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/nb900803

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(NEWS)(TELECOM)(HKG)(00001)

HONG KONG: JCG FINANCE TO PUT 30 BRANCHES ONLINE VIA DATAPAK
CENTRAL, HONG KONG, 1990 AUG 3 (NB) -- One of the largest deposit-
taking companies in Hong Kong, JCG Finance Company Ltd, will link
its 30 branches to a central computer next month by way of Hong
Kong Telecom's Datapak Digital Data Service.

The company is in the process of converting its systems from
batch to online processing, based on a newly installed Prime
6150 computer. Applications include personal loans, credit
cards, time deposit, personal overdrafts, hire purchase and
general ledger.

Personal loans will be online this month, August, becoming fully
operational in September. Nearly 70 Prime terminals and 47 PCs will
be connected to the data centre via Datapak.

"Because the development schedule is so tight, we wanted to
centralize communications responsibilities with a single supplier,"
says Eric Lai, JCG's EDP manager.

JCG will use a mix of 10 Dataline 19.2 and 29 Dataline 96
connections. Network terminating units and support are included in
the Datapak package.

The faster Dataline 19.2 links, operating at 19.2 kilobits per
second (kbps), will support around 50 terminals in headquarters,
as well as the busier branches, while most branches will use the
9.6 kbps Dataline 96 service.

Applications software is being developed and all existing
applications are scheduled to be online by the end of the year.

Also under development is a customer information system which will
enable JCG staff to make online queries into the account and credit
status of its nearly 300,000 customers.

Lai says he expects more lines to be added to the company's network
in line with business growth, forecasting that terminals will
double to 220. Next year, mortgage loans and bills will be
added to the list of online applications and Lai says further
projects are planned.

Michael Lam, Datacom Consultancy manager with Hong Kong Telecom's
Datacom Services division, says, "JCG Finance operates very
much like a bank, and its data communications configuration
is popular with local banks. Datapak DDS provides high-quality
digital circuits and 24-hour network management, giving banks
the assurance that their critical online systems will always
be available."

(Norman Wingrove/19900801/Press Contact: Hong Kong Telecom
Public Affairs Dept, [phone])


(NEWS)(GENERAL)(HKG)(00002)

NORTHERN TELECOM PILOTS ORACLE SOFTWARE IN HONG KONG
WANCHAI, HONG KONG, 1990 AUG 3 (NB) -- Northern Telecom is
using its Hong Kong office as a testbed for Oracle Financials,
the accounting system it plans to use worldwide.

Northern Telecom will implement the Oracle General Ledger,
Oracle Payables and Oracle Purchasing modules in Hong Kong, London
and Singapore before extending it to all overseas subsidiaries. Hong
Kong will pioneer accounts payable and purchasing, while London will
be the first to implement general ledger.

"It is Northern Telecom's policy to buy well proven software that
has solid local support wherever we operate," said Catherine Wong,
Northern Telecom (Asia)'s director of Systems and Administration.
"Oracle has provided a consultant to help implement the system."

Northern Telecom (Asia) has four offices in Hong Kong, employing
250 people.

The company will run Oracle Financials on a newly installed Hewlett-
Packard HP9000 Series 815 computer. The general ledger module will
replace existing software, while accounts payable will automate an
application that was previously handled manually.

According to Wong, Northern Telecom plans to add the inventory
module of Oracle Financials next year. It will be integrated
with the purchasing module, replacing a PC-based application.

(Norman Wingrove/19900801/Press Contact: Polly Cheung,
[phone])


(NEWS)(UNIX)(TOR)(00003)

IBM CANADA TO MARKET EXPERT MANAGEMENT SOFTWARE
TORONTO, ONTARIO, CANADA, 1990 AUG 3 (NB) -- IBM Canada has
agreed to distribute Expert Remote Systems Assurance (ERSA), a
system management package from Elegant Communications of Toronto.

Don Munroe, president of Elegant Communications, told Newsbytes
the package has been used at a limited number of sites for about
a year. Elegant Communications began as a specialized consulting
firm with a strong background in IBM 360 mainframes and Unix, he
said.

ERSA uses knowledge-based techniques and runs on Unix systems. It
generates daily text and graphic reports covering system and
network activity, providing information for capacity planning,
security audits and other management tasks.

IBM Canada will sell the software in Canada through its direct
sales force and Business Partners. Munroe said the agreement also
gives IBM Canada the right to sell the package outside Canada,
through other IBM units worldwide.

(Grant Buckler/19900801/Press Contact: Don Munroe, Elegant
Communications, 416-595-5425)


(NEWS)(IBM)(TOR)(00004)

SYNEX SOFTWARE TO BE FEATURED IN LOTUS MARKETING CAMPAIGN
VANCOUVER, BRITISH COLUMBIA, CANADA, 1990 AUG 3 (NB) --
Vancouver software firm Synex is getting a little help from its
friends at Lotus Development in selling its 1-2-3 add-on product,
F9 The Financial Reporter.

F9 Financial Reporter provides hot links between a Lotus 1-2-3
spreadsheet and an accounting system's general ledger, so the
spreadsheet can be used for financial reporting.

Lotus will feature the software in a United States-wide
promotional program, along with products from Novell, Compaq and
five other companies. The program will include a direct mailing
of product and company information to 160,000 Certified Public
Accountants in the United States and a series of seminars in more
than 40 American cities. The seminar series will start in August
and continue into 1991.

Synex has now released versions of F9 for five accounting
packages, and several other versions will be introduced over the
balance of this year. By year-end, Synex predicted, there will be
more than one million potential customers for the F9 product
line, which retails at US$595.

(Grant Buckler/19900731/Press Contact: Lawrence Roulston, Synex
International, 604-688-8271)


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

SOUTHWESTERN BELL UPGRADING ITS DATA LINES
ST. LOUIS, MISSOURI, U.S.A. 1990 AUG 3 (NB) -- Southwestern
Bell Telephone will upgrade its dedicated digital data services
with a fiber-based, dual-pathing "broadband" architecture.

The service is called SecureNet, and Southwestern Bell's goal is
to enhance its reliability. SecureNet will be offered starting
late this year, as facilities are made available. The service
must first be approved by state and federal regulatory
commissions. Pricing has not been determined.

(Dana Blankenhorn/19900731/Press Contact: Scott Hilgeman,
Southwestern Bell Telephone, 314-247-4613)


(NEWS)(IBM)(SYD)(00006)

NEW FOR IBM: Accounting For Windows 3 From Australia
SYDNEY, AUSTRALIA, 1990 AUG 3 (NB) -- Sybiz of Sydney,
Australia, has announced a Windows 3 accounting package
which it feels may be successful internationally. The
company is confident that few other manufacturers are
ready with a similar product, and none with a better product.

"We already sell in most parts of the world with our DOS,
Mac and Amiga packages," said MD Peter Lucas. He said his
company had used experience in the Amiga and Mac graphical
environments to quickly develop the stand-alone package. A
network version is expected early next year. DDE will be
supported in all versions, making the Sybiz accounting
system suitable for integrated environments where financial
data can be automatically shared with other Windows
applications.

(Paul Zucker/19900802/Contact [phone])


(NEWS)(TRENDS)(LON)(00007)

UK COMPANY OFFERS RECYCLED COMPUTER CONSUMABLES
CHESTER, ENGLAND, 1990 AUG 3 (NB) -- A Chester, England-based
company is offering recycled computer paper, ribbon re-inking
services, and a variety of other products designed to cut
down on waste for computer users.

Green Office Supplies is the first company in the UK to offer a
range of recycled and environment-friendly computer consumables.
Even the company's catalogue, available free to potential
customers, is 'green,' having been printed on recycled paper.
Wherever possible, the recycled products contain a high level of
post-consumer waste and do not use chlorine bleaching - itself a
highly toxic drain on the environment.

(Steve Gold/19900802/Press & Public Contact: Mike Skinner, Green
Office Supplies - Tel: [phone])


(NEWS)(APPLE)(LON)(00008)

NEW FOR MAC: Katakana Multi-mode Monitor
MAIDENHEAD, BERKSHIRE, ENGLAND, 1990 AUG 3 (NB) -- Katakana has
unveiled the L-View Multi-mode monitor system for the Apple Mac.
The company claims that it is the first monitor in the world to
offer the end-user multiple resolutions that are easily selected
with the mouse.

Six display modes are available offering resolutions from 36 to
120 dots-per-inch. According to Katakana, this allows the user to
match the resolution to the applications software being used,
the highest resolution useful for computer-aided design (CAD)
applications, while the lowest are relevant to word processing on
a Mac using nine or 13-inch screen emulation.

Another key feature of the Multi-mode monitor is a 82KHz vertical
refresh rate, which the company claims is the highest in the
industry. The monitor, complete with driver software, is
available immediately at UKP 1,695.

(Steve Gold/19900802/Press & Public Contact: Sara Balzano - Tel:
0628-75641)


(NEWS)(GENERAL)(LAX)(00009)

NEW FOR NETWORKS: Novell Intros New LANalyzer Version
SAN JOSE, CALIFORNIA, U.S.A., 1990 AUG 3 (NB) -- Novell has
announced LANalyzer, a network analyzer that the company claims
allows network managers and service organizations to resolve
real-life network problems significantly faster and more
accurately than other products of its kind.

According to the company, the LANalyzer has a unique Application
Test Suite (ATS) that allows both experienced and novice users to
take advantage of the LANalyzer's analysis and diagnostic
capabilities. The ATS is a predefined testing routine, similar to
a spreadsheet model.

In addition to preprogrammed tests, the LANalyzer allows
experienced network managers to develop customized tests
embodying their knowledge.

Another unique feature according to Novell is the LANalyzer's
menu-driven troubleshooting guide. A third unique feature is its
multi-channel monitoring, offering a real-time graphic display of
network activity with the ability to gather information on up to
nine separate channels.

Other features include user-definable triggers, multiple, user-
definable alarms, full protocol decodes and specialized hardware.

The new LANalyzer is available for any combination of Ethernet,
Starlan or Token Ring environments. The kit form lists for
$9,980. The price of the complete system installed in any of
several portable 80386-based computers varies by platform. A free
upgrade kit can be obtained through Novell's LANalyzer Assurance
Program or under the standard LANalyzer product warranty.

(Janet Endrijonas/19900801/Press Contact: Donna Keeling, Novell,
408-473-8393)


(NEWS)(GENERAL)(LAX)(00010)

NEW FOR NETWORKS: Netcom Intros Monochrome Only LAN Workstations
IRVINE, CALIFORNIA, U.S.A., 1990 AUG 3 (NB) -- Netcom Research
has introduced two monochrome only 1200 Series LAN (local area
networking) workstations.

The 1200 Series comes in Ethernet or ARCnet models with or
without floppy drives. It offers up to 2 MB (megabytes) DRAM
(dynamic random access memory) and has an 8K packet buffer. Both
units have built-in network boot PROM (programmable read only
memory) and provide a high load utility that puts network
software in upper memory.

Commenting on the new introduction, Netcom President C. Norman
Campbell said: "These new 286-based, 12.5 MHz (megahertz)
workstations provide network nodes at the lowest possible cost
without sacrificing performance. They fill the need for low cost,
monochrome only workstations which we identified last year during
our initial product research."

Volume shipments of the 1200 Series are scheduled to begin this
month. Prices are $525 and $600 each in quantities of 100 for the
1212A and the 1212E respectively. Delivery is stock to four
weeks.

(Janet Endrijonas/19900801/Press Contact: Dave Jenoff, Netcom,
714-727-0724)


(NEWS)(BUSINESS)(MOW)(00011)

MOSCOW: NEW MONEY POLICY CAUSES COMPUTER PRICE RISE
MOSCOW, U.S.S.R., 1990 AUG 3 (NB) -- A joint venture (JV), Interteco,
has doubled prices for computers sold for some Socialist countries'
currencies after the Soviet government has allowed citizens
to keep hard currency in hand.

The new law allows anybody in the country to have any "valyuta"
(hard currency) without the need to prove it's obtained from State
offices. Consequently, they can use the currency in special shops
which accept dollars, Deutchmarks or other forms of hard cash.
People are now also allowed to open currency accounts in a bank,
State Vnesheconombank. But the biggest obstacle to the free
money market -- for which the death penalty still applies -- is a
law which prohibits illegal sale and purchase of hard cash.

According to Kamilla Guzhinskaya, Interteco department chief,
their Polish counterpart who does all the money-related
operations advised them to double all prices following the
announcement. However, the price increase hasn't daunted buyers.
Guzhinskaya tells Newsbytes that the number of people
who wish to spend their Cuban pesos, Mongolian tugricks and
other non-convertible currencies from corporate accounts remains
high. A small exhibition by companies which can sell goods for
these monies, which will become obsolete January 1st, 1991 has
attracted hundreds of state enterprise executives.

There's no sign that other companies will raise their prices since
to those which offer goods for these weak currencies is very low,
Newsbytes has learned.

According to the Kommersant newspaper, this law may cause the
black market dollar rate to skyrocket soon.

(Kirill Tchashchin/19900802/Press contact: Kamilla Guzhinskaya,
Interteco, phone [phone] fax [phone])


(NEWS)(IBM)(TYO)(00012)

AST'S DUAL COMPATIBLE MACHINE STILL UNCERTAIN
TOKYO, JAPAN, 1990 AUG 3 (NB) -- The president of U.S.-based
AST Research, Safy Quereshy, says his company's strategic
machine, aimed at the Japanese PC market, will be
assembled in California soon. His remarks, published by the
Nikkei Industrial Daily newspaper, pertain to a
dual-compatible machine capable of running software for
the IBM PC AT/XT and Japanese NEC PC-9800 series
personal computers.

Quereshy is quoted as saying, "We will start production
at our plant in California soon, and we will offer the
machine through Japanese personal computer dealers.
Production in Japan is also in the discussion stage and
a Japanese copier maker is a possible OEM (original
equipment manufacturing) partner."

Meanwhile, the Japanese arm of the firm, AST Research Japan,
denied the report, saying, "We have not been informed of
this details and the production site is still fluid." The
spokesman said that the company had not chosen a U.S.
or Asian production sites, such as Hong Kong or Taiwan.

Such different opinions between the parent and child firms
is has mystified the Japanese market and caused much
speculation among industry observers.

Meanwhile, an AST Japan official said to Newsbytes that
the company will start taking orders for the dual-compatible
machine within the next two months, but couldn't comment
further due to the sensitive nature of current discussions
with the parent firm.

(Naoyuki Yazawa/19900802)


(NEWS)(BUSINESS)(TYO)(00013)

JAPAN: ROHM MAKING BIGGER LCDS
TOKYO, JAPAN, 1990 AUG 3 (NB) -- Rohm, a supplier of LCD
(liquid crystal display) panels, has started production of larger
sized display panels aimed at the personal computer and
word processor market.

Rohm's LCD is STN (super twisted nematic)-based,
offering yellow, blue, and white-mode with 640 by 480 pixels
of resolution.

The firm began development of the LCD three years ago and its group
firm, Rohm Amagi, has taken over the production process for the
past year and a half. Small-sized display modules have been
supplied to the consumer electronics and automobile industries.

The computer and word processor market uses half of all the
LCDs made, consequently entry into this market was a natural
choice for Rohm. The company expects to see a 2.5 fold increase
in its LCD business within a year.

(Naoyuki Yazawa/19900802)


(NEWS)(UNIX)(TYO)(00014)

SONY TO TAKE NEUTRAL POSITION IN UNIX BATTLE
TOKYO, JAPAN, 1990 AUG 3 (NB) -- Sony is planning a new
version of its News WS (workstation) OS(operating system)
before the end of this year, according to the Nikkei
Industrial Daily. The paper says that the current Unix-based
OS Ver. 3.4 will be enhanced by further upgrades to its
database-handling abilities.

The News OS Ver. 4.0 will run of world standard
database application programs such as those from Oracle,
Sybase, and Informix. It will also feature the Motif
graphical user interface developed by OSF or Open Software
Foundation.

Unix International and OSF are the two diverging streams in
the race for Unix standardization, and Sony belongs to both
of them. The report revealed that Sony has no intention of
taking sides and will stay in a neutral position with the
introduction of developments from both sides into its products.

(Naoyuki Yazawa/19900802)


(NEWS)(UNIX)(TYO)(00015)

SUN AIMS AT PC MARKET WITH WS
TOKYO, JAPAN, 1990 AUG 3 (NB) -- Nippon Sun Microsystems, the
Japanese subsidiary of the U.S.-based Sun Microsystems, has
announced a smaller and less expensive WS (workstation), the
SPARC Station IPC.

The machine packs 15.8 MIPS (million instruction per second) and
1.7 mega FLOPS (floating point operations per second) of power
generated by a 25 megahertz 32-bit RISC (reduced instruction set
computer) processor in a 24.4 by 26.4 by 11.7 centimeter compact
body. Its 8-megabyte main memory is expandable to 24 megabytes.

The machine comes with a standard 16-inch color display and costs
2.4 million yen or $16,000.

The same machine will be offered by Fujitsu as S-4/IP and Toshiba
as AS4040 simultaneously.

So far, workstations have been considered upper class machine
compared to personal computers, but Sun is lowering its sights
at the personal computer market by trimming the size and
price of this machine.

(Naoyuki Yazawa/19900802/Press Contact: Nippon Sun Microsystems,
03-221-7021)


(NEWS)(UNIX)(TYO)(00016)

OMRON TO DEVELOP 320 MIPS WORKSTATION
TOKYO, JAPAN, 1990 AUG 3 (NB) -- Omron plans to develop a
high-end version of its multi CPU (central processing unit)
WS Luna-88K, complete with Motorola's next generation RISC
(reduced instruction set computer) processor 88110.

The firm's latest WS Luna-88K is slated for shipment this
month. This machine has four Motorola 88100 RISC processors and
performs 100 MIPS (million instructions per second). Since the
next-generation Motorola 88110 RISC processor is said to perform
80 MIPS, a machine designed with the processor is expected to
have 320 MIPS of processing ability when four CPUs are run in
parallel.

The new machine will have the Mach OS (operating system), the
same OS as the Luna-88K. Its main memory and the circuit
for data input and output will be enhanced.

(Naoyuki Yazawa/19900802)


(NEWS)(TRENDS)(TYO)(00017)

15-INCH FULL COLOR LCD FROM HOSHIDEN
OSAKA, JAPAN, 1990 AUG 3 (NB) -- Hoshiden Electronics, the firm
known as a supplier of TFT LCD (thin film transistor liquid crystal
display) to U.S.-based Apple Computer, has developed the world's
first 15-inch full color LCD panel and is shipping samples.

The largest panel developed ever in the industry has 1,280 by 800
pixel color resolution. The panel is expected to ship to the
commercial market within two years and demands is expected from
workstation, computer-aided design, and the consumer electronics
industries.

Hoshiden's display, with three million dots of high resolution
and an average response time of 20 milliseconds, is
expected to spur other makers to develop larger sized flat
panel displays.

Prior to commercializing the color LCD, Hoshiden is
planning to market white-mode LCD panels based on the
technology developed for this large sized color
flat-panel display.

(Naoyuki Yazawa/19900802/Press Contact: Hoshiden Electronics,
0729-93-1010)


(NEWS)(TRENDS)(TYO)(00018)

HITACHI CLAIMS LARGEST CAPACITY MAGNETIC DISK DRIVE
TOKYO, JAPAN, 1990 AUG 3 (NB) -- Hitachi has announced the
availability of a magnetic disk drive unit which it claims
is capable of storing more data than any other magnetic disk
drive in the world.

The disk drive, developed for the world's fastest Hitachi HITAC M
series mainframe computers and the IBM ES/3090s compatible
with them, can store as much as 35 gigabytes of data,
equivalent to more than 70 years of a major Japanese newspaper.
This is about 2.5 times more than the largest capacity
magnetic disk drive unit previously held, and exceeds
that of NEC's magnetic disk unit with 34.2 gigabytes of
storage capacity, slated for shipment next year.

The average seek time is 12 milliseconds, and the data transfer
speed has improved from a previous 3 megabytes to 4.2 megabytes per
second. The drive unit requires only 60 square centimeters of
space on the floor, while the previous type needs three times more
space.

The basic rental fee is 1.5 million yen ($10,000) per month,
including the control unit. Hitachi will ship the unit at the end of
this September.

As IBM has been marketing a 22.7-gigabyte magnetic disk unit
since last year, Japan's IBM compatible machine makers
Hitachi and Fujitsu have been rushing to develop counterpart
products. Fujitsu is expected to launch its magnetic disk unit
with 30 gigabytes capacity by this year's end.

(Ken Takahashi/19900802/Press Contact: Hitachi, Ltd., 03-763-2411)


(NEWS)(GENERAL)(TYO)(00019)

FUJITSU PLANS OEM SUPPLY OF LOW-PRICED FM TOWNS TO MATSUSHITA
OSAKA, JAPAN, 1990 AUG 3 (NB) -- Fujitsu President Tadashi Sekizawa
held a press conference in Osaka to tell reporters that he
intends to expand the relationship with Matsushita Electric
Industrial by supplying on an OEM (original equipment
manufacturing) basis the entry-level FM Towns hypermedia personal
computer slated for release around next spring.

One day after the announcement, Matsushita said it would not
make a decision on receipt of supply for the time being, on the
grounds that it has not arranged the support system and that
the price is uncertain.

Fujitsu has been asking Matsushita to sell the FM Towns since its
first release, and Matsushita has been working on an idea to sell
it through home electronics goods shops under its Panasonic brand
name. Matsushita recently suggested its intention to receive
the OEM supply if its conditions were satisfied by Fujitsu.

Matsushita and Fujitsu have long been working together in the
personal computer business. Most of Matsushita personal computers
have been supplied from Fujitsu on an OEM basis.

Besides announcing an OEM supply of low-priced FM Towns,
Sekizawa said Fujitsu aims to earn 15 billion yen ($100 million)
from the sale of FM-Towns with a CD-ROM (compact disk
read-only-memory) drive as standard equipment for this year,
because he says it is selling well.

Sekizawa is eager to sell as many FM Towns as possible, no
matter how much advertising costs, because he led the project
to create the personal computer when he was an executive
director of Fujitsu.

(Ken Takahashi/19900802)


(NEWS)(IBM)(TYO)(00020)

IBM TO LAUNCH MULTIMEDIA RESEARCH IN JAPAN
TOKYO, JAPAN, 1990 AUG 3 (NB) -- IBM Japan, the Japanese arm of
computer giant IBM, has set up a research and development
section for multimedia at its Tokyo Basic Research Center.
The move suggests that a multimedia personal computer from
U.S.-based IBM is on the horizon, for IBM Japan took
responsibility for development of personal computers for
all the IBM Group this March.

Called Entry Systems Institute, the research section will conduct
studies on the interaction between video images, computers,
and user friendly interfaces, all of which are
indispensable for the development of multimedia.

The Tokyo Basic Research Center traditionally consisted of several
institutes: Computer Science Institute for workstations,
knowledge-based systems, and software; Advanced Technology
Institute for manufacture, recording, and semiconductors;
and Tokyo Science Center for graphics, natural language,
and images, as well as education and medical systems.
IBM Japan has separated the Computer Science Institute to
set up Entry Systems Institute.

IBM Japan will assign 50 researchers from the Tokyo Basic
Research Center to the Entry Systems Institute, which will be
managed by the superintendent of the research center.

U.S.-based IBM was slated to release a home computer oriented
for multimedia this spring, but it postponed the action until
next year, on the grounds that the machine was too expensive.

(Ken Takahashi/19900802)


(NEWS)(GENERAL)(TYO)(00021)

FUJITSU TO OFFER PALMTOP COMPUTER
TOKYO, JAPAN, 1990 AUG 3 (NB) -- Fujitsu has decided to enter
the palmtop computer market, according to the Business & Technology
paper.

The industrial paper reports that the computer firm has already
started to develop a small personal computer for business. The
report says the machine is small enough to fit into the palm of
a hand. Despite its being half the size of a current book-sized
computer, the Fujitsu palmtop will have a QWERTY-type standard
keyboard, and will be compatible with FMR personal computers,
the paper says. Fujitsu is aiming to simplify the functions by
adopting an IC (integrated circuit) card containing application
programs, according to the paper.

Fujitsu will start trial sales by year's end, and intends to
launch the palmtop into the market next year at the price below
100,000 yen ($670), the paper reports.

In the palmtop computer arena, while keyboard-type palmtop
computers, such as Atari Portfolio, are available in the U.S.,
there is only Sony's PalmTop computer with a pen-sensitive screen
in Japan. From the viewpoint of easy handling, Fujitsu is
negative about the pen-sensitive method, judging it is better to
operate on a keyboard, the paper reports.

(Ken Takahashi/19900802)


(NEWS)(BUSINESS)(BRU)(00022)

TECHNOLOGY STOCKS: Market Report, Thursday Aug 2
NEW YORK, NEW YORK, U.S.A., 1990 AUG 3 (NB) -- The invasion of
Kuwait by Iraq started accounting for many dips in the market.
Computer stocks are generally never active during conflict and
the numbers showed just that.

Intel Corporation, producer of many integrated circuits used in
computers today, fell $2.25 to end at $40.25, Microsoft fell 75
cents to $66 and Sun Micro was down $1. Apple Computer however bucked
the trend and moved up $1.125 to close at $43.50. MCI
Communications closed down 25 cents to $36.75 and Novell Inc.,
the local area network software supplier, fell $2.75 to end at
$46.25.

On the American exchange, not normally associated with technology
stocks, Amdahl ended down $1 to $14.25. Wang did not feature in
this luckluster trading day on the American Exchange.

The Big board however was humming with AT&T rising 25 cents to
$37, IBM falling $1.875 to $109.75 and GE down $1.50 to $70.50.
Nynex fell $1.375 to $75.25 and Pac Telesis off 67.5 cents to
$42.25.

(John Verhelst/19900803)


(NEWS)(BUSINESS)(BRU)(00023)

TECHNOLOGY STOCKS: Quarterly Results, Friday Aug 3
NEW YORK, NEW YORK, U.S.A., 1990 AUG 3 (NB) -- Companies
reporting results today include:

[] TERMINAL DATA CORP. posts a net loss of $269,000 for the third
quarter which ended June 30, 1990 on revenue of $5.9 million. The
company reported sales of $4.4 million and a loss of $1.44
million for the comparable period in fiscal 1989. Terminal Data
manufactures image capturing devices.

[] ADVANCED LOGIC RESEARCH nets income of $2.6 million in the
third quarter which ended June 30, 1990 on revenues of $37.5
million. Last year, the company reported sales of $19.6 million
and income of $658,000. For the nine months, revenues stood at
$121.8 million and income peaked at $8.8 million. Advanced Logic
Research offers computers products in various fields.

[] EXAR announced first quarter results of $1.59 million on sales
of $24.98 million. The period ended June 30, 1990. For the
comparable period in fiscal 1989, the company reported sales of
$18.2 million and net income of $1.43 million. Wafer service
sales to Rolm (a subsidiary of IBM), accounted for much of the
increase. Exar manufactures application-specific integrated
circuits (ASIC) chips.

(John Verhelst/19900803)


(NEWS)(UNIX)(TOR)(00024)

AICORP PLANS TECHNOLOGY LICENSE, SIGNS DEC DEAL
BOSTON, MASSACHUSETTS, U.S.A., 1990 AUG 3 (NB) -- AICorp has
signed a letter of intent with Carnegie Group to license
technology being developed by the Initiative for Managing
Knowledge Assets (IMKA). The company also announced a marketing
agreement with Digital Equipment.

AICorp said it is interested in integrating the IMKA technology
with KBMS, its expert system tool. AICorp and Carnegie Group are
also investigating ways AICorp could participate in the IMKA
Development Contract. The companies said key components of
AICorp's technology could be a valuable addition to IMKA.

Carnegie Group is a founding participant of IMKA, an initiative
formed to develop new software to capture corporate knowledge and
manage it as an asset.

AICorp also joined Digital in a Complementary Software House
agreement for joint marketing of KBMS, which runs on Digital's
VAX minicomputers as well as PCs and IBM mainframes. KBMS for the
VAX is now shipping. Prices begin at US$7,500 for VAXstations and
vary according to the hardware.

(Grant Buckler/19900801/Press Contact: Amy Metzenbaum, AICorp,
617-891-6500)


(NEWS)(IBM)(TOR)(00025)

NEW FOR IBM: Delrina Offers Windows 3.0 Fax Drivers
TORONTO, ONTARIO, CANADA, 1990 AUG 3 (NB) -- Delrina Technology
has announced two fax drivers for Microsoft Windows 3.0.

One version works with fax boards complying with the CAS
standard, including those from Intel, Pure Data, Spectrafax and
others. The other version works with fax modems that use the
Sierra Semiconductor Sendfax chip set. Both versions include a
driver that looks to Windows like a regular print driver, so
users of any Windows application can send a fax as if they were
printing a document, Delrina said.

Josef Zancowicz, a spokesman for Delrina, told Newsbytes the
drivers will be sold initially through original equipment
manufacturers (OEMs) who will include them with their products.
The company also plans to bundle the drivers with PerFORM Pro,
the new Windows 3.0 version of its forms processing software,
which is due to begin shipping by the end of August.

(Grant Buckler/19900803/Press Contact: Josef Zancowicz, Delrina,
416-441-3676)


(NEWS)(BUSINESS)(TOR)(00026)

GEAC SIGNS WITH DIGITAL, NAMES NEW PRESIDENT
MARKHAM, ONTARIO, CANADA, 1990 AUG 3 (NB) -- Geac Computer Corp.
has announced an agreement with Digital Equipment of Canada
making Geac a Digital Complementary Solutions Organization (CSO).

Geac will offer its new Pick-based Advance automated library
system on Digital's Ultrix platforms worldwide. The Advance
system was launched nine months ago and is installed in about 40
sites around the world, the company said.

Geac spokesman Harrison Cheung told Newsbytes the agreement is
the first of its kind for Geac's library division, although the
company's financial services division has similar arrangements
with IBM and Stratus.

Although Geac manufactures minicomputers of its own and sells
them with library automation software, Cheung said the move
should not be seen as a step away from selling hardware as well
as software. "We'll still sell our own hardware," he said. "What
were trying to accomplish with this agreement ... is just to
formalize our commitment to providing the software on the
platform of the customer's choice."

Founded in 1971, Geac manufactures computer software and
hardware, serving the library automation and financial services
markets worldwide.

Geac also named Stephen Sadler, formerly executive vice-president
and chief financial officer, to the post of president and chief
executive. He replaces Stefan Bothe, who has left the company "to
pursue other interests," Cheung said.

(Grant Buckler/19900802/Press Contact: Harrison Cheung, Geac,
416-475-0525)


(NEWS)(TELECOM)(HKG)(00027)

HONGKONG SHOOTS MIXED SIGNALS AT CABLE/SATELLITE INDUSTRY
CENTRAL, HONG KONG, 1990 AUG 3 (NB) -- Hong Kong's long running
public scrap between rival satellite and cable companies
is no closer to resolution following the Government's
latest pronouncement on the issue.

Several years ago the Hong Kong government deregulated the
telecommunications industry, relinquishing Hong Kong Telecom
of its longstanding monopoly of all cable distribution services.
The Government finally awarded a franchise for a new cable
television network last autumn to the newly formed Hong Kong
Cable Communications (HKCC).

At the time, the Government made it clear in a confidential
memorandum, recently leaked to the public, that it intended to
deregulate the redistribution, over private networks, of
signals from satellite receiving dishes.

Last month HKCC claimed the terms of its franchise gave it a
monopoly over all cable distribution and redistribution systems
in Hong Kong. It complained that anyone feeding signals from
a satellite dish to a number of television receivers would
be infringing its rights.

The Hutchison group, owners of the Asia-Sat communications
satellite, which was launched from China in April, immediately
stepped into the fray. They complained their operation would
be strangled at birth if HKCC's claim - made in the face of
the secret memorandum - was allowed. Hutchison plans to begin
transmitting satellite television to Hong Kong, together
with the rest of Asia, later this year.

HKCC, on the other hand, has not even begun laying cable yet. It has
not built its network or production centres and has still not started
recruiting production staff.

A prolonged public slinging match broke out in the press between the
two companies until, earlier this week, the Executive Council
announced it would be meeting on the issue.

Its decision, handed down on 1st August, has left matters no clearer
than they were before, according to most observers.

Coming down firmly on the middle of the fence, the Government has
announced that existing installations feeding signals from a
satellite dish in a private environment will be allowed to continue.
New installations, however, will be illegal unless licenced. Direct
connections from one dish to one receiver will be permitted in any
case.

No mention was made of the conditions for licencing a new community
satellite distribution system, so neither Hutchison, HKCC or
the public are any the wiser as to the Government's eventual
intentions.

Much comment in the press has focussed on the viewing public's
interests, which many say the Government has ignored completely in
spite of widespread protests about the poor programming standards of
the two local TV broadcasting companies, ATV and TVB.

Industry commentators have claimed that the issue goes far beyond
a question of entertainment. Both cable and satellite will inevitably
play an increasingly vital role in business and official
communications and any wrong decisions made now could be disastrous
for Hong Kong's future wellbeing, they said.

As soon as the official announcement that existing multiple-tv dish
systems will be allowed to operate, Hong Kong's famous Peninsula
Hotel announced that with immediate effect it was putting into
service the two satellite dishes that have been languishing unused on
its rooftop since they were installed five years ago. Many other
hotels with so-far unused dishes are expected to follow suit.

Meanwhile, the Government today started urging owners of existing
dishes feeding more than one television receiver to licence their
installation immediately, under threat of severe penalties. It has
also stated that it will take punitive action against new
installations that are not properly licenced. On the other hand,
licencing for new installations will not start for at least another
year.

The South China Morning Post commented on 31st July, "the picture
is blurred for the telecommunications experts trying to forecast the
outcome."

(Norman Wingrove/19900803)


(NEWS)(TELECOM)(HKG)(00028)

HONG KONG: UNIQUE SOLUTION OFFERED FOR JUNK FAX
WANCHAI, HONG KONG, 1990 AUG 3 (NB) -- As US fax users shudder
under the threat of a Bush boycott of a bill to protect them
from junk fax, Hong Kong wonders what all the fuss is about,
thanks to Hong Kong Telephone's contract policy and its Adfax
facility.

Junk fax has become a thorny issue in all countries that make heavy
use of facsimile machines.

The Hong Kong Telephone Company addressed this issue early on, and
came up with a package which it claims solves the problem to
everyone's advantage.

First of all, Telephone makes it a condition of service that its
lines are not used for the distribution of unsolicited advertising. A
special phone and fax service exists for customers to report the
receipt of junk fax mail.

On receipt of a complaint, Telephone contacts the offending company
and issues a warning that if it persists in sending out unsolicited
advertisements, its phone and fax lines will be disconnected.

At the same time, some people actually like to be kept informed of
new products and services. Adfax helps them and the advertiser, while
compensating the unwilling recipient of messages.

Adfax is a broadcast service that will simultaneously send an
advertisement to any number of destinations. The user provides one
copy on paper or, for top quality reproduction, as a computer file in
desktop publishing format. This will then be forwarded to fax users
by location or in alphabetical order, or the advertiser's own mailing
list can be used.

The charge is around HK$900 (US$115) per thousand to the advertiser.
Most of this charge is credited to the recipients' faxline accounts,
to compensate for the paper and fax time used. Each message
carries a note at the bottom informing the recipient of a number
to call if he or she wishes to be excluded from Adfax mailing
lists in the future.

As a further protection for the fax customer, Adfax calls are limited
to three per day on each faxline number.

A4 and A5 size originals are accepted. The charge per destination for
A5 documents is HK$0.90, of which 50 cents goes to the recipient. For
A4 ads, the charge is HK$1.40, of which the recipient receives
HK$1.00.

Hong Kong Telephone's General Manager of Services David Connolly, told
Newsbytes, "We receive a couple of thousand complaints about junk fax
each month, but we find almost all these involve very small
advertisers who are easily persuaded to desist. Many are surprised to
learn about Adfax and quickly realize the benefits of paying a modest
fee to reduce their effort to sending a document just once - to us.
In addition, of course, they avoid antagonizing potential customers
and in the long run find themselves with a mailing list tailored to
those people who actually wish to receive their ads."

(Norman Wingrove/19900803/Press Contact: Virginia Chi, Hong Kong
Telephone Datacom Services, [phone])


(NEWS)(TELECOM)(ATL)(00029)

AMERITECH, NYNEX, AT&T SIGN DEALS WITH QUALCOMM FOR CDMA
CHICAGO, ILLINOIS, U.S.A., 1990 AUG 3 (NB) -- AT&T, Ameritech,
NYNEX and agreed to continue developing Code Division Multiple
Access, or CDMA, a digital cellular technology pioneered by
Qualcomm of San Diego.

CDMA can expand a cellular system's capacity 10-fold, but
the industry has chosen to endorse a competing standard
called Time Division Multiple Access, or TDMA,
which has less capacity but is easier to implement.

Despite that endorsement, cellular companies remain interested
in the higher-capacity CDMA scheme, because they are facing
projections of demand growing 50% each year, which must be
accommodated within existing frequency bandwidth. Both of the
digital cellular standards also offer greater privacy than
current, analog systems, since their compression of conversations
makes them impossible to pick up with ordinary radio scanners.

A Personal Telephone Services offering recently announced by
NYNEX will only be possible with CDMA's low power requirements,
which make possible lighter-weight portable telephones.
Qualcomm's agreement with NYNEX includes initial orders for CDMA
portable telephones. In addition to the manufacture of mobile
and portable telephones, QUALCOMM will provide proprietary chip
sets to its licensees to meet the anticipated demand for
products.

AT&T's Tom Powers, president of the company's cellular systems
business unit, addressed the CDMA-TDMA question directly in a
press release. "This effort will in no way detract from our
commitment to TDMA, the current industry standard, nor will it
interfere with our commitment to develop and supply TDMA-based
applications," he said. Both Ameritech Mobile
Communications and NYNEX Mobile Communications are AT&T
customers.

(Dana Blankenhorn/19900803/Press Contact: Sue Marceau, Ameritech
Mobile Communications, 708-706-7391; AT&T, Barbara Mierisch,
201/606-2457; Qualcomm, Harvey White, 619/587-1121)


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

SATELLITE PAGING BUSINESS CONSOLIDATES
JACKSON, MISSISSIPPI, U.S.A., 1990 AUG 3 (NB) -- Mobile
Telecommunication Technologies, known as Mtel, announced that
its SkyTel subsidiary absorbed the 1,500 customers and the
resellers of its main competitor, Metrocast, in the wake of
British Telecom's decision to close the paging operation.

Metrocast goes out of business October 4.

Mtel sold the bulk of its cellular phone operations to BellSouth
a few years ago to concentrate on satellite paging, which
has grown explosively in percentage terms but remains a
small business in absolute terms.

Separately, Mtel announced that James M. Phillips resigned as
president of SkyTel to pursue other business opportunities. John
N. Palmer, chairman and CEO of Mtel, will be president of SkyTel
until a successor is named.

Finally, Mtel won the lottery to provide cellular phone services
for the Bayfield Rural Service Area, six counties in Wisconsin and
Minnesota southeast of Duluth, Minnesota and north of Eau Claire,
Wisconsin. The 1988 population of the Bayfield RSA was estimated
at 85,000. Analysts expect Mtel to sell the Bayfield rights to
another cellular operator.

(Dana Blankenhorn/19900803/Press Contact: Michael Claes of
Burson-Marsteller, for Mtel, 212-614-5236)


(NEWS)(TELECOM)(ATL)(00031)

PUERTO RICAN PHONE COMPANY LEASES CONTEL TRANSPONDER
ROCKVILLE, MARYLAND, U.S.A., 1990 AUG 3 (NB) -- Telefonica
Larga Distancia de Puerto Rico, which is responsible for long-
distance services in Puerto Rico, announced a $4.3 million
agreement with Contel ASC to own and operate a transponder on
Contel ASC's satellite, ASC-I.

TLD also assumed ownership of time-division-multiple-access,
to TDMA, terminal equipment installed at the Humacao,
Puerto Rico, earth station.

The company needs the extra capacity, which can hold up to
1,000 simultaneous phone calls, to handle new demand for
phone calls to the U.S. mainland.

This is the third Contel transponder TLD will control.
Puerto Rican citizens can also use other long-distance companies,
including AT&T.

(Dana Blankenhorn/19900803/Press Contact: David Wonderling,
Contel ASC, 301-251-4460; Jose Cela, Telefonica Larga Distancia
de Puerto Rico, 809-749-5800)


(NEWS)(TELECOM)(ATL)(00032)

US SPRINT FIRES BACK AT AT&T WITH ADS AND PRESS RELEASES
OVERLAND PARK, KANSAS, U.S.A., 1990 AUG 3 (NB) -- A few years
after splitting with former partner GTE, which abandoned the long
distance market for more lucrative local phone service, United
Telecom's US Sprint subsidiary faces financial trouble and
is taking measures to recover.

The July 17 announcement that it would lose $42 million for
the quarter ending in June sent United Telecom stock down 55%,
even before the Iraqi oil shock. Published reports indicate
that old problems in billing customers have returned and
come as AT&T moves aggressively into advertising and MCI
purchases small competitors like Telecom USA.

Sprint has responded with a heavy advertising campaign claiming
it will put savings over AT&T in writing, and offer instant
credit for wrong numbers. It also released a barrage of press
releases concerning the ads and new contracts such as a $1.5
million, 3-year deal with the City of Los Angeles, and an
agreement to provide a toll-free 800 line for the State Fair of
Texas this October. The recording will be updated on a regular
basis, especially during the fair, which runs September 28-
October 21.

(Dana Blankenhorn/19900803/Press Contact: Paul Thibeau, US
Sprint, 816-276-6241)


(NEWS)(TELECOM)(ATL)(00033)

AT&T SAYS SELECTSAVER WILL END DISTANCE SURCHARGES
WASHINGTON, D.C., U.S.A. 1990 AUG 3 (NB) -- In a move which
puts further pressure on long-distance competitors, especially
Sprint, AT&T said that customers of its SelectSaver optional
calling plan will pay one per-minute price for calls regardless
of distance.

For $1.90 a month, SelectSaver lets customers save
on calls to a single out-of-state area code. SelectSaver
customers will now pay 12 cents per minute for calls made after 5
p.m. and on weekends, down 18% from AT&T's usual evening prices.
Weekday calls will cost 20 cents per minute, 12% less than AT&T's
usual daytime prices. SelectSaver customers also receive a 5
percent discount on all other direct-dialed out-of-state calls.

AT&T introduced SelectSaver May 3 with per-minute prices that
varied slightly depending on the distance a call traveled.

SelectSaver is currently available in areas served by BellSouth,
Southwestern Bell, Southern New England Telephone, Cincinnati
Bell, Contel, and Telephone and Data Systems. It will become
available in other parts of the country as AT&T and local
telephone companies work out billing arrangements. AT&T said the
plan should be available nationwide by early 1991. Consumers can
order SelectSaver by calling toll-free 1-800-222-0300.

(Dana Blankenhorn/19900803/Press Contact: Bryant Steele, 201/221-
5017)


(NEWS)(TELECOM)(ATL)(00034)

EASYLINK MAKES X.400 INTERCONNECTIONS WITH KOREA, AUSTRALIA
UPPER SADDLE RIVER, NEW JERSEY, U.S.A., 1990 AUG 3 (NB) --
Western Union's Easylink, which is being acquired by AT&T, signed
agreements to interconnect with Korea and Australia under X.400
standards. Service with both countries is expected to be
available by September 30.

In Korea, the link will be with DACOM Korea. In Australia, the
link is with Telecom Australia's Keylink service, which has
25,000 users in Australia.

(Dana Blankenhorn/19900803/Press Contact: Western Union, Jean
Stritt, 201/818-5843)


(EDITORIAL)(GENERAL)(WAS)(00035)

COMPUTER LITERACY; DON'T BANK ON IT?-- Editorial by J. McCormick
MCGEES MILLS, PENNSYLVANIA, U.S.A., 1990 AUG 3 (NB) -- I
decided to change banks the other day. No, I didn't move, and
their money market rates hadn't slipped (although they are
already so low that practically everyone is flocking to big
mutual funds). No I am switching entirely because some management
decisions were made about a computer system apparently without
enough understanding of the equipment or software.

A brand-new system had just been installed, as evidenced by a
large sign at each teller's station warning of possible long
delays because of the new system, but it didn't take that sign to
tell me what was wrong.

It took me about 12 minutes to obtain a cashier's check using the
new computer system, a process that took about two minutes under
the old system. A small portion of this time was due to the
teller not having had sufficient training and practice on the
computer before being put online, but as I observed the system in
operation I saw that most of the problem was very slow response
from the new system, something that won't go away when the
tellers become comfortable with it.

The new computer system also puts a terminal at each teller's
window, requiring them to type a lot of information which would
normally be entered at one of the terminals along the back
counter. Great; they can save time by quickly typing in the
information without leaving the window, right? Wrong!

The tellers' windows have a high counter because they are used by
the clerks to count out money in easy view of the customer.
Unfortunately, this places the new keyboards almost under their
chins and even ones who can touch-type have to hunt-'n'-peck
because the keyboard is so hard to reach.

Keeping track of its operation during that first use, I estimated
that the new computer will increase my waiting time by about four
to six minutes per visit, even when everything works perfectly.
Since I had only marginal affection for that bank to start with
and there are others located just as conveniently, I will be
trying them out next week.

With any luck, the other banks in our small town are not yet so
automated that they can't still type out a check by hand.

Another computer literacy example is even more telling. I am the
Chairman of the Data Processing Committee of a large organization
which is in the process of installing a new computer system. Some
of the more vocal members don't have either home computers, fax
machines, or access to e-mail bulletin board systems through work
or home computers; thus, they are out of the loop on most urgent
decisions. Yet these same people feel that they are fully
qualified to comment on the limitations of microcomputers.

The main office staff balks at faxing information or answering
questions over the phone, insisting instead that personal visits
are required - this despite the fact that we are talking about
technical details about a computer system, details which must
eventually be put in writing anyway.

I would be happy to pay for a $100 modem connection out of my own
pocket so I could access their system directly from 500 miles
away. It would save me a lot of time and trouble and yield
exactly the same information an on-site visit would provide, but
the office manager can't conceive of such a use of technology.

For the present I am not even attempting to wean them from paper
to e-mail service through GEnie or MCI Mail, although the new
system we are designing will incorporate those features and I do
have high hopes for the future.

The above are some examples of situations that will become more
common or at least more important in the future. We are faced
with a new breed of Luddites - not actual smashers, just people
who get in the way and don't care that much about applying the
advances of modern technology.

These people fall into four general persuasions.

Willful computer ignorance - the willingness to earn a living
directly from the computer industry, while remaining almost
totally ignorant of computers.

Closet computer phobia - that is the only way I can describe the
lack of interest in having a computer at home to learn something
important about the industry you have decided to work in.

Just plain ignorance - how else can you explain that, all these
years after the computer revolution started, a large bank could
purchase a new system without learning how slow it would be,
especially when other banks - competitors ready and anxious to
grab their customers - are only a few blocks away .

Computer arrogance - people who lack a comfortable relationship
with commonly used technology but nevertheless feel qualified to
try to steer the course of a major computer acquisition project.

But there is a bright light in all these tales of woe. Not that
American schools are rapidly overcoming computer phobias, not
that those put in charge of computer systems are being required
to learn something about them, and certainly not that people are
slowly coming to realize that ignorance is not a useful tool in
solving problems.

No, the good news is that, as long as these problems are common
occurrences rather than rare incidents, those in the computer
industry who are actually semi-competent will always have their
choice of jobs, while the highly qualified will have to beat off
prospective employers with a joystick.

(John McCormick/1990617)


(REVIEW)(APPLE)(SYD)(00036)

Review of: "MacBinary to Mac" Apple File Exchange Translator

Runs on: Macintosh computers running Apple File Exchange

From: Robert Trethewey, PEEK[65], P.O. Box 586, Pacifica,
CA 94044.

Price: US$5

PUMA Rating: 4 (on a scale of 1=lowest to 4=highest)

Reviewed for Newsbytes by: Sean McNamara 8/3/90

Summary: MacBinary to Mac is a translator for Apple File
Exchange which does the same job as programs such as BinHex.

======

REVIEW

======

The simple fact that a MacBinary to Mac Apple File Exchange
(AFE) translator exists would seem to imply there is a
significant number of Mac users using bulletin boards (and
like services) who carry out most of their download via PC
or Apple II computers. This would normally mean a transfer
through AFE, and then a translation through a program such
as BinHex to convert the MacBinary format file to Mac
format.

However, with MacBinary to Mac, all you have to do is put
the translator file in the same folder as AFE. When you
start up AFE and select your files to transfer, you make
sure that the MacBinary to Mac translator is the only one
selected, and press the translate button. The translator
copies the files over while converting them to Mac format,
and when you exit of AFE, the files are there, ready to
be used.

The time benefits of this system are obvious. Because all
the work is done through only one program, you save time by
not starting and quitting from the BinHex program.
Secondly, the file only has to be written once by AFE,
rather than twice (once for the MacBinary file, and then
when BinHex translate to the Mac file.) On a test 100
kilobyte file, it took around 50 seconds to use AFE and
BinHex to translate, with the need to delete the original
MacBinary file after the translation to Mac format is
completed. When AFE was operated using the MacBinary to Mac
translator, translation time was reduced to around 20
seconds, with no need to delete any files.

The author admits the translator is a simple program, so if
things don't quite work, the old method can always be used.
So far, however, the translator has performed well. Any
time saving is well worthwhile, and the bonus of getting
rid of the nuisance factor of MacBinary to Mac translations
is well worth the $5.00 registration fee.

As a side-note, a Mac to MacBinary translator is also
available from PEEK[65] and works in very much the same way
as the MacBinary to Mac translator. However, this
translator performs no faster than the AFE/BinHex
combination, but still offers the "tidiness" of using only
one program.

============

PUMA RATINGS

============

PERFORMANCE: 4. MacBinary to Mac provides a translator for
AFE which works around twice as fast as using BinHex after
translating through AFE. It also makes translations a lot
less messy, as everything can be handled in one program
with only one file needing to be written to disk.

USEFULNESS: 4. For any users who have need to do many
translations Mac-PC this translator is excellent value.

MANUAL: 4. Although the manual is only supplied in a text
file, there really isn't any need to refer to it except for
a bit of background user and registration details.

AVAILABILITY: 4. The translator should be available through
most user groups and bulletin boards, and if all else
fails, the author can be contacted through the address
above.

(Sean McNamara/19900720)


(REVIEW)(IBM)(SYD)(00037)

Review of: Crosstalk for Windows, PC telecom program

Runs on: IBM-PC compatibles running Windows 3.0

From: Digital Communications Associates, 1000 Alderman
Drive, Alpharetta, GA 30201-4199. Phone [phone]

Price: US$195 - Free upgrades will automatically be
given to registered users of version 1.01.

PUMA Rating: 4 (on a scale of 1=lowest to 4=highest)

Reviewed for Newsbytes by: Sean McNamara 8/4/90

Summary: Crosstalk for Windows provides high level
communications capabilities for Windows 2.1 or later.

======

REVIEW

======

Crosstalk performs just about all the normal
telecommunications (comms) functions users today expect
from such high-level comms packages. The difference really
comes in the fact that, running under Windows, the program
looks very nice and acts very well. There's really not much
use talking about transfer protocols (Crosstalk has 7), or
such common features as Crosstalk pretty well has them all,
so I'll concentrate on the way the program does its job and
how the user sees the job being done...

The program uses "phone book" files to record options for
the regularly used services. Within these files, the user
can save not only comms software, but also display options
such as the font and color of screen items. Important comms
setting are displayed in status bars at the top and bottom
of the screen, and functions keys can be displayed and used
with the mouse as buttons or with the normal key
combinations.

Options are many when it does come to the more common
settings for comms. Most dialog boxes have a "More" button
which displays more options for further fine-tuning the
comms session. There are pre-entered settings for 35
modems, allowing the user to choose the correct settings
[and edit them] for each modem. Beyond the generic settings
for each modem which are used by all phone book entries
using that modem, each phone book entry can also have
various setting modified to allow for differences between
services.

Crosstalk lets the user know what's happening at all times.
When a session begins, a dialog informs the user of
progress, for example, dialling, connecting, etc. When
transfers are in progress a dialog once again is called up
to inform the user of progress. If this dialog is ╥hidden,╙
the status bar will let the user know the transfer is
taking place. If the user minimizes the Crosstalk window,
the details below the programs icon include a counter of
clusters received/sent to allow the user to see how the
transfer is going even while using other programs.

The scripting language is extensive, and would allow the
user to script mundane tasks to be run as needed. There is
even a "Learn" script which observes the user's actions and
creates a new script based on these actions for later use.
Not being much of an expert comms scripter, however, I'll
leave a review of this aspect of Crosstalk to a more able
body.

Overall, Crosstalk is a well-rounded and powerful comms
package which would meet the needs of most users. For users
who do not need high-powered features, it might be an
overkill to buy it, but as the user needs more from their
comms software, Crosstalk will be able to meet those needs
for quite a long time.

============

PUMA RATINGS

============

PERFORMANCE: 4. There are many features [large and small]
in Crosstalk which help the user to perform comms a lot
easier than some programs have allowed in the past.
Overall, the program performs nicely, with a consistent
user interface which lets the user get on with comms.

USEFULNESS: 4. For comms users who would like to work in
Windows, Crosstalk provides a high-performance environment
for most comms needs.

MANUAL: 3. Two manuals are provided with Crosstalk - one
for general use and one for the scripting language.
Although generally clear, it is sometimes less than easy to
find the information needed. Most users, however, would be
able to sort out any problems without too much hassle.

AVAILABILITY: 4. Crosstalk is widely distributed through
the normal channels.

(Sean McNamara/19900720)