 (NB) -- The popularity
of Windows and related applications is one of the main factors
for the steep increase in software sales for 1992.

According to Dataquest's preliminary 1992 worldwide application
and operating system market share survey results, the industry
grew by 30 percent in 1992 and went past $7 billion in factory
revenue for the first time. Windows-based application sales
increased from $848 million in 1991 to nearly $2.9 billion in
1992, which represented a 238% growth rate.

Sales in millions of dollars for DOS applications were down
to 3,756.7 in 1992, from 4,347.1 in 1991. Windows application
sales were up from 848.6 in 1991, to 2,873.5 in 1992.
Macintosh software sales were up from 607.8 in 1991, to
932.2 in 1992. Even OS/2 software sales showed an increase,
rising from 67.9 in 1991, to 72.1 in 1992.

In announcing the results, Bill Kesselring, industry analyst for
personal computer software at Dataquest, said: "The success of
Windows continued to overwhelm vendors and end users alike.
Industry competition in the Windows market spurred
unprecedented price wars, while simultaneously cooling the DOS
market."

The top five software vendors in millions of dollars from
worldwide software applications factory revenue estimates
were: Microsoft Corp., up from 1,693.2 in 1991, to $3,378.9
in 1992; Lotus Development Corp., up from 776.9 in 1991, to
894.7 in 1992; WordPerfect Corp., up from 451.6 to 643.7;
Borland International, up from 471.1 to 493.9; and Symantec, up from
123.5 in 1991, to 206.8 in 1992.

According to the survey, the top five vendors in 1992 controlled
nearly 74 percent of the revenue, up from 60 percent in 1991.

Speaking of the domination of large vendors, Kesselring said:
"Large vendors continue to devour the competition through
acquisition. Today's market has been seized by consolidation
and segmentation. A dichotomy of sorts exists. The market is
undoubtedly consolidating as fewer and fewer vendors can afford
to compete. At the same time, the personal computer software
market is segmenting into finite areas, allowing for niche
players to exist and etch out a living."

(Ian Stokell/19930119/Press Contact: Paul Wheaton,
408-437-8312, Dataquest)