Newsbytes - International Computing Industry News 1983 May to 1994 June

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Text File | 1991-07-11 | 10.2 KB | 263 lines

[***][8/29/83][***] EYEWITNESS NEWS: Two Wisconsin State Journal reporters, under the watchful eyes of the state attorney general, raided the state computer that processes millions of dollars worth of government checks. The reporters, Paul Rix and Tom Still, used an Apple II computer and a modem to make the raid, part of a demonstration to show how easy it is to tap into the system. The raid alerted authorities to the need for better security, and since the break-in, state officials say they've made changes to prevent further taps. ---- CONTACT: PAUL RIX AND TOM STILL WISCONSIN STATE JOURNAL MADISON, WISCONSIN 608-252-6100 ---- BRONSON LA FOLLETTE, ATTY GENERAL MADISON, WISCONSIN 608-266-1221 ---- [***][8/29/83][***] NORAD NOT RATTLED: NORAD officials have no worries about people tapping into their computers. NORAD says its communication system is completely removed from conventional telephone lines and satellites--plus there are 11 million lines of code to decipher. The "complex interface protocols" meanwhile, prevent conventional computer hook-ups as well. Just in case someone manages to figure out any of this, NORAD says its cryptographic information is changed frequently. ---- CONTACT: COL. ROBERT THATCHER NORAD COLORADO SPRINGS, COLORADO 303-635-8911 ---- [***][8/29/83][***] BEATING THE PACK: Mostek Corporation says it will send out samples of its new 256K chip by October. Unlike the 256K's of Intel, National Semiconductor and others, the Mostek chip features wider architecture, with 8 bits (instead of 1 bit) accessed simultaneously. Mostek claims the structure works more efficiently this way. The company hopes to claim 10-percent of the world's 256K market. ---- CONTACT: THOMAS PROPECK, MARKETING DIRECTOR MOSTEK CORPORATION AUSTIN, TEXAS 512-458-5226 ---- [***][8/29/83][***] BEATING THE PACK II: The first Japanese computer in the Cray-1 class is expected to be marketed by Amdahl Corporation, a competitor of IBM. The Fujitsu VP100 and VP200 mainframes can perform 250 and 500 million floating point operations per second (MFLOPs, as known in the trade.) This comes amid speculation that IBM is proceeding on a new generation of supercomputer, a project it refuses to share with anyone. ---- CONTACT: AMDAHL CORPORATION SUNNYVALE, CALIFORNIA 408-746-6000 ---- [***][8/29/83][***] SUPERCOMPUTER FARMING: Control Data Corporation, also in on the act to build the world's first supercomputer, plans to spin out development of its new offspring to a start-up company staffed by up to 100 Control Data personnel. Control Data plans to own 40-percent of the new company. This approach was taken to accelerate the development of the Cyber 2XX. ---- CONTACT: CONTROL DATA CORPORATION MINNEAPOLIS, MINNESOTA 612-853-8100 ---- [***][8/29/83][***] THE SOFT-SIDE OF LAW: Big law firms can now computerize their operations thanks to a legal software system by Computer Associates International. The package, designed to be run on IBM's System 34 or 36, manages client accounting and is said to be extremely user- friendly (even a lawyer can figure it out.) The price on the package is $35-thousand dollars. If that seems a little steep, wait a few weeks and a scaled-down version will be out for the IBM PC. ---- CONTACT: COMPUTER ASSOCIATES INTERNATIONAL JERICHO, NEW YORK 516-333-6700 ---- [***][8/29/83][***] MORE APPLE RUMORS: This one from David Bunnell, publisher of "Subroutines" Newsletter. He says he's heard Apple will come out with a $600 version of the Apple II computer that will compete with the IBM Peanut. He won't say when, but predicts IBM and Apple will control 30 to 50 percent of the home computer market by 1985. ---- CONTACT: DAVID BUNNELL SUBROUTINES SAN FRANCISCO, CALIFORNIA 415-861-3861 ---- [***][8/29/83][***] APPLE RUMOR II: Word from Apple is that its long-awaited and much heralded McIntosh will be introduced within a month. Intended to compete with the much-heralded and long-awaited IBM Peanut, Apple executives are tired of waiting for IBM, which continues to delay the Peanut's debut. Nothing's official yet about the McIntosh, but insiders say it will be priced at $1200-$1500, have 128K of RAM, sport a 9-inch screen and a 3 1/2-inch micro-floppy drive. ---- CONTACT: APPLE COMPUTER CUPERTINO, CALIFORNIA 408-973-2042 ---- [***][8/29/83][***] FLOPPY PLANNING AT COMMODORE: A recent shortage of floppy disk drives is threatening the sales of Commodore 64's. The shortfall is due to a planning error. Apparently nobody at Commodore thought consumers would want the floppy drives, but they were wrong! The company anticipated only 70-percent of the public would want them. In reality, it's closer to 90-percent. Over half a million units have been sold since Commodore's 64 was introduced last year. ---- CONTACT: COMMODORE INTERNATIONAL WEST CHESTER, PENNSYLVANIA 215-431-9100 ---- [***][8/29/83][***] STOCK QUOTES FROM THE SKY: Many investors have believed that's where their brokers get their ideas about stock futures, but in this case, it's true. A Burlingame, California company has a portable receiver that will display stock information direct from the nation's exchanges. The unit weighs 11-ounces and resembles a calculator with an antenna. It receives its data from FM broadcasts. "QuoTrek" will first be available in Bay Area stores by November, and is expected to cost about $400-dollars. ---- CONTACT: DAVID LOCKTON, CHAIRMAN DATASPEED INC. BURLINGAME, CALIFORNIA 415-697-0630 ---- [***][8/29/83][***] ANOTHER MILESTONE: It had to happen, and it had to be Writer's Digest Books. The company that brought you "Writer's Market", "Artist's Market" and "Song Writer's Market" is publishing "Programmer's Market" and it should be on bookstore shelves by October or November. The company plans to publish thousands of potential buyers for software, and if you're one of them, better add yourself to the list before the final copy goes to the presses. ---- CONTACT: BRAD MCGEHEE, EDITOR PROGRAMMER'S MARKET WRITER'S DIGEST BOOKS SPRINGFIELD, MISSOURI 65808 417-865-0750 ---- [***][8/29/83][***] AN EARLY CHRISTMAS PRESENT: Employees of California Microwave got a particularly fat paycheck this month. The company distributed $891-thousand dollars it made during a banner year to over 1-thousand workers. "Our employees have all helped build the successful $100-million company we are today," said president Dr. David Leeson as he doled out the cash. The company makes electronic communications equipment. ---- CONTACT: DR. DAVID LEESON, PRESIDENT CALIFORNIA MICROWAVE INC. SUNNYVALE, CALIFORNIA 408-732-4000 ---- [***][8/29/83][***] FREEZE-FRAMES: Defying popular American rumors that the Japanese can only duplicate American technology, Mitsubishi is manufacturing an unique tv-set that will turn screen images into hard copy black and white prints. The TV converts a picture to digital memory and prints it on thermo-sensitive paper in 15 seconds! The new TV will be available in late October. ---- CONTACT: MITSUBISHI TOKYO, JAPAN ---- [***][8/29/83][***] WANG TELECOMMUNICATES: Wang Laboratories, maker of small computers is reportedly out to purchase up to 25-percent of Tymshare's stock. Tymshare received the information in the form of a brief message from Wang. The $15-million dollar purchase will come at a time when Tymshare's stock prices are fairly low; the company has been laboring to rise above the downturn in the economy. Nobody at Wang was available to discuss the company's reason for wanting to purchase so much of Tymshare's stock. ---- CONTACT: WANG LABORATORIES LOWELL, MASSACHUSETTS 617-459-5000 ---- TYMSHARE CUPERTINO, CALIFORNIA 408-446-6000 ---- [***][8/29/83][***] DEFENSE-DISCS: Training pilots in A-7E attack aircraft simulators have quite a show in store. The Air Force is employing Vought Corp's video-disc simulators for training. The units consist of 6 contiguous screens arranged in a bandshell fashion to surround the cockpit, essentially forming a hemispheric view. Images recorded from 6 different perspectives and stored on videodisc are displayed according to the scenario selected by the trainee. Electronic signal processing can manipulate real-life video images accomodate the simulator commands. ---- CONTACT: VOUGHT CORPORATION DALLAS, TEXAS 214-266-2011 ---- [***][8/29/83][***] SPEAKING OF SIGNALS: A Bell Labs scientist has developed a new technique for the conversion of voice to electrical signals for transmission via phone lines. Where the conventional microphone converts sound to an analog signal not directly compatible with the new digital systems, the new device is different in that it converts the voice signals directly to digital signals. This is accomplished via several concentric acoustically-sensitive rings, each one sensitive to a different source frequency. This invention is expected to greatly reduce the cost of compact, portable telephones. ---- CONTACT: BELL TELEPHONE LABS ACOUSTIC RESEARCH DEPARTMENT MURRAY HILL, NEW JERSEY 201-949-3000 ---- [***][8/29/83][***] ROBOT TO THE RESCUE: Both the Arizona Department of Public Safety and the New York City Police Department are using robots as crime-fighters. Arizona recently had a $17-thousand dollar "R2-32" approach a mobile home where a fugitive was holed-up, and hand the man a phone, a symbol that the police wanted to negotiate via telephone. The tactic succeeded in getting the man's surrender. New York police use their "RMI-3's" to deal with bombs and terrorists. The little fellows are made by Pedsco Canada of Toronto. ---- CONTACT: PEDSCO CANADA TORONTO, CANADA 416-298-9989 ----