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/nb930602

Text File | 1993-06-02 | 73KB | 1,572 lines

(NEWS)(IBM)(LAX)(00001)

Editorial: Do People Buy Software W/Bugs? People Do. 06/02/93
LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA, U.S.A., 1993 JUN 2 (NB) -- by Linda
Rohrbough. Well, it is official. Microsoft's newly released MS-DOS
6.0 has verified bugs in the Doublespace compression portion. But
people are buying it anyway at the rate of three million copies in
30 days. So, what gives?

It's a matter of degree. I can just hear users asking now -- "How
bad are the bugs?"

Answer: "Well, you can rename deleted files with illegal characters.
If the machine gets turned off while a device driver, Smartdrive, is
flushing its cache you can lose data. And, if you copy some files to
a Doublespace drive, delete them, turn the machine off then on, copy
another file and then try to undelete the old ones, you'll only get
part of the file back."

"Oh. (pause) But this product will automatically determine how to
configure my memory, right? And it will compress my drive and give
me nearly twice as much space without putting a lot of goofy
commands in my CONFIG.SYS and AUTOEXEC.BAT that I have to worry
about when I install new software, right?"

"That's right."

"Gimme a copy!" says the user.

It isn't really so hard to understand. Computer users are in pain.
They have their software crammed onto hard disk drives that are too
small and they need all the memory they can get. They were told they
could upgrade their computers, but no one said how difficult it
would be or how expensive. And here is all this tantalizing new
software coming out as well.

Everyone who has been in this business a while has a story like
the one I'm about to tell. Well over a year ago, I tried to
upgrade a 286-based Everex and discovered it was cheaper to buy
a new 386 than to put more memory in the old machine.

And when the hard disk drive on the 286 failed, I went to get a new,
larger one and discovered I couldn't get a larger drive because my
BIOS wouldn't support it. So, OK, I'll buy the same size drive
again. The new drives, however, are all IDE drives and my drive
controller card isn't IDE either.

I bit the bullet and bought a new controller card, but the card
wouldn't work in my machine because my basic input/output system
(BIOS) was outdated. So I was told I should get a new BIOS (which
could take weeks) paying a minimum of $50 for it, then pull out the
BIOS chip, a rather large chip on the motherboard, and replace it.
Then I could install the new controller card and hard disk. I had
the machine apart for two days by then, and there was work to be
done.

I gave up. I went to a shop that rebuilds used hard disks and bought
another hard disk drive just like the old one for more money than
the new hard disk drive would have cost me. I was out several
hundred dollars for the same disk space.

This is a common scenario. Sure you can upgrade your PC -- if it
isn't more than six months old. But when you really need to upgrade
it, you can't. And it still leaves me with having to pull software
off the hard disk and reinstall software constantly to perform the
tasks I need to do. I now have seven PCs because of this scenario,
none of which have enough hard disk space.

So here comes DOS 6.0 and promises me twice as much disk space built
into the operating system for under $50. And it will save me the
pain of trying to figure out how to configure my memory, too. Am I
going to go for it? You bet. I'd be crazy not to.

When I saw DOS 6.0 introduced, I predicted it would be the biggest
seller in the history of software. My second prediction is there
will be a marked jump in software sales -- the biggest jump in PC
history. With more disk space, users are going to go out and buy
those other software titles they've been wanting -- despite the
reported bugs in DOS 6.0. You watch. It'll happen.

(Linda Rohrbough/19930602)


(NEWS)(APPLE)(DEN)(00002)

FGS Intros Data Compression Software Bundle For Mac's 06/02/93
BATON ROUGE, LOUISIANA, U.S.A., 1993 JUN 2 (NB) -- Fifth Generation
Systems (FGS) has introduced a specially priced software package
that includes two compression utilities for Apple Computer's
Macintosh. Through September 30, 1993, FGS says it's offering
AutoDoubler 2.0 and DiskDoubler 3.7.7 for a suggested retail price
of $129, $40 off the usual SRP.

Phyllis Gay, FGS' Macintosh product marketing manager, says the
offer is a cost effective way for users to combine automatic
compression for their hard disks and manual compression for
archiving files or sharing files with other users.

AutoDoubler automatically compresses everything on the hard drive
except the System Folder, and can increase disk space by as much as
100 percent, according to FGS. The actual amount of compression
realized will depend on the type of files on the drive, since data
files compress more than program files. AutoDoubler also includes
CopyDoubler and the AutoDoubler Internal Compressor.

Gay explained to Newsbytes that CopyDoubler speeds up Mac Finder
copying, and works only with System 7. She claims that it performs
copying as much as five times faster than the System 7 Finder.

CopyDoubler also speeds up emptying the trash on a Mac as much as 10
times faster, says Gay. The utility includes a feature called Smart
Replace, which only replaces the file on the target with the source
file if the source is a newer file. It will also verify writes to
media other than floppies, such as removable or hard disks, and
offers a security overwrite for deleted files so they can't be
recovered.

AutoDoubler Internal Compressor compresses only resources inside
files, such as dialog boxes, control panels and extensions. Resources
are permanently compressed, gaining additional disk space, but
doesn't affect contents of the system folder.

Users can use DiskDoubler to select files for compression. FGS says
the average amount of compression realized will be about 50 percent.
DiskDoubler can be used to compress files for transmission via modem,
to split files for compressed backups, and for sharing compressed
files with other users.

AutoDoubler and DiskDoubler are also available separately for $89.95
and $79.95 respectively. FGS provides around the clock toll-free
technical support and a one year, unconditional moneyback product
guarantee on all its products. The company also publishes Fastback
Plus, virus protection software, and communications and disk security
programs.

(Jim Mallory/19930602/Press contact: Jan Johnson, FGS, 504-291-7221;
Reader contact: FGS, 504-291-7221)


(NEWS)(GENERAL)(HKG)(00003)

Beijing - Gomatech To Supply ICBC With ATM/POS System 06/02/93
BEIJING, CHINA, 1993 JUN 2 (NB) -- Beijing Gomatech, headquartered
in Hong Kong, has signed an agreement with the Beijing branch of the
Industrial and Commercial Bank of China (ICBC) to supply a Tandem
CLX 840 for the computerization of its automatic teller machine
(ATM) and point of sale (POS) systems.

ICBC claims to be the largest commercial bank in China with 30,000
branches and 400,000 employees. According to spokesmen at the bank,
the contract is the first Tandem ever sold in ICBC, as the front end
processor to handle all the ATM/POS transactions. This Tandem will
establish a trend for all the other branches within ICBC in
performing on-line Transaction Processing System.

Beijing Gomatech, one of the eight subsidiaries under the Gomatech
International Group, has been promoting Tandem to the banking
industry in China for the past three years. According to the
agreement, Beijing Gomatech, together with ICBC, will undertake the
development of ATM/POS software, with the full support from Tandem.

"Gomatech's has become the first Tandem value added reseller (VAR) in
China through its involvement in this project," claimed Margaret
Chik, a representative from Gomatech. "We chose Tandem because it is
a fault tolerant non-stop computer, specially designed for the
banking industry."

"Gomatech will undertake the task of creating software to be exported
to the rest of Asia and the World. Other future ventures include the
inauguration of a banking switching system in China. "This will be a
great leap forward in banking automation and computerization in
China," said Chik.

Gomatech's aim is to utilize China's resources in software manpower
together with the hardware technology in Taiwan to develop products
that service all major ministries. These include Telecommunications,
and Transport and Taxation.

Gomatech develop also Goma 470, a system that emulates the IBM 4700
SAFE system. Goma 470 is a Unix based system with client server
architecture capable of on-line and standalone processing.

(Brett Cameron/19930602/Press Contact: Margaret Chik, Gomatech Tel:
[phone], fax: [phone];HK time is GMT + 8)


(NEWS)(IBM)(DEN)(00004)

 ****Morphing Software For Windows Arrives 06/02/93
SANTA MONICA, CALIFORNIA, U.S.A., 1993 JUN 2 (NB) -- If you saw any
of the Terminator movies, you already know what morphing is. If you
didn't, it's the technique that transitions one still or moving image
into another. In the Terminator movies things that appeared human
morphed into terrifying machines of destruction.

Now Santa Monica, California-based HSC Software has introduced
Digital Morph, its morphing software that brings the same technology
to the PC and allows Windows users to perform sophisticated morphing
and image warping techniques which the company says have
traditionally been reserved for high-end three-dimensional systems.

"Users can now transform uniformed police officers into silvery
robots, tabby cats become growling lions, and upscale software
executives can be morphed into surfers," explained John Wilczak, HSC
president and CEO.

HSC claims that Digital Morph provides easy to use image
manipulation tools for multimedia producers, graphic artists,
animators, and business presenters who can add some excitement to
their sales and marketing presentations, computer-based advertising
and trade show demonstrations. Home users, meanwhile, can have a
ball morphing their own captured images.

The company says that Digital Morph can morph bit-mapped images from
most major 8 or 24-bit file formats as well as .AVI Video for
Windows and .FLC Autodesk Animator files. HSC spokesperson Lora
Goodpasture told Newsbytes the program can also warp images by
moving points on a overlaid grid, or the user can combine warping
and morphing, called "morphing", to generate animated video for
Windows files. Goodpasture said that morphing is a feature not
offered by competitive products.

Digital Morph includes a number of painting tools that allow the user
to further manipulate morphed and warped images, including tone
blending, color wash, and tints. Colors can be pulled from one area
of the image to another, and portions of an image can be cut and then
moved, sized, scaled, or rotated. Animation is accomplished through
use of the Windows Media Player, Autodesk Animation Player, or HSC's
Interactive software. Goodpasture said that the company offered
Digital Morph to Comdex attendees at the special price of $79.00,
and Comdex goers were enthusiastic about Digital Morph. "People were
standing five and six deep to watch the demo."

Minimum system requirements include a 386SX personal computer, at
least 2 megabytes (MB) of system memory, and a VGA graphics card. The
company recommends 4MB of RAM (random access memory) and a high color
card. The program carries a suggested retail price of $149.

Goodpasture told Newsbytes that the company also markets Kai's Power
Tools, a $149 Mac package that offers users filters and plug-ins for
Adobe Photo Shop and Fractal Painter. Kai Krause is HSC's R&D VP and
an Adobe Photo Shop aficionado. A Windows version of Power Tools was
also announced at Comdex.

(Jim Mallory/19930602/Press contact: Lora Goodpasture, HSC Software,
310-392-8441, fax [phone]; Reader contact: HSC Software,
310-392-8441, fax [phone])


(NEWS)(TELECOM)(ATL)(00005)

Two Into One Will Go; Prodigy Links with Sierra On-line 06/02/93
WHITE PLAINS, NEW YORK, U.S.A., 1993 JUN 2 (NB) -- Two financially-
troubled networks have united -- Prodigy has announced it is to link
up with the Sierra On-line Network.

Despite having, by its own count, two million members, Prodigy has
yet to turn a profit for its owners, IBM and Sears. And despite some
impressive growth numbers, Sierra On-Line has admitted in recent
quarterly statements that the Sierra Network, which is primarily
oriented toward games, continues to lose money. The number of Sierra
members is measured in tens of thousands, but its games have drawn
high praise from reviewers for their realism.

Under the plan, Prodigy and Sierra will work together on a special
Prodigy version of Sierra's service. The link will be available
either for a straight monthly charge or on an hourly basis. Real-
time chatting between Sierra and Prodigy members is also part of
the mix. Over the long haul, the two companies said they plan to
jointly develop other proprietary software.

(Dana Blankenhorn/19930602/Press Contact: Prodigy, Steve Hein,
914-993-8789)


(NEWS)(TELECOM)(MOW)(00006)

Ukraine Hikes It Phone Charges Through The Roof 06/02/93
MOSCOW, RUSSIA, 1993 JUN 2 (NB) -- The Ukraine has raised its phone
rates through the roof as Government officials claim that the new
charges reflect the high cost of providing telecoms services in the
area.

Local inter-town and Ukrainian long-distance rates have increased by
a hefty 400 percent. Long distance calls within the Commonwealth of
Independent States will now cost 150 karbovanetz (approximately 4
cents) per minute if the distance is less than 3,000 kilometres, and 210
karbovanetz (approximately 5 cents) per minute for longer distances.

Leased line prices also take a hit by the same amount, with
subscriptions and installation charges going up by 400 percent. Fees
for telegraph services go even higher, with charges rocketing up by
a stunning 800 percent.

Igor Sviridov, an expert at the Communications Systems company in
Kiev, Ukraine, told Newsbytes that, with the tariffs previously in
force, it was much cheaper to call international destinations than
those within the former Soviet Union.

Another advantage was that the service was several times cheaper
than in Moscow and St Petersbourg, which enjoy the similar level of
phone density and services. With this hike the price advantage
disappears.

All the changes to charges were effective at the beginning of May.
The slightly good news is that residential service rates are not
affected by the increase.

(Eugene Peskin & Kirill Tchashchin/19930602)


(NEWS)(GENERAL)(DEN)(00007)

Datalink To Host Imaging Products Workshop For VARs 06/02/93
DALLAS, TEXAS, U.S.A., 1993 JUN 2 (NB) -- Datalink has announced it
will host a workshop later this month for VARs (value added
resellers) and system integrators interested in acquiring or selling
imaging products.

The workshop, scheduled for June 10 and 11 at the Westin Hotel
(O'Hare) in Rosemont, Illinois, will include presentations by Kofax,
Bell and Howell, Hewlett-Packard, and Xyimage. Datalink sales
representative Dave Kubski said that the workshop is different from
other workshops in that there won't be any sales pitches. "We simply
want to provide VARs and integrators with the tools they need to
sell imaging equipment," he said.

Attendees will have a choice of four workshop times during the two
days, with each session limited to 20 people. Each workshop will
present a market overview, demonstrations, and sessions on choosing
components of an imaging system, such as scanners, controller boards,
storage devices, and software, and how to sell the systems. Datalink
spokesperson Bridget Stevens told Newsbytes that the workshop is
being offered at no cost.

Datalink is a participant in Tripac Systems Corporation, a joint
venture which also includes Cranel and Dallas Digital. Tripac
operates five regional technology centers that include demonstration
and training facilities and depot-level repair capabilities..

(Jim Mallory/19930602/Press contact: Bridget Stevens, Tripac,
214-480-8383; Workshop registration: Pam, Datalink, 708-882-1244)


(NEWS)(GENERAL)(TYO)(00008)

TI Links With Japanese Company To Produce 4M DRAM Chips 06/02/93
TOKYO, JAPAN, 1993 JUN 2 (NB) -- A joint venture between Kobe-
Seikosho and Texas Instruments has begun operations in Tokyo, with
the express aim of shipping four megabit dynamic random access
memory (DRAM) chips. Plans are also in hand to produce 16M chips in
the near future as well.

The joint venture company is known as KTI Semiconductor. The chip
production is not a flash in the pan, however, as both companies
have had a joint venture facility in the Hyogo Prefecture of Tokyo
since June of last year. The past year has seen the new company
produce 4 and 16M chips on an experimental basis at the plant,
although it is only now that TI has approved that the chips come up
to standard.

KTI was initially planning to ship 16 megabit DRAM, Newsbytes
understands. However, due to the popularity of 4 megabit DRAM, the
firm switched its production plans to the smaller chips. Production
of the 4M chips should be up to 1.5 million units a month very
shortly, which will account for between 8 and 9 percent of TI's
total DRAM chip shipments in this category. Currently, Newsbytes
notes, Hitachi and NEC have been shipping 7.5 to 8 million units of
4M chips per month.

Plans call for KTI to start producing logic ICs around this summer.
The firm also plans to gradually shift the production to 16 megabit
DRAM chips, depending on the market demand. As part of the deal
between the companies, Texas Instruments will market KTI's chips to
its customers world-wide.

(Masayuki "Massey" Miyazawa/19930602/Press Contact: Texas
Instruments, Japan, [phone], Fax, [phone])


(NEWS)(TRENDS)(TYO)(00009)

Japanese Windows 3.1 Debuts 06/02/93
TOKYO, JAPAN, 1993 JUN 2 (NB) -- Microsoft has announced that it has
just released Japanese Windows 3.1. The Japanese version of the
popular graphical user interface (GUI) is billed as having more
speed and power than earlier editions.

According to Microsoft, Japanese Windows 3.1 is now available from
the company's main offices, as well as through a growing number of
PC manufacturers who bundle Microsoft products with their machines.
Microsoft has just announced it has licensed Windows 3.1 to NEC and
Seiko-Epson, two of Japan's major PC suppliers.

MIcrosoft claims that Japanese Windows 3.1 has 2 to 5 times faster
processing speed compared with that of Windows 3.0. The program has
the improved Japanese input system, which converts Japanese kana
letters tokanji letters. This is more convenient to the Japanese
language users, the company claims.

Another improvement has been made to the graphical user interface or
GUI of the package. According to Microsoft, user operations have
become more mouse-oriented, making it easier for the novice users to
handle application programs.

Japanese Microsoft Windows 3.1 will retail for 19,800 yen (about
$180). The company plans to ship around a million copies in its
first year.

(Masayuki "Massey" Miyazawa/19930602/Press Contact: Microsoft,
Tokyo, [phone])


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

Pyramid's ServiceExpert Frees System Administrators 06/02/93
WAN CHAI, HONG KONG, 1993 JUN 2 (NB) -- Pyramid Technology Corporation has
introduced an automated monitoring and analysis system which it
claims can reduce data centre expenses by performing many of the
functions of a full-time systems administrator at a fraction of the
cost.

Called ServiceExpert, the system analyses large amounts of system
performance data and automatically generates reports. It enables
system administrators to evaluate maintenance requirements quickly and
make decisions proactively. The company also claims that
ServiceExpert saves valuable management time, minimizes unscheduled
maintenance and increases systems availability.

ServiceExpert is applicable across the broad range of Pyramid
platforms, from those with smaller system configurations to those
running some of the largest Unix databases in the world. To date the
mission-critical expert software has been employed by such major
users as Northern Telecom and DHL Airways.

"Because of the critical nature of our data centre customers'
operations, Pyramid has a responsibility to deliver solutions that
optimize system management and availability," explained Ed Norton,
Asia-Pacific vice president for Pyramid.

"ServiceExpert is yet another example of how Pyramid is living up to
its commitment to provide top quality technology, partners and
services to our open systems data centre customers," he added.

ServiceExpert consists of two primary software components: monitoring
software residing on a customer's MIServer and an analyzer installed
on an MIServer system at Pyramid's Corporate Customer Support Centre
(CCSC) in San Jose, California.

When installed at a customer site, ServiceExpert's sophisticated
monitoring software triggers standard Unix utilities to gather
information about overall system status and user-specified parameters,
performing audits and management activities.

The resulting data is compiled into a series of compressed magnetic
log files which are transmitted to the analyzer software at Pyramid's
CCSC where they are compared against defined standards and analysed
for deviations and exceptions.

System status, performance and integrity reports are electronically
generated and transmitted back to the system administrator at the
customer site on a daily basis. If an urgent situation occurs, it is
identified by ServiceExpert which alerts Pyramid's CCSC. A plan of
action to resolve the problem is then developed jointly between the
customer and Pyramid.

ServiceExpert also produces security, network statistics, applications
support and long-term trend reports that enable system administrators
to make informed capacity planning management decisions.

(Brett Cameron/19930602/Press Contact: Ed Norton (Pyramid): Tel: +852-
827 0211;HK time is GMT + 8)


(NEWS)(TELECOM)(ATL)(00011)

Scientific Atlanta Unveils Data/Video Interface 06/02/93
ATLANTA, GEORGIA, U.S.A., 1993 JUN 2 (NB) -- Cable television
companies can now deliver data or business-quality video as well
as more TV signals, using a new interface from Scientific-
Atlanta.

The interface, known as the Model D9700, can take up to 20
compressed video signals over a standard DS-3 or T-3 trunk link
moving data at 45 million bits per second (Mbps). This is a standard
fast trunk line currently used by companies like Vyvx, a unit of
WilTel, to deliver TV back-hauls from sporting events to cable
programmers' offices so they can insert commercials into the feed
before people see it. Vyvx is one of hte first customers for the new
D9700, Scientific-Atlanta said in a press statement.

When Vyvx got into the business of taking back-hauls through
telephone lines, it was running a single TV signal through the 45
million bit/second channel. Scientific-Atlanta spokesman Bill Brobst
told Newsbytes that he wasn't certain whether 20 broadcast quality
signals could be sent on a single channel using the technology --
most cable companies are looking at 4:1 compression for delivery of
signals to their offices or "head-ends."

TCI, the largest cable operator, has said it will offer 10:1
compression to its customers soon. Viacom International and StarNet
have also installed Scientific-Atlanta compression systems for the
entertainment and cable TV and insertion markets.

A second customer for the new D9700 is IDB Communications
Group, which offers data, voice, and video services through
teleports to a number of countries, including Russia. The D9700
interface should let it offer more videoconferencing and other
services on its system, increasing its capacity dramatically.

Brobst added that the new D9700 will also let cable companies
send data to their customers, or transmit data through their
systems and networks. This could go a long way toward making
cable companies full-fledged participants in the National
Information Infrastructure program of the Clinton administration.

(Dana Blankenhorn/19930602/Press Contact: Bill Brobst,
Scientific-Atlanta, 404-903-6306)


(NEWS)(TELECOM)(ATL)(00012)

MCI Improves Links With The Internet Using CoREN 06/02/93
WASHINGTON, D.C., U.S.A., 1993 JUN 2 (NB) -- MCI has signed a
contract with CoREN, a consortium of eight regional networks tied
to the Internet.

The agreement, which MCI said will be worth over $200 million
over five years, will create a backbone among member networks
and links via the National Science Foundation's NSFnet to other
Internet-connected networks. The member networks of CoREN are
BARRNet, CICNet, MIDnet, NEARnet, NorthWestNet, NYSERNet, SURAnet
and WestNet. All networking will be under the TCP/IP standard.

MCI said it hopes its deal with CoREN will promote expanded
access to the Internet and help lay the foundation for the
National Research and Education Network (NREN) program. Contracts
under NREN for linking member networks look like big business, and
all long distance service providers are eager to expand their
Internet service offerings. AT&T, for instance, recently said it
would handle a "directory of directories" called DNIC for Internet
service providers, through which users can find out where databases
of interest are located.

"It is our intent to create the largest, most comprehensive and
highest quality Internet and value added services provider in the
world today," said Dr. E. Michael Staman, interim CoREN president
and president of CICNet.

Of course, getting from here to there will prove difficult. In a
press release from Purdue University in Lafayette, Indiana,
Internet expert Gene Spafford writes that issues of security,
property rights and access controls must still be addressed
before use of the Internet expands beyond the researchers and
university types who now depend on it.

For instance, this story is copyrighted, but Clarinet, an Internet
network, as a licensed republisher of Newsbytes, carries the daily
Newsbytes news service. Use of copyrighted material is strictly
limited in the print world, and rules must be set so that such
material is not abused when it becomes available electronically.

"Laws differ from country to country and some countries have no laws
governing intellectual property," explained Spafford. "People don't
respect copyrights now. We don't have the etiquette in place to make
people think it's wrong to copy software and other products without
paying for them."

Universal access is also of concern to experts like Spafford.
It's not just connections that are needed, but education on how
to use them. Otherwise the growing disparity between information
haves and have-nots will only grow.

And the security of medical files, commercial files, government
files and personal files must also be assured. Partly due to such
concerns, the US military is moving toward a non-standard networking
system for its Milnet networks, which were once a foundation of the
Internet as the ARPAnet.

(Dana Blankenhorn/19930602/Press Contact: MCI, Dave Thompson,
202-887-3000; Gene Spafford, Purdue, 317-494-7825)


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

 ****Integra Intros PCMCIA Type III Removable Hard Drives 06/02/93
FREMONT, CALIFORNIA, U.S.A., 1993 JUN 2 (NB) -- With the newly
introduced PocketFile series of PCMCIA removable hard disk drives,
Integra Peripherals has joined the emerging ranks of vendors that
are issuing Type III PCMCIA cards.

Integra's new credit card-sized drives are available in capacities
of 42 megabytes (MB) as well as a relatively roomy 85 MB, the
company said in announcing the series. Until recently, few PCMCIA
drives exceeded 60 MB in storage capability.

The PocketFile series is based on Cirrus Logic's CL-SH380 disk drive
controller, a chip that supports the PCMCIA attribute memory and
card configuration registers in addition to the four different
PCMCIA address decoding modes. These features makes make the drives
easy to use and transport among PCMCIA slots on desktop, notebook
and pen computers, according to company officials.

The drives also offer advanced power management for minimized power
consumption, along with the ability to automatically switch between
5-volt and 3-volt operation. The host interface can be run at a
different speed than that used for the disk, buffer, and local
processor interface.

Use of the cards requires a PCMCIA Type III slot, a size that is
just starting to crop up on desktop and portable PCs. Although no
different in length or width than the commonly appearing Type I and
Type II slots, Type III slots are twice as thick as Type IIs. Type
II slots are, in turn, twice as thick as their Type I counterparts.

Like the PocketFile series, most currently available Type III cards
are designed for hard disk storage. Analysts predict, however,
that the larger size will gain favor in the future for PDAs.

A company spokesperson told Newsbytes that PCs equipped with PCMCIA
Type III slots include the IBM ThinkPad 720, NEC Versa, and T4500,
T4600 and T4900 notebooks as well as two pen computers, the IBM
ThinkPad 710T and Fujitsu 325Point. The ThinkPad 720 and Fujitsu
notebooks are shipping, he said.

The Type III slots can also accommodate Type I and Type II cards.
Type I cards are used primarily for SRAM, DRAM, ROM and flash
memory, while Type II cards tend to be aimed at modem, LAN,
wireless, mass storage, and other I/O purposes.

Integral Peripherals was established in 1990 to design, manufacture
and market 1.8-inch hard disk drives for next generation desktop
and portable computers.

(Jacqueline Emigh/19930602/Press contacts: Joe Fowler, Cirrus
Logic Inc., tel [phone]; Tom Parrish, Integral Peripherals,
tel [phone])


(NEWS)(TELECOM)(ATL)(00014)

 ****Consumer Electronics Show Preview 06/02/93
CHICAGO, ILLINOIS, U.S.A., 1993 JUN 2 (NB) -- The Summer Consumer
Electronics Show, which starts tomorrow in Chicago, is turning out
to be a "coming out party" for the Personal Digital Assistants
(PDAs), or Personal Communicators, announced a year ago.

Sharp has issued a statement saying it would soon release its own
PDA, based on Apple's Newton technology. The Japanese company calls
its products "Expert Series products with Newton Intelligence."

Since they were first announced a year ago, with a speech by Apple
Computer chairman John Sculley at CES, PDAs have become a huge
vaporware industry. Millions are being spent developing the things, but none
have come out, hence the "vaporware" tag. PDAs are generally seen as
combining RISC chips, small screens and a pen interface, with lots
of wireless connectivity built-in.

Sharp sees its Expert Series products actively adapting
themselves to an individual's habits of usage and personalizing
information, a natural extension of its Wizard line's ability to
assist mobile professionals.

Sharp is already a leader in flat screens and portable computers,
noted Gil DeLiso, director of marketing, Sharp Personal Home Office
Electronics Division, so manufacturing the Newton is a natural move.
Sharp expects to ship its first PDA with Newton Intelligence in the
third quarter of 1993. Pricing has not yet been determined.

AT&T, meanwhile, said that the Eo Personal Communicator, which uses
a chip called Hobbit originally considered by Apple, then rejected,
will be formally introduced at CES. AT&T also said it will take the
majority stake in the Hobbit's maker, Eo Inc. of California.

The Personal Communicator, which was displayed at the last Fall
Comdex, is larger than the Newton, and AT&T emphasizes its
communicating capabilities over its interface or intelligence. AT&T
also said the first Hobbits, which will carry the AT&T brand name,
will cost about $2,000, although a really usable version with a 20
megabyte hard drive will go for about $4,000.

That's considerably higher than the under-$1,000 price point usually
seen for CES products, but both AT&T and Apple expect that within a
few years that price barrier will be decisively breached. As shown
at last year's Fall Comdex, the AT&T EO 440 Personal Communicator
will run a version of Go's PenPoint software.

(Dana Blankenhorn/19930602/Press Contact: Dorf & Stanton, for Sharp,
Lisa Daniele, 212/420-8100)


(NEWS)(TELECOM)(ATL)(00015)

 ****British Telecom & MCI Link To Take On The World 06/02/93
WASHINGTON, D.C., U.S.A., 1993 JUN 2 (NB) -- At the National Press
Club, MCI chairman Bert Roberts confirmed that British Telecom is
taking a 20 percent stake in his company for $4.3 billion in cash.

In exchange, MCI will get BT North America, which owns the Tymnet
packet data network. MCI will also get $830 million in cash
immediately for a 4.9 percent stake. BT values its MCI stake at $64
per share, far higher than the current market value of the stock.

The two companies will also invest over $1 billion in a new joint
venture aimed at providing seamless voice and data networks to
large companies. BT presently has such a venture, called
Syncordia, based in Atlanta, and will own 75 percent of the new
venture. Syncordia will be merged into the new joint venture.

In essence, the BT-MCI deal is something like the "Grand Concordat"
signed between Spain and Portugal 500 years ago which split the
globe between them. In this deal MCI gets the Western Hemisphere, BT
everything else. Traffic between the two networks will be handled by
a global intelligent network established by the joint venture. Other
existing links with other carriers will remain in place.

As part of the deal, BT will appoint three directors to the MCI
board, while Roberts will join the board of BT. And BT has signed a
10-year "stand-still" agreement with MCI, promising not to increase
its share of MCI over that period. The agreement is fairly
superfluous, since US law presently prevents foreign carriers from
owning over 20 percent of a US long distance company anyway. After
the deal was announced in London, BT shares fell slightly, while
MCI's price rose on US exchanges.

The MCI deal caps a long period in which BT has been unsuccessfully
trying to gain a foothold in the U.S. market and expand its global
reach. A deal to take up to 20 percent of General Motors' EDS unit
fell through in January. It sold its 25 percent stake in McCaw
Cellular, the nation's largest cellular operator, to AT&T. In March
it asked for U.S. regulatory approval to re-sell its international
private line services in the US, a move AT&T immediately protested
claiming it didn't have "equal access" to the UK market. AT&T
presently has a petition before British regulators to serve that
market.

MCI stayed out of the fray when BT and AT&T fought, while Sprint,
the third US carrier, had been trying to serve the UK market since
January, 1992. That may have been the spur which got MCI and BT
talking. Another factor weighing on BT may have been MCI's growing
international success -- it's currently the sixth-largest, and
fastest-growing, international long distance carrier, while BT is
number two.

Two things remain unclear. While MCI and BT both say they will
re-sell MCI's intelligent network services, AT&T is presently
suing MCI, claiming those offerings infringe on its patents. Also
unclear is where the latest move leaves BT's petition to serve
North America directly, and AT&T's move to open the British
market to it.

(Dana Blankenhorn/19930602/Press Contact: MCI, Dave Thompson,
202-887-3000; British Telecom, Robert Raggett, 202-639-8222)


(NEWS)(TELECOM)(ATL)(00016)

Bill and Al Go Online: Excellent! 06/02/93
WASHINGTON, D.C., U.S.A., 1993 JUN 2 (NB) -- The White House
finally has its own Internet accounts. You can write the
President at [e-mail], or the vice president at
[e-mail]. Both addresses are linked to the
global network-of-networks known as the Internet.

E-mail accounts were said to have been a personal priority of the
Vice President. As a Presidential candidate in 1988, then-Senator
Al Gore kept a laptop computer with him for writing his speeches
and keeping in touch with staff. The President, however, prefers
to work with paper, and is known for going through stacks of
paperwork using margin notations to signal approval or disapproval
of proposals.

When Clinton took office in January, many staffers said they were
appalled at the poor quality of White House technology. Clinton
himself couldn't reach the outside world without going through an
operator, and many of the PCs at the Executive Mansion were
considered obsolete. The announcement of the new e-mail address
was made from Wisconsin, where the President was giving a speech.

The e-mail announcement represents a victory for the young
staffers who came with the President to Washington, and a much-
needed ego boost. Many feel they'll be shunted aside as political
veteran David Gergen takes charge of White House communications
operations. Messages sent to the box -- and there are already
5,000 messages a week going to consumer services like CompuServe
-- are read by the White House correspondence staff, but a sample
will be shown to the President and Vice President.

One more important point. Messages to the commercial accounts
were collected on floppy disks, then sent by mail or courier. The
new system is a direct Internet link. In his statement from
Wisconsin, Clinton also indicated he wants the U.S. House and
other Executive Branch agencies to get e-mail links, but asked
for patience as the links go online. "We must be realistic about
the limitations and expectations of the White House electronic
mail system," the President's letter said. The White House is
"not yet capable of sending back a tailored response."

Newsbytes discussed the new system briefly with Jock Gill, who
helped set the new system up. He sounded far more harried than he
did during the fall campaign, but otherwise sound.

"This is a very baby step," he emphasized. "The new things are the
whitehouse.gov address, the fact we're taking electronic messages,
and the fact we give an automatic reply on receipt. Next we'll
take a step toward more relevant replies. We know these are small
steps," but the aim is to give citizens more direct contact with
top government officials.

(Dana Blankenhorn/19930602/Press Contact: White House, Jock
Gill, 202-456-1414; Internet: [e-mail])


(NEWS)(GENERAL)(HKG)(00017)

Community Chest Benefits From SunAccount 06/02/93
WANCHAI, HONG KONG, 1993 JUNE 2 (NB) -- Accountancy software
developer Systems Union has donated a copy of SunAccount to the
Community Chest to help streamline its accounting operations.

Supporting over 120 welfare organizations, the Community Chests
manages its accounts by keeping track of donations and fund
allocation to beneficiary agencies and to a variety of charity
projects.

SunAccount enables the Community Chest to keep detailed records
of sources of donation under Accounts Receivable and keep track
of fund allocation under Accounts Payable. It also enables the
Community Chest to keep up to 10 budgets for its various projects
and compare forecasts with actuals or budgets.

By adopting the integrated ledger accounting concept, SunAccount
will enable the Community Chest to update general ledger,
receivable, payables, client or project ledger simultaneously. All
accounts can be updated in real time and all inquiries and reports
can be fully up to date.

Following completion of the audit for its fiscal 1992 accounts
in May, the Community Chest will install SunAccount and enter all
data and transactions dating from April 1, the beginning of the
new financial year.

Running on an IBM compatible, SunAccount will play a key role in
meeting the Community Chest's financial statement and monthly
reporting requirements.

"With a combined ledger concept and flexible reporting structure
SunAccount will help improve the Community Chest's efficiency
in producing reports and annual accounts, said Henry Kwong, finance
and accounts adviser of the Community Chest.

"We are grateful for Systems Union's donation and hope that with
the help of SunAccount, much of the time and hassle in producing
the Community Chest's monthly financial statements can be saved,"
Kwong said.

Grant Boydell, SUL's managing director, commented: "We are a firm
believer of the importance of financial information to the
management of both profit and non_profit organizations."

"We believe all the charitable agents and the underprivileged can
benefit from the accurate financial information and a more efficient
accounting infrastructure from the Community Chest," he said.

(Brett Cameron/19930601/Press Contact: Systems Union Limited, Grant
Boydell, [phone];HK time is GMT + 8)


(NEWS)(TELECOM)(LON)(00018)

GEnie Clarifies Details Of Rate Changes 06/02/93
LONDON, ENGLAND, 1993 JUN 2 (NB) -- Following on from yesterday's
story about GEnie's rate changes, Newsbytes took time out to discuss
the changes, which kick in on July 1, with John Barber, GEnie's
general manager.

According to Barber, the rate changes, which see the monthly minimum
rise from $4-95 to $8-95, in return for four free hours of usage and
an hourly rate cut of 50 percent to $3-00 per hour, were discussed
as far back as last summer, although a decision on when to implement
them was not taken until earlier this year.

"We had seen the writing on the wall in the latter half of 1992 and,
although we didn't carry out any changes at that time, we realized
that some changes would be necessary. These new prices are the
result of those discussions," he told Newsbytes.

Some corners of the comms industry have interpreted the rate changes
as an increase. Barber admits that a small minority of subscribers
will find their bills rising from $4-95 to $8-95 a month.

"Most of our subscribers use the system sufficiently each month that
they will gain from the new charging structure. Sure, there will be
some users who (both) subscribe to GEnie and access a local BBS or
two, but I have to say that, if anyone is only accessing GEnie for a
half hour a week, then they probably aren't taking full advantage of
the service," he said.

Barber added that such users may well find that their local BBS
fulfils some of the functions that GEnie provides. "But they won't
get access to the telecommunications network or the wide range of
facilities that we provide. That's what comes within the scope of
the monthly minimum charges," he said.

Despite the increase in the monthly minimum, Barber reckons that the
vast majority of GEnie subscribers will see their monthly bills go
down and, even though more subscribers are signing on the dotted
line, Barber said that he projects second half '93 income from GEnie
usage will be "pretty flat."

So why the changes? "It's simple... that's the way the market is
going. All online systems are starting to offer their users a little
more and are expecting a commitment from them. It's clear that this
is the way the market is going," he said.

"The consumer is going to make out pretty well," he added, referring
to the changes in GEnie's rate schedule, as well as to the flat-rate
charges that Compuserve has introduced in the last year, and the
changes in charges for other major online services.

(Steve Gold/19930602/Press Contact: Vivian Kelly, GE Information
Services - tel: [phone])


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

First Major Private Phone Exchange In Russia Opens 06/02/93
MOSCOW, RUSSIA, 1993 JUN 2 (NB) -- Russia's first major privatized
phone exchange has gone onstream, servicing 10,000 subscribers in
Balakovo, a city in the Saratov region. The exchange was supplied by
Samsung, the Korean electronics giant.

Marking the opening of the exchange, the vice president of Samsung
flew in from Korea, to formally open the facility along with
Alexander Kudriavtsev, Russia's deputy Minister for Communications.

Chemicomp is the company behind the private exchange and intends to
recoup the cost of its efforts by charging around 15 percent more
than the overloaded state telecoms company charges for its service.
With this charging system in place, the company hopes to recoup its
investment within five years.

Balakovo is a city in the Saratov region with a population of
210,000. The area has several large chemical factories and a large
nuclear power station. Chemicomp's decision to finance its own
exchange seems to have been taken for practical, as well as for
financial considerations.

Samsung is working on the number of similar projects in other parts of
Russia, namely in Dagestan, Murmansk, Chita, Tymen regions and
Vladivostok city, according to Yuri Pamikhin of Samsung Moscow.

(Kirill Tchashchin/19930602/Press Contact: Samsung Moscow office,
phone [phone])


(NEWS)(GOVT)(TYO)(00020)

Japan's MITI Predicts Next Generation Of Technology 06/02/93
TOKYO, JAPAN, 1993 JUN 2 (NB) -- Japan's Ministry of International
Trade and Industry (MITI) has released a report detailing what it
sees are the most promising industries in the next century.

According to the report, new transportation systems and multi-media
technologies will be the top two industries as we move into the 21st
Century.

The report, which was prepared by MITI's Future Study Committee for
Mid-term Industry and Economy, also predicts that new industries
will move to the fore in the next century. The report recommends
that the Japanese Government should develop new types of
transportation systems.

Private firms, meanwhile, should get into multimedia-based
industries, developing machinery and parts that are based on high
technology. Also, the Government should revise and further
deregulate legislation and provisions that are related to
telecommunications, broadcasting, medical care and energy, in order
to engender further development of industry generally.

The most promising technologies are fine ceramics. The report
predicts that the fine ceramics-related industry will grow to be a 6
trillion yen ($55 billion) industry by the year 2000.

Next generation car technologies come in to the second place, the
report predicts, with both electric and solar cell vehicles expected
to account for 3 trillion ($28 billion) worth of sales in the next
century.

Perhaps surprisingly, the report concludes that the multimedia
technology industry will be in fifth place, with a 770 billion yen
($7 billion) tag. Portable phones and personal fax machines --
which are currently a boom industry -- will fall into tenth place.

(Masayuki "Massey" Miyazawa/19930602)


(NEWS)(BUSINESS)(LAX)(00021)

 ****Apple's Appeal Will Give It Clean Slate 06/02/93
SAN FRANCISCO, CALIFORNIA, U.S.A., 1993 JUN 2 (NB) -- Sixty-three
months of litigation between Apple Computer and Microsoft culminated
in US District Court Judge Vaughn Walker granting Microsoft's and
Hewlett-Packard's motions to dismiss the last remaining copyright
infringement claims against the Microsoft Windows operating system
versions 2.03 and 3.0 as well as HP Newwave. But it isn't over yet,
as Apple says it plans to appeal.

Apple first filed the suit in March 1988, alleging that Microsoft
with Windows 2.03 and Hewlett-Packard's Windows interface
Newwave violated Apple's copyrights by too closely resembling
the Macintosh user interface. Microsoft's contention has been
that what is covered under Apple's copyright was licensed in
1985 and the rest were materials that existed before the
Macintosh interface did.

Apple expanded the suit in May of 1991 to include Microsoft's
Windows 3.0 and Newwave 3.0 versions as well as adding a fraud
charge against Microsoft concerning the 1985 license. However,
Apple was unsuccessful in getting the court to rule that Microsoft's
license was obtained in a fraudulent manner, and the judge in the
case was quoted calling Apple's fraud issue a "sideshow" and "pretty
outlandish."

Apple named over 200 allegedly infringed visual displays in
Windows 2.03. By March of 1992, 189 alleged infringing visual
displays were still at issue, but 179 were determined to be
covered by the 1985 agreement between Microsoft and Apple. The
remaining 10 continued through the legal process.

In addition to all this, Apple raised its original $4.37 billion
figure to $5.5 billion after sales figures on Windows 3.1 were
released. The original figure was based on a study done by economics
professor Robert Hall of the Hoover Institute at Stanford University
as the total estimated revenue lost to Apple because of the presence
of Microsoft Windows and Hewlett-Packard's New Wave products on the
market.

In April, the last ten on Apple's list of infringing displays in
Windows, such as overlapping windows and pulldown menus, were
dismissed as infringing by Judge Walker. The issue then was what was
there left to fight over. The only remaining question, according to
Microsoft, was if a jury could compare Windows 2.03 and 3.0, each as
a whole, with the Apple Lisa Desktop and find either Windows product
to be virtually identical to the Apple work. Judge Walker has
settled that issue in the lower court, but Apple says it didn't
contest the summary judgement.

With the summary judgement, Apple is now free to appeal, which
is what the company has said it wanted since last year when its
ten remaining infringing displays were dismissed.

Apple representatives told Newsbytes all three companies, Apple,
Microsoft, and HP, agreed to try for a summary judgement that Apple
would not contest so the case could go to the US District Court of
Appeals. Apple's motivation for wanting to appeal is its desire to
get a clean slate with a new judge.

"We don't like the way the judge framed the case," Apple public
relations manager Yolonda Davis told Newsbytes. "The interface at
issue became the Lisa interface, not the Macintosh interface. The
Lisa interface is obsolete." Avoiding a jury trial is more economic
and more efficient, but even more attractive is the idea that an
Appeals court might be able to just make a decision, Apple sources
said.

(Linda Rohrbough/19930602/Press Contact: Marty Taucher,
Microsoft, tel [phone]; Yolonda Davis, Apple Computer, tel
408-974-5193, fax [phone])


(NEWS)(IBM)(DEN)(00022)

Microsoft Ships Access 1.1, Access Developer Kit 06/02/93
REDMOND, WASHINGTON, U.S.A., 1993 JUN 2 (NB) -- Just six months
after introducing its Access relational database management system
(DBMS), Microsoft is shipping version 1.1 of the program, as well as
an Access developer kit for Windows.

The company says that the new release is in response to customer
feedback, and includes additional drivers it had committed to
provide. Microsoft has opened a special phone line for users to
submit feedback about the product.

The new version reportedly includes expanded Open Database
Connectivity (ODBC) support that allows Access to read and write to
Oracle and Sybase SQL Server databases from within Microsoft Access
1.1-based applications, using ODBC. Microsoft says access to
Microsoft SQL Server data is also faster, with fewer connections, in
Release 1.1.

There's also a direct connection to Microsoft's FoxPro database
software versions 2.0 and 2.5 data and indexes. The connection is
supposed to give users the ability to access and update information
in FoxPro databases in realtime from within Access 1.1 concurrently
with users working in FoxPro. Previously data import/exports were
done in batch mode. Realtime data import/export is intended to give
users access to the most current data.

Microsoft says that interoperability with desktop applications is
improved in the new release, with faster and more flexible fixed-
width text importing as well as support for variable length data
strings. Support has also been improved for Btrieve data, as has
importing of Excel database named ranges. There's also a new export
option that lets the user move data into Word for Windows in a mail-
merge format, and you can attach to Paradox tables that are in use,
or to dBase files on a compact disk (CD).

Other enhancements include an increase in the maximum database file
size from the 128 megabytes (MB) in the original version to one
gigabyte (GB) in the new version. Microsoft says it has also made
installation of third party add-in Wizard products easier.

Access 1.1 is also being added to the Microsoft Office application
software suite, which will ship under the name The Microsoft Office
Professional version 3.0 for Windows, and includes Access 1.1 for
Windows; spreadsheet Excel 4.0; word processor Word 2.0 for Windows;
PowerPoint presentation graphics 3.0; and a workstation license for
Microsoft Mail 3.2, an electronic mail package.

The new Microsoft Access Distribution Kit for Windows is designed to
assist developers of applications, utilities and add-ons in creating
and distributing applications for Microsoft Access and Microsoft
Windows. The kit includes a runtime version of Access, a selection of
development tools, and a license that allows developers to distribute
the run-time version of Access royalty-free in conjunction with their
own applications for Access 1.1. The license lets developers
distribute an unlimited number of their applications and as many
different applications as they desire without the end user having to
buy a full version of Access or pay royalties to Microsoft.

Microsoft says that the run-time version of Access is designed to
let developers create a custom look for their Access applications,
automatically removing the Access database container, Microsoft-
specific screens, and the toolbar. A custom set-up routine lets
developers provide their customers with a custom set-up program, and
a Set-Up Wizard guides developers through the custom setup program,
expediting the process of building application disks.

An ODBC setup kit for Access facilitates application access to a
variety of data sources through ODBC, including Oracle and Sybase SQL
Server and Microsoft SQL Server, and can be distributed royalty-free
to the end user. There's also a book titled "The Secrets of
AccessWizards" that contains information about developing,
debugging, testing, installing, and using AccessWizards, and a run-
time version of Microsoft Graph and a Windows Help Compiler.

Users of Access 1.0 can upgrade through resellers or directly from
Microsoft for the suggested retail price of $14.95 from resellers or
$19.95 if purchased directly from Microsoft. The suggested retail
price of Access 1.1 for new users is $495. The Access Distribution
kit, which requires Access 1.1 in order to create runtime
applications, has a suggested retail price of $495, plus freight and
sales tax when ordered from Microsoft. Microsoft Office Professional
version 3.0 for Windows, scheduled to ship later this month, is $949.

(Jim Mallory/19930602/Press contact: Julie Briselden, Microsoft,
206-882-8080; Reader contact: Microsoft, 800-426-9400 or
206-882-8080)


(NEWS)(GENERAL)(DEN)(00023)

NCR Enters UTS Mainframe Market 06/02/93
DAYTON, OHIO, U.S.A., 1993 JUN 2 (NB) -- NCR has announced the
introduction of Comten UTSCON-1 software, a package designed
specifically for use in Amdahl UTS mainframe computing environments
with BX.25 terminals and other devices that require access to
applications on host systems running the UTS operating system.

The company says that TSCON-1 resides in a Comten 56xx
communications processor, and provides host-to-host and terminal-to-
host BX.25 connectivity in conjunction with Comten X.25 V2 R2. The
software allows users to simultaneously connect multiple UTS hosts
through a single communications processor and/or simultaneously
connect multiple UTS and IBM MVS hosts via a single communications
processor.

Amdahl front-end processors provide two channel interfaces, one
active and one for backup. Comten 56xx communications processors
provide up to 16 channel connections. The company says users with
individual, multi-vendor front-end processors dedicated to either MVS
routing or UTS routing can implement UTSCON-1 and consolidate a
multiple vendor, multiple box network structure into a single-vendor,
single box system that provides users access to applications running
in both the MVS and UTS computing environments.

A UTS host and a BX.25 device each send or receive data packets using
different protocols. A packet from or to a UTS host has to follow the
EPMPX protocol, while a packet to or from a BX.25 device uses the
BX.25 protocol. UTSCON-1 establishes two concurrent sessions, one
with the UTS host using the EPMPX protocol and one with the remote
BX.25 device using the BX.25 protocol.

In the Comten UTSCON-1 implementation the connection between the
Comten 56xx processor and the remote BX.25 device is over a packet-
switched network that uses X.25 link access procedures. The link is
supported by Comten X.25 V2 R2 software. A standard Comten Channel
Interface Adapter is used to connect the Comten 56xx to a mainframe
running UTS software.

NCR says that the annual fee for UTSCON-1 software is $11,000, and
the package is expected to ship during the third quarter.

(Jim Mallory/19930602/Press contact: Mark Feighery, NCR,
513-445-5236)


(NEWS)(BUSINESS)(DEN)(00024)

Cray Computer To Offer 12M Unregistered Common Shares 06/02/93
COLORADO SPRINGS, COLORADO, U.S.A., 1993 JUN 2 (NB) -- Cray Computer
has announced plans to offer as many as 12.4 million unregistered
shares of its common stock to institutional investors and will sell
nearly two million unregistered common shares to company chairman
and CEO Seymour Cray.

Cray Computer is a 1989 spinoff of Minnesota-based Cray Research in
an attempt to build what was touted as the world's fastest computer,
the Cray-3. The supercomputer was designed to use gallium arsenide to
achieve its speed, but the project has been plagued by difficulties.
First the company experienced problems in finding a reliable vendor
for the gallium arsenide circuitry and had to build its own foundry
in Colorado Springs. Then in 1991 Cray lost its only customer when
the Lawrence Livermore National Laboratories decided not to buy the
first Cray-3 after the company missed a demonstration milestone for
the supercomputer.

Late last month Newsbytes reported the company had found a
demonstration site for a scaled-down version of the Cray-3 at the
National Center for Atmospheric Research in Boulder, Colorado, which
will be used to study global warming and the greenhouse effect. The
company has said it has enough cash remaining to keep it running
through September.

Sixty million shares of stock were originally authorized by the Cray
Research board of directors, and about 25 million have been issued.
Cray Computer says the new shares will not be registered initially
with the Securities and Exchange Commission, so buyers will not be
able to sell them on the market. However, the asking price is $2.25
per share, below the current trading price of Cray stock.

The private and institutional investors for the new offering , who
were not identified, include private individuals, a pension fund, and
a merchant bank, Chief Financial Officer William Skolout told the
Colorado Springs Gazette Telegraph newspaper.

In addition to the institutional offering, Chairman Seymour Cray will
reportedly buy 1.8 million shares, paying $2.75 per share. That will
double his share in the company, reportedly making him the single
largest investor with almost six percent of the outstanding shares.

Skolout told the Gazette Telegraph that the deal will not dilute the
equity of current shareholders because the cash infusion is expected
to boost the overall equity value of the company. Cray President
Terry Willkom said that Cray will make his $5 million investment "to
express his confidence in the company and in the product."

The market responded favorably to the announcement, with Cray shares
closing at $3.13, up $0.38.

(Jim Mallory/19930602/Press contact: Terry Willkom, Cray Computer,
719-579-6464)


(NEWS)(GENERAL)(DEN)(00025)

Mario's Brother, Luigi, To Visit Chicago 06/02/93
CHICAGO, ILLINOIS, U.S.A., 1993 JUN 2 (NB) -- If you happen to be
driving by the FAO Swartz Michigan Avenue store in Chicago Saturday,
don't be surprised to see a strange character hanging around the
store's front entrance.

According to the folks at The Software Toolworks, the guy handing
out yo-yo's this Saturday from 1-5PM is Luigi, the brother of Mario,
of Mario Brothers video game fame, and he's in Chicago to promote
the new Mario is Missing! geography learning game in which Luigi
searches the world over for his beloved brother, Mario.

The company says Mario is Missing! is the first game in the Mario
Learning Series for children ages 3 through 12. The series is
designed to teach subjects like geography, history, math, reading,
and early learning skills.

The new series isn't the first educational offering of The Software
Toolworks. The company also produces The Miracle Piano Teaching
System, The Chessmaster series, Mavis Beacon Teaches Typing, and the
San Diego Zoo Presents... The Animals!.

Mario is Missing! is currently available for Super NES, MS-DOS, and
CD-ROM systems. An NES version is scheduled to ship later this
summer. It also plans to introduce the second in the series, Mario's
Time Machine, this summer, a game that takes you traveling through
history with your favorite characters. They have also introduced a
new Mario is Missing! city disk that adds 10 more cities to the Mario
is Missing! DOS version.

(Jim Mallory/19930602/Press contact: Tracy Eagan, The Software
Toolworks, 415-883-3000, ext 828; Reader contact: The Software
Toolworks, 415-883-3000)


(NEWS)(BUSINESS)(LAX)(00026)

 ****Sculley Says He Suggested Apple/IBM Merger 06/02/93
CUPERTINO, CALIFORNIA, U.S.A., 1993 JUN 2 (NB) -- John Sculley has
revealed he suggested a merger between IBM and Apple Computer,
according to an interview published in this month's issue of Fortune
magazine. Sculley claims he made the suggestion when he was
approached about heading IBM after the former chief executive
officer (CEO) John Akers resigned in January.

On the heels of billions in losses and layoffs, IBM's board of
directors recruited a search committee to look for a new CEO
both inside and outside the company. Sculley was one of the
candidates.

Sculley said he suggested merging Apple with the "best parts"
of IBM, and contended both companies had the parts to put
together a "very strong business." Sculley said his view is IBM
would have a much better chance for success with Apple on the
"team."

But, the proposal didn't work out. "The problem was that IBM's
stock continued to weaken, so to acquire Apple would have meant
too much dilution," Sculley said. IBM officials were
unavailable for comment.

Apple and IBM have already formed two joint venture companies,
neither of which has released products to date. Apple
executives have said publicly since 1991 that Apple "needs" IBM
and that IBM is crucial to the future of Apple.

After a two month search, the final choice for IBM's CEO was
the former chairman and CEO of Nabisco, Louis Gerstner.
Gerstner moved into his new position at IBM on April 1 of this
year.

(Linda Rohrbough/19930602/Press Contact: Apple Computer, 408-
974-2042; Rob Wilson, IBM, tel [phone])


(NEWS)(IBM)(TYO)(00027)

IBM Japan To Create More Subsidiaries 06/02/93
TOKYO, JAPAN, 1993 JUN 2 (NB) -- IBM Japan has revealed it is
preparing to create 10 more subsidiaries. The aim of the new
company formations is to promote the sales of PCs into specialist
markets.

The 10 new subsidiaries will be spun off from Big Blue's Information
Systems division. IBM officials say that the spin-offs, which will
take place formally next month, represent the downsizing that is
taking place in the industry generally.

IBM Japan's Information Systems division was created in January of
this year with a total capitalization of three billion yen ($27
million). The division employs around 2,500 staff in total, meaning
that 250 staff will be employed by each of the new companies, whose
primary aim will be to support mid-size and small sized companies.

IBM Japan is also trying to help its senior employees create new
firms under the firm's so-called "Second Carrier" program. The
company recently created two new firms, while the former employees
have created total of 11 new firms under the program so far. Under
this program, IBM Japan pays about half of the total capitalization
of each new firm.

(Masayuki "Massey" Miyazawa/19930602/Press Contact: IBM Japan, +81-
3-3586-1111, Fax, [phone])


(NEWS)(IBM)(WAS)(00028)

REVIEW: Loom Fantasy Adventure Computer Game 06/02/93
WASHINGTON, DC, U.S.A., 1993 JUN 2 (NB) -- Review of: Loom Fantasy
Adventure Computer Game

Runs on: IBM PC/AT (286 or higher), CD-ROM drive, MS-DOS or PC-
DOS 3.1 or higher, 640K RAM, VGA graphics. Sound card not
required if CD-ROM drive has audio output.

From: The Software Toolworks, 60 Leveroni Court, Novato, CA
      94949. 415-883-3000 (Toolworks) or 800-STARWARS (LucasFilms)
      voice, 415-456-4381 fax orders.

Price: $99.95 list for the CD-ROM version reviewed here. IBM EGA,
       Amiga, Atari ST, and Macintosh versions with less stunning
       sound and graphics cost between $30 and $45.

PUMA Rating: 4 on a scale 1=lowest to 4=highest

Reviewed for Newsbytes by: Rick Bender 06/01/93

Summary: Loom is a fascinating journey into the distant past of
magic and mystery; the game works especially well for the
musically inclined but can be enjoyed by all who take the time to
explore.

======
REVIEW
======

Loom is a medieval fantasy game in which you, as the young
weaver's apprentice Bobbin Threadbare, must find the missing
elders of your weaving guild and save the world. Along the way
you explore the surrounding lands with your crooked distaff,
collecting four-letter sequences of musical notes, called
"drafts." These drafts manage the spells you need to get around
in the musical world of Loom.

The plot will engage sci-fi and fantasy aficionados as well as
students of Middle Age history, and this game features stereo
sound and detailed high-resolution graphics that show everything,
right down to the folds in the heap of undyed wool and the red
clam hearts in the seagull's breakfast. The colors in the sunset
are brilliant, as are the three-dimensional hills, forests, and
elders' tents through which you navigate Bobbin in the first of
256 screens.

I especially liked the voices on the CD-ROM version; some of the
character lines were quite amusing. "Hm... Must be the wrong
draft," mumbles Bobbin. And when you try to weave a draft on a
nonexistent object, Bobbin softly scolds, "It would help if you
would point at something first!" I chuckled to myself at these
cute little utterances while I was trying the game.

This is a complex game requiring a lot of patience with the
musical puzzles and will take many hours for most players to make
any real headway in solving the various mysteries, but some parts
are just for fun and, of course, the puzzles may change the next
time you play.

After a couple of hours I was getting nowhere fast, because few
clues come with the game and I was getting lost in the musical
scales; however, if you are interested in spells, magic, and
fantasy, Loom will keep you in front of the monitor all day and
well into the night.

If you get really frustrated, there is always the optional $13
cluebook that provides a slew of hints for "puzzled" gamers.
Can't wait another minute, let alone for the mailman? Then just
call 1-900-740-JEDI for the automated hint line which costs 75-
cents per-minute and is only available for US callers.

Getting around in Loom is easy because the program lets you use a
mouse, joystick, or keyboard to move Bobbin and weave drafts. The
complexity is where it belongs - in the puzzles and plot, not, as
with some games, learning your way around your own keyboard!

One of Loom's side benefits is the review in basic music one
gets, due to the fact that a musical scale from middle C to high
C is placed beneath the distaff (in the novice version) and
practice comes through trying to play "just the right draft!" If
you are musically literate (perhaps from already owning The
Toolworks's Miracle Piano System), you can go on to the expert
level.

Loom is a good example of multimedia with so much sound and image
enhancement that it actually comes on two CD-ROMs, although that
won't be any annoyance while playing because the entire game can
be played without changing discs.

The characters' voices are amusing and well-done, and the musical
is interesting. To really get you involved in the mystical
aspects of the story, Loom includes a 30-minute dramatic prelude
to the game which comes on the second CD-ROM.

Loom weaves a story which is complex and intricate, beautiful and
mysterious, and very hard to unravel, but this is a fantasy
adventure game, not arcade - it takes thought to win, not fast
reactions.

Although Loom is small "m" multimedia and provides excellent
sound and graphics, it is not MPC and this is a real advantage
because the program doesn't require a system that has Windows
installed and doesn't need an expensive add-on sound card because
it will play music right through your CD-ROM drive's headphone or
stereo amplifier output.

Because the designers used CD-ROM for the version we tested, they
had the luxury of enhancing the program with little concern for
storage space or the need to ship a couple of dozen floppies with
a game, and were therefore able to include sophisticated 256-
color 3-D graphics with very nice animation.

Those who have previously bought the $30 floppy version of Loom
can upgrade for $25.

============
PUMA RATING
============

PERFORMANCE: 4 Excellent sound and color with great animation; as
far as the game player is concerned this is what CD-ROM was
invented for.

USEFULNESS: 4 Highly entertaining and engaging game with puzzles
which will take many hours (or days) to solve.

AVAILABILITY: 4 This is a LucasArts, LucasFilm Games program
which is distributed by The Software Toolworks and supported by
LucasFilm Games, so Loom is widely available by mail order or
through software stores.

MANUAL: 4 The game requires almost no instructions, and the
manual is intended to be more entertaining than informative.

(Rick Bender and John McCormick/19930601/Press Contact: Tracy
Egan, The Software Toolworks, 415-883-3000 x 828, fax 415-883-
0298)


(NEWS)(TELECOM)(MOW)(00029)

Bulgarian Telecommunications Overview 06/01/93
MOSCOW, RUSSIA, 1993 MAY 26 (NB) -- Bulgarian Telecom has announced
the successful bidders in the international tender to update the
Bulgarian telephone network.

Under the newly-awarded contracts, Alcatel of France will supply
fiber lines for Eastern Bulgaria, while Northern Telecom of the USA
will do the same for the Western part of the country.

According to Anton Slavinsi, Bulgarian Telecom's vice-president,
the lines involved will span a distance of 1,700km. Digital
exchanges for the network will be provided by Siemens of Germany and
Ericsson of Sweden, with Ericsson also providing an international
transit exchange for the network.

The project is reported to have cost US$300 million, of which US$155
million dollars was provided by World Bank, the European Bank for
Reconstruction and Development (EBRD) and the European Investment
Bank.

In a related story, Bulgarian Telecom has signed a deal with US
Sprint to fund a joint venture company that will provide computer
fax bureau services. Sprint will hold 60 percent of the networking
company. The first node on the network has already opened for
business in Sofia, with two more in Tarnovo (in North Bulgaria) and
Varna (a Black Sea port) opening up before the end of the month.

(Eugene Peskin & Kirill Tchashchin/19930602)


(NEWS)(TELECOM)(MOW)(00030)

C&W Secures Cellular Contract For Bulgaria 06/02/93
SOFIA, BULGARIA, 1993 JUN 01 (NB) -- Britain's Cable and Wireless
has announced plans to build a mobile cellular telephone system in
Sofia, the capital city of Bulgaria. C&W says it intends to invest
the profits from the venture in the country, rather than export the
cash to the West.

"We will maintain long-term investments in Bulgaria and all our
profits in the first three to four years will be reinvested,"
explained John Munnery, managing director of C&W.

The new company, named Radio Telecommunications Company (RT) is 49
percent owned by Cable and Wireless, with the rest going to
Bulgarian Telecommunications Company OOD (39 percent), smaller
corporations and two private individuals.

Munnery said that this year the Mobifon network, as the cellular
system is called, will cover Sofia and Plovdiv, Bulgaria's second
city, as well as the highway between them. The network should also
be expanded, to cover certain areas around the Black Sea ports of
Varna and Bourgas. 85 percent of the population is expected to be
covered by the new network at the end of 1999.

(Kirill Tchashchin/19930602)