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(EXCLUSIVE)(GENERAL)(SFO)(00001)

UNDER $1,000 POSTSCRIPT PRINTER
FREMONT, CALIFORNIA, U.S.A., 1990 SEP 24 (NB) -- A 9-year-old
retail printers shop  in Fremont, California is selling what may be
the world's lowest priced Postscript printer. Its Jetscript CX
has a Canon laser engine and a QMS Jetscript controller and it's
priced at $995 for a refurbished unit and $1295 for an all-new
unit -- prices which he says are one third those of competing systems.

Steve Roberts, company owner, says the units are cheap because they
were assembled from two discarded inventories -- one from Federal
Express and one from Hewlett-Packard. He tells Newsbytes that he
purchased 12,000 8 page-per-minute Canon CD printer engines
from Federal Express which had installed them in proprietary Zapmail
printers -- a scheme predating the prevalence of fax machines, but
which ultimately was doomed to failure.

The second part of the printers is from Hewlett-Packard, which sold
him 10,000 Jetscript printer controller boards it was forced to buy
following a marketing dispute with QMS, a printer manufacturer.
The boards were destined to bring Postscript and 35 fonts to
HP Laserjet II printers.

Roberts' firm is putting the printers together with his own software,
and installing two megabytes of random access memory.  "It works
with everything, Windows 3.0 included -- and the price is a third of the
competition's," he claims. Dealers who inquire for quantity purchases
can get even more discounts.

Ads for the printers are currently appearing in Computer Currents
and Computer Shopper magazines.

The Printer Works is offering a 30-day money-back guarantee with the
units and a 90-day warranty on parts and labor. To order, phone the
company at 800-225-6116 or 415-887-6116.

(Wendy Woods/19900922/Press Contact: Steve Roberts)


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

TECHNOLOGY STOCKS: Market Report, Monday Sep 24
BEW YORK, NEW YORK, U.S.A., 1990 SEP 24 (NB) -- The
markets remained off on Friday with the Dow average
falling again.

The American exchange, not often in the minds of technology
investors because it handles few stocks,
saw Amdahl as its sixth most active stock, down 12
cents to $12 while Wang Labs edged up 12 cents to
close at $3.50.

On the big board, General Electric moved up
75 cents to close at $55.875, AT&T was up 87.5 cents
reaching $31.375 and IBM was down $1.125 ending
at $106.75.

OTC (Over the Counter) stocks fared better with Microsoft
leading the technology issues, up 75 cents at $60.50,
Intel Corporation down 12 cents at $32.875, Apple
Computer down 12 cents at $31.50 and MCI Communications
unchanged at $31. Sun Microsystems rounded off the
issues, unchanged at $28.50.

(John Verhelst/19900924)


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

TECHNOLOGY STOCKS: Business News, Sep 24, 1990
NEW YORK, NEW YORK, U.S.A., 1990 SEP 24 (NB) -- Companies
in the news include Standard Microsystems, Phoenix, and
Microwave Laboratories:

[] STANDARD MICROSYSTEMS posts sales of $ 21 million and
income of $413,000 for the second quarter which ended
August 31, 1990. This represents an increase of 5.7 percent over
last year's figures. Net income stood at $413,000, or
4 cents a share compared to net income of $1.6 million
for the same quarter in the previous fiscal year. For the
first six months, Standard Microsystems revenues stood at $41.3
million while income remained below $1 million, at
$946,000, compared with $1.7 million for the same period
last year.

[] PHOENIX TECHNOLOGIES, known for its BIOS for
IBM compatibles, expects a fourth quarter loss of
about $2 million before restructuring charges are
taken into account with the loss rising to more
than $8 million after all of these expenses are
included.

[] MICROWAVE LABORATORIES reports first quarter results
with sales of $194,582 compared to $$1.2 million for
last year's fist quarter, and a loss of $679,308 against
a loss of $314,000 for last year's first quarter.

(John Verhelst/19900924)


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

MOSCOW: MAJOR COMPUTING EVENTS SCHEDULED THIS FALL
MOSCOW, U.S.S.R., 1990 SEP 24 (NB) -- There are quite a number
of major computing events scheduled in and around the Soviet
Union in the coming months.

[] Softool-U.S.S.R. (October 8-12, Moscow, U.S.S.R, VDNKh Exhibition
Center, contact phone [phone]). This will be an international
software exhibition that organizers hope to make an annual event.
Plans include inviting many Soviet programming teams to
participate in this learning opportunity. The show will
include a CASE (computer-aided software engineering) conference and
details of the Soviet Buran space shuttle control system.

[] Informatika-90 (October 11-18, Moscow,U.S.S.R., Presnya
Exhibition Center). This will be a general hardware/software
exhibition with company presentations.

[] New Information Technologies Symposium (October 15-19, Kalinin,
U.S.S.R., contact phone [phone]). This symposium is being
organized by the Joint Venture with the same name. The main goal
of this event is to let scientists talk each other about the
latest developments in various technologies.

[] Microsoft Works 2.0 presentation (October 17, Moscow,U.S.S.R.).
At this show, the long-awaited Russian version of Microsoft
Works 2.0, complete with with Russian manuals and spellchecker, is
to be unveiled.

[] 3rd International Computer Exhibition and Fair (October 16-20,
Budapest, Hungary, International Fair Center, contact phone +361 117-
6760). Organizers for this event are Compexpo, HungExpo and
IDG World Expo. The show will include conferences as well.

[] EDventure East-West High-Tech Forum (October 21-24, Budapest,
Hungary, contact phone [phone]). This is a limited-
attendance conference with representatives from both East
and West "focused on contacts, not speeches."  Attendance is
by invitatiln only.

[] 1st Unix Conference (October 29 - November 2nd, Moscow,U.S.S.R.,
MCNTI premises, contact phone [phone]). This will be the
first event managed by the newly-born Soviet Unix Users Group,
which includes almost all Unix experts in the USSR.

[] CADExpo (October 29 - November 2, Moscow, U.S.S.R., Presnya
Exhibition Center, contact phone [phone]). This is
an annual exhibition to promote AutoCAD in the Soviet Union.
Russian AutoCAD Release 10 will be unveiled.

(Kirill Tchashchin/19900924)


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

GANDALF INTRODUCES ISDN PRIMARY RATE INTERFACE
MONTREAL, QUEBEC, CANADA, 1990 SEP 24 (NB) -- Gandalf Data has
introduced a primary rate interface (gateway) for an Integrated Services
Digital Network (ISDN). The interface is an add-on card for
Gandalf's Starmaster network processor.

Janice Drummond, a company spokeswoman, says Northern
Telecom has approved it for use with its ISDN central
office switches.

Equipped with the ISDN primary rate interface, Gandalf's
Starmaster network processor serves as an intelligent ISDN
gateway, allowing users of a wide variety of existing, non-ISDN
on-premises equipment to take advantage of the bandwidth-on-
demand service provided by both public and private ISDN network.

The Starmaster network processor can switch connected subscribers
locally and converts protocols such as TCP/IP and IBM SNA to give
users access to remote and local application servers in their
native mode. It also allows users to use techniques such as
statistical multiplexing to make more efficient use of network
connections.

Gandalf said its ISDN products can be used in a variety of
multivendor network topologies, and with a broad range of central
office switches and certain non-intelligent carrier facilities
worldwide, such as T1, FT1 and E1, a European standard.

Customers need access to ISDN service from a telephone company to
use the new device, Drummond said. She said the greatest initial
potential is likely to be in the United States, where "a number
of telephone companies have tariffed ISDN services." The
interface is due for formal introduction in the U.S. in a few
weeks, she added.

Gandalf will begin installing its ISDN primary rate interface at
selected customer sites in October. Prices begin at C$8,000.
Starmaster prices begin at about C$17,000, Drummond said.

Gandalf, a communications equipment maker based in Ottawa,
Ontario, made the announcement during the annual meeting of the
Canadian Business Telecommunications Alliance here.

(Grant Buckler/19900921/Press Contact: Janice Drummond or
Alastair Davie, Gandalf Data, 613-564-0183)


(NEWS)(GENERAL)(HKG)(00006)

ALL SET FOR ASIA'S PREMIER INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY EVENT
WANCHAI, HONG KONG, 1990 SEP 24 (NB) -- After months of planning and
countless examples of inter-company and international cooperation,
ITWeek, the biggest-ever information technology event to be staged in
the Asia-Pacific region, is set to open on Sunday morning,
September 23.

The official opening will be performed by Governor of Hong Kong, Sir
David Wilson at 11 o'clock, though some events will get under way
from 9:15.

The first day's program will be mostly a matter of educational fun,
with computer chess and wordprocessing competitions, demonstrations
of Chinese character input by visiting students from Taiwan, and the
first Hong Kong International Micromouse Competition.

The more serious business gets going on Monday, with the general
assembly and conference of the Southeast Asia Information Technology
Organization (SITO), running until Wednesday, and TENCON, the
regional conference of the Institute of Electrical Engineers.

Tuesday will see the start of EDI Asia '90, which continues until
Thursday.

Also opening on Tuesday, until Friday, is CeNIT Asia '90, the biggest
single event of ITWeek, jointly organized by Adsale Exhibition
Services, Hannover-Messe International - the organizers of the annual
CeBIT in Hannover, Germany, and the Hong Kong Informamtion Technology
Federation, with support from SITO and the Hong Kong Government.

Another item running from Tuesday to Friday will be a demonstration
of Open Systems Interconnect (OSI) by HOSIC, the Hong Kong OSI
Committee. This will be mounted under the auspices of CeNIT, with the
cooperation of a number of competing hardware manufacturers.

IT at Work for the Visually Impaired is yet another Tuesday to Friday
event, while Thursday and Friday bring a financial technology
symposium.

With the exception of Sunday's events, which take place at the Royal
Navy's China Fleet Club building, ITWeek will be housed at Hong
Kong's mammoth Exhibition and Convention Center overlooking the
spectacular Victoria Harbor from the Wanchai waterfont.

(Norman Wingrove/19900922/Press Contacts: ITWeek: Simon Clennell,
Turner Spurrier Rowland, [phone], Fax [phone];
CeNIT: Alicia Chan/Eva Law, Newscan Public Relations, [phone])


(NEWS)(GENERAL)(HKG)(00007)

FIRST CENIT PREPARES FOR TAKEOFF
WANCHAI, HONG KONG, 1990 SEP 24 (NB) -- CeNIT Asia '90 - the Asian
Centre and Conference for Information and Telecommunications - is all
set to go at the Hong Kong Exhibition and Convention Center,
September 25-28.

The conference and exposition is the Asian version of CeBIT, the
world's largest information technology (IT) event held annually in
Hannover, West Germany.

About 300 international manufacturers and vendors from 26 countries
will be taking part.

Highlights of CeNIT will include nine national pavilions featuring IT
displays from 15 countries and regions including Australia, Canada,
the European Community, Hong Kong, Israel, Japan, Sweden, Taiwan and
the USA. There will also be six special theme pavilions and displays
featuring topics such as Unix, OSI (Open Systems Interconnect),
networking, article numbering and scanning and Industrie Forum award
winning designs.

CeNIT Asia '90 is a participant in Hong Kong ITWeek and has been
jointly organized by Adsale Exhibition Services, Hannover-Messe
International GmbH, the Hong Kong Information Technology Federation,
the Hong Kong Trade Development Council and the Hong Kong Government
Industry Department.

Other events at ITWeek, starting from Sunday September 23, include
TENCON - the Region Ten Conference on Computer and Communication
systems - of the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers, a
Financial Information Technology Symposium, the SITO (Southeast Asia
Information Technology Organization) conference on Indigenization of
Information Technology, EDI Asia '90 Asia-Pacific conference on
Electronic Data Interchange, Hong Kong Management Association User
Workshops, and the HKANA Seminar on Article Numbering for
Manufacturers and Exporters.

(Norman Wingrove/19900921/Press Contact: Alicia Chan/Eva Law, Newscan
Public Relations, [phone])


(NEWS)(GENERAL)(HKG)(00008)

SAS TO DEBUT VERSION 6 ON IBM, DIGITAL STANDS AT CENIT
WESTERN, HONG KONG, 1990 SEP 24 (NB) -- Software company SAS
Institute is to give the first public showing of Version 6 of its SAS
System software on both the IBM and Digital Equipment stands at CeNIT
Asia '90, opening at the Hong Kong Exhibition and Convention Center
on September 25.

Hong Kong users of the SAS integrated applications development system
include Cathay Pacific Airways, the Royal Hong Kong Jockey Club, Hong
Kong Television Broadcasts, government departments and all the
British colony's universities and polytechnics.

Version 6 is the first full version based on SAS Institute's
Multivendor Archictecture, which enables users to port their
applications direct from any SAS-supported hardware platform to any
other.

The demonstrations at CeNIT will run identically on an AIX based RISC
System 6000 workstation on the IBM stand and on an Ultrix based
DECstation on Digital's stand.

The company says Version 6 incorporates numerous enhancements,
including the ability to extract and combine infromation from
multiple data bases. On the DEC stand, SAS under Ultrix will be shown
reading relational database tables from a VMS based VAX, using
SAS/CONNECT. This is a database engine that accepts an SAS request,
translates it into the appropriate database request, then returns the
data in the correct SAS format.

The new release also incorporates a menu-driven user interface called
SAS/ASSIST that helps guide users to the SAS features they need.

In addition to AIX and Ultix, the SAS System is available on Unix
systems from Hewlett-Packard and Sun Microsystems, and will soon be
supported on Data General's Aviion and Silicon Graphics' IRIS
systems.

"Identical SAS code can run under Unix, OS/2, PC-DOS, MVS, CMS,
Primos and AOS/VS," says Nigel Gasper, SAS' general manager. "It is
probably the only software in the world that has such versatility."

Gasper will also present a paper on Development Tools for the '90s at
the Southeast Asia Information Technology Organization (SITO)
Conference on Indigenization of Information Technology.

Like CeNIT, the SITO conference is one of a variety of events taking
place under Hong Kong ITWeek, commencing on Sunday September 23.

(Norman Wingrove/19900921/Press Contact: Nigel Gasper, SAS,
[phone])


(NEWS)(UNIX)(HKG)(00009)

ORACLE APPLICATION TOOLS ON SHOW AT CENIT
WANCHAI, HONG KONG, 1990 SEP 24 (NB) -- Oracle Corporation is to
demonstrate its application development, reporting and graphics
tools, plus its Oracle Financials family of accounting applications
at CeNIT Asia '90, one of the many events comprising Hong Kong
ITWeek, starting September 23.

Oracle will be showing its products within the Unix stand, running on
a variety of Unix-based systems from different hardware
manufacturers.

Products on display will include SQL*Forms, SQL*Menu, Oracle
Graphics, SQP*Reportwriter and Oracle Financials.

SQL*Forms and SQL*Menu enable the user to build on-screen forms
incorporating windows, menus, pop-up lists and online help.

Oracle Graphics offers the capability to create more than 50
different types of charts and manipulate more than 60 different
parameters for each chart. It can also automatically regenerate a
chart based on the most recent query result, using standard SQL
(Standard Query Language) results.

SQL*Reportwriter allows the user to build a wide variety of reports.
Formats supported include tabular listing, control break reports with
grand total on every page, master/detail reports, matrix reports, and
multicolumn mailing labels.

Oracle Financials is designed for both centralized and decentralized
accounting departments of any size and includes general ledger,
payables, purchasing, assets, receivables and revenue accounting
modules.

The Oracle/Unix cooperation is one of many such joint exhibits at
CeNIT and other component events of Hong Kong ITWeek, opening on
September 23.

(Norman Wingrove/19900921)


(NEWS)(UNIX)(TYO)(00010)

CSK TO SELL REALTIME SPREADSHEET PROGRAM
TOKYO, JAPAN, 1990 SEP 24 (NB) -- Japan's largest computer
software developing company CSK has acquired an exclusive sales
license from New Jersey, U.S.-based UniPress Software to sell
Q-Calc Realtime, a Unix-based realtime spreadsheet program
in Japan. CSK will rewrite the program into Japanese, sell the
Japanese version in November, and start delivery next January.

A realtime spreadsheet is an automatic program to instantly
calculate, update, and display time-sensitive data which changes
every second. It is indispensable to many professionals in the
money market.

Q-Calc Realtime has a user interface like Lotus 1-2-3, a chart
function, and a Sybase database interface function. It is the
only Unix program to be implemented as a realtime spreadsheet,
the company says.

Q-Calc Realtime released from CSK will run on IBM RS6000, DECstation,
Sun SPARCstatin, HP9000, Apollo Domain, and NCR TOWER. The basic
price will be 380,000 yen ($2,700). CSK aims to sell 1,000 packages
in the first year.

CSK, eager to sell Unix applications for business use,
intends establish ties with more overseas software vendors to
introduce more Western Unix software to the Japanese market in
the future.

(Ken Takahashi/19900920/Press Contact: CSK Corp., 03-505-5504)
(NEWS)(APPLE)(SYD)(00011)

AUSTRALIA: APPLE PULLS PLUG ON LARGEST DEALER
SYDNEY, AUSTRALIA, 1990 SEP 24 (NB) --  Apple Australia has
pulled the plug on its largest dealer, Logic Group, by
forcing it into receivership. The group's 10 outlets
include the Logic Source and Byte Technologies storefronts.

"We were under no illusions that the company could meet its
commitments, so we acted in our best interests." said an Apple
spokesperson. It is believed that Apple has also moved
quickly to ensure that no orders will be further delayed by
the dealer's difficulty "ensuring that the customer is best
served, as usual."

With sales reportedly down by more than 30 percent on the
budget $35 Million, Logic Group had been slipping into
difficulties for many months before Apple moved.

(Paul Zucker/19900924)


(NEWS)(BUSINESS)(SYD)(00012)

AUSTRALIA: STOCK EXCHANGE LISTINGS ON CD-ROM
SYDNEY, AUSTRALIA, 1990 SEP 24 (NB) -- The Australian Stock
Exchange (ASX) has released a CD-ROM of data on Australian
listed companies. The project was undertaken in conjunction
with local CD-Rom systems developer, Info-One.

DataDisc, will provide subscribers to the ASX information
service with an alternative to hardcopy and magnetic tape.
The disks can be read on PCs with standard CD-ROM drives.
ASX says it originally approached Lotus with the project,
but its own Lotus One system proved inadequate for text-
based search systems.

DataDisc is currently priced at AUS$12,000 per year, plus
$1,200 per terminal.

(Paul Zucker/19900924)


(NEWS)(GOVT)(SYD)(00013)

AUSTRALIA: AUTODESK LOSES WHEN DONGLE CASE APPEALED
MELBOURNE, AUSTRALIA, 1990 SEP 24 (NB) -- Autodesk,
distributor of best-selling CAD software Autocad has had
its favorable court decision overturned after an appeal by
the defendant. Dyason had originally been found guilty of
supplying a device which enabled pirate versions of the
software to be used.

The device in question is a dongle - a hardware identity
key which sits on the parallel port of a PC and is
regularly interrogated by the software to ensure that the
installation is legal. Dyason had been convicted on the
charge of supplying counterfeit dongles, but it won its
appeal, much to the consternation of the software community
in Australia.

Observers feel that the judge was swayed by the defence
counsel which emphasised the hardware, and not the question
of the legality of pirating software. Autodesk plans to
appeal.

(Paul Zucker/19900924)


(NEWS)(GENERAL)(NYC)(00014)

"FRODO" VIRUS SUPPOSEDLY SET LOOSE
NEW YORK, NEW YORK U.S.A., 1990 SEP 24 (NB) -- Computer virus
experts have warned users that a virus named after the Frodo
character in J.R. Tolkien's "The Lord of the Rings" trilogy
was activated on personal computers on Saturday, September 22,
Frodo's birthday. Actual cases of
damage from this virus have yet to be reported.

The virus, also called the 4096 virus because of the number of
bytes that it adds to infected computer programs was detected
earlier this year and is said to destroy computer files while
it displays the message "Frodo Lives."

John McAfee, chairman of the Computer Virus Industry Association and
co-author of "Computer Viruses, Worms, Data Diddlers, Killer Programs
and Other Threats to Your System," was quoted as describing Frodo
as "a nasty little virus and it is out there. It's being reported
with increasing frequency."

Ross M. Greenberg, author of anti-virus programs FluShot and
Virex/PC, told Newsbytes that as of on Monday, September 24,
he had not been notified of any Frodo occurrences since
its supposed release. Greenberg said "The virus is
not all that difficult to find or to stop." Referring to the
last virus scare, the "Friday the 13th Virus", Greenberg added:
"Fortunately, the news networks were reasonable in their
reporting this time and did not cause a panic."

(Barbara E. McMullen & John F. McMullen/19900924)


(NEWS)(GOVT)(NYC)(00015)

JUSTICE DEPT.CLAIMS THAT DEALER SOUGHT TO SELL CONFIDENTIAL INFO
LONDON, KENTUCKY, U.S.A., 1990 SEP 24 (NB) -- According to
wire service reports, a Justice Department attorney, Jeffrey Gutman,
has charged that Kentucky salvage dealer Charles Hayes, who
inadvertently bought a computer containing Justice Dept. records,
had tried to sell the information to a private investigator. Hayes'
attorney denied the charge saying that Hayes knew he was speaking
to a government informant and made the statements in jest.

Hayes had purchased a damaged Harris-Lanier system from
U.S. Attorney Louis DeFalaise' office. The computer was subsequently
found to have contained sensitive details about FBI informants,
federally protected witnesses, sealed indictments and personal
information about employees. Hayes bid $45 in July for the system
and picked it up on August 3. In the interim, the
memory was supposed to be erased but, after Hayes picked up the computer,
the Harris-Lanier technician told government officials he didn't
erase the memory after all.

The Justice Department filed suit on August 30 to require Hayes
to return the system and, within hours of the filing, U.S. District
Judge Eugene Siler, Jr., ordered Hayes to immediately return
the computer system to the government and not examine, copy or
distribute the data. At that time, Hayes denied that he had
examined the information contained on the system
and said that some of the equipment had been resold to
customers by his firm, Challenger Ltd.

Hayes subsequently identified the customers who had purchased the
equipment from him and, on September 8, Justice Department
spokesperson Michael Robinson announced that all of the equipment in
question had been recovered by his department.

The allegations charging that Hayes had tried to sell the secret
information on the computer were made at a hearing on September 21
before Judge Siler concerning the injunction issued earlier. Gutman
said that the government had secret recordings of two conversations
between Hayes and Ronald Beckman, a private investigator. Beckman,
according to Gutman, was wearing an eavesdropping device known as
a "body wire" during these conversations. Gutman said that the
recordings of the August 15 and 24 conversations "reveal without
question Hayes was making a serious attempt to market information
to Beckman. There was no kidding or joking about it." Michael
Robinson, Justice Department spokesperson, told Newsbytes
that Hayes has not been charged with any crime and that, beyond that, he
"could not comment further."

(Barbara E. McMullen & John F. McMullen/19900925)


(NEWS)(GOVT)(NYC)(00016)

DALE ELECTRONICS PLEADS GUILTY TO GOVERNMENT CHARGES
WASHINGTON, D.C., U.S.A., 1990 SEP 24 (NB) -- The Department of
Justice has announced that Dale Electronics, Inc. has entered a
guilty plea to criminal charges of submitting false statements
and will pay criminal and civil fines of $3.7 million.

Dale, a wholly owned subsidiary of Vishay Intertechnology,
entered guilty pleas to three criminal counts of submitting
false statements in United States District Court in Omaha and
will pay $1.05 million in criminal fines. It also agreed
to pay $2.56 million to settle civil charges under the False
Claims Act and $167,255 to cover the government's investigative
expenses.

Dale was charged with falsely certifying that some of the electronic
resistors it sold to the Department of Defense (DoD) met or exceeded
government specifications when in fact they did not. An investigation
by the Defense Criminal Investigative Service disclosed that on three
separate occasions, between September 1985 and February 1986, Dale
(which was not then owned by Vishay) failed to report that some of
its resistors had not met DoD performance specifications. Dale also
failed to disclose to DoD that other military contractors using its
resistors had reported resistor test failures. By relying on Dale's
claims that its resistors were not responsible for the testing
failures and that they were most likely caused by the
contractors' own testing procedures, the contractors incurred
more than $2 million in additional testing costs.  These additional
testing expenses had been charged back to the government.

The settlement follows the resolution of administrative claims
against Dale pursued by DoD. As part of that settlement,
Dale agreed to pay $801,594.78, earmarking $369,233.22
for repurchase of defective resistors in DoD's inventory and
$432,361.56 as administrative costs. Justice Department
spokesperson Michael Robinson told Newsbytes that no charges
had been filed against individual employees of Dale in this
case.

Announcing the guilty plea in a joint statement, Stuart M. Gerson,
assistant attorney general for the Civil Division, and Ron Lahners,
U.S. Attorney for Nebraska, said, "This case is another example of
our continuing commitment to eradicate fraud perpetrated by defense
contractors. We will continue to zealously pursue these types of
cases to ensure that in a time of shrinking military expenditures,
the government gets all of what it pays for."

(Barbara E. McMullen & John F. McMullen/19900925)


(NEWS)(GOVT)(NYC)(00017)

UTAH MAN SENTENCED FOR ILLEGALLY SELLING PHONE CODES
SALT LAKE CITY, UTAH, U.S.A., 1990 SEP 24 (NB) -- A Salt Lake
City man, Robert A. Berube, was sentenced to six months in prison and
ordered to pay $38,000 in restitution after pleading guilty to
defrauding U.S. Sprint Corporation. Berube will be on probation
for 54 months upon his release from prison.

Berube had admitted selling Sprint access codes which allowed
unlimited long distance access, to buyers within Utah for $150
to $175. He had been quoted as saying that he obtained the codes
"from somebody hacking the computers at Sprint and taking the
codes and selling them nationwide."

(Barbara E. McMullen & John F. McMullen/19900925)


(NEWS)(IBM)(NYC)(00018)

IBM DONATES EQUIPMENT TO ROMANIAN HOSPITAL
BUCHAREST, ROMANIA, 1990 SEP 24 (NB) -- IBM has donated
computer equipment valued at more than $400,000 to Romania's largest
children's hospital. The donation was made as part of a joint project
with the relief agency Caritas.

Announcing the donation at a ceremony attended by Romanian Deputy
Health Minister Emil Tomescu and U.S. Ambassador Alan Green, Eugene
Hahn, chairman of IBM's Eastern European subsidiary, IBM Roece Inc.,
said: "IBM has always prided itself on being a good corporate citizen
and has a tradition of supporting the handicapped and the sick."

The donated equipment, which included a blood analysis machine,
respirators, X-ray equipment, an incubator and 12 IBM computers, was
described by a wire service report as "believed to be the largest single
donation to a Romanian health facility."

(Barbara E. McMullen & John F. McMullen/19900911/Press Contact:
William Pohl, IBM,  914-934-4358)


(NEWS)(BUSINESS)(TOR)(00019)

PROTEON, EPOCH SIGN MARKETING AGREEMENT
WESTBOROUGH, MASSACHUSETTS, U.S.A., 1990 SEP 24 (NB) -- Epoch
Systems, a supplier of network storage management systems, has
announced a joint marketing agreement with network vendor
Proteon.  Using Proteon's p4200 Multi-Protocol Router, users
running Fiber Distributed Data Interface (FDDI) networks can
now access the Epoch-1 InfiniteStorage Server.

The Epoch-1 is a family of network storage servers compatible
with the Network File System (NFS) and Transmission Control
Protocol/Internet Protocol (TCP/IP) standards. The servers use a
hierarchical storage architecture combining high-capacity optical
disks and high-speed magnetic disks. Epoch-1 systems can be
configured as one or more file systems supporting one to 1000
gigabytes of on-line storage.

They provide central data storage, automated file management and
automated backup for networks requiring very fast on-line access
to high-capacity disk storage over an Ethernet network.

Proteon's p4200 is a Multi-Protocol Ethernet to FDDI gateway
providing a high-speed, standards-based backbone for
interconnecting multiple local and wide area networks.

"It will essentially be a reference sell situation," said Maureen
MaGregor, a spokeswoman for Proteon. She said the Epoch product
is "absolutely prime product territory" for the high-bandwidth
FDDI network standard. "What they need is an entry point to
FDDI," she said, and Proteon's router will provide that entry
point.

"Taking advantage of the faster speeds and greater bandwidth of
FDDI, users sending information to and from the Epoch server
through FDDI corporate backbones see a dramatic increase in the
aggregate throughput of the over-all network," said Rob Kenna,
principal engineer of Epoch Systems, in a press release.

The Epoch-1 InfiniteStorage Server starts at US$82,900. Proteon's
FDDI p4200 starts at US$14,950.

(Grant Buckler/19900921/Press Contact: Andrew Hettinger, Epoch
Systems, 508-836-4300; Maureen MacGregor, Proteon, 508-898-2136)


(NEWS)(APPLE)(TOR)(00020)

OUTBOUND NAMES CANADIAN DISTRIBUTOR
MISSISSAUGA, ONTARIO, CANADA, 1990 SEP 24 (NB) -- McKenzie Brown,
a national hardware distributor based here, has been named sole
Canadian distributor for Outbound Systems.

Based in Boulder, Colorado, Outbound makes a Macintosh-compatible
laptop computer, the Outbound Laptop System. Paul King,
vice-president of marketing for McKenzie Brown, said the deal
will make the laptop available in Canada for the first time.
Initial shipments have begun, he added.

In a prepared statement, Outbound's chief operating officer,
Robert Louthan, said the Canadian market "offers significant
opportunity for Outbound." He noted that Macintosh sales in
Canada have, on a per capita basis, outpaced those in the United
States.

About 80 percent of McKenzie Brown's business in the past has
been Macintosh-related, King said. However, the company is in the
process of acquiring a Vancouver-based distributor, CDI, which is
primarily involved in DOS and Unix sales, and that will reduce
the Macintosh component of the merged company's sales to about
half, he added.

(Grant Buckler/19900921/Press Contact: McKenzie Brown,
416-821-9222; Jane Rubinstein, Outbound Systems, 303-786-9200)

(NEWS)(TELECOM)(TOR)(00021)

CANADA REMOTE BACK ON LINE
TORONTO, ONTARIO, CANADA, 1990 SEP 24 (NB) -- Canada Remote
Systems, the large Toronto-based bulletin board system that went
into receivership in August, is back in operation under new
ownership.

Canada Remote was acquired at the end of August by a numbered
company headed by Neil Fleming. Bell Canada began
reconnecting the board's telephone lines in mid-September,
and more than 70 are now operating. According to a
bulletin posted on the board, all services formerly available
(including Newsbytes) will be restored over the next couple of
weeks.

Canada Remote's new modem numbers include 416-629-7000, 416-629-
7044, 416-798-7730 and 416-798-7731, which between them will
provide access to 46 lines for 300, 1,200 and 2,400-bps modems.
The numbers for Hayes V9600 and V.32 callers will be 416-629-7070
and 416-798-7732, but these were not yet connected as this report
was written. USRobotics HST 14,400-bit-per-second service is
available at 416-629-7020 and 416-798-7733. Voice lines include
416-620-1439 for sales and 416-620-1571 for technical support.

(Grant Buckler/19900924/Press Contact: Jud Newell or Brenda
Brennan, Canada Remote Systems, 416-624-8193)


(NEWS)(IBM)(NYC)(00022)

IBM SIGNS AGREEMENT WITH SOFTWARE SERVICES OF AMERICA
NORTH ANDOVER, MASSACHUSETTS, U.S.A., 1990 SEP 24 (NB) --
Software Services of America, Inc. (SSOA) has announced an agreement
with IBM under which SSOA will develop transactional banking software
packages for IBM. The software will be developed for use on the PS/2
personal computer and will utilize IBM's new Consumer Transaction (CT)
system.

Under the agreement, referred to by SSOA President Bertram R. Hickman,
Jr. as "the most important development in the company's 10-year history",
SSOA will receive various fees and royalties under a long-term marketing
agreement on the sales of the CT products developed by SSOA for IBM.
SSOA spokespersons described the details of the agreement as "strictly
confidential" and did not release any financial information of the
transaction.

(Barbara E. McMullen & John F. McMullen/19900911/Press Contact:
Michelle Baddour, Software Services of America, Inc., 508-681-0802)


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

NEW FOR MACINTOSH: Interactive Physics VERSION 1.2
SAN FRANCISCO, CALIFORNIA, U.S.A., 1990 SEP 24 (NB) --
Knowledge Revolution, Inc. has announced the introduction of
version 1.2 of its educational program, Interactive Physics. The new
version is scheduled for release on October 15th and will have a
suggested retail price of $249.00.

Knowledge Revolution, Inc. has included a 350 page curriculum
guide, Physics Interactions, with the new version. New features of
version 1.2 include color graphics, printing, data export, and control
over numerical formats. Interactive  Physics allow users to create
experiments by drawing objects on the screen and then watching
them move and interact in accordance with Newton╒s laws. It lets
users adjust physical quantities (such as mass, friction, elasticity, and
gravity) to explore their effects on an experiment. Meters measure
12 different properties including velocity, forces, energy, and
momentum. Measurements can be displayed numerically, on a
tachometer-like dial, or graphed with a strip chart. Vector quantities
are shown with animated arrows.

In announcing the new version, David Baszucki, president of
Knowledge Revolution, said "╥The enthusiasm we have seen in the
classroom has been tremendous. Teachers can use Interactive Physics
to demonstrate problems that were once just static pictures in a book.
Now they can try "what if" scenarios and immediately see the
results."

(Barbara E. McMullen & John F. McMullen/19900919/Press
Contact: Martin Eisenmann, Knowledge Revolution, 415-553-8153)


(NEWS)(TELECOM)(ATL)(00024)

HRIN TO OFFER EMPLOYEE REFERENCE SERVICE
INDIANAPOLIS, INDIANA, U.S.A., 1990 SEP 24 (NB) -- The
Human Resource Information Network will launch a tool for online
checking of employee references on October 1. It's a direct link
to The Personal Employee Profiling service, which acts as an
information broker and clearinghouse, providing consumer
information, asset evaluation, property records, business
background data, pre-employment reports, national motor vehicle
infromation and nationwide locating services drawn from public
records. Credit histories require signed releases from
individuals before PEP will check for them.

Personal Employee Profiling is an Illinois corporation formed in
April, 1989 headed by executives with 6-30 years of experience in
human resources or security, many of them former polygraph
operators. Newsbytes talked to vice president Richard O'Leary of
PEP, who defended the necessity and propriety of what he's doing.
"Human resources people have nothing else to go on. There's
question about paper and pencil. You can't use polygraphs. You
can only go by what's in the record." Customers mentioned by
O'Leary include The Chicago Tribune, Motorola, and Cox
Enterprises.

O'Leary checks his customers as well as their employees, so he
won't give out dossiers on just anyone to just anyone. Also, "I
protect my customers with $1 million in errors and omission
insurance for my liability," he says. "The State of Illinois has
us classified as an employee research bureau. We do nothing more
than access public information."

Reports on individuals can be obtained on paper or online.
Linking to PEP requires the completion of a menu offering
combinations of the following information: credit report,
criminal report for one county or state, driver's license report
for one state, previous employment check, education verification,
and social security number verification. The reults can be
mailed, faxed or sent by electronic mail anywhere from 1-14 days
of the order's receipt. Annual subscriptions to HRIN cost $2,200
for 13 hours of online time.

(Dana Blankenhorn/19900921/Press Contact: HRIN, Becky Ruehl, 317-
872-2045; Richard O'Leary, Personal Employee Profiling, 800-648-
6261)


(NEWS)(TELECOM)(ATL)(00025)

US SPRINT OFFERS VIDEOCONFERENCING TRIAL UNDER FTS2000
WASHINGTON, D.C., U.S.A., 1990 SEP 24 (NB) -- US Sprint
announced a modification to the Federal Telecommunications System
2000 contract to allow agencies to test videoconferencing service
on a trial basis. Just a few weeks ago, Sprint signed contracts
with service and equipment suppliers to make videoconferencing
possible under the contract.

The contract modification includes a two-tiered pricing structure
through which federal agencies can get videoconferencing
services. The first tier is a fixed-price video beta test that
allows agencies to test videoconferencing equipment and services
over a trial period. The second tier is for economical compressed
768,000 bits/second videoconferencing services.

US Sprint also received an award from the Pentagon for an all-
fiber voice and data network worth up to $10 million over 5
years.The network will connect the Pentagon with Hillingdon Royal
Air Force Base in Uxbridge, England, over PTAT-1, the
transatlantic fiber-optic cable in which US Sprint is co-owner.

Fiber cables allow for transmission of messages which can't be
intercepted, as can messages sent by satellite or copper cables.
The U.S. government, at the insistance of the National Security
Agency, earlier this year scuttled construction of a fiber line
spanning the Soviet Union, as proposed by a group headed by US
West, citing those security concerns.

(Dana Blankenhorn/19900921/Press Contact: US Sprint, Janis
Langley, 202/857-1030)


(NEWS)(TELECOM)(TYO)(00026)

NTT DEVELOPS EXPERIMENTAL BROADBAND ISDN SYSTEM
TOKYO, JAPAN, 1990 SEP 24 (NB) -- Japan's telecom giant NTT has
successfully developed an experimental broadband ISDN (Integrated
Services Digital Network) system which can efficiently transmit
various kinds of information through an optical fiber cable.

The experimental system consists of an ATM (Asynchronous Transfer
Mode) switching system, an HDTV (high definition TV) set, a
computer terminal, and a phone unit.

ATM is a new transfer mode which combines the advantages of circuit
and packet switching. As with data packets, ATM switches and
transfers data in units, called "cells." Since ATM cells, unlike
packets, are of a fixed length, protocol is simplified and
high-speed transmission becomes possible.

A broadband ISDN allows transmission of various forms of data such as
HDTV, computer data, and phone calls simultaneously. It can
transmit about 2,000 times more data than current analog phone
lines, and can transmit data 100 times faster, or 156 megabits per
second, compared to the current ISDN network INSnet 64.

In order to make the broadband ISDN widely available, NTT is planning
to introduce optical fibers for each home from 1995 and complete
the introduction in Japan's metropolitan areas by 2005 and
nationwide by 2015.

(Ken Takahashi/19900920/Press Contact: NTT Corp., 03-509-3101)


(NEWS)(TRENDS)(TYO)(00027)

SONY TO CONSTRUCT FACTORY TO MAKE GALLIUM-ARSENIDE CHIPS
TOKYO, JAPAN, 1990 SEP 24 (NB) -- To meet the surging demand,
Sony will set up a factory in Miyagi prefecture, Japan, to make
gallium-arsenide semiconductors for home entertainment products,
according to a published report.

The factory will be constructed on a 170,000 square meter parcel
of land. To start, Sony will invest six to seven billion yen
($43 to 50 million) for the factory which will make
semi-finished semiconductors, aiming at full operation from 1992.
After that, it will introduce a facility to print a circuit onto a
gallium-arsenide wafer.

Sony currently is printing circuits at its Atsugi Technology
Center in Kanagawa prefecture and finishing ICs at Sony
Shiraishi Semiconductor in Miyagi prefecture. The monthly output
of its gallium arsenide ICs is one million units for CD (compact
disk) and VD (video disk) players and 100,000 for BS (broadcasting
satellite) tuners.

A gallium arsenide semiconductor is faster in energy conversion,
has lower noise and consumes less power than the current mainstay
silicon semiconductor. It is expected to be more widely used in
various kinds of home entertainment products.

(Ken Takahashi/19900920)


(NEWS)(TRENDS)(TYO)(00028)

FUJITSU CLAIMS TOP IN SUPERCOMPUTER BENCHMARK
TOKYO, JAPAN, 1990 SEP 24 (NB) -- Japan's computer giant Fujitsu
boasts that it has achieved the world's fastest practical
processing speed at 147 mega FLOPS (floating point operations per
second) for a one-CPU (central processor) supercomputer by
conducting the industry's standard benchmark test on its
supercomputer VP2600.

The test was done by using a Linpack benchmark program and FORTRAN
77EX/VP, the latest compiler developed by Fujitsu. Fujitsu claims
that the result of the test indicates the total performance
for hardware and software.

The performance of supercomputers each maker officially announces
is merely the theoretical value. For instance, the official
processing speed of Fujitsu VP2600 is maximum 4 giga FLOPS.

The previous best benchmark result for a one-CPU supercomputer
was 107 mega FLOPS of Hitachi S820-80 supercomputer. U.S.-based
Cray Research has yet to conduct a benchmark test on a one-CPU
supercomputer.

(Ken Takahashi/19900920)


(NEWS)(BUSINESS)(TYO)(00029)

THINKING MACHINES TO SET UP JAPANESE SUBSIDIARY
TOKYO, JAPAN, 1990 SEP 24 (NB) -- Thinking Machines, a U.S.-based
super parallel processing computer maker, is planning to set up
a Japanese arm next month, according to industrial sources.

The Japanese subsidiary will be 100 percent owned by the American
firm. American engineers from Thinking Machines will relocate
to Japan in order to provide end-user support. The new company
is expected to  develop the Japanese market by itself.

Advanced Systems, a specific subsystem supplier for system
integration, has been a sales channel for the American firm and
the first machine was installed at Advanced Telecommunications
Research Institute in January this year.

Over 100 firms have inquired about the CM-2, which can connect up
to 65,536 1-bit processors, Newsbytes was told by a Japanese
agent for the Advanced Systems, who suggested the supercomputer firm's
potential business structure.

"Several Japanese experts at Digital Equipment Corporation who
were in charge of setting up DEC Japan have been hired by Thinking
Machines. Maybe those people are managing the set up," the agent
for Advanced Systems told Newsbytes.

Most leading Japanese computer makers have been developing
super parallel processing computers: Adena of Matsushita, CAP-256
of Fujitsu, Prodigy of Toshiba, H2P of Hitachi and R256 of NTT
Research Institute. The development is also proceeding at some
universities, such as Tsukuba and Kyusyu universities.

The research and development in Japan, however, is far from being
at a commercial stage and the current market is dominated by American
makers, such as the Ncube2 of Ncube Corp. and iPCS/2 of Intel.

(Naoyuki Yazawa/19900920)


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

MCI, UNITEL ANNOUNCE INTERNATIONAL FAX INTERCONNECTION
MONTREAL, CANADA, U.S.A., 1990 SEP 24 (NB) -- MCI, facing
renewed pressure in the Canadian fax and electronic mail market
from AT&T, will link its MCI Fax service to that of Unitel
Communications, which is seeking to compete with Bell Canada in
the long distance market and already offers a fax service called
FacsRoute.

(Dana Blankenhorn/19900921/Press Contact: Alan Garratt, MCI,
914-934-6484; Allison Greer, Unitel, 416-232-6486)


(NEWS)(GENERAL)(SYD)(00031)

COMBAT SOFTWARE RELEASES VICTOR CHARLIE VIRUS UTILITY
MELBOURNE, AUSTRALIA, 1990 SEP 24 (NB) -- Combat software has
announced the availability of Victor Charlie, a generic virus
utility which the company claims will protect IBM-compatible
computers against all known viruses, as well as all future viruses.

The software works by loading itself into memory, allowing it to be
infected by up to 4 viruses. It then studies these viruses and the
way they work, locates signatures for these and can pass these
signatures onto the decontamination utility. Compatible with PC, XT,
AT, PS/2, 386, 386SX, and 486 computers, the program also works
across networks, and will run on any machine running any variant of
DOS. The program also works with all known multi-tasking software.
The program will also allow the tracking of program files, system
files, strategic system areas, partition table, and other sensitive
areas to alert the user of any changes to them. The help screens
within the system are also changeable to allow for differing
configurations of machines and networks. Recommended Retail Price is
AUS$95.

(Sean McNamara/19900920/Press Contact: Andrew Hassell, phone in
Australia [phone])


(NEWS)(TRENDS)(MOW)(00032)

MOSCOW: ONE MORE COMPANY TO START LOCAL TELECOM BUSINESS
MOSCOW, U.S.S.R., 1990 SEP 24 (NB) -- German Com.Box, a
telecommunications services provider is actively entering competitive
Soviet telecommunications market.

Com.Box-WINET Computer Services GmbH and its Moscow business partner,
SCIP Ltd made their first public appearance during Systemotechnika'90
Moscow computer fair where they presents mailbox, fax, telex and
database access services they started to offer to Soviet customers as
they do in Europe.

According to Maxim Mordvinow, SCIP/Com.Box Moscow representative,
company is selling the services provided by Berlin-based company and,
in fact, acting as an agent to establish telecommunictions ties and
for billing purposes.

Mr Mordvinow told Newsbytes that at the moment company uses existingpacket
switching premises and has to pay high rents which causes the
prices to be highest ones among other COm.Box charges. Connection o
Com.Box from Moscow is charged 2 Deuche Marks (DM) per call plus 2DM
per each kilobyte sent or receiver plus 1 DM per minute online. Prices
for the same services in Germany are 0.07DM, 0.005DM and 0.14DM
respectively.

"Currently we have to charge high rates since telecomunications are
poor here. But we expect to join another telecommunications provider
in the nearest future which will let us to lower prices," Mr Mordvinow
said.

Com.Box Moscow partner is a company which name is an acronym for
Social and Cultural Initiatives and Programms.

(Kirill Tchashchin/19900920/Press contact: Maxim Mordvinow, SCIP,
phone [phone]; Com.Box office, Berln, [phone])


(NEWS)(BUSINESS)(MOW)(00033)

BORLAND BUYING RUSSIAN OCR SOFTWARE
MOSCOW, U.S.S.R., 1990 SEP 24 (NB) -- Borland is to pay $800,000 to
Russians programmers for their optical characer recognition (OCR)
package.

According to Sergey Razumov, Deputy Director of Science, "Elit"
company and a author of the package they have developed a OCR prram
which can simply learn new fonts and is fast-working. AI Reader,
completely developed by Soviets was bought by U.S. Knowledge Expres
and now Elit is to sell the package to Borland.

At the moment AI Reader support a range of scanners but works on the
EGA monitor only. According to Mr Razumov, Borland representatives
agreed to buy it after VGA support will be incorporated. "Elit is to
make it within a couple of months," Razumov told Newsbytes.

He said that they are working out now to implement new Soviet-born
algorithm for character recognition which will increase processing
speed from 1 minute to 12 seconds per page. This version will be ready
to the end of the year.

AI Reader has a built-in spell checker to minimize optical processng
errors.

Package has a user interface which was made "according to tough U.S.
market standards."

AI Reader is currently available for 15,000 roubles in the country or
$950 through Knowledge Express. Company representative told Newsbyes
that they are to lower U.S. prices to $500 level.

(Kirill Tchashchin/19900920/Press contact: Sergey Razumov, Elit, phone
[phone])


(NEWS)(UNIX)(TYO)(00034)

FUJITSU TO DEVELOP RISC SERVER FOR SUN WS
TOKYO, JAPAN, 1990 SEP 24 (NB) -- Fujitsu, one of the OEMs(original
equipment manufacturers) for Sun Microsystems workstations,
is developing a multi-processing workstation with a RISC processor
licensed by Sun Microsystems, according to a published source.

Fujitsu claims the multi-processor machine will function
as a network server for its S series workstations which have
been sold by receiving supply from Sun Microsystems on an
OEM basis.

The machine is expected to have four to eight Sun's SPARC RISC
(reduced instruction set computer) processors and will compute
at a maximum of 160 MIPS (million instructions set computer).

Fujitsu also plans to let the machine have Sun's Application
Binary Interface to keep application programs compatible with its
S series and has developed an original FORTRAN compiler to
make the best use of processors connected in parallel, the source

Fujitsu is developing a parallel processing Unix operating system
as a member of Unix International, a Unix standardization
organization led by AT&T and Sun Microsystems, but the machine
is likely to be developed with its original technology.

Under an agreement with Sun Microsystems to sell machines on
an OEM basis, Fujitsu could not develop a machine which competes
in the market. But Fujitsu aims to avoid conflict with the partner
by positioning the new machine as a server. The machine, if it appears,
will be the first SPARC RISC-based machine from Fujitsu.

(Naoyuki Yazawa/19900920)