Newsbytes - Internationa…ews 1983 May to 1994 June/Newsbytes - International Computing Industry News 1994 Edition - May 1983 - June 1994 - Wayzata Technologies (5045) (1994).iso/pc/text/mac_text/1990/nb900628

Text File | 1990-06-27 | 98.8 KB | 2,254 lines

(NEWS)(APPLE)(SFO)(00001)

APPLE APPOINTS ROBERT PUETTE PRESIDENT OF APPLE USA
CUPERTINO, CALIFORNIA, U.S.A., 1990 JUN 26 (NB) -- Apple has
given one of its top seats to Robert Puette, a newcomer to Apple who
just left Hewlett-Packard as general manager of its Personal Computer
Group.

Puette will be responsible for all of the division's sales, marketing,
support and channel activities.

Puette previously spent 24 years at Hewlett-Packard where he led
the startup, development and expansion of Hewlett-Packard's
worldwide personal computer business.

"Bob Puette's arrival marks a major milestone in the development of
Apple's USA business," said Michael Spindler, Apple's COO. "He has
a proven ability to effectively manage large, complex organizations.
He's demonstrated exceptional business and technical expertise
in the global personal computer market. And he's known for his
strong and thoughtful leadership."

He is 48 years old and has a bachelor of science in industrial
engineering from Northwestern University and a master of science
in operations research from Stanford University.

(Wendy Woods/19900626/Press Contact: Christopher Escher,
408/974-2202)


(NEWS)(APPLE)(NYC)(00003)

APPLE TO PROVIDE SYSTEMS FOR ECONOMIC SUMMIT
HOUSTON, TEXAS, U.S.A., 1990 JUN 25 (NB) -- Apple Computer has
announced that it will provide 30 Macintosh computer systems and assorted
peripherals to Rice University for its use in supporting the Common
Market economic summit to be held there in early July. The computers will
be used by both the media and the diplomatic personal involved in the
summit.

In addition to the systems and software provided by Apple, CE Software,
Shiva Corp. and Farallon Computing, Inc. will provide equipment and
software to network the Macintoshes to each other and to existing Compaq
Computers on the Rice Campus. The network will also support local
electronic mail functions through CE Software's QuickMail system.

The Macintosh will also be used for setting up the campus information
centers at which systems based on Apple's HyperCard will offer a number
of functions, including providing the media and other visitors with
summit meeting agendas, background information about Rice University,
Houston and the state of Texas.

The Economic Summit will be held July 9-11 and will be attended by
President Bush, the chairman of the commission of the European
Community -- the 12-nation organization known as the Common Market --
and leaders from seven democratic countries, including the United States,
Canada, Britain, France, West Germany, Italy and Japan.

Apple spokesperson Rick Myllenbeck told Newsbytes: "Apple's support
of the Economic Summit is consistent with John Sculley's involvement with
a number of international organizations seeking world understanding and
cooperation. It is another indication of Apple's desire to help change the
world."

(Barbara E. McMullen & John F. McMullen/19900627/Press Contact: Rick
Myllenbeck, Apple, 404-668-2024)


(NEWS)(APPLE)(SFO)(00001)

NEW FOR APPLE II: Resource Creator, Editor And Source Code
MARIETTA, GEORGIA, U.S.A., 1990 JUN 26 (NB) -- Simple Software
Systems International is offering Genesys, a resource creation, editing,
and source code generation tool for the Apple II GS.

Its makers say Genesys allows easy creation and editing of resources
using a "what you see is what you get" (WYSIWYG) style interface.
Users can create and edit windows, menu bars, menus, menu items, strings,
controls of all types, pictures, icons, cursors, and alerts without typing,
compiling, or linking one single line of code.

Genesys is a CASE (computer-aided software engineering) tool that has
an open-ended architecture, allowing for support of new resource types
as Apple Computer releases them. By simply copying additional Genesys
Editors to a folder, they become an integral part of the Genesys program.

The program allows experienced programmers to create their own style
of Genesys Editors, useful for private resource creation and maintenance.

Non-programmers can use Genesys to custom tailor programs that
make use of resources. They can rename menus and menu items, add
keyboard equivalents to menus and controls, change the shape and color
of windows and controls, and more.

Genesys retails for $150 but is being offered for $100 for a limited
time. To order, write SSSi, Inc., 4612 North Landing Drive,
Marietta, GA. 30066 or call 404- 928-4388.

Members of America Online and GEnie information services can
place their credit card orders by sending pertinent information to
the Email ID: SSSI. MCI Mail customers can place their orders
using the MCI Mail ID SIMPLE.

(Wendy Woods/19900626/Press Contact: Paul Doty, VP Marketing
908- 530-9528)


(NEWS)(APPLE)(SFO)(00001)

TOPS CHANGES NAME TO SITKA
ALAMEDA, CALIFORNIA, U.S.A., 1990 JUN 26 (NB) -- Bucking the trend
toward identifying a company with its main product, TOPS Corporation has
changed its name to Sitka Corporation, a name inspired by the town of
Sitka on the Alaskan coast.

Announcing the name change, Sitka's president, Rich Shapero, said,
"We wanted a straightforward name that symbolically expresses the
qualities of our product line," referring to TOPS networking software's
ability to connect Macs, PCs, and Sun workstations.

What does Sitka, Alaska have to do with networking? The city, on the
West coast of Baranof Island in Alaska, has a mix of cultures -- Tilgit
indians, Russians, and US residents. Consequently, like the radically
dissimilar cultures, Sitka Corporation produces software for radically
dissimilar computers, according to a spokesman.

There are no plans at this time to move the company to Sitka,
Alaska, however, Newsbytes was told. "Some of the people here have
spent time in Alaska, but the most important thing was that we were
looking for a name for the 1990s and beyond. TOPS was our
file sharing software and we didn't want to limit ourselves to it."

TOPS was purchased by Sun Microsystems in 1987 and in
January, 1990 became an independent corporation with its
own board of directors and executive staff. The company
says it has the world's second largest installed base of local area
network software, with over 700,000 users worldwide.

(Wendy Woods/19900626/Press Contact: Marcia Kadanoff,
415-769-9669)


(NEWS)(APPLE)(SFO)(00001)

APPLE COMPUTER INTRODUCES MAJOR UPGRADE TO HYPERCARD SOFTWARE
CUPERTINO, CALIFORNIA, U.S.A., 1990 JUN 26 (NB) -- Apple has
unveiled the newest version of Hypercard. Version 2.0 is said to have
more than 100 new features. Apple also unveiled a version of HyperCard
aimed at teachers with no computer experience -- HyperCard for
Education -- which is designed to help them organize their classroom
management tasks.

Hypercard is programming software generally considered to be among
the easiest to use for beginning programmers. Data is organized on a visual
"card file" system. HyperCard 2.0 features an entirely new set of
ready-to-use and example stacks for storing personal and business
information.

Among version 2.0's new features are the ability to display color
imagery, cards of any size, and simultaneous access to multiple stacks.

HyperCard 2.0, slated to be available in volume worldwide in July,
is $49.95 but free upgrades will be available through online services,
dealers, and user groups.

Meanwhile, Apple is offering a tool designed to make the Mac attractive
to teachers. Hypercard for Education offers stacks for grading, designing
lesson plans, creating seating charts, and developing presentations.
Designed for kindergarten through twelfth grade teachers who have
little or no experience using computers, HyperCard for Education features
an extensive online help system.

(Wendy Woods/19900626)


(NEWS)(APPLE)(SFO)(00001)

RADIUSTV: LIVE TV BROADCASTS IN MACINTOSH WINDOW
SAN JOSE, CALIFORNIA, U.S.A., 1990 JUN 26 (NB) -- Radius has
unveiled RadiusTV, an integrated cable-ready computer/television
subsystem for Macintosh II personal computers, which competes with
a less sophisticated offering from Aapps, and ships July 15.

The system is targeted at the interactive learning and presentation
markets as well as watchers of business TV. Stock brokers using
Macintoshes on the floor of the exchange, says Terry Bailey, director
of marketing for professional color systems, could have small windows
on their computers where they could watch FNN (Financial News Network) tv
closed-captioned because it's noisy on the floor of the exchange.

Bailey tells Newsbytes the $2,795 box consists of the following: an external
unit called the audio/video input processor, which is equipped with a
cable-ready tuner and can handle up to 5 different video sources at once;
an internal Nubus card inside the Macintosh II, which digitizes the
video and audio; software; and cables to link the hardware together.

Many different video and television devices can be used as sources with
RadiusTV, including TV/cable broadcasts, video cameras, video
laserdisc players and VCRs. The Radius Audio Video Input Processor
permits several devices to be software controlled and selected without
switching cables.

RadiusTV is capable of displaying and digitizing live 16-bit video
images in real-time (30 frames/sec.) in a resizable window of up to
640 x 480 pixels. RadiusTV also digitizes sound in real-time, and
provides access to information included in the television signal's vertical
interval, such as closed captions and calibration settings, making complete
control and processing by the Macintosh possible, according to the
company.

In announcing RadiusTV, Michael Boich, president of Radius said,
"With the introduction of RadiusTV, we see a collision happening
between computers and television which will result in an explosion of
new applications that none of us can even imagine today. "

The only competition in the price range is from Aapps of
Sunnyvale, CA, whose Digivideo Color board, $995, offers
full-motion video at a lower resolution and is 8-bit only.

RadiusTV works with any Radius display card, and any Radius display,
or with an Apple RGB display and a Radius DirectColor/GX card.

The software comes in two parts. RadiusTV Window is a desk accessory,
a user clicks on it and video pops up, stations can be selected with
software. The second piece is an application called Theatrics
which has similar controls but is designed as image capture and image
manipulation program.

Bailey says the uses for RadiusTV are limited only by a developer's
imagination. A developer toolkit is available which offers libraries
and calls in Pascal, C, and Hypercard X command. There are some
30 third party developers currently developing applications around
RadiusTV, he says.

(Wendy Woods/19900626/Press Contact: Jeneane Harter of
Radius, 408-434-1010)


(NEWS)(APPLE)(LAX)(00000)

NEW FOR APPLE: 310MB Internal 3.5 Inch Hard Disk Subsystem
IRVINE, CALIFORNIA, U.S.A., 1990 JUN 25 (NB) -- Optima Technology
has introduced a new 310 MB (megabyte) 3.5 inch internal SCSI
(small computer systems interface) hard disk subsystem engineered
specifically for the Macintosh IIci and IIcx.

According to the company, this disk subsystem is unlike any other
available to date because it has a true 3.5 inch form factor,
requires less than two minutes for installation and does not void
the manufacturer warranty from Apple as have marketed internal
drives which have, up to now, risked the integrity of the
computer. Optima says its $4,695 subsystem, available
immediately, is the highest capacity form factor available and
offers a sustained transfer rate of 1.55 MB/sec, a bus transfer
rate of 4.0 MB/sec and an average seek time of 12.5 milliseconds.

Tarek Ayoub, vice president of Sales and Marketing says that
Optima's research indicated that Macintosh power users worldwide
have been in need of a high-capacity , super-performance
subsystem for their compact Macintoshes. Hamid Assadian, vice
president for Research and Development expects OPtima's
announcement of this product to be met with surprise and
excitement. He notes that because of the proprietary nature of
the electromechanical design and system software, Optima is
requiring their authorized dealers to register all end users of
the product which prohibits the sale of the product by one
reseller to another.

(Janet Endrijonas/19900627/Press Contact: Judy M. Ford, Optima
Technology Corporation, 714-476-0515)


(NEWS)(APPLE)(NYC)(00001)

PSI ANNOUNCES SALE OF 325 EXPANDED UNITS TO SWEDISH FIRM
SAN JOSE, CALIFORNIA, U.S.A., 1990 JUN 24 (NB) -- PSI has
announced that KPMG/Bohlins Sweden, a division of one of
the world's largest largest Macintosh system integrators,
has purchased 325 Macintosh Portable computers from
Apple Computer Europe, each configured with
PSI's LXPi 2B RAM (random access memory) expansion card.

The LXPi 2B RAM expansion card allows the addition, in increments of
2MB (megabyte), of Random Access Memory (RAM) to bring the memory of the
Macintosh Portable from its initial 1MB configuration to one of 3, 5, 7 or
9MB. The expansion card has been available since December 1989.

Commenting on the purchase, Per üke Nilson at KPMG/Bohlins Sweden
said: "PSI has really made a difference in our decision about buying these
computers. Since their RAM cards are compatible with Apple's 1 meg
expansion card, PSI is able to give us a 4 MB Macintosh Portable. With the
PSI RAM, we also have the freedom to choose our upgrade path in the
future."

Our goal at PSI is to manufacture products that make the Macintosh more
appealing to the end user," stated Jon Ostberg, operations manager at PSI.
"Our LXPi RAM cards do just that, as well as our COMplete Internal
Fax/Modem. They help the Portable user get that much more out of his
machine. We were more than happy to help Apple move their computers."
Ostberg also told Newsbytes that the COMplete Modem is presently
undergoing FCC approval testing and will be available shortly.

(Barbara E. McMullen & John F. McMullen/19900627/Press Contact: Jon
Ostberg, PSI, 408-559-8544)


(NEWS)(APPLE)(NYC)(00004)

INGRES ANNOUNCES MACINTOSH CONNECTIVITY
ALAMEDA, CALIFORNIA, U.S.A., 1990 JUN 25 (NB) -- Ingres has
announced that it will support Macintosh access to its Digital VAX/VMS
database system though its support of Apple's Data Access Language
(DAL) and the offering and support of Andyne Computing Ltd. of
Canada's Graphical Query Language (GQL).

DAL, formerly named CL/1, is Apple Computer's standard connectivity
language for linking Macintosh applications to host data and combines a
standardized query language with network  communication protocols.
Under an agreement with Apple, Ingres will distribute and support the
DAL server for VAX/VMS. Personnel at  Ingres and Apple field offices
will be trained to demonstrate Macintosh-to-Ingres database connectivity
through DAL.

GQL is a graphical tool enabling Macintosh users to perform ad-hoc
queries against INGRES Release 5 or Release 6 databases on VAX/VMS or
UNIX-based host computers. It consists of three components: GQL/User,
which allows end users to execute database queries to retrieve information
from host computers; GQL/Admin, which allows MIS personnel to develop
the graphical models used by GQL/User; and GQL/Design, a rapid
prototyping tool for database designers. Under its agreement with the
developer, Ingres will  both distribute and provide customer support for
GQL.

Ingres' Bob Friedman told Newsbytes: "The availability of one location for
sale and support of Macintosh/Digital connectivity solutions will be very
attractive to customers. We feel that Apple has set a standard for Macintosh
- mainframe connectivity. We are providing very strong support for this
standard by offering and supporting all tools necessary for its
implementation and use."

(Barbara E. McMullen & John F. McMullen/19900627/Press Contact:
Mark Lewis, Ingres, 415-748-3699)


(NEWS)(APPLE)(HKG)(00001)

INDIAN SOFTWARE HOUSE UNVEILS MULTI-LANGUAGE WORD PROCESSOR
SINGAPORE, SOUTHEAST ASIA, 1990 JUN 15 (NB) -- India-based software
house Ivy Systems chose Macworld Asia 90 in Singapore to introduce a
multi-language wordprocessing package.

Imprint, which at present runs only on the Apple Macintosh, comes in
releases named E, M and U.

Imprint E handles Roman text, the M version can process Chinese,
Japanese and Arabic as well as Roman, while the U implementation also
handles Urdu. The processor itself will handle any of the languages
for which the overall system is designed and is capable of formatting
text vertically or horizontally, left, right, up or down.

Imprint incorporates page layout facilities and will handle graphics
as well as text. Released under Ivy Systems' Native
language Computing Strategy, Imprint is being distributed
by Eon Computers of Hong Kong.

Rakesh Kapoor of Ivy Systems told Newsbytes there are plans to
produce versions of imprint to run on Next computers and under
Windows, but he does not anticipate the introduction of one for MS-
DOS.

(Norman Wingrove/19900620/Press Contact: Rakesh Kapoor, Ivy Systems,
New Delhi, India, [phone]; Antonio Defensor, Eon Computers,
Hong Kong, [phone])


(NEWS)(BUSINESS)(ATL)(00003)

FFMC ACQUIRES NATIONWIDE CREDIT AND ONLINE FINANCIAL
ATLANTA, GEORGIA, U.S.A., 1990 JUN 25 (NB) -- First Financial
Management has completed the acquisition of Nationwide Credit
of Atlanta. Nationwide shareholders received 1.3 million FFMC
common shares and cash of $32 million.  There is additional
potential consideration of $30 million based on earnings achieved
through 1994. Nationwide is one of the largest debt collection
and accounts receivable management companies in the United
States, and had revenues of over $30 million in 1989.

The acquisition of Online Financial Communications Systems
of Atlanta, has also been completed.  Online develops, markets
and maintains computer software systems, as well as providing
related services.

The acquisition of the merchant credit card contracts of Bank of
Boston by FFMC's susidiary, NaBANCO, was completed a week ago.
Bank of Boston and its affiliates in five New England states
provide Visa and MasterCard merchant services throughout New
England, with a portfolio of approximately $500 million in annual
credit card volume.

(Dana Blankenhorn/19900626/Press Contact: First Financial
Management, Patrick H. Thomas 404-321-0120)


(NEWS)(BUSINESS)(LON)(00002)

PROSPER SYSTEMS SETS UP IN THE NETHERLANDS
PERIVALE, MIDDLESEX, ENGLAND, 1990 JUN 27 (NB) -- Prosper
Systems, the UK-based software sales and marketing specialist,
has announced the formation of Prosper Systems Europe. The
wholly-owned subsidiary will be based in the Netherlands.

In announcing the new company, Colin Taylor, Prosper's UK director,
said the move will make the company's award-winning software
available throughout mainland Europe.

"It will enable multi-national companies to standardize reporting
procedures. It will also give those companies wishing to expand
their activities into the single European market, instant
feedback of sales opportunities and competitor activity," he
said.

Heading up the European company is Frank Bloemendaal, who said
that Prosper is already selling its package - Prospect Manager -
into Europe. "This closer involvement will enable us to translate
these systems into European languages and support them in what is
recognized as the last major business function to become
computerized," he said.

(Steve Gold/19900627/Press & Public Contact: Colin Taylor,
Prosper Systems - Tel: [phone])


(NEWS)(BUSINESS)(LAX)(00000)

KAYPRO RESUMES PRODUCTION TO FILL $500,000 ORDER BACKLOG
SOLANA BEACH, CALIFORNIA, U.S.A., 1990 JUN 27 (NB) -- Kaypro, the
troubled computer-maker that last week restructured its
management team again, has begun production of computers to fill
$500,000 worth of back orders as well as over $1 million in
orders received since last week's management shakeup.

Ben F. Fisher, Kaypro's new president and CEO says that now that
the production line is back up and running, Kaypro expects to
complete shipment of back orders by the end of July. Production
at Kaypro had undergone a brief shutdown. In a published
statement, Fisher said: "Kaypro will make substantial progress
during the next month. We've trimmed expenses and expect to show
profitability very soon."

Fisher's statement went on to say: "It's been extremely
gratifying to experience such intense company loyalty among
Kaypro people during these difficult times. We have a strong
nucleus of employees, most of whom have been here for many years.
They really want to see the company succeed."

(Janet Endrijonas/19900627/Press Contact: Nancy Casey, WestCom
Group, 619-259-1288)


(NEWS)(BUSINESS)(LAX)(00000)

SUPERCOMPUTING SOLUTIONS COMPLETES FIRST CAPPS-9064 SALE
SAN DIEGO, CALIFORNIA, U.S.A., 1990 JUN 27 (NB) -- Supercomputing
Solutions has sold the first CAPPS-9064 supercomputer to TRW for
use at TRW's Space Park operation in Redondo Beach, CA. Delivery
of the system is on hold pending modification of the TRW
computing facility but is expected to take place within 30 days.

As part of the selling process, TRW's space station simulation
software code was successfully demonstrated on the CAPPS-9064. In
addition to space station simulation, Supercomputing Solutions
will integrate additional codes onto the CAPPS-9064 to allow TRW
to use the system for additional functions such as computational
fluid dynamics, electromagnetics and crash simulation.

The TRW CAPS-9064 is a 20 node (each node equals one full
computer) parallel processing system outfitted for expansion to
32 nodes.

(Janet Endrijonas/19900627/Press Contact: Paul Steidler, Morgan-
Walke Associates, 212-986-5900)


(NEWS)(BUSINESS)(TOR)(00003)

MITSUI BUYS $150 MILLION WORTH OF UNISYS STOCK
BLUE BELL, PENNSYLVANIA, U.S.A., 1990 JUN 26 (NB) -- Unisys Corp.
will sell Japan's Mitsui & Co. US$150 million worth of its
convertible preferred stock. Mitsui will also lend Unisys US$50
million in a five-year, unsecured, subordinated loan.

"They're making an investment in us because of their long-term
relationship with us," Unisys spokesman Peter Hynes told
Newsbytes. Mitsui and Unisys are equal partners in Nihon Unisys,
a Japanese joint venture that originated with Mitsui and Sperry,
which merged with Burroughs to form Unisys. The two companies
participate in joint marketing agreements elsewhere in the world,
Hynes said. Mitsui has no other equity holdings in Unisys, the
companies said.

The sale and transfer of funds are expected to be completed about
June 28. The deal is subject to regulatory approvals and other
customary closing conditions.

Mitsui will have the option of converting the preferred stock
into Unisys common stock at any time. Subject to the terms and
conditions of the preferred stock, it is also redeemable by
Unisys after three years.

If the preferred stock is not redeemed or converted, Unisys will
be required to convert it to common stock in the seventh year
after issuance, or earlier under certain extraordinary
circumstances, and conduct a managed sale of the common stock.

(Grant Buckler/19900626/Press Contact: Peter Hynes, Unisys,
215-986-6948)


(NEWS)(BUSINESS)(BRU)(00003)

WEST GERMANY'S SIEMENS TO INVEST $600 MILLION IN EAST GERMANY
MUNICH, WEST GERMANY, 1990 JUN 26 (NB) -- West Germany's Siemens
plans to pump about $600 million into East Germany on various
technical projects.

Siemens, Europe's largest computer company, will help more than
25,000 East Germans obtain jobs in the technology sector. Business
volume in the East is expected to reach more than 5 billion
marks, about $3 billion.

Siemens will be concentrating in telecommunications, data
processing and factory automation products.

(John Verhelst/19900627)


(NEWS)(BUSINESS)(HKG)(00002)

MOTOROLA TO INCREASE ITS INVESTMENT IN HONG KONG
CENTRAL, HONG KONG, 1990 JUN 26 (NB) -- Motorola plans to further expand
its heavy investment in Hong Kong and is also anxious to pursue plans
for a factory at Tianjin in China.

Senior Executive Vice President, Christopher Galvin, said during a
visit to Hong Kong to switch on a huge new neon advertising sign
overlooking Victoria harbor, "The market-driven economies of Asia
represent a system so successful that it will eventually prevail
throughout the continent."

Motorola is already building a factory at Taipo Industrial Estate in
Hong Kong's New Territories for the production of advanced silicon
chips. Galvin said his company has invested several hundred
million dollars in it so far and, when completed, it will employ
1,500 people, including 1,000 engineers.

Galvin also called for people to have confidence in Hong Kong, in
spite of the approach of its handover to China in 1997. He said he
believes China will become more democratic in the near future,
following the pattern of Eastern Europe.

Motorola also hopes to press ahead with its plans for a $100 million
plant in Tianjin, but first has to negotiate with China before it can
reach a decision on whether the project is still viable under current
foreign investment regulations.

(Norman Wingrove/199006270)


(EXCLUSIVE)(BUSINESS)(MOW)(00005)

SOVIET NORTH-WEST COMPUTER PUBLISHING HOUSE ORGANIZED
PETROZAVODSK, U.S.S.R., 1990 JUN 26 (NB) -- State authorities
have registered a "small state enterprise called INKOM,"
a software company working in the Soviet North-Eastern market.

Sergey Vilkov, the company's director, told Newsbytes that the
newly-formed INKOM  currently has a staff of only 5 people. It
will develop its own application software packages as well as
work as a software publishing house. The company also will
engage in hardware marketing within the region.

Vilkov told Newsbytes that the company's area of business
will cover the Leningrad region and the Kola peninsula.
The local Petrozavodsk commercial bank has become a founder of
this venture.

The first software they will sell is a package that will completely
computerize banking operations for the growing non-state network
of commercial banks. According to Vilkov, the program has been
certified and recommended for use all over the country.

Vilkov also noted that negotiations on joint projects with German and
Finnish companies are in progress now. He also told Newsbytes
that INKOM will open a Moscow office soon.

(Kirill Tchashchin/19900626/Press contact: Sergey Vilkov, INKOM, phone
and fax: [phone])


(NEWS)(BUSINESS)(HKG)(00007)

NEW ORACLE CHIEF FOR EAST ASIA
WANCHAI, HONG KONG, 1990 JUN 25 (NB) -- Oracle Corporation has
announced the appointment of Richard H. Hess as its chief executive
officer for Hong Kong, Taiwan and Korea, replacing Gary K.P. Leung,
who has left the company's Hong Kong office to pursue other business
interests.

Stephen Clark, vice president for the Asia-Pacific region, says: "With
Rick Hess' appointment, we are combining these three East Asian
countries into a single operation, though subsidiaries will be
maintained in each location." Clark says that although all three
countries have emerged as major markets, Oracle sees Hong Kong as a
special opportunity. "With its continuing loss of MIS professionals
to emigration, Hong Kong has a growing need for highly experienced
consultants who can be brought in to help manage complex development
projects. Oracle is uniquely well placed to satisfy this need, and we
envisage the Hong Kong subsidiary becoming our skills base for the
whole of Asia."

Hess has been with Oracle since 1986, most recently as its Executive
Director for East Asia, based in Sydney. In the past year he opened
new subsidiaries in Korea and Taiwan. In 1988 he set up Oracle New
Zealand, serving as its Managing Director for the first year.

From 1982 to 1986, Hess worked for Digital Equipment as Business
Development Manager in Washington and later as Senior Sales
Executive, based in Los Angeles.

Norman Wingrove/19900627/Press Contact: Polly Cheung, Oracle,
[phone])


(NEWS)(BUSINESS)(BRU)(00001)

TECHNOLOGY STOCKS: Midweek Market Summary, Tuesday June 26
NEW YORK, NEW YORK, U.S.A., 1990 JUN 26 (NB) -- Technology
stocks were down in general as was AT&T , which dropped $3.50
on news of lower earnings for the second quarter.

This drop and other indicators, including president Bush's
possible tax hike, guided the market to close down 2.72
points at 2842.33 on Tuesday. Technology stocks to followed
the trend with blue chips, such as IBM, down to $116.875 from
last week's $120+ high. AT&T ended Tuesday at $41.25 and GE,
GEnie's parent company closed at $69.25, down 12.5 cents.

Over the counter stocks, which include most of technology
companies, held their own with Intel Corporation unchanged at
$45.50 while Adobe Systems, which reported earnings for the previous
quarter fell $1.375 to close at $35, Microsoft rose 25 cents to
reach $74.375 and Apple Computer off 67.5 cents closing at $40.675.

(John Verhelst/19900626)


(NEWS)(BUSINESS)(BRU)(00002)

TECHNOLOGY STOCKS: Midweek Quarterly Results, Wednesday, June 27
NEW YORK, NEW YORK, U.S.A., 1990 JUN 26 (NB) -- Another batch of
quarterly results has been announced by technology companies.

[] 3COM CORPORATION posted net income of $7.3 million on revenues
of $116.8 the fourth quarter which ended May 31, 1990.  For the year,
the company reported sales of $419.1 million and income of
$20.5 million, down 40 percent from last year. 3Com manufactures
and markets data networking products worldwide.

[] ADOBE SYSTEMS posted net income of $7.88 million on revenues
of $35.347 million in the second quarter which ended June 1, 1990.
Adobe, which licenses the PostScript language, earned
$18.02 million on revenues of $72.52 million for the first six months.
Apple Computer is Adobe's biggest customer accounting for over
23 percent of its revenues. Another well-known customer is Scitex
Corporation, a graphics arts company.

[] CABLETRON SYSTEMS earned $7.1 million on revenues of $35.5 million
in the first quarter which ended May 31, 1990. In the
comparable quarter of 1989, the company earned $5.1 million and
sold $22.6 million.

[] WESTRONIX earned $358,701 on revenues of $13.03 million for
the first quarter which ended March 31, 1990. For the like
quarter in 1989, the company reported a loss of $1.35 million on
no revenues.

[] DIGITAL TRANSMISSION earned $29,338 on revenues of $1.24 million
in its third quarter which ended April 30, 1990. For the
comparable quarter in 1989 the company reported net income of
$11,599 on revenues of $1.52 million.

[] SCS/COMPUTE netted $3.74 million on revenues of $17.13 million
in the first quarter which ended April 30, 1990. This compares
with income of $4.04 million and sales of $16.15 million for the
same period in 1989.

[] MINISCRIBE lost $4.17 million in the highly competitive hard
disk drive business on sales of $51.22 million for the first
quarter which ended April 1, 1990. These figures compare with a
loss of $15.60 million on revenues of $152.78 million for the
first quarter of the previous fiscal year.

[] FUTURE COMMUNICATIONS INC. earned $394,694 on revenues of $624,465
in the second quarter which ended April 30, 1990. For
the same quarter in 1989 the company earned $304,207 on revenues
of $973,918. Future Communications offers SMATV cable systems and
communications products.

(John Verhelst/19900627)


(ADVANCE)(GENERAL)(MOW)(00002)

MOSCOW: FALL INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY SHOW ANNOUNCED
MOSCOW, U.S.S.R., 1990 JUN 26 (NB) -- A show and conference
pertaining to the development of new information technologies (IT)
will be held in Moscow's "VDNKh" exhibition facilities this fall.

Organized by Novintech, a joint venture that includes Soviet,
Bulgarian and Finnish capital, the exhibition will last a week
beginning October 9, 1990.

Conferences concerning international cooperation in information
technology will be held during the show.

Novintech, with 70 affiliates across the country, is trying to bring
the latest in information science into the Soviet Union, which currently
has almost no such infrastructure.

Additional information about show and conference participation can be
obtained directly from Novintech.

(Kirill Tchashchin/19900626/Press contact: Vladimir Dubov, Novintech,
phone [phone] fax [phone])


(NEWS)(GENERAL)(MOW)(00003)

SOVIET VENTURE TO ENTER INFORMATION MARKET
MOSCOW, U.S.S.R., 1990 JUN 26 (NB) -- Novintech, the Moscow-based
joint Soviet-Bulgarian-Finnish venture, has opened an office in the
Paris "Infomart," that city's permanent information
technology international marketplace.

According to Vladimir Dubov, Novintech marketing director, the
company's permanent office in this prestigious La Defence location,
sometimes said to be a "window into the next century," can help
Soviet information technology gain entry into the Western market.

Dubov also notes that Novintech, the Russian acronym for "New
Information Technologies," has organized a countrywide
association called "World Information Market" to
help Soviets start doing business in this area.

(Kirill Tchashchin/19900626/Press contact: Vladimir Dubov, Novintech,
phone [phone] fax [phone])


(NEWS)(GENERAL)(MOW)(00004)

MOSCOW: PC EXPO TO BE HELD IN JULY
MOSCOW, U.S.S.R., 1990 JUN 26 (NB) -- IDG World Expo will host a big
international computer exhibition in Moscow Exhibition park July
10-16, 1990.

This exhibition, which includes 3 days of conferences and seminars
on various aspects of the computer business, will be attended by
a number of Western computer businesspeople. Exhibitors will
include IBM, Microsoft and Tandon as well as a number of
Soviet companies.

IDG Group already has its own computer magazine for the Soviet market,
"PC World USSR."  Last year, IDG Group formed a joint venture with
one of Moscow's publishing houses.

(Kirill Tchashchin/19900626)


(NEWS)(GENERAL)(LON)(00003)

NEW PRODUCT: CPE Launches Budget PostScript Emulation Cartridge
PARIS, FRANCE, 1990 JUN 27 (NB) -- Computer Peripherals Europe of
Paris has announced the availability of Jetpage International, a
Postscript emulation cartridge.

According to the company, the #549 cartridge brings the scaleable
fonts, enhanced graphics and page layout capabilities of
Postscript to the everyday office environment.

Among the cartridge's many features are: European characters
and A4-sized printing, plus 1.5MB (megabytes) of printer RAM
(random access memory) requirements. Other facilities
available from the cartridge include access to
35 scaleable font families equivalent to those found in the Apple
Laserwriter NT Plus.

"We're currently marketing the cartridge through our Paris
office, and are about to begin selling it in the UK as well. It's
going to be a big seller," Kevin Church of CPE, told Newsbytes.

(Steve Gold/19900627/Press & Public Contact: Kevin Church,
Jetpage International - Tel: [phone])


(NEWS)(GENERAL)(SYD)(00000)

UNION PACIFIC TO USE AUSTRALIAN SOFTWARE
BRISBANE, AUSTRALIA, 1990 JUN 24 (NB) -- Union Pacific [UP],
the United States' largest railway company, has purchased
software to the value of AUS$650,000 from Brisbane software
developers Mincom to maintain equipment and manage inventory.

The software, called MIMS, is to be installed in UP's command
center in Omaha, Nebraska. It is to be part of a US$75M
investment to control all of UP's operations. Since
introduction in the U.S. in 1988, the market for MIMS has grown
to AUS$7.6M, and it is expected the sale to UP will further
boost sales. Mincom Managing Director, David Merson, said:
"The UP sale is irrefutable evidence that Australian-developed
software can compete - and win - world-wide on its own merits."

(Sean McNamara/19900627)


(NEWS)(GENERAL)(SYD)(00000)

NEW ZEALAND POLICE BUY FINGERPRINT IDENTIFICATION SYSTEM
SYDNEY, AUSTRALIA, 1990 JUN 20 (NB) -- New Zealand Police have
invested in the NEC Automatic Fingerprint Identification System
[AFIS], which can match fingerprints in hours, rather than the
weeks or months required by fingerprint experts using existing
methods.

The system is to be based on NEC ACOS 3400 mainframe
technology, and New Zealand is the first country to use this
mainframe to run AFIS. To date, NEC has installed around 300
AFIS sites world-wide. The system can match fingerprints
against those stored at the rate of 770 fingerprints a second.
The system also allows for the easy transfer of fingerprints
between police offices throughout the country.

(Sean McNamara/19900627)


(NEWS)(GENERAL)(SYD)(00000)

COMPLETE MAPPING OF AUSTRALIA ALMOST COMPLETE
SYDNEY, AUSTRALIA, 1990 JUN 25 (NB) -- Peripheral System has
announced an Australian version of its MapInfo mapping tool,
and set a timetable for the completion of entering data on
Australia into the system.

The PC-based software incorporates data on the Australian
coastline, state boundaries and major cities, including street
names and numbers. While Sydney, Brisbane and Melbourne have
already been entered, the system is due to be completed by the
fourth quarter of this year with the addition of Adelaide and
the Australian Capital Territory by August and Perth by the end
of the year. Regional centers to be included in the system
include Newcastle, Ballarat and Wollongong.

The basic system (with coastline, state boundaries and postal
code database) will sell for AUS$1,500, while street files for
major cities will cost AUS$2,000 without street numbers and
AUS$4,000 with street numbers.

(Sean McNamara/19900627)


(NEWS)(GENERAL)(SYD)(00000)

PAXUS TO TARGET ELECTRONIC TAX FILING MARKET IN AUSTRALIA
SYDNEY, AUSTRALIA, 1990 JUN 23 (NB) -- Paxus has announced
increased electronic tax filing facilities in its Practice
series of tax management software in a move to increase its 30
percent market share in the accounting sector.

Paxus software was used in the first trials of electronic tax
form filing in 1987, and the functionality of the software
has been increased in the latest version. Paxus is confident
that at least 33 percent of its tax clients will be online to the
Taxation Department by the end of the year.

(Sean McNamara/19900627)


(NEWS)(GENERAL)(LAX)(00000)

NEW FOR NETWORKS: Software For Remote Bridge Enhancements
SANTA MONICA, CALIFORNIA, U.S.A., 1990 JUN 25 (NB) -- Retix has
introduced new software for its remote bridge product line that
features network triangulation and Adaptive Routing. The new
software, Version 2.0, operates with Retix 4820 and 4880 remote
LAN (local area network) bridges.

The new software builds on the industry standard Spanning Tree
Algorithm and Protocol (STP). To ensure interoperability of
bridges in a network, Retix supports two recent drafts of the
IEEE 802.1 STP standard.

(Janet Endrijonas/19900627/Press Contact: Rebel Brown, Retix,
213-399-2200)


(NEWS)(GENERAL)(LAX)(00000)

NEW FOR NETWORKS: Gateway Adds UTP Ethernet Micro Channel Adapter
IRVINE, CALIFORNIA, U.S.A., 1990 JUN 26 (NB) --  Gateway
Communications has introduced a new UTP (unshielded twisted pair)
Ethernet Micro Channel LAN (local area network) adapter product
called the G/EtherTwist MC adapter. This adapter is designed for
use in IBM PS/2 computers and compatibles.

G/Ethernet is fully compatible with the IEEE 802.3 10BASE-T Draft
10 proposal. G/EtherTwist MC has a 15 bit MCA bus interface and
is designed for use in both workstations and servers. An onboard
UTP filter allows direct RJ-45 connection between the
G/Ethertwist MC adapter and the UTP wall outlet so that
G/EtherTwist networks can be used in buildings with existing
wiring that meets 10BASE-T specifications, including AT&T's
Premises Distribution System.

The product is available now and lists for a retail price of
$460.

(Janet Endrijonas/19900627/Press Contact: Bradley Morse, Gateway
Communications, 714-553-1555)


(NEWS)(GENERAL)(NYC)(00006)

LOTUS SHIPS 1-2-3 FOR ALL-IN-1
CAMBRIDGE, MASSACHUSETTS,U.S.A., 1990 JUN 27 (NB) -- Lotus
Development Corporation has announced that it has begun shipping of
Lotus 1-2-3 for ALL-IN-1, a 1-2-3 spreadsheet for Digital Equipment
Corporation's VAX/VMS family of computers. The product, which
integrates with Digital's ALL-IN-1 integrated office system, was
announced in March and is shipping on schedule.

Lotus 1-2-3 for ALL-IN-1 will be distributed through Digital's worldwide
direct and indirect sales channels, including Digital's sales force, direct
marketing organization (including DECdirect and the Electronic Store),
distributors and OEM (original equipment manufacturer) partners.
Digital will support 1-2-3 for ALL-IN-1 as a Digital product, with technical
telephone support, Digital Software Information (DSIN) access,
critical on-site support and software updates.
This support will be available worldwide, 365 days a year.

The system was beta tested for several months by the Minnesota
Timbervolves National Basketball Association team who used the product
to develop a prototype of a salary planning model. The model, when
completed, will  allow the team's senior executives to perform "what if"
salary analyses for current players and draft picks. Proposed salaries will
be compared to historical averages for players in similar positions or
similar draft choices.  Alan Von Achen, Timberwolves director of
information systems, told Newsbytes: "It was really implemented well. Our
personnel started using both 1-2-3 and competitive products and very
rapidly abandoned the competitive products. Its integration with ALL-IN-
ONE is excellent and we've been very pleased."

Lotus' Lisa Leonard told Newsbytes that the price of the product varies
dependent of the processor utilized and that "representative prices are
$3,554 for the MicroVax and $14,484 for the VAX6210."

(Barbara E. McMullen & John F. McMullen/19900627/Press Contact: Lisa
Leonard, Lotus, 617-225-1263)


(NEWS)(GOVT)(SFO)(00001)

MOTOROLA/HITACHI REACH OUT OF COURT SETTLEMENT
SCHAUMBERG, ILLINOIS, U.S.A., 1990 JUN 26 (NB) -- Motorola and
Hitachi have buried the hatchet in their dispute over the manufacture
of 68030 microprocessors, and now it's up to the judge to make it
official.

Neither side would disclose details of the agreement, but both sides
say they will jointly seek a stay on a Texas judge's order that banned
sale of the 68030 by Motorola in the US until the end of this
century. "Motorola and Hitachi have reached an agreement in principle
that will serve as a framework for reaching an end to the two companies'
intellectual property and technology disputes," says a Motorola press
release.

Providing the court issues the stay, both companies will continue
to supply their customers with products while they work to
finalize their agreement, according to Motorola. This is welcome news
to Apple Computer, Hewlett-Packard, Next, and other companies
which use the 68030 microprocessor.

(Wendy Woods/19900626/Press Contact: Tim Kellog, Motorola, 708-
576-5305)


(EXCLUSIVE)(GOVT)(ATL)(00001)

GEORGIA LAW TO ENFORCE NO-COMPETE CLAUSES
ATLANTA, GEORGIA, U.S.A., 1990 JUN 26 (NB) -- A new law that
takes effect in Georgia July 1 could prevent high-tech employees
from changing jobs. The Restrictive Covenant Act will let
employers enforce non-compete clauses in employee contracts, and
according to high-tech lawyer John Yates of Manning, Morris and
Martin in Atlanta, it's unique and, perhaps, dangerous.

"Georgia law in the past made it hard to keep an employee from
competing with you," Yates told Newsbytes. The new law makes
those contracts enforceable, and lets the court re-write them if
they're not enforceable. "It's a 180 degree change from prior
law. Plus, the law is retroactive, affecting contracts before
July, which makes it possibly unconstitutional." Lawsuits against
it can be expected.

The Georgia High Tech Alliance also pushed through a new Trade
Secrets Act, which also goes into effect in 1990. "The Atlanta
Journal-Constitution" expressed alarm over the law, noting that
it could make people liable for jail time if they just overheard
a conversation involving proprietary information. But those
concerns are overblown, says Yates. "The newspaper's got it
backwards. The Trade Secrets Bill is not a big deal, it just
brings us in line with laws across the country. It's not an
infringement on freedom of speech. It adopts the Uniform Trade
Secrets Act."

Yates suspects the Restrictive Covenant Act will have the most
impact on high-tech, but says it was the result of insurance
company lobbying. "An insurance company wanted to keep salesmen
from competing with it, but this will impact high-tech," he
predicted. "It's going to substantially increase the amount of
time entrepreneurs spend with their lawyers, and increase the
amount of negotiations between prospective employees and
employers. It's probably not good news for the free flow of
information and people."

Yates concludes, "California has taken the opposite approach, a
complete prohibition on non-competition agreements. Georgia now
has a stranglehold on the enforceability, unless the whole law
is declared unconstitutional. I expect lawsuits."

(Dana Blankenhorn/19900626/Press Contact: John Yates, Morris,
Manning and Martin, 404-233-7000)


(NEWS)(GOVT)(SYD)(00000)

AUSTRALIA: ELEC ENGINEERING EDUCATION GETS AUS$950,000 BOOST
MELBOURNE, AUSTRALIA, 1990 JUN 22 (NB) -- The New South Wales
(NSW) Government has granted almost AUS$950,000 to tertiary
educators in a move to boost education in the electrical
engineering field.

The grant, announced by the NSW Education Minister Dr. Terry
Metherell and the NSW Education and Training Foundation (ETF)
will establish a continuing education program relating to
electrical engineering. To run the program the National Center
for the Advancement of Engineering and Training will be
established as part of the University of Sydney.

Dr. Metherell said at the announcement: "The educators - mainly
universities and Technical and Further Education (TAFE)
colleges - will receive instruction on new technologies and the
means of transferring this information through resources and
teaching tools to their own students." Professor Hugo Messerle,
the programs chief investigator, said other engineering
topics would be covered as the program expanded.

(Sean McNamara/19900627)


(NEWS)(IBM)(NYC)(00002)

IBM RE-ENTERS HOME MARKET; INTRODUCES PS/1
NEW YORK, NEW YORK, U.S.A., 1990 JUN 26 (NB) -- IBM, at a New York City
press conference, re-entered the home computer market  with the
introduction of the PS/1, an 80286 computer that will be
sold bundled with communications capability and software. The PS/1 is to
be available immediately in the Dallas / Fort Worth, Minneapolis / St. Paul
and Chicago areas and, in the fall, throughout the rest of the United States,
Canada and Europe.

The PS/1 is available in 4 models with suggested retail prices ranging from
$999 to $1,999. Each of the models is a 10Mhz (megahertz) 80286-based system
bundled with a 2400 bits/sec Hayes-compatible modem, links to the Prodigy
and Promenade online services and Microsoft Works version 2.0
integrated word processor, spreadsheet, file manager and communications
program.

The entry level system, at $999, contains 512K random access memory
(RAM), 1 single 1.44MB 3 1/2" floppy diskette drive, a two-button mouse,
a 101-key keyboard  and a black and white video display. The next higher
model, with a $1,449 suggested retail price, has the same memory and disk
configuration as the entry unit but replaces the black and white monitor
with a color display. The third model has a suggested retail price of $1,649
and contains 1MB of RAM, the 1.44MB floppy drive, a 30MB fixed disk
drive and a black and white monitor. The final model substitutes a color
display for the black and white monitor in configuration 3 and has  a
suggested retail price of $1,999. The systems will be available both through
existing IBM dealers and through selected department stores; in the initial
three marketing sites, the PS/1 will be sold by Sears Brand Central Stores,
Dillard's Department Stores and Dayton's Department Stores.

Announcing the PS/1, George Conrades, IBM senior vice president and
general manager, said: "This is our entry or, as you might say, re-entry into
the home market and this time we have it right! I believe that today's
announcement will do for the home what business computers did for the
office. Just as the VCR was the home appliance of the 80s, the home
computer will be the appliance of the 90s. This is not just a home
computer; it represents a whole new way of computing from the home."
Conrades also told those assembled that the PS/1 is the product of an "80-
person team assembled in a warehouse near our Lexington, KY
facility."

James Cannavino, IBM vice president and general manager, added: "The
PS/1 was created to be an essential consumer product for families living in
today's information-oriented society. Because it was developed to meet the
expressed needs of today's contemporary families, the computer has the
potential to become as useful in the home as the microwave oven and as
useful as the VCR."

IBM has configured the system to present a graphic four quadrant screen
display when the system is started. The four quadrants allow the user,
through movement of the mouse to choose Information (top left) ,
Microsoft Works (top right), Your Software (bottom left) or IBM DOS
(bottom right). The Information section contains tutorials and the on-line
Prodigy and Promenade services.

As a  service for the PS/1 user, Prodigy has added a PS/1 Users Club
section which is accessible by clicking on a single screen button. The Users
Club is available seven days a week, 18 hours a day and provides various
levels of IBM supported help to the PS/1 owner. Promenade is a new
service of Quantum Computer Services introduced specifically for the
PS/1. Introducing the system, Steve Case, executive vice president of
Quantum Computer Services, said: "We developed Promenade based on
what consumers said they were looking for in a new computer for the
home according to IBM's research."

The Microsoft Works quadrant allows the user to enter directly into that
integrated windowed application. Mike Maples, vice president of
applications software at Microsoft Corp., told Newsbytes: "This is the
full robust version of Works that runs on the PS/2, Compaq and
compatibles. There have been no comprises made to bring Works to the
PS/1." Commenting on the introduction Maples also said: "Since its
introduction in 1987, more than 40 percent of Microsoft Works sales have
been to people who use it at home for personal and business productivity.
We're delighted to team up with IBM to offer a powerful and attractively
priced computing solution to home users."

The Your Software section of the screen is used to access any additional
software that the user purchases. Cannavino stated in his presentation that
the "PS/1 will run any DOS-based software for which the machine is
properly configured." IBM provides optional add-ons to increase system
memory up as high as 7MB and provides the ability to add 5 1/4" floppy
disk drives (both 360K and 1.2MB) and joysticks and audio cards. There is
also an optional expansion adapter unit which allows the addition of third
party AT & XT compatible adapter cards.

Esther Dyson, editor and publisher of the Release 1.0 newsletter, summed
up her evaluation of the PS/1 for Newsbytes, saying: "It's neat but not
consistent like the Macintosh. It's also half the price of the Macintosh."

In conjunction with IBM's announcement, Sears stated that, while it will
sell the computer in just 45 of stores in the initial three marketing areas, it
will be offering the computer in all 840 of its Brand Central superstores
when the product is introduced nationally in the fall. Additionally, the
computer and selected IBM accessories will be sold nationally through 60
Sears Business Systems Centers and in Sears' Christmas catalog being
distributed to 11.5 million homes beginning in September. Announcing its
plans to market the computer nationwide, Edward J. Hearne, head of
buying and merchandising for home electronics and home office products
for Sears retail stores said: "When IBM approached Sears last year, we
immediately saw the PS/1's appeal for our huge customer base ... Sears has
a business relationship with 70 percent of America's households."

(Barbara E. McMullen & John F. McMullen/19900627/Press Contacts:
Linda Dezan, IBM, 914-642-5364; Marty Taucher, Microsoft , 206-882-
8080; Lyn Chitow, Quantum , 703-883-1661; Ernest L. Arms , Sears, 312-
875-8371)


(NEWS)(IBM)(TOR)(00007)

IBM CANADA LAUNCHES PS/1, TOUTS LOCALLY MADE POWER CARD
TORONTO, ONTARIO, CANADA, 1990 JUN 26 (NB) -- IBM Canada unveiled
the Personal System/1 home computer as expected, in tandem with
its parent company in the United States.

Three models of the PS/1 are being offered in Canada. The base
model, with monochrome monitor and a single diskette drive, will
sell for C$1,299. A single-diskette version with color monitor
will cost C$1,899, and a color model with 30-megabyte hard disk
will sell for C$2,649.

The Toronto press conference was held next door to the IBM plant
that manufactures the compact power card for the new machine.
However, the announcement laid little emphasis on that device.
John Thompson, president of IBM Canada, said before the
presentation that IBM realizes buyers are more interested in what
the computer can do than in the technology that goes into it.

The new power card does away with much of the wiring and the bulk
of traditional PC power supplies by distributing one level of
voltage to the whole machine. The card controls distribution of
proper power levels to various components.

THe IBM Toronto plant also manufactures 512K memory cards
for the new PS/1 machines.

(Grant Buckler/19900627/Press Contact: Anne Hay, IBM Canada,
416-474-3900)


(NEWS)(IBM)(LON)(00000)

MICROSOFT STANDARDIZES ON SUPERBASE 4 WINDOWS
ASCHEIM-DORNACH, WEST GERMANY, 1990 JUN 27 (NB) -- Microsoft-West
Germany has taken out a major Superbase 4 site license to cover
all its offices in West Germany. The license ranks as a major
coup for Precision Software, the developers of Superbase 4 for
Windows.

According to Precision, Superbase 4 Windows was chosen alongside
competing products such as Excel and Microsoft Word as the core
components of Microsoft's applications suite of packages for use
internally within the company.

After signing the contract, Christian Wedell, Microsoft West
Germany's managing director said: "For Microsoft and other
organizations who have made a conscious decision to adopt Windows
3, and who require a programmable, relational database that
supports DDE (Dynamic Data Exchange), Superbase 4 is the answer."

Andy Stafford, Precision's managing director, is pleased with the
contract. "By adopting Superbase as a standard in-house,
Microsoft is again confirming Superbase's position as the
leading database for Windows," he said.

(Steve Gold/19900627/Press Contact: Daniel Power, Precision
Software - Tel: (UK) 081-330-7166)


(NEWS)(IBM)(LON)(00005)

ELONEX LAUNCHES FIRST 386 EISA SYSTEM
LONDON, ENGLAND, 1990 JUN 27 (NB) -- Elonex has begun shipping
the PC-386V/33E, a budget EISA (Extended Industry Standard
Architecture) machine that the company claims is pitched at users
displeased with the long lead times for 80486-based PCs.

The 33MHz (megahertz) 80386-based machine features
four 32-bit EISA and four AT-style expansion slots. The EISA
slots can also be used to accommodate standard AT cards if
required. The systems start from the UKP 2,495 ($4,250) mark
for a 2MB (megabyte) equipped PC fitted with a
fast 40MB hard disk.

The machine chassis comes in a floor-standing tower case that can
accommodate up to seven half-height storage devices. The 386
microprocessor is backed up by a 32K RAM caching system and an
Intel 82385 cache controller that can deliver very fast
performance, the company claims.

(Steve Gold/19900627/Press & Public Contact: Ari Gurshuni, Elonex
- Tel: [phone])


(NEWS)(IBM)(SYD)(00000)

IBM WANGARATTA (AUSTRALIA) PLANT EXPECTED TO DOUBLE STAFF
MELBOURNE, AUSTRALIA, 1990 JUN 23 (NB) -- IBM is expected to
announce the doubling of staff at its Wangaratta plant in
Victoria. While IBM is generally reducing staff world-wide, the
increase of around 130 people at Wangaratta displays IBM's
confidence in the export potential of manufactured computers.

Along with the staff increases, the size of the production line
for IBM's RISC [Reduced Instruction Set Chip] System 6000 is to
be doubled as well. Once manufactured, these systems will
supply the Asian market. The moves are to meet promises
made by IBM to the Australian government to boost exports to
AUS$300M by 1993. Currently exports from the plant run at
AUS$200M a year

(Sean McNamara/19900627)


(NEWS)(IBM)(LAX)(00000)

AST RESEARCH SHIPS 486/33E EISA DESKTOP SYSTEM
IRVINE, CALIFORNIA, U.S.A., 1990 JUN 27 (NB) -- AST Research
has begun shipping the Premium 486/33E EISA (Extended Industry
Standard Architecture) desktop computer system that the company
announced last month.

The system supports five drive bays and the Weitek 4167 coprocessor.
It contains seven EISA expansion slots and is expandable up to
48 megabytes of RAM (random access memory). Three models are
available with 4 megabytes of RAM and one 5.25 inch floppy drive.
The Model 5 is priced at $11,245.  Model 115, which has a 110
megabyte hard drive lists for $12,545. Model 325, with a 320 megabyte
ESDI hard drive retails for $14,245.

(Janet Endrijonas/19900627/Press Contact: Jeanne Jalan, AST
Research, 714-727-7960)


(NEWS)(IBM)(TOR)(00001)

NEW FOR IBM: MicroScript Developers' Edition Links Programs
DANVERS, MASSACHUSETTS, U.S.A., 1990 JUN 25 (NB) -- Selecterm,
based here, says its MicroScript utility lets computer programs
exchange data through their screen and keyboard buffers.
Selecterm has released a US$1,995 developers' edition of
MicroScript.

Dan Poranski, Selecterm's marketing manager, told Newsbytes
MicroScript can read data from any program's screen buffer, then
write it to another application as if it came from the keyboard.
The different packages can be run consecutively, or
simultaneously under a multitasking or context-switching system
such as Quarterdeck's Desqview or SoftLogic Solutions' Software
Carousel, he said.

One use for MicroScript would be in exchanging data with a
mainframe or minicomputer host system, Poranski said. MicroScript
could open a terminal emulation session with the host, display
and capture the desired screen or screens, then open a PC
software package and transfer the data into the application.

The software does have some limitations. "Graphics mode is very
hard to work with," Poranski admitted. Selecterm is experimenting
with Microsoft Windows 3.0, and hopes to make MicroScript work
with it by early next year, but is making no promises. The
software does not work with X Window applications. However,
Poranski said, MicroScript can read data direct from disk files,
providing a way around the problem of capturing screen data in
graphics mode.

MicroScript also cannot simulate mouse input directly, but
Poranski noted that most programs, other than graphics software,
provide keyboard alternatives for most things a mouse can do.
"You can produce anything a keyboard can produce," he said.

The software occupies an average of 96KB (kilobytes) of memory when
running, Poranski said, but the requirement varies with the
application with which MicroScript is interfacing, up to about
128K.

Selecterm, a systems integrator, has used MicroScript in
developing applications for its clients. The software runs on any
IBM-compatible PC equipped with DOS 2.0 or later. A run-time
edition will be offered for US$750 in the first quarter of next
year, Poranski said, with volume discounts available.

(Grant Buckler/19900625/Press Contact: Dan Poranski, Selecterm,
617-246-1300)


(NEWS)(IBM)(TOR)(00002)

SUPERTIME PREVIEWING WORK-GROUP SOFTWARE
TORONTO, ONTARIO, CANADA, 1990 JUN 25 (NB) -- SuperTime, a small
Toronto company, is preparing to launch a new entrant in the
groupware sweepstakes.

The software, also called SuperTime, includes an appointment
calendar, address and phone number directory, message handling,
project management and scheduling, and data libraries containing
reference information, said Gary Babcock, product manager. The
company plans to release it in late August or early September.
SuperTime has been previewed at Comdex/Spring and PC Expo.

Babcock said the multi-function software, designed to run on
local-area networks, is notable chiefly for its flexibility.
Users can define their own data items, for instance, deciding
what information should be stored for each entry in the contact
directory. And SuperTime's appointment calendar provides five
different views, including a multi-resource view which Babcock
said could be useful for scheduling multiple resources such as
doctors in a clinic or meeting rooms.

Babcock said SuperTime's contact-management feature is
competitive with stand-alone contact management packages.

He added that the package's resource scheduling functions are
extensive, though he admitted some SuperTime users probably will
not need this capability.

SuperTime has been tested on Novell networks, Babcock said, and
should also be usable on any network compatible with NetBIOS. A
stand-alone version of the software is expected to cost $299, a
four-user version $695, an eight-user version $995, a 16-user
version $1,695 and addition of each subsequent user $65. Babcock
said the prices will probably be the same in the United States
and Canada, in each country's currency.

(Grant Buckler/19900625/Press Contact: Gary Babcock, SuperTime,
416-499-3288)


(NEWS)(IBM)(NYC)(00005)

COMPUTER USER GROUPS URGED TO GET INVOLVED IN COMMUNITIES
NEW YORK, NEW YORK, U.S.A., 1990 JUN 24 (NB) -- At the third
annual Intergalactic User Group Officers Conference held in New York
City, June 22-24, delegates from computer groups across
the United States and Canada were urged to make their groups responsive
to the needs of their community.

Joanne Malbin, of Non-Profit Computing, Inc., a group which provides a
conduit for funnelling computer equipment and services to not-for-profit
organizations, in a talk to the group, reviewed the various ways in which
computer clubs may aid charitable causes throughout the world. She also
provided those assembled with a list of existing user group service projects
throughout the country.

Raines Cohen, president of the Berkeley Macintosh Users Group (BMUG)
also reported to the conference on the activities that his club performed in
supporting the Red Cross in the aftermath of the San Francisco Bay Area
earthquake last October. Members of BMUG brought computer equipment
to Red Cross offices in Oakland and provided round-the-clock service in
matching needed services with inventories of resources (ex. -- a nurse with
a knowledge of Spanish is needed from midnight to 8AM in a certain
disaster center). Cohen suggested to the club officers that their groups
establish contacts with local emergency service organizations and determine
if that may be helpful in time of emergency.

In another talk, Terry Gross, partner in the law firm of Rabinowitz and
Boudin and a member of the legal defense fund that Mitch Kapor
founded to aid the hackers implicated in recent Secret Service activities,
discussed the case both with the entire group and in an in-depth roundtable
of bulletin board sysops (systems operators). In the discussion,
he addressed concerns for club and sysop liability that might
arise as a result of information posted on the bulletin board.

Dan Janal of Janal Public Relations led a discussion on obtaining necessary
media coverage for club activities and suggested ways in which clubs might
forge relations with the media.

In addition to participating in roundtables on managing large and small
clubs, running bulletin boards, production of club newsletters, running
seminars, and financial managements, those in attendance heard
presentations from Byte Information Exchange (BIX), WordPerfect, Intel
Corp., Borland International, Ashton-Tate, Lotus Development Corp and
IBM on the user support programs that their respective companies provide.

At the conclusion of the conference, it was announced that the 1991
Integalactic meeting will be held in Houston, TX.

(Barbara E. McMullen & John F. McMullen/19900627/Press Contact:
Joseph Rigo, Intergalactic, 212-249-6418)


(NEWS)(IBM)(NYC)(00007)

IBM BOARD OF DIRECTORS ELECTS TWO NEW MEMBERS
ARMONK, NEW YORK,U.S.A., 1990 JUN 27 (NB) -- IBM has
announced the election of Judith Richards Hope and Frank A. Metz, Jr. to
its Board of Directors.

Mrs. Hope is a senior partner and member of the Executive
Committee of the California-based law firm Paul, Hastings,
Janofsky & Walker.  A graduate of Wellesley College and Harvard Law
School, she served as associate director of the White House Domestic
Council under President Gerald Ford and as vice chairman of the
President's Commission on Organized Crime under President Ronald
Reagan.

Mr. Metz is IBM senior vice president, finance and planning, and chief
financial officer.  He is a member of the Corporate Management Board and
the Management Committee.  A graduate of Bowdoin College, Mr. Metz
joined IBM in 1955 as a systems engineer in Boston.  He was named an
IBM vice president in 1980 and IBM senior vice president in 1985.

(Barbara E. McMullen & John F. McMullen/19900627/Press Contact: Peter
W. Thonis, IBM, 914-765-6565)


(NEWS)(APPLE)(NYC)(00008)

DAYSTAR INTRODUCES RAM EXPANSION FOR MAC PORTABLE
FLOWERY BRANCH, GEORGIA, U.S.A., 1990 JUN 26 (NB) -- DayStar
Digital, Inc. has announced that it is now shipping RAM Lite, a memory
expansion board for the Macintosh Portable. The unit is available in 2MB,
(megabyte) 3MB and 4MB models at suggested retail prices of
$1,395, $1,995 and $2,495 respectively.

David Methven, DayStar's project manager for RAM Lite differentiated this
project from its competition, telling Newsbytes: "We use true static RAM
(random access memory) chips while most others do not and true static
RAM uses much less power than any of the pseudo-static RAM chips.
Additionally, we utilize one -- and only one -- of the connection
slots in the portable while those configurations that use
daughter boards for additional memory usually tie
up more than one slot.

Expanding on the power consumption issue, DayStar President Andrew
Lewis said: "Conserving power is one of the most important concerns of
portable computer users. The need for battery conservation really drove
Apple╒s design of the Portable. DayStar followed suit in designing the
RAM Lite board."

(Barbara E. McMullen & John F. McMullen/19900627/Press Contact: Steve
Goodman, DayStar Digital, 404-967-2077)


(NEWS)(IBM)(NYC)(00009)

KNOWLEDGE GARDEN SHIPPING TOOL FOR WINDOWS
NEW YORK, NEW YORK, U.S.A., 1990 JUNE 24 (NB) -- Knowledge
Garden Inc. has announced that KnowledgePro, introduced at the recent PC
Expo in New York City, is now shipping.   KnowledgePro is an object-
oriented environment for application development intended to let people
who are not experienced Windows' programmers create sophisticated
applications.

Bill Thompson, director of Research and Development told Newsbytes:
"KnowlegePro is a hi-level application developer which has aspects of
expert systems and supports hypertext." Watching a demonstration of the
product explains Thompson's view of it.  The method of developing
applications is the same as that used in an Apple Macintosh Hypercard
environment where object-like buttons are pasted onto a screen and scripts
applied to them to activate them.

High-level commands allow the manipulation of all Windows screen
objects, text, bitmaps, icons, fonts, lists, data and rules.  The system
includes interactive screen design tools and functions for searching,
indexing and retrieving external text files.  Links allow designers to run
external Dos and Windows programs directly.  Designers can also include
Microsoft C, Pascal or Assembler routines using Dynamic Link Libraries
(DLL's) and interact with other Windows programs  using Dynamic Data
Exchange (DDE).

KnowledgePro (Windows) has a suggested retail price of $695.

(Barbara E. McMullen & John F. McMullen/19900627/Press Contact: Bill
Thompson, Knowledge Garden Inc., 518-766-3000)


(NEWS)(IBM)(NYC)(00010)

ATECH SOFTWARE INTRODUCES WINDOWS' PRINTER DRIVER
NEW YORK, NEW YORK  U.S.A., 1990 JUN 24 (NB) -- Atech Software
has announced the introduction of Publisher's Powerpak. Shown at the
recent PC-Expo in New York City, Publisher's Powerpak works inside all
Microsoft Windows' applications as an enhanced printer driver to provide
Laser-like output and scalable fonts for more than 300 dot-matrix, inkjet
and laser printers.

Leland Ancier, President of Atech Software, told
Newsbytes that Atech "beat Adobe and Bitstream to market with the first
real WYSIWYG font solution for the screen and printer."  Ancier
further stated: "Powerpak is an on-the-fly screen and printer font
technology that frees up megabytes of hard disk space  and provides true
WYSIWYG under all Windows' applications."

Powerpak scales typefaces on-the-fly from 4 to 127 point.  The product
comes with 30 scalable typefaces, including the three most popular typeface
families.  A large library of additional scalable packages is also available.
There are no additional hardware or memory requirements.  Publisher's
Powerpak retails for $79.95.  Twenty six additional Atech font packages,
totaling 53 font families (over 800 typefaces) are available for $29.95 per
package.  Nine foreign language font packages including Cyrillic, Greek,
Hebrew, Korean and Thai are available for $79.95 per package, and 15
typeset-quality font packages from Monotype Corporation are available for
$79.95 each.

(Barbara E. McMullen & John F. McMullen/19900627/Press Contact:
Leland Ancier, Atech Software, 619-438-6883)


(NEWS)(IBM)(NYC)(00011)

AIMTECH INTRODUCES FULL AUTHORING PACKAGE FOR WINDOWS APPLICATIONS
NEW YORK, NEW YORK  U.S.A., 1990 JUN 24 (NB) -- Aimtech Corp
has announced the introduction of IconAuthor Version 3.0.

Shown at the recent PC-Expo in New York City, IconAuthor is
the first icon-based development tool for creating interactive,
multimedia applications using object-oriented, visual programming.
The tool is designed for non-programmers who wish to develop
training courses, desktop presentations and multimedia applications.

The full authoring package retails for $2495.00 and includes a "graphics
editor, text editor, animation, video  overlay capabilities and digital audio
as well as touch screen and videodisc player support,"  Linda Dalton,
operations manager for Aimtech explained to Newsbytes.  The authoring
technique is called Visual Pprogramming by Aimtech who is seeking a
patent for it.  Visual Programming is the ability to link icons and content
via dialog boxes to allow the developer to visually program sophisticated
computer operations quickly and easily.  For example, each Display Icon is
associated with a corresponding text, graphics, animations script, or "smart
text" file name.  The content of each Video Segment Icon specifies
videodisc start and stop frame parameters.  By pointing to the icon and
clicking the mouse twice, the icon's Content Editor is invoked and provides
a list of fill-in-the-blank fields and selection buttons from which you are
able to link an object, file, or parameter to the selected icon. Dalton,
enthusiastically told Newsbytes that IconAuthor is the "best tool in
multimedia."

(Barbara E. McMullen & John F. McMullen/19900627/Press Contact:
Linda Dalton, Aimtech Corp., 603-883-0220)


(NEWS)(TELECOM)(ATL)(00002)

BELLSOUTH MOBILITY SIGNS MARKETING AGREEMENT WITH FORD
ATLANTA, GEORGIA, U.S.A., 1990 JUN 25 (NB) -- BellSouth
Mobility, which recently signed marketing agreements with Sears,
has now reached a marketing agreement with Ford Motor Company.

Lincoln-Mercury dealers in 26 communities within BellSouth
Mobility's service area will now offer a cellular telephone as a
factory-installed option on the Lincoln Town Car, Lincoln
Continental and Lincoln Mark VII automobiles. Ford has similar
deals with other cellular companies elsewhere in the U.S.,
providing what it calls a "total package" of installation and
service to car buyers.

(Dana Blankenhorn/19900626/Press Contact: Joanne O'Donnell,
BellSouth Mobility, 404-847-4896)


(NEWS)(TELECOM)(ATL)(00004)

MCI MIDWEST ANNOUNCES NEW CONTRACTS
WASHINGTON, D.C., U.S.A., 1990 JUN 25 (NB) -- MCI won the long-
distance business of Household International of Chicago and Banc
One of Columbus, Ohio. Household, a credit company, will get MCI
800 Service, a virtual private network linking over 700
locations. It's a renewal of a previous 3-year contract.

Banc One signed a four-year, $42 million minimum agreement to
replace five current long distance companies as Banc One's
primary provider of voice and data services. Services included
are the virtual private network, called Vnet, toll-free 800
lines, and a variety of customized data services linking the
company's 700 subsidiaries and affiliate banks located throughout
the United States.

(Dana Blankenhorn/19900626/Press Contact: Douglas Dome, MCI
Midwest, 312-938-4995)


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

NORTHERN TELECOM TESTS CCS7 ON DMS-10 SWITCH
MOLALLA, OREGON, U.S.A., 1990 JUN 25 (NB) -- Northern Telecom
(NT) has put Common Channel Signaling System 7, which uses
"out-of-band" signaling for call setup and routing,
into its small DMS-10 switch, and successfully tested
the system with Molalla Telephone Cooperative.
CCS7 makes possible such services as "Caller ID" by
passing the phone number of the calling party
outside the band used by the call itself.

With the new switch and software, small rural phone companies
like Molalla will be able to offer Enhanced 800 services,
linking callers' numbers directly into a database for use by the
companies they call. This will provide additional revenue to
Molalla, NT said. Enhanced 800 is expected to be deployed
nationwide in 1991. Future enhancements will let Molalla
Telephone offer automated credit card and collect calling and
third-number billing. The cooperative also plans to implement
enhanced 911 service.

(Dana Blankenhorn/19900626/Press Contact: Northern Telecom, Lee
Williams, 919-992-3125)


(NEWS)(TELECOM)(ATL)(00006)

AT&T AND TANDEM TO CO-MARKET AIN EQUIPMENT
MORRISTOWN, NEW JERSEY, U.S.A., 1990 JUN 25 (NB) -- AT&T Network
Systems and Tandem Telecommunications Systems are working
together to help U.S. telephone companies meet equipment needs
for Advanced Intelligent Networks. The two companies will jointly
test and offer, on a non-exclusive basis, equipment complying
with Bellcore's Advanced Intelligent Network Release 0
specifications. The two will work with AT&T's 5ESS Switch and
TTSI's TSCP-1000 service control point.

(Dana Blankenhorn/19900626/Press Contact: AT&T Network Systems,
Rich Meyer, 201-606-2453; Tandem Telecommunications Systems, Judy
Zimbelman, 408-725-6849)


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

MCI UPGRADES ITS COMMON CHANNEL SIGNALLING SYSTEM 7
WASHINGTON, D.C., U.S.A., 1990 JUN 25 (NB) -- MCI Communications
is upgrading its Common Channel Signalling System 7 to more than
triple the message handling capability and support more
Integrated Services Digital Network services over the MCI
network.

Since being installed in April, 1989, CCSS-7 has reduced
call set-up times and improved network efficiencies, according to
MCI. "Now MCI is upgrading the hardware on all signalling
transfer point pairs," said Richard T. Liebhaber, executive vice
president and group executive.  "Our capability to handle calls
will increase from 9,000 to 21,000 messages per second.   This
will enable MCI to handle a larger volume of calls efficiently
and economically as demand for our products and services
escalate."

The hardware enhancements to CCSS-7 are scheduled to be completed
by the first quarter of 1991.

(Dana Blankenhorn/19900626/Press Contact: MCI Corporate New
Bureau, 800-289-0073)


(NEWS)(TELECOM)(ATL)(00008)

AT&T FINISHES GOVERNMENT'S NEW PHONE SYSTEM
WASHINGTON, D.C., U.S.A., 1990 JUN 25 (NB) -- AT&T has completed
work on the advanced government phone network known as FTS2000.
The new network has about 1.3 million users working for 92
government agencies in some 4,200 locations scattered among the
50 states plus Puerto Rico, Guam, and the Virgin Islands.

AT&T has a 60 percent share of FTS2000, or about 785,000 users
with 57 agencies in more than 3,000 locations. US Sprint has the
balance.

All agencies on FTS2000 receive Switched Voice Service.  Even
this basic phone service may be augmented, if an agency desires,
with features such as recorded information messages, toll-free
800 service, and code assignments that restrict long distance
calling to authorized personnel.

(Dana Blankenhorn/19900626/Press Contact: Rick Reser, AT&T, 202-
457-2736)


(NEWS)(TELECOM)(SFO)(00001)

NEW ONLINE SERVICE LAUNCHED SOLELY FOR IBM PS/1 COMPUTER
VIENNA, VIRGINIA, U.S.A., 1990 JUN 26 (NB) -- Along with their
new PS/1 computer, new buyers will be invited into a PS/1-only
online service, Promenade, designed by Quantum Computer Services
specifically for IBM, starting in September.

Two years in the making, Promenade uses custom-designed front-end
software that specifically makes use of the built-in capabilities
of IBM's home computer.

"We developed Promenade based on what consumers said they were
looking for in a new computer for the home according to IBM's research,"
said Steve Case, executive vice president of Quantum Computer Services.

They said they wanted more education, so the service will offer such
features as live online tutoring sessions and classes taught by professional
teachers on subjects ranging from the PS/1 computer itself to
foreign languages, accounting, English, algebra, history, and
gourmet cuisine.

Additionally, a complete encyclopedia will be online. So will
a library of 7,000 shareware and public domain software titles.

Unlike Prodigy, from which members can neither print nor download
software, Promenade offers downloading and other fully interactive
features.

Nancy Beckman, Quantum spokesperson, tells Newsbytes that the
software, included in the box when a PS/1 is purchased, will also
work on other DOS machines, but will have some loss of graphics
since the software is written specifically to exploit the PS/1.

The completion of the Promenade project means that Quantum is
now the only online services provider to create custom online services
for the four major computer manufacturers: Applelink for Apple,
Promenade for IBM, Q-link for Commodore, and PC-link for Tandy.
The services were jointly developed, and with the exception of
Applelink, are all currently being run by Quantum on its Stratus
mainframe computers in Virginia.

Beckman tells Newsbytes that the systems will not be mixing or
"intermingling," their electronic mail systems. However, America
Online, Quantum's own flagship online service, is expected to be
available to PC owners who will be able to send mail to Macintosh
owners at some point in the future.

The charges for Promenade will be similar to America Online
at first. There will be no membership fee, a sign-on kit comes with
a $7.50 usage credit. Hourly rates are $7.50/hour nonprime and
$15.00 prime time.

(Wendy Woods/19900626)


(NEWS)(TELECOM)(SYD)(00002)

NEW ZEALAND CELLULAR RADIO RIGHTS UP FOR GRABS
AUCKLAND, NEW ZEALAND, 1990 JUN 25 (NB) -- The New Zealand
Commerce Ministry is seeking bids to develop a cellular radio
network in the country. Estimated to be worth about US$480M per
year, the rights are being sought by a number of international
and New Zealand groups.

Australian and Hong Kong owned Imagineering Technology has bid,
and if successful, expects to need an immediate $50M start-up
bankroll funded by the company's shareholders.

(Paul Zucker and Computing Australia/19900627)


(NEWS)(TELECOM)(SYD)(00003)

ERICSSON AUSTRALIA CONFIDENT OF INDONESIAN TELECOM CONTRACT
MELBOURNE, AUSTRALIA, 1990 JUN 25 (NB) -- Telecommunications
manufacturer Ericsson believes it is in a good position to win
a $400M contract to supply a digital telephone network to
Indonesia. The equipment would be built in Australia.

The prediction was made at the launching of Ericsson's new $8M
robot assembly plant in Melbourne, designed to produce
telecommunications equipment. Managing Director Lars Estberger
said that the plant was the equivalent of anything in the world.
It utilizes an expert system "knowledge base" for learning
how to overcome problems in production.

(Paul Zucker and Computing Australia/19900627)


(NEWS)(TELECOM)(TOR)(00005)

STOCK SOFTWARE FIRM, ONLINE SERVICES ANNOUNCE DEAL
QUEBEC CITY, QUEBEC, CANADA, 1990 JUN 26 (NB) -- MoneyWon, a
maker of stock trading software here, has announced a deal that
will give buyers of its MyWay software program introductory
memberships to Dow Jones News/Retrieval and Compuserve.

MyWay is designed to work with the stock information databases on
the two services. Tim Toskin, marketing director of MoneyWon,
told Newsbytes the offer is good anywhere where the services are
available. There are some locations in Canada where Dow Jones
News/Retrieval is not yet accessible, he noted.

Buyers of MyWay will pay no initial membership or startup fees
for either service, and will get connect time credits,
subscriptions to both services' magazines, and a 20-percent
discount on Dow Jones software products. The two online services
will promote MyWay in their newsletters and other publications,
Toskin said.

(Grant Buckler/19900626/Press Contact: Tim Toskin, MoneyWon,
800-463-6639)


(NEWS)(TELECOM)(TOR)(00006)

BOSTON SOFTWARE WORKS EXPANDS E-MAIL GATEWAY
BOSTON, MASSACHUSETTS, U.S.A., 1990 JUN 25 (NB) -- Evolving its
InterOffice electronic-mail gateway from a two-platform product
to a multi-platform offering, Boston Software Works has unbundled
its two existing gateway components and added a third.

The two parts of InterOffice that run on Wang VS and Digital
Equipment VAX minicomputers, formerly sold together as a gateway
between the two vendors' electronic mail systems, are now
available separately. And Boston Software Works added a third
gateway component, for Hewlett-Packard's DeskManager office
automation system.

"There's more than just a point-to-point product here," Stephen
Monticone, vice-president of marketing, told Newsbytes. "There's
really a whole architecture." Monticone said the company plans to
add further pieces to InterOffice in future. One of IBM's systems
is likely to be the next offering, he said, though the company is
also looking at gateways for X.400 electronic mail systems. Links
to the e-mail facilities of popular local-area network vendors,
such as Novell, Banyan and 3Com, are a possibility, Monticone
said.

InterOffice allows diverse e-mail systems to exchange messages.
The Wang component, InterOffice/VS, now sells separately for
US$5,500 to US$21,500 (C$6,590 to C$31,490). InterOffice/VAX for
Digital's hardware costs US$4,500 to US$21,500 (C$8,055 to
C$31,490). The new software for HP systems, called
InterOffice/XL, is priced from US$4,500 to US$21,500 (C$6,590 to
C$31,490). The Wang and Digital versions are now available, while
the HP software will be released in September, Monticone said.

(Grant Buckler/19900626/Press Contact: Stephen Monticone, Boston
Software Works, 617-367-6846)


(NEWS)(TELECOM)(HKG)(00005)

DATAPAK FORMS CORE FOR HONG KONG'S FIRST TRUNK MOBILE RADIO NETWORK
WANCHAI, HONG KONG, 1990 JUN 27 (NB) -- Hong Kong Telephone's Datapak
public data network is providing the basis for Mobile One, a trunk
mobile radio network set up as a joint venture between Telephone's
parent, Hong Kong Telecom, and Philips Hong Kong Ltd.

Mobile One (M1) is a shared-access mobile radio service designed for
use by vehicle fleets of any size. It can handle both voice and data
traffic.

In traditional mobile radio networks, multiple users share a
single channel and only one conversation can take place at a time. By
contrast, trunk mobile radio provides a common pool of channels which
are available, first-come, first-served, to all users. When a
conversation ends, the channel is returned to the pool for use by
another caller.

"Radio frequencies are a very scarce resource," says Sylvia Fok,
general manager of M1. "Trunk mobile radio means that channels can be
shared between many users, yet providing high availablity and
complete call privacy. A major advantage is that individual customers
do not need a license to use the service. We can equip a fleet and
have it operational on Mobile One within a week."

M1 provides territory-wide coverage through a network of transmitters
in Hong Kong, Kowloon and the New Territories. Calls to nearby
receivers can be routed through the local transmitter. However, most
calls are switched through M1's central computer from a transmitter
near the caller to one near the receiver.

The central switch, housed at M1's headquarters in Wanchai on Hong
Kong Island, is linked to the remote transmitter sites by Datapak
Dataline T1 circuits. Up to 60 radio channels can be concentrated into
just two T1 links.

Dataline T1 is a high speed digital circuit that operates more than
600 times faster than the speed used by most personal computers for
data communications.

"Datapak provides high quality digital connections and gives us great
flexibility of configuration," says Fok. "There's a lot of
redundancy for backup purposes, and we can increase the number of
links in line with our business growth.

Using M1, despatchers can broadcast messages to all vehicles, a
portion of the fleet, or conduct two-way conversations with
individual vehicles. At the fleet manager's discretion, vehicles may
also communicate with each other.

The data capability of the network means that drivers can press
buttons on their mobile units to send pre-programmed signals
indicating that a delivery has been completed, that they are leaving
the vehicle, or perhaps that they have broken down.

These data messages can be captured by a computer for subsequent
fleet performance analysis. The network can also be used with
specialised in-cab equipment to transmit delivery schedules direct to
the drivers.

(Norman Wingrove/19900627)


(NEWS)(TELECOM)(HKG)(00006)

HONG KONG TELEPHONE RINGS THE BELL FOR CUSTOMER SERVICE
WANCHAI, HONG KONG, 1990 JUN 27 (NB) -- Hong Kong Telephone Company
has won a series of honors for customer service.

The Company received top customer service honors from the Hong Kong
Tourist Association and best customer service awards from Next
Magazine and the Oriental Daily News newspaper.

Mr. Loo Wing-chung and Miss Koo Wai-fun, who work with Telephone's
International Telephone Service, won the Grand Courtesy Award and
Most Outstanding Courtesy Ambassador Award respectively in the
Tourist Association's recent Hong Kong Cares travel industry
courtesy campaign.

The courtesy campaign ran from November last year to April this year.
More than 23,000 nominations were received from visitors to the
colony, involving hotels, travel agents and airlines, taxi drivers,
retail assistants, restaurants and other establishments.

Mr. Loo and Miss Koo were selected for the top awards judged on their
professionalism in customer service, communication skills and product
knowledge.

Hong Kong Telephone received the Golden Bridge Award for best
customer service from the Oriental Daily News, a leading Chinese
newspaper, and the Vote for Best service Award from Next magazine.

Unlike some telephone systems, Hong Kong telephone has long been well
known for the friendly helpfulness of its operators and information
staff. Nevertheless, it comes as a surprise to many that some of the
Directory Assistance operators are totally blind.

They are employed on equal terms with sighted operators and use the
same computer terminals, reading the text from the screen with an
Optacon hand-held imaging device that converts the character under
its sensor into a braille-like pattern of vibrating pins under the
fingertips of the user's other hand.

The blind operators are proud of their record for matching their
normally-sighted colleagues at speed of finding a number.

As a matter of policy the Hong Kong Telephone employs handicapped
people in many areas.

(Norman Wingrove/19900627)


(NEWS)(TRENDS)(SYD)(00001)

AUSTRALIA'S RAMTRON READY TO ESTABLISH NEW MFG PLANTS
SYDNEY, AUSTRALIA, 1990 JUN 27 (NB) -- Australian integrated
circuit developer Ramtron is moving towards the establishment
of more manufacturing plants for its revolutionary ferro-
electronic random access memory (FRAM) chips.

The company has already established a $26M plant in Colorado
Springs, CO and is believed to be about to announce a
similar plant in Australia. In addition, Ramtron has
established a joint venture with Japanese semiconductor
developer NMB to develop new 16 MB (megabyte) Dynamic
RAM (random access memory) chips in the US. It is believed
the target annual production for these is $500M per year.

(Paul Zucker and Computing Australia/19900627)


(NEWS)(TRENDS)(MOW)(00001)

MOSCOW: COMPUTER EDUCATION SOCIETY LAUNCHED
MOSCOW, U.S.S.R., 1990 JUN 26 (NB) -- An association called
"Computer and Childhood" has been formed in Moscow to search for
healthy ways in which to use computers in children's educational
institutions and to promote computer-assisted learning.

According to Yury Horvits, the association's executive, this
association, formed and registered with the help of the
Academy of Sciences, the Philosophy Society and several
environmental movements, has to be a body in which experts
from different areas of computer design and teaching can join
forces to make computer-assisted learning as safe as possible.

Another goal of the association, according to Horvits, is to start
developing and producing its own educational software and hardware
in the USSR.

The number of members in the society has been growing since its
formation last month.

Horvitz told Newsbytes that the demand for computer
education in Soviet schools is not being properly served
since there are almost no hard currency subsidies given to
schools so they cannot buy computers made in the West.  Using
computers made in the USSR is an unsatisfactory answer
since computers produced in Soviet Union have very low reliability.

The association is open to cooperation including joint research
and projects with foreign companies, Horvits noted.

(Kirill Tchashchin/19900626/Press contact: Yury Horvits, Computer &
Childhood, phone [phone])


(NEWS)(UNIX)(LON)(00004)

FIRST EUUG EXHIBITION A SUCCESS - 1991 SHOW DETAILS ANNOUNCED
BUNTINGFORD, HERTS, ENGLAND, 1990 JUN 27 (NB) -- The European
Unix Systems User Group (EUUG) recently held its spring
conference and exhibition at the Munich Sheraton hotel in West
Germany. The event drew 600 people, who attended the tutorials
and main technical conference.

The Buntingford, Herts-based user group has issued a 300 page
book detailing the conference proceedings, priced at UKP20.

(Steve Gold/19900627/Press & Public Contact: EUUG - Tel: 0763-
73039 (voice); 0763-73255 (fax); Email on Usenet: [e-mail])


(NEWS)(UNIX)(TOR)(00004)

NEW PRODUCT: Alias Launches Design Software
TORONTO, ONTARIO, CANADA, 1990 JUN 25 (NB) -- Alias Research here
says its new Alias Studio software is aimed at industries where
design and time to manufacture are critical.

Alias Studio, which runs on Silicon Graphics Iris and IBM RS/6000
workstations will be "of interest to those people who see the
advantage in moving some of the engineering functions back up
into the hands of the designer," said Pat Hunter, a spokeswoman
for Alias. Automakers will be among the likely customers, she
said, along with industries where designs change frequently and
appearance is vital, such as consumer electronics, home
appliances and jewelry.

Alias Studio is an interactive modeling system containing
extensive surface modeling tools. "It really is like a toolbox
for a designer," Hunter said. It will let designers present their
designs as three-dimensional, photo-realistic images, the company
said. The new product builds on Alias's existing rendering
software.

Alias Studio is in the final stages of beta testing now and will
be available by the end of July, Hunter said. Prices start at
US$25,000, but Hunter admitted most customers "will be paying
considerably more than that to get the complete package."

(Grant Buckler/19900626/Press Contact: Pat Hunter, Alias
Research, 416-362-9181)


(NEWS)(UNIX)(NYC)(00012)

AT&T RENAMES AND REORGANIZES UNIX UNIT
MORRISTOWN, NEW JERSEY, U.S.A., 1990 JUN 26 (NB) -- AT&T has
announced the formation of a subsidiary, UNIX System Laboratories
(USL), and the incorporation of its existing Unix business units into the
new subsidiary.

The formation of the new subsidiary distances the Unix software
management from the computer manufacturing and sales activities of
AT&T and, according to some analysts, could pave the way for selling
stakes in the recently-created software systems subsidiary. A spokesman for
the Unix System Laboratories Inc (USL), said that although there are
currently no formal negotiations or offers to purchase shares in the
business, the recent repositioning of the worldwide Unix operations as
wholly-owned subsidiaries is a "prerequisite" to such a plan. Rival
computer makers have complained in the past that AT&T has had too much
control over Unix and the setting up of a separate subsidiary with the
possibility of shared ownership is seen as a response to these concerns.

"Today's announcement reflects the changes that have taken place in the
way   AT&T develops, markets and manages Unix System V," said Larry
Dooling, president of Unix System Laboratories. "USL is a separate
business, committed to powering the Open Systems revolution by creating
and providing our customers with the best system software, tools and
services. We are committed, in concert with UNIX International and in
accord with UI's Unix System V Roadmap, to keep Unix System V and
other USL products at the heart of the worldwide Open Systems
movement."

The new firm will be divided into two business units:  Unix System V
Software and Open Solutions Software with the Unix System V Software
business unit, headed by Michael J. DeFazio, responsible for the evolution
of the Unix System V base operating system. The Open Solutions
Software business unit, headed by Joel A. Appelbaum, will be responsible
for system software that complements the base operating system. This
software includes the C and C++ programming languages and network
system software, such as the TUXEDO Transaction Processing System and
the OSI Communications Platform.

AT&T's Dick Muldoon discussed the reorganization with Newsbytes, saying:
"It is the coming together of all of AT&T's Unix operations into a separate
subsidiary. This move makes it very clear that we are in the Unix business
for the long haul and shows our commitment to the entire industry."

(Barbara E. McMullen & John F. McMullen/19900627/Press Contact: Dick
Muldoon, AT&T, 201-829-72124)


(NEWS)(UNIX)(HKG)(00003)

US-CHINA SIGN WORKSTATION MANUFACTURING JOINT VENTURE CONTRACT
SHENYANG, LIAONING, CHINA, 1990 JUN 26 (NB) -- The formation of a US-
China joint venture company, Shenyang Shenlong Computer Systems Ltd
(SSCS), was announced at a contract signing ceremony in Shenyang on
Monday (June 25th).

Sharing 50/50 in the venture are Definicon International Corporation,
a US subsidiairy of Helionetics Inc, and North Computer Application
Development Company (NCAD), a designated strategic technology company
in China.

The potential market for the venture is expected to be $200 million
over the next five years.

The computer equipment under development will embody SPARC-based
co-processor technology and will use the industry standard MS-DOS
command environment. This new computer will employ the familiar MS-
DOS and transparently deliver all the power and speed advantages of
high-performance Unix-based workstations in the same box. SSCS is
expected to release the first generation of the Shenlong computer to
the domestic Chinese and international markets by early next year.

General Manager of NCAD, Dr. Mu Rui-Lin, said: "This joint venture
brings together our software talents and Definicon's advanced 32-bit
board-level products. We expect the combination to produce powerful
computer systems for the Chinese and world markets."

Co-processor boards manufactured by Definicon will be the basis of
the initial hardware to be offered to the eingineering and scientific
market in China, where most users are accustomed to the MS-DOS
operating environment. Definicon's new processors, which are based on
SPARC technology, are claimed to give PC users access to the
computational power of SPARC and the Unix operating system.

Definicon Chief Executive Officer Dr. Vincent P. Williams said, "We
expect this marriage of the co-processor technology of Definicon with
the software and manfacturing expertise of NCAD, to provide a system
that allows MS-DOS users to painlessly access the power of Unix.
Definicon's SPARC-series add-in boards can increase the computational
speeds of PCs and offer the PC-user workstation performance at a very
competitive price."

(Norman Wingrove/19900627/Press Contact: Shirley Dinkin, Hill &
Knowlton Asia, [phone])


(NEWS)(UNIX)(HKG)(00004)

BANK OF CHINA CHOOSES NCR FOR ATM EQUIPMENT
WANCHAI, HONG KONG, 1990 JUN 21 (NB) -- The Bank of China has named
NCR as its preferred supplier of automated teller machines (ATMs), a
decision that is expected to yield substantial orders for the
company's line of ATMs and associated equipment.

NCR terminals are already in use in the Chinese capital, Beijing, and
the southern province of Guangdong, neighboring Hong Kong. The new
machines will be installed in branches throughout the country.

Michael J.I. Lee, managing director of NCR (China) Ltd, says: "This
agreement is a significant step forward in the automation of China's
banking industry and provides NCR with the basis for increasing
presence in the country. The high level of cooperation between Bank
of China's people and ourselves should pave the way for a smooth and
successful implementation of ATMs nationwide."

NCR will supply the latest through-the-wall and in-lobby terminals,
offering a full range of ATM services. As part of the agreement,
NCR's Unix-based Tower computer systems will be installed as ATM
network controllers.

The Tower systems wil be configured to meet the needs of individual
branches, and NCR will also assist the bank to interface the new
network with branches' existing computer systems, using a standard
communications protocol. Because of China's size and the variable
quality of its telecommunications, transactions are recorded, and
customer accounts maintained, only at branch level.

NCR will provide technical training in the systems in Hong Kong and
in regional service centres throughout China.

"ATMs have proved very popular in China," says Lee. "Deposits by ATM,
in particular, are significantly higher than in other parts of the
world, representing up to 20 percent of all ATM transactions.
Customers find it faster and more convenient than lining up in
branches." The same reaction has applied in Hong Kong since the
introduction of the first ATMs in the early 1970s. Even the smallest
of the hundreds of branches of the many local banks has at least one
ATM and many have ranks of them either in the wall outside, in the
lobby, or both.

In southern China, Bank of China ATMs are used to distribute workers'
salaries, allowing a single transfer of funds from the employer to
the bank. This scheme is expected to be adopted in many parts of the
country, and will be facilitated by the new agreement with NCR.

(Norman Wingrove/19900627/Press Contact: Vivian Kung, NCR,
[phone])