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/nb900802

Text File | 1991-10-02 | 41.9 KB | 1,011 lines

(EXCLUSIVE)(TELECOM)(SFO)(00001)

CANADA REMOTE SYSTEMS - LARGEST BBS - GOES DOWN
MISSISSAUGA, ONTARIO, CANADA, 1990 AUG 2 (NB) -- Canada Remote
Systems, the largest bulletin board in Canada, has suddenly
gone out of business, an move which affects its 8,000
subscribers. Although callers can still sign onto the system,
they are being informed by an online notice that the system
is closing, and a receiver will be appointed to liquidate it.

Jud Newell, who, along with his wife, owns Canada Remote Systems,
tells Newsbytes that the company will not be taking any new
memberships and the office is closed. He says the demise of the BBS
was due to too rapid expansion and not enough income.

"For many many years we saw revenue increases of 30 to 50 percent.
In 1989 to 1990 we saw basically no increase in revenue, yet our
plans in 1988 were predicated on continuing growth." In 1989, he
says, Canada Remote Systems moved out of its old premesis into
a new building, and expanded from 54 to 100 nodes, or incoming
lines.

Newell attributes the lack of new members to the board in 1989
and 1990 to the economy. "The entire market in Canada is deadly,"
he said. "We're in a recession right now."

He said Canada Remote Systems' major creditor is Bell Canada.

Newell says there is a grassroots movement starting among members
of the board who wish to keep it alive. "We have indications
from a number of members that they will purchase the assets of
the bulletin board side which will allow it to continue," he
said. A meeting has been scheduled for Saturday at the company's
office, 1331 Crestlawn Drive, Unit D, Mississauga, Ontario,
Canada.

Canada Remote Systems, established in 1981, has access both
through local phone numbers in Canada and through Inet, the
Bell Canada gateway service. The system's original name was
Toronto RCP/M (Remote CP/M) Systems.

The system offered a wide range of public-domain software and
shareware, information services, and a message system with
connections to many other bulletin board systems.

There were signs of trouble just recently when Canada Remote sent
out a letter announcing a fee increase and urging early
membership renewals. "As the economy boomed, so did CRS," the
letter said. "However, the economy isn't booming any more, and
we've noticed dramatic changes in our operations."  CRS laid off
several staff members in May.

Subscribers paid an annual fee averaging $80 and were allowed up to
two hours online each day.

(Wendy Woods & Grant Buckler/19900802)


(NEWS)(GENERAL)(SYD)(00002)

AUSTRALIA: FUTURES CLEARING HOUSE UPDATES COMPUTER SYSTEM
SYDNEY, AUSTRALIA, 1990 AUG 2 (NB) -- International Commodities
Clearing House (ICCH) has announced the AUS$1M upgrading of its
computing system to handle the futures and options clearing
undertaken by the company.

The basis of the upgrade will be 3 Datapoint 7850 platforms using
dual Intel 80486-based processors. The first of these machines,
already installed, is operating ICCH's Sydney Headquarters' Clearing
System, while the remaining 2 will operate the company's Arcnet
local area network (LAN) which is used to access ICCH services
through 120 client terminals.

Although initially installed with a 600 megabyte (MB) hard
disk drive, each machine will be fitted with an additional
3 600 MB drives as the market activity calls for such
capacity.

ICCH's manager of Information Technology Services, John
Childs, said at the announcement that while the new system has
already tripled data storage and processing capacity, it will only
take up 10% of the previous system.

(Sean McNamara/19900802/Contact: John Childs, phone in Australia
[phone])


(NEWS)(UNIX)(SYD)(00003)

AUSSIE OPERATORS HELPED BY COMPAQ
SYDNEY, AUSTRALIA, 1990 AUG 2 (NB) -- Australia's national carrier,
Telecom, has announced the installation of Compaq Systempros for the
performance monitoring of its Operator Assisted Services (OAS)
Division.

The system, running Unix 3.2 and Oracle 6, will monitor such
variables as the number of calls taken, the length of caller queues,
the time taken to answer calls and other performance related
functions. This information will then enable the division to find
strong and weak areas to allow it to offer more efficient services.

Once the data is collected from around Australia via several
networks, the system will produce the performance results with a
single keystroke. Telecom's Communications Branch Manager for the
division said at the announcement, "The end result will be a far
more streamlined reporting process for the OAS division."

(Sean McNamara/19900802/Contacts: Inge Fuglestved & Tina Masih,
phone in Australia: [phone])


(NEWS)(BUSINESS)(SYD)(00004)

AUSTRALIA: TOSHIBA GUILTY OF SETTING PRICES
SYDNEY, AUSTRALIA, 1990 AUG 2 (NB) -- Toshiba Australia has
admitted to breaching the trade practices act by enforcing
retail price maintenance. It has avoided penalties in return
for an undertaking to ensure the breach is not repeated.

Toshiba has been made to pay court costs of $26,000. It will
introduce a staff training scheme and compliance manual to
ensure that everyone knows the company's obligations under
the trade practices act. (For instance, section 48 precludes
suppliers from enforcing a minimum price on products sold
through dealers. They are permitted to enforce a maximum
price. A few months ago, Commodore was found guilty of the
same offence, and fined $195,000.

(Paul Zucker and Computing Australia/19900802)


(NEWS)(UNIX)(SYD)(00005)

AUSTRALIA: RECORD INSTALLATION OF RISC/SYSTEM 600
SYDNEY, AUSTRALIA, 1990 AUG 2 (NB) -- IBM is claiming a
record with a planned network of 250 System 6000
workstations in Australia. Australian Construction Services
has announced the $18M office systems upgrade using the
machines.

IBM will design and install the complete system, including
software, training and support. "IBM's offer was the most
user-friendly and with 2000 technical staff to be trained
during the next three years this represented a significant
operational advantage," said the ACS general manager, Harvey
Jacka.

The Unix systems will have between 8 and 16MB of RAM, 120 to
320MB of hard disk, and will be used for tasks such as
sketching, design calculations, modelling, documentation,
project management, drafting and specification production.

(Paul Zucker and Computing Australia/19900802)


(NEWS)(TELECOM)(SYD)(00006)

AUSTRALIAN TELECOMS PRODUCT SELLS TO NORWAY
SYDNEY, AUSTRALIA, 1990 AUG 2 (NB) -- Australian Telecoms
manufacturer Megadata has made what it believes will be the
first of many international sales of its SCAN communications
analyzer. The single-board tester is designed to enhance the
performance of analog telephone exchanges.

Scan allows authorities to remotely control access barring
and service categories, and to change zoning data. The
product is manufactured by Megadata under license to the
developer, Telecom Australia.

(Paul Zucker/19900802)


(NEWS)(BUSINESS)(LON)(00007)

FUJITSU SCOOPS UP 80 PERCENT STAKE IN ICL
LONDON, ENGLAND, 1990 AUG 2 (NB) -- Fujitsu has announced plans
to take 80 percent of ICL, the wholly owned computer
subsidiary of STC in the UK.

The deal, which was widely expected in the telecommunications
industry, comes after almost a decade of collaboration between
ICL and the Japanese electronics giant.

The idea is that Fujitsu - already strong in the Far Eastern
computer marketplace - will become the world's second largest
computer manufacturer - second only to IBM.

Terms of the deal call for Fujitsu to quickly build up its 80
percent stake in ICL. This will cost the company around $1,350
million, and the buy-in should be completed by the end of
November this year.

Speaking at a press conference in London, Takuma Yamamoto,
Fujitsu's chairman, said: "We have come to respect ICL in the
course of our technological collaboration in the last nine years
and this agreement builds on that relationship. We look forward
to promoting the ICL name vigorously in its key markets."

Yamamoto added that Fujitsu's plans call for ICL to be listed on
the international stock exchange in London.

Commenting on the agreement, Peter Bonfield, ICL's chairman and
managing director, said that he personally welcomes the move.
"ICL is looking forward to the next successful chapter in its
progress and I know that this will enable us to serve our
customers better over the long term," he said.

(Steve Gold/19900802)


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

ENGLAND: AMSTRAD GOES LOCO WITH SOFTWARE PROMOTION
BRENTWOOD, MIDDLESEX, ENGLAND, 1990 AUG 2 (NB) -- Amstrad has
announced a major marketing plan, centering around the idea of
bundling Locomotive Software's Locoscript PC word processing
package, to boost sales of its PC1640 series in the UK.

In the campaign, which runs until the end of the year,
Amstrad will spend a total of UKP 1.5 million on national
advertising of the package. According to Barry Young, Amstrad
UK's managing director, Locoscript PC was chosen because it was
the ideal product.

"The key to the promotion is the type of software we will bundle
with the machines. We recognise that word processing is one of
the most important functions as far as the PC user is concerned.
Accordingly, we have given to one of the biggest suppliers in
this sector - Locomotive - an agreement to bundle Locomotive PC,"
he said.

In parallel with the bundling of Locoscript PC with the PCs,
Amstrad is shaving its UK pricing on the machines. The entry-
level PC1640 drops by UKP 100 to UKP 449, while the hard drive
version with monochrome monitor, drops by UKP 150 to UKP 699.
These prices include Locomotive PC, which retails for UKP 125 on
its own.

(Steve Gold/19900802/Press Contact: Howard Fisher, Locomotive
Software - Tel: [phone])


(NEWS)(TELECOM)(LON)(00009)

ENGLAND: CIX OPENS V.32 PORTS USING HAYES MODEMS
SURBITON, SURREY, ENGLAND, 1990 AUG 2 (NB) -- CIX, the Compulink
Information eXchange online system, has opened a number of high-
speed V.32 (9600 bits per second) ports on 081-390-9787. The
ports are running on Hayes' Ultra 96 modems.

The introduction is 9600 bits-per-second full-duplex working is a
major step for CIX which had been using a variety of modems,
including the US Robotics Courier HST, with its proprietary
pseudo full-duplex system, to offer high speed access to
subscribers.

The Hayes modems, meanwhile, offer most of the facilities of the
Courier HSTs, but with the added advantage of full V.32
interworking. An integral feature of the modems is the V.42,
V.42Bis and MNP Class 5 error-control and data compression
systems.

As well as using Hayes' modems on several of its dial-up ports,
CIX has also opened up a specialist Hayes conference which,
according to Hayes, will act as a forum for discussing support
questions on a variety of Hayes' products.

(Steve Gold/19900802/Press & Public Contact: Matthew Sims, CIX -
Tel: [phone])


(NEWS)(BUSINESS)(LON)(00010)

GROUPE BULL ANNOUNCES MAJOR JOB CUTS
PARIS, FRANCE, 1990 AUG 2 (NB) -- Groupe Bull, the troubled
French computer company, has announced plans to shed 3,000 jobs
before the end of the year. The cutbacks are due, the company
said, to first half year losses being three times greater this
year than during the same period last year.

The staff cut-backs will take place at Bull's manufacturing and
research facilities in the US, Ireland and France. The state-
owned computer computer company had anticipated cutting 1,200
staff from its payroll and had announced at the beginning of the
year that these would be necessary.

Losses during the first half of 1990 were FF 1,880 million,
around $350 million, up from a loss of FF 537 million during the
same period last year. The spiralling losses are attributed to
Bull's acquisition of the data processing divisions of Zenith
last year, company officials said.

During the half year to the end of June, 1990, Bull reported
sales of FF 15,900 million, around $2,800 million, up from
14,000 million reported during the same period last year.

(Steve Gold/19900802)


(EXCLUSIVE)(GOVT)(WAS)(00011)

GSA LATE COMPLETING MICROCOMPUTER CONTRACT NEGOTIATIONS
WASHINGTON, D.C., U.S.A., 1990 AUG 2 (NB) -- Newsbytes has
learned that the General Services Administration is far behind in
awarding 1990-91 GSA Schedule Contracts to microcomputer vendors.

As of today, the GSA had reportedly not even started to consider
about 100 contract bids for the contracts which were to have been
awarded several months ago. A major cause of the delays is said
to be the new requirement that not only must all vendors supply
complete sales and pricing information to the GSA before
negotiations start, but the original manufacturers are also
required to divulge what would normally be considered
confidential sales information.

When asked about the situation, Director of Schedules Division
Roy Chisholm said, "Who told you that?" He did not, however deny
the assertion. He also said he had no comment about any alleged
delays in contract negotiations this year but that he felt there
had been no significant delays. Mr. Chisholm declined to answer
any further questions unless they were submitted in writing.

One GSA vendor told Newsbytes that this regulation made contract
negotiations "like playing poker with your hand laid out for the
government to see while they keep their cards hidden." But that
same vendor said that his major objection was to the requirement
that all his suppliers had to supply the same information. A
number of companies have reportedly refused to comply with this
requirement and have been dropped from the GSA Schedule.

The General Services Administration is the federal agency charged
with negotiating discount supply contracts for Congress, the
military, and executive branch agencies. Under GSA Schedule
Contracts, federal agencies can buy from one to an unlimited
number of microcomputers or software at a guaranteed fixed price
without negotiating separate contracts with vendors.

Although no agency is required to make its purchases under these
schedules, many do, and although old contracts normally remain in
force during negotiations for new contracts new companies cannot
enter the business until their contracts are approved.

(John McCormick/1990802)


(NEWS)(GOVT)(WAS)(00012)

GOVERNMENT GOES BIG FOR MICRO CHANNEL
WASHINGTON, D.C., U.S.A., 1990 AUG 2 (NB) -- Officers at Government
Technology Services Inc. (GTSI), a Chantilly, Virginia-based
company which specializes in supplying microcomputers to the
government, told Newsbytes that they have just ordered $65
million worth of IBM Micro Channel (MCA) computers because of the
high demand for those systems.

Greg Layton, GTSI's VP of marketing, says that he
believes the two main reasons for the big government demand for
the MCA computers are the ease of reconfiguring systems by adding
option boards and MIS department heads' belief that the Micro
Channel architecture will provide higher data transfer rates.

GTSI, 4100 Lafayette Center Drive, Chantilly, Va. 22021, sells
microcomputer systems and software to federal, state, and local
government agencies in the U.S.

(John McCormick/1990802/Press Contact: Greg Layton, GTSI, 703-
631-1177)


(NEWS)(GENERAL)(WAS)(00013)

VULCAN PUBLICATION CHANGES NAME, CELEBRATES ONE-YEAR ANNIVERSARY
BIRMINGHAM, ALABAMA, U.S.A., 1990 AUG 2 (NB) -- Vulcan's Computer
Monthly, formerly Vulcan's Computer Buyer's Guide, a direct sales
computer magazine, celebrated its one-year anniversary with a
name change starting with the July issue.

Editor-in-Chief Douglas E. Kilarski said that the name change was
made to better convey the magazine's essential nature and also to
eliminate any possible confusion with other magazines having
similar titles.

With more than 200 pages in tabloid size and circulation already
over 150,000, Mr. Kilarski, former technical editor of Computer
Shopper, told Newsbytes that "For a new publication, we
have turned the corner to profitability very quickly and see
continued growth in the future." The publisher has announced
that, following its success at Spring Comdex, the magazine will
have booths at Chicago's PC Expo, Fall Comdex, and numerous other
trade shows.

Computer Monthly is an English language publication but is
available in a number of countries both by subscription and on
newsstands through Curtis Circulation Co., Hackensack, N.J.

The magazine is notable for picking up coverage of "orphaned"
computers, such as TI-99s, TRS-80s, Sanyo and others just when
Computer Shopper dropped them.

The magazine also offers full text of its major articles to
subscribers on a new private BBS system.

Vulcan's Computer Monthly is published by Vulcan Publishing, P.O.
Box 55886, Birmingham, AL 35255.

(John McCormick/1990801/Press Contact: Doug Kilarski, Vulcan's
Computer Monthly, 800-877-9748)


(NEWS)(IBM)(NYC)(00014)

IBM SLIMS DOWN AND SPINS OFF
ARMONK, NEW YORK, U.S.A., 1990 AUG 2 (NB) -- IBM has
announced that it has formed a new wholly owned subsidiary which
consolidates IBM's typewriter, keyboard, intermediate and personal
printers and supplies business in the United States. It
also announced that it will work with Clayton & Dubilier, Inc.
to form an alliance under which Clayton & Dubilier will become
the majority equity owner of the new subsidiary.

IBM Vice President Marvin L. Mann will become chief executive
officer of the new company which includes IBM's Information
Products business, largely from IBM facilities in Lexington,
Ky., and Boulder, Colo.  The new company is expected by the
end of the year to have 3,500 to 4,000 employees. As a result
of this announcement, eligible employees in Lexington will
be offered the opportunity to voluntarily resign, retire or
begin a five-year pre-retirement leave with an incentive payment.

IBM spokesperson Mac Jeffery told Newsbytes that the formation
of the new subsidiary and subsequent selling of it is "another
phase of the overall slimming of our workforce as announced
earlier in the year." He said that, now that step 1, the
spinoff, had been completed, IBM hoped to conclude the sale
by the end of the year. Jeffery also told Newsbytes that a
name had not yet been chosen for the new firm.

Rick Martin, Prudential-Bache's computer industry analyst, told
Newsbytes that he felt the sale of the new entity would benefit
both IBM and Clayton and Dubilier, "If you look at it from IBM's
side -- This business brought in somewhere between two and three
billion dollars in revenue resulting in $75-150 million in net
income -- or 15 to 25 cents per share. The impact on IBM is tiny.
Even though that segment of the business has growth potential,
the time, energy and money that would have to be put into it is, in
IBM's case, much better spent on mainframes or PCs."

"As far as Clayton & Dubilier is concerned, however, the business
potential is enormous. The unit being acquired is presently
profitable and the staff reductions will make it even more so.
Additionally, it has a market that IBM never had, the market to
firms other than IBM and the potential looks very good there. For
instance, IBM has a laser printer that is Canon engine compatible
and is 25% faster. The new firm should be able to generate
additional market share with products like that."

Martin says IBM's Lexington plant, which goes with the
deal, is one of the lowest cost production facilities in the world
and can produce commodity products such as keyboards at as low
product cost as any company in the world. "The new firm should
become a factor in the world marketplace for these commodities
and be one of the few U. S. firms that can outperform Far
Eastern rivals on a cost basis. In short, I think it's a
helluva deal," he said.

A spokesperson for Clayton & Dubilier said the company is a private
investment founded in 1978. Since that date, it has acquired 15
businesses whose sales total around $7.5 billion. Its normal manner
of acquiring business has been through investment in divisions of
large corporations which are no longer considered part of the core
business.

(Barbara E. McMullen & John F. McMullen/199000801/Press Contacts:
Peter W. Thonis, IBM, 914-765-6565; Thomas C. Franco, Clayton &
Dubilier Inc., 212-742-1282)


(NEWS)(APPLE)(SFO)(00015)

NEW FOR MACINTOSH: Quickkeys Upgrade Due
WEST DES MOINES, IOWA, U.S.A., 1990 AUG 2 (NB) -- An upgrade
of the popular QuicKeys keyboard macro utility for the Macintosh
will be available in mid-September, CE Software officials say.

QuicKeys 2 is now entering beta testing, said company
spokeswoman Sue Nail. Suggested retail price will be $149.95, with
upgrades costing $49.95. Users who buy the current version after
August 1 will be able to upgrade for $29.95.

QuicKeys is a popular utility used to assign single-keystroke
equivalents to many Macintosh functions, including mouse
movements and clicks, menu selections and system functions.

Among the new features, Nail said, will be learning mode. QuicKeys
2 will let users show the program the desired functions, replacing
the current method of teaching the program with a menu system.

(Daniel J. Rosenbaum/19900731/Press Contact: Sue Nail, CE
Software, 515 224 1995)


(NEWS)(GENERAL)(LAX)(00016)

NEW CATALOG RELEASED BY MICROAGE CHAIN
TEMPE, ARIZONA, U.S.A., 1990 AUG 2 (NB) -- MicroAge Computer
Centers has announced the release of the 90-page MicroAge
Computer Products catalog. The book features hardware, software,
supplies and accessories from the world's leading manufacturers.

According to William Keiper, president of MicroAge, end-users
will see this catalog as more of an information guide offering
exposure to the wide variety of computer products and expertise
offered by MicroAge. Through the catalog and MicroAge product
management activities, the MicroAge network of computer outlets
provides access to more than 9,000 products from over 550
manufacturers.

(Janet Endrijonas/19900801/Press Contact: Claudia Haines,
MicroAge Computing Stores, 602-968-3168 ext. 2357)


(NEWS)(BUSINESS)(LAX)(00017)

SPRAGUE FILES WITH SEC FOR SEMICONDUCTOR GROUP SPINOFF
STAMFORD, CONNECTICUT, U.S.A., 1990 AUG 2 (NB) -- In May of this
year, concurrent with the Semicon '90 semiconductor industry
trade show, Sprague Technologies announced that it would spin-
off its semiconductor group to Sprague's stockholders. Pursing
this goal, the company has filed a Form 10 registration statement
with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC).

Sprague intends to retain a 19.9 percent interest in the new
semiconductor company to be named Allegro Microsystems, Inc. The
semiconductor group, currently being reported as a discontinued
operation by Sprague, has assets of $116.7 million and recorded
net sales of $56.3 million. Net income for the first half of 1990
is listed as $0.3 million.

The transaction to sell the semiconductor group to Sprague
stockholders is expected to be completed by the end of the third
quarter of this year.

(Janet Endrijonas/19900801/Press Contact: R. Kevin Matz, Sprague
Technologies, 203-964-8628)


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

POPE JOHN PAUL II NOW ON A 900 NUMBER
OVERLAND PARK, KANSAS, U.S.A., 1990 AUG 2 (NB) -- Pope John
Paul II's daily message is now available on a 900 number run by
US Sprint. His daily message is available in English at 1-900-
230-POPE. To hear it in Spanish dial 1-900-230-PAPA.

Global Telecom is providing the service, using Sprint
Gateways' Voice 900 Service Bureau. Global pays a small portion
of the revenues to the Catholic Church. Overseas, Global's World
Info voice messaging service is run by OTC, the Australian state
international phone company.

The cost is $2 for the first minute, 95 cents for each added
minute. Most messages average 3 minutes in length. Sprint
Gateways refer to the new service as the "Popeline."
1-900-230-7273 is the number for an Italian language version.
The Pope records his own messages.

(Dana Blankenhorn/19900731/Press Contact: Sprint Gateways, Pat
Mindrup, 913/661-8154)


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

COMPRESSION LABS TO PROVIDE VIDEO CONFERENCING GEAR TO AUSTRALIA
SAN JOSE, CALIFORNIA, U.S.A., 1990 AUG 2 (NB) -- Compression
Labs signed an agreement with Telecom Australia to supply it with
video conferencing equipment for Telecom's internal and public
video conferencing room network, as well as for resale to Telecom
Australia customers. The value of the contract is estimated at
$2.0 million.

CLI's Rembrandt video codecs can run at speeds ranging from
384,000 bits/second to 3. million bits/second. Australia
Telecom's public room network operates at 2 million bits/second.
Telecom Australia offers the nation's only public
video conferencing service in the country with public rooms
operating in the capital cities of every state.

(Dana Blankenhorn/19900731/Press Contact: Compression Labs, David
Belove, 408/922-5412; Telecom Australia, Mike Richter, 61-2-364-
3314)


(NEWS)(BUSINESS)(SYD)(00020)

AUSTRALIA: FUJITSU TO SPEND AUS$117M ON RESEARCH
SYDNEY, AUSTRALIA, 1990 AUG 2 (NB) -- Fujitsu has pledged
AUS$117M to be spent in Australia on research and the
development of exports over the next seven years.

The pledge is part of the Australian government's Partnerships
for Development Program (PDP), whereby companies enter an
agreement with the government to develop exports and research
programs for their Australian operations.

Fujitsu's commitment will involve the use of the Fujitsu
Australian Technology Centre (FAST), the Centre for the
Release of International Systems Products (CRISP), the Systems
Engineering Research Centre, and a telecommunications R&D centre in
Melbourne.

Over the term of the agreement, Fujitsu's performance
will be monitored by an independent consultancy to ensure the
meeting of pledges. To date, the PDP has attracted AUS$400M in
research spending and will involve AUS$1.8B worth of exports by the
mid '90s.

(Sean McNamara/19900731)


(EXCLUSIVE)(BUSINESS)(MOW)(00021)

USSR: LEGAL SOFTWARE SALES FACE MAJOR HURDLES
MOSCOW, U.S.S.R., 1990 AUG 2 (NB) -- Software sellers in the
Soviet Union face major problems with piracy and do best
bundling legal copies of programs with hardware, according to
various companies contacted by Newsbytes.

Yury Sobolev, chief executive of joint venture (JV)
Interquadro, says legal sales of software are toughest in
the major cities of Moscow and Leningrad. "In these places
people can simply find a friend who has a product to make
a copy rather look for a respective seller. Computer owners
from small cities around the country have big difficulties
obtaining software that way, so most of our clients are those
people. Persons from Siberia prefer pay us and get
product delivered instead of flying several hours to make an
illegal copy," he told Newsbytes.

Several months ago Interquadro signed to become a non-exclusive
distributor of Borland software products within the Soviet Union.
Mr Sobolev participated in all negotiations and now heads
the JV's commercial division.

He says Interquadro is planning several seminars for
registered users to be taught by Borland personnel. He said many
of the seminars will be in cities outside Moscow.

Shamil Shamshetdinov, a salesperson for JV Interlink, Moscow, also
said that selling software is very difficult in Moscow. "The
best way to do it now is to convince customers who buy hardware
that they will also need software and sell altogether.╙

JV Dialogue representatives said at a dealer seminar last
month that the best way to sell software is "with hardware
support." That means selling programs with hardware as an
add-on rather than selling just programs alone.

One reason why software sales are so difficult in Moscow is
the inconvertible ruble, Leonid Malkov of Moscow-based JV
Paragraph, told Newsbytes. He said, "Our (Paragraph) people
think the best way to sell boxes with Western software is
to sell local people a licence to produce all the boxes,
books and disks here with no or almost no hard currency
exchanges and let these people sell their locally made
packages here for rubles. That's the only way to teach
people to buy legally rather than use bootleg copies.
We think nothing else will work."

Paragraph is the largest Soviet software house. It develops
and sells several of its own, original software packages
including Cyrillic fonts, artificial intelligence, teaching,
and handwritten character recognition programs.

(Kirill Tchashchin/19900801/Press Contacts: Yury Sobolev,
Interquadro [phone], Shamil Shamshetdinov, Interlink,
[phone], Leonid Malkov, Paragraph, [phone])


(NEWS)(UNIX)(HKG)(00022)

HONG KONG: HP-APOLLO WORKSTATIONS AT CONFERENCE, EXPO
ADMIRALTY, HONG KONG, 1990 AUG 2 (NB) -- The first workstations in
the merged Hewlett-Packard Apollo line will be given their Hong Kong
debut at a three-day conference and exhibition devoted to
workstation technology from August 6th - 8th in Hong Kong.

The event, under the name WinningTEAM, will include six half-day
seminars led by HP industry experts from its US operations and HP's
Hong Kong based Asia-Pacific Workstations Marketing Centre.

The seminars will discuss the latest HP Apollo products and
applications, including sessions on workstation strategy,
distributed computing, X-terminal applications, optical
storage, computer-aided software engineering (CASE), and
PC-Unix integration.

Complementing the seminars will be demonstrations of the latest HP
Apollo 9000 Series 400 workstations, the VRX graphics systems, HP's
Team Computing strategy, the HP 700/X family of X-terminals, the
company's new magneto-optical disc drive, and HP Softbench CASE
solutions.

A special section at the WinningTEAM exhibition will focus on the
3,200 technical and commercial appliciations already available for
the HP Apollo workstations, running under both the HP-UX and Domain
operating systems.

(Norman Wingrove/19900801/Press Contact: Cecilia Loh, Hewlett
Packard, [phone])


(NEWS)(APPLE)(NYC)(00023)

SCULLEY, GASSEE TO HEADLINE MACWORLD
CUPERTINO, CALIFORNIA, U.S.A., 1990 AUG 2 (NB) -- Apple
Computer, Inc. CEO John Sculley and Jean-Louis Gassee,
president of Apple Products, will keynote the 1990 MacWorld
Expo/Boston to be held Wednesday, August 8th through Saturday,
August 11th. Newsbytes will cover their addresses as well as
the rest of the show, with three reporters on-site, reporting
for the daily and twice-weekly editions.

The varied programs and exhibits of the 1990 exposition and
conference will be spread across Boston's World Trade Center,
Wang Center and Bayside Exposition Center.

Sculley will speak at 11:00 AM on Wednesday the 8th at the
Wang Center and Gassee will occupy the same time slot on the
next day, Thursday the 9th.

The theme of Apple's own exhibition at MacWorld will be
"Macintosh:  No Boundaries." Apple states that the theme refers
to the age of networks, media integration and multivendor
Macintosh solutions which will be highlighted in the Apple
booth, #5440 at the World Trade Center. Apple will also
introduce a resource for third-party developers, ETO, at
MacWorld. It calls ETO "the most complete and comprehensive
collection of Apple development tools ever combined in one
package."

(Barbara E. McMullen & John F. McMullen/199000801/Press Contact:
Ylonda Davis, Apple Computer, 408-974-5193)


(NEWS)(IBM)(SFO)(00024)

COMPAQ LOWERS PRICE OF LTE COMPUTERS
HOUSTON, TEXAS, U.S.A., 1990 AUG 2 (NB) -- Compaq Computer
Corporation has sliced hundreds of dollars from its 6-pound LTE
series of notebook-sized computers introduced last October
in order "to maintain leadership" in this market segment.

Effective immediately, the Compaq LTE/286 Model 40 is $3,999 from
$4,799; Model 20 is $3,499, down from $3,999; Model 1 is
$1,999 from a previous $2,399.

Compaq has also cut prices on some monitors and memory boards.
The Advanced Graphics Color Monitor is $1,699 from
$1,999. The Advanced Graphics 1024 Board is $1,299 compared
to a previous $1,499; the Advanced Graphics Memory Board is
$339, down from $599.

Compaq says the price cuts aren't due to sagging sales. In
fact, Compaq's share of the US market for battery powered
laptops sold through computer dealers was 65 percent for
the first five months of 1990, according to Storeboard,
Inc. In the first five months of 1989, Compaq's share was
39 percent.

(Wendy Woods/19900802/Press Contact: Debra Globe,
713-374-4616)


(NEWS)(BUSINESS)(SFO)(00025)

DAISY SYSTEMS SEEKS CHAPTER 11 PROTECTION
SUNNYVALE, CALIFORNIA, U.S.A., 1990 AUG 2 (NB) -- Daisy
Systems Corporation has laid off 145 employees and has
filed for protection from creditors under Chapter 11 of
the federal bankruptcy code at Federal District Court in
San Jose.

The company, with facilities in Sunnyvale, California, and
Boulder, Colorado, is also seeking to sell its Daisy/Cadnetix
unit and plans to restructure. The documents filed with the
court detail a $40 million debt and $73 million in debentures
which exceed its assets.

In 1988, following a hostile takeover attempt, Daisy merged
with Cadnetix, a move which cost $204 million and from which
the company never recovered.

(Wendy Woods/19900802)


(NEWS)(GOVT)(SFO)(00026)

COLOR FAX FIRM STARSIGNAL'S CEO JAILED FOR FRAUD
CAMPBELL, CALIFORNIA, U.S.A., 1990 AUG 2 (NB) -- Robert
Widergren, 51, is in the Santa Clara County jail in Silicon
Valley, following a raid on Starsignal, the company he
founded which makes a color fax machine.

Widergren is reportedly being held on charges of mail fraud,
interstate transportation of stolen property, theft, and
contempt of court, following his arrest Monday by the FBI.
He has been denied bail by authorities concerned he may
attempt to flee the country.

A published report in the San Francisco Chronicle says
that Widergren is accused of lying in the company's
prospectus to attract investors. The prospectus said
that the company was close to completing an $83
million deal with a company in Spain. The published report
says a former officer in the company, Larry Fine, told
investigators that the figure of $83 million "was extracted
from the air."

Contacted by Newsbytes, Star Signal's vice president of
marketing, James Sullivan, said the Widergren matter was
not affecting operations yet. "We're shipping product.
Two units are going out today to AT&T and some are going
out Monday. We don't see any backlash on it right now."

He defends Widergren by saying, "So far as we know here,
everything has been legal here." He adds that although
negotiations in Spain had not been concluded, "they were on
the table and were being negotiated." He said such things
are common in Silicon Valley, and that Widergren was just
"being an entrepreneur."

The company has 14 employees. The Starsignal fax machine
has been touted as the world's first color fax machine. The cost
per unit is $26,000. Sullivan says some 18 of the washing
machine-sized Colorfax systems were sold over the past year.
The color fax machine transmits a color copy at 19,200 bits per
second, scans up to 300 dots per inch (dpi) but prints out at 240
dpi, and transmits a picture in four to five minutes.

The FBI declined to comment on the case.

(Wendy Woods/19900802/Press Contact: Starsignal, 1-408-866-7100)


(NEWS)(BUSINESS)(BRU)(00027)

TECHNOLOGY STOCKS: Quarterly Results, Thursday Aug 2
NEW YORK, NEW YORK, U.S.A., 1990 AUG 2 (NB) -- Companies reporting
this week include: SULCUS, VALID LOGIC, SUMMAGRAPHICS, SCIENTIFIC,
DIGI, LSI, SIERRA ON-LINE AND VERTEX.

[] SULCUS COMPUTER CORPORATION reports a loss of $237,169 for the
second quarter which ended June 30, on revenues of $2.23 million.
These figures compare with last year's comparable quarter which
produced earnings of $51,435 and revenues of $2 million. Sulcus
provides vertical market hardware and software.

[] VALID LOGIC earns $1.63 million for the second quarter which
ended June 30, 1990 on revenues of $45 million. This compares to
an income of $1.6 million and revenues of $41.5 million. For the
six months, revenues stood at $80 million and a net loss of $5
million. Valid president, Douglas Hajjar, said, " We are very
pleased with our rapid return to profitability after a
dissappointing first quarter." Valid is the second largest spplier
of electronic design automation products.

[] SUMMAGRAPHICS announced earnings of $793,000 for the fourth
quarter which ended May 31, 1990 on revenues of $12.53 million.
This compares with the same period last year when the company
reported revenues of $12.12 million producing earnings of $1.75
million. For the year, the company reported sales up almost 6
percent to $46 million while income decreased 20 percent to $5.25
million. Summagraphics produces peripheral products for PCs.

[] SCIENTIFIC TECHNOLOGIES earns $314,000 in the second quarter on
revenues of $2.6 million.The period ended June 30, 1990. For the
six months, the company reported income of $635,000 and revenues
of $5 million. The company produces and markets computer systems,
industrial sensors, and data communications products.

[] DIGI INTERNATIONAL today announced sales of $6.14 million and
record earnings of $1.3 million for the period which ended June
30, 1990. The company produces data communications hardware and
software products.

[] LSI INDUSTRIES reports a loss of $1.3 million for the quarter
which ended June 30, 1990 on revenues of $83.7 million. This
compares with net income of $1.4 million and sales of $22.1
million recorded last year. For the year, the company reports net
income of $1.4 million and revenues of $83.7 million. The company
reported sales of $57.4 million and income of $4 million in fiscal
1989. LSI produces high technology products.

[] SIERRA ON-LINE posts earnings of $684,000 for the first quarter
which ended June 30, 1990 on revenues of $5.282 million. Sierra
develops and markets premium priced entertainment software for
personal computers.

[] VERTEX COMMUNICATIONS reports third quarter earnings of
$508,000 on revenues of $9.66 million. This compares to earnings
of $452,000 and revenues of $6.83 million reported last year.

(John Verhelst/19900802)


(NEWS)(BUSINESS)(BRU)(00028)

TECHNOLOGY STOCKS: Market Report, Wednesday, Aug 1
NEW YORK, NEW YORK, U.S.A., 1990 AUG 2 (NB) -- Many technology
stocks fell heavily on news of bad eanings reports and the current
instability reigning in the gulf with Kuwait's invasion by Iraq.

Over the counter stocks, which identify closely with technology
companies, fell, led by Intel Corporation, down $2 to $42.50.
Microsoft which led the volume yesterday, inched up 25 cents to
$66.75. MCI Communications, off 25 cents to $37, Apple Computer up
37.5 cents to $42.375 and LIN Broadcasting was down 12.5 cents to
$65.875.

On the American Exchange, Amdahl kept a high profile and rose 12.5
cents to $15.25.

The big board however, also fell on the news of the invasion with
declines leading advances by 771 to 732. Big board volume totaled
176,810,000 shares, slightly higher than yesterday's close.

IBM lost 25 cents to $11.675, AT&T also down 25 cents to $36.75
and GE up 25 cents to $71.875.

(John Verhelst/19900802)


(EXCLUSIVE)(TELECOM)(ATL)(00029)

AMERICAN CITINET GOES UNDER: OMAHA NEWSPAPER TAKES ASSETS
OMAHA, NEBRASKA, U.S.A., 1990 AUG 2 (NB) -- The collapse of
American Citinet of Boston, reportedly in a dispute among its
partners, has caused the Omaha World-Herald newspaper to take
over the assets and move them to the Midwest.

The World-Herald was Citinet's partner in Omaha Citinet, a service
provider for the US West Community Link gateway in that city, and
had been using Citinet facilities to link its products to the
international Minitel network.

Assets being transferred include the Citinet software, computers,
and the services of founder Richard Koch. "We feel the sale is a
positive move," said Koch in a press release from Omaha Citinet.
Koch will remain in Boston and help market the company's services
to the Bell gateways. He will also help try to market the
company's services to other newspapers. "The Citinet system
already supports the majority of newspapers currently involved in
videotex projects," he said.

Newsbytes spoke with Omaha Citinet President Mitchel Bell.  He
confirmed that, until the Citinet computer is moved and set up in
Omaha, the company's ties with the Minitel system will remain
severed. He predicted a reconnection will take only about two
weeks. "We had been relying on American Citinet. We saw they
wouldn't be able to continue, and sought a connection here. It
would take 4-6 weeks to implement, we were told. But it's being
pushed through."

Bell said that Omaha Citinet is doing well, and  some of its
information providers are even making a profit. He  added that
the company is going to expand into fax services,  starting
with fax delivery of a weekly report on national marine
fisheries.

The collapse of American Citinet also highlights the
vulnerability of the Bell gateways, which depend on service
providers like Citinet to act as go-betweens between them and the
information providers who make their services work. The Bells are
prohibited from interacting with information providers directly.
When US West opened its Community Link service earlier this year,
for instance, it had four service providers. Now there may be two,
or 1, depending on the status of Teletex, a service provider
affiliated with French interests which is rumored to be going out
of business and has, in fact, been for sale for some time.
"That's a big rumor right now," was all Bell could say of
Teletex.

(Dana Blankenhorn/19900802/Press Contact: Mitchel Bell, Omaha
Citinet, 402-391-8200)


(NEWS)(TELECOM)(ATL)(00030)

AT&T OPENS MESSAGING OFFICE IN CANADA
OTTAWA, CANADA, 1990 AUG 2 (NB) --- AT&T opened an office in
Canada to sell its fax and electronic mail services.

AT&T Global Messaging has become a major factor in the electronic
message delivery business over the last year by purchasing Jens of Japan,
Istel of the United Kingdom and Western Union's Easylink service
of the United States.

The new office will offer both AT&T Enhanced FAX and AT&T Mail,
which provides connections with other systems using links under
the X.400 standard. AT&T emphasized that all its messaging
products work under a common technology called the AT&T
Unified Messaging Architecture. J.D "Doug" McKinnon was named
managing director of the Canadian Global Messaging office. McKinnon
was formerly a marketing and sales manager for AT&T Canada.

(Dana Blankenhorn/19900802/Press Contact: David Bikle, AT&T, 201-
953-7614)