ftp.wwiv.com/ftp.wwiv.com.zip/ftp.wwiv.com/pub/HATCH/WWIVNEWS.ZIP/9306_2.NWS

Text File | 1993-06-05 | 22KB | 360 lines

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               │                 TechNOTES                   │
               │       Compiled by the WWIVNews Staff        │
               └─────────────────────────────────────────────┘

...This word just in: In the wake of Dell Computer Corp's announcement of the
restructuring of its notebook division, and the shocking announcement of
significantly lower first-quarter earnings for 1993, as many as 11 lawsuits
have been filed in Federal court against Michael Dell and his top assistants
by angered stockholders.

...On May 27th, eleven major stockholders announced they had filed suit in US
District Court in Austin, Tx, claiming that Dell violated federal securities
rules by failing to disclose relevant information regarding the problems with
the notebook division, and that Dell withheld the information to help
artificially inflate the price of company stock. Dell stock fell over $7 a
share to just under $25 a share following the announcement of the company's
$20 million bath in discontinued laptop and notebook projects. Share price has
stabilized since the announcement, and was on the rise slightly despite the
lawsuit announcements.

...The suit also charges that Dell was aware of the problems with the notebook
division well in advance of the scheduled first quarter earnings announcement,
and withheld the information to prevent possible loss of over 276,000 shares in
March of this year. The stock sale netted over $10 million, which was just
slightly higher than Dell's reported earnings for the first quarter.

...Dell spokesman Roger Rydell, answering the charges in an official statement,
denied having received any notice of lawsuit as of Memorial Day, but was aware
of the allegations and considered them "groundless", and did not believe that
they would "have any material affect on the financial condition of the
company." Rydell also noted that the problems with the notebook division were
not discovered by upper management until just prior to the earnings
announcement, and the situation could not have had any effect upon stock sale
decisions made prior to the revelation.

...Terrell Oxford, a Dallas attorney representing several of the stockholders
who have filed suit, pointed out that "there [are] a lot of irate stockholders
out there," and said that there would probably be additional lawsuits filed in
the coming week, and that all would probably be consolidated into one class
action suit within the next few weeks. No damages have been specified as of
this writing.

...From the Fred Sanford department: On the other side of town from Dell,
CompuAdd has finally found something to do with all that old, unsold
merchandise from its 110 now-closed retail outlets. Simply put, the infamous
"Back Dock Outlet" will be resurrected in July, and will offer anywhere from
20-70% off of all CompuAdd merchandise that was still in stock when all but
one of the company's retail stores were closed nationwide in March. The store
will only be open on Saturdays, and will be used as an employee training
center as part of their company summer jobs program.

...Those not from Austin may not know of the "Back Dock" sales CompuAdd used
to hold at their manufacturing facility in years past, and how they gained
a reputation as being "the one computer junk sale where you had an 80% chance
of NOT buying a lemon if you got there early!" The response to these sales
convinced CompuAdd to briefly open a "Back Dock" store for several months to
clear out the majority of older, pre-386 non-slimline units for seriously low
prices. Six months after it was opened, the store was closed when the majority
of backstock was cleared.

...Windows for Workgroups users take nOTE: Word through the trade rags is that
an upgrade to the basic package is on the way which will go one step beyond
your average bug-fix release. Wingroups v3.11 will work only in Extended mode,
and heralds the abandonment of Standard mode by Microsoft for future releases
of Windows.

...In addition to squashing networking bugs and the dumping of Standard mode,
the Wingroups upgrade will reportedly feature some minor enhancements to File
Manager and Program Manager, as well as a few other "unspecified bells and
whistles," and is expected to be officially announced by Microsoft later this
month.

...It's official: Steve Jobs has stopped production of the NeXT workstation,
and is concentrating efforts on producing a new version of the NeXTStep
operating system geared towards the 486 market. As a result, over 150
employees associated with the hardware side of NeXT were given their walking
papers, and the remainder were reassigned to assist the software development
team.

...Dubbed NeXTStep-486, the new version will reportedly be priced to compete
directly with Windows NT, which is scheduled for release this summer. It is
designed to be a stand-alone OS, as opposed to NeXTStep 3.0's use of Windows
3.1 as a base platform. The initial memory requirements, tho, are a bit
staggering: in addition to a 486DX-33, at least 12 megs of RAM and 140Mb of
hard drive space is required just to load the OS! And you thought NT and OS/2
were resource hogs!

...So you bought Microsoft Video for Windows, eh? Have you managed to import
anything into it yet? If not, you probably don't have a proper video capture
board, or you're not a practicioner of RTFM.

...In any case, there are several really good boards out there that work really
well with VFW that should be looked at. The prices range from $349 to $1295
MSRP, which means that you can either spend a little or spend a lot, depending
on the quality and speed of playback you require.

...Low-end of the cost totem is Media Vision's ProMovie Spectrum at $349, which
skirts the bare minimum VFW requirements for a capture board: 15 frames per
second in a 160x120 window. Images are compressed on the fly using a
proprietary algorithm, and the .AVI files can only be played back in VFW - none
of the third-party viewers have access to the proprietary decompression codec
yet. There are others that meet the bare minimum, but this particular board is
the best of the cheap ones.

...Midrange lies the Video Blaster and the VideoSpigot for Windows. $499 MSRP
for either of these cards, but the VB boasts three-channel input and easy
interfacing with the Sound Blaster line of sound cards. The VideoSpigot, on the
other hand, boasts single channel input, and uses a proprietary codec similar
to that of the ProMovie Spectrum. The difference comes from the VB's inability
to handle speeds greater than 15fps playback in a window above 160x120, whereas
the Spigot can run 15fps just fine in 320x240.

...On the high end, JEV International offers the ProMotion Multimedia Engine,
which promises a wide selection of frame sizes, up to and including 1024x768.
Playback speeds are still only 15fps, although an upgrade has been announced to
allow for 24fps in windows up to 320x240. New Media Graphics Super VideoWindows
comes in next at $899 MSRP, although street prices have been seen as low as the
MSRP for the Video Blaster when bought in conjunction with complete systems.
Both cards handle the minimum requirements, but the SVW contains stereo audio
features on the same card.

...Finally, there's Intel's RT Video Developer's kit coming in at $1295. This
is the board that Microsoft would prefer that you use with VFW, and at that
price Intel wishes you would too. Images can be played back at 30fps - standard
video full-motion speed - in a 320x240 frame, and on a 486DX-66 with a serious
caching disk controller 24fps is possible in a 640x480 window.

...Again, the prime difference between these boards is not just cost, its
quality of image capture. At 160x120 and 15fps, these boards are essentially
equal. The dividing line comes with .AVI files above 320x240 in size at 15fps
or faster. If you need serious multimedia, then consider splurging for Intel's
RT kit. Otherwise, the Video Spigot may be the better purchase unless you need
the 3-channel input the Video Blaster provides.

...Going the other direction is the $895 VGA2TV Pro, which allows you to
display your 640x480 graphics on a TV and/or send them to a VCR for recording.
In addition, the card allows for video input from any NTSC or PAL source, and
lets you overlay your own text and graphics over the signal before sending it
out to your TV or VCR. This little baby is a Genoa product, which as many of
you may recall was one of the best EGA card manufacturers back during that
standard's brief heyday. Expect good quality output from this card as well.

...From the Buck Godot department: Just when you thought Atari was dead, the
pioneer in game machines tosses another bottle into the ocean in hopes of
making the company float again. Dubbed the Falcon030, Atari's new 68030-based
system marks a major departure for a non-IBM-based machine - it can use a
standard VGA monitor without any extra cables! In addition, you can plug in
any audio or video device that uses an RCA jack for I/O. This includes a TV, a
VCR, a Video Camera, a CD player (audio-only), a microphone, a MIDI keyboard
or analog converter (standard MIDI ports are included as well), or even a
guitar!

...The key to the Falcon's capabilities is the Motorola 56001 Digital Signal
Processor. Running at 32MHz in the background, this particular DSP supports
eight 16-bit parallel DMA channels, which allows for simultaneous playback and
record. Until recently, the only machines you could find DSP's integrated into
the motherboard were the NeXT boxes. However, the prices for DSP's have dropped
to the point that both IBM and Apple are promising them in their planned next
wave of Multimedia computers.

...In addition to the A/V plug-n-play capabilities of the Falcon, the unit also
boasts a Mac LocalTalk port for Atari-Mac networking, and a SCSI-][ port with
its own DMA channel. This port will work with any SCSI-][ capable drive or
device, which comes in handy considering the Falcon's optional 65Mb internal
hard drive doesn't go very far with today's Multimedia requirements.

...MSRP for the Falcon with 1Mb of RAM, a 1.44" drive, and all the frills
listed above is $799. With 4Mb and the optional 65Mb HD, the price jumps to
$1299, which is still a decent price for a MIDI workstation when you get right
to it.

...From the I *NEED* Space department: OCEAN Microsystems has released a new
version of their Vista Magneto-Optical drive subsystem. The V256 stores 254Mb
of data on a single 3.5" M-O cartridge, and boasts an access time of 35ms.
While this doesn't make the Vista a viable replacement for a regular hard
drive with a 19ms access time, the size and durabiltiy of the cartridge make
it an acceptable media for storing large graphic images or for making entire
drive backups with one or two disks.

...OCEAN still produces the Vista V128, which stores 128Mb per disk at a
slightly slower access time. Prices for the smaller cartridges are around $68,
with the higher capacity carts going for only about $20 more. The M-O drives
themselves MSRP at $1750 for the V256, and about $1400 for the V128.

...CD-ROM prices continue to drop as demand increases. Oddly enough, this
doesn't mean that the drives are 800ms drives either. Mitsumi internal CD-ROM
drives with access times of 350ms have been seen in the trade rags for as low
as $210, including interface card and cable! Texel's 265ms drives have been
seen as low as $100 below their $499 MSRP, and their previous 380ms drives
have been seen in the $250 range through mail order.

...Based on the history of the audio CD-ROM, expect to see prices start to
drop on the carousel players once the 300ms-range drives stabilize in the $175
range. Sysops will no doubt benefit from the fact that they will be able to
have several dozen gigs online without having to worry about downloading all
those files themselves!

...Speaking of downloading files, Philips has finally released the CDD512DW.
For those not aware, this $7999 jewel is the first CD-ROM recorder to be
priced under $10,000, and produces 600Mb recordings. To run this unit, you'll
need at least a 386-25 and a BIG 19ms Hard Drive. It's not an amateur playtoy,
but if you're serious about slapping all those .GIFs and .WAV files on
something that won't get purged, and that you can possibly use for a
commercial venture, then this machine may be what you need to take out a loan
for.

...Of course, if 600Mb of permanent storage isn't good enough for you, Sony's
apparently been listening to you. Sony's Japanese labs have been working on
reducing the cost of a blue-beam CD-ROM unit that promises over twice that
amount of storage for about the same cost as today's red-beam units.

...Since the wavelength of a blue laser beam is shorter than the red standard,
it can be used to read data bits recorded in smaller lengths. The end result is
a CD that can hold about 1.7Gb of data, or about 3 hours of audio data.

...Don't expect to see this sort of drive in your PC anytime soon. To produce
the beam, the drive uses a semiconductor that's cooled to -196 degrees Celsius
in liquid nitrogen. Then again, if Intel can't get the Pentium temperature down
far enough to prevent chip burnout, Sony might make a killing by combining
their cooling system with Pentium boxes!

...Side note: Those of you who've bought those Shareware CD-ROM collections, or
have been thinking about producing your own, should know that the majority of
those companies use a Philips unit. The disks themselves run around $40 a pop
when bought in quantities below a thousand, but prices drop sharply above that
level to around $12 each.

...Who needs MS-DOS 6.0? To counter the pseudo-opposition, IBM released its
version of DOS 5.0 to direct market with a surprise bundle including Qualitas
386-Max and Stacker 2.0. The addition of these two utilities was seen by most
industry experts as a rather bold move for IBM, considering the less-than-cult
status of 386-Max and the difficulties between Stac and Microsoft over
DBLSPACE. In fact, the inclusion of Stacker was seen as a deliberate stab at
Microsoft from what used to be its staunchest ally.

...The package MSRP'd for $135, but street prices for upgrades were last seen
as low as that of the upgrade to MS-DOS 6.0. Also included with the package is
an offer for an upgrade to Stacker 3.0 for $49. Those running on older AT
systems or XT systems with serious XMS added should consider this package if
you're only just now upgrading from DOS 3.3 or below.

...Texas Instruments has released a new 4Mb VRAM chip that may become the new
industry standard for inclusion in most future video cards. Considering that
SVGA has a maximum standard of 1024x768 pixels, and requires 1Mb to achieve
that, 4Mb will allow for a wider acceptance of IBM's XGA standard - 1280x1024
- with at least 256 colors available on screen.

...Although development samples are only being produced at this time, expect
the first functional cards to be on display at the Fall '93 Comdex, with mass
produced units avalable around 1st Quarter 1994.

...Own a big EISA file server? Hate backups with a passion? Hate them bad
enough to consider a RAID array? UltraStor offers the Ultra 124F for lazy
people like us..er..you. This EISA to SCSI disk array controller supports up
to 8 logical arrays, each of which can be structured for its own RAID level.
The card can control up to a whopping *35* different SCSI drives, including
Fast SCSI-][ devices.

...the basic 124F goes for $1995, and supports three channels out of the box.
The additional 5 channels are gained by purchasing one of three different
daughterboards ranging from 2 channels for $375, or 5 channels for $425.

...From the Sharper Image Rejects department: Those of you who're a bit fumble
fingered should take nOTE of Audio File's Disclift. This $4.99 tool allows you
to pick up your CD-ROM disks by the edges or from the center, and move them
between player and storage case with a firm grip and without getting
fingerprints on the surface. Those of you who are seriously paranoid about disk
scratch should take a gander at this one, eh?

...Corporate Goons take nOTE: Cyrix wants to do some serious business with you
if you're stuck with a lot of 16 and 20-MHz 386DX's. Cyrix will sell their
Cx486DRu2 for $399 to anyone who can purchase at least 500 units. Individual
prices were not announced, as the target market for these chips consists of
those corporations who bought the majority of 16 and 20MHz DX's of this class
of processor when it first came out. When the 386 became available for non-
corporate buyers, the minimum acceptable speed was 25MHz, with 33MHz becoming
the standard.

...Since most corporate MIS teams were stuck with slower machines which
are considered impractical for Windows use, the Cyrix chip may become a
major blessing for those large businesses and agencies whose environments are
becoming more Windows-oriented as time passes.

...From the Caveat Emptor department: If you're buying a motherboard with one
of those light blue Intel ZIF upgrade sockets under the belief that you'll be
able to easily upgrade to a Pentium/P5/586 when they finally get cheap, be
aware that there are not one, but *two* official versions of this socket.

...one socket has 238 pins, which will take the DX2 and OverDrive chips, as
well as the P24T (the 32-bit version of the Pentium, jokingly referred to as
the P-Two-and-a-half). The other is a 169-pin version that's intended for the
OverDrive chips used with 486SX and slower 486DX systems, and will not handle
the P24T even if you drilled the extra holes!

...Intel has been taken to task in the trade rags for not making the smaller-
pinout version a different color, but as of this writing Intel has all but
ignored any suggestions along these lines. Some companies, such as Gateway and
Zeos, intend to avoid the 169-pin version altogether in their future machines.
But until Intel decides to make things easier for those not in the know, make
sure your board will take the P24T by checking to see if the ZIF has 238 pins
or not!

...From the Holodeck department: Sematech's holographic drive array finally has
a name and a marketing company! The drive, dubbed the "ratpack", is expected to
ship in late 1994 from Tamarack Storage Devices, the marketing spin-off company
who'll be distributing the drives.

...Since the initial announcement of the drive, some specifications have been
made available. The drive uses a red-beam laser to perform I/O on holographic
film mounted in a 35mm slide format. Each slide will hold a gigabyte of data,
and will run about $100 a slide in bulk. Two versions of the drive are planned
initially - one with a removable holder for single-slide usage, the other a 10-
slide array. Drive arrays of up to 50 slides -or pages, as Tamarack refers to
them - have been achieved in tests, and arrays as high as 250 slides are
expected to appear by the end of 1995 for use in major file servers.

...Although no official price has been announced, speculation has been both
extremely high and unbelievably cheap. Pessimists in the industry claim the
drive with go the standard route of first to buy, first to reimburse the
company for R&D, and charge as high as $15,000 for a single-slide drive, and
3-5 times that for the 10-slide version. Optimists claim that Tamarack will
realize the logic in getting the new format into the mass market cheaply, and
will introduce the single-slide drive for as low as $700 with one slide
included.

...Of course, someone will figure out a way to Stacker the damn thing and
double the space, just to be cheap and avoid having to buy an extra slide :-)

...From the Cut Off One Head department: Canon has jumped on the Hydra
bandwagon with their CJ-10. The complete unit is a combination 400 DPI color
bubble-jet printer, flatbed scanner, and digital color copier all rolled into
one. Printouts can be made on coated paper or transparencies, while lables are
allowable provided they're also of special paper.

...The price of this unit is a bit steep: $6995, provided you don't want to
print what you scan. If you want the print option, its an additional $2700!
Other options include an editor add-on that allows you to edit and crop your
copies prior to print, and an additional feeder tray for Legal-size paper.

...One caveat to mention: this unit, like most Canon bubble-jet printers, uses
non-permanent ink. Avoid excessive humidity at all costs when dealing with
printouts from this or any other Canon machine!

...From the Ricky Nelson Memorial department: All you Travelling Men - and
Women, for that matter - who need their nightly modem fix but can't hook their
laptops into the local motel phone jacks should consider the Unlimited Systems
Corp's Konexx Kit. The $169 kit contains practically everything you'd need to
establish a hookup between your modem and the phone lines at speeds up to
9600bd, including an accoustical coupler, gator clips, split adapter, and even
a screwdriver!

...From the Lazy Bum's department: sick of replacing that clock battery every
year or so? For $49, MicroApps offers people like you the Permanent Power Pack.
Just replace your clock battery with this little jewel, plug in a spare power
connector, and the IC-based regulator keeps the CMOS from vanishing for the
life of your PC. Perfect for people who're scared to go under the hood of
their PC, or simply can't find enough time once a year to replace the battery
before the CMOS gets wiped!