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/nb930323

Text File | 1993-03-23 | 70KB | 1,561 lines

(NEWS)(TELECOM)(ATL)(00001)

Clarification - 11 Million Business Database 03/23/93
OMAHA, NEBRASKA, U.S.A., 1993 MAR 23 (NB) -- American Business
Information Inc., best known for its mailing lists, has turned its
database into an online service called Business America Online.
(Note: This is no relation to America Online, the major online
service.)

The company's listings of 11 million businesses will now be fully
searchable for just 50 cents per minute, product manager, Gina
Cronican told Newsbytes. Searches will be offered based on type
of business, geographic area, company name, and phone number,
making the system a complete reverse-directory service.

Cronican said the company plans to offer gateways to other
companies offering services of interest to businesses, with
licensing arrangements to be negotiated. The company will get a
fast start toward marketing the system, since it has 300,000
customers already. The company said in a press statement those
customers have expressed enthusiasm about the service. "We're
still hammering out policies on gateways but we're looking to
people coming in to us and tapping into other services," she
added.

(Dana Blankenhorn/19930322/Press Contact: Jack Betts, American
Business Information, 402-593-4593)


(NEWS)(GENERAL)(DEL)(00002)

Power Plant Simulator Software 03/23/93
BANGALORE, INDIA, 1993 MAR 23 (NB) -- Macmet India Ltd., a
Bangalore-based company, has launched a low-cost computerized
simulator for power plants. Based on four 486 systems connected in
parallel, the simulator can be customized to suit the requirements
of individual power plants.

According to V. Srinivas, general manager, Macmet in India, there
are only four large simulators in India and importing such
simulators cost Rs 3-4 crore. Macmet's simulator, which is customized
for the Calcutta Electrical Supply Corp., costs Rs 75 lakh.

Simulators are used to train power plant workers and operators of
various equipment to enable them to achieve a certain degree of
accuracy during actual operation of the plant. High import costs
have prevented power plants from buying them.

Macmet's simulator has four 486 machines connected in parallel
with look-alike hard panels, accompanying the four modules:
turbine, condensate seed water, electrical and boiler systems.
Each module has its own operator station.

Srinivas says that the system can be upgraded to a full-fledged
simulator adding on trackers and other associated equipment.
Even in that case the cost will be well below that of
imported systems.

According to Srinivas, the same simulator can be customized to a
nuclear plant too. The market potential for Macmet's simulator
is pegged at 25 systems per annum at present.

(C.T. Mahabharat/19930319)


(NEWS)(IBM)(SYD)(00003)

Australia - Entry level Accounting Combats Imports 03/23/93
SYDNEY, AUSTRALIA, 1993 MAR 23 (NB) -- Australian accounting software
manufacturer Sybiz has released a package to compete with the
popular imported products like MYOB and Quicken. "We were
astounded by both user and channel reaction when we launched it
at PC 93 show in Sydney," said Sybiz spokesperson Katrina
Shearer.

SyBiz QuickAccounts was designed and manufactured in Australia
to suit Australian needs and conditions. It is intended for
those who don't need a full-blown or multi-module accounting
system. "Primarily it's aimed at small office/ home office
users, which includes partnerships, small businesses, and
small companies that until now have used a cashbook and
bank statements as their basic accounting system," she said.

"It's also ideal for clubs and associations and even lends
itself perfectly to home use to keep track of where your
money comes from - and where it's going to. If you can write a
check, you can use QuickAccounts. You don't need to type -
just point and shoot with the mouse."

She said most small businesses need to be able to present their
basic operating details to the accountant at tax time.
QuickAccounts is able to do that but Sybiz claims it can easily
do the extra that gives a small business the information it
needs to operate much more effectively day-to-day. The company
claims it can save on accountants fees because the information
is presented in just the right form. "And it will also impress
the bank manager and tax inspector," said Shearer.

SyBiz said one advantage of the package was that the startup
accounts and reports were already designed, so most businesses
would need to make only minor adjustments, if any. The reports
include payments, receipts, cashbook report, trail balance,
chart of accounts, income, expense and balance sheet. As with
the full-featured Sybiz system, QuickAccounts runs under Windows
3.1.

(Paul Zucker/19930319/Contact Sybiz on phone [phone] or
fax [phone])


(NEWS)(BUSINESS)(TYO)(00004)

Borland Pushes Workstation Database In Japan 03/23/93
TOKYO, JAPAN, 1993 MAR 23 (NB) -- Borland (Tokyo), jointly
with Seiko-Epson, has created a firm to provide technical
support to its software users. Borland has also set up a
technical sales division in its Tokyo office to push the
firm's new database software for workstations.

Borland's new office, called Base Technologies, was jointly
created by Seiko-Epson and Trans-Ivel (Tokyo) with a total
capitalization of 15 million yen ($125,000). The firm aims to
make 40 million yen ($333,000) in its first year with a
new product, Inter Base JA3.2, a Japanese relational
database program due to be released on April 12.
The price of the software is expected to be between 2 million
yen ($16,600) and 30 million yen ($250,000) depending on the
hardware configuration. The program operates on Sun
Microsystems' SPARC workstations.

Borland plans to sell the program in various ways including
bundling it with hardware and linking with VAR (value added
retailer) dealers and system integration firms. Borland also
will provide consulting services and sales of imported VAR
products in Japan through Base Technologies.

(Masayuki "Massey" Miyazawa/19930322/Press Contact: Borland, Tokyo,
[phone])


(NEWS)(APPLE)(TYO)(00005)

Japan - Apple Signs New Service Agreement 03/23/93
TOKYO, JAPAN, 1993 MAR 23 (NB) -- In an attempt to keep its
burgeoning customer base in Japan satisfied with prompt, efficient
maintenance services, Apple Computer (Tokyo) has signed an
agreement with Japan's major software maker CSK which calls
for CSK to provide maintenance service for Macs through
its Japanese maintenance network.

Apple Computer's (Tokyo) maintenance agreement is not its first.
Apple has also linked with NCR Japan, Uchida Esco, and Bit
System.

The agreement with CSK, however, may be the largest maintenance
agreement in terms of breadth of coverage. CSK operates not
locally, but nationwide in Japan. An Apple Computer spokesman
told Newsbytes that Apple is currently pondering other services
that can be offered to end-users.

Currently, Apple Computer (Tokyo) has 55 dealers in Japan, most
of which are new to Apple products and do not offer support and
service for Apple products. They are strictly sales-oriented
and include such names as Mitsubishi Trading and Seibu Department
store. The 55th firm is Sony Computer, a subsidiary of Sony,
which has just announced it will sell Macintoshes as servers for
Sony's NEWS workstations.

Macintosh sales are growing rapidly, especially for the newest
machines. The Apple Computer spokesman told Newsbytes that
14,000 orders for the new color Powerbook Macintoshes, unveiled
at Macworld Expo in Tokyo in February, flooded into Apple on
its introduction day alone.

The phone lines of Apple Computer (Tokyo) are always busy due to
public inquiries about the products and orders from Macintosh
dealers, he said. Apple plans to increase its personnel to deal
more effectively with the traffic in the near future, he said.

Better service policies are extremely important due to not only a
down-sizing trend in computing but due to the PC price war going
on in Japan, as elsewhere. In Japan, Compaq has started providing
three-year warrantees to buyers of its PCs. Other rival firms
are also planning to beef up user services in Japan.

(Masayuki "Massey" Miyazawa/19930322/Press Contact: Apple Computer,
Tokyo, [phone])


(NEWS)(TELECOM)(DEL)(00006)

India - Videoconferencing Introduced 03/23/93
NEW DELHI, INDIA, 1993 MAR 23 (NB) -- Videsh Sanchar Nigam Ltd.
(VSNL), the government-owned telecom company, plans to introduce
three important value-added services: videoconferencing, electronic
document interchange, and INMARSAT aeronautical services. The
company claims that it will set up videoconferencing studios in
Delhi, Bombay, Calcutta and Madras by May, this year.

This will enable inter-city and international conferencing at a
notice of six to 48 hours. Bombay will have a multi-point unit,
which will control and join the same conference at the national
and international level. Even though the Department of
Telecommunication (DOT) of the government of India is yet to
issue a tender inviting bids to set up videoconferencing
facilities, BPL Systems and Projects has signed a memorandum
of understanding with ITI Equatorial Satcom Ltd. to form a joint
venture company to provide this facility in India.
BPL will have 55 percent shareholding in this joint venture.

Though the rates are yet to be finalized, they are expected to
be cheaper than setting up a personal facility. According to
reports a half-hour conference with the US will cost around Rs
10,000 (around $333) to Rs 15,000 (around $500), for Europe and
West Asia it will be much cheaper. The inter-metro rates are
expected to be a couple of thousand rupees.

Electronic Document Interchange (EDI) is a facility by which
important commercial documents can be tele-transferred and
legally accepted. The EDI services are extensively used for
trade and commerce in the developed world. Applications vary from
invoicing within the company through PCs to transferring orders
and manifests from one part of the globe to another.

With the liberalization of the economy, EDI services are
necessary to facilitate increasing trade and commerce activities.
Equipment for EDI has already been ordered by VSNL. The
company expects that by the end of June, this service will
become available.

INMARSAT aeronautical services have many applications. Primarily
they are aimed at providing air-to-ground passenger communication.
Other considerations are communications of distress air safety
and air traffic control. VSNL plans to introduce the facility
through its INMARSAT land earth station Arvi.

VSNL is coordinating with commercial airlines, and the national
and international airport authorities to introduce the facility
in air services. Air India has decided to fit four of its Boeing
747s with the facility.

Meanwhile another government-owned telecom company Mahanagar
Telephone Nigam Ltd. (MTNL) is ready to introduce the videophone
facility in India.

(C.T. Mahabharat/19930319)


(NEWS)(BUSINESS)(DEL)(00007)

Digital May Buy 50% Of CMC 03/23/93
NEW DELHI, INDIA, 1993 MAR 23 (NB) -- Digital Equipment
Corporation (DEC) of the United States is likely to acquire a 50
percent stake in the Indian public sector corporation, CMC Ltd.
Alternatively DEC has also suggested setting up a separate joint
venture company with CMC in India.

CMC Ltd., formed as Computer Maintenance Corporation at the exit of
IBM in 1977 to support IBM and other systems, soon gained in strength
as a monopoly in not only maintenance but, gradually, systems
integration, training, and consultancy and software development.
Hence it changed its name to that abbreviation to reflect wider
scope of its business.

Being a public sector company, CMC did enjoy a monopoly in
garnering major government projects at home and venturing
out in export markets. Endowed with some of the best qualified
staff in the country and well-admired work culture and office
environment, the company is, all the same, under pressure to
earn its own colors by the national policy of public sector
disinvestment.

Commenting on the proposal, chairman and managing director of
CMC, K. Krishnan Kutty said the offer (from DEC) was submitted
a few months ago and CMC is likely to take a decision after
results for financial 1992-93 are declared.

The proposed tie-up will provide relief to the cash-strapped
government-owned company, which recorded meagre profits of Rs
15.6 million (around $520,000) for the year ended March 1992,
over a turnover of Rs 1.14 billion (around $38 million).
Turnover this year is expected to touch Rs 1.35 billion
(around $45 million) and net profit is expected to be Rs 20
million (around $660,000) in 1992-93, says Dr. Kutty.

However, keeping DEC's poor performance in the world market in
mind, CMC is not yet sure of going in with the US giant. CMC
top brass are looking at other options also to raise cash. One
of them is a planned public issue. CMC is considering both
options and will go in with whatever gives it more leverage for
raising funds, said Kutty.

The rationale behind this proposed venture, say industry sources,
is that a majority of CMC personnel are accustomed to work on
Digital system platforms. Thus, Digital can make use of qualified
CMC personnel for maintenance and other software operations
internationally.

DEC already has a joint venture in India with Hinditron. The
company, called Digital Equipment India Ltd., is into software
exports, systems hardware, and is also planning to introduce
Cray supercomputers in India.

However, the CMC DEC venture will not compete with Digital as it
will concentrate on specific areas like systems integration
which is one of CMC's strengths, according to Kutty.

(C.T. Mahabharat/19930323)


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

Deutsche Bundespost Telekom Lumbers Towards Privatization 03/23/93
HANOVER, GERMANY, 1993 MAR 23 (NB) -- Deutsche Bundespost Telekom
(DBT), in a rare moment of openness, has announced it is considering
the privatization of its major customer operations. The move is close
to a revolution for what is Europe's staunchest state telecom
authority.

Announcing the fact that he is considering the benefits of
privatization, DBT's chairman of the board, Helmut Ricke, said a
decision will have to be made by the supervisory board.

Speaking at one of the first of the many expected press conferences
for the CEBIT computer fair, which opens in Hanover this Wednesday,
Ricke revealed that the Systems group, which handles the company's
major customer, may have to be privatized if it is to attract the
caliber of staff it needs. In addition, a privatized
division would be free to mix and match third-party products and
services, rather than be locked into DBT services.

(Steve Gold/19930323)


(NEWS)(TELECOM)(LON)(00009)

UK - US Robotics Cuts UK Modem Prices 03/23/93
SLOUGH, BERKSHIRE, ENGLAND, 1993 MAR 23 (NB) -- Following the price
lead of its US parent a few weeks ago, US Robotics has launched its
budget Sportster 14,400 fax modem in the UK with a price tag of UKP
399 -- around 60 percent of the "going rate" for a 14,400 bits per
second (bps) modem in today's marketplace.

Clive Hudson, the company's marketing director, reckons that this
price tag will fall to around UKP 300 at "street prices." He
acknowledges that this could cause his company problems selling
the Courier range of high-speed modems, which sell for around the UKP
500 mark at street prices.

"We estimate that we could lose between 10 and 15 percent of our low
end Courier sales to the new Sportster, but what we lose on that will
be more than compensated for by increased sales from the new
Sportster," he told Newsbytes.

US Robotics is planning to carefully differentiate the Sportster
14,400 Fax modem from its Courier range by intensive advertising of
the "no frills" status of the Sportster.

"We're targeting the Sportster as the people's modem," Hudson told
Newsbytes. He said that, once the stand-alone version has started
shipping in early April, PC card and Apple versions will follow
shortly. "As we've done in the US, the Mac version will be called the
Macinfax," he said.

All three versions of the Sportster 14,400 fax support all modems
speeds to V.32Bis (14,400 bps), as well as CCITT Group III fax at
9,600 bps. The PC versions will be bundled with US Robotics Blast Fax
telecom software for DOS, while a copy of Winfax Lite for Windows
users will also be available.

The Macinfax version will be bundled with an Apple Mac telecom package,
plus all necessary cables to get the modem up and running.

(Steve Gold/19930322/Press & Public Contact: US Robotics - Tel: 0753-
811180; Fax: [phone])


(NEWS)(TRENDS)(LON)(00010)

Britain To Ban Red TV's Porn By Satellite 03/23/93
LONDON, ENGLAND, 1993 MAR 23 (NB) -- After a lot of public discussion,
both by the broadcasting authorities and the leader writers of several
national newspapers, the British Government has announced plans to ban
the broadcast of hard core pornography into the UK via satellite.

Ironically, the Government may have shut the door on the problem too
late, as Red Hot Television, which used to be called Red Hot Dutch,
the broadcaster of hard core pornography over one of the Eutelsat
satellites to the UK, is conducting tests on a new encryption method.

Currently, Red Hot TV uses a proprietary encryption system that
requires subscribers to pay a substantial deposit and rent a special
decoder from them. The company is currently testing the Enigma
encryption system which it claims is compatible with the Videocrypt
"smart card" system used by many channels operating on the Astra
satellite.

Assuming that an Enigma card works in a Videocrypt/Astra satellite
decoder, then all subscribers would need would be to buy an extra low
noise block (LNB) and arm for the Astra satellite dishes at a cost of
UKP 90 and feed the second aerial lead into their decoder/receivers.

Perhaps worse for the British Government, the smart cards are thinner
than credit cards and could easily be mailed to Red Hot TV's 25,000-
plus subscribers in the UK, regardless of whatever legislation the
government passed to prevent them operating in the UK. For Red Hot TV,
this would mean relocating its Continental Television sales office
from Manchester to outside of the UK.

Red Hot TV is not making any formal comment on any proposed
legislative changes.

National Heritage Secretary Peter Brooke has said that the government
wants to ban Red Hot TV's broadcasts to Britain on the grounds that it
infringes the European Commission's broadcasting directive on the
protection of minors.

Newsbytes understands that, under the directive, broadcasts are
forbidden which "might seriously impair the physical, mental or moral
development of minors."

On British national TV over the weekend, Brooke said that the sexually
explicit nature of Red Hot TV had the potential to cause great harm to
children and "repeatedly offends against good taste and decency."

"I believe our action will send a clear signal that this country and
this government will not tolerate explicit material which is of a
sexually exploitative or gratuitously violent nature," he said.

Brooke added that there will now be a two-week consultation period
between Denmark, Britain and the EC to discuss the matter. Denmark is
involved in the matter, because that is where Red Hot TV programs
originate.

(Steve Gold/19930322/Press & Public Contact: Continental Television -
Tel: [phone])


(NEWS)(IBM)(DEN)(00011)

Evergreen Intros 486 CPU Upgrade 03/23/93
CORVALLIS, OREGON, U.S.A., 1993 MAR 23 (NB) -- Evergreen
Technologies has announced its first 486 central processor chip
upgrade for personal computers using 386 microprocessors.

Called the 486 Doubler, the new chip replaces the factory-installed
16 or 20-megahertz (MHz) Intel or AMD chip and doubles the system
clock speed. Evergreen says that can increase performance of the PC
as much as five times. The 486 Doubler is the second upgrade
Evergreen has announced, following a chip that upgrades 286-based
systems to 486 performance. That CPU was announced last year.

Evergreen says the 486 Doubler is user installable, using a
tool included to remove the existing chip. "The entire CPU upgrade
requires about the same effort as removing and installing a new math
chip," according to Evergreen Technical Director Jeff Weger.

The company says users of Microsoft Windows and OS/2 Release 2.x
will see a dramatic increase in system performance, quoting as
typical a Compaq Portable 386-20 that jumped from 14.7 to 48.2 using
the Norton 6.0 System Performance Rating test. Evergreen also says
Autodesk AutoCAD users will greatly benefit from the increased math
performance.

The company says the 486 DLC CPU needed for the upgrade is priced
separately according to the speed required. It can be purchased along
with the 486 Doubler from Evergreen, and both chips are currently
shipping. The 486 doubler is priced at $199, or $249 with the
onboard math chip. The additional CPU is $219 for a 33 MHz
processor to replace a 16 MHz chip, while a 40 MHz replacement for a
20MHz system is priced at $289.

(Jim Mallory/19930322/Press contact: Mike Magee, Evergreen
Technologies, 503-757-0934, 800-733-0934)


(NEWS)(IBM)(DEN)(00012)

Microsoft Ships 32-Bit Fortran Compiler 03/23/93
REDMOND, WASHINGTON, U.S.A., 1993 MAR 23 (NB) -- Microsoft
Corporation is now shipping its Fortran PowerStation 1.0 compiler,
described as "the most significant version of Fortran we've ever
released."

Fortran is an acronym for "formula translation," and is a
programming language primarily used to express computer programs by
arithmetic formulas. Developers using PowerStation can develop
32-bit protected-mode DOS-based applications which the company says
will run as fast as the Unix executables created on a workstation.

Speed isn't the only benefit according to Microsoft. "In addition
to speed, you also get a graphical user interface and integrated
development environment for maximum ease of use," says Jim McCarthy,
Microsoft director of marketing and user education for the
development tools group.

Included with PowerStation is Visual Workbench, a Windows-hosted
integrated development environment similar to the one that ships
with Microsoft Visual C++ that allows developers to move between the
compiler, editor, and debugger. PowerStation is certified by the
National Institute of Standards and Technology as being fully
compatible with ANSI Fortran 77, and also includes a subset of
Fortran 90 constructs plus a full suite of VAX and IBM extensions,
designed to simplify the process of porting code from mainframes and
minicomputers.

Fortran is popular with scientists and engineers who develop
programs to help them with their numerically intensive work, so
speed is an attractive benefit, particularly since large Fortran
programs can sometimes take several days to execute. Microsoft says
PowerStation 1.0 delivers executable files that are as fast as those
created in a workstation Fortran, citing as an example a 66
megahertz (MHz) 486-based PC that runs the Linpack benchmark at 2.5
megaflops using PowerStation. The company says that's the same speed
as a Fortran 77 compiler running on a Sun 4/330 SPARCServer.

The 32-bit executable files and libraries created with PowerStation
can be distributed royalty-free. PowerStation supports 32-bit
graphics in VGA, Super VGA, and VESA formats, and it can handle
programs of up to four gigabytes. The bundled Visual Workbench
includes an editor with syntax coloring that provides up to six
differently colored columns, with comments colored differently from
the code; a make file generator that uses point-and-click to specify
the files to be added and the desired compiler options; and a syntax
error locator that automatically loads the editor when the user
double clicks on a syntax error. There is also a feature that
displays the program structure and allows the programmer to jump to
a specific routine or variable.

Microsoft says it will continue to sell and support its Fortran
version 5.1, a 16-bit language that can be used to develop
applications for the 16-bit Windows operating system. It says it
will ship a Fortran compiler for Windows NT when that product ships
that will allow users to create full 32-bit applications for both
Windows NT and MS-DOS.

To use Powerstation you need an IBM-compatible PC using a 386 or
higher chip; at least 4MB of system memory, although Microsoft
recommends 6MB; 10MB of available hard disk space; a VGA graphics
card or better; and Windows 3.1 or higher if you want to use Visual
Workbench. A mouse is also recommended. The product has a suggested
retail price of $495. Licensed users of previous Microsoft Fortran
versions can upgrade for $199.If you bought Microsoft Fortran 5.1 on
or after February 15, there's no charge to upgrade to PowerStation.
Users of competitive Fortran products can switch for $249.

(Jim Mallory/19930322/Press contact: Liz Sidnam, Microsoft,
206-882-8080; Reader contact: Microsoft Corporation, 206-882-8080 or
800-426-9400)


(NEWS)(IBM)(BOS)(00013)

Pen-Based System For China To Include IBM AS/400 03/23/93
REDWOOD SHORES, CALIFORNIA, U.S.A., 1993 MAR 23 (NB) -- Under a
newly announced OEM deal, IBM will sell AS/400 midrange computer
products to Communications Intelligence Corp. (CIC) for use in a
pen-based computer product line CIC is designing for the Chinese
market.

James Dao, CIC's president and CEO, said the arrangement with IBM
is the first step in company plans for China that will involve
marketing a localized pen-based office automation system through
partnerships with the Chinese government. The first of these
systems will ship within the next 12 months, Dao added.

The new system will combine CIC's pen-based technology, IBM's
AS/400, and desktop and mobile pen-based PCs, according to the
announcement. CIC's Dynamic Signature Verification software will
provide computer security for the multi-user system.

In an earlier agreement on January 26, IBM was named distributor
and exclusive sublicensor of CIC's PenDOS and Handwriter
Recognition System (HRS) for PenDOS to other pen hardware
manufacturers worldwide. An extension of DOS, PenDOS allows pen
input to existing DOS applications, and also enables development of
applications designed for a pen interface.

CIC's other current offerings include the PenMac operating
environment, MacHandwriter, and HRS for Microsoft's Windows for Pen
Computing. CIC's handwriting recognition technology is already
available in English (US and UK), German, French, Italian, and
Spanish, as well as in Japanese.

"The CIC agreement represents a key example of IBM's new strategy
-- to focus on establishing OEM relationships with select companies
to develop targeted markets," commented William Stuek, IBM's
assistant general manager of marketing for Application Business
Systems.

"CIC's Chinese business automation system represents a unique
opportunity to maximize the efficiency and productivity of the
Chinese computer user. Instead of having to deal with a training
intensive and awkward Chinese-language keyboard entry system, CIC's
pen-based products allow more natural pen input and require minimal
training."

CIC officials explained that rapid economic progress recently made
in China has resulted in a need for greater computerization, but
that, because the Chinese language consists of thousands of
ideographic characters, data input using a European-style keyboard
is very difficult. In 1992 alone, the Chinese economy grew by 12%,
and foreign trade amounted to $170 billion, the company reported.

CIC also noted that entry into the Chinese market represents a
logical extension of the company's efforts in the Pacific Rim.
CIC's licensees and strategic partners now hold a combined share of
more than 80% of the Japanese PC market, officials asserted. In
addition, CIC's MacHandwriter is being marketed by Apple Japan.

(Jacqueline Emigh/19930325/Press contact: Germaine Gioia, CIC,
tel [phone])


(NEWS)(BUSINESS)(SFO)(00014)

BoCoEx Index 03/23/93
BOSTON, MASSACHUSETTS, U.S.A., 1993 MAR 23 (NB) -- Boston Computer
Exchange for the week ending  March 19, 1993. Closing Prices
from the Boston Computer Exchange

Machine                         Main  Closing    Price      Ask     Bid

                               Drive    Price   Change

IBM AT 339                    30 MgB      390  DOWN 10      400     350

IBM PS/2 Model 30 286         20 MgB      400               450     300

IBM PS/2 Model 50Z            30 MgB      450               500     400

IBM PS/2 Model 55SX           60 MgB      875               900     800

IBM PS/2 Model 60             40 MgB      450  DOWN 50      500     325

IBM ThinkPad 300             120 MgB     1550              1600    1400

IBM ThinkPad 700C            120 MgB     3200              3400    3200

IBM V\P 3/25T MOD. 80         80 MgB     1500              1600    1500

IBM PS/2 Model 95-OKF        400 MgB     3300              3500    3000

IBM PS/2 Model 95-OJF        400 MgB     3000              3300    2700

Compaq Portable II            20 MgB      225               500     200

Compaq Portable III           20 MgB      350  DOWN 50      400     200

Compaq Portable 386          100 MgB      750               800     700

Compaq SLT-286                40 MgB      650               700     600

Compaq LTE-286                 40MgB      700               700     600

Compaq LTE-386                 30MgB      750               850     700

Compaq LTE-LITE\25C            120MB     2400              2600    2300

Compaq Systempro LT-486      510 MgB     2200              2400    2100

Compaq Syspro 386/25LT       340 MgB     2100              2300    1950

Compaq Deskpro 486 /33I      120 MgB     1850              1900    1750

Compaq SysPro 486/33        2040 MgB     6800              7000    6300

Compaq DeskP 486DX2/66i      240 MgB     2100              2400    1900

AST Prem Exec 386SX20         40 MgB      900              1000     800

NEC UltraLite 286             20 MgB      550 DOWN 100      600     500

NEC UltraLite 386SX/20        40 MgB      900               950     800

Zenith Mastersprt-386SX       60 MgB      950              1100     900

Zenith SuperSport 386SX       40 MgB      750               900     650

Macintosh Classic             40 MgB      650               700     600

Macintosh Classic II          40 MgB      800               850     750

Macintosh SE                  20 MgB      575  DOWN 75      650     550

Macintosh SE-30               80 MgB     1150              1250    1100

Macintosh LC                  40 MgB     1000              1300     800

Macintosh II                  40 MgB     1400              1500    1300

Macintosh II SI               80 MgB     1600              1700    1500

Macintosh II CX               80 MgB     1600  DOWN 50     1700    1600

Macintosh II CI               80 MgB     2250  DOWN 50     2350    2200

Macintosh II FX               80 MgB     2800 DOWN 100     3000    2800

Macintosh Quadra 700         160 MgB     3250              3500    3200

Macintosh Quadra 900         160 MgB     4000              4300    3900

Macintosh Powerbk 160        120 MgB     2600              2700    2500

Macintosh Powerbk  140        40 MgB     1350              1400    1250

Macintosh Powerbk 170         80 MgB     2200              2300    2100

Apple Imagewriter 2                       200               225     175

Apple Laserwriter LS                      550               600     500

HP Laserjet II                            750               800     750

HP Laserjet III                          1050    UP 50     1100    1000

Toshiba T-1200 XE             20 MgB      575  DOWN 75      650     550

Toshiba T-1600                40 MgB      625  DOWN 25      700     600

Toshiba T-2000 SX             40 MgB      900  DOWN 50     1000     900

Toshiba T-2000 SXE            40 MgB      950              1050     900

Toshiba T-2200 SX              80MgB     1250              1300    1200

Toshiba T-3100 SX             80 MgB     1000              1300     900

Toshiba T-3200                40 MgB      650               800     600

Toshiba T-3200 SX             40 MgB      850               900     800

Toshiba T-3200 SXC           120 MgB     2250              2400    2100

Toshiba T-6400SX             120 MgB     2400              2700    2200

Toshiba T-4400SX             120 MgB     1900              2100    1800

Toshiba T-5200               100 MgB     1400              1500    1400

BoCoEx Index data is compiled by Market Analyst, Gary M. Guhman

Here are some current retail-oriented Seats on the Exchange, presented in a
cyclic basis.

Dallas - Ft. Worth, TX - DFW Computer Exchange - M.B. Lee - 817-244-7833

Escondido, Ca. - Affordable Computer Solutions - Dean Jacobus - 619-738-
4980

New Orleans, Louisiana - Audubon Computer Rental - Mike Barry - 504-522-
0348

Detroit, Michigan - CompuCycle - Walt Hogan - 313-887-2600

Computer Exchange\\NorthWest - Dye Hawley - 206-820-1181

Albuquerque, NM, Western Computer Exchange - David Levin - 505-265-1330

Fresno, California - MacSource Computers - Mike Kurtz - 209-438-6227

BoCoEx Index prices are based on complete systems with keyboard,
VGA monitor and adapter, less the value of any software or
peripherals.  Boston Computer Exchange is available at:
617-542-4414, Buyer's HotLine: [phone], In Alaska and
Canada 1-800-437-2470, FAX: [phone].

(BOCOEX/19930323)


(NEWS)(GENERAL)(HKG)(00015)

Hong Kong - Novell Netware 4.0 For Asia 03/23/93
WAN CHAI, HONG KONG, 1993 MAR 23 (NB) -- Novell's regional
headquarters in Hong Kong is unveiling the long awaited Novell
Netware 4.0 to Asia.

"The new product has a lot more to offer and will make a big impact
in Asia," Andrew Lai, regional director, told Newsbytes. "As hardware
is becoming much cheaper and data communications faster and more
reliable, more companies are turning to networking."

Netware 4.0 adds Netware Directory Service (NDS) to its features. This
global, distributed and replicated database allows networks to operate
anywhere. There can be multiple servers in different locations.

"The entire global network is seen as one entity," said Kelvin Lam,
regional sales manager, Novell. "The user logs onto the network no
matter where it is in the world. This is very important to our
clients in Asia who will want to link up between their Asian
and overseas head offices."

"Netware 4.0 really helps make connections transparent to
users. Just like two people talking to each other on the
telephone don't need to know what type of network that's being
used, whether it is by submarine cable or via satellite,"
said Lam.

Novell Netware 4.0 utilizes double byte capacity which means that
Chinese, Japanese, and Korean and other languages are now supported.

The Japanese version of Novell Netware 4.0 is currently being
developed with a joint venture partner in Japan and is expected
to be available some time this year.

"The Japanese market is very well developed. Novell already has
a lot of installations there. In Asia there are tens of thousands
of installations and 1,000,000 world wide," said Lai. "We are
looking for a company to help us develop the Chinese version."

Two versions are intended. Taiwan and Hong Kong will use a traditional
character set while mainland China will use the simpler character set.

In China, however, there are still many companies with illegal
Novell Netware installations. The exact number is not known.
"We are not too perturbed because sooner or later they will
need support from us and they will be encouraged to buy the
original product," Lai told Newsbytes. "Companies with
networks of 50 or so users can not afford [to have] their
system go down."

Lam says the matter of software piracy is already on the mend.
Two years ago, he says, the Chinese government recognized
the need for stricter control and "today we are seeing
promising results." He says Novell does not police illegitimate
users. "We need to do our part first by giving our distributors
and resellers the best support, training and friendly service."

In other more developed Asian areas illegal installations of Novell
Netware pose less of a problem.

Independent sources reveal that the PC market, especially in Singapore
and Hong Kong, is so saturated that the competition is very tight.
PC dealers are now turning to compete through value-added services,
including networking.

"For many networking consultants Novell Netware is seen as the only
solution," said Andre Meyer of Orchard Software, a company that
provides network consulting in Hong Kong.

"Novell is the most widely used in Asia with 85 percent of the market
share compared to 67 percent of world market share," said Mr Lam
"Netware 4.0 fits our customer's needs completely."

Novell Netware 4.0 will be available in Hong Kong at the end of
March.

(Brett Cameron/19930322/Press Contact: Andrew Lai, Novell, Tel: +852-
827 2223;HK time is GMT + 8)


(NEWS)(TELECOM)(LON)(00016)

Taiwan Orders 54 Million Phonecards 03/23/93
SOUTHAMPTON, ENGLAND, 1993 MAR 23 (NB) -- DGT, Taiwan's national
telecom company, has ordered almost 54 million pre-paid optical
phone cards for its Landis & Gyr-supplied public payphones,
Landis & Gyr of the UK has announced.

The deal, the largest of its kind in the world for optical cards,
will see Landis & Gyr produce optical phone cards at the rate of
more than a million a week over the next year. A total of 53.3
million 100-unit and 0.5 million 200-unit cards have been ordered.

The order is so big that the company has had to delegate some of the
production out to its Taiwan and Switzerland plants, as well as the
UK facility. The delivery schedule has been set for April, 1993
running through to June, 1994.

According to a spokesman for the Locks Heath, Southampton-based
telecom company, the sheer size of the order illustrates the
popularity of what the company claims is a fraud-proof, yet low-cost
telecom technology.

Taiwan was the first country in the Far East to install Landis & Gyr
optical card payphones, Newsbytes notes. Other countries taking the
technology include Thailand and Malaysia.

(Steve Gold/19930323/Press & Public Contact: Landis & Gyr
Communications - Tel: [phone])


(NEWS)(TELECOM)(LON)(00017)

UK - Mobile Data Service Tracks Vehicles 03/23/93
SWINDON, WILTSHIRE, ENGLAND, 1993 MAR 23 (NB) -- Securicor Datatrak,
which claims to have pioneered vehicle tracking technology in the UK,
has unveiled a new, dedicated mobile data services which it claims
offers a two-way data facility for the first time.

The new service runs on the company's own land-based network
which has been in operation since 1988 and now covers around
95 percent of the UK. This is more than any other network
operator, the company claims.

The system works with a mobile user linking to the network using a
radio data modem, supplied by Datatrak. The vehicle can link a
variety of hardware to the Datatrak modem, using a conventional
serial port. This allows users to employ their own software if
they wish, the company claims.

The Datatrak system uses a variety of VHF and UHF channels, with
several thousand mobiles occupying a single channel if required. Data
is transmitted at 10,000 bits per second full duplex over the link,
which allows each mobile to interleave their own digital data in a
time division multiplex system.

Although the system is error-checked, Newsbytes notes that only 95
percent of messages "get through" the first time. This can be due to a
variety of reasons, but is usually due to radio channel fading and
interference. An acknowledgement system for all data packets ensures
that any unreceived data packets are automatically retransmitted over
the radio network.

In theory, each vehicle can be polled over the Datatrak network by the
main computer every ten seconds or so. In reality, most vehicles are
polled every few minutes, freeing up "air time" on the network, so
that high priority data can be immediately transmitted. This is
useful, the company claims, in security situations where a vehicle has
to transmit information over the network in addition to its location.

Mike Cooper, the company's managing director, claims that Datatrak is
superior to other packet radio networks because, since the network
"knows" where a vehicle is at any given time, it can allocate
bandwidth much more efficiently, and poll a mobile very efficiently
in terms of data packets.

"Take up of dedicated mobile data services has been slow to date.
Potential users have been put off by complicated billing arrangements
which make it difficult to assess payback and lack of geographical
coverage," Cooper said.

According to Cooper, the company has addressed these problems and is
now offering a simple three band billing arrangement for low, medium
and high network usage. "Our network has proven its resilience over
four years of running our own Fleetrak systems and we offer wider
coverage than any other system," he said.

(Steve Gold/19930323/Press & Public Contact: Securicor Datatrak - Tel:
0793-722549)


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

British Telecom, HP & Sun Work To Connect LANs 03/23/93
LONDON, ENGLAND, 1993 MAR 23 (NB) -- British Telecom (BT) has revealed
it is working with Hewlett-Packard and Sun Microsystems to develop
technologies that will manage the interconnection of local area
networks (LANs).

The announcement has been hailed as a major step forward.
Traditionally in the UK computer industry, BT has shied away from
liaising actively with a computer vendor on the subject of LAN
technologies. Usually, the integration of the dissimilar technologies
is completed by a value-added reseller (VAR) who deals directly with
the customer.

In the recessionary 1990s, however, BT wants a slice of the profits.
It is for this reason that the telecom giant has started talking to
the computer companies.

According to BT, discussions with HP and Sun have been going on for
some time. Despite this, commercial products and services are not
expected until the early part of next year.

Plans now call for all three companies to cooperate on the
development of hardware and software technology that will allow the
monitoring of HP and Sun networks, as well as BT's wide area network
services. The idea is that the companies will produce technologies
that conform to the Network Management Forum's Omnipoint
specifications, which are themselves based on the Common Management
Interface Protocol (CMIP).

So far, all the companies have done is talked about the technologies
involved. It remains to be seen whether the talk can be turned into
commercial, shipping products and available services.

(Steve Gold/19930323/Press Contact: Jon Moggridge - Tel: 071 356
5368)


(NEWS)(TELECOM)(MOW)(00019)

Russia - Siberian Fiber Line Still Planned 03/23/93
MOSCOW, RUSSIA, 1993 MAR 23 (NB) -- The Russian Ministry of
Telecommunications and the Intertelecom company has once
again announced further developments in the plan to
finance and build a transcontinental network of fiber
optic lines. This proposal was previously stopped by
strict export restrictions.

The first of two projects would lay fiber optic lines from
Moscow southward to Istambul, Turkey, in a contract worth
US$120 million, and another would build the Moscow-Nakhodka,
Russian Far East fiber cable, worth US$300 million,
according to the Business MN newspaper.

According to US West representative Stan Crampton, the
cost of the line would be jointly covered by the consortia
of the large US and Canadian phone carriers.

Northern Telecom's Ian Latremoille was quoted as saying
that he thinks it's possible to override the strict export
regulations, prohibiting the export of high speed fiber
optic communications equipment into Russia by reason of
"national security." Communications over the fiber cable
cannot be intercepted by any means, he suggested.

Northern Telecom is also said to be negotiating fiber
optic equipment development and manufacturing in Russia,
according to Latremoille.

Russian communications authorities, US West, and Northern
Telecom are currently trying to set up a joint venture
agreement to get things started, although the vast amount of
bureaucratic red tape makes it questionable, according to
Business MN estimate.

(Kirill Tchashchin/19930323/Press Contact: Intertelecom
phone [phone])


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

Frame Relay WilTel Details ATM Plans 03/23/93
TULSA, OKLAHOMA, U.S.A., 1993 MAR 23 (NB) -- WilTel Inc., which
was the leader in providing frame relay services in 1992,
announced a migration path to faster ATM services. WilTel and
Sprint are the main competitors in the race to be first with a
commercial ATM service.

Frame relay sends data in frames, with limited error detection,
at speeds up to 1.544 million bits/second. Dataquest analyst Joe
Noel says WilTel had 38 percent of the $7 million market in 1992,
a lead he called significant. Frame relay services can replace
private data lines, which remain a multi-billion dollar market.

But even as the frame relay market develops, vendors and large
users of data services are looking to the next step, Asynchronous
Transfer Mode, or ATM. While ATM standards are not yet set and
some critics claim the whole ATM move is vapor, all major vendors
have been announcing plans to move customers to it once it
develops, in order to encourage them to have confidence in frame
relay.

WilTel said it will offer a commercial ATM service by the end of
1993. It was the first into the frame relay market in early 1991,
which Noel believes helped give it its present lead. Since
standards are not yet in place, WilTel said it will start by
selling what's called "channel extension" service, a fast private
line system used by mainframes. It signed agreements with two
makers of the equipment, Computer Network Technology Corp. and
Network Systems Corp. Both will enable companies to switch from
channel extensions, which requires the use of private lines, to
ATM when it becomes available. Spokesman Gil Broyles emphasized
that channel extension is a real application for ATM, and more
applications will be announced soon.

WilTel President Roy Wilkens acknowledged in a press statement
that "It doesn't make technical or economic sense to rush to an
ATM solution for many current applications." Channel extenders
run either between major computer systems or to peripheral
devices across a wide area. While customers can take advantage
of WilTel's private line-based channel networking service now,
WilTel's ATM platform will be available to customers on a limited
basis in the third quarter. It will be deployed on a fully
commercial basis by the end of 1993.

(Dana Blankenhorn/19930323/Press Contact: Gil Broyles, WilTel,
918-588-5752; Doug Anderson, Computer Network Technology, 612-
550-8000)


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

Ericsson's European Telecom Wins 03/23/93
NEW YORK, NEW YORK, U.S.A., 1993 MAR 23 (NB) -- Ericsson
announced two major contract wins in Europe, and a strategic
alliance for fast data services.

Ericsson said its Mobitex technology was selected by both of
France's radio data networks, France Telecom Mobiles Data and
Cofira. Ericsson expects to make $65 million from the contracts.
They're a big win for the company, since Motorola has the
contracts for Germany's major radio data network, while Ericsson
has been promoting Mobitex as a world standard. The deal could
isolate Motorola in the European radio data network. RAM Mobile
Data, a joint venture between RAM Broadcasting and BellSouth,
operates the U.S. Mobitex network. There are similar networks, at
different frequencies, in Canada, the UK, Sweden, Norway, Finland
and Australia.

Ericsson's second major European win is a piece of the $230
million Bulgarian communications modernization, which appears to
be going ahead despite the firing of the nation's telecom
minister for speaking at an opposition meeting. Siemens AG
of Germany, Alcatel Alsthom of France, and Norden Telecom of
Norway were also approved for the contract, by the European Bank
for Reconstruction and Development and the European Investment
Bank. The EEC financing pretty much excluded US suppliers,
according to analysts.

For the future, the most important deal may be with Cisco
Systems, which makes routers used for linking LANs under
standards like frame relay and ATM. Ericsson signed a worldwide
marketing agreement with Cisco to sell its complete line of
internetworking routers, including the Cisco AGS+, IGS, 3000,
4000, and 7000, and other Cisco internetworking products and
software. The company has been reselling the routers only in
conjunction with sales of its Telecommunications Management and
Operations Support systems. The move lets Ericsson call on
computer networking clients, not just telephone service
customers. Lars Berg, president of Ericsson Business Networks AB,
noted that the company is using Cisco routers in its own
corporate network.

(Dana Blankenhorn/19930323/Press Contact: Ericsson, Kathy Egan,
212/685-4030; Cisco Systems Jeff Paine, 415/903-7191)


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

BellSouth Buys Stake In French Mobile Network 03/23/93
ATLANTA, GEORGIA, U.S.A., 1993 MAR 23 (NB) -- BellSouth has
bought a 12.5 percent equity stake in France Telecom Mobiles
Data, a unit of France Telecom which will be building a radio
data network in France under the Mobitex standard.

BellSouth owns half of RAM Mobile Data, which runs Mobitex
networks in the US and UK. When it made its investment in RAM,
BellSouth executives said their aim was to offer mobile data
services around the world under the Mobitex standard, so the deal
with France Telecom is a move toward that end.

Construction on the network has already begun, with service
scheduled to be introduced in Paris in 1993 and in other
metropolitan areas in 1994 at a total cost to BellSouth of more
than $80 million. MATRA Communications will also be a supplier
of Ericsson equipment in the initial phases of the project.

FTMD will compete with Cofira, which also said it selected
Mobitex technology for its network. The Cofira network will be
operational before the end of 1993.

(Dana Blankenhorn/19930323/Press Contact: Maria Schnabel,
BellSouth International, 404-249-4877)


(NEWS)(BUSINESS)(SFO)(00023)

Conner Reorganizes Into 4 Groups 03/23/93
SAN JOSE, CALIFORNIA, U.S.A., 1993 MAR 23 (NB) -- A month
after bowing to market demand by restructuring its hard disk
manufacturing operations, Conner Peripherals has now reorganized
around four market groups.

According to the company, the four units are: the OEM (original
equipment manufacturer) Products Group, headed by David Ludvigson,
senior vice president; the Distribution Products Group, headed by
Ray Weadock,vice president; the Software Products Group, headed
by Robert Wight,vice president; and the Storage Systems Group,
headed by George Rea, executive vice president.

In announcing the restructuring, Finis Conner, chairman and chief
executive officer for the company, said, "In today's highly
competitive and dynamic business environment, this new
structure gives us both the flexibility and the focus to meet the
distinct product and support requirements of our customers, and
take advantage of the storage solutions business opportunities
within these market groups."

The company says that the OEM Products Group will market disk
drives, tape drives, storage management software, and storage
systems to OEMs. The Distribution Products Group will market
the same products to distributors and resellers.

The company says that its Storage Systems Group, formerly
Maynard Electronics, will market bundled hardware and
software primarily to corporate end users. Meanwhile, the
Software Products Group will market storage management
software to PC users and network administrators through retail
and OEM channels. The Software Products Group will also will
build upon its product development relationships with such
operating system companies as Microsoft and Novell.

In February, Newsbytes reported that Conner had made a "series
of changes in its operations in response to a decline in market
demand for disk drives with capacities of 120MB or less due to
newer computer system requirements for higher capacity and
performance." As a result, the company plans to increase
production of some of its new products, including its Filepro
and Aegean Series of 3.5-inch disk drives. The company will also
decrease production of those tape drive and disk drive products
which "do not meet its profitability objectives as a result of
faster price erosion than expected."

Two weeks ago Newsbytes that Conner had filed suit in the
Northern District of California against Western Digital for
patent infringement.

Conner acquired Archive in December, 1992. The company has
since merged Archive's manufacturing, finance, management
information systems and other operations into its business.
Conner had 1992 sales of $2.2 billion.

(Ian Stokell/19930323/Press Contact: Kevin Burr or Forrest
Monroy, 408-456-3134/3265, Conner Peripherals)


(NEWS)(UNIX)(SFO)(00024)

Novell Drivers To Support UnixWare, Windows NT/3.1 03/23/93
PROVO, UTAH, U.S.A., 1993 MAR 23 (NB) -- One of Novell's greatest
market strengths is its support for so many different platforms
and operating systems. Continuing that strategy the company has
now announced that it has broadened its 32-bit ODI (Open Data-link
Interface) network server drivers to run on all major operating
system platforms. These include UnixWare, Windows NT, Windows
3.1, OS/2 and 32-bit DOS desktop clients, as well as its own
NetWare 3.x and 4.0 servers.

Novell's ODI interconnectivity strategy allows NetWare to support
multiple protocols and drivers. ODI is also claimed to allow for the
use of multiple protocols without the need to add additional
networking boards to the workstation. The technology also allows
for the communication with other systems using different protocols
with the need to reboot the workstation.

The company claims that the enhanced drivers make it easier for
developers and networking board manufacturers to support systems
on a number platforms in a NetWare environment through a single
driver.

As well as using ODI's combined client and server driver to support
more operating system platforms and increase client performance,
the company also claims that its Novell's ODI drivers facilitate
communications between Novell's ODI standard and Microsoft's NDIS
(Network Driver Interface Specification) specification, by using
Novell's ODINSUP module. The module permits ODI drivers to
communicate with NDIS protocol stacks, without modification. The
ODINSUP utility means developers do not have to allocate
engineering time to develop an NDIS driver for an adapter when
connecting into LAN Manager or LAN Server.

NDIS is a device driver specification developed by Microsoft and
3Com that supports both MS-DOS and OS/2 operating systems. It
is intended as a way of providing protocol and hardware
independence for network drivers. It also supports protocol
multiplexing.

The company says that, when fully implemented, developers writing
32-bit ODI LAN (local area network) drivers are able to write one
driver that will support NetWare 3.x and 4.0 servers; Windows NT
and Windows 3.1, ODI, and NDIS clients; as well as UnixWare,
Windows 3.1, OS/2 and 32-bit DOS, ODI clients.

The ODI driver development kit is available through Novell Labs.
ODINSUP can be licensed from Novell for distribution with drivers
to facilitate support of Microsoft's NDIS environment. Developers
registered with Novell Labs will automatically be updated. All others
can download the update, entitled "LAN Driver Developer Bulletin, 1,"
from the Internet or NetWire.

(Ian Stokell/19930323/Press Contact: Jessica Kersey,
408-473-8739, Novell Inc.)


(NEWS)(TRENDS)(SFO)(00025)

Autodesk, ESRI Honor Those Helping World Environment 03/23/93
ORLANDO, FLORIDA, U.S.A., 1993 MAR 23 (NB) -- Award winners in
an effort to encourage use of computing to solve the world's
environmental problems have been announced.

Autodesk and Environmental Systems Research Institute (ESRI)
have announced the winners of the Geodyssey Environmental GIS
Research Grants Initiative. Winners are using GIS (geographic
information systems) technology in order to: control the
malaria epidemic in Sri Lanka, by Monash University,
Australia; balance industry, tourism and preservation along the
Nile River, by Mansoura University, Egypt; ease the transition
to private land ownership in Lithuania, by GIS-Centre, Lithuania;
and perform risk assessment and contingency planning for
hurricanes in western coastal Trinidad, by the University of
the West Indies.

The Geodyssey grant program is designed to bring PC-based
computer-aided design (CAD) and GIS tools to 100 universities
and research organizations in 28 countries.

The award scheme was inspired by the 1992 Earth Summit in Rio
de Janeiro, Brazil. It was developed by the two organizations, and
endorsed and administered by the International Geographic
Information Foundation (IGIF).

In announcing the awards, Joe Nicholson, senior manager of
Autodesk's Mapping, GIS and Infrastructure Division, said:
"Powerful PC-based CAD and GIS software will allow more
countries and academic institutions to use technology to help
resolve critical issues, such as conservation of natural resources,
management of economic development and other environmental
concerns."

Autodesk and ESRI plan to donate more than $1 million in
software and support for the Geodyssey Initiative. Scholarships
for training, including travel and expenses up to $3,000, were
awarded to 10 proposals. All other winners are set to receive a
50 percent discount on training. The winners are required to
provide a "professional" paper on their findings to the IGIF by
February 15, 1994.

GIS data is referenced by location, and not by numbers and text
as in traditional databases. It also allows the user the ability to
manage and analyze information specifically as it relates to
geography.

The IGIF has four sociaty organizations: American Congress on
Surveying and Mapping, AM/FM International, American Society for
Photogrammety and Remote Sensing, and URISA. ESRI was
founded in 1969 as a research group intent on improving methods
of handling geographic data.

(Ian Stokell/19930323/Press Contact: Andrew Mackles,
415-491-8778, Autodesk)


(NEWS)(APPLE)(SFO)(00026)

New Mac Version Of Adobe Illustrator 03/23/93
MOUNTAIN VIEW, CALIFORNIA, U.S.A., 1993 MAR 23 (NB) -- Adobe Systems
promises a new version of Adobe Illustrator, Version 5.0 for the
Macintosh, in the second quarter of this year. Adobe calls it "a major
new release" of the graphics illustration and design application.
Version 5.0 will also include 40 of Adobe's Type 1 typefaces.

New features include layers, multiple levels of
undo and redo, edit in preview, custom views, gradient fills
with multiple colors, unlimited custom page sizes, and support
for a pressure-sensitive calligraphic pen with variable nib.
User interface improvements include floating palettes for paint
styles, gradient fills, layers, tools, and character and paragraph
styles.

Adobe Illustrator Version 5.0 plug-in filters enable users to
search for objects by stroke or fill, adjust colors globally or
interactively and create new lines on either side of an existing
path. Adobe's new Pathfinder technology is a unique
feature within the plug-in filters. With Pathfinder filters,
users can create special effects and techniques such as shadowing,
transparency and preview overprinting.

The plug-in architecture allows third parties to enhance the program
Adobe says, by adding new effects and features. Following the
release of Adobe Illustrator 5.0, Adobe will publish a
developer's kit for independent software developers interested in
creating filters for the program.

The suggested retail price of the program is $595. Registered owners
of Adobe Illustrator have various upgrade options.

(Wendy Woods/19930323/Press Contact: Adobe Systems, Patricia J.
Pane, 415/962-3967)


(NEWS)(UNIX)(LAX)(00027)

Sun Offers PC To Unix E-Mail 03/23/93
CHELMSFORD, MASSACHUSETTS, U.S.A., 1993 MAR 23 (NB) -- Sun's
business unit, Sunselect, is shipping Selectmail, an electronic
mail package that will allow IBM and compatible personal
computers (PCs) to send and receive mail and a package that
works with popular PC networking software. The company is also
offering a new version of its PC to Unix networking software,
PC-NFS 5.0.

Sunselect is offering two versions of Selectmail, one for PCs
running MS-DOS and one for the graphical operating system
Microsoft Windows 3.1. Designed for TCP/IP networks, the
company says Selectmail will share mail with any computer that
can run on the network.

The company is placing emphasis on the Windows version of
Selectmail, saying it supports the Windows Sockets Application
Programming Interface (API), a standard interface based on the
"sockets" paradigm and allows any Windows network application
written to the API to run unchanged over any TCP/IP network.
This allows users to work in the PC environment with which they
are familiar and still communicate on the Unix network, Sun
representatives said.

The Windows Selectmail product offers text-or-binary file
attachment capability, a spelling checker, confirmation to the
sender when a mail message has been read, local and global
addressing capabilities so users and system administrators can
set up local and global aliases, and a queueing facility that
allows mobile computer users to have electronic mail
capabilities when they're away from the network.

One of the TCP/IP networks that is compatible with Selectmail
is Sun's own PC-NFS (network file system) version 5.0, just
released. To attract users of other TCP/IP network products,
Sun says other TCP/IP network users can get the PC-NFS 5.0
product for as little as $79 per user. Those other TCP/IP
products include PC/TCP from FTP Software, Chameleon from
Netmanage, BW-NFS from Beame & Whiteside, LAN Workplace for DOS
from Novell, and Pathway Access from The Wollongong Group.

In quantity, the upgrade price goes down even further,
Sunselect said. Ten-license upgrade packs are $59 per node, and
100-license packs are $41 per node. The upgrade pricing will be
offered from April 1 to June 30, 1993.

(Linda Rohrbough/19930322/Press Contact: Beth Byer, Sunselect,
tel [phone], fax [phone], Public contact 800-247-
3532; Kathryn Lang, Hi-Tech Communications, tel [phone])


(NEWS)(GENERAL)(LAX)(00028)

DB/EXPO Vendor Sell-Out 03/23/93
MOUNTAIN VIEW, CALIFORNIA, U.S.A., 1993 MAR 23 (NB) -- Show
organizers NDN Enterprises for the DB/EXPO '93 show scheduled
for May 3-7, 1993 in San Francisco's Moscone Center say
exhibitor space for the show is completely sold out and
projections are 20,000 will attend.

The show's organizers are crediting the vendor sell out, despite
a thirty-five percent increase in the show size, to Microsoft's
surprise announcement last year at the show that it was buying
Fox Software.

Speakers for this year's show are Bill Gates, president of
Microsoft; Borland International's President Philippe Kahn;
Steven Jobs, co-founder of Apple Computer and current head of
Next Computer; Larry Ellison, president of Oracle; Dr. Patricia
Selinger of IBM; Dr. Robert Epstein from Sybase; Jim Groff from
Apple Computer; and Umang Gupta, founder of Gupta.

DB/EXPO was started in 1989 and focuses on database,
client/server, and information technology for information
systems executives, data processing personnel, and others. The
first show had 100 exhibits and 2,000 attendees, but show
organizers say they've increased the size of the show to over
200 exhibitors in 500 booths.

Topics to be covered at the show include client/server
applications development, desktop databases, object-oriented
and evolving technologies, data warehousing, open systems and
Unix on-line transaction processing (OLTP), and Windows.

(Linda Rohrbough/19930323/Press Contact: Ron Pernick, Niehaus
Ryan Haller Public Relations for NDN Enterprises, tel 415-615-
7891, fax [phone]; NDN Enterprises, 415-966-8440, 800-232-
3976)


(NEWS)(IBM)(DEN)(00029)

Dell, Compuadd Cut Prices Again 03/23/93
AUSTIN, TEXAS, U.S.A., 1993 MAR 23 (NB) -- Austin-based Compuadd
Computer Corporation and its cross-town neighbor Dell Computer
Corporation have both announced price cuts to some of their
486-based systems.

CompuAdd, which recently announced it will close its retail outlets
and rely on the direct marketing channel, said it has cut the price
of its top-of-the-line EISA (Extended Industry Standard
Architecture)-based 466EDX2 tower unit, and the Model 433DX desktop
system. The biggest cut is for the 466DX2, a system that comes with
six drive bays, eight expansion slots, 8MB of system memory, a 256K
high speed cache, a 340MB hard drive, dual floppy drives, a 15-inch
super VGA color monitor, and a local bus accelerator with 2MB of
VRAM. That system dropped 23 percent, from $3,871 to $2,995. The
466EDX2, a 486-based 66 megahertz (MHz) system, dropped from $4,856
to $3,795.

Compuadd CEO Bill Hayden said this is the first in what he described
as "a series of aggressive steps" the company plans as CompuAdd
transitions to a direct marketing company.

A source close to Compuadd told Newsbytes the company will join
other clone makers in announcing a system based on Intel's Pentium
chip, which was formally announced yesterday.

At Dell, prices were cut from $50 to $300 on six Dimension systems,
including three mid-size desktops and three floor-standing, or
"tower" 486-based systems. A Dell 486DX/33 with 4MB of memory, a
170MB hard drive, and a super VGA 14-inch 1024 X 788 interlaced
monitor, was reduced from $1,899 to $1,699, an 11 percent drop. Dell
cut its 486DX2/50s tower unit, equipped with 8MB of memory, a 320MB
hard drive, and an Ultra VGA 14-inch 1024 X 788 non-interlaced
monitor, to $2,499, an 11 percent reduction.

Price cuts were expected from most manufacturers once Intel
announced it was ready to ship its Pentium chip. Dell spokesperson
Lisa Rohlf told Newsbytes Dell expects to ship Pentium upgrade cards
for its upgradable DE and SE 486-based systems. "We are planning a
true Pentium-based design later, probably in the summer." The
upgrade cards are expected to ship in late May. Dell also plans to
ship a Pentium-upgradable system.

(Jim Mallory/19930323/Press contact for Dell Computer: Jill
Shanks, 512-794-4100, Reader contact: 800-289-3355; for Compuadd:
John Pope, 512-250-2000, Reader contact: 800-456-3116)


(NEWS)(GENERAL)(DEN)(00030)

Cray's Programmer Toolkit, RAID Products 03/23/93
EAGAN, MINNESOTA, U.S.A., 1993 MAR 23 (NB) -- Cray Research has
announced a programmer toolkit that includes windowing and graphics
tools, and two disk arrays that use RAID (Redundant Array of
Inexpensive Disks) technology.

The Cray Visualization Toolkit 2.0 consists of the most recent
releases of six standard windowing and graphics tools that software
programmers can use to create the user interface for their programs.
The company says the toolkit will also make it easy for applications
that use the six tools to be ported to Cray Research systems.

The CVT 2.0 tools consist of libraries and toolkits used to create
common user interface elements such as menus and icons. The
components include the X Windows System Release 5, Sun Microsystem's
XView Toolkit 3.0, Open Software Foundation's Motif Toolkit 1.2,
Silicon Graphics Distributed Graphics Library, the PEXlib library, ad
the Tk/Tci toolkit command interpreter. Using these tools the
programmer can create items like menus and scrollbars.

Cray says it has ported each of the standard toolkits in the CVT 2.0
to its entire product line. "To be the most productive, developers
require the latest software tools to build easy-to-use
applications," says Cal Kirchof, manager of Cray Research's
visualization group. He says developers can create visual interfaces
that give applications the same look and feel, whether they are
running on supercomputers or workstations.

Cray also announced two new disk array systems that use RAID level 3
technology which the company says increases reliability and provides
up to a four-fold increase in data transfer. The DA-60 array can
sustain a sequential I/O (input/output) transfer rate of 80 million
bytes (MB) per second and has a storage capacity from 7.8 billion to
62.72 billion bytes (gigabytes). The second system, the DA-62, can
sustain transfers at 32MB per second and has a capacity from 10.92
GB to 87.36GB. The company has also reduced the price of the two
drives that are used in the new arrays. The DD-60 drive was cut 20
percent, while the DD-62 has been reduced 28 percent. Those drives
were announced in 1991 and 1992 respectively.

The disk array systems use Cray's DCA-3 channel adapter, which
provides a direct disk channel connection between the I/O subsystem
of Cray Research supercomputers and the disk arrays, which can be
used with all the Y-MP model E supercomputers and with Y-MP C90
systems. DCA pricing starts at $190,000, while the DA-62 begins at
$120,000.

(Jim Mallory/19930323/Press contact: Mardi Schmieder, Cray Research,
612-683-3538)