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/nb930805

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(NEWS)(GOVT)(WAS)(00001)

Is Clinton Budget Plan Good For High-Tech? 08/05/93
WASHINGTON, DC, U.S.A., 1993 AUG 5 (NB) -- What with all the
smoke and mirrors, Windex and air cleaner sales are hitting new
highs here in Washington, but when you clear all the intentional
misrepresentations away is it just possible that the Clinton
Budget plan will actually boost high-tech sales? Yes, according
to some observers who point to the 75-percent increase in the new
plant and equipment tax credit which is often used by small
businesses to help pay for computer purchases.

In previous years a small business could purchase up to $10,000
worth of office or other equipment and deduct the entire amount
from their gross income, essentially giving them about 1/3 off
the purchase price by reducing the total tax burden.

In the earliest form of the so-called deficit reduction bill,
this plant and equipment deduction was pegged at $25,000, later
pared to $20,000 in the Senate-passed version of the budget bill.

Last week's reconciliation negotiations between the US House
and Senate saw the tax credit cut still further to $17,500 and
this is the amount which will be deductible for small businesses
if the bill is passed by both houses of Congress this week.

One CPA specializing in small business tax accounting told
Newsbytes that many businesses, especially home offices and other
operations with only a few employees, look to this tax credit each
year to determine just how much money they can afford to invest
in the equipment they need to help them expand their business or
improve efficiency.

By nearly doubling this investment incentive, the Clinton budget
bill, if passed, would probably spur an increased investment in
computer equipment.

Another part of the bill would provide a targeted capital gains
incentive for long term equity investments held longer than 5
years. This means that high-tech companies could see a new influx
of investment funds as high-income individuals seek to shelter
their investments from the new, much higher regular income tax
costs which are especially big for those who have incomes over
$250,000 per year.

Combined with very low interest rates, this big incentive to
switch investments into long-term capital gains areas, could
produce a real surge in investments which would remain available
for research and development for a minimum of five years.

(John McCormick/19930805/)


(NEWS)(GENERAL)(SFO)(00002)

Former Who Guitarist Townshend Warns Of Virtual Reality 08/05/93
BERKELEY, CALIFORNIA, U.S.A., 1993 AUG 5 (NB) -- Will rock and roll
or virtual reality save our mortal souls? Rock and roller Pete
Townshend warned the audience at the Berkeley Community Theatre
against trusting technology to deliver the truth this week.

In a performance of his latest extended musical narrative,
"Psycho Derelict," the former Who guitarist spun a tale of a widely
distributed virtual reality system called "Gridlife" where society
escapes daily concerns by slipping on VR suits. In a subplot that
echoes the main narrative's concerns with truth and deceit, Townshend
caustically sang about being "safe from harm on the grid." At one
point in the story, users demand a "universal grid" -- echoing
current calls for a data superhighway.

Spinner, Gridlife's hacker protagonist, plants a bug in
"Gridlife" to entice users out of their suits in order to attend
a rock concert.

Townshend worked similar technology themes in 1971 with the
"Lifehouse" project -- an aborted follow-up to the "Tommy" rock
opera. The songs from that effort latter became the basis for
"Who's Next," the first album to incorporate computer synthesizers
with mainstream rock and roll.

"Gridlife" updates the "Lifehouse" ideas by incorporating new
technologies such as virtual reality and networks. Ultimately,
"Psycho Derelict" focuses on the story of an aging rock star
without fully examining the technology themes in the "Gridlife"
subplot. Atlantic Records hints in its press materials
that Townshend may resurrect "Lifehouse" in its entirety. If so,
maybe the Who rocker will expand on his thoughts and give
techno-ethicists grist for their mills.

(Chris Sandlund/19930805)


(NEWS)(BUSINESS)(DEN)(00003)

Microsoft Acquires Part Of Gates' Own Company 08/05/93
REDMOND, WASHINGTON, U.S.A., 1993 AUG 5 (NB) -- Microsoft
Corporation announced yesterday that it will acquire some of the
technology and product development efforts of Continuum
Productions Corporation, a company owned by Microsoft Chairman
Bill Gates.

Gates is the chairman of the Bellevue, Washington-based firm,
which now plans to focus on its core activity - development of
a broad digital archive and mediabase of photographic
images, video footage, sound clips, and other media types.
Gates is known to be a digital art aficionado. The company says
the archive and mediabase will cover the gamut of human interest
topics, from architecture to art, to nature and science, to pop
culture and personalities, plus more.

However, the announcement says the portion of Continuum to be
purchased by Microsoft, once the deal is approved by the software
company's board of directors, will only include some previously
unannounced research and product development projects. "The
agreement will not include Continuum's previously announced core
activities of creating a media and content-rich digital database,
and its licensing agreements with the arts and other content
communities," according to Gates. Continuum President Steve
Arnold said he will be actively recruiting a senior executive to
lead the company. At the end of the recruiting and transition
period, Arnold will assume a yet-to-be-announced senior position
at Microsoft.

Microsoft declined to make public the terms of the deal, but said
"Microsoft is acquiring certain research and product development
projects related to unreleased advanced technology and consumer
products. Microsoft will not be purchasing Continuum's licensed
rights to content nor its database." Microsoft says the projects
it is purchasing are in areas where it was logical to combine
some aspects of the work being done by both companies,
integrating those efforts at Microsoft.

Continuum currently employs about 115 people. While the specific
details of who will move, where, and when haven't been worked out
yet, the approximately 55 Continuum employees affected will
reportedly be offered jobs at Microsoft.

(Jim Mallory/19930805/Press contact: Richard Brudvik- Lindner,
Waggener Edstrom for Microsoft, 206-637-9097)


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

Dell Begins Shipping 486 Systems To Best Buy Outlets 08/05/93
AUSTIN, TEXAS, U.S.A., 1993 AUG 5 (NB) -- Dell Computer
Cooperation said this week it has started shipping 486-based
personal computer systems to the 117 Best Buy retail outlets in
the central US. Best Buy is headquartered in Minneapolis.

Under an agreement reported several weeks ago by Newsbytes, Best
Buy will carry three of Dell's 486-based models. Those include
the 433s/L, 433/L, and 466/M. The systems will be configured with
a hard drive, monitor, and factory-installed software program.
The 466/M will also be available in a multimedia package which
will include a factory-installed sound board, a CD-ROM drive,
speakers, and a library of CD-ROM-based software.

In addition to installing the various applications, Dell provides
an icon for each application, so the computer can be removed from
the box, plugged in, and immediately used. "Once you get the
computer home, all you have to do is plug everything in, flip the
switch, and you'll be ready to run a whole suite of software
applications," according to Denis Jolly, Dell group vice
president of indirect sales.

Dell systems sold through Best Buy come with unlimited toll-free
telephone support for the life of the product, and one-year of
next-business-day onsite service provided through a Dell contract
with BancTec Service Corporation. Dell guarantees that when you
call their tech support line you will be speaking with a "live"
technician within five minutes, or they will send you a check or
a credit for $25. Similarly, if Dell can't fulfill its next-day
onsite service warranty, it will extend your warranty coverage
for one additional month.

(Jim Mallory/19930805/Press contact: Jill Shanks, Dell Computer,
512-728-4100; Reader contact: Dell Computer, 800-289-3355 0r 512-
338-4400, fax [phone])


(NEWS)(APPLE)(MSP)(00005)

Avid Technology's New Business Units, Products 08/05/93
TEWKSBURY, MASSACHUSETTS, U.S.A., 1993 AUG 5 (NB) -- Avid Technology,
a mainstay in random-access video editing, has announced three new
business units to deal with desktop, broadcast, and professional
video. New products for each division have also been announced and
are shipping.

This comes as Avid posted record revenues for the second quarter
of '93. Avid is reporting $26.3 million for this year over the
'92 second quarter earnings of $11.0 million.

Avid's goal is to see the basic news and programming production
chain in television broadcasting completely digitalized. This
market has been dominated by videotape-based technologies
manufactured by Sony, Panasonic and JVC, among others. The
exception in this digitization path is the field camera,
which still captures the image on tape. But once in-house,
images can be digitized with equipment like  Avid's new Media
Recorder, cut on its new non-linear Newscutter, and the master
transferred to and played back from its new AirPlay system. If Avid
has its way, the jargon will shift from ENG (electronic news
gathering) to DNG (digital news gathering).

According to Stevan Vigneaux, senior product manager at Avid,
there are about a dozen broadcast facilities worldwide including
the British Broadcasting Corporation, which use either part or
all of the new product line. The products have been shipping since
June 30. All these units have record capabilities.

Vigneaux also noted that the US market has been somewhat slow to
explore digitization in the everyday world of television news
and programming.

Newsbytes contacted a television station where the Newscutter was
demonstrated. The general consensus of the crew was that compression
technology is still not up to standards offered by videotape. The
picture quality was not as good as tape, they told Newsbytes, but
the bigger consideration was time. Daily broadcast news organizations
have minimum turn-around time. Stories are brought in, edited, and
are on the air within hours. The need to digitize the field tape,
edit it, and then dump back to tape for actual broadcast was felt
to be simply too time consuming.

These complaints are not new and represent a stumbling block for
Avid and others involved in digital video.

However, Vigneaux disagreed, saying Avid's research estimates that
50% to 70% of all source material arrives at broadcast station not
on tape but by satellite or microwave. This means it can be dumped
to disc immediately. Also, field tapes often sit unedited
while reporters write scripts or take care of other business. The
tapes could be digitized during that time, with automatic clip lists
generated by the time code breaks on the video tape, he suggests.
Select reels can also be put together without regard to order of
shots.

Vigneaux commented that for about the same capital outlay as videotape,
one could use digitization and go three times faster. Vigneaux's basic
argument is that very minimal procedural changes in current daily
news methods could accommodate a technology which could maximize
production flexibility and speed.

The other business units and products from Avid are aimed at two
different groups. Traditional high-end video professionals are
familiar with the Media Composer and Audio Vision, which allow
random access editing of picture and sound. The CBS network will
be using the Media Composer to produce two upcoming specials --
a look at the year 1968 hosted by Mike Wallace and the 60 Minutes
25th anniversary special.

A new group for Avid deals with desktop video. For freelance
and corporate producers, Avid is offering Media Suite Pro and
the VideoShop editing package using QuickTime. Avid is announcing
ver 2.0 of Media Suite Pro at Macworld. VideoShop was obtained when
Avid acquired DiVA corporation in February of1993.

(Nick Gorski/19930805/Press Contact: Mimi Englander, Avid,
508-640-3157)


(NEWS)(GENERAL)(DEN)(00006)

Microsoft Interactive TV Involvement Heats Up 08/05/93
REDMOND, WASHINGTON, U.S.A., 1993 AUG 5 (NB) -- Microsoft
Corporation will enter into a number of partnerships in the
coming 12 months involving interactive television.

That's what Microsoft Chairman Bill Gates told reporters
yesterday. Interactive television allows the viewer to respond in
some fashion to what they see on their TV screen. Gates wants
that fashion to be a version of Microsoft's Windows software.

Gates told reporters most of the partnerships will be small pilot
projects to test equipment and software, but some will be hard-
core joint ventures. As reported previously by Newsbytes, Gates
has already had discussions with Time Warner and TV system
operator Telecommunications Inc., about forming an interactive TV
system, as well as with every regional telephone operating
company and "every significant cable company, say all the top
10," according to Gates, but no deal has been finalized.

Gates said he is amazed at what he described as "the feeding
frenzy or the gold rush" around digital convergence of TV and
computers. Gates confirmed that Microsoft has several hundred
employees working on the development of interactive technology
under the direction of Nathan Myhrvold, senior VP of advanced
technology. Microsoft reportedly already has an agreement with
Intel Corporation and General Instrument corporation to
collaborate on a new machine that could be used for two-way
interactive television transmissions.

Gates, who describes himself as an optimist, admits the large
amounts of money being spent on interactive TV projects could be
wasted, but he doesn't think that will happen. "There's no doubt
we could bomb," he told reporters. "I could take this $50 million
a year (Microsoft's interactive technology budget) and it could
all be wasted. That's the name of the game."

Microsoft is also reportedly looking into possible launch of or
participation in an on-line computer dialup service as a means of
distributing information and even software. Gates did not identify
any possible partners in such a venture. Gates' former partner Paul
Allen holds a significant ownership share in America Online (AOL),
one of the online subscriber services. Allen recently notified the
Securities and Exchange Commission he might acquire AOL, a step
that could make that service a candidate as the distribution
vehicle.

Gates told reporters Microsoft has nothing to fear from a
potential Justice Department investigation into the company's
business practices. Newsbytes reported earlier this week that the
Justice Department might enter or take over the three-year long
probe presently being conducted by the Federal Trade Commission.
Gates said Microsoft has not been formally notified Justice has
or will enter the investigation. "If Justice wants to look at
everything we've done, that's fine. There's nothing that causes
us the slightest concern," said Gates. The FTC has deadlocked
at least twice in votes to take action against Microsoft.

(Jim Mallory/19930805/Press and reader contact: Microsoft
Corporation, 206-882-8080)


(NEWS)(TRENDS)(TOR)(00007)

Mainframe's Future Dim, Forrester Study Says 08/05/93
CAMBRIDGE, MASSACHUSETTS, U.S.A., 1993 AUG 5 (NB) -- There are
sad days ahead for mainframe computers, a recent study concludes.
Once the mainstay of corporate computing, they are slowly fading
into irrelevance. Some have already been put out to pasture, and
more will follow as the world moves to client/server computing
and smaller, cheaper hardware.

In a report entitled The Mainframe's Fate, Forrester Research,
Inc., concludes that despite what some diehard mainframe
manufacturers say, the big machines have little place in
client/server computing. Forrester asked 50 companies from the
Fortune 1000 list of the biggest US firms whether they are
using mainframe computers as servers or would consider doing so.
Only 20 percent said they are using a mainframe as a server now,
and 34 percent were adamant they would never consider it.

That points to a continuing decline in mainframe sales, said Neal
Hill, senior analyst for computing strategy at Forrester. "I
think what's happening is the dollars are flowing out of the
centralized position that the mainframe has held," he told
Newsbytes.

Forrester is not predicting the mainframe's extinction any time
soon. It will continue to see some use as a central data
warehouse. Of those surveyed, 45 percent said they would use a
host system as a central data repository. Only 20 percent said
the mainframe has no future at all, and at the other extreme, 20
percent said it will remain their primary application platform.
Fifty-two percent said its future is in supporting large
databases.

However, Hill said, five of the 50 companies surveyed, or 10
percent, had already unplugged their mainframe computers. Another
18 percent said they are aiming to reduce their dependence on
mainframes.

Forrester predicts the emergence of a new class of corporate
servers, which will fill the role some mainframe vendors have
tried to claim for their machines. These will be larger and more
powerful than today's departmental servers such as Compaq
Computer Corp.'s SystemPro, Hill said. They will use the most
powerful microprocessors, such as Intel's recently launched
Pentium or various reduced instruction set computing (RISC) chips
-- Digital Equipment Corp.'s Alpha or the PowerOpen design from
IBM, Apple, and Motorola's joint venture.

In many cases, Hill added, these corporate servers will use
multiple processors.

According to Forrester, IBM, the quintessential mainframe
company, could have a future in this corporate server market --
but it will need to work with other partners to succeed.

(Grant Buckler/19930805/Press Contact: Debbie Cyr, Forrester
Research, 617-497-7090)


(NEWS)(IBM)(LON)(00008)

UK - NEC Intros Ultralite Versa 33 08/04/93
LONDON, ENGLAND, 1993 AUG 4 (NB) -- NEC has unveiled the Ultralite
Versa 33, the latest member of its modular notebook range of PCs.
The Versa 33 is based around a 33 megahertz (MHz) 80486SL processor
and is available in a variety of configurations from UKP 2,575
upwards.

This price tag gets you a monochrome screen unit with two PCMCIA
(Personal Computer Memory Card Industry Association) card slots and
a 180 megabyte (MB) hard disk. The active matrix color TFT (thin
film transistor) screen version with the same specifications costs
UKP 3,525.

According to NEC, the modular nature of the machine means that the
mono screen can be upgraded to color if required and, if extra
battery power is needed, the floppy drive unit can be slotted out
and replaced with a second battery.

Steve Finnimore, NEC PC Division's product marketing manager, claims
that the Versa 33 excels in terms of fast performance with low power
consumption. This new machine, he said, pushes the already high
performance of the first Ultralite machine.

"The first Ultralite Versa was greeted with much critical acclaim.
The level of modularity attained is still unmatched in the market.
Innovations such as local bus video and Doubletime set it apart as a
feature-rich and user-friendly notebook PC, providing professional
and domestic users with greater control over their computing
requirements," he said.

"The Ultralite Versa 33 builds on this by adding greater system
performance, a 180MB hard disk as standard, and the introduction of
any easy-to-use trackball mouse," he added.

NEC was the pioneer of TFT active matrix screen technology and, as a
result, the Versa 33's color screen can display up to 256 colors on-
screen at the same time in 640 x 480 pixel resolution, from a total
palette of 226,000 colors.

Unlike passive matrix, which NEC claims is the norm on many color
notebooks, the active matrix screen provides a wider viewing angle,
faster screen refresh rates and higher contrast than before. The 9.4
inch super twist nematic monochrome LCD screen, meanwhile, can
display up to 64 shades of grey.

(Steve Gold/19930804/Press & Public Contact: NEC PC Division - Tel:
081-993-8111)


(NEWS)(IBM)(DEN)(00009)

NSTL Rates Access, FoxPro DMBS Programs Best 08/05/93
REDMOND, WASHINGTON, U.S.A., 1993 AUG 5 (NB) -- Microsoft
Corporation says recent testing by the National Software Testing
Laboratories (NSTL) rated its two database programs the top multiuser
database management systems (DBMS) for Windows. The test results
appeared in the July 1993 Software Digest Rating Report published by
NSTL.

Access received the highest overall score with a 7.7, while FoxPro
2.5 for Windows got a 7.6. The ratings range from 0 to 10 with 10
being the highest possible score. In its comments, NSTL said about
Access "a comprehensive usability evaluation of both end user and
developer functionality finds Microsoft Access the easiest to learn
and use." Of FoxPro the lab said "it brings powerful screen builder
and Rushmore indexing technology to the Windows environment. The
product maintains a reputation for outstanding performance earned by
earlier versions for MS-DOS."

Microsoft Senior VP of Database and Development Tools Roger Heinen
called the testing "detailed and rigorous." He said the report will
help hundreds of thousands of customers to decide to select Access
and FoxPro.

Microsoft Access is available as a stand-alone product and is also
packaged as part of the Microsoft Office software suite. FoxPro is
sold as a stand-alone package.

NSTL said Access scored "excellent" in 13 of the 17 categories it
uses, with the remaining scores being "good." It said, "By and
large the best product overall, combining reasonably good
speed...with unsurpassed usability."

The testing lab said FoxPro got a 9.7 out of 10 in performance, and
an 8.4 in the power category.

(Jim Mallory/19930804/Press contact: Catherine Miller, Microsoft
Corporation, 206-882-8080 or 800-426-9400)


(NEWS)(TELECOM)(LON)(00010)

Compuserve Offers British Travel Information 08/05/93
BRISTOL, AVON, ENGLAND, 1993 AUG 5 (NB) -- Compuserve has announced
a deal with Intacom and the British Tourist Authority, under which
the companies will offer "Travel Britain Online" on Compuserve.

The aim of the service is to offer subscribers based in the UK, as
well as those intending to travel to the UK, the ability to access
information on upcoming cultural and sports events, as well as
details of that important British landmark, the pub.

A total of 21 types of events are listed on the Compuserve service,
including anniversaries, art exhibitions, concerts and recitals, as
well as literature festivals and events at historic houses.

Travel Britain Online also includes a listing of recommended London
pubs catalogued by location (City, West End or Riverside) and the
latest travel news, including news from the British Tourist
Authority.

According to a spokesman for Compuserve, the addition of the Travel
Britain Online service is part of an ongoing plan to enhance the
range of English services on Compuserve, for UK subscribers.

In the past the online service has acknowledged to Newsbytes that
the ratio of US to European information is weighted heavily in favor
of the US. This is something the company claims it wants to change
for its European subscribers.

(Steve Gold/19930804/Press & Public Contact: Compuserve UK - Tel:
0734-391064; Fax: [phone]; Email on the Internet:
[e-mail])


(NEWS)(APPLE)(BOS)(00012)

MacWorld - Claris' CrossPlatform Smart Graphics Packages 08/05/93
BOSTON, MASSACHUSETTS, U.S.A., 1993 AUG 5 (NB) -- In a press
conference at MacWorld this week, Claris unveiled a new cross-
platform graphics strategy that will start out with ClarisDraw and
ClarisImpact, two packages that feature "intelligent assistants"
and libraries of predefined objects.

The Mac and Windows editions of both applications will be based on
the new Claris Graphics Engine (CGE), allowing files to be shared
across applications and platforms without the image degradation
that can come from format conversion, officials told a standing-
room-only crowd of journalists.

Daniel I. Eilers, president and CEO, said that ClarisImpact 1.0 and
ClarisDraw 1.0 are directed at business and generalist users who
need easy-to-use yet powerful graphics.

ClarisImpact combines all the tools needed for creating reports and
presentations in a single package, preventing the need for a
hodgepodge of different drawing spreadsheet, charting, word
processing, and presentation products, he stated. ClarisDraw, a
"smart" update to MacDraw, is the first drawing application from
Claris to be offered for Windows as well as the Mac.

Each application comes with more than 3,000 predefined objects
organized into libraries based on subject matter. Intelligent
assistants are used to automatically size, positioned and otherwise
manipulate the objects.

Mel Badgett, product line manager for graphics, showed journalists
how the software works. To build an organizational chart in
ClarisImpact, Badgett selected the OrgChart Model, or library. A
dialog box came up that asked how many subordinates he wanted, how
the chart should flow, and what styles (colors, fonts, etc.) he
desired.

The application then automatically brought up objects (in this case
boxes) for the chart, creating, connecting them with lines and
arranging them in correct relationship on the page.

Badgett also showed how the user can easily modify or edit the
boxes if a change such as a company reorganization occurs. The
"smart helpers" will then automatically resize, reconnect, and
realign the objects.

In another illustration, Babbage portrayed how ClarisImpact can be
used to construct a golf course, and to automatically insert an
object from the golf library into text, complete with word wrap.

ClarisDraw provides smart tools for freeform art. Badgett
demonstrated how a Point Guide in the 24-bit color package
automatically finds the centers of objects.

Other intelligent assistants in ClarisDraw include a Shapes tool
that automatically creates 16 common geometric shapes, a
SmartShadow tool that produces drop-shadows in a single click, and
more.

ClarisDraw also comes with a full suite of standard tools palettes,
image editing effects, and text editing tools, as well as special
effects that include fades, drops, automatic advance, and
background colors.

The intelligent agents in ClarisDraw can be employed with user-
created custom objects. In addition, ClarisImpact and ClarisDraw
each provide "smart support" for the predefined objects, and for
imported and scanned-in graphics and Quicktime movies.

In developing ClarisImpact, ClarisDraw, and other products, Claris
pays great attention to detail, and also incorporates features that
are easy to learn and remember because they follow logical
patterns, said Tony Fernandes, manager of human interface design.

To underscore the importance of patterns in learning, Fernandes
reeled off a long list of random numbers, and then asked whether
any of the journalists present could recall the sequence. "Even if
you remember it now, you'll probably forget it later on," he noted.
In contrast, the sequence 1-0-1-0-1-0-1-0-1-0 is relatively easy to
recall, he explained.

Claris also conducts in-depth usability studies at customer sites
to find out what users really want in software, according to
Fernandes. One company finding is that "Drag-and-drop is not
always useful," he said. One respondent told Claris, for instance,
that having to drag-and-drop ten separate objects for a chart
representing ten people would be unnecessarily time consuming.

Claris has also discovered the importance of using objects that are
"natural" in appearance, he said. A bookshelf object, for example,
is easier for users to recognize as a library icon if some of the
books are tilted slightly to the right or left.

ClarisImpact 1.0 for the Mac is expected to ship in October of this
year, and ClarisDraw 1.0 for the Mac in early 1994. The Windows
editions of both applications are slated for availability in the
spring of 1994. Each package will be priced at $399.

(Jacqueline Emigh/19930805/Reader contact: Claris Customer
Relations, tel [phone]; Press contacts: Greg Cornelison,
Claris, tel [phone]; Steve Ruddock, Claris, tel [phone])


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

Rep Condit Urges Sensible CD-ROM Pricing 08/05/93
WASHINGTON, DC, U.S.A., 1993 AUG 5 (NB) -- In the wake of a
recent General Accounting Office which showed a wide, and
apparently senseless variation in the prices charged by
government agencies for public data published on CD-ROM discs,
Representative Condit, Democrat from California, has called for
closer monitoring of prices charged for public data.

Titles carried in the federal catalog of CD-ROM titles published
by the US Geological Service range from under $20 to nearly $2,000.

Replication costs for a single CD-ROM (which excludes the cost of
gathering and preparing data) is in the $2-$5 range depending on
quantity, but some federal data is being sold by the National
Technical Information Service at prices over $1,000, while the
Government Publishing Office charges about $30 per disc.

The problem here is that the NIST, a part of the US Department
of Commerce, is a self-sustaining agency. That means it is supposed
to charge enough for its publications that it can break even at the
end of the year rather than require large subsidies.

This means that if an agency chooses to publish its data on a CD-
ROM sold by the GPO it will cost very little, while if it sends
the data to the NIST it will probably be relatively expensive.

Since the public has already paid for the collection of all this
data, many public interest groups are concerned that information
is essentially being withheld from the public by high prices to
publish the data.

Federal Computer Week dated August 2 says that Rep. Condit,
chairman of the House Government Operations Committee's
Subcommittee on Information, Justice, Transportation, and
Agriculture, has written to the Office of Management and Budget
calling for closer monitoring of agency charges to determine if
some are in violation of the new Clinton Administration Circular
A-130 which directs that data be made available to the public at
cost.

(John McCormick/19930805/)


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

IBM Forms Environmental Health And Safety Unit 08/05/93
WHITE PLAINS, NEW YORK, U.S.A., 1993 AUG 5 (NB) -- Drawing on
expertise it has built up over years of complying with -- and
sometimes anticipating -- health and safety regulations, IBM is
going into the business of helping other companies clean up their
acts.

The company has set up Environment Health and Safety Technology
Services (ETS) as a unit of its Industrial Sector Division, a
group that offers various products and services to manufacturing
customers.

ETS will have a core staff of about five full-time people, who
will draw on IBM's resources worldwide to tackle projects for
clients, said company spokesman Andy Russell.

The company does not plan to hire added staff to run the new
unit, Russell said. He said IBM has a good deal of existing
knowhow in the field, having been "way ahead of regulation" in
its environmental and safety provisions for many years.

In a prepared statement, Pat Toole, senior vice-president of
manufacturing and development at IBM, said: "Within IBM we have
long applied our information technology skills and management
resources to achieve our world-class reputation in pollution
prevention and compliance management. We are now taking our
experiences and providing custom services to meet our customers'
EHS management needs."

The new ETS unit will provide services "wherever customers want,"
Russell said, but will probably do most of its early business in
the United States.

(Grant Buckler/19930805/Press Contact: Andy Russell, IBM,
203-973-7644)


(NEWS)(APPLE)(TOR)(00015)

PenMagic, Apple, Unite On Newton Software 08/05/93
VANCOUVER, BRITISH COLUMBIA, CANADA, 1993 AUG 5 (NB) -- PenMagic
Software Inc., Apple Computer Inc., and Money Magazine have
worked together to create two software packages for Apple's new
Newton MessagePad personal digital assistant (PDA). Under an
agreement among the three companies, Apple will have the sole
right to sell the two new packages for the Newton's operating
system.

The packages are called Money Magazine Business Forms and Money
Magazine Financial Assistant. PenMagic worked with Money Magazine
to define the needs of Newton users, and created the software.

Money Magazine Business Forms is a collection of 14 intelligent
business forms meant to automate tasks such as sales orders,
invoices, estimates, time billings, and expense tracking. A user
writes data onto an electronic form called a chit, and the
software automatically organizes the data, the companies said.

Money Magazine Financial Assistant is a financial calculator that
comes with 45 pieces of "smart digital paper" for doing chores
like currency conversions, borrowing and interest calculations,
bond yields, purchasing power and inflation analysis, and
retirement savings calculations.

The suggested retail price of Money Magazine Business Forms is
US$39.95, and Money Magazine Financial Assistant will list for
US$99.95.

While only Apple will sell the two packages for the Newton, there
is a good chance PenMagic will be offering them, or something
similar, for other pen-based operating systems, said Ron
McIntyre, vice-president of sales and marketing at the Vancouver
firm. He said the company has already done some work with
business forms for Go Corp.'s PenPoint operating system, on which
PenMagic's own existing products run. However, he said it is not
yet certain whether PenMagic would have the right to use Money
Magazine's name on similar offerings for PenPoint or any other
operating system.

On the other hand, McIntyre said PenMagic has no immediate plans
to offer its existing Numero financial software or its
LetterExpress letter-writing software for the Newton. Both are
currently available for PenPoint.

McIntyre said the first Newton's memory limitations would
probably rule out offering a version of Numero at the moment.
LetterExpress could be made to run on the MessagePad, he said,
but PenMagic is not announcing any plans to do so for now.

(Grant Buckler/19930805/Press Contact: Ron McIntyre, PenMagic,
604-988-9982, fax [phone])


(NEWS)(GENERAL)(WAS)(00016)

Intel, Cyrix Reach Coprocessor Agreement 08/05/93
WASHINGTON, DC, U.S.A., 1993 AUG 5 (NB) -- Ever since the end of
1990, chip-giant Intel and tiny innovative Cyrix have been in a
legal dispute over Cyrix's sale of a Taiwan-produced Intel-
compatible math coprocessor chip which was not only much less
expensive than Intel's, but was also faster. That dispute may
have finally been settled with a new agreement between the
parties which will take effect if the court agrees to
drop a Cyrix antitrust case against Intel.

The original case, which went to trial before the US District
Court for the Eastern District of Texas in January, 1992, was
decided in Cyrix's favor a bit more than a year ago. It had to do
with cross licensing agreements between Intel and Cyrix's
supplier SGS-Thomson.

The second case, scheduled for October, 1993, would have involved
Cyrix's allegations that Intel had violated antitrust laws and
the company's contention that certain Intel patents are both
invalid and unenforceable.

Under the recently concluded agreement, if Intel's appeal of the
July 1992 case is denied then the company will make a one-time
payment to Cyrix of $500,000 and if the ruling is overturned
(decided in Intel's favor), then Cyrix would pay a one-time
license fee of $2 million to Intel. In either case Cyrix would be
deemed to have a license to produce math coprocessors under the
disputed license.

Math Coprocessors, which are used with 80486SX or any 80386,
80386SX, 80286, or 8086-88 compatible microprocessor, performs
certain advanced math calculations much more rapidly because they
contain special algorithms geared just to handle these
operations.

The 80486 and Pentium microprocessors come with built-in math
coprocessor segments except for the 80486SX chips which have that
portion of the chip shut off.

In reality, math coprocessors are not used by very many programs
other than those which perform a lot of graphics operations, but
when a program does make use of the math coprocessor's functions
it will operate as much as 10-times faster than it would if
relying on a microprocessor without the special coprocessor
functions.

(John McCormick/19930805/Press Contact: CONTACT: John Thompson,
Intel Corporation, 408-765-1279 or Jodi Shelton, Cyrix
Corporation, 214-994-8238)


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

Prodigy Signs Second Newspaper Chain Deal 08/05/93
WHITE PLAINS, NEW YORK, U.S.A., 1993 AUG 5 (NB) -- Prodigy signed
Times Mirror to its second newspaper chain affiliation agreement.
Earlier it had signed a deal with Cox Enterprises to link
newspapers to its online service.

The main difference between this and the Cox deal is that, in
addition to owning cable systems and newspaper properties, the
Times Mirror also owns a number of magazines, including The
Sporting News. Such tie-ups are seen as an important way for
online services to attract new customers, and for publishers to
protect themselves from possible online competition.

Under the agreement, Times Mirror will offer stories from its
newspapers, including the Los Angeles Times and Newsday, starting
early next year, then expand that to its Baltimore Sun;
Allentown, Pa., Morning Call, Hartford Courant, Stamford Advocate
and Greenwich Time later in the year. The newspaper services, and
interactive discussions arising from them, will be marketed on a
local level. All this is similar to the Cox deal, which will
first cover The Atlanta Journal-Constitution. Times Mirror said
it will sell access to the local version of Prodigy for a flat
fee, with optional access to Prodigy's national service on a per-
minute or per-month basis. National Prodigy subscribers will also
be able to add the Times Mirror services for an added fee.

The rush first started last year when The Tribune Co., owners of
The Chicago Tribune, bought an equity stake in America Online and
began producing local versions of the service with Tribune
papers. Analysts like Josh Harris of Jupiter Communications have
written that deals like this are a real threat to CompuServe, the
most profitable consumer online services, because they could draw
customers away from it. But CompuServe is handicapped, Harris has
written, because of its text-only service and limited number of
tools available for system managers, a product of the fact its
basic system software dates from the 1970s.

Prodigy has said it is also interested in links with cable
television companies, and has set up a group to search for those
tie-ups. Under the deal with Times-Mirror, such links will only
be explored. Prodigy would be able to deliver screens of
information much faster on cable, with its high bandwidth, than
it can presently through the phone network, where speed is
usually limited to 9,600 bits/second. Prodigy is a joint venture
between IBM and Sears which claims Prodigy has 2 million members,
including all family members using shared IDs. It has yet to turn
a profit.

Throughout the late 1980s, a number of newspaper companies, most
notably Times Mirror and Cox, had explored the idea of creating
their own online services. They backed off, sometimes after
experimenting with small services, due to the cost and difficulty
of turning a profit, as well as the limited graphics capability
of the systems that resulted.

(Dana Blankenhorn/19930805/Press Contact: Times Mirror, Martha
Goldstein, 213-237-3727; Prodigy Services, 914-993-8000)


(NEWS)(TELECOM)(ATL)(00018)

White House Forum Hit By Controversy 08/05/93
COLUMBUS, OHIO, U.S.A., 1993 AUG 5 (NB) -- A recent controversy
on CompuServe's White House Forum illustrates some of the
problems faced by online system operators as their offerings
reach the mass market.

While Prodigy strictly limits what users can post online, and
many bulletin boards let practically anything go, CompuServe has
long tried to find a middle ground. The system's message bases,
organized in what are called "forums," all have moderators, who
issue roughly similar guidelines to keep down personal insults.
These moderators have the power to move messages and lock-out
users from message sections, but they try to use their power with
discretion, since their job is to stimulate message traffic and
not kill it. Controversy is also reduced, in part, by
CompuServe's long-standing policy of deleting all messages from
public view after about a week -- sometimes more, sometimes less,
depending on the popularity of a board.

Georgia Griffith is one of CompuServe's more experienced
moderators, and handles some of the roughest topics, including
political and religious issues. When the service recently decided
to create a White House forum, with a CompuServe-directed message
based backed up by library file postings directly from the top of
the US government, Griffith and some assistants took the job of
monitoring it. She posted a fairly standard set of rules,
warning against obscene language, personal insults,
advertisements, and the like. While President Clinton is not
known to have signed onto the Forum, Griffith listed him as a
member, meaning personal insults directed at him were forbidden.

Within Griffith's IssuesForum, perhaps the most popular section
is devoted to fans of the Rush Limbaugh show. There, Scott Place
is the section manager, and his policies are more freewheeling.
"I tend to run a very loose ship and unless things really get
nasty, I let the participants go with the flow," he wrote
Newsbytes in answer to an online note. The Limbaugh section is
also one of the system's most popular, and many of the titles for
"threads," or series of messages, in the Limbaugh section are
personal insults against the President which, based on her
guidelines, Griffith would feel obliged to delete from the White
House Forum.

Thus, the stage was set. Some CompuServe members, mostly Limbaugh
section users, began posting to the White House Forum. Some of
the messages were sent to Newsbytes by Griffith, who notes that
she personally saves controversial threads for an extended period
in order to defend her decisions. She dealt with the messages she
found objectionable in her usual way, posting some to sections
where only the posters and their targets could see them, warning
other users of the rules. Offended at the atmosphere, some of
those who'd been dealt with cried "censorship," first in the
Limbaugh section, later on the service's Journalism Forum and
elsewhere. The result was to stir up reporters on the eve of
crucial votes over the President's budget, with some wondering,
before they investigated, whether the White House was trying to
stifle its critics.

It seems clear, from Newsbytes' investigation, that didn't
happen. In fact, the White House had no involvement in any of the
resulting message threads. What did happen is that moderators had
different interpretations of the same set of guidelines, which
collided in a rash of what online users call "flaming," angry
messages which read as though flames were coming out of their
authors' fingertips. It's also an object lesson on how difficult
it is to maintain a middle ground, between an "anything goes"
policy and complete control of the online environment.

(Dana Blankenhorn/19930805/Press Contact: CompuServe, Dave
Kishler, 614-457-8600)


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

Disney Signs With America Online 08/05/93
BURBANK, CALIFORNIA, U.S.A., 1993 AUG 5 (NB) -- The Walt Disney
Co. took its first small step online, as its Disney Adventures
magazine signed to make the publication available through the
America Online service. Issues of the publication will be loaded
a week before they hit newstands, and the service will also be
used for daily focus groups and online chats with up to 1,000
users at once in the AOL "auditorium."

The move is important, not only because the magazine sells nearly
1 million copies per month, but strategically as well. Industry
analysts like Josh Harris of Jupiter Communications are
predicting that major media companies like Disney and Time Inc.
will be dominating the online market in coming years, and
alliances with existing online companies are the first step
toward reaching the market. America Online already has an
agreement to load issues of Time Magazine, as well as news items
from Cable News Network. It also has copies of Knight-Ridder and
Tribune Co. newspapers, with local versions of the service
available in cities where those newspaper companies do business.

(Dana Blankenhorn/19930805/Press Contact: The Walt Disney Co.
818-560-1026; America Online, 703-448-8700)


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

US West Upgrades Analog Cellular Network In Minneapolis 08/05/93
MINNEAPOLIS, MINNESOTA, U.S.A., 1993 AUG 5 (NB) -- US West
Cellular has completed the upgrade of its analog cellular
network in the Minneapolis/St. Paul area and announced new
messaging services offered by the new system.

The new system is called Narrowband Advanced Mobile Phone
Service, or NAMPS, and it's an enhancement from Motorola of the
AMPS system long used on North American cellular networks. As
its name implies, NAMPS divides a cellular system's frequency
into more calling channels, increasing capacity without
digitizing every call. NAMPS increases a system's capacity but
retains the same basic analog design, although new phones which
can handle both NAMPS and AMPS are needed, just as is the case
with digital services. Most analysts, however, consider NAMPS an
interim step toward digital systems like Time Division Multiple
Access, or TDMA, and Code Division Multiple Access, or CDMA.

US West has said in the past it wants to upgrade to the CDMA system,
which offers 10 times the capacity of present analog networks,
instead of the TDMA system endorsed by the industry's trade
association, which offers just three times analog capacity.
Recent releases of NAMPS by Motorola offer about the same
capacity increase as TDMA.

As an enhancement to NAMPS, Motorola is also offering a number of
new messaging services, which US West is implementing in its
Minnesota upgrade, available to users of Nokia or Motorola
branded cellular phones. These include a short messaging service,
with messages like "call home," displayed on a small screen on
each phone, notification of waiting messages, using a short beep,
a "call-back number" feature which lets calls be returned by
pressing one key, and new services to improve call hand-offs
between cells.

US West is offering what it calls its new Digital Messaging
Services as a package for $9.95 per month, which include a voice
mailbox. All the services were introduced when the company
upgraded its Seattle and Denver systems earlier this year.

(Dana Blankenhorn/19930805/Press Contact: US West Cellular,
Wendy Carver-Herbert, 303/782-1800)


(NEWS)(BUSINESS)(SFO)(00021)

AlphaGraphics, Apple, Kodak Team On CD-ROM 08/05/93
TUSCON, ARIZONA, U.S.A., 1993 AUG 5 (NB) -- Tucson-based
international franchiser AlphaGraphics has teamed up with
Eastman Kodak and Apple Computer to offer CD-ROM technology
at its printing stores.

Jean McKnight, spokesperson for AlphaGraphics, told Newsbytes
that, "We've been working with Apple and Kodak to offer CD-ROM
technology in our stores. Which means that AlphaGraphics
customers can bring a CD of any information they want printed.
It can be a rough copy or a completed sales brochure or annual report.
It allows our customers much greater flexibility in transferring
documents and also much greater accuracy in getting documents
printed."

McKnight explained briefly each company's role in the deal, by
saying, "The CD-ROM technology is actually coming from Kodak.
Apple is involved in the alliance because Alphagraphics stores
use Apple Macintosh equipment."

The process involves Kodak's Photo CD technology. Customers
will be able to convert full color images to digital form on a
Mac which can then be integrated into color documents.

In terms of the information on the CD-ROM, McKnight said that,
"It depends on what the customer would like to have printed.
AlphaGraphic stores employ graphic designers, so they can create
something for a client and print it at the store - the client can
take the CD with them."

She gave an example, "Let's say they are in LA and they need to
produce a annual report in Japan. They can take the CD-ROM
that was designed by AlphaGraphics, print their annual report in
LA, take the CD-ROM on their flight with them to Japan, and have
the exact same thing printed in Japan. They just carry a disk with
them. They don't have to fool with shipping the actual annual
reports. They save money and time. It's just a great convenience."

AlphaGraphics is reported to have 330 franchises in 18
countries.

(Ian Stokell/19930805)


(NEWS)(BUSINESS)(SFO)(00022)

Artisoft Earns $9.4M In Fiscal 1993 08/05/93
TUCSON, ARIZONA, U.S.A., 1993 AUG 5 (NB) -- As further indication
that publishing networking software is the place to be, Artisoft Inc.,
has posted net sales of $84.6 million, and net earnings of $9.4
million, or $0.52 per share, for the fiscal year ended June 30, 1993.
Artisoft's main product is the popular LANtastic peer-to-peer
network operating system (NOS).

Peer-to-peer NOS products, like LANtastic, are highly popular
alternatives to high-end NOSes such as the market leading NetWare,
because they do not need a dedicated server. With peer-to-peer
systems any computer on the local area network (LAN) can be both
a client and a server if need be.

For the fourth quarter, 1993, net sales were $19.6 million, and net
earnings were $2.2 million, or $0.12 per share, compared to net
sales of $21.4 million and net earnings of $4.2 million, or $0.23 per
share, for the same quarter of 1992.

Foreign sales continue to be a major source of revenue for Artisoft.
International sales for fiscal 1993 were 29 percent of total sales.
In fiscal 1992 they were 26 percent of total sales. For the fourth
quarter of 1993, international sales accounted for a high 36 percent
of total sales.

In announcing the results, William C. Keiper, president and chief
executive officer, said, "The company was challenged by upgrading
and improving management systems, by a change in product sales
mix that adversely impacted revenues and operating margins, and
by new entrants into the marketplace. Market changes and
competitive challenges will continue to be part of our business."

In speaking of the networking market generally, Keiper said, "For
network operating system products, we recognize that end users in
small business, home, workgroup, corporate and enterprise
environments have networking needs that cannot be optimized by
one product, no matter how flexible. We are developing a family of
LANtastic products scaled to the needs of various network
environments."

Just a week ago, Newsbytes reported that Artisoft had
implemented a new "900 number" telephone service providing
"priority" technical support. The company already offered free
technical support service. The company said that, using the new
phone line for a cost of $2.50 per minute, end users and resellers
in the domestic United States can receive a "quicker response to
their request for technical assistance."

In July, Newsbytes also reported that Artisoft had begun shipping
its two new external, 10Base-T concentrators - the eight-port
T-Runner 800/TC concentrator priced at $449, and the twelve-
port T-Runner 1200/TC concentrator priced at $749.

Also in the past month, Artisoft has added fault tolerance to its
LANtastic product via an agreement with No Stop, as reported by
Newsbytes. No Stop calls its fault tolerant technology "No Stop
Networking." Artisoft is offering the network upgrade to all users
of LANtastic. Once installed, the upgrade duplicates all hard disk
writes to a second driver, which writes them to a second hard drive.

(Ian Stokell/19930805/Press Contact: Nora Tangeman,
602-670-7303, Artisoft)


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

Banyan Systems Expands Manufacturing Facility 08/05/93
WESTBORO, MASSACHUSETTS, U.S.A., 1993 AUG 5 (NB) -- Banyan
Systems Inc., has opened a new 100,000 square foot manufacturing
and distribution facility near its existing corporate offices. The
company says that the new facility offers twice the space of the
previous site in nearby Marlboro.

The move comes just a couple of weeks after posting what the
company claims is its 27th consecutive profitable quarter, and a
year after going public.

Banyan markets its high-end Vines network operating system (NOS).
Up until the release of Novell's NetWare 4.0, Vines was
generally considered the best NOS for internetworking large groups
of networks over large distances. It remains to be seen if NetWare
4.0 will have any effect on Vines sales as the new version matures.

In announcing the expansion, Banyan Chairman and Chief Executive
Officer David C. Mahoney, said, "We are very pleased that, over the
past decade, Banyan Systems has evolved into a mainstay MetroWest
growth company helping to strengthen the Massachusetts economy.
Expanding our presence in Westboro is one of the best ways for us to
say that we have a high level of confidence in the future of both our
business and this region."

The company posted 1992 annual revenues of $113 million. In the
second quarter of 1993, Banyan posted profits of $3.5 million against
revenues of $32.2 million, an 89 percent increase in profit over the
same period of the preceding year.

Banyan employs 660 persons worldwide, with 450 of those in
Westboro.

(Ian Stokell/19930805/Press Contact: Lucia Graziano or
Gary Wolfe, 508-898-1000, Banyan Systems)


(NEWS)(BUSINESS)(SFO)(00024)

AST Posts Record Year-End Revenues 08/05/93
IRVINE, CALIFORNIA, U.S.A., 1993 AUG 5 (NB) -- Not all computer
hardware manufacturers are posting losses and reduced sales. Some,
like Compaq, have recorded record income. Now AST Research Inc.,
can join that pretty exclusive company, because the PC manufacturer
has announced record revenues of $409.2 million for the fourth
quarter ended July 3, 1993, and record fiscal year end revenues of
$1.412 billion.

According to the company, the figures represent quarter-over-quarter
growth of 54 percent and annual growth of 50 percent for fiscal year
1993. The figures compare to revenues of $266.3 million for the fourth
quarter of the prior year and $944.1 million for fiscal year 1992.

However, the acquisition of Tandy Corp.'s PC manufacturing operations
resulted in a fourth-quarter $125 million pre-tax restructuring charge
"to realign the company's existing operations and integrate the acquired
businesses." The net loss for the fourth quarter of fiscal year 1993 was
$87 million, compared with net income of $18.6 million for the prior-
year period.

The net loss per share was $2.76 for the fourth quarter of 1993,
compared with prior-year fourth quarter earnings per share of 59
cents. Without the fourth-quarter restructuring charge, pre-tax
income would have been $11.3 million.

The fourth-quarter restructuring charge also created a net loss for
1993 of $53.7 million, compared with net income of $68.5 million for
1992. The net loss per share was $1.72 for fiscal year 1993, which
compared with earnings per share of $2.16 for 1992. Without the
fourth-quarter restructuring charge, pre-tax income would have been
$59.8 million.

In announcing the results, Safi Qureshey, AST president and chief
executive officer, said: "Fiscal year 1993 was a period of significant
accomplishment for AST, demonstrated by strong revenue growth and
high unit volume increases. With the acquisition of Tandy's PC
manufacturing operations and expansion of our senior management
team, AST is executing a high-volume/low-cost manufacturing model
that offers the industry's broadest range of products, encompassing
personal digital assistants to high-end superservers. We believe the
acquisition, an expanded senior management team, and our intense
focus on customer satisfaction will continue to result in increased
worldwide market share."

The company shipped a record 804,000 units worldwide, which
represented a 69 percent volume increase for the year. This
included a 73 percent increase in desktops and a 52 percent growth
in notebooks. Shipments of Intel-486-based PCs represented 58
percent of the total year's volume.

AST also says it shipped a record 241,000 PCs during the fourth
quarter of fiscal year 1993, a 76 percent increase over the same
prior year quarter.

The company also says that its revenues for 1993 increased in all
geographic regions, particularly in North America. Revenues of
$829.7 million for North America rose 56 percent over the prior year.
International sales increased 42 percent to $582.5 million. Total
revenues for 1993 rose 50 percent over 1992.

(Ian Stokell/19930805/Press Contact: Emory Epperson,
714-727-7958, AST Research Inc.)


(NEWS)(GENERAL)(LAX)(00025)

 ****SIGGRAPH 93 - VR Rides, Art, Jobs Highlight Show 08/05/93
ANAHEIM, CALIFORNIA, U.S.A., 1993 AUG 5 (NB) -- The SIGGRAPH
Show was full of surprises from unusual art to actual virtual
reality rides for show goers. Much emphasis was made on kids,
supercomputers, art, and employment opportunities as well.

Games, entertainment, and education were the themes of the
show. Trip Hawkins, president and chief executive officer (CEO)
of 3DO, and chairman of computer game maker Electronic Arts, was
the keynote speaker. Childcare was offered at the show, but
many show goes had their children with them as many of the
booths and exhibits featured games or hands-on activities for
children and adults. An entire portion of the show floor was
given to Sigkids, an exhibit of hands-on computer activities by
and for elementary age children.

But many of the adults were acting like children at play in
virtual reality exhibits from Silicon Graphics Incorporated
(SGI), Evans and Sutherland, and in an area where interactive
art exhibits were displayed. The SGI exhibit was obviously
inspired by the movie Jurassic Park and show goers where
waiting over an hour in winding Disneyland-like lines to enter
a giant box and get a chance to climb into a saddled
Teradactyl. Of the groups who entered the box only three were
allowed to actually ride, but the watchers could see the
virtual scene as well.

Evens and Sutherland offered a chance to ride a virtual hang-
glider through a crowded city-scape. Two hang-glider
simulations were running and show goers were helped into
body-length slings that hung them suspended in
front of a viewing screen. Their faces were then situation
in virtual space. They controlled their movement through the
space via a hang-glider bar grasped with both hands. Speakers on
each side of their heads provided the sound. Lines were long to
ride and riders told Newsbytes the sensation of hang-gliding
was very real despite the comic book appearance of the city
landscape through which they flew.

In an area featuring electronic art, show goers could stop at
an electronic confessional to confess their sins. Based on the
confessions of the Catholic church, the automated religion
kiosk, called "Catholic Turing Test" by Gregory P. Garvey of
Montreal, Quebec, Canada, was a thin, shiny, black plastic
structure with a red neon cross at the top and a red kneeling
bench in front. Only large enough for one, an Apple Macintosh
SE and Hypercard were used to create the confessional program
which started by asking how long it had been since you'd been
to confession and gave you the option of typing in a number and
choosing either days, weeks, months, or years. Users selected
sins from a menu and were told at the end of the confession
what type of sins they were and how many "Hail Marys" were
needed for penance.

Next door was a group of tables where show goers who sat down to
relax were eventually bumped and mumbled at by what appeared to
be a giant bowling ball. Called "Adelbrecht" by Momevideo,
Amsterdam, Netherlands designer Martin Spanjaard, the mobile
robot moved around under its own power, bumping into chairs and
people, and changing direction while making beeping and
whirring noises, and mumbling unintelligible speech to show
goers.

The "Neuro Baby" was a monitor in a crib that displayed a pink,
cartoonish, buggy-eyed "baby" face that bounced around on the
screen and responded to attendees who bent down to speak into a
microphone by the crib. Monitors near the crib showed people who
were waiting in line the responses of the baby. The baby laughed,
cried, said "Hi," rolled its eyes, and even got red-faced mad when
Newsbytes laughed at it. Lines were long to talk to the baby and it
was surprising how many people simply yelled into the microphone.
Naoko Tosa of Ogikubo Suginami-Ku, Tokyo said the voice
analysis was performed by a neural network emulator that
converted voice input into "emotional" patterns based on the
wave patterns to which the computer had been "taught" to
respond. A Fujitsu FM Towns multimedia personal computer was
used for the voice analysis, another FM Towns for voice
generation, and a SGI Iris 4D was used to generate the image of
the baby.

"The Flock," by Ken Rinaldo and Mark Grossman of San Francisco,
California, was a room of robotic arms hanging from the ceiling
and extending just a few inches above the floor. The arms responded
to the movement and voice intonation of visitors. The arms were
unusual as they were partially made from the dried branches of vines
so they appeared to be a strange mix of organic and
electronic material and looked like the limbs of live trees
reaching toward and moving away from visitors. The artists
described the arms as "cybernetic sound sculptures that exhibit
behaviors found in natural groups such as birds, fish, and
bats." Acoustic, kinetic, and infrared sensors on the arms
detected sounds and movements and responded. The exhibit had
visitors talking, waving their hands, and walking around these
strange arms. One of the artists was seen to yell and pull at a
visitor saying, "Don't let it touch you" and explained that the
arms are fragile and could be broken by contact. However it was
difficult with the unexpected movements of the long, jointed
arms to stay out of the way.

Much talk among show goers concerned supercomputers and virtual
reality and the San Diego Supercomputer Center was represented
at the show. The use of supercomputers for complex techniques
such as reconstructing the shape of a fetus from ultrasound
measurements or visualization of global climate research was
emphasized by the San Diego group.

Interactivity was emphasized, not only between people and
computers, but between show attendees. Several locations had
tables and comfortable seating, an international center was
available, and even a jobs and message center was near the show
floor. The jobs board took up two sides of the large four-sized
cubical structure that housed it and every inch of space was
filled with jobs postings. Newsbytes was curious to see if the
jobs postings were for positions wanted, but the jobs were all
help wanted ads for graphics artists, designers, and
programmers who had graphics experience from large companies
such as Avid and Microsoft as well as from small companies.

Attendance figures were not available by press time, but the
show took up most of the huge Anaheim Convention Center and it
was crowded. SIGGRAPH runs until Friday in Anaheim. SIGGRAPH
'94 has been announced by for July 24-29 at the Orange County
Convention Center in Orlando, Florida.

(Linda Rohrbough/19930805/SIGGRAPH, Smith, Bucklin &
Associates, tel [phone], fax [phone])


(NEWS)(APPLE)(BOS)(00026)

MacWorld - High-End "Green Monitor" On The Way From Sony 08/05/93
BOSTON, MASSACHUSETTS, U.S.A., 1993 AUG 5 (NB) -- In a booth at the
Bay Side Expo Center at MacWorld, Sony is displaying the prototype
for an upcoming 17-inch high-end "green monitor."

In an interview with Newsbytes, Jeff Edelstein, senior product
development manager, said that the Multiscan 17se monitor will
offer sophisticated features previously found only in 20-inch
monitors, while also meeting the US federal government's Energy
Star specification for low electrical consumption.

Compatible with Macs as well as IBM-compatible PCs, the multiscan
monitor will produce images of the same quality as those generated
by Sony's larger single-scan video board/monitor systems, he told
Newsbytes.

The Multiscan 17se will offer a 76 Hz refresh rate at 1280-by-1024
resolution (noninterlaced), for a virtually flicker-free picture,
he stated. Overscan capabilities will be provided as well,
permitting the visible display area to be expanded without
distortion.

Sony's all-digital geometry control system will also be featured.
This system automatically optimizes screen images for the leading
Mac and PC video modes, from VGA up to 1280-by-1024, Edelstein
said.

Users will be able to select from between three digitally preset
color temperature settings: 5000, 6500 and 9300 degrees Kelvin.
They will also be able to define custom settings for 11 other
parameters, including image brightness and contrast, horizontal and
vertical sizing and centering, and horizontal and vertical static
convergence.

The digital system will also allow for Raster Rotation, an
adjustment that compensates for the effects of terrestrial
magnetism, according to Edelstein.

Further, the CRT in the new Multiscan 17se will be 33 percent
flatter horizontally than Sony's present 17-inch CPD Trinitron
models, he noted.

The Multiscan 17e is scheduled to ship this fall. In prototype
form, the monitor consumes 10 watts of power, Edelstein told
Newsbytes. By the time of shipment, however, consumption will be
lowered to under 8 watts, bringing the product into full compliance
with Energy Star, he added.

(Jacqueline Emigh/199308/Reader contact: Sony Computer Products
Company, tel [phone]; Press contacts: Manny Vara, Sony
Electronics Inc., tel [phone]; Barbara Hagin or Marilyn Young,
Technology Solutions for Sony, tel [phone])


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

New Software For Realistic Lighting In Simulations 08/05/93
ANAHEIM, CALIFORNIA, U.S.A., 1993 AUG 5 (NB) -- Lightscape
Graphics Software announced Lightscape, a tool for creation of
virtual reality interior space that simulates various types of
lighting. The effect is to make a computer-simulated three-
dimensional (3D) architectural simulation appear much closer to
reality, the company said.

Lightscape allows designers to place lights in computer
generated models and select the lighting using the kind of
light bulb or fixture, such as 100-watt incandescent. Once the
user selects the type of lighting, the program automatically
calculates the correct light energy distribution. The company
says natural daylight and sunlight can also be automatically
calculated by specifying the location, date, time of day, and
degree of cloud cover.

Based on a technique known as radiosity, Lightscape offers
visualizations of lighting effects such as soft shadows and
color bleeding to produce more realistic views. The program
also allows the user to interactively move throughout the
simulated environment, so 3D walk-throughs have a much richer
and more realistic feel to them, Lightscape maintains. The
program can also simulate reflections on shiny surfaces and
refraction through transparent materials, though not on an
interactive basis.

The company is currently offering the software in beta release
only and the full version of Lightscape is planned for first
quarter of 1994 release on the Unix platforms from Silicon
Graphics and Hewlett-Packard. Retail price has been set at
$7,500.

(Linda Rohrbough/19930805/Press Contact: Stuart Feldman,
Lightscape Graphics Software, tel [phone], fax 416-862-
5508)


(NEWS)(UNIX)(TOR)(00028)

Intel, Unisys Team Up On Parallel Processing 08/05/93
SANTA CLARA, CALIFORNIA, U.S.A., 1993 AUG 5 (NB) -- Chipmaker
Intel Corp. and Unisys Corp. of Blue Bell, Pennsylvania, have
agreed to work together on building parallel processing systems
around Intel's Pentium processors.

Intel and Unisys extended their corporate technology development
alliance, announcing plans to build a scalable parallel
processing system that will use the Unix operating system.

The systems will be aimed at commercial markets. Intel spokesman
Mike Bernhardt said they are likely to be used for applications
such as database management and online transaction processing,
and will not be limited to the more esoteric supercomputer-type
applications many people may associate with parallel processing.

A recent study by Forrester Research of Cambridge,
Massachusetts forecasts a role for corporate servers built on
multiple microprocessors include the Pentium.

Intel said this will be the first use of the Pentium chip with
its SPP mesh interconnect technology, the communication basis of
the company's Paragon XP/S supercomputer architecture.

While Unisys is the only company Intel has agreed to work with on
this type of project so far, Bernhardt said, the deal is not
exclusive.

Unisys and Intel's Supercomputer Systems Division (SSD) are to
develop a scalable parallel system using Pentium processors,
Intel's scalable parallel processing (SPP) mesh interconnect
technology, Unisys' microkernel-based implementation of the Unix
System V.4 operating system, and other Unisys software.

Unisys will use the first systems to develop advanced
environmental and application software for parallel processing.
Later, Unisys expects this system to become the basis for a line
of scalable parallel systems, the company said.

Under a multi-phase deal, Intel will provide Unisys with
prototype development platforms resulting from joint design
efforts. Besides designing and developing the system, Unisys
will develop advanced software, using the microkernel Unix it has
developed with Chorus Systems and Unix System Laboratories and
its own parallel database tools and parallel versions of its
fourth-generation language (4GL) application development systems.

Unisys plans to develop distributed applications, as well as the
utilities needed to administer and maintain parallel processing
systems, officials said.

Bernhardt said Unisys expects to deliver three to six beta-test
systems to customers in 1994, and to begin volume shipments in
1995.

(Grant Buckler/19930805/Press Contact: Oliver Picher, Unisys,
215-986-5367; Brian Daly, Unisys, 215-986-2214; Mike Bernhardt,
Intel SSD, 503-531-5333; Doug Black, Miller Communications,
617-536-0470)


(NEWS)(APPLE)(LAX)(00029)

 ****Newton Demo'd, Sells Out At SIGGRAPH 08/05/93
ANAHEIM, CALIFORNIA, U.S.A., 1993 AUG 5 (NB) -- To the surprise
of SIGGRAPH 93 show attendees, Apple Computer was offering
demonstrations of the Newton Messagepad personal digital
assistant (PDA), plus Apple resellers had already sold out of the
PDAs and were taking orders. Newsbytes talked with resellers
Marty Kassowitz and Loriann Lippy of Personal Support Computers
of West Los Angeles, California concerning the PDA.

Demos of the Newton in the Apple booth were slow and
painstaking with handwriting recognition close, but not good
enough. However, Lippy told Newsbytes her prototype PDA
recognizes her handwriting without problems. "The Newton is
designed for the individual, so allowing large groups of people
to try it makes it difficult for it to work properly,"
according to Kassowitz.

Kassowitz said his company received 15 Messagepads for retail
sale, all of which were sold the first day. All resellers
received an allotment of 15 Newtons each, according to
Kassowitz and he added that his company has taken orders for
over 100 Messagepads during the SIGGRAPH show. Kassowitz said
his contacts at Macworld said all 5,000 of the new Newtons for
sale there were sold the first day of the show.

Like most Apple hardware, Kassowitz says his profit margin on
the Newton was small, about $50, but he expects to make up for
it on the add-ons. Kassowitz is selling the units, when he gets
them, for the $699 retail price. The add-ons are not yet
available to Kassowitz's company, including the external modem
or the Newton Connection Kit, and none are expected until late
September or October.

Instructional videotapes played by Apple at the booth told
users they should attempt to improve their handwriting when
using the Newton -- making a's look like a's instead of o's and
so on. Battery life for the 4 AAA batteries was estimated by
one Apple representative who has a beta version of the Newton
as a week if the PDA was used as one would use an organizer.
However, if someone wrote with it all the time and the unit
never went into power-saving "sleep" mode, battery life could
easily be less than a day, the Apple representative added. The
length of time before the unit goes into sleep mode is
determined by the user.

The Newton does come with a protective plastic sleeve and two
pens. While other objects can be used to write on the Newton,
Apple representatives said the pens have been specially
designed to maximize the handwriting recognition of the unit.

No estimates were available as to when those who ordered
Newtons would get them, according to Lippy. "I'm just taking
purchase order numbers from corporate customers instead of cash
deposits because I don't know when we'll get them."

(Linda Rohrbough/19930805/Press Contact: Loriann Lippy or Marty
Kassowitz, Personal Support Computers, tel [phone], fax
310-475-3275)


(NEWS)(APPLE)(BOS)(00030)

MacWorld - Gryphon Software Intros Morph 2.0 For Mac 08/05/93
BOSTON, MASSACHUSETTS, U.S.A., 1993 AUG 5 (NB) -- At MacWorld,
Gryphon Software has introduced Morph 2.0, an upgrade that adds
"dynamic morphing" as well as a number of other features to the
Apple Computer Macintosh edition of the company's pioneering
morphing software.

"`Dynamic morphing' is the ability to create transitions between
moving images," said Michael B. Peay of Gryphon's technical support
staff, speaking with Newsbytes at the Bayside Expo Center. Morph
2.0 supports dynamic morphing for Quicktime movies as well as PIX
animation files, he added.

In contrast, the previous edition of the package, Morph 1.0, could
build transitions between still PICT file images only, he
explained. In one form of this art, "still morphing," transitions
are made between different images. Another form, "warping,"
involves choosing certain features or areas within a single still
image and distorting them.

Still and dynamic morphing each call for interpolating along key
point in two digitized video clips, said Peay. Gryphon's product
can perform the interpolation automatically, but if the images are
very different, the user can manually set key points for a smoother
transition.

To warp a still image, the user selects the areas to be distorted
with key points. In a demonstration for Newsbytes, Peay showed how
this technique can be used to elongate a person's nose or stretch
a person's jaw.

Morph 2.0 adds the ability to select multiple key points. Also in
the new version, the user is no longer required to match
resolutions of starting and ending images. In addition, images may
now be saved in resolutions higher than 72 dpi.

Other new features include rotation and scaling of key points,
morphing in the background, and export of TIFF and PhotoShop files.

For advanced users, the upgrade brings ease in and ease out
animation timing, place markers, in and out points, and display of
SMPTE time codes.

Morph 1.0 was recently ported to Microsoft Windows. Peay told
Newsbytes that Morph 2.0 will also be ported to Windows, probably
by the end of the year.

(Jacqueline Emigh/19930805/Reader contact: Gryphon Software Corp.,
tel [phone]; Press contact: Kim Moffitt, Moffitt/Young
Associates for Gryphon, tel [phone])