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/nb930223

Text File | 1993-02-23 | 69KB | 1,490 lines

(NEWS)(GOVT)(LON)(00001)

British Govt Appoints Head Of Telecom Watchdog Committee 02/23/93
LONDON, ENGLAND, 1993 FEB 23 (NB) -- Hot on the heels of issuing six
new telecom licences in the UK, trade and industry minister, Michael
Heseltine, has appointed Don Cruikshank as director general of the
office of telecommunications (OFTEL). OFTEL is the government-
appointed telecom watchdog for the UK.

Cruikshank is already employed by the UK government in the capacity of
chief executive of the Scottish health service. He switches to Oftel
on April 1, according to the DTI.

Cruikshank will take over from Bill Wigglesworth, who was appointed as
acting director general of OFTEL after Sir Brian Carsberg was promoted
to head of the UK's newly formed competition authority late last year.

Aged 50, Cruikshank's career is interesting. Prior to 1989, he
was managing director of the Virgin Group, which was recently in the
headlines after legal skirmishes between itself and British Airways.
He has also worked for News International, publishers of the London
Times and Sunday Times.

According to Heseltine, Cruikshank's appointment was an obvious
choice, given his experience. "I wished to appoint someone to this
important post who had direct experience of competition as a
businessman," he said.

(Steve Gold/19930223)


(NEWS)(GENERAL)(LON)(00002)

Microsoft Expands Videoconferencing To Europe 02/23/93
READING, ENGLAND, 1993 FEB 23 (NB) -- Microsoft has announced it is
extending its videoconferencing services from the US to Europe. The
links, which will be installed across Europe at the various company
headquarters, will enable Microsoft staff to liase with their US (and
European) counterparts without leaving their respective headquarters.

The first system has already been installing at the French
headquarters in Paris. Five other systems will be installed around
Europe by the summer of 1994. All the systems use the integrated
services digital networks (ISDN) of their respective countries.

The videoconferencing systems, which are PC-based, will be used to
improve communication in product support and service operations as
well as increase efficiency across pan-European sales and marketing
operations.

Microsoft is reknowned by journalists in the British computer industry
for sending its staff around the world. One member of staff at the UK
office, when contacted by Newsbytes UK recently, commented that it was
a miracle the media managed to contact him, as he was "on the road" so
often. The new videoconferencing system should avoid the need to move
around so much, although only for contacts within the company.

(Steve Gold/199340223/Press & Public Contact: Microsoft UK - Tel:
0734-560915)


(NEWS)(GENERAL)(SFO)(00003)

Triticom Releases Upgrade To Bridgeit 02/23/93
EDEN PRAIRIE, MINNESOTA, U.S.A., 1993 FEB 23 (NB) -- Triticom has
announced an upgrade to its software Ethernet bridge product called
Bridgeit. Version 2.0 of Bridgeit features an SNMP (Simple Network
Management Protocol) agent, remote capability, broadcast storm
detection, and the ability to block traffic that originates from
specific network nodes.

Bridgeit is a software-only product. The customer supplies his/her own
dedicated PC and Ethernet cards. The software uses the PC and the
cards as the necessary hardware to maintain a bridging function
between the two network segments.

The new features in version 2.0 expand Bridgeit's capabilities.
The SNMP agent is useful on larger networks where a management
station that supports SNMP is employed. The Bridgeit-based bridge
can now be interrogated and managed from the network management
stations. In addition to all this, Bridgeit's SNMP agent supports the
Management Information Base (MIB) level II.

A second important new feature is the addition of remote operations.
With Bridgeit version 2.0 a customer can attach a modem to the PC's
serial port and have the bridge located between the network segment
and the modem. A similarly configured bridge at the other end
completes the bridging function. One Bridgeit license is all that is
needed to cover both ends of the remote installation.

Bridgeit version 2.0 is available now for a retail price of $695.
Current users of Bridgeit can upgrade to the new version for $100.
If you purchased your copy of Bridgeit over the last 60 days, contact
Triticom for a free upgrade.

(Naor Wallach/19930223/Press Contact: Jodie Boseck, Triticom, 612-
937-0772/Public Contact: Triticom, 612-937-0772)


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

 ****Ultra Definition TV Project Starts In Japan 02/23/93
TOKYO, JAPAN, 1993 FEB 23 (NB) -- Just when you were thinking of
buying a high definition television (HDTV), the Japanese Government
has announced the Ultra Definition TV project (UDTV).

More than 100 firms and organizations have aligned themselves with the
project, whose strict title is the Advanced Pictorial Technology
Development & Promotion Project. Its aim is to research and develop
an ultra-sensitive digital TV system that works to 2,000 lines
definition -- around twice that currently available on HDTV -- by
the year 2005.

Member companies that have signed up to the UDTV project includes NTT,
NHK (Japan Broadcasting Corporation), Hitachi, NEC, Tokyo Electric
Power, ASCII, KDD, Sony, Toshiba, Fujitsu, Matsushita Electric, Sharp,
Konica, Kadokawa Publishing, and Shogakukan Publishing. Overseas firms
and organizations such as the European Business Association (EBA) and
France Telecom have also put their names to the project.

Last week saw the inaugural meeting of the UDTV development team
in Tokyo. At the meeting, Hitachi's Katsushige Mita was
elected chairman, and plans were drawn to open an office at the
Telecom Advanced Technical Research Support Center in Tokyo.

While all this has been going on, three electronics majors --
Matsushita, Pioneer and Sony -- have been discussing the possibility
of setting up a joint company to develop software for high definition
TV systems.

If the project takes off, the joint venture company will work on laser
discs for HDTVs, which are lacking for today's fledgling HDTV
viewers.

(Masayuki "Massey" Miyazawa/19930223)


(NEWS)(IBM)(SFO)(00005)

Atech Ships DataSel Gold Contact Manager 02/23/93
CARLSBAD, CALIFORNIA, U.S.A., 1993 FEB 23 (NB) -- Atech Software
is now shipping DataSel Gold, a full-featured contact management
software program for PCs that organizes phone calls, correspondence,
and appointments.

The software incorporates the business professional's familiar card
file, notepad and appointment calendar and enhances each with
special features. "Contact Action" screens contain complete
information on an unlimited number of contacts, and this screen is
immediately retrievable by entering the first or last name, or the
name of the company. Sixteen custom fields turn the program into a
database application to identify contacts that meet specific
criteria. A notepad automatically set up for each contact can be
accessed with one keystroke, and the notes, which can be any length,
are stored indefinitely. A calendar screen shows the name,
company name, and phone number of each appointment. The calendar also
checks for scheduling conflicts and includes a comments screen.
Each calendar appointment automatically becomes part
of the contact history that can be accessed for future
reference. In addition, the calendar can be printed to show daily,
weekly, or monthly meetings, letters, phone calls and to-do
items.

DataSel's built-in word processor can be used to create the user's
own library of standard letters, and a contact's name and address
can be inserted for one letter or thousands. A note is added to
the person's contact history when the letter is printed with the
date the letter was sent.

The program is suggested retail priced at $79. Call 800/786-3668
or 619/438-6883 for more information.

(Computer Currents/19930223)


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

International Phone Update 02/23/93
ATLANTA, GEORGIA, U.S.A., 1993 FEB 23 (NB) -- US companies continue to
make inroads in international telecom markets, while local
governments struggle with privatization.

Fonic Inc., of New York, for instance, is quickly installing its
paging system in Jinan, China, which could serve 50,000 people
later this year. But there is a dark side to such progress. Low
value-added data processing is moving to lower-wage sites as
telecom facilities are upgraded.

The Caribbean, especially Barbados, has been the chief beneficiary so
far, but China and India are moving into the market rapidly. Cathay
Pacific, the Hong Kong based airline, is just one of the latest
companies to move its "back-office" to cheaper labor markets, in its
case moving it to Guangzhou, China. What is most dangerous for Western
workers is that, as back-office functions move, so can computer
programming operations.

Brazil is a good example of what is happening. The nation re-opened
its computer market and is considering the sale of Telebras, its
national phone monopoly. One result of the former policy is that
factories established by foreign companies to make equipment in
Brazil, like Ericsson's phone plant in the Amazon basin, are being
closed. The Telebras sale, meanwhile, has become a political football,
especially in the wake of Uruguay's vote against privatizing its Antel
monopoly. And even the simplest moves, like the move by Telesp, a
Telebras unit, to buy equipment for its new Sao Paulo cellular
network, is open to bureaucratic challenge, with Ericsson winning a
hold on the purchase from NEC of $100 million for 71,000 lines.

Still, the Argentine example remains compelling. Both Telefonica
and Telecom reported fine results for 1992, with profits and
service levels continuing to rise. This has helped revive
investor interest in the entire economy, and improved the
standing of president Carlos de Menem, who was called a jinx
after he was first elected.

Telefonica is controlled by a group headed by Telefonica de Espana and
Citicorp., while Telecom is controlled by a group headed by STET of
Italy, France Telecom, and JP Morgan. Peruvian President Alberto
Fujimori wants to follow Menem's example, saying his successful war
against the Shining Path guerrilla movement and financial reforms now
make privatization of the EnTel phone firm and other companies
practical and desirable to foreign firms.

Turkey, too, is following the privatization trend, with 20 percent of
the Netas company going public in March. Northern Telecom of Canada
now holds most of the stock. Australia's sale of its AOTC was
emperiled by, of all people, Salomon Brothers of the US, which said
the company is worth just half of what the conservative opposition
expects to get if they win next month's elections. The conservatives
are still expected to win, since Australia suffers from nearly 11
percent unemployment under its present Labour government.

In Japan, finally, NTT has announced it will cut its staff while US
firms marched into the market. About 70,000 will be gone from the
local Japanese monopoly carrier by 1996, and expansion of ISDN
service is being slowed due to heavy losses. Meanwhile, Stratacom
of the US is just the latest to enter the market, with its IPX
switch designed especially for Japanese versions of frame relay
and ATM services. The company has just opened a sales office in
Tokyo to serve Japan and the entire Pacific Rim.

(Dana Blankenhorn/19930223/Press Contact: StrataCom, Margaret
Parkinson, 408/294-7600x2270; Sam Witchel, for Fonic, 212-983-
1060)


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

More On The New Ameritech 02/23/93
CHICAGO, ILLINOIS, U.S.A., 1993 FEB 23 (NB) -- Like US President Bill
Clinton, Ameritech Chairman William Weiss has based his future on a
single package of change. While reaction to both plans remains
positive, there remains the chance both could be picked apart by
critics.

Like Clinton, who cut his White House staff and called for other
austerity measures before asking for tax increases, Ameritech has
announced plans to cut 12 percent of its managers, or 2,500 jobs,
before demanding new powers. Clinton faces opposition from
Republicans. Weiss faces opposition from competitors, especially
long distance companies and cable operators.

Ameritech's plan calls for allowing free competition within its
local loop in exchange for deregulation. The company would turn
its five statewide networks into mere legal shells and sell all
services through the Ameritech brand name. Competitors would be
allowed into the market, selling local dial tone in competition
with the company. In exchange, it wants in to the long distance
market, and it wants price caps instead of profit controls. The
plan needs regulatory and antitrust approval.

In its press conference announcing the plan, Ameritech officials, like
Vice Chairman Richard Brown, repeatedly stressed the word "customer,"
saying competition would keep costs low. But critics, like AT&T, which
would have to compete in the long distance market with the new
Ameritech, want the company to prove that competition is real, not
just rhetorical, before it is given what it seeks. As more than one
analyst noted, there remains a lot Ameritech can do to make it
unprofitable for competitors to enter its local service market, like
controlling pricing for local access.

The skepticism may be heightened by a General Accounting Office
report that the Federal Communications Commission lacks the staff
to check on whether companies like Ameritech are overcharging
customers. The regional Bells have long been accused of "cross
subsidizing" things like cellular services, international buy-
outs, and competitive enterprises with money from local
ratepayers, and the GAO report indicates that indeed may be
happening. Rep. Edward Markey, chairman of the House
Telecommunication and Finance Committee, may use the report to
keep Ameritech and other phone companies from getting the
deregulation they seek.

Other analysts questioned whether Ameritech should even consider
letting competitors into its network, noting profit margin
estimates of as much as 20 percent on local phone service.
Ameritech's reply is that competition, from cable television and
alternative local networks like those of Metropolitan Fiber and
Teleport, is inevitable, and in its proposal to enter the long
distance market it said it expects competition from Time Warner
and TCI, the two largest cable operators. Investors, however,
boosted the price of Ameritech stock by about $1.25 per share.

All local phone companies are looking for ways to deal with this
new environment. Pacific Telesis has proposed dividing itself
into a regulated local phone company and unregulated wireless
outfit. Rochester Telephone has proposed opening its small
network in New York to competition. Nynex has formed a committee
to look into unifying its New England and New York networks.

Bell Atlantic has sued the US government, seeking entrance
into the cable television market. But Ameritech's is the most
far-reaching program by far, and is aimed as much at national
policymakers and the public at-large as at state regulators and
customers.

Just as the Clinton plan faces a long, uphill fight before the
US Congress, so  Ameritech's plan is expected to face a long haul
before the FCC,  state regulators, and the US District Court,
which must revise its 1982 decree breaking up the Bell System
before the plan can go into effect.

(Dana Blankenhorn/19930223)


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

MCI Offers 800-Number Guarantees 02/23/93
WASHINGTON, D.C., U.S.A., 1993 FEB 23 (NB) -- MCI has announced a "no-
fault" guarantee on its toll-free services in an attempt to lure
customers from AT&T when such numbers become portable in May.

Phone companies are now changing the way their networks handle
toll-free calls to the 800 area code, moving from a system where
exchanges are held by long distance carriers to one where the
entire number is checked in a "look-up table" before carrying on.
This lets customers take their numbers with them when they change
carriers -- the number becomes "portable," inotherwords.

MCI's plan offers a resumption of service through a rerouting
of calls in five minutes after a service disruption, regardless
of the source of the disruption. The company claimed that AT&T's
similar guarantee does not cover failures which can't be blamed
on the carrier, like electrical outages. MCI said it if can't
reroute the calls quickly enough, it will credit customers with a
month's basic service free. The guarantee also applies to
international 800-number calls. Previously, MCI had offered a 15-
minute guarantee, which kicked in last June.

AT&T had an immediate response. It said MCI was copying its own
program. "AT&T was first to introduce service assurance, in
September 1989, a full year before MCI announced its plan," it
said in a press statement. "Moreover, AT&T was the first to
include International 800 Service in its coverage."

(Dana Blankenhorn/19930223/Press Contact: AT&T, Monty Hoyt,
908/221-8789; Steve Fox, MCI, 800-365-2275)


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

Nynex Linking Local Units 02/23/93
WHITE PLAINS, NEW YORK, U.S.A., 1993 FEB 23 (NB) -- Nynex formed
an executive committee charged with coordinating the work of all
its units to get ready for competition. Plans call for the group to
implement its recommendations in stages, with completion due in 1994.
The main effort will be in eliminating duplication between its New
York and New England Telephone units in order to reduce costs.

The group will be headed by Nynex vice chairman, Ivan G. Seidenberg. It
will include New York Telephone President Richard A. Jalkut, New
England Telephone President Paul C. O'Brien, New England Telephone
Vice President Gail Deegan, New York Telephone Vice President Peter J.
Buxton, and New York Telephone General Counsel John M. Clarke.

While Pacific Telesis is proposing to put its regulated and non-
regulated entities into separate companies, Seidenberg noted that
Nynex has already put those units into separate groups, with Nynex
itself acting more as a holding company. Nynex' "Worldwide Group" is
active in both Europe and Asia, with major operations in the United
Kingdom and Thailand.

Newsbytes discused the plan with Nynex spokesman Peter Goodale, who
said, "Both Ameritech and Nynex are trying to do the same thing -- get
the customer as the central focus of the strategy. We're going about
it in different ways, but we applaud Ameritech's efforts. In our case
we've been looking at ways we could operate as a more unified
organization, for cost efficiencies and quick service delivery,
consistent marketing and overall quality. Ameritech shows more what
the end product will look like than at Nynex," he acknowledged.

Goodale said that the action of Rochester Telephone, which proposed
letting competitors into its local loop before New York regulators, is
also a similar action, but claimed Nynex is already ahead of the
curve.

"Nynex wrote the book on co-location," allowing companies like
Teleport to put their equipment in Nynex central offices, Goodale
said. "We've been doing it since 1991. Carriers who want to connect to
our network can do it already. The notion of local competition is not
new here. We're comfortable with that. Deregulation is not going to
happen unilaterally. It's a national policy issue. Our vision for the
future calls for full local competition. We see more of it in New York
than anywhere else, with Teleport and TCI and AT&T and McCaw coming
along. We see a lot of competition in the local market, and that's the
future.

He concluded: "We see this as a fundamental change in how our
telecommunications group is managed. We are transforming the business.
Right now we have 2 telephone businesses operating quite separately.
But the days of incremental change are over -- we need breakthrough
changes. The best way to do that is operating in a more unified way.

(Dana Blankenhorn/19930223/Press Contact: Nynex, Peter Goodale,
914/644-7220)


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

Papows Named VP Of Lotus Notes Division 02/23/93
CAMBRIDGE, MASSACHUSETTS, U.S.A., 1993 FEB 23 (NB) -- Lotus
Development has split its communications division and named Jeffrey
Papows to head a new division devoted to its Notes workgroup
application development software.

Papows, who recently left the president's post at the
Ottawa-based software Cognos, becomes vice-president of the new Notes
product division. He will report to June Rokoff and John Landry, who
jointly head Lotus product development.

Terry Rogers, who was formerly vice-president of the
communications division reporting to Landry and Rokoff, becomes
vice-president of development for Notes, reporting to Papows.
"Jeff is going to be focusing on growing the business quickly,"
said company spokesman Richard Eckel. "Terry can focus on
technology and development issues."

Meanwhile, the company's cc:Mail electronic mail software will
become part of its mobile computing division. Rex Cardinale,
vice-president and general manager of the cc:Mail division, will
report to Larry Crume, vice-president of mobile computing.

Papows left Cognos after several poor quarters at the maker of
application development tools for PCs and minicomputers. Earlier,
Cognos' chairman and chief executive told Newsbytes that Papows'
departure was a "mutual decision" related in part to the
company's problems, but said it was not a simple matter of
blaming Papows for the problems but rather one of streamlining
the company's reporting structure.

(Grant Buckler/19930223/Press Contact: Richard Eckel, Lotus
Development, 617-693-1284)


(NEWS)(BUSINESS)(TOR)(00011)

Corel, Motion Works In Marketing Pact 02/23/93
VANCOUVER, BRITISH COLUMBIA, CANADA, 1993 FEB 23 (NB) -- Motion
Works, a developer of multimedia tools and CD-ROM titles, has
announced a marketing agreement with Ottawa software developer Corel.

Under the agreement, Corel will take over the marketing of Motion
Works' products, leaving the Vancouver firm free to concentrate
on development.

"It's a marriage of two companies with individual strengths,"
said Bob Lunde, a spokesman for Motion Works.

Randall McCallum, chief executive of Motion Works, said that Corel
will use its strong marketing organization to sell his company's
existing products, which include animation software for the Apple
Macintosh and Microsoft Windows as well as one compact disc
read-only memory (CD-ROM) title, the PrimeTime CD.

Motion Works will focus on developing new products, particularly
further CD-ROM titles, he said.

"Building a marketing channel for small companies is one of the
biggest challenges after development," McCallum said. By
piggybacking on Corel's established presence, he hopes Motion
Works will be able to avoid some of the problems small companies
often face in bringing products to market.

Motion Works had revenues of about C$1 million in 1992, McCallum
said. Thanks to the Corel deal, the company hopes to "meet or
exceed" revenue projections of C$4.5 million to C$5.7 million in
1993, he added.

Motion Works had earlier licensed animation software and other
multimedia technology (about which the company will not release
details) to Corel. "We're solidifying our relationship with Corel
more and more," McCallum said.

While the deal essentially removes Motion Works from the
day-to-day selling of its products, McCallum said it will not
mean any of the company's present marketing staff lose their
jobs. With a view to just such a deal, he said, Motion Works has
been careful to hire marketing people who could step into a
market research role in a development-oriented company.

The deal gives Corel the right of first refusal on all future
Motion Works products.

(Grant Buckler/19930223/Press Contact: Bob Lunde, Motion Works,
604-685-9975)


(NEWS)(IBM)(TOR)(00012)

 ****LaBant Reassures IBM Dealers At Conference 02/23/93
ORLANDO, FLORIDA, U.S.A., 1993 FEB 23 (NB) -- We're going to make
it, but we need your help more than ever. That was the message
Robert J. LaBant, senior vice-president of IBM North America,
delivered to the company's "business partners," or dealers and
value-added resellers (VARs) at a conference this week.

Referring to the company's worst-ever financial results in 1992
and the recent announcement that Chief Executive John Akers will
step down, LaBant admitted IBM has been having problems. But he
went on to defend the company's long-term prospects and strategy
and to lash out at critics.

"The cottage industry of people who follow us for a living have
been serving up more cottage cheese than fact," LaBant said.
"Particularly annoying is the suggestion that IBM has lost its
bearings, which is simply baloney, because while we face serious
challenges, we've never been more certain about our course."

LaBant emphasized the importance of sales to small and
medium-sized business in IBM's strategy.

"If IBM is to grow with the industry," he said, "then we must be
successful in general business. That's because the opportunity is
huge -- valued at some $60 billion and getting bigger."

General business operations -- by which IBM means small to
mid-sized business -- produce only about 10 percent of the
company's revenues today but account for roughly a third of its
growth.

"We're aiming to grow our general business services at a compound
rate of 50 percent for the next four or five years," he said,
"and we can't do it without you."

LaBant noted that IBM has already created specialized trading
areas devoted to this market segment within each of its seven
geographic areas. These General Business Trading Areas manage
about half of IBM's business with small to mid-sized businesses
today, he said, and will eventually handle close to 100 percent.

He also pointed to the introduction in recent months of a number
of new models in its RISC System/6000 line of workstations and
servers and in its AS/400 line of minicomputers.

He also pointed to last fall's roll-out of 83 new personal
computer models in two months by the newly created IBM Personal
Computer Co., adding that IBM shipped more personal computers in
the fourth quarter than in any other quarter in its history.

LaBant also extended an olive branch to dealers unhappy about IBM
competing with them in providing services such as systems
integration.

"I'm aware that in the past we've stepped on each other's toes in
the services arena," he said. "Well, we want to change that.
While there will still be circumstances where we'll elect to
compete with you, we want to integrate your services into our
portfolio and our services into your portfolio."

In an "increasingly unforgiving decade," LaBant said, IBM needs
resellers to help compensate for its diminished resources.
Meanwhile, he told resellers that IBM could provide them with the
infrastructure they lack.

"If there was ever a time when we needed your skills and
contributions," he said, "rest assured it's today."

(Grant Buckler/19930223)


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

 ****Clinton/Gore Outline High-Tech Plans In Silicon Valley 02/23/93
WASHINGTON, DC, U.S.A., 1993 FEB 23 (NB) -- After viewing a
morphed image of himself and VP Gore emerging from a photograph
of former President Bush and VP Quayle, President Clinton gave a
pep talk to believers at Silicon Graphics and then turned the
show over to his Vice President, who outlined the new
administration's plan to promote the high-tech, automotive,
airline, and aerospace industries. At the core is a $7 billion
small business Research and Experimentation tax credit which
would become permanent.

High-speed rail and a national telecommunications infrastructure
plan are also on the list of projects which the Clinton
administration wants to promote, with the latter tied in with a
plan to help small business and schools tap into a massive
proposed information network.

The administration's vision of our high-tech future includes
universal access to digital libraries from school and home.

A cut in capital gains taxes for some smaller companies and a
reaffirmation of the ongoing plans to modernize computer systems
at the Social Security Administration and IRS rounds out the
direct high-tech support package for computer-related businesses
which are already doing reasonably well, even in depressed
California.

After the President joked about his Vice President being "the
only person ever to hold national office in America who knew what
the Gestalt of the gigabit is" (but didn't explain that for the
rest of us) and VP Gore made some comments about the human brain
having "a low bit-rate but high resolution," the road show moved
onto troubled Boeing Aircraft where the President told
disappointed workers that his plan would not turn the economy
around immediately.

Apparently the major plan for helping the aircraft industry is to
name a Congressional commission to study the airline industry.
The President virtually ruled out any move by the government to
subsidize the aircraft industry in the way European governments
support Airbus Consortium, but he did call on Europe to drop its
subsidies. There was no indication from Europe that his advice
was welcome.

Total research grants funding energy management for buildings and
zero-emission vehicles (electric cars) would total about $4
billion, a bit more than is scheduled to be cut from military-
oriented research.

But while high-tech supporters praise Clinton's plan, John
Sculley (Chairman and CEO of Apple Computer) told Lou Dobbs late
Monday on CNN's Moneyline business program that more deficit
reduction is needed, as is a line item veto. He specifically
blamed Senator Robert Byrd (D-W.Va.) for blocking the executive
veto control device which every corporate president has available
to manage his or her budget but which can't be used by the
President to eliminate pork from congressional spending bills.

With a current unemployment rate of 9.5 percent, versus 6.7
percent average in the US, and with a poor outlook for the
immediate future, California was the toughest place for the
administration to push its plans but the tag team appeared to
make a good impression both at the successful high-tech Silicon
Graphics and the depressed Boeing Aircraft, where President
Clinton told cheering workers that aerospace industry layoffs
were not their fault but due to unfair competition.

The Clinton plan calls for $500 million to retrain laid-off
defense workers, much of which is targeted to California, but
yesterday Clifornia Governor Pete Wilson said that he expects
"still greater pain from the plan because it will throw more
people out of work [in the defense industry]." Others see a
continuing recession in California right through the end of
Clinton's first term.

Also yesterday, Congressman Edward Markey (D-Mass.), chairman of
the House Subcommittee on Telecommunications and Finance, told
attendees at Esther Dyson's PC Forum conference that computer
firms need to work more closely with government to ensure fair
telecommunications regulations.

Of course, the call for support may be a bit late if, as reported
yesterday by Reuters, Mr. Markey's committee votes today on the
Representative's proposal to expand industry's access to more
radio frequencies, something necessary to expanding mobile
computing.

To put things into perspective, the Clinton/Gore plan actually
calls for spending $17 billion more on high-tech over the next
four years -- $4.25 billion per year. This will be more than the
cuts proposed for military research, but is not as big a package
as it appears at first.

(John McCormick/19930223)


(NEWS)(IBM)(MOW)(00014)

Moscow - IBM Donates Hospital Computer System 02/23/93
MOSCOW, RUSSIA, 1993 FEB 23 (NB) -- Moscow Botkin Hospital has become
the beneficiary of a major gift from IBM -- the donation of a
minicomputer system, an AS/400 with four workstations. Plans call for
the system to run medical records software, specifically
MedSolution/400.

As part of the donation, IBM has promised free support and software
consultation for the system for the next two years. The hospital may
need the support, Newsbytes notes, as it must be adapted to work with
the Russian health service administration systems.

According to Yury Dovzhenko, Botkin Hospital's computer centre, the
AS/400-based system "seems to be the most suitable for our goals."

Botkin Hospital runs training courses for medical personnel.
Doctors learn how to work with the computers, so IBM's spin-off from
the donation will be that it will act as a showcase of what is
possible using the AS/400 computer system for staff in Russian
hospitals.

"The aim of this donation is to provide a tool for development of new
medical software and to try to build a new health care system in your
country based on wide use of information technologies," explained
Lennart Crook, the general representative of IBM in Moscow.

Financial terms of the donation have not been revealed.

(Kirill Tchashchin & Polina Antonova/19930223/Press Contact: IBM
Moscow, Lennart Crook, phone [phone])


(NEWS)(TRENDS)(LON)(00015)

 ****Cold War Rivals From NSA, KGB Go Into Business Together 02/23/93
SILVER SPRINGS, MARYLAND, U.S.A. (NB) -- A former senior officer with
the National Security Agency (NSA) in the US has signed a business
agreement with his former KGB adversaries. Plans call for the business
partnership to offer security services in Russia.

Gerard Burke, a former assistant director with the NSA, who now runs
the Parvus consultancy in Silver Spring, Maryland, said he has formed
an international partnership with the Association for Business
Security (ABS), a Moscow-based company run by ex-KGB officials.

ABS is headed up by Victor Budanov, a retired major general with the
KGB. Budanov, who was chief of counter-intelligence with the KGB's
external spy operations division, was Burke's counterpart within the
KGB during the 1980s.

Burke said that, initially, the partnership will offer a range of
services to the international business community, including couriers
for money and precious metals, security protection for businessmen and
their communications, as well as "investigations" of prospective
business partners in the former Soviet Union.

"Having devoted so much of my life to dealing with the Russians in an
adversarial role, it's quite exciting to join forces with them in
these new ventures," Burke said.

Burke, now 62, was an assistant director of the NSA between 1974 and
1978. He led an international delegation of corporate security
directors and ex-intelligence officials to Moscow in October of last
year. He negotiated the business deal with ABS in January of this
year.

Burke added that his Parvus operation has been growing rapidly over the
past few years and has an annual turnover of more than $2 million.
With a full-time staff of 11, Parvus claims to employ more than 100
part-time consultants, many of them former CIA operatives.

(Steve Gold/19930223)


(NEWS)(IBM)(SFO)(00016)

Windows Pink Pad Replaces The Paper Variety 02/23/93
SAN FRANCISCO, CALIFORNIA, U.S.A., 1993 FEB 23 (NB) -- Intelligent
Software Solutions says its  Windows Pink Pad can turn your
receptionist's PC into an automated  message center. The person taking
a  phone message can fill in the Pink Pad form on screen and transmit
it to a single workstation or to every station throughout a network.

A "New Message" dialogue box appears on the recipient's screen for
him to read now or later. Users can also disable the function,
holding all calls. The user can print messages as a Pink
Pad memo or in a list format. The colors  are user-definable, and the
software  features built-in password security.

The receptionist can create Rolodex-type records with information on
frequent callers already filled-in, such as name, company, and phone
number, for quicker message-taking, and the Pink Pad software
automatically loads when Windows is opened so it is readily
available.

Windows Pink Pad carries an introductory suggested retail price of
$49.99 for a single user or $199.99 for an unlimited network site license.
For more information, contact the San Francisco, Calif.-based
company at  800/382-7658.

(Computer Currents/19930223)


(NEWS)(IBM)(BOS)(00017)

Packard Bell Revenues Up 38% 02/23/93
LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA, U.S.A., 1993 FEB 23 (NB) -- Packard Bell, the
number two supplier of IBM-compatible PCs in the US, has reported a 38
percent rise in revenues and a 40 percent climb in unit shipments for
1992. During the year, company revenues reached $925 million for the
year, and unit shipments 700,000, bringing Packard Bell's installed
base to 2.7 million PCs worldwide.

Brent Cohen, chief operating officer, attributed last year's
success to a boom in the mass market channel. Packard Bell holds
30 percent of all US retail shelf space dedicated to computers,
he noted.

"As the dominant vendor in the mass channel in the United States,
Packard Bell is very well positioned to take advantage of the
exploding growth that is happening in the marketplace," he said.

Announcing the results, officials pointed out that Packard Bell has
pioneered the practice of selling PCs preloaded with software, letting
customers start running the products they've purchased right after
returning from the store.

Packard Bell markets its PCs through such major retail outlets as
Sears, Price Club, Montgomery Ward, CompCo, Wal-Mart, Best Buy,
Circuit City, Silo, Costco, and CompUSA.

(Jacqueline Emigh/19930223)


(NEWS)(GENERAL)(TYO)(00018)

PC Shipments Slow Down In Japan 02/23/93
TOKYO, JAPAN, 1993 FEB 23 (NB) -- JEIDA (the Japanese Electronic
Industry Association) has reported that domestic sales from Japanese
PC manufacturers will be down 10 percent during the year to March '93.
Last spring, JEIDA predicted that shipments would actually rise five
percent.

According to the JEIDA, the main reason for the slowdown is the
sluggish economy in Japan. Whatever the reason, there is a PC price
war currently taking place in Japan, forcing prices ever downwards --
a plus point for consumers.

Many potential PC buyers, it seems, are not being tempted by the low
prices. They are said to be adopting a wait and see attitude towards
their purchases, with the result that manufacturers are cutting prices
even closer to the bone.

According to the JEIDA, 199 billion yens ($1.33 billion) worth of PCs
were sold by Japan onto the worldwide market in the fourth quarter of
1992, around 19 percent less than the same period a year before. Unit
shipments, meanwhile, have been falling for the last seven quarters.

Domestic sales were even worse hit by the recession, with 1992 fourth
quarter figures around 21 percent lower than a year ago, with actual
units shipped in Japan falling by a more modest 13 percent.

There is a glimmer of hope, however, as exports of PCs rose by 47
percent in the fourth quarter of 1992, when compared with the same
period of 1991.

Industry experts report that prices in Japan are very low indeed, with
some prices as much as 50 percent lower than a year ago. Can PC prices
fall still further? Japanese buyer think they might -- that's why
they're still hanging on to their wallets and purses.

(Masayuki "Massey" Miyazawa/19930223)


(NEWS)(IBM)(SFO)(00019)

Low-Cost Document Imaging System 02/23/93
TORRANCE, CALIFORNIA, U.S.A., 1993 FEB 23 (NB) -- Compulink Management
Center has introduced MinuteFile, a software program that turns a
personal computer and scanner into a low-cost desktop document imaging
system.

Introducing the product, Chris Wacker, Compulink's vice president of
marketing, said: "Think of MinuteFile as a personal filing cabinet
where you can store and file all of your documents and images."

According to the company, it is an entry-level document imaging
program for individual PC users, but is upgradable to any
business application that requires full-text retrieval, notebook
mobility, or complete multi-user, networked computing.

Les Goldberg, spokesman for the company told Newsbytes that
the product is targeted at "individual PC users who, for the
first time, can affordably get into document imaging."

MinuteFile is available in DOS or Windows versions. It controls
the scanner and files the document images. Once documents are
scanned into the system, users can search for them by looking
for index field information, or they can browse the program's
folders for an overview of the files.

The company says that, after a document has been retrieved, an
exact copy of the original can be printed. Or, using the built-in
OCR feature, a computer text file of the image can be created,
allowing the user to edit text without re-entering data.

The program also allows for the importing of existing documents
in word processing or ASCII text files into a central location
for faster access.

The program's dual-sided scanning capability saves file space by
collating documents on both sides. Seven menus are provided by
MinuteFile: folder, batch, document, retrieve, OCR/text, set-up,
and Windows toolbar.

Goldberg told Newsbytes that Fujitsu Computer Products of
America has already bundled MinuteFile with its 10-page-per-
minute, 300 dots-per-inch ScanPartner 10, calling the resulting
combination the ScanPartner Plus. "It's a bundle of their scanner
with Compulink software," he said.

MinuteFile retails for $895 and includes optical character
recognition (OCR) features.

(Ian Stokell/19930223/Press Contact: Les Goldberg,
714-545-3117, Les Goldberg Public Relations)


(NEWS)(GENERAL)(SFO)(00020)

LANtastic 5.0 02/23/93
TUCSON, ARIZONA, U.S.A., 1993 FEB 23 (NB) -- The peer-to-peer
network operating system market has certainly heated up recently
with Microsoft's release of its Windows for Workgroups. However,
Artisoft is keeping up the pressure with the release of LANtastic
version 5.0, which is scheduled to ship in March.

Peer-to-peer operating systems are popular among small
businesses and departments within larger organizations, as they
are low-cost and do not require a dedicated server. While they do
lack many of the advanced features of such products as Novell's
NetWare, they do offer basic networking services, such as printer
and resource sharing, and electronic mail capabilities. However,
dedicated servers can be used with peer-to-peer operating
systems. One of the big advantages of a dedicated server is that
it makes security operations easier because sensitive information
can be stored in one place.

LANtastic is seen as more of a high-end peer-to-peer product
with advanced features that almost rival fully functional, but
low-end, network operating systems. According to the company,
version 5.0 incorporates additional features, including
multiplatform connectivity for corporate workgroups as well as
enhanced network administration, security, and printing
capabilities.

Among the new features, a LANtastic for Windows "scrapbook"
feature that "facilitates the exchange of text, graphics and
audio information across the network.

Jack Schoolf, Artisoft's chairman and chief executive officer,
in announcing the new version, said: "These new feature
developments, combined with improved multiplatform support,
continue to make LANtastic v5.0 one of the leading peer-to-peer
network operating systems on the market today. LANtastic 5.0
still offers the ease-of-use, flexibility and low cost that smaller
businesses demand, while maintaining the power, security and
connectivity support to handle larger networks."

One of the biggest enhancements, Newsbytes notes, is increased
user support in version 5.0 - up to 500 users per server from 300
in version 4.1. Competing peer-to-peer products usually support
far fewer users, and some only accommodate a maximum of 25.

According to the company, LANtastic users can now bridge to
OS/2 IIPFS, WORM and other non-DOS drives. Users share these
drive connections with the LANtastic network by setting up
the connection as a LANtastic shared resource. Additionally,
the company says that LANtastic version 5.0 provides bridging
capabilities to Unix NFS, allowing a LANtastic server that is
also a Unix client (running LANtastic for TCP/IP software or
other Unix client software) to serve as a bridge to the rest
of the LANtastic network.

A LANtastic server running as a NetWare client can also be set
up as a NetWare bridge so that users on the LANtastic network
can access the NetWare server's files. According to the company,
this can be done by installing an additional adapter to the
LANtastic server and appropriate NetWare workstation files, or
by running LANtastic for NetWare software.

The company says that the new NetBIOS provided with LANtastic
5.0 now includes routable packets that allow users to connect
different types of networks such as ARCNET, Ethernet and serial
port networks together in a single LANtastic network. An
IPX (Internetworking Packet Exchange) routing option allows the
use of Novell IPX-compliant routers.

A useful "global resource feature" allows users who log in to only
one server to use multiple servers' resources. Version 5.0 also
allows administrators to set up all user accounts on a single
server, which can share the user account information with other
servers. This remote accounts feature makes it easier to set up
and maintain individual accounts, wild card accounts, and Access
Control List (ACL) groups because they are all stored in one
place.

A new batch despooling feature allows users to despool
commands to a remote server from a local PC, and specify the
date and time when these commands will be executed. Also, a
disk caching program, LANcache, now gives users many new
features to help speed the performance of network servers and
workstations. The company claims that users are able to cache
multiple drives in a single PC, specify different LANcache
sizes for DOS and Windows, and configure LANcache to use as
little as10 kilobytes of RAM.

Improved printing features cited by the company include
delayed despooling, which allows users to specify the date and
time for printing; support for COM3 and COM4; and remote
despooling, which allows a server's queue to be serviced by
multiple remote printers.

Artisoft has introduced new Starter Kits based on its LANtastic
NodeRunner 2000/C networking board. The kits include all the
software and hardware required for two PCs: the LANtastic 5.0
network operating system; two Artisoft NodeRunner 2000/C
boards, cabling, and documentation. The DOS Starter Kits are
available for $659 and the Windows-DOS Starter Kits cost $759.

The LANtastic version 5.0 software carries a DOS-only list price
of $119 for a single node license; $659 for a six-pack license;
$1,189 for a 12-pack license; and $2,999 for a 500-user license.
For Windows-DOS the software is priced at $139 for a single node
license; $779 for a six-pack license; $1,429 for a 12-pack license;
and $3,499 for a 500-user license.

(Ian Stokell/19930223/Press Contact: Joe Stunkard,
602-670-7145, Artisoft Inc.)


(NEWS)(IBM)(TYO)(00021)

IBM Japan Gets Its First Taste Of Layoffs - 1,200 To Go 02/23/93
TOKYO, JAPAN, 1993 FEB 23 (NB) -- IBM has confirmed what many in the
industry have been expecting -- layoffs in the company's Japanese
division.

This is the first time that IBM Japan has laid off any staff and, as
has has happened with the rest of the company's worldwide operation,
this first batch of 1,200 layoffs are voluntary only.

The "voluntary" option to take redundancy is initially being offered
to IBM's staff aged over 50 in Japan. This is being called "voluntary
retirement" by the company, with relatively generous payments being
made, so that the staffers can set up their own businesses if they
wish.

Mirroring the "early retirement" program operated by Western divisions
of IBM, IBM Japan has come up with a name for its program -- the
second carrier program. Unlike the US and UK programs, however, the
emphasis is not on the cash payment, but on the "investment" the
company is making in ex-employee's new businesses.

(Masayuki "Massey" Miyazawa/19930223/Press Contact: IBM Japan, +81-
3-3586-1111)


(NEWS)(TRENDS)(TYO)(00022)

Toshiba's Latest Budget Dynabook Debuts 02/23/93
TOKYO, JAPAN, 1993 FEB 23 (NB) -- Toshiba has announced two new
PCs, a notebook and a desktop, in its Dynabook range of machines.
Rather than soup up the specifications on the new machines, Toshiba
has chosen to cut pricing by around 25 percent, when compared to the
existing Dynabook series.

Both machines will ship in Japan on March 1 and, according to the
company, will allow Toshiba to achieve its sales targets. The company
expects to ship a total of 180,000 PCs by the end of March, although
Newsbytes notes this is six percent lower than the sales figures
reported for the year to March, 1992.

Toshiba's notebook Dynabook is called the J3100VSOO1WN, a PC
compatible that prices in at 278,000 yen (about $2,300). The machine
comes with a 20 megahertz (MHz) 80386SX CPU and 2 megabytes (MB) of
memory as standard. The display on the notebook is 16 grey scale 640 x
480 pixel 9.6 inch LCD.

The screen can be upgraded, if users' pockets will stretch to an extra
248,000 yen ($2,060). This gets you an 8.4-inch thin film transistor
(TFT) color screen. Other options for the A4-sized notebook, which
weights 2.2 kilos, include a 200MB hard disk.

Pricing on the new Dynabook is similar to that of notebooks from IBM
and NEC, both of which have been pushing pricing steadily down,
Newsbytes notes.

Toshiba's desktop model is called the J3100S/VX, and comes equipped
with a 66MHz 80486DX2 CPU driving a 1,024 x 768 pixel display. The
machine is aimed at the LAN (local area network) server market, with
the basic model costing a fairly hefty 998,000 yen ($8,300).

(Masayuki "Massey" Miyazawa/19930223/Press Contact: Toshiba, +81-3-
3457-2104)


(NEWS)(IBM)(DEN)(00023)

 ****Microsoft Offers MS Office Upgrade At Special Price 02/23/93
REDMOND, WASHINGTON, U.S.A., 1993 FEB 23 (NB) -- Microsoft
Corporation is offering users of competitor's spreadsheet, word
processing, and presentation graphics programs, as well as some of its
own programs, the chance to upgrade to Microsoft Office for
Windows 3.0 package for the special price of $569. The offer runs
from March 1st through June 30th.

In addition to Office, users of of Excel, Powerpoint, and Word can
upgrade under the program announced this week. If you use one of
those Microsoft programs and upgrade you get an additional $50
rebate. The regular suggested retail price of Microsoft Office is
$750.

A Microsoft spokesperson told Newsbytes that while there wasn't a
specific list of competitive products that are acceptable, any full-
featured spreadsheet, word processor or presentation graphics program
would qualify. The spokesperson mentioned Wordperfect, Lotus, Quattro
Pro and Harvard Graphics as examples of qualifying programs.

Microsoft's Pete Higgins, VP of desktop applications, said that, until
now users have been upgrading to Windows applications one program at a
time. "With this offer, we wanted to make it easier for users to
upgrade to the full set of leading applications for Windows in one
step," he said.

Microsoft Office for Windows is a suite of programs that includes
Microsoft Word 2.0, Microsoft spreadsheet Excel 4.0, presentation
graphics program Microsoft Powerpoint 3.0, and a workstation version
of Microsoft Mail.

In order to qualify for the special deal you must supply proof of
licensing of a qualifying program. That can be the original set-up
disk or the original first page from the program manual.

(Jim Mallory/19930223/Press contact: Gaby Adam, Waggener Edstrom for
Microsoft Corporation, 206-637-9097; Reader contact: Microsoft
Customer Service, 800-228-7007)


(NEWS)(IBM)(DEN)(00024)

Zeos Customers Offered Multimedia Upgrade 02/23/93
MINNEAPOLIS, MINNESOTA, U.S.A., 1993 FEB 23 (NB) -- Zeos
International has announced that customers who order any of its
upgradable desktop systems will have the option to upgrade to
a complete CD-ROM-based multimedia system for an additional $599.

Zeos spokesperson Rick Apple told Newsbytes that, in addition to the
desktop PC the upgrade package includes a Sony internal CD-ROM drive,
Media Vision's 16-bit stereo sound card, Labtec amplified speakers,
and several CD games and educational programs.

Apple said the MPC (multimedia personal computer) components will be
factory installed and meet the Multimedia PC Marketing Council
specifications. "Our customers have assurance that they will be able
to handle future multimedia applications," says Zeos Chairman Greg
Herrick.

Multimedia systems can combine video, animation, text, sound, and
graphics to create tools for training, sales presentations,
equipment operating instructions and other applications.

Bundled software includes Compton's Family Encyclopedia,
Broderbund's "Where is The World is Carmen Sandiego?" and games Wing
Commander II and Ultima Underworld, Apple said. Herrick says the
sound card is one of the most important components of the package.

"The Media vision sound card we provide has a fast 16-bit bus
interface... and a 20-voice synthesizer that virtually puts an
orchestra in your PC," according to the Zeos CEO. Herrick claims that
multimedia isn't just for play anymore, but is becoming more
widespread on the corporate level for presentations, training and
point of sale applications.

(Jim Mallory/19930223/Press contact: Rick Apple, Zeos Int'l,
612-623-9614; Reader contact: Zeos Int'l, 800-423-5891)


(NEWS)(IBM)(DEN)(00025)

 ****No Networking, Mail For DOS 6.0? 02/23/93
REDMOND, WASHINGTON, U.S.A., 1993 FEB 23 (NB) -- Microsoft apparently
has decided not to include network and mail functions in its soon to
be released DOS 6.0, and may also pull the data compression feature,
following the recent legal skirmishes with Stac over alleged copyright
infringements.

According to industry reports, corporate users of other networking
systems asked Microsoft to pull the network functions. However it
appears that those functions will be available as a separate module.
One PC maker told Newsbytes it is presently in negotiations with
Microsoft to include DOS 6.0 with its systems and plans to include the
networking features, whether they are part of the basic DOS 6.0
package or sold separately.

The data compression feature is in question, meanwhile, because of the
legal entanglements caused by a suit filed by Stac Electronics last
month alleging that Microsoft's compression algorithm infringes on
Stac's patents. That suit is expected to reach the courts later this
year if the two companies can't reach an agreement first.

The network and mail code was designed to provide a link to Windows
For Workgroups, Microsoft's network-in-a-box released recently.
Windows for Workgroups was formally introduced late last October and
includes file sharing, electronic mail, scheduling, calendaring, and
support for dynamic data exchange (DDE).

Microsoft Chairman Bill Gates said at the rollout that the product
could eventually become Microsoft's biggest seller, with sales
reaching one million copies in the first 30 days. While Microsoft does
not release specific sales figures, it appears that WFW may not be
meeting Microsoft's sales expectations.

(Jim Mallory/19930223/Press contact: Microsoft Public Relations,
206-882-8080)


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

New For PC - Shapes, Add-On Stencils For Visio 02/23/93
SEATTLE, WASHINGTON, U.S.A., 1993 FEB 23 (NB) -- Shapeware has
announced the release of Visio Shapes, a line of add-on stencil
products for its drag-and-drop drawing program Visio.

Visio Shapes gives the user 16 new packages which include shapes for
marketing, office planning, computer network design, home planning,
engineering diagrams, and even dinosaurs and whales for kids. Visio
ships with 17 stencils that offer over 300 predefined shapes. The
new packages have suggested retail prices ranging from $39 to $79.

A Newsbytes story in October reported on the introduction of Visio,
a Microsoft Windows-based drawing program that provides users with
ready-made stencils of flow diagrams, business models, engineering
schematics, organization charts and other tools similar to the
plastic templates used by designers and layout artists. Visio uses
the mouse to move the shapes to the desired location on the diagram
and drop them into place.

Shapeware President Jeremy Jaech says that the new products will
expand the drawing capabilities of Visio users as well as reach new
users who have more specialized drawing and diagramming needs.

The company says it expects to offer additional stencils and
anticipates that third-party vendors will also be offering add-on
shape libraries. Advanced users who don't want to wait for a stencil
to meet their particular needs can create shapes, logos, backgrounds
and specialized symbols.

The company says it will release a $29 book called "Developing
Visio Shapes" by the end of April.

(Jim Mallory/19930223/Press contact:Morgan Brown, Shapeware,
206-467-6723; Reader contact: Shapeware, 800-446-3335 or
206-467-6723, fax [phone])


(NEWS)(BUSINESS)(DEN)(00027)

Powersoft, Novell In Joint Development 02/23/93
BURLINGTON, MASSACHUSETTS, U.S.A., 1993 FEB 23 (NB) -- Powersoft
Corporation and network operating system developer Novell have
announced a joint development and marketing agreement that will
include a Powersoft-developed PowerBuilder library for Netware.

Netware is Novell's popular network operating software, while
PowerBuilder is Powersoft's object-oriented development tool for
client/server systems. Powersoft says that under terms of the
agreement it will develop interfaces to access Novell's Btrieve
record management engine and its SQL relational database through an
Open Database Connectivity (ODBC) driver. Developers will be able to
use Powerbuilder's Library for Netware to simplify the development
of various routine network-level functions in an object-oriented,
Windows point-and-click manner.

The company says that by making Netware tools and services more
generally accessible to developers the PowerBuilder library will
help reduce the learning curve often associated with the development
of Netware-compatible applications. The library will support both
the current Netware 3.11 and Netware 4.0 which is expected to be
released by the end of September.

The library will be composed of a set of PowerScript functions and
custom user objects bundled in a .PBL file. PowerScript is
PowerBuilder's graphical object-oriented language. Developers will
be able to include Netware functionality so that the host .PBL files
can be added to an application's library list for use by the
application. The company says the Btrieve and SQL interfaces will
make it easier for developers to build database access into their
applications.

ODBC is a Microsoft Windows application program interface (API)
designed to provide an industry-standard method for client-based
application development systems to access data stored in
ODBC-compliant relational databases. The company says that the
interface is presently in beta testing, and should be available for
demonstration at the Novell booth at the Software Developer's
Conference scheduled for February 23-26 in Santa Clara, California.

(Jim Mallory/19930223/Press contact: Jennifer Molloy, Powersoft
Corporation, 617-229-2200)


(NEWS)(UNIX)(BOS)(00028)

Acer's 486 PCs Pre-Installed With Unix 02/23/93
SAN JOSE, CALIFORNIA, U.S.A., 1993 FEB 23 (NB) -- Picking up on a
growing demand for affordable, PC-based Unix systems, Acer
America has introduced what it claims are three aggressively priced
486 systems that come pre-loaded with Altos/SCO Unix.

Acer's new Unix-based PCs include two EISA-bus systems, Altos
System 3500, priced at $5,595, and the Altos System 1700, priced at
$3,941, plus an Industry Standard Architecture bus computer, the Altos
System 900, available for $3,325.

Each system comes preinstalled with a newly enhanced base version
of Altos/SCO Unix, System V/386, Release 3.2, Version 4.1. In
addition, each can be upgraded to Altos/SCO Unix System-Advanced
for an extra $695.

Announcing the systems, company officials stressed that
pre-installation of Unix will free resellers from the costly and
sometimes challenging task of integrating hardware and software for
the price-sensitive PC market.

"Like their DOS PC counterparts, resellers of small, 1- to 24-user
SCO UNIX systems face highly cost-conscious users. To remain
competitive, many have turned to PC clones, integrating in the
necessary hardware and software -- (but) to varying degrees of
success," said Bob Nystrom, director of product marketing, Advanced
Systems.

Acer's new 3800 and 1700 are based on the same architecture as the
Acer's AcerPower 486e system, which won a PC World Best Buy award
earlier this month, officials said. The Altos System 900 is based
on the same platform technology as Acer's ACROS computer.

The availability of Unix SCO on the 3800, 1700 and 900 brings the
ability to use than 6,000 SCO applications. The base version of
Altos/SCO V/386, Release 3.2, Version 4.1 is fully compatible with
the latest release of SCO Unix.

Just released this month, Altos/SCO Unix Version 4.1 offers such
enhancements as higher reliability, an autoconfiguration tool to
simplify installation, a multivolume back-up tool for easy backup
on multiple tapes, and disk performance improvements meant to
significantly raise the rate at which disk transactions are
processed.

Also/SCO Unix-Advanced, available to users through a Feature
Supplement, adds features that include disk striping and mirroring,
automatic UPS power recovery, printing enhancements, on-line
diagnostics, smart disk back-up, and performance monitoring, among
others.

Specific capabilities of the Altos 3500 include a 66 MHz Intel DX2
CPU, 256 kilobytes (KB) of level-2 cache, and a 320 megabyte (MB) SCSI
disk drive. The Altos 1700 comes with a 50 MHz Intel 486DX2 with 128
KB of level-2 cache plus a 210MB IDE or SCSI disk drive.

The Altos 900 features a 33 megahertz (MHz) Intel 486DX CPU, 64 KB of
level-2 cache, support for a Weitch 4167 math co-processor, and a 210
MB IDE disk drive.

The Altos 3500 and Altos 1700 are each fully upgradable to a future
Intel OverDrive CPU. The Altos 1700 is also fully upgradable to a
66 MHz 486DX2, and the Altos 900 is fully upgradable to either a 50
MHz or 66 MHz 486 DX2.

Each of the models comes with 8 MB of RAM, expandable to 64 MB, and
one 32-bit local bus slot, and integrated I/O interfaces. The
System 900 offers four ISA expansion slots, one 3.5-inch internal
drive bay, and three 5.25-inch external bay.

The Altos 3500 and Altos 1700 each come with five EISA and two ISA
slots. The Altos 3500 has one 3.5-inch and two 5.25-inch external
bays, along with eight 3.5-inch internal bays. The Altos 1700 has
one 3.5-inch and two 5.25-inch external bays plus one 5.25-inch
internal bay.

All three of Acer's new PC-based Unix systems -- the Altos System
3500, Altos System 1700, and Altos System 900 -- are available now.

(Jacqueline Emigh/19930223; Press contact: Rebecca Hurst or
Michelle Fitz, Acer America, tel [phone])


(NEWS)(GOVT)(SFO)(00029)

 ****Toshiba Sues Toner Counterfeiters 02/23/93
IRVINE, CALIFORNIA, U.S.A., 1993 FEB 23 (NB) -- Counterfeiting
and trademark infringements are not just a problem for the
software industry. Hoping that an aggressive policy will
discourage other illegal operations, Toshiba America Information
Systems (TAIS) and Toshiba have filed suit against two
distributors who allegedly used Toshiba's trademark to sell
counterfeit toner products.

The company says that the aggressive legal proceedings were
developed to focus attention on the growing issue of counterfeit
products and to compel other office equipment manufacturers to
fight the industrywide problem before it becomes "uncontrollable."

Laurie Padilla, spokesperson for the company, told Newsbytes
that, "This is a problem that is becoming widespread throughout the
industry. Through tracking the counterfeit toner manufacturers and
distributors, Repeat-O-Type was originally the first (major company)
we were able to discover. Repeat-O-Type was one of the largest
distributors, and through them they led us to Densigraphix Kopi which
is located in Canada. They are also a major distributor."

Toshiba obtained a temporary restraining order against New Jersey-
based toner distributor Repeat-O-Type Manufacturing Corp, preventing
the company from manufacturing or selling counterfeit toner products
used in copiers until a hearing on a preliminary injunction. Repeat-O-
Type also agreed to provide documents and information on its sources
of counterfeit toner products.

Toshiba said that legal proceedings were necessary to "protect"
its customers from "unknowing purchases of unauthorized
materials and to preserve the integrity of Toshiba and its
products in the office equipment industry."

Padilla told Newsbytes that: "Toshiba is really going after the
big guns, and not just taking all the little guys out. We have
other investigations going but we are not able to release any
names until legal action has been taken in court."

(Ian Stokell/19930323/Press Contact: Laurie Padilla,
714-587-6945, The Spindler Organization)


(NEWS)(GENERAL)(LON)(00030)

"Secure" Novell Netware Due Next Month 02/23/93
BRACKNELL, BERKSHIRE, ENGLAND, 1993 FEB 23 (NB) -- The next release of
Novell Netware, the integrally protected version of the networking
software designed to beat the Leiden University HACK.EXE program and
similar packages, is scheduled for launch in March of this year.

The update is the direct result of a group of university students at
Leiden University in the Netherlands announcing they had "cracked"
Netware 2.15c, 2.2, 3.11 and Netware for Unix, last October.

The students had developed a program as a classroom exercise. The
program allows an ordinary network user to "hijack" another user's
connection to a server to gain access to their files, according to Jan
Newman, executive vice president of Novell's Netware Systems Group, in
Provo, Utah.

As well as HACK.EXE, Novell was also hit by KNOCK.EXE, another data
hijacking program identified previously by VNI that repeatedly
"knocks" on Netware's door until it gets let in.

To counter the threat, Novell's programmers coded a "quick and dirty"
fix known as SECUREFX.NLM, followed by a Netware update at the end of
1992 that encrypted data flowing over the network. This latest release
takes the encryption module and integrates it directly into the main
Netware program code.

Novell isn't saying how the March '93 Phase II enhancements to Netware
work. Networking industry experts, however, have concluded that the
Phase II encryption uses a PIN code, without which even Novell's
engineers cannot decrypt the data.

The company is not making any claims for its security enhancements to
Netware either. According to Jan Newman, executive vice president of
Novell's Netware Systems Group in Provo, Utah, the company takes the
security of its customer's networks very seriously.

"We have applied our top development resources to analyze the
technical issues surrounding the development," he said, adding that
Phase II plans ensure that Netware users get the best protection that
the company can provide.

Novell has acknowledged that Netware installations with the added
security features usually experience some level of performance
decrease. However, the company said the degree to which its software
enhancements will degrade system performance "is not currently known."
Novell says it will do all it can to limit performance degradation.

According to sources close to Novell, the network efficiency
degradation is only noticeable on networks of more then 250 users or
so, and then, operating speed is reduced by under 10 per cent.

Ray Noorda, Novell's chairman, has stated publicly that he intends
that Netware to stay several steps ahead of the hackers.

"Our customer's security needs continually evolve. With each release
of a network operating system, Netware's security features are
enhanced to meet those increasing customer needs," he said, adding
that he welcomed the Leiden University findings as "valuable in
advancing our company's efforts to provide customers with the most
secure networks in the industry."

(Steve Gold/19930223/Press & Public Contact: Novell UK,
0344-860400)