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/nb930517

Text File | 1993-05-17 | 82KB | 1,729 lines

(NEWS)(GENERAL)(NYC)(00001)

Nutrition Firm Goes Global Through The Internet 05/17/93
MOUNT KISCO, NEW YORK, U.S.A., 1993 MAY 17 (NB) -- Vita-mine Personal
Nutrition Systems (Vita-mine), a Mount Kisco, New York firm, has
announced that it is using the Internet as a vehicle for its
expansion into worldwide marketing.

Vita-mine, a firm less than a year old, provides nutritional
counseling and a customized daily vitamin-mineral supplement to its
clients. Gerald Buckley, co-founder of the firm, told Newsbytes: "We
had always planned to go nationwide, in fact worldwide, with our
service. The local period was really a ramp-up period while we
reviewed our questionnaire and insured that our manufacturing and
distribution systems were at peak efficiency. Our service is unique
and it is fitting that we offer it to a wide as market as possible."

Buckley explained to Newsbytes that potential clients for the Vita-
mine service receive an eleven page questionnaire. The recipients
answer questions concerning health, employment, lifestyle and
environment. The questionnaire is then reviewed by a nutritionist and
recommendations concerning life style modification and nutritional
supplements are sent to the client. Based on the analysis, the client
will receive shipments of vitamins and minerals, properly sorted into
individual daily dosage bags.

Buckley said that the cost for this service is $45 for the initial
consultation and $29 monthly for the vitamin shipments.

"We do three things: 1. We offer professional individual nutritional
advice in the form of a health plan and a personalized supplement
plan; 2. We supply our clients with the finest nutrients in balanced
and absorbable formulas; and 3. We make supplement intake easy by
packaging each customer's personal regimen into daily packets and
mailing a month's supply at once." he told Newsbytes.

"We feel that it is important to make nutritional information
available to as wide range of people as possible. With all of the
recent articles about such things as osteoporosis, stress, cancer,
heart disease and stomach problems, people are starting to look to
nutrition as one of the possible ways to combat these ailments," he
added.

Buckley concluded: "We set up an account on New York City's Phantom
Access not only to solicit and process customers orders but to answer
questions from anyone on nutritional matters. Anyone throughout the
world may address nutritional questions to our e-mail address --
[e-mail] -- and we will respond as rapidly as
possible. We will process questionnaires and orders in this manner as
well as via fax and mail."

(Barbara E. McMullen & John F. McMullen/19930517/Press Contact:
Gerard Buckley, Vita-mine Personal Nutrition Systems, 914-242-5116;
Email on the Internet: [e-mail])


(NEWS)(GENERAL)(HKG)(00002)

 ****ComputerLand Targets Hong Kong With New Sales Routine 05/17/93
QUARRY BAY, HONG KONG, 1993 MAY 17 (NB) -- ComputerLand, the global
personal computer and software retail chain, has adopted a strategy
to penetrate the Hong Kong and PRC markets, which company president,
Kent Lam, believes will help ComputerLand grow while avoiding some of
the difficulties faced by other PC vendors locally.

At the heart of ComputerLand's new strategy is the development and
application of what it calls "individual sales cells." Each
ComputerLand store will be an independent sales unit, responsible for
its own budgets and revenues, while ComputerLand Hong Kong's head
office will take responsibility for inventory and marketing.

"The concept of sales cell has a lot to do with the character of
local business people", Lam said. "It is very hard to keep good PC
sales people in Hong Kong. If they are really good, they generally go
into business for themselves. By running his own business, a PC
salesman can keep all of the rewards."

"We want to harness the enthusiasm of these top sales people, and the
only way to do this is to give them the freedom to run their own
business, but still keep them within the ComputerLand family," he
said, adding that this is accomplished by "offering quality resellers
and sales people a ComputerLand franchise."

Under the terms of the franchise, resellers are responsible for their
own business, but receive the ComputerLand name and the worldwide
quality and expertise that the name symbolizes. They also receive
full marketing support and stock holding facilities. They are also
free to set their own sales prices, niche markets and directions,
while maintaining all the benefits of being part of the global
ComputerLand chain.

ComputerLand was established in the USA in 1977. In the past 16 years
the company has grown into a worldwide network of over 700 outlets in
50 countries.

"The ComputerLand name is highly respected, and we will only accept
the very best resellers," Lam said. "That does not necessarily mean
resellers who can ship many boxes but more importantly, it means
resellers who know what users want, and who target special niche
markets or provide value added services, such as hardware selection,
installation, networking, and software recommendation."

According to Lam, ComputerLand insists that only professional
resellers can obtain its franchises. "The resellers must be
knowledgeable about PCs, peripherals and software, and must embody
the traditional ComputerLand ideals of personal and professional
service, person to person, business to business," he said.

A major benefit to franchisees is that ComputerLand will carry all
stock, freeing them of the high costs involved in stock control and
warehousing.

Extensive marketing is being conducted by ComputerLand. Print
advertisements, promotions and related media activities will be
conducted under the ComputerLand name, with sales cells reaping the
benefits of these promotional activities. ComputerLand sales cells
will automatically have access to all of these at optimum discount
levels, giving the best possible profit margins, and freedom
to set their own pricing levels.

"ComputerLand is not going to aim at a particular market segment
We have a wide range of products which can be integrated to
meet almost any user's requirements. For example, where high-end
network facilities are required, Compaq servers are often supplied but
low-end home user may well receive the economical ComputerLand Rubia
PC. If a user needs software, our sales cells will recommend the best
package for the job," Lam said.

ComputerLand expects the sales cell strategy to yield impressive
benefits broadening its sales base and providing more depth to
its sales force.

By adopting the sales cell strategy, ComputerLand expects be able
to cover a much broader range of niche markets, and deeper penetration
in each, than other PC vendors.

"By their nature, ComputerLand sales cells will burrow up and down
particular niche markets which they have targeted. The personnel
within each sales cell should know their market far better than
generalist PC vendors, so can offer a much greater depth of assistance
and value added support," Lam said.

"The net effect is that ComputerLand is able to offer superior
service, a full range of competitively priced products, and can react
to the market quickly, all of which results in long term relationships
with customers and healthy growth of markets share," he added.

(Brett Cameron/19930517/Press Contact: Kent Lam, ComputerLand, Tel:
852-811 9800;HK time is GMT + 8)


(NEWS)(IBM)(BOS)(00003)

 ****Low-Cost Windows Program Development System Arrives 05/17/93
VENTURA, CALIFORNIA, U.S.A., 1993 MAY 17 (NB) -- Microsoft software
development kits (SDKs) for Windows are a costly business, even if
they do enable programmers to leapfrog ahead, but many developers
cannot afford to shell out for the SDK. Recognising this, Phase3
Software has announced a low-cost, integrated Windows applications
development system of its own.

Announcing the new system, officials with the company said that
Phase3 includes all the tools needed for designing, developing,
deploying and maintaining a Windows application, at a fraction of the
price ordinarily associated with a comprehensive development
solution.

List priced at $795, and being sold through July 31 at an
introductory price of $395, Phase3 includes a built-in relational
database management system (RDMS), as well as a lower computer-aided
software engineering (CASE) front end, visual development
environment, data browser, report writer, help generator, and
hierarchy chart.

The system works with any ANSI (American National Standards
Institute) standard C or C++ compiler for Windows, as well as with
Borland Turbo Pascal for Windows and Borland Pascal 7.0.

The Phase3 database is supplied as a Windows DLL (dynamic link
library). The RDBMS is relationally complete, supporting one-to-
many and many-to-many complex data relationships, according to the
company. Data can be accessed and manipulated through any language
via a suite of database routines that comes with the product.

The lower CASE front end is used for entity-relationship modeling, a
process that is generally the first step in creating an application
with Phase3. The developer creates a logical data model and
graphically describes entity relationships. After entities are
identified, field descriptions can be entered into a data dictionary.

Phase3 then analyzes the entity relationships, and generates the
database structure from this analysis, automatically including
foreign keys in the appropriate tables. The program also analyzes
table relationships, and suggests referential integrity constraints
to be enforced at runtime. As application requirements change and the
logical data model is modified, Phase3 will automatically restructure
the database.

The Phase3 visual development environment is used for screen
creation. Standard Windows screen objects -- such as push buttons,
radio buttons and dialog boxes -- can be selected from icon bars, and
then dynamically placed and sized on the screen. Standard Windows
APIs (application programming interfaces) are available from list
boxes. The APIs are supported with online documentation.

The Phase3 database browser allows for data entry and manipulation,
a capability aimed at the early development, debug and test phases.
The browser incorporates railway diagrams for interactive database
query creation. The diagrams prompt the user for appropriate
selections and help to eliminate syntactical errors.

Users create reports by making database queries and selecting the
required data in the report generator. The reports incorporate
such standard features as flexible headers, footers, free text,
calculated fields, sort group sections and breaks, and subtotals.
Bitmap drawings and photographic images can also be included.

The help generator is designed for easy creation of a Windows
application help subsystem, complete with context-sensitive help.
The help generator comes with a text editor that gives the user
control over content, appearance, and branching logic. Phase3
produces a Windows-compatible file with an .HLP extension that can
then be accessed from within the application. No external tools
are required.

The Phase3 hierarchy chart provides a graphical hierarchical
depiction of the entire application. The developer can use the
chart to access any window, dialog, report or code routine with the
click of a mouse.

Phase3 requires Windows 3.1 and a minimum of 6 MB of disk space and
4 MB of RAM. Applications created with the system are compatible
with Windows 3.1 and 3.0.

Phase3 was created by Phase3 Software of Canberra in Australia. The
system is being marketed in North America by Phase3 Software of
Ventura in California.

(Jacqueline Emigh/19930517/Public Contact: Phase3 Software - tel 800-
851-5650; fax [phone]; Press contact: Les Flammer - tel 805-641-
9366; fax [phone])


(NEWS)(GENERAL)(HKG)(00004)

SynOptics Appoints Expert Systems As Value Added Reseller 05/17/93
WANCHAI, HONG KONG, 1993 MAY 17 (NB) -- In a move aimed at reaching
the potentially huge and largely unexploited local market for entry
level, hub-based networking solutions, SynOptics Communications has
appointed PC solution provider, Expert System, as a value added
reseller for its System 2000 Series of intelligent hubs.

Expert System currently supplies software packages and computers
products to a network of more than 200 dealers. It also provides
hardware and networking technology to software houses that offer
integrated solutions as well as offering its own turn-key solutions
for a host of horizontal and vertical applications.

"This agreement will significantly expand SynOptics' penetration of
the lower end of the market through Expert System's extensive dealer
network," said Mike Laugesen, the company's director of
intercontinental sales.

"We already have agreements with Hongkong Telecom CSL and Datacraft
HK Ltd to market our products to the high-end. Today's announcement
represents the final piece of the infrastructure we have been
building here in Hong Kong," he added.

SynOptics' newest reseller already has an in-depth understanding of
LAN technology. Expert System has built up a considerable expertise in
Novell networks and is one of the few companies in Hong Kong that is
certified by Microsoft to install and support its LAN Manager product.

In addition to networking products, the company also markets AST, IBM
and ICL computers and is the sole agent for the popular Compaq Contura
line of notebook computers. In the last three years, Expert System has
consistently doubled its annual sales volumes.

"I see our link up with SynOptics as a perfect fit," said Peter Kwan,
director of Expert System. "SynOptics has a very clear market
strategy and knows exactly what it is doing in terms of new product
developments and the range of solutions it is bringing to the
market."

"I have been impressed with the emphasis SynOptics has placed on
getting it right -- working with us to make sure that the training and
support capabilities are in place from the outset -- rather than just
saying sell, sell, sell," he said.

"Expert System has demonstrated its commitment to providing top-of-
the-line networking solutions and support by investing more than HK$2
million (in its Networking Connectivity Laboratory, a complete network
development and evaluation centre," said Laugeson.

The lab, which is boasts an AS/400 minicomputer, a Unix box and a
Microsoft Windows for Workgroups test-bed, is transparently and
simultaneously connected across a diverse topology network with
multiple network operating systems and gateways. It is dedicated to
addressing connectivity concerns in multiple vendor, multiple site
corporate networking.

"Customers will have an opportunity to view hub-based networking
solutions in operation, tailored to meet their specific
requirements," said Laugesen. "With the increasing popularity of
structured wiring and hub-based solutions, not just in Hong Kong, but
all around the region, our partnership with Expert System should
prove fruitful, both for SynOptics and customers."

(Brett Cameron/19930517/Press Contact: Peter Woo (SynOptics): Tel:
[phone];HK time is GMT + 8)


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

PC-Kwik And Super PC-Kwik Arrive 05/17/93
BEAVERTON, OREGON, U.S.A., 1993 MAY 17 (NB) -- PC-Kwik Corporation
says it is now shipping version 3.1 of its PC-Kwik Power Pak and
version 5.1 of Super PC-Kwik disk caching utilities.

The new versions include CD-ROM enhancements for Super PC-Kwik's disk
cache and compatibility with DOS 6.0, including support for
DoubleSpace, the DOS 6.0 compression utility. Asked about recent
problems voiced by DOS 6 users about DoubleSpace, PC-Kwik
spokesperson John Davis told Newsbytes his company has tested
DoubleSpace extensively and doesn't expect any problems that might
exist to cause difficulty for PC-Kwik users.

The company claims that Super PC-Kwik now provides caching for CD-ROM
readers, speeding up CD-ROM accesses by as much as 1,000 percent.

Super PC-Kwik uses read-ahead technology to speed up reading data the
first time it's requested from the CD-ROM, as well as with subsequent
read requests. The company claims that this method of speeding up CD-
ROM reads is superior to programs that use file buffers, because file
buffers can only improve performance for the second and subsequent
read requests.

The new version of Power Pak, which includes Super PC-Kwik,
automatically recognizes all of the DOS 6.0 utilities and configures
itself to work with them. For example, Power Disk, the disk
defragmenter included in the Power Pak, can link with the DOS 6
defragmenter to handle volumes compressed with Microsoft's
DoubleSpace data compression utility. Other features included in
Power Pak, says PC-Kwik President Bruce Schafer, include a print
spooler and keyboard and screen accelerators.

A feature in Power Pak called KwikBoot allows the user to create
multiple boot configurations, with hot key assignments and a password
for each choice on the boot selection menu. Users can by-pass the
boot
menu if desired.

Davis told Newsbytes that Power Pak users can select from various
choices to customize each boot operation without having to use an
editor to change the configuration or autoexec files. When the
computer is turned on the user can either press the appropriate hot
key for automatic configuration selection, or wait for the menu to
appear. There's also a default boot configuration. Davis said that
the boot configuration can also be selected before you turn the
computer off, so that selection will run automatically when the
computer is turned on.

Existing Super PC-Kwik users can upgrade to version 5.1 for $1.95.
Power Pak 3.0 users can upgrade to version 3.1 for the same price.
Users of earlier versions of Power Pak can upgrade for $39.95 plus
shipping and handling. Suggested retail price of Super PC-Kwik for
new users is $79.95, while the suggested price for Power Pak is
$129.95. Street prices, as usual, are lower.

(Jim Mallory/19930517/Press contact: John Davis, PC-Kwik Corporation,
503-644-5644 or 800-759-5945; Reader contact: PC-Kwik Corporation,
503-644-5644 or 800-759-5945)


(NEWS)(GENERAL)(HKG)(00006)

Hong Kong: Quantity Surveying In Quantity -- With A Pyramid 05/17/93
WAN CHAI, HONG KONG, 1993 MAY 17 (NB) -- The Hong Kong Government's
Architectural Services Department (ASD), one of six departments
responsible for all government construction in the territory, has
installed a powerful computer from Pyramid Technology to drive the
largest computerized quantity surveying system in the world.

A Pyramid MIServer stores the information essential to the production
of the legal contracts and Bills of Quantities that precede the
building of any new government structure. Staff have access to the
database from a network of nearly 100 terminals and PCs.

This enables them to share standard information, such as construction
costs, to calculate the price of a new school, hospital, fire station
or market. The resulting contract documents are easier to produce and
are of a consistently high standard.

"The computer system is indispensable," said Alan Jameson, Senior
Quantity Surveyor at the Architectural Services Department. "It has
not only improved the quality of our work but also reduced the amount
of time it takes. The more time we save automating routine procedures,
the more we can focus on the essential areas of construction cost
tracking and control."

Jameson said that he believes that the network will expand as people
realize its potential. "We'll probably integrate our system with
those in the other departments in future," he said. "The ASD works on
a five year rolling building programme. Between 70 and 80 contracts
are active at any one time, each valued at between HK$10 million and
HK$1billion."

"While it is extremely important that our initial estimates are as
accurate as possible, that is really only the beginning." he said,
adding: "The Pyramid system allows us to track expenditure throughout
the building phase, to the completion of the final account, and
archive the data for 12 years after that."

"The shared database means that everybody is working with exactly the
same information, be it the price per cubic metre of a particular type
of concrete, or the four levels of descriptive text that specify every
item, like the shape, size, type of timber etc. for a particular door
frame," he said.

"Because this information is entered on to the system only once, the
margin for human error, both in producing the text and even more
importantly in the accounting procedure, is greatly reduced," he
added.

Pyramid was chosen from among other Unix-based candidates for its
superior price/performance ratio and the scalability of it's
architecture for long-term growth.

However it also supported the Universe relational database management
system which acts as a translation database for software developed
under PICK. Universe, enabled the ASD's suite of PICK-developed
application software to migrate seamlessly from the old system, with
minimum disruption to staff and no loss of data.

"It was amazingly painless," Jameson said. "We shut down the old
system on a Friday evening and were up and running with the new one
on the following Monday."

The system's design combines two powerful RISC (reduced instruction
set computing) central processors for high speed computation and an
optimized input/output system that reduces the load on the central
processor. It also features a high-speed data transfer bus that
permits multiple storage devices to move data simultaneously without
monopolising the bus. These features produce a computer ideally suited
to the high-volume transaction processing required by the ASD.

System reliability and support were important aspects in the decision-
making process. "We are very pleased with our choice," Jameson said,
adding: "The Pyramid system is incredibly reliable. It is in use 24
hours a day throughout the working week and we're getting 99.9 per
cent system availability."

(Brett Cameron/19930517/Press Contact: Ed Norton (Pyramid): Tel: +852-
827 0211;HK time is GMT + 8)


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

More Cellphone Users, But Smaller Bills 05/17/93
WASHINGTON, D.C., U.S.A., 1993 MAY 17 (NB) -- A quarterly survey by
the cellular phone industry shows that more people are getting
cellular phones, but that they're using them less.

A survey of top providers' earnings releases by the Cellular
Telecommunications Industry Association indicates that over 600,000
new subscribers signed-on during the first three months of 1993, up
from a year earlier. But the average bill was down 10 percent, to
about $68. Association president Thomas Wheeler acknowledged the drop
in bills is due to the industry's penetration into consumer markets.

Many people are now buying cellular phones as a safety feature, so
they can call police or tow trucks when the need arises, or call home
if they're going to be late. Cellular service providers are
encouraging the trend with special "lifeline" rates geared to
infrequent users.

In Atlanta, for instance, both PacTel and BellSouth offer a $20 per
month rental agreement, with PacTel throwing 10 free minutes of use
per month into the deal. But additional minutes are billed at 75
cents, twice the normal rate, and such customers may not be able to
get the best deals on phones. An industry association spokesman told
Newsbytes that some operators charge as little as $10-12 per month
for lifeline service.

It's increasingly popular. "We did a survey and about 70% of those
polled about buying a cellphone was for safety and security. About
half our customers are the non-business users." The group is not
upset over the declining value of added bills, saying it's part of a
10-year trend.

(Dana Blankenhorn/19930517/Press Contact: CTIA, 202-798-0081)


(NEWS)(UNIX)(TOR)(00008)

Eicon Unveils SNA, OSI Gateways For Unix 05/17/93
MONTREAL, QUEBEC, CANADA, 1993 MAY 17 (NB) -- Eicon Technology has
launched Systems Network Architecture (SNA) and Open Systems
Interconnection (OSI) gateways for Unix. Using these gateways,
desktop computers running Unix, DOS, DOS and Windows, or OS/2 can
communicate with host systems through a Unix machine on the same
local area network (LAN), explained Ron Grimes, Unix product manager
at Eicon.

The SNA LAN Gateway for Unix links desktop users to multiple IBM
mainframe and mid-range systems over X.25 networks or Synchronous
Data Link Control (SDLC) lines, allowing them to set up 3270 and
5250 display and/or printer sessions, Eicon officials said.

The OSI LAN Gateway for Unix connects users to various host
computers over X.25 links.

SNA is IBM's established standard for networking among its large
systems, and is widely supported by other vendors. OSI, meanwhile, is
an international communications framework backed by the International
Standards Organization (ISO).

Both gateways work with Santa Cruz Operation's SCO Unix System V
Release 3.2 and Open Desktop and with Unix System V Release 4, and
rely on Microsoft's LAN Manager for local-area network transport.

The new Eicon software is due to ship in July. Both gateways cost
US$1,495 or C$1,945. They require Eicon's intelligent co-processing
card, the EiconCard, which sells for US$1,095, or one of its higher-
powered alternatives. The software is built around the Eicon hardware
and will not work with similar cards from other vendors, Grimes
added.

(Grant Buckler/19930517/Press Contact: Cynthia Yacowar, Eicon,
514-631-2592, fax [phone]; Public Contact: Eicon,
514-631-2592)


(NEWS)(TRENDS)(BOS)(00009)

Dot Matrix Printers Out; Color Inkjets In 05/17/93
NORWELL, MASSACHUSETTS, U.S.A., 1993 MAY 17 (NB) -- Color inkjet
printers quadrupled in sales between 1991 and 1992, and will shoot
past dot matrix, monochrome inkjet, and 0 to 6-page-per-minute
printers by 1995, say the results of a new survey.

The study, conducted by BIS Strategic Decisions, also uncovered other
findings about the low-end printer market that many in the industry
either were unprepared for or believed would take place later on.

According to the study, the dot matrix printer market, which enjoyed
modest growth through 1992, will peak this year and then show steady
decline through 1997.

Users are quickly migrating to low-end laser printers, as well as
monochrome and color inkjet products. Sales of the color inkjet
printers rose from 90,000 units in 1991 to 360,000 the next year, a
figure BIS projects will reach 2.4 million by 1995.

Color inkjet technology is now being used for a wide range of
purposes, all the way up to wide-format plotters and
engineering/scientific uses at the high end, according to the study.
But it is in the low-end category that sales are booming most
resoundingly.

Sales of color inkjet printers accounted for 22% of all low-end
inkjet printer sales last year, in contrast to a mere 8% in 1991.

The researchers attributed these rapid changes to growing price
competition in the low-end printer market. "It will become
increasingly difficult for (dot matrix) technology to adjust to
user requirements at the price points of the competing technologies,"
explained Bill Flynn, senior market analyst for BIS' Color Hard Copy
Service.

"Combine this with the price battles expected to take place in the
ink jet product line, and it is easy to see the importance of color
for future growth," he said.

(Jacqueline Emigh/19930517/Press contact: Martha Popoloski, BIS
Strategic Decisions, tel [phone])


(NEWS)(GENERAL)(HKG)(00010)

Informix, Digital Port Asian Language Software For Alpha AXP 05/17/93
TAI KOO SHING, HONG KONG, 1993 MAY 17 (NB) -- Digital Equipment
Corporation and Informix Software in Asia are to port Asian language
versions of Informix software to run on Digital's Alpha AXP systems
under the DEC OSF/1 operating system.

This announcement follows the recent shipment of Informix V5.0
relational database management system (RDBMS) and application
development tools for Digital's 64-bit, RISC based platform.

Porting will be carried out at Informix's Asia/Pacific Development
Centre in Singapore, and will include traditional Chinese, simplified
Chinese and Korean character sets.

The agreement gives Digital the option to distribute Asian and English
language versions of the Informix software on its own Unix based
platforms in selected territories in Asia. Digital will have the
option to sell and provide front-line support for the Informix
software to its customers in these countries.

"Relationships like these underscore our leadership in Asian language
environments, and our strategy of using the best channels to bring our
software cost-effectively to different markets", said Mark Wang, Vice-
President of Informix Asia/Pacific.

"Digital has been a major provider of complete computer systems to
meet industry-specific needs, and has a strong and deserved
reputation for service and support in Asia," he added.

According to Edmund J. Reilly, President and managing director of
Digital Asia: "This agreement reinforces Digital's commitment to the
open systems market and to Asian language computing. It also
indicates our seriousness in extending our service capabilities to
popular third-party software. Our customers have accepted Digital as
a full-service company, and expect more of these relationships."

Informix's director of North Asia, Lui Sim-hua, who is also responsible
for relationships with hardware vendors, added: "The uniqueness of
this relationship is that it allows individual Digital and Informix
subsidiaries to adopt the working model that best suits local market
conditions."

(Brett Cameron/19930517/Press Contact: Bonnie Engel (Digital): Tel:
[phone];HK time is GMT + 8)


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

Vendors Say Co-operation, Standards Needed 05/17/93
PALOS VERDES ESTATES, CALIFORNIA, U.S.A., 1993 MAY 17 (NB) --
Consumers are driving computer industry vendors to work together, and
what is needed is testing, co-operation, and standards, according to
major vendors in the electronic document systems industry at the
Xplor International vendor interaction symposium.

The symposium was themed "Visions '96" and was focused on what
vendors and users are aiming for in the electronic document systems
industry in the next few years.

Electronic document systems user John Massie, president and chief
executive officer of Ecocenters Corporation, said: "In the last half
of the 1990s, the newness of computer output products will have worn
off and customer tolerance for error will have gone way down." Massie
was referring to a desire on the part of consumers for vendors to
have products that meet expectations.

But Jim Porter of non-profit trade association Xplor International
said that consumer demand for standards and interoperability is
definitely driving vendors into alliances and into serious
discussions concerning standards.

In addition, vendors who attempt to go off on their own are concerned
they won't make it, Porter added. Robert Adams, president and chief
executive of Xerox Technology Ventures said: "Co-operation shouldn't
be such a new idea, but it is."

Adobe President John Warnock, again at this conference, pointed to a
need to standardize type fonts. Adobe is well known for its
Postscript and Truetype fonts.

Russell J. Harrison, vice president and chief information officer of
McKesson Corporation offered predictions concerning the corporate
data center of the near future.

"In the corporate data center of 1996, there will be fewer
mainframes, but the mainframe won't go away. While many companies
will talk about dramatic changes between now and 1996, we're mired in
legacy systems. We as a generation of data processors have spent a
tremendous amount of money, time and expertise on systems that are
not easy to eliminate or replace. It's a nightmare when you're legacy
bound in today's operating companies trying to derive information to
make smart and sound decisions," he said.

Finding people with the expertise to help run the computer centers
was also a concern. Massie standards are essential for future
operation. "True, native-mode standard formats are needed by the
computer output industry. Skilled labor is becoming harder to find
and even harder to afford. The age of the craftsman is dying and we
must automate and simplify all steps of the process," he said.

(Linda Rohrbough/19930517/Press Contact: Jim Porter, Xplor
International, tel [phone], fax [phone])


(NEWS)(IBM)(LAX)(00012)

Free Full-Screen Video Offered With AST Premmia PCs 05/17/93
IRVINE, CALIFORNIA, U.S.A., 1993 MAY 17 (NB) -- AST says it is
offering video drivers for its Premmia PC line that will allow users
to play video in a full-screen using Microsoft's Video for Windows
and without buying additional hardware or software.

The Localmotion driver makes use of a ATI chip already installed in
the Premmia that will allow users with Video for Windows to get full-
screen video. This will allow those customers who have already
purchased Premmia PCs to download the driver from the company
bulletin board without charge. AST will begin offering the
Localmotion driver and the runtime portion of Video For Windows on
all new Premmia PCs bundled with Microsoft Windows 3.1.

AST's new Localmotion video drivers allow a video image that was 160
by 120 pixels in size to be enlarged to a full-screen size without
losing the sound/video synchronization or smoothness in the video
motion. AST says it hopes that the Premmia will eliminate the need
for users to buy expensive third-party video boards and software to
incorporate multimedia capabilities.

The Premmia PC line is available through AST's reseller channels and
is not available in group buying outlets or retail chains as is its
Advantage! product line. The Premmia PC model bundled with the
Localmotion video drivers includes 8 megabytes (MB) of random access
memory (RAM), a choice between a 170 and 340 MB hard disk drive, a
super video graphics array (SVGA) monitor, and comes with DOS,
Windows 3.1, a mouse, and a mouse pad. Retail pricing varies
depending on the microprocessor, but users can expect to pay around
$4,000 for a Premmia PC with a 486 66 megahertz (MHz) microprocessor.

AST has been reporting record sales in the PC price wars that have
crippled other vendors. The company reported $370.3 million for the
third quarter of fiscal year 1993, ended April 3, 1993, and a 70
percent increase in unit shipments in its third quarter compared to
the same quarter last year. Its revenues in 1992 were nearly $1
billion.

(Linda Rohrbough/19930517/Press Contact: Gerry Baker, AST, tel
714-727-7959, fax [phone]; Public Contact 800-876-4278)


(NEWS)(TELECOM)(ATL)(00013)

US West Buys Into Time Warner Cable 05/17/93
NEW YORK, NEW YORK, U.S.A., 1993 MAY 17 (NB) -- US West is putting
$2.5 billion into Time Warner's plan to turn its cable systems into
interactive "electronic superhighways" capable of handling voice and
data as well as television signals.

The phone company for 14 western states will put its money into Time
Warner Entertainment, which was created last year with Toshiba and
Itochu of Japan to hold the cable operation, the Warner Brothers
movie studio, the Home Box Office cable system, and other operations.

Both Japanese partners approved the deal, under which their interest
in TWE to under 6 percent each. US West will also have an option,
subject to conditions, which would bring it another 8.5 percent
interest. The bottom line, however, is that Time Warner will keep
over half the unit, while US West is buying one-fourth of it and
could raise that to one-third. Time Warner's publishing, journalism
and music businesses are not included in TWE.

When Toshiba and Itochu, which is known to computer users by its
C. Itoh brand, bought their stakes, it was seen as a defensive
move following the purchase of the Columbia movie studio by Sony
and Matshushita's buy of MCA, which owns Universal.

But neither Sony nor Matsushita has gotten much of a return from
their investments, and this deal seems to restrict Itochu and Toshiba
to control over certain Japanese rights to Time Warner intellectual
properties and minor investments in the TWE enterprise. The two
Japanese partners continue to hold 25 percent of TWE Japan, with Time
Warner holding 37.25 percent and U S West 12.75 percent.

US West chairman Richard D. McCormick and Time Warner chairman Gerald
Levin, in a press statement, emphasized that their deal is structured
so that it can go forward despite the 1982 Bell break-up decree.
Under that decree, phone companies can only invest in cable systems
outside their home markets. Time Warner Cable spokesman Mike Luftman
said the deal was a good fit because Time Warner has only about
85,000 cable subscribers in the US West territory. Still, Time Warner
and US West are seeking a waiver to let those cable systems into the
deal.

US West has long been the most active of the US Bell companies in
cable. It has been studying the technology of telephone-cable links
with TCI, the nation's largest operator, and it owns parts of UK
cable systems that can also offer local telephone service.

For Time Warner, US West brings a deep-pockets commitment to its
Full Service Network, the first of which will go into Orlando,
offering full interactivity and data services under the emerging
Asynchronous Transfer Mode, or ATM, data standard. Last week,
Toshiba and Scientific-Atlanta said they will build set-top
converters for the Orlando system.

There have been unconfirmed press reports in Business Week and other
publications that Scientific-Atlanta, in turn, has approached Silicon
Graphics about working on the converters.

The partners said that $1 billion of US West's investment will be
specifically targeted to accelerate the building of Full Service
Networks in Time Warner Cable systems during the next four
years. The group estimates the new network will be complete in
most of its systems by 1998, a year after TCI, the nation's
largest cable operator, expects to have its new interactive
systems complete.

US West has said it is also improving its own networks, starting in
Omaha, so they can offer television service as well as telephone and
data. Also, the partners say they consider their Full Service Network
a worldwide model suitable for export to other countries.

To comply with the Bell break-up decree, Time Warner Cable
systems within US West's territory will go into new entities, in
which the regional Bell company will hold no financial interest.
But US West will continue to seek a waiver from the decree, and
chairman McCormick has long called the rules obsolete.

(Dana Blankenhorn/19930517/Press Contact: Time Warner, Edward
Adler, 212/484-6630; U S West, Steve Lang, 303/793-6290; Time
Warner Cable, Mike Luftman, 203/328-0613)


(NEWS)(IBM)(TOR)(00014)

Big Blue Shipping High-End AS/400 F Models 05/17/93
WHITE PLAINS, NEW YORK, U.S.A., 1993 MAY 17 (NB) -- IBM has
announced general availability of the four top models in its
AS/400 F series, announced back in February of this year.

According to IBM, the new F series models bring significant
improvements in performance. They support as much as twice the
memory and disk storage, twice as many workstations, and almost
three times as many communication lines.

David Schleicher, IBM's director of development for application
business systems, said that the new F models are 15 to 60 percent
more powerful and offer 26-percent better price/performance on
average than the E series machines launched last year.

The high-end 9406 Models F70, F80, F90, and F95 use a system
processor with new Bi-CMOS chips, which combine bipolar and
complementary metal-oxide semiconductor technologies. Schleicher said
that these operate almost twice as fast as current logic chips.

IBM is also using advanced packaging technology to put the logic
and processor memory chips, which formerly took up a processor
board, on a two-inch-square processor module.

External direct access disk storage on these models has been
boosted to 165 from 123 gigabytes. All the new F models use the
one-gigabyte disk drive for internal storage, tripling integrated
disk storage on high-end models from 1.28 to 3.9 gigabytes.

According to IBM, the F80 model recorded greater performance than
any competitive product on the TPC-C benchmark -- 580.3
transactions per minute on benchmark C (tpmC) at a cost of $3,280
per tpmC.

The other 10 models announced in February shipped in early March,
a company spokesman said.

(Grant Buckler/19930517/Press Contact: Jeff Cross, IBM,
914-642-5358; Barbara McNair, IBM, 914-642-5357)


(NEWS)(IBM)(WAS)(00015)

 ****Pentium -  Budget, But High-Performance From ALR 05/17/93
WASHINGTON, DC, U.S.A., 1993 MAY 17 (NB) -- Advanced Logic Research,
long known for their innovative designs, has thrown down the gauntlet
once again with their low-priced entry in the Pentium microprocessor-
based PC arena. Dave Kirkey recently told Newsbytes that his company
would be introducing an under $2,500 Pentium system this week and
that this was just the start of an aggressive move to reposition ALR
on the cutting edge of PC technology.

Although ALR has made a bid to be the low-priced entry system builder
with basic Pentium PCs costing only $3,095 with a 170 megabyte (MB)
hard drive ($3,595 complete with local bus video and a 14-inch SVGA
monitor), the company has introduced more than just plain vanilla
Pentium systems because ALR has also developed a new PC architecture
(designated QuadFlex) for its high-end systems which the company says
will take full advantage of Pentium's special features.

While the low-end ALR Evolution V systems use a single 32-bit bus
architecture, the advanced "Q" architecture systems speed data
throughput using custom Application Specific Integrated Circuit
(ASIC) chips to build a dual 64-bit or 128-bit data path between the
system cache and memory.

Memory speed will be the major bottleneck with all Pentium systems
because the processor is so much faster than even a 66 megahertz
(MHz) 80486 so a large and highly sophisticated cache will be vital
for squeezing top performance out of the powerful microprocessor.

The QuadFlex architecture is intended for the highest performance
file servers and makes use of a full 512 K of 15 nanosecond cache to
speed data exchange between the Pentium chip and the 8 MB or more of
main memory. All of the Q-based ALR systems use Extended Industry
Standard Architecture (EISA) motherboards and the lowest-priced
useful system, with 16 MB of memory, a pair of 240 MB IDE hard
drives, and a 60 MH. Pentium chip, is priced at $5,995.

Unfortunately, the new ALR Pentium-based systems won't be available
until July, nor will most of the 2 dozen or more other maker's
systems which were also announced today.

New systems being introduced by ALR include:

The Evolution V systems which have a 32-bit bus architecture with 64-
bit data path and full support for the Pentium processor write-back
mode. Each comes with a 256K external write-back cache; IDE
controller; 8MB RAM or random access memory (up to 128MB RAM max);
2.5 gigabyte (1,000 megabyte) hard drive; and optional ethernet
interface.

The Evolution V-Q system servers get either a 60- or 66-MHz
Pentium processor; ALR Quadflex 128 (dual 64-bit) architecture
with a full 128-bit path between cache and memory; ALR-designed
128-bit (4x32) ASIC chipset; 64-bit data path and full support
for Pentium Processor write-back mode; up to 1-GB RAM on system
board, 8- and 16-MB standard; 512-KB external write-back cache;
and a massive 415 watt power supply to power this monster.

ISA (IBM PC bus) systems prices range as follows: without a hard
drive, the low-end Evolution V/60 (60 MHz) model 1 with 8 MB RAM
lists at $2,495. The V/60 model 340DW with 8 MB RAM equipped with a
340 MB IDE hard drive lists for $3,445. The V/60(NT) Newer Technology
software-compatible model 1NT with 16-MB RAM and no hard drive lists
for $3,695 while the model 340NT with 16-MB memory and a 340-MB IDE
hard drive goes for $4,645.

EISA (IBM PC bus) QuadFlex systems are priced as follows: the
Evolution V-Q/60 (60 MHz.) model 8CM with 8-MB RAM and no hard
drive sells for $4,495. The 1200-16CVS model with 16-MB RAM and a
1.2-GB hard drive SCSI costs $7,595. The Evolution V-Q/66 (66
MHz) model 8CM with 8-MB RAM without a hard drive lists for
$4,795 while the 1200-16CVS model with a 1.2-GB SCSI hard drive
goes for $7,895.

(John McCormick/19930517/Press Contact: Dave Kirkey, ALR, 714-
581-6770 fax [phone])


(NEWS)(GENERAL)(TOR)(00016)

Canadian Product Launch Update 05/17/93
TORONTO, ONTARIO, CANADA, 1993 MAY 17 (NB) -- This regular feature,
appearing every Monday or Tuesday, provides further details for the
Canadian market on announcement by international companies that
Newsbytes has already covered. This week: Digital's and IBM's newest
PCs, Computer Associates' latest database software, Lotus' latest
Windows spreadsheet, new multimedia and word processing software from
Microsoft, ClarisWorks for Windows, and an unusual guarantee offer
from Software Publishing.

Claris Canada shipped ClarisWorks for Windows, its integrated
software for Intel-based PCs (Newsbytes, May 13). The special
introductory price in Canada is C$119, good until August 15. From
August 15, the list price will be C$349.

Computer Associates Canada has begun shipping CA-dBFast 2.0
(Newsbytes, April 29), its Xbase-standard database development tool
for Microsoft Windows. With a regular list price of C$595, dBFast 2.0
is available for C$299 until June 30. Upgrades to Version 2.0 are
C$125 and available directly from CA.

Digital Equipment of Canada unveiled the DECpc 433dx MTE and 466d2
MTE personal computers (Newsbytes, May 13). Canadian prices will
start at C$3,999 for the 433dx MTE and C$4,750 for the 466d2. Both
are available right away. DEC said the machines will be built at its
Kanata, Ontario plant for the North American market.

IBM's new line of PS/1 computers (Newsbytes, May 10) hit the Canadian
market, and IBM Canada also announced it has signed on a number of
added retailers to sell the products. Some of the new models are
available in Canada right away, while others are due to ship within
30 days. Prices will range from C$1,799 to C$3,499, IBM Canada said.

Lotus Development Canada announced 1-2-3 Release 4 for Windows
(Newsbytes, May 10). Due to be available in June, the new release of
Lotus' main Windows spreadsheet product has a list price of C$599 in
Canada, with upgrades from all other 1-2-3 releases and rival
spreadsheets at C$159. License Pak versions are C$479. Any customer
who buys an existing release of 1-2-3 for Windows between May 11 and
30 days after shipment can exchange it for the new release free of
charge, Lotus said.

Microsoft Canada shipped its Multimedia Viewer Publishing Toolkit
Version 2.0 (Newsbytes, April 1). The replacement for Microsoft's
Multimedia Development Kit (MDK) has a Canadian list price of
C$649.95 and is available from Microsoft Canada and its resellers
across the country.

Microsoft's Word for MS-DOS Version 6.0 word processor (Newsbytes,
May 7) is due to be shipping in English at the beginning of June in
Canada, with a French-Canadian version expected by early July. The
list price is C$659.95.

Software Publishing Corporation Canada is offering the same
competing-product guarantee as its parent company for the Harvard
Graphics software (Newsbytes, May 10). If any customer who buys
Harvard Graphics for Microsoft Windows or DOS 3.x between May 15 and
August 31 this year is unhappy with it, he or she can contact
Software Publishing within 60 days of purchase and exchange the
package for a competitor's graphics software.

(Grant Buckler/19930517/Press Contact: Martti Kangas, National PR
for Claris Canada, 416-586-0180; John Schoutsen, Computer
Associates Canada, 416-676-6700, fax [phone]; Dave Paolini,
Digital Canada, 416-597-3529; Anne McDonagh, IBM Canada,
416-474-3900; Julie Rusciolelli, Cohn & Wolfe for Lotus Canada,
416-924-5700; Jeff Dossett, Microsoft Canada, 416-568-0434 ext.
4052, fax [phone]; Michelle MacIsaac, Software Publishing
Canada, 416-771-8330; Public Contact: Claris Canada,
416-941-9611; Computer Associates Canada, 416-676-6700; Digital
Canada, 416-597-3100; IBM Canada, 416-296-8888; Lotus Canada,
416-364-8000; Microsoft Canada, 416-568-0434; Software Publishing
Canada, 416-771-8330)


(NEWS)(TELECOM)(ATL)(00017)

Knight Ridder Discusses Information Businesses 05/17/93
MIAMI, FLORIDA, U.S.A., 1993 MAY 17 (NB) -- Following its annual
general meeting last week, Knight-Ridder executives discussed their
information services unit business with the media, including
Newsbytes.

The company disclosed that its online services, including Dialog,
Data-Star, and the Money Center financial service, will claim
revenues of about $445 million this year, up from $385 million last
year. About one-third of that money will come from non-US sales,
spokesman Frank Hawkins told Newsbytes.

But Knight-Ridder remains, at its heart, a newspaper and TV company.
Hawkins said that 82 percent of its revenue this year will come from
traditional sources, just 18 percent from information services. While
Dialog's figures were not broken out specifically, it was called a
"major contributor" and most independent analysts claim that Dialog
represents far more than half the total.

Dialog currently has about 140,000 subscribers, up from 90,000 in
1988. Data-Star, a similar service in Europe which Knight-Ridder
recently bought from Credit Suisse, will contribute about $30 million
in revenue over the 10 months it's owned by the company this year.

Still, all the talk about the promise of information services
should not distract anyone from the fact that even a dominant
industry force like Dialog remains fairly small by conventional
industrial standards. "That's not news," Hawkins told Newsbytes,
over a decade after Knight-Ridder first entered the online
business.

(Dana Blankenhorn/19930517/Press Contact: Frank Hawkins, Knight-
Ridder, 305-376-3838)


(NEWS)(IBM)(WAS)(00018)

 ****Gerstner Says No To Big Blue Breakup & Apple Merger 05/17/93
WASHINGTON, DC, U.S.A., 1993 MAY 17 (NB) -- They say a new broom
sweeps clean, and apparently in the case of new IBM chairman Louis
Gerstner, what is getting cleaned out are the previously announced
changes. Reports in the Financial Times (London) and other media
indicate that the new head of IBM doesn't agree with the notion of
splitting the giant computer company into various components.

According to reports, Gerstner believes that the strength of the
company comes from its diversified base and doesn't believe that
separating profitable pieces like the PC business from the core
business makes good business sense.

If Gerstner's reported comments accurately represent the new outlook
for IBM, this completely reverses the earlier position of IBM's board
of directors and top managers who indicated that the company would
rapidly be broken into smaller autonomous and thus more agile
operating units. Former chairman John Akers had outlined the
divestiture policy before he left his position and industry insiders
as well as financial reporters were widely in favor of the breakup.

IBM is not not commenting on the reports that it may be changing
direction but informed sources tell Newsbytes that changes are in the
works despite the fact that the study begun by the former chairman
are not yet complete. One near certainty is that there will be more
staff reductions at IBM even if the separation of divisions does not
proceed.

Big Blue will unveil a new version of its OS/2 operating system
tomorrow, despite the fact that the company is supposed to be
discussing a return to a close working relationship with Microsoft
which split with IBM over OS/2 and Microsoft's own Windows NT
operating environment which is positioned as a direct competitor to
OS/2.

The company is also working to differentiate its initial release
of PC-DOS 6 (version 6.1 to be precise) from Microsoft's base MS-
DOS 6.0. IBM has always released a slightly tweaked version of
Microsoft's operating system for Big Blue customers, but this
time there seems to be an even greater effort to separate the two
operating systems, despite the fact that the base code is
supplied by Microsoft.

This is most likely because of a spate of bug reports which are
plaguing Microsoft's first release of MS-DOS 6.0, many of which
related to lost files and the new disk compression software.

In other IBM reorganization-related news, CNBC (NBC's business-
oriented cable news network) reported today that Apple CEO John
Scully says that he floated a proposal for a merger between Apple and
IBM back during the search for a new IBM chairman.

Apple Computer itself is moving to end its decade-old closed
system architecture and open up its computers to the mainstream
software development network by introducing a new RISC or reduced
instruction set code based computer which will run both Macintosh
and Windows software. Apple and IBM are already working on a
joint venture developing new operating systems.

(John McCormick/19930517)


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

FCC Gives One More Go-Ahead to Cable Reregulation 05/17/93
WASHINGTON, D.C., U.S.A., 1993 MAY 17 (NB) -- The Federal
Communications Commission (FCC) has denied a National Cable
Television Association request to delay its rate freeze by six weeks.

The freeze was ordered as an interim step until rules which could
roll rates back can be implemented. The implementation decision is a
475 page document which was first approved May 1.

The National Association of Broadcasters, which has long sought
cable reregulation, in part so its members can get paid by
operators, cheered the news, which was expected. The only win for
the cable in the order was limited relief from a 30-day notice
deadline that local governments require for rate changes.

Cable companies can still fight the cut-backs, on both the local
and federal level, and the FCC has asked for $12 million in
supplemental money to implement the rules this year, plus $16
million more for next year. Without that money, FCC interim
chairman James Quello says, the money will have to come from
operators' directly, in the form of a 2.5 cents per month per
subscriber fee.

The industry claims that this means reregulation is pushing rates
higher, but Quello notes that the net effect of reregulation on
subscriber bills will be decreases of $2-3 per month. The cable
operators claim they are already paying local governments nearly $1
billion in franchise fees per year and can't handle the new burden.

Despite a united stand against the law made by the NCTA, the industry
does appear to be split. Large operators like TCI and Time Warner,
which have plans to invest billions in their networks and get into
new phone and data markets, are accepting the new rules but warning
Congress not to go further.

Smaller operators, which don't expect new sources of cash and are
reluctant to invest on the chance they might win new powers in those
markets, are expected to fight re-regulation hard, both locally and
on the federal level, in the hopes their fight will raise cable rates
and force Congress to take another look at the issue under a future
Republican Administration.

(Dana Blankenhorn/19930517/Press Contact: FCC Press, 202-632-
5050)


(NEWS)(BUSINESS)(TOR)(00020)

Phoenix Technologies Buys Into Eclipse Systems 05/17/93
NORWOOD, MASSACHUSETTS, U.S.A., 1993 MAY 17 (NB) -- Seeking to expand
from its base in systems software to the communications area, Phoenix
Technologies has bought out Chicago-based Eclipse Systems, the
manufacturer of Eclipse Fax personal computer facsimile software.

Phoenix sees "a lot of potential growth" in communications software,
company spokesman Michael Deutsch said, and believes that such
software may become a systems requirement and thus a good complement
to its existing business in developing basic input/output system
(BIOS) and systems compatibility software for PC makers.

Terms of the agreement were not disclosed. Deutsch said Eclipse has
between 10 and 20 employees, all of whom are expected to remain in
the present Chicago location "for the time being."

Eclipse Fax runs on personal computers equipped with Microsoft
Windows, Version 3.0 or later.

Officials said that Phoenix plans to release a DOS version of Eclipse
Fax this summer, and the company is also preparing to announce
Eclipse Find, an instant text retrieval program, this summer as well.
Current plans also include a program that will combine fax, data
communications, and voice messaging.

(Grant Buckler/19930517/Press Contact: Michael Deutsch, Phoenix,
617-551-4184; Jessica Chipkin, Eclipse, 708-483-2981; Public
Contact: Eclipse, 312-541-0260, fax [phone])


(NEWS)(GENERAL)(SFO)(00021)

UniForum & IDG World Expo Team Up For UniForum 1994 05/17/93
SANTA CLARA, CALIFORNIA, U.S.A., 1993 MAY 17 (NB) -- The UniForum
Association and IDG World Expo have teamed up to produce UniForum
1994, an Open Systems trade show set for March 23-25 at the Moscone
Center in San Francisco, California.

International Data Group's (IDG) World Expo will be the management
team of UniForum 1994. Under terms of the deal, IDG World Expo will
take responsibility for the marketing, public relations, attendee and
exhibit sales, conference development, registration, and operations
and logistics of the UniForum exhibition and conference for the next
three years.

Announcing the deal, Richard Jaross, UniForum's newly appointed
executive director, said: "UniForum is moving into new directions as
an association. We're partnering with the leading high technology
show management team, because we're serious about doing everything
possible to support the growth and proliferation of Open Systems."

Bill Sell, vice president of planning and operations at IDG World
Exposaid, "Open Systems products, services and companies are
positioned to grow immensely over the next decade."

UniForum has introduced a number of new programs and services
recently. These include the organizing of the first in a series of
regional conferences on Open Systems related issues: "Successful
Mainframe Downsizing in the Financial Industry" is set for Chicago,
June 8-10, and New York, June 15-17.

The association has also included a free job listing section in its
"UniNews" bi-weekly newsletter. UniForum is also trying to get
corporate sponsors to offer member discounts on hardware and software
products.

(Ian Stokell/19930517/Press Contact: Richard Jaross, 408-986-8840,
UniForum)


(NEWS)(GENERAL)(SFO)(00022)

Computer Bowl Won By West Coast 05/17/93
SAN JOSE, CALIFORNIA, U.S.A., 1993 MAY 17 (NB) -- The fifth annual
Computer Bowl was successfully defended by the West Coast against
high-tech leaders from the East Coast on May 14, at the San Jose
Civic Auditorium.

With a score of 25 to 14, it is the second time in a row that the
West Coast has managed to win. The Most Valuable Players (MVPs) from
the contest will now play against each other in the Computer Bowl
All-Star Game in 1994. This year's MVPs were Network General's Harry
Saal and Phoenix Technologies' Neil Colvin.

The Bowl was presented by the Association for Computing Machinery,
and was created and produced by The Computer Museum of Boston. The
Bowl is a technical knowledge contest designed around the format of
television game shows.

The Computer Chronicles tv show will air the Bowl on PBS in two
parts: with Part one May 25 - 31 and Part 2 June 1 - 7.

The West Coast team consisted of Saal, Be Corp.'s Jean-Louis Gassee,
Go's Jerry Kaplan, Supermac's Michael A. McConnell, and Dataquest's
Lisa G. Thorell. The East Coast team consisted of Powersoft's
Mitchell E. Kertzman, Legent's John F. Burton, Viewlogic Systems'
Alain Hanover, and Patricia B. Seybold of the Patricia Seybold Group.

Said Saal: "We're proud of our total triumph over the East Coast
team. It's final proof that Westerners "Excel" over the "Lotus"
eaters from the East."

(Ian Stokell/19930517/Press Contact: Gail Jennes, 617-426-2800)


NEWS)(IBM)(DEN)(00023)

 ****Pentium -  Dell's PCs & Upgrade Cards 05/17/93
AUSTIN, TEXAS, U.S.A., 1993 MAY 17 (NB) -- Dell Computer Corporation
has announced a new series of computer systems and upgrades to
existing PCs based on Intel's Pentium microprocessor.

Dell said its new 4560/XE file server is built around its XE-server
chassis and is based on Intel's 60 megahertz Pentium processor. The
company claims that the 4560/XE provides up to twice the processor
performance of a 486-based XE server.

Dell is also offering Pentium upgrade cards for its existing
PowerLine 486/SE server and the 486/DE desktop computers. Cost of the
upgrade card is $2,499. It also announced a new family of
upgradeable, 486-based network file servers called the 4000/XE
series.

Pricing on the 4560/XE system starts at $5,500 for an entry level
configuration of eight megabytes of system memory, a 320MB IDE hard
drive, and one 5.25 or 3.5 inch floppy drive. Monitors, which are not
included in the base price, start at $199.

The company also announced version 2.0 of its SCSI Array, the second
release of its SCSI drive array announced last fall. Version 2.0
includes new firmware features and support for additional operating
systems. Version 2 supports RAID levels 0,1,4, and 5.

Dell also announced a new direct line network system support hotline.
The service provides XE server users using Novell networks around-
the-clock contact with Dell network engineers through a dedicated
toll free number staffed by Certified Netware Engineers. The service
is provided on a contract basis, with cost ranging from $399 to
$1,499 depending on the number of 'sets" of contacts made.

Dell has also launched its External Media System 1434, a SCSI media
storage system that supports up to 14 gigabytes of additional network
server storage and can be configured with a variety of other SCSI
devices, such as CD-ROM drives, digital audio tape (DAT) drives, tape
backup units, and diskette drives. The EMS 1464 cabinet contains 14
drive bays and can be shared between two servers. Pricing for the EMS
starts at $499.

(Jim Mallory/19930517/Press contact: Michelle Moore, Dell Computer,
512-343-3535)


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

 ****Pentium -  Compaq Ready To Ship PCs And Upgrade Cards 05/17/93
HOUSTON, TEXAS, U.S.A., 1993 MAY 17 (NB) -- Compaq Computer says it
is ready to ship two Deskpro/M personal computers based on Intel
Corporation's Pentium chip and upgrade kits for existing Deskpro/M
systems. The company has also reduced prices on its existing
486-based servers by as much as 15 percent.

Compaq is one of several companies announcing Pentium-based systems
today. The Pentium has more than three million transistors and can
run many existing software applications up to five times faster than
the 486-based systems.

The new Compaq systems utilize the company's TriFlex/PC architecture,
which integrates three separately optimized busses. A 128-bit memory
bus provides speeded-up operations, a 64-bit processor bus is tuned
to the Pentium processor, and a 32-bit EISA (extended industry
standard architecture) input/output bus handles graphics, hard drive
access, and network connections. A high speed PC controller manages
data flow between busses and allows any two busses to exchange data
without affecting performance of the third.

The company says that the price of the new PCs will start at just
under $5,000 and will include a QVision 1280 Graphics Controller,
which can deliver 1,280 by 1,024 pixel resolution in 256 colors. A
20-inch QVision 200 monitor will be available as an option.

The two new Pentium-based systems include a Deskpro 5/66M and a
Deskpro 5/60M, and owners of earlier Deskpro/M models can get
processor, memory, and graphics upgrade kits. Compaq says the older
processor, graphics, and I/O modules can be exchanged towards the cost
of the upgrade.

Compaq has reduced pricing on existing 486-based servers, with the
price cut as much as 15 percent on a ProSignia running a 33MHz 486
microprocessor and using Intel's clocking doubling DX2 technology.

Hard drive-equipped ProSignia systems now start at about $3,800. The
Systempro/XL servers were cut by 13 percent, and now start at about
$11,000.

Compaq has also introduced a new SCSI (small computer system
interface) Array Controller that is SCSI-2 compatible, priced at
$2,350. The company says the new controller is about 2.6 times faster
than the Compaq IDA-2 controller.

The SCSI Managed Array Technology (SMART) design includes dual array
engines, a parity-protected, battery backed 4 megabyte array
accelerator cache, fly-by-parity, and dual SCSI controllers. An on-
line spare disk drive and hot pluggable replacement of failed drives
is supported. The SMART controller is expected to ship at the end of
the second quarter.

Compaq says availability of the new Pentium systems is dependent on
availability of Intel's chip, and will probably ship in the third
quarter of 93.

(Jim Mallory/19930517/Press contact: John Sweney, Compaq Computer,
713-374-0484; Reader contact: Compaq Computer, 800-345-1518)


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

Slovenian Government Uses PC To Rebuild Country 05/17/93
TUCSON, ARIZONA, U.S.A., 1993 MAY 17 (NB) -- A Tucson, Arizona-based
company says the country of Slovenia, formerly a part of Yugoslavia,
is using its electronic meeting software to help rebuild the
strife-torn country.

Ventana Corporation says Slovenia is using GroupSystems V to help
piece together the essential elements of government, communications,
banking, education, and postal systems. The software, which is
running on a PC local area network (LAN), is used to support idea
generation, idea organization, evaluation of alternatives, consensus
building, and decision making.

Ventana spokesperson Lynn Lyle told Newsbytes that GroupSystems V was
also used at a recent National Academy of Public Administration
conference which examined the role of information technology in
government. The conference had as its main goal the development of a
specific set of information management and technology issues and
actions that would directly contribute to Vice President Gore's
national performance review.

Lyle said that the main objective of the intricate agenda was to
identify attributes of reinvented government from the perspective of
citizens and other groups, and to develop a vision of the future in
terms of information technology actions necessary to achieve those
goals. One of the participants credited the flexibility of the
groupware with the group's success in collecting data the VP's review
team wanted from the large group.

Ventana Corporation announced GroupSystems V version 1.1 a year ago.
The program includes a survey tool that allows the user to poll group
opinion using a variety of methods. An agenda tool allows an agenda
to be created on any PC then loaded into GroupSystems V.

Ventana is a spin-off of the University of Arizona's Department of
Management Information Systems. In addition to commercial companies
using GroupSystems V, the company has contractual agreements with
about 30 educational institutions that use the program for academic
research.

(Jim Mallory/19930517/Press contact: Lynn Lyle, Ventana Corporation,
602-325-8228, fax [phone]; Reader contact: Ventana Corporation,
602-235-8228, fax [phone])


(NEWS)(IBM)(BOS)(00026)

 ****Pentium -  Z-Servers And Upgrades From ZDS 05/17/93
BILLERICA, MASSACHUSETTS, U.S.A., 1993 MAY 17 (NB) -- Zenith Data
Systems (ZDS) has unveiled six new Z-Servers, including two that
feature Intel's powerhouse Pentium chip. The company has also
announced Pentium upgrades across all 486-based models in the Z-
Server line.

The four new 486-based Z-Servers will ship from tomorrow onwards,
while the Pentium servers and upgrades will be delivered in the third
quarter, officials said today at a press briefing and product preview
at the Bull/ZDS research facility in Billerica, MA.

The six servers in ZDS' newly announced Z-Server EX and Z-Server LT
series add faster processing, integrated dual channel SCSI-II, and
lower entry-level pricing to a family of servers first rolled out
last spring, according to Ed Woodward, product marketing manager.
Each of the two series consists of three models.

The top-of-the-line models in both series are based on Pentium
processors with 256 KB cache. The EX P66E uses a 66 MHz Pentium
processor, and the LT P60E a 60 MHz Pentium chip.

Pentium boosts Z-Server performance 40 to 50% over 486 CPUs, ZDS
executives said during the briefing. All six of the new servers
are designed for easy upgradeability, with drives and other system
components that snap quickly in and out of place.

One of the new 486 servers, the EX 450DE, received an editor's
choice award this month from PC Magazine, John Bace, manager of
media relations, told members of the press. The EX 450DE will ship
with a 486 DX 50 MHz CPU with 256 KB secondary cache.

Two other Z-Servers, the EX 433DE and LT 433DE, will each supply a
486 DX 33 MHz CPU with 128 KB secondary cache. The LT 466XE offers
a 486 DX/2 66 MHz CPU with 256 KB secondary cache.

The new LT series represents ZDS' move to hone in on the
file-and-print server and small workgroup server markets, while the
new EXes reach into the category of departmental servers, said
Brian Croxon, vice president of the Server and Network Products
Group.

Both server segments seem certain to grow, he suggested, citing
statistics from the Gartner Group which show that 67 percent of
worldwide business PC shipments this year will be LAN-connected, in
contrast to only 59 percent in 1992.

Harry Petty, director of server and network product planning,
remarked that investment protection, integrated connectivity, ease of
use, and design and ergonomics are the main tenets of ZDS' long-term
product strategy.

This strategy was launched last year, with the introduction of the
first generation of Z-Servers, along with new Z-Sport notebooks, Z-
Station desktop PCs, and Z-Vision monitors.

The Z-Servers protect customer investments through a modular,
scalable architecture that is essentially the same from one
configuration to the next, said Petty.

All six of the latest servers come with eight open extended industry
standard architecture (EISA) bus-master I/O slots and three 5.25-inch
half-height bays for floppy drives, tape back-up, and CD-ROM. Also
incorporated are an integrated dual channel 32-bit FAST SCSI-II
Adaptec controller, on-board SVGA video, up to 128 MB of system board
memory, expandable to up to 384MB, and optional RAID (Redundant Array
of Inexpensive Disks).

There are some differences among the models, though, and these are
reflected in multiple price/performance points, according to Petty.
The LT 433DE and EX 433DE each come standard with 8MB of RAM, and
the other new Z-Servers with 16MB.

The LT Z-Servers, priced at $4,199 to $7,699, provide four
3.-5-inch drive bays, for disk storage of up to 4 GB, plus a
230-watt power supply. The EX models, priced slightly higher at
$4,999 to $8,999, come with eight 3.5-inch drive bays, for disk
storage of up to 8 GB, in addition to a 384-watt power supply.

For smooth installation and optimized network performance, ZDS is
adhering to a rigid vendor-certification program, Petty asserted.
Operating systems covered by the program include Novell NetWare,
IBM OS/2 and LAN Server, SCO Unix, SCO Open Desktop, Banyan Vines,
and the upcoming Windows NT.

To further ease of use, power on/off switches and other controls
are located in front, and side access is provided to all system
components.

"We're giving customers the concept that they can get just about
anything they want, short of a minicomputer," Ed Woodward, product
marketing manager, told Newsbytes in the product demo that came
next.

During the demo, Newsbytes that the LT Z-Servers are small enough
to fit under a standard-sized table, and the EX models are not much
larger.

Woodward pointed out that, by bringing the Adaptec controller on to
the motherboard, ZDS has eliminated the need for the user to
configure for SCSI, while also averting the "spaghetti factory"
that SCSI cabling can bring. "A lot of people are intimidated by
servers. We hope that the Z-Servers will help them move beyond that,"
he commented. Despite their compact, ergonomic design, though, the Z-
Servers offer industrial strength, he said.

The Z-Server EX models are intended to be powerful enough to act as
multi-user Unix hosts operating mission-critical applications.

All of the new Z-Servers can be run unattended, with security
features that include locks on accessible drive bays and internal
jumpers that will disable BIOS update, set-up access and floppy
write protection in case of unauthorized access. The optional
RAID, available at levels 0, 1 and 5, will protect information in
the event of single drive failure.

(Jacqueline Emigh/19930517/Press contacts: John Bace or Matt
Mirapaul, ZDS, tel [phone]; Reader contact: ZDS, tel 800-553-
0331)


(NEWS)(BUSINESS)(SFO)(00027)

Hypermedia Comms To Acquire Multimedia Newsletters 05/17/93
SAN FRANCISCO, CALIFORNIA, U.S.A., 1993 MAY 17 (NB) -- The advent of
desktop publishing has led to a huge increase in newsletters becoming
available, some of which become sizable moneymakers for their publishers.
As a result, just like any other business, they become fair game for larger
publishing concerns looking to increase their revenue base. Now Hypermedia
Communications, publisher of NewsMedia Magazine, has signed a letter of
intent to acquire the assets of two computer industry newsletters, Bove &
Rhodes' Inside Report on Multimedia and Publishing Technologies and
Macromedia User Journal.

The newsletters were previously published by Tony Bove and Cheryl Rhodes,
and will now form the core of HCI's newly launched newsletter operation,
said the company. Tony Bove has been named editorial director of the new
division, while Cheryl Rhodes will serve as managing editor.

Under terms of the deal, Bove and Rhodes will continue to write and edit the
newsletters as well as "explore the development of additional newsletters
exclusively for HCI."

Bove and Rhodes launched Desktop Publishing magazine in 1985, which
later became Publish! magazine. Inside Report, meanwhile, provides
analysis of multimedia trends, while Macromedia User Journal target s
professional developers and users of Macromedia's "professional-level
products."

Announcing the deal, Richard Landry, HCI president and CEO said:
"We're very excited to have Tony and Cheryl on the HCI team. We
believe their involvement in our operations brings a new dimension of
creativity to our business and further reinforces our position as the
leading authority in multimedia. (The) agreement represents an
important realization of HCI's commitment to its shareholders to
develop new products and programs in addition to NewMedia Magazine."

(Ian Stokell/19930517/Press Contact: Patricia Goff, 415-573-5170
NewMedia Magazine)


(NEWS)(APPLE)(DEN)(00028)

FGS Offers Competitive Upgrade To Public Utilities 05/17/93
BATON ROUGE, LOUISIANA, U.S.A., 1993 MAY 17 (NB) -- Fifth Generation
Systems (FGS) is offering a special competitive upgrade to its Public
Utilities software for users of Norton Utilities for the Macintosh,
MacTools, Sum II, and 911.

The company says that users of those utility programs can upgrade to
its preventive maintenance utility program for Apple Computer's
Macintosh systems for $59. The deal is good through the end of
September.

FGS says that Public Utilities is a maintenance and repair utility
that can scan a disk during idle processor time looking for
potential problems, then alert the user to the problem and recommend
corrective action. The program also includes undelete, file repair,
and disk optimization features.

FGS Senior Product Marketing Manger for Macintosh Products Phyllis
Gay told Newsbytes that Public Utilities will have a suggested retail
price of $149 for users who don't have one of the competitive
products to trade in. That should set the street price at about $99,
says Gay.

Public utilities was originally introduced in October 1992, and Gay
says the program takes a proactive approach to finding and repairing
problems like file structure problems and bad media.

"If we can catch a problem before the user even knows anything is
going wrong, We'll have a better chance to fix it, and the user is
going to have less down time," says Gay. "Above all else, we aren't
going to have any lost data."

Public Utilities can detect and repair problems such as catalog
BTrieve, VIV, AVIB, and other file structure problems, as well as bad
media problems. The program will automatically move a file from a bad
block and mark the defective block so it won't be used again.

Gay said that the program has disk and file repair features. The
latter can extract text from a bad file that otherwise couldn't be
used. "You can get most files back that way," she told Newsbytes.

Users of the competitive programs will have to provide proof of
purchase. That can include the original cover page of the manual, a
photo copy of the original program disk, or the original program disk
itself.

(Jim Mallory/19930517/Press contact: Jan Johnson, Fifth Generation
Systems, 504-291-7221; Reader contact: Fifth Generation Systems,
504-291-7221)


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

 ****Pentium -  Overview: A PC Boom In The Server Market 05/17/93
ATLANTA, GEORGIA, U.S.A., 1993 MAY 17 (NB) -- As one vendor told
Newsbytes, the Pentium has been the worst kept secret in history.
Today, however, Intel's embargo came off the specifications, so out
came the manufacturers with their shiny new Pentium-based machines.

The only snag is, with chip production yields reported to be very
low, volume shipments of the Intel Pentium chipset aren't expected
until October. For this reason, most of the PC manufacturers
announcing Pentium-based systems today were also offering upgrade
cards for their existing machines.

Still, users will see Pentium-based machines available for purchase
in very limited quantities beginning in June and July from just about
every major PC manufacturer, including ALR, AST, Compaq, Zenith, and
Hewlett-Packard.

Announced prices for the new Pentium machines range widely between
$5,000 to $36,000. The Symmetrical Multiprocessing (SMP) architecture
computers with multiple Pentium microprocessors offered by NCR and
AST are at the top of the price range.

Brian Manser, of PC manufacturer Zenith told Newsbytes that the
"sweet spot" for the Pentium-based machine is the network server
market, at least in the beginning. AST is boasting users can replace
their mini or mainframe computer with the Manhattan SMP (which
supports up to four Pentium processors) and have the same computing
power for the price of the maintenance contract on a mini or
mainframe.

Slowdowns in Intel's production schedule caused by yield problems are
expected to make the Pentium harder to get until October, when it is
expected to ship in production quantities. However, Intel said it
expects to ship hundreds of thousands of units this year and in 1994
is predicting it will cross the one million mark.

The Pentium itself comes in a 60 and a 66 megahertz (MHz) version.
Intel says 66-MHz Pentium operates at 112 V1.1 Dhrystone million
instructions per second (MIPS) and has a SPECint92 rating of 64.6, a
SPECfp92 rating of 59.7, and an iCOMP index rating of 567.

The 60-MHz Pentium is about 10 percent slower in performance, Intel
added. A Pentium Overdrive or speed doubling chip has also been
announced by Intel and is expected to be available in 1994. Pricing
in 1,000 unit quantities for the 66-MHz Pentium processor has been
announced at $965 each and the 60-MHz version is $878 each.

(Linda Rohrbough/19930517/Press Contact: Elizabeth Kemper, Intel, tel
916-356-5133, fax [phone]; Public Contact,
Intel Pentium Info. Packet, 800-548-4725)


(NEWS)(GENERAL)(LAX)(00030)

Tektronix Dye-Sub Color Printer Offers Postscript 2 05/17/93
MOUNTAIN VIEW, CALIFORNIA, U.S.A., 1993 MAY 17 (NB) -- Color printer
manufacturer Tektronix is offering a new dye sublimation color
printer with Adobe's Postscript Level 2 software incorporated. The
new Phaser IISDX is designed for networks and offers faster color
printing, according to the company.

The Phaser IISDX is Tektronix's successor to its IISD color printer,
but offers new printer drivers for accelerated processing of output
from Apple Computer's Macintosh and from Microsoft Windows 3.1 image
files. The company says that the printer will have a wide appeal in
the graphic arts, engineering, and scientific communities.

A plug-in is available to speed up image printing of color files
created by Adobe's popular Photoshop graphics application product.
Photoshop allows design professionals to manipulate scanned or
computer-generated continuous-tone images.

The company's Tekcolor color matching algorithms, so screen output is
the same as printer output, are included with the Phaser IISDX.
Tektronix says it has improved the Tekcolor algorithms to take
advantage of device-independent color capabilities of Adobe's
Postscript Level 2 page description language.

Retail price of the Phaser IISDX is $9.995, however, Phaser IISD
owners may purchase a upgrade kit for $195 if the printer was
purchased prior to April 1, 1993. Free upgrades will be available to
IISD users who purchased on or after April 1.

(Linda Rohrbough/19930517/Press Contact: Patricia Pane, Adobe,
tel [phone], fax [phone]; Tektronix Phaser
information line, 800-835-6100)