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/nb900822

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

TECHNOLOGY STOCKS: Market Report, Wednesday, Aug 22
NEW YORK, NEW YORK, U.S.A., 1990 AUG 22 (NB) -- Heavy selling on
the New York stock exchange drove down the Dow Jones Index 77
points in the first ninety minutes of trading, triggering the
rule restricting computer program selling when the Dow falls
more than 50 points. After a recovery to -25 points on the day
on news that Iraq seemed prepared to discuss the situation in
the Gulf, the index once again plunged below the -50 limit to
finally close 52.48 points down on the day.

In the Over The Counter market, Microsoft dropped another $1.25
to $54.25, Intel was down one dollar at $32.25, Apple was down
50 cents at $36.25, while Sun Microsystems was unchanged at $26.

On the American Stock Exchange, Wang was the only technology
stock active, rising $1.125 to $4.50.

On the New York Exchange, General Electric was down $1.875 at
$61.875, IBM dropped $2.125 to $100.125, while AT&T was down
87.5 cents at $32.875.

(John Verhelst/19900822)


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

TECHNOLOGY STOCKS: Quarterly Reports, Wednesday, Aug 22
NEW YORK, NEW YORK, U.S.A., 1990 AUG 22 (NB) -- Companies
reporting include: ELECTRONIC CONTROL SYSTEMS. PRAB ROBOTS, and
SPECTRUM INFORMATION TECHNOLOGIES.

[] ELECTRONIC CONTROL SYSTEMS posted a loss of $61.282 for the
third quarter ending June 30 on revenues of $621,349. For the
same period of 1989 the figures were a loss of $49.456 on
revenues of $1,310,000.

[] PRAB ROBOTS INC posts income of $60,000 on revenues of
$4,245,000 for the third quarter ending July 31, compared to
earnings of $57,000 on revenues of $5,198,000 for the same
period of last year.

[] SPECTRUM INFORMATION TECHNOLOGIES posted a first quarter loss
of $663,000 on revenues of $4,475,524 for the period ending June
30, compared to a loss of $470,949 on revenues of $4,491,582 for
the first quarter of 1989. S.I.T, through its subsidiaries,
offers a whole range of computer products to the Fortune 100 and
government markets.

(John Verhelst/19900822)


(NEWS)(TELECOM)(TOR)(00003)

CANADA: UNITEL WANTS TO OFFER LONG-DISTANCE TO ALBERTA
TORONTO, ONTARIO, CANADA, 1990 AUG 22 (NB) -- Unitel
Communications will ask federal regulators to extend its
applications for competitive long-distance service to the
province of Alberta as soon as the province's government sells
its telephone company.

Unitel spokeswoman Stephanie MacKendrick told Newsbytes that
Unitel -- formerly CNCP Telecommunications -- has not made any
official move yet but will do so as soon as AGT passes into
private hands.

Earlier, AGT spokesman Bob Lidgren told Newsbytes the provincial
government was expected to sell shares in the company in
September.

Until recently, only Bell Canada, which serves Ontario and
Quebec, British Columbia Telephone and small carriers serving
parts of the Northwest Territories were regulated by the Canadian
Radio-television and Telecommunications Commission (CRTC). A
court ruling last year established the federal government's
authority over all telephone carriers in Canada, with one
exception: provincially owned carriers had Crown immunity unless
federal legislation was specifically amended to override it.

This ruling brought privately owned telephone companies in the
four Atlantic provinces immediately under federal jurisdiction,
and Unitel applied this spring to compete with those companies,
Bell Canada and British Columbia Telephone.

By selling AGT, the Alberta government in effect gives up its
regulatory power over the company, placing it under the CRTC's
supervision. Unitel's application still will not ask for the
right to compete with provincially owned carriers in Saskatchewan
and Manitoba.

(Grant Buckler/19900820/Press Contact: Stephanie MacKendrick,
Unitel, 416-232-6365; Bob Lidgren, AGT, 403-530-3975)


(NEWS)(GENERAL)(TOR)(00004)

NEW PRODUCT: Write-On Screen Claimed Faster, More Accurate
WILMINGTON, MASSACHUSETTS, U.S.A., 1990 AUG 22 (NB) -- MicroTouch
Systems, maker of the write-on screen used in the GridPad
notebook computer, said its new model allows faster and more
accurate input.

MicroTouch said the new ScreenWriter screen can measure the
stylus' position with an accuracy of less than half the width of
a character on an average display. The new unit's faster
digitizing speed, 160 points per second, will cope with faster
writing and handle such movements as dotting an i better than
before, MicroTouch said.

The new version will also be available with tempered glass,
MicroTouch said.

Due to ship in September, the screen will sell for US$40 to US$65
in large quantities. Buyers can buy MicroTouch's screen
controller for US$35 in large quantities, or use their own. The
stylus is also optional.

(Grant Buckler/19900820/Press Contact: Deanna Capasso, MicroTouch
Systems, 508-694-9900)


(NEWS)(GENERAL)(TOR)(00005)

DIGITAL CANADA GIVES COMPUTERS TO NEW BRUNSWICK SCHOOLS
MONCTON, NEW BRUNSWICK, CANADA, 1990 AUG 22 (NB) -- Digital
Equipment of Canada will welcome some New Brunswick students back
to school with 200 secondhand VAXmate computers and associated
servers for eight computer labs.

More than 1,200 students will use the equipment, worth about
C$400,000, mainly in courses on popular computer applications
such as word processing and on programming. The machines will
also be used in other courses such as language arts, Digital
said.

It is Digital's first such donation to the public school system
in New Brunswick, though the company has donated computers to
universities in the province. David Paolini, a spokesman for
Digital Canada, told Newsbytes the firm's only previous donation
to public schools in Canada was 25 MicroVAX II machines provided
to the Alberta school system for a distance education project.

Digital has long been known for donating computer equipment to
universities, a program which aside from its charitable aims
raises the company's profile among graduates.

The VAXmate machines provided to New Brunswick schools were units
traded in by London Life, an Ontario insurance company, in an
upgrade of its hardware. Paolini said they are 286-based systems
with 20-megabyte hard disks and 1.44-megabyte diskette drives.

(Grant Buckler/19900821/Press Contact: David Paolini, Digital
Equipment of Canada, 416-597-3529)


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

BELL OF PENNSYLVANIA OFFERS SS7 SERVICES
PHILADELPHIA, PENNSYLVANIA, U.S.A., 1990 AUG 22 (NB) -- Bell
of Pennsylvania, which is currently prevented by a court order
from offering Caller ID service, displaying callers' phone
numbers on special boxes, is nevertheless rolling out other
services using the same Signaling System 7 technology used to
create Caller ID.

The most popular new service is expected to be Return Call,
which lets you redial the last number that dialed you. In this
case, the phone system saves callers' numbers, as in Caller ID,
but instead of displaying the number it lets you dial it by
touching the asterisk key, then 69.

Repeat Call automatically redials a busy number every
30 seconds for up to 30 minutes when the customer pushes
asterisk 66. In this case, the number you dial is saved in
the switch, and the call is replaced from there.

A $5 installation charge --$10 for business-- will be waived for
residence customers who order any of the new services before
October 13. An explanation of the new services, called Bell
Atlantic I.Q. Services, is provided on the Bell Atlantic
Information Line, 800-365-5810.

(Dana Blankenhorn/19900821/Press Contact: Tom Duddy, Bell of
Pennsylvania, 215-466-4549)


(NEWS)(IBM)(ATL)(00007)

AMERICAN SOFTWARE COMMITS TO SAA
ATLANTA, GEORGIA, U.S.A., 1990 AUG 22 (NB) -- At its annual
shareholders meeting, American Software, an IBM mainframe vendor
which continues to record strong growth and profits, announced it
will commit to supporting IBM's Systems Application Architecture
on its materials management and financial control software for
the IBM AS/400.

Previously, the company had committed its IBM
ES/370 product line to SAA. The products debuted in New
York, at an IBM press briefing.

(Dana Blankenhorn/19900821/Press Contact: Paul DiBono, American
Software, 404-264-5273)


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

SOFTSWITCH EXPANDS MARKETING OPERATIONS
WAYNE, PENNSYLVANIA, U.S.A., 1990 AUG 22 (NB) -- SoftSwitch
has expanded its marketing operations, responding to strong growth
in the market for products which let disparate systems exchange
messages under X.400 standards and pass invoices through
Electronic Data Interchange.

New sales offices were opened in Orlando and San Francisco, and
a new distributorship was announced in Australia. The company
also has regional headquarters in Chicago, Los Angeles
and Washington, D.C., and a European office in Amsterdam.

(Dana Blankenhorn/19900821/Press Contact: Walter J. Wilson,
SoftSwitch, 215-640-9600


(NEWS)(BUSINESS)(LON)(00009)

DATA GENERAL ANNOUNCES JOINT VENTURE IN SIBERIA
MANCHESTER, ENGLAND, 1990 AUG 22 (NB) -- Data General has
announced that the first shipment of its Dasher 286-12c PCs and
related peripherals has left for Tomsk, Siberia, as part of an
initial order worth UKP 1.5 million.

The contract stems from a deal between the Manchester commercial
and manufacturing branch of Data General and Doctus USSR,
which plans to become a regular supplier to the Roevin-Toco Joint
Enterprise, envisioned to inject Western management and technology
into Russia.

(Steve Gold/19900820/Press Contact: Brendan Sherry, Data General
- Tel: [phone])


(NEWS)(BUSINESS)(SFO)(00010)

NATIONAL SEMI CUTS TRIMS 6% OF WORKFORCE
SANTA CLARA, CALIFORNIA, U.S.A., 1990 AUG 22 (NB) -- Citing the
need for a healthier "bottom line," National Semiconductor is
getting out of the high speed, high density SRAM (static
random access memory) business, restructuring its organization,
laying off 2,000 workers, and closing a Tucson military
product plant and a fabrication line in Puyallup, Washington.

Foreseeing financial results "below expectations" for the quarter
ending August 26, the company also said it expects to incur a
one-time charge of approximately $140 million.

Charles E. Sporck, president and chief executive officer, said,
"A number of market dynamics are driving these decisions. In
particular, the market for very high-speed, high-density SRAMs
has not developed sufficiently to merit continued investment.
And, we are significantly reducing investment in CMOS gate
arrays due to continued unsatisfactory margins in that business.
In addition, we have been impacted by reduced levels of military
demand and severe pricing pressure in certain market sectors."

Sporck said the company is being restructured from the current
six divisions to four, as part of an effort to streamline
operations and improve efficiency worldwide.

This is the latest of a series of austerity measures begun
in 1987. Efforts to stem continuing losses in the ASIC
(application-specific integrated circuit) and SRAM sectors
have not been successful and National reported a $25 million loss
on sales of $1.7 billion in its last fiscal quarter ending
May 27. A particularly hard blow came when Cray Research
reportedly cancelled a major SRAM order because of quality
problems with the chips produced on a new, $50 million
National Semiconductor assembly line.

(Wendy Woods/19900822/Press Contact: Mary Coady, National
Semi, 408/721-2871)


(NEWS)(BUSINESS)(WAS)(00011)

OPTEX SEEKS BUSINESS PARTNER, HIRES CEO FROM SONY
ROCKVILLE, MD, U.S.A., 1990 AUG 22 (NB) -- Optex Corp., a
company developing erasable optical discs, is reportedly moving
from the R&D stage to the premarketing stage and has hired former
Sony executive M.H. Chaffin to serve as CEO, with the primary
assignment of locating a business marketing partner.

The new technology is still in the development stages although it
has proven itself in tests, so the company is now deciding where
to position it in the market.

Among the choices still to be made are the form factor size and
the precise substrate material that will be used, but, according
to spokesperson Lori Beres, the material works in either digital
or analog mode and even in the much lower digital mode you could
store up to 1,000 megabytes of data on a single 5.25-inch disc.
The new storage method utilizes a blue-green laser beam to raise
the potential of electrons in exposed spots of a rare earth-doped
phosphor base laminated to a solid plastic base. Information
stored in the form of higher potentials is released by exposure
to an infrared laser which releases the electrons to return to
rest state, at the same time emitting an orange light.
Since this erases some of the information every time, the current
plan is to refresh all data each time it is read.
In analog devices, much more information could be stored on the
same media by using different color laser beams and reading
different emission frequencies from the same spot.

Sony already produces and markets CD-ROM, WORM, and Magneto-
Optical data storage systems, and Optex' new CEO Chaffin was
formerly the president of Sony's Optical Storage Systems.

(John McCormick/1990820/Press Contact: Ms. Lori Beres, Optix,
301-840-0011)


(NEWS)(UNIX)(LAX)(00012)

INTERACTIVE SYSTEMS STRENGTHENS POSITION IN CANADIAN UNIX MARKET
SANTA MONICA, CALIFORNIA, U.S.A., 1990 AUG 22 (NB) -- Interactive
Systems Corporation, a Kodak Company, has signed EMJ Data Systems
as distributor for its line of 386/486 Unix-based V.3 products
throughout Canada. The products EMJ will distribute include
Interactive Unix System V 3.2 version 2.2 as well as network
and workstation extensions.

In a published statement, Don Gammon, Interactive's vice president of
sales and marketing said: "This agreement gives Interactive a stronger
presence in the rapidly-growing Canadian Unix market."

Interactive's line is based on Interactive Unix. Previously
known as Interactive 386/ix, Interactive Unix runs on a wide
variety of 80386- and 80486-based personal computers. It features
a menu-driven installation procedure that the company says
dramatically reduces the time required to install Unix.
Interactive Unix includes comprehensive documentation, on-line
manuals and enhanced support for international environments.

Interactive Unix is the foundation for Interactive's Architech
Series of software components that helps software developers
design desktop application, network and workstation programs.

(Janet Endrijonas/19900820/Press Contact: Anne Hamlin,
Interactive Systems, 213-453-8649)


(NEWS)(TELECOM)(SFO)(00013)

BBS OFFERS FREE FAXING TO INTRODUCE NEW SERVICE
MOUNT VERNON, NEW YORK, U.S.A., 1990 AUG 22 (NB) -- For a limited
time, callers can get faxes sent free to numbers in area codes
914, 212, and 718. The promotion is for the first BBS/fax gateway
transmission service, launched by a New York State bulletin
board called Executive Network.

The system, put together by Sparkware of Memphis, Tennessee,
publishers of QMail, enables faxes to be sent automatically,
24 hours a day. Unless scheduled to off-peak hours by the
caller, the fax is usually on the way within 60 seconds of
receipt by the Executive Network, according to Andy Keeves, system
operator and owner of the Executive Network.

Initially the system is set up to handle faxes only to the
following area codes: 914, 212, 718. However, service to other
area codes is expected to follow.

Keeves tells Newsbytes that once charges are imposed, following
the period in which the calls are free, they will consist of
the actual phone charges billed by the phone company plus 10%.
There will not be a per-page or sign-up fee.

Keeves says he's launching the fax service because BBS readers
can use it. "Faxing is extremely popular, a daily occurrence in
business today. Faxing is one of many areas a BBS can get into.
BBSes are information publishing businesses." He says he's not
trying to compete with SprintFax, AT&T Enhanced Fax, or other
major faxing services, "We won't compete with the big guys,"
he says. "We will however offer people many of their services at a
much lower cost!"

To reach the Executive Network, call 914-667-4567 via modem.

(Wendy Woods/19900822/Press Contact: Andy Keeves, voice phone
914-667-2150)


(NEWS)(TELECOM)(ATL)(00014)

MCI GOING DIGITAL BY END OF 1991
WASHINGTON, D.C., U.S.A., 1990 AUG 22 (NB) -- MCI has
accelerated its plans to make its network all-digital, and will
likely take a $500-550 million write-down during the current
quarter as a result. The company had planned to have an all-
digital network by the end of 1993. Now the changeover will be
complete by the end of 1991.

Two financial transactions led to the decision, the company
said. First, a capacity exchange agreement was reached with
Williams Telecommunications Group of Tulsa, which has 11,000
miles of fiber lines running alongside old rail lines and
natural gas pipelines. MCI will make use of some of that
capacity, and in exchange Williams will have access to MCI's
network for its services, including television backhauls through
its Vyvx division. Also, the completion of MCI's acquisition of
Telecom USA of Atlanta brings another 3,000 miles of digital
capacity to its network.

In addition, MCI has decided to bite the bullet and spend $1.1
billion over the next 18 months retiring all its old analog
transmission equipment, resulting in a write-down of $500-550
million, or 50 cents a share, during the current quarter. That
announcement was made by new chief financial officer Gene
Gabbard, who had been president of Telecom USA.

US Sprint replied to the MCI announcement with a press release
noting that it has had an all-digital network since 1988. "Even
MCI's announced strategy, which still does not promise to deliver
a network until next year, suggests a patchwork of capabilities
and technologies," Sprint's release said. US Sprint owns all of
the fiber, and switches, over which its calls travel, the release
continued, while MCI will have to rely on other firms like WilTel
for its fiber service.

(Dana Blankenhorn/19900822/Press Contact: John Houser, MCI, 800-
289-0073; US Sprint, Steve Dykes, 202-857-1030)


(NEWS)(TELECOM)(ATL)(00015)

GEORGIA PSC ATTACKS ALTERNATE OPERATOR FIRMS
ATLANTA, GEORGIA, U.S.A., 1990 AUG 22 (NB) -- The Georgia
Public Service Commission released a study of five alternate
operator companies which handle long distance calls from pay
phones on private property and split commissions with property
owners. The study claimed the firms routinely overcharge
customers for long-distance calls placed from the pay phones,
either by charging for operator services which aren't provided,
or by charging the wrong rates on calls.

Since most of the calls are made by consumers using credit cards,
the overcharges are seldom noticed, the report says.

The five companies studied include SouthernNet, which is expected
to be acquired by MCI as part of Telecom USA, pending regulatory
approval. The other firms were Resurgens Communications Group,
National Telephone Service, International Telecharge and Telesphere.

The staff report claimed the five overcharged on almost 92% of the
1,195 calls placed by staff members and audited during the last
year.

PSC Chairman Bobby Pafford replied to the study this way, according
to press reports. "We ought to put them out of business. It's
positive on its face they're less than honest."

The PSC estimates that 15 alternate operator companies service
about 7,000 pay phones in Georgia, with 40,000 other pay phones
serviced by local phone companies, usually Southern Bell.

Executives with the five had more innocent explanations, although
all admitted there are "unscrupulous operators" in their business
who do rip off the public. SouthernNet claimed the problem was a
"glitch" that caused a "billing error" while a Resurgens
executive admitted to a "call-timing" error which has been
corrected. Telesphere was charged with placing a $1 "property
surcharge" on all long-distance calls made from its pay phones,
something it's allowed to do interstate but not within the state
of Georgia. A spokesman claimed the instate charges have stopped.

The Georgia PSC report represents a second black eye for MCI in
its acquisition of Telecom, which is being sued for cancelling a
sales contract which provided commissions to charities. A local
MCI spokesman acknowledged that the firm, like the alternate
operator companies attacked by the Georgia PSC, does pay
commissions to property owners who designate MCI as the primary
long distance carrier on their pay phones. "Some of those
commissions are individually-negotiated," he said. "It depends on
the volume of traffic the private pay phone company handles.
We'll give a higher commission on a large airport than a small
gas station. But we do have a policy that the charges to the
customer using the telephone would be no more than AT&T's
charge." SouthernNet pay phones will be put under this policy as
they're integrated into the MCI network.

(Dana Blankenhorn/19900822/Press Contact: Harriet Van Norte,
Georgia PSC, 404-656-4537; Steve Fox, MCI, 404-668-6056)


(NEWS)(APPLE)(SFO)(00016)

MICROCOM ACQUIRES 1STAID MAC PRODUCT LINE
NORWOOD, MASSACHUSETTS, U.S.A., 1990 AUG 22 (NB) -- Microcom says
it has acquired the software products and related assets of
1stAid Development of Boston, whose disk recovery products for
the Macintosh are 1stAid Kit, Complete Undelete, and Sector
Collector.

The 1stAid product line will be incorporated into the Microcom
Software Division which includes the company's other Macintosh
products, the company said.

Microcom purchased the assets of 1stAid for cash and license fees.
Terms of the agreement have not been disclosed.

(Wendy Woods/19900822/Press Contact: Christine Washburn,
Microcom, Inc., 617-551-1956)


(NEWS)(IBM)(SFO)(00017)

NEW FOR IBM: Lotus Ships Agenda 2.0
CAMBRIDGE, MASSACHUSETTS, U.S.A., 1990 AUG 22 (NB) -- Lotus has
started shipping Agenda 2.0, $395, which is says is a
significantly enhanced version of the personal information
manager program.

Agenda is a program which enables users to arrange, prioritize,
track and view their work by entering reminders, phone numbers,
ideas, and dates and times of meetings. Agenda continually
modifies, updates and cross-references everything automatically.

Lotus contends that the new Agenda 2.0 is much easier to learn.
It guarantees that new users can be productive in 30 minutes, or they
can return the product directly to Lotus within 30 days after
purchase for a full refund.

New features in Agenda 2.0 include a pop-up calendar, wider
views and column math to perform basic calculations including
totals, averages, counts, minimum and maximum values and percent
of totals. Printing improvements include support for
more than 90 types of printers, including Postscript.

Agenda runs on IBM Personal Computers, PS/2 and compatibles
with a hard disk drive, and a minimum of 640K RAM. Agenda runs
underDOS 2.1 or higher. Lotus says an OS/2 version of Agenda
will be available at some time.

Users of Agenda 1.0 or 1.01 can upgrade to Agenda 2.0 for $99
by calling 1-800-TRADEUP for upgrade instructions.

Users who purchased Agenda 1.0 or 1.01 from May 21st through 30 days
after shipment will be able to upgrade for a materials and handling
charge of $30.

(Wendy Woods/19900822/Press Contact: Mary Beth Richardson,
The Weber Group, 617/494-1520)


(EXCLUSIVE)(GENERAL)(NYC)(00018)

EDITOR CALLS NY STATE POLICE CHARGES INACCURATE
NEW YORK, NEW YORK, U.S.A., 1990 AUG 22 (NB) -- Eric Corley,
editor & publisher of "2600," a quarterly devoted to computer
hacking has, in an interview with Newsbytes, disputed
statements made by New York State Police special investigator
Donald Delaney regarding the legality of his organization's
activities.

The statements to which Corley takes exception to were made by
Delaney in a Newsbytes interview on August 17th concerned
the recent arrest of a number of so-called "hackers" for
allegedly obtaining access to private computer systems
and stealing proprietary programs.

The specific comments that aroused Corley's response involve
the depiction of a monthly meeting of hackers at New York's
CitiCorp Center as a meeting where high school and college hackers
plan illegal activities. One of the arrested parties, identified
because of his age only as "Zod," was said by Delaney to be
the leader of a group of young hackers called "Mod" which
supposedly hosts the monthly CitiCorp meetings.

According to Corley, he, on behalf of his publication, is actually
the host of the meeting. Corley said, "We meet on the first
Friday of every month from 5 to 8 PM. The meetings are informal
and are normally attended by approximately 60 people. The purpose
of the meetings is to exchange new ways of using computer and
telecommunications technology, not to plan illegal activities.
I have recently set up another 2600 group that will meet
on the same evening in San Francisco's Embarcadero Center."

Corley went on to explain the word hacker, "There are many
definitions but hacker generally means a person that is
technically knowledgeable and is constantly pushing her or his
knowledge of computing or communications to a new level. Certainly
someone may use hacking abilities to commit illegal acts just as
a marksman may commit illegal acts but hacking is not, in itself,
an illegal act and hackers do not necessarily commit illegal acts."

Meanwhile, investigator Delaney responded to Corley's criticisms,
saying, "Certainly Mr. Corley would say that the meetings are
not intended for illegal activity but we have confessions from
people who say that they received information at these meetings
on how to illegally obtain UNIX code from remote systems. Zod,
himself, said that he got the number that allowed him to
call-forward into the Bellevue City University computer.
Others have told us that they learned information at these
meetings on types of telephone switches that have allowed them
to defraud telephone companies when making long distances calls.
Mr. Corley may say that things like these aren't the purpose
of these meetings but we have the confessions that say that
things like these go on at the meetings."

Delaney continued, "In his magazine, Mr. Corley understands
the fine line between legal and illegal activity. The material
that he publishes is legal but the use of the material by others
may wind up having those others arrested for illegal activities.
There are usually two sides to questions but, where law
enforcement is concerned, there is only one side -- that of the
law."

He said that his agency has the obligation to enforce
existing law which makes it illegal to enter a private computer
system and tamper with information. "We will prosecute
those who violate this law. Should these laws be rescinded or
changed, we will follow the new laws."

(Barbara E. McMullen & John F. McMullen/19900822)


(NEWS)(BUSINESS)(NYC)(00019)

CONVERGENT SOLUTIONS ACQUIRES ASSETS OF MHT SERVICES
LAWRENCE HARBOR, NEW JERSEY, U.S.A., 1990 AUG 22 (NB) --
Convergent Solutions has announced that it has acquired
substantially all of the assets of MHT Services, Inc.

MHT Services' headquarters will remain in River Edge, N.J.
Ted Agen, former vice president of MHT Services will serve
as president. Dr. Martin H. Tillinger, founder and president
of MHT Services prior to the acquisition, will serve as a
consultant to CSI and pursue other business opportunities.

MHT Services provides consulting services and software to aid
companies in conversion from IBM DOS/VSE to MVS. Additionally,
MHT Services is the developer of MHtran-2, a system software
product, that aids in migrating OS/VS COBOL program applications
to VS COBOL II.

Commenting on the acquisition, Convergent Solutions' President Ralph
Reda said this acquisition would provide the firm with the
resources necessary to grow in the IBM mainframe market.
CSI's Sales Director Richard Cumberland said the acquisition
would strengthen Convergent Solutions' presence in the COBOL
market. "CoFac, our PC-based application development tool,
lets companies generate up to 2,000 lines of ANSI standard COBOL
code a day that is structured, optimized and 100 percent error
free," he boasted. This code can then be distributed across a
range of environments, including IBM mainframes, AS/400 and PCs.
Convergent Solutions also offers custom programming services on
a fixed cost basis.

(Barbara E. McMullen & John F. McMullen/19900822/Press Contact:
Richard Cumberland, Convergent Solutions, 201-290-0090)


(NEWS)(UNIX)(NYC)(00020)

NEW UNIX FOR 386 TO BE DEVELOPED
SANTA CRUZ, CALIFORNIA, U.S.A., 1990 AUG 22 (NB) -- Santa Cruz
Operation (SCO) has announced an agreement with American
Telephone and Telegraph Co. (AT&T) and Intel Corp. under which the
three firms will work together to develop a new version of the Unix
operating system for computers based on Intel's line of
microprocessors.

Intel's microprocessors are used by IBM, Compaq, Tandy
and other manufacturers providing equipment for the MS-DOS and OS/2
platforms.

The agreement was praised by both Unix International and the Open
System Foundation (OSF), two computer industry consortia that
support the creation of Unix standards.

The pact was seen by some industry analysts as being a blow to
Microsoft which provides MS-DOS and OS/2, the two leading operating
systems currently used with this equipment.

(Barbara E. McMullen & John F. McMullen/19900822)


(NEWS)(BUSINESS)(NYC)(00021)

STARDENT DISMISSES FORMER CO-CHAIRMAN FROM BOARD
NEWTON, MASSACHUSETTS, U.S.A., 1990 AUG 22 (NB) -- Stardent
Computer, at a special board held on meeting held on August
21st, voted to both approve agreements extending the strategic
relationship between Stardent and Kubota Computer and to
remove Allen H. Michaels and Matthew H. Sanders III as members
of the Stardent board of directors.

Under the terms of the agreements, Kubota will invest up to an
additional $60 million in Stardent over the next 12 months.
The investments will take the form of stock purchases, convertible
debentures, and other forms of financing to be determined by
Kubota and Stardent, and will initially raise Kubota's total
stake in Stardent from 22 to 28 percent.

In return, Stardent has granted certain technology and
distribution rights and licenses to Kubota Pacific Computer Inc.,
Kubota Computer's San Jose, Calif.-based subsidiary. As part of
these agreements, KPCI will continue development of Stardent's
current product line, on an exclusive basis for Stardent,
allowing Stardent to concentrate on new product development.

KPCI will also focus on the acquisition and porting of third
party software for Stardent's products, and will continue to
act as Stardent's exclusive manufacturer and Far East distributor
of its products.

Stardent spokesperson Roxanne Frisiello said that Kubota
abstained from the voting on this issue.

Kubota had owned 44% of Ardent, a Sunnyvale, California firm founded
by Michaels and Sanders, that was merged last year with Newton-based
Stellar Computer Inc. to form Stardent. This July, Michaels and Sanders,
who were at the time co-chairmen of the combined firm, sued Kubota
claiming that it forced the merger in order to weaken Ardent and
eventually gain its technology. Immediately after the filing of the
lawsuit, Michaels and Sanders were fired as employees and removed
by the board of directors as co-chairmen.

(Barbara E. McMullen & John F. McMullen/19900822/Press Contact:
Roxanne Frisiello of Stardent Computer, 617-964-1000)


(NEWS)(TRENDS)(NYC)(00022)

CONTROL DATA TO SELL RUSSIA MOST POWERFUL COMPUTER TO DATE
MINNEAPOLIS, MINNESOTA, U.S.A., 1990 AUG 22 (NB) -- Control
Data Corporation has announced that U.S. Department of Commerce
has granted the company an export license to ship six CYBER
960 mainframe computers to the Soviet Union.

Control Data states that the computers to be shipped beginning
in September are the most powerful ever shipped to the
Soviet Union from the West. The sale is valued at $32 million.

The computers were ordered by the Soviet Research and Development
Institute of Power Engineering and will be used to analyze safety
factors in the operation of civilian Soviet nuclear power reactors
over a wide range of conditions. The Soviet Union's civilian nuclear
power program is one of the largest in the world with approximately
50 plants in operation.

Last year half of the Soviet Union's nuclear-generated electricity
was produced by plants designed by the institute that has ordered
the Control Data computers.

During Soviet President Gorbachev's visit to the United States
in June, he attended a Control Data demonstration of the CYBER 960
computers. At that time, he spoke of the Soviet Union's commitment to
increased safety for nuclear power plants and spoke on the need
for greater technological and commercial cooperation between the
United States and the Soviet Union in this area.

Control Data applied for the export license last November and
announced the Soviet order on Dec. 12, 1989. As part of the
process, the company worked with the U.S. Departments of
Commerce, State, Defense and Energy to develop safeguards that
the computers will be dedicated to safety analysis of civilian
nuclear reactors. The Coordinating Committee on Multilateral
Export Controls (COCOM) also approved the shipment.

Commenting on the process that led to the granting of government
approval, Jim Ousley, president of Control Data's computer business,
said, "This concludes the export license process Control Data
initiated almost a year ago. But it marks the beginning of a
new level of cooperation between the Soviet Union and United States
on issues that affect people worldwide -- in this case, the safe
operation of nuclear power plants."

(Barbara E. McMullen & John F. McMullen/19900822/Press Contact:
Thomas Charland, Control Data, 612-853-6394)


(NEWS)(GENERAL)(NYC)(00023)

FORTUNE LISTS BILL GATES AS 33RD RICHEST IN WORLD
NEW YORK, NEW YORK, U.S.A., 1990 AUG 22 (NB) -- Fortune
Magazine, in its annual list of the world's billionaires,
has listed William Gates III, founder and CEO of Microsoft,
as the thirty-third richest person in the world.

Gates is the highest ranking computer industry executive
on the Fortune list.

Gates' net worth, as calculated by Fortune, is $3.2 billion,
a figure that places him eight persons ahead of the next
computer industry figure, H. Ross Perot, whose worth is listed
at an even $3 billion.

Leading this year's list is the Sultan of Brunei with a reported
wealth of $25 billion dollars while the highest ranking American,
the Mars family, places third on the list with a figure of
$1.5 billion.

Gates and Perot are the only computer industry figures on the
Fortune list of 50 billionaires. Among others on this year's
list are England's Queen Elizabeth (4th - $11.7 billion), US
publishing magnate Samuel Newhouse (5th- $11.5), Sam Walton,
owner of the Wal-Mart chain (8th - $7.3), Queen Beatrix of the
Netherlands (19th - $4.4) and Estee Lauder (35th - $3.1).
Notably missing from the list this year is Donald Trump.

(Barbara E. McMullen & John F. McMullen/19900822)


(NEWS)(UNIX)(NYC)(00024)

INFORMATION BUILDERS ANNOUNCES FOCUS FOR SCO UNIX
SANTA CRUZ, CALIFORNIA, U.S.A., 1990 AUG 22 (NB) -- Information
Builders (IBI) has announced the introduction of FOCUS, its fourth
generation language (4GL) for application development and decision
support, for The Santa Cruz Operation (SCO) UNIX System V/386
operating system.

IBI said that it will, in first quarter 1991, provide FOCUS for
UNIX Graphical User Interface (GUI), a version of the
product that includes the Open Software Foundation standard Motif.

Data and applications are portable between FOCUS for SCO UNIX System
V/386 and versions for IBM mainframe and AS/400 midrange, DEC
VAX/VMX, Wang VS, Hewlett Packard MPE XL, Tandem, DOS-, OS/2-
and LAN-based microcomputers. Additionally, FOCUS for SCO UNIX
System V/386 interfaces for Oracle, Ingres, Informix, Sybase, and
ODT Data, a native database to be offered with the Open Desktop
environment, were announced as becoming available in the fourth
quarter of 1990.

IBI, incorporated in 1987 and with current announced revenues of
approximately $160 million, states that FOCUS is the most widely
installed 4GL, for application development and end-user computing,
with more than 600,000 users worldwide.

(Barbara E. McMullen & John F. McMullen/19900822/Press Contact:
Linda Meister, Information Builders, 212-736-4433)


(NEWS)(TRENDS)(LAX)(00025)

TEXAS SCHOOLS ARE FIRST TO ENDORSE VIDEODISCS AS "TEXTBOOKS"
AUSTIN, TEXAS, U.S.A., 1990 AUG 22 (NB) -- The Texas textbook
committee has unanimously endorsed the use of videodisc-based
teaching materials for elementary school science programs. The
alternative curriculum must now be approved by the Texas State
Board of Education which will vote November 10.

The recommended program, "Windows on Science," is produced by
Optical Data Corporation of Warren NJ, a leader in the
development, publishing and distribution of educational
videodiscs. It includes both videodisc and printed lesson
materials.

Visuals are stored on videodiscs with a capacity of up to
54,000 separate images on one side of a single 12-inch disc.
They are used by teachers to present multimedia
science lessons to their classes. The teacher-delivered
lessons and activities are designed to provide students with
basic literacy in science concepts and process skills. Students
then apply their new knowledge in reading, writing and visualizing
exercises.

"Windows on Science" will be available in separate English and
Spanish versions.

Texas is the first state to create an "electronic instructional
media systems" (EIMS) category for basal materials. The category
was created by the Texas State Board of Education in March, 1989
by a unanimous vote. Last month, the State Board installed EIMS
as a permanent element of all future textbook adoptions, regardless
of discipline, thus widening the opportunity for videodisc
alternatives beyond the area of science.

"Windows on Science" was submitted for approval in April 1990,
the only videodisc-based curriculum submitted. It was the first
time a multimedia program was in direct competition with traditional
textbooks for state adoption funds.

"Windows on Science" is for grades one through six and is already in
place across the state of Texas--some 400 schools have been using
the materials for some time. Ingrid Patton of Corporate
Communications at Optical Data told Newsbytes that teachers have
been using various funding sources to buy "Windows on Science" for
their classrooms. She added that once the State Board of Education
gives its final approval, Texas teachers will be able to choose
the program to supplement or replace traditional textbooks and will
be able to purchase it using textbook funds.

William Reed, president of Optical Data commented: "The issues in
education today are student performance and teacher productivity
gains. During the last decade, we have all watched existing methods
and teaching materials fail to create scientific literacy in our
children. Educators and policy makers in Texas and elsewhere
are seeking new, more productive approaches to science education."

Ronald Reed, Optical Data vice president in Texas, summed up the
significance of the move in Texas saying: "Texas has shown real
leadership with their change in (textbook) adoption policy. If
'Windows on Science' is state adopted, competes well with textbooks,
and delivers educational results to students, other states will
surely follow Texas' lead."

(Janet Endrijonas/19900822/Press Contact: Ingrid Patton, Optical
Data, 210-668-0022)


(NEWS)(IBM)(MOW)(00026)

CYRILLIC SUPPORT FOR WINDOWS AVAILABLE
SOFIA, BULGARIA, 1990 AUG 22 (NB) -- The Sofia, Bulgaria-based
company Infosport, has started selling a Windows 2.0 add-on
that allows applications running under Windows to display
Cyrillic text.

The package, created by an Infosport team, makes working with
Windows in both the Bulgarian and the Russian language very simple,
according to Emil Mitev, Infosport director. He says his team
designed all the user interfaces so the package now "speaks"
three languages. The company's software also supports a
number of Cyrillic fonts for Windows applications.

The package is available immediately and costs 2000 levs
for a local buyer. The dollar price is unavailable at the
moment.

According to Mitev, Infosport will make an RBase add-on with
the same features in the beginning next year. "In both countries,
Bulgaria and the USSR, a solid market for Windows applications
exists," he told Newsbytes.

(Kirill Tchashchin/19900820/Press contact: Emil Mitev, Infosport, phone
[phone]; fax [phone])


(NEWS)(GENERAL)(SYD)(00027)

AUSTRALIA: MICROSOFT COMMUNIQUE CLUB MEMBERS GET MORE BENEFITS
SYDNEY, AUSTRALIA, 1990 AUG 22 (NB) -- Microsoft has
announced a number of new benefits for members of its
Communique Club (Microsoft's special Australian club for
users of its software).

Due to a high load on the Microsoft Customer Service
department due to installation queries for Windows 3,
Communique members have been assigned a priority toll-free
number for interstate callers to minimize the inconvenience
of waiting on the telephone. When call levels return to
normal, Microsoft will review the system to determine
whether it is still necessary, according to Jennifer
Zanich, Microsoft's national marketing manager.

Also announced by Microsoft was a new category of
Communique membership - corporate membership. With corporate
membership, a company registers 15 individuals at
the normal rate of AUS$25 per year per individual. Benefits
for corporate members include: an exclusive priority
telephone support line; an AUS$35 discount off all
corporate upgrades (a minimum of 25 copies upgraded
applies); a 30 percent discount off Verbatim disks with a
streamlined ordering system; a 10 percent discount off Communique
Access, Microsoft's highest level of support; and priority
booking on courses run by the non-profit Microsoft
Institute of Advanced Software Technology.

A Communique travel club has also been set-up to allow
members to gain significant discounts on fares and
accommodation on local and international destinations.
Since its introduction in April 1989, Communique Club has
gained a membership of over 15,000 Australian Microsoft
software users.

(Sean McNamara/19900820/Press Contact: Jennifer Zanich,
phone in Australia [phone])


(NEWS)(APPLE)(LAX)(00028)

NEW FOR MACINTOSH: Mirroring Software and Subsystems
IRVINE, CALIFORNIA, U.S.A., 1990 AUG 22 (NB) -- Optima Technology
has introduced DiskMount 2.0, a Macintosh hard disk utility with
mirroring capabilities and two new series of internal hard disk
subsystems that take full advantage of mirroring in the Macintosh
II, IIx and IIfx.

DiskMount 2.0 provides Macintosh users with MultiLevel Mirroring
(MLM) through which users can create several different mirroring
arrangements. Up to two drives in a daisy chain can be mirrored,
even drives of different capacities. Mirror sets of three or
more drives allow a user to maintain the mirroring relationship
while removing a drive for other use.

The DiskMount Kit retails for $499. It is bundled at no extra
charge with all Optima hard drive subsystems.

Optima is also offering two new subsystems that complement the
mirroring software, DisKovery IS and DisKovery IM.

The DisKovery IS Series includes three models, the 130IS, 200IS
and 310IS with 130, 200 and 310 MB (megabytes) capacity
respectively. They each have data transfer rates of up to 16 Mb
(megabits) per second and an MTBF (mean time between failure) of
150,000 hours. Each model consists of a single 3.5 inch drive
engineered to fit in the half-height 5.25 inch housing of the
Macintosh II, IIx and IIfx. Their design can accommodate a second
3.5 inch drive for mirroring or additional storage capacity.
Prices for these three subsystems are set at $1195 (130IS), $1995
(200IS) and $3885 (310IS).

The DisKovery IM Series includes the 260IM, 400IM and 620IM.
Each model consists of two DisKovery IS hard drives in a single
half-height, 5.25 inch compact unit. When used for mirroring
with DiskMount 2.0, these subsystems provide 130, 200 and 310 MB
of redundant data storage. When used as separate drives, they
combine to provide 260, 400 and 620 MB respectively. The units
retail for $2385 (260IM), $3985 (400IM) and $7580 (620IM).

(Janet Endrijonas/19900820/Press Contact: Judy M. Ford, Optima
Technology, 714-476-0515)


(NEWS)(UNIX)(NYC)(00029)

PRIME ANNOUNCES UNIX PRODUCTS
NATICK, MASSACHUSETTS, U.S.A., 1990 AUG 22 (NB) -- Prime
Computer has announced the introduction of both software and
hardware based on the Unix platform. The software announcement
involves the availability of Prime's Information Plus database
system for Unix platforms while the hardware announcement
revolves around the introduction of a line of RISC (reduced instruction
set computer)-based systems under an agreement with MIPS
Computer Systems.

The new computer line, PRIME EXL 7000 Series, uses a version of Unix
and is based on MIPS RISC technology. Prime's Paula Levis Suita
described the arrangement with MIPS that led to the computer
announcement, "The agreement with MIPS is on three levels. We have
become a MIPS OEM [original equipment manufacturer] and this
announcement is the first under this arrangement. We also have
become a MIPS architecture licensee which allows us to use MIPS
technologies for Prime-exclusive and joint-development activities.
Finally, the two companies will undertake some joint development
projects."

The Information Plus database system, originally introduced in 1978 to run
within the Prime proprietary operating system, PRIMOS, on the 50 Series
family of superminicomputers, has been optimized under Unix to run on
the new EXL 7000 series. There are presently more than 100 commercial
applications running under Information Plus in its native mode and more
than 4,000 commercial applications running under the Pick operating
system may be accessed through the Pick-compatability features of the
system.

Prime stated in its release that Information Plus' adherence to the
Spectrum Manufacturers Association standards insure that any of
more than 1,400 SMA standard applications may be ported over to
the system with less than a day's effort. A more substantial porting
effort is said to be necessary for the Pick applications.

(Barbara E. McMullen & John F. McMullen/19900822/Press Contact: Paul
LaBelle, Prime, 508/655-8000)


(NEWS)(IBM)(NYC)(00030)

IBM INTRODUCES 2 LOW-COST MID-RANGE SYSTEMS
NEW YORK, NEW YORK, U.S.A., 1990 AUG 22 (NB) -- IBM has
announced the introduction of two lower-cost models of its AS/400
mid-range series of computers. The cheaper of the models is priced at
$18,250, 27 percent less than IBM's previous lowest cost model.

IBM representatives said that the new systems are intended to be more
price efficient and competitive with personal computing systems linked
through local area networks. Price was considered by some of major
importance to continued IBM success in the mid-range market.

Carl Symon, IBM marketing and services director of mid-range systems,
said, "Customers were telling us that the price of entry was simply
too high for some of them." Symon was also quoted as saying that about
one-third of IBM's business in the mid-range area is from new customers,
on whom entry models have a great impact.

IBM's entry AS/400 system, priced at $18,250, offers a standard eight
megabytes of main memory and 640 megabytes of information storage
capacity. A somewhat more powerful AS/400, priced at $23,850 and
offering 16 megabytes of main memory and 1,280 megabytes of
information storage capacity, was also unveiled. Both systems are expected
to be available in late September.

(Barbara E. McMullen & John F. McMullen/19900822)