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/nb901126

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(NEWS)(BUSINESS)(SFO)(00001)

 BoCoEx Index 11/26/90

 Closing Prices on the Boston Computer Exchange
 for the week ending November 23, 1990

 Machine                          Closing Price    Ask    Bid

 IBM PC 176             Floppy      375 -          450    200

 IBM XT 086             10 MgB      500 -          550    450

 IBM XT 089             20 MgB      550 -          625    400

 IBM AT 099             20 MgB      650 -          975    500

 IBM AT 239             20 MgB      875 -         1025    750

 IBM AT 339             30 MgB      925 -         1100    900

 IBM PS/2 Model 30      20 MgB      900 -         1250    775

 IBM PS/2 Model 30-286  20 MgB     1250 -         1300   1125

 IBM PS/2 Model 50      20 MgB     1250 -         1450   1200

 IBM PS/2 Model 50Z     30 MgB     1300 -         1600   1200

 IBM PS/2 Model 55SX    60 MgB     2300 -         2500   2100

 IBM PS/2 Model 60      40 MgB     1500 -         1800   1400

 IBM PS/2 Model 70      60 MgB     2600 down 100  2900   2600

 IBM PS/2 Model 70P     60 MgB     3425 -         3450   3175

 IBM PS/2 Model 80      70 MgB     3000 -         3325   2900

 Compaq Portable        Floppy      400 -          500    400

 Compaq Portable II     20 MgB      900 -         1050    875

 Compaq Portable III    20 MgB     1300 -         1425   1300

 Compaq Portable 286    20 MgB     1275 -         1450   1100

 Compaq Portable 386    40 MgB     2600 -         2800   2500

 Compaq SLT-286         20 MgB     2500 -         2625   2000

 Compaq LTE-286         20 MgB     2000 -         2100   1850

 Compaq LTE-286         40 MgB     2500 -         2800   2500

 Compaq Dskpro          20 MgB      500 -          550    500

 Compaq Dskpro 286      40 MgB     1175 -         1400   1100

 Compaq Dskpro 386/16   60 MgB     2500 -         2600   2200

 Compaq Dskpro 386SX/16 60 MgB     2200 -         2300   1800

 Compaq Dskpro 386/20   60 MgB     2900 -         3100   2400

 Macintosh Plus         Floppy      500 -          750    500

 Macintosh Plus         20 MgB      750 -          975    700

 Macintosh SE           Floppy      800 down 100  1025    700

 Macintosh SE           20 MgB     1100 down  50  1250   1100*

 Macintosh SE           40 MgB     1150 -         1450   1100

 Macintosh SE-30        40 MgB     2300 up 50     2400   2200

 Macintosh SE-30        80 MgB     2850 -         3000   2700

 Macintosh II           40 MgB     2800 down 200  3000   2600*

 Macintosh IIX          80 MgB     3900 -         4450   3800

 Macintosh IICX         40 MgB     3500 -         4100   3400

 Macintosh IICX         80 MgB     3800 -         4400   3800

 Macintosh IICI         80 MgB     4700 -         4875   4225

 Macintosh IIFX         80 MgB     6600 -         7100   6500

 Macintosh Portable     40 MgB     2925 -         3400   2600

 Apple 2e               Floppy      350 -          400    300

 Apple 2gs              Floppy     1000 -         1100    850

 Apple Imagewriter II               275 down 25    350    275

 Apple Laserwriter 2NT             2300 down 100  2500   2000

 Toshiba T-1200HB       20 MgB     1050 -         1230   1000

 Toshiba T-1200XE       40 MgB     2000 -         2050   1600

 Toshiba T-3100         10 MgB      850 -          900    800

 Toshiba T-3100         20 MgB     1375 -         1550   1200

 Toshiba T-3100 SX      40 MgB     3250 up 125    3300   2800*

 Toshiba T-3200         40 MgB     1950 -         2150   1800

 Toshiba T-5100         40 MgB     2700 -         2800   2400

 Toshiba T-5200         100MgB     4075 -         3900   3200

 Zenith SuperSport-286  20 MgB     1375 -         1625   1400

 Zenith TurboSport-386  40 MgB     1900 -         2150   1900

                                        *Top Demand This Week

The big story at COMDEX last week was laptops.  Heightened
awareness and new introductions drove prices up on the Exchange,
with several models trading actively.

IBM has introduced two new machines, based in Intel's 486i
microprocessor, to compete with Compaq's SystemPro series.  With
pricing to capture market share in the "file server" area, this
move has pushed some high-end PS/2 70 and PS/2 80 models into the
secondary market.  The Exchange trading floor reports strong
demand for 386-based machines in both the 25 and 33Mhz
configuration.

Compaq is receiving industry and media attention for its
premium-priced SystemPro series.  Their older, 386-based machines
trade well in the used market, but no longer command high prices
due to the increase in perceived quality and service from the
clone manufacturers such as Dell, Northgate, and AST.  Trading on
the Exchange was light this week.

Shipment of new models from Macintosh continues to put downward
pressure on pricing in older models.  The SE and II series are
trading in large volumes, with both domestic and international
demand.

Index prices are based on configurations of complete systems with
a keyboard, monochrome monitor and adapter, less the value of any
software or other peripherals.  Call: 617-542-4414 or the Buyer's
Hot Line: 1-800-BoCoExx or FAX: [phone].  To access the
BoCoEx Database on-line or read the BoCoEx Index: CompuServe: GO
BCE, Delphi: ME BO.  BoCoEx Index appears in PC Week,
ComputerWorld, UPI and IDG Wire Service, NewsBytes, CompuServe,
Delphi, Boston Business Journal, Boston Globe, and in other
publications around the world.

(BOCOEX/19901122)


(EXCLUSIVE)(TRENDS)(MOW)(00002)

MOSCOW: COUNTRY TRANSPUTER DEVELOPMENT TREND 11/26/90
MOSCOW, U.S.S.R., 1990 NOV 26 (NB) -- A Soviet transputer
expert shared his view on this country's research in this
field with Newsbytes. "We have plenty of software developers
with good ideas," he said.

Mr. Nikolay Moiseev, chief of a Department in the Computer
and Informatics'Problems Institute, Moscow (GKVTI), told
Newsbytes that "specifically on the Soviet market,
transputers are most adequate to handle gaps in our
poor economy's structure, especially considering
price/performance ratio."

"We have huge stocks of parallel code for implementing
a wide variety of mathematical algorithms which can be fast
and inexpensively ported to the new hardware, like the H1
transputer," Moiseev told Newsbytes.

Despite his positive comments, Moiseev was unable to give
any estimates of how many transputers are installed throughout
the USSR because all of them were "illegally imported items"
and nobody wants to publicize the fact that they own one.
The only number Newsbytes was given was 30 -- that's how
many people work with parallel processing problems,
including transputers in the Institute in which Moiseev works,
but even they are frequently borrowing equipment from
several other companies.

"We look carefully at technology transfer regulations and are
hoping that regular transputers and the chips for them will
become available to us very soon. We plan to start designing
our own transputers," Moiseev said.

He confirmed also that there are some projects in progress
to design and build proprietary processors which "fit
comfortably into the regular parallel processing environment"
although he gave no other details.

From Moiseev's viewpoint, the transputers seminar in the USSR
last summer shows that there are a number of parties
involved in this research, especially academic institutions,
and that although there have been some developments, transputers
are very far from commercial production.

Moiseev also noted that he thinks Western parallel procesing
companies like TransTech and Sension are unlikely to push for
business in the Soviet Union.

(Kirill Tchashchin/19901123/Press contact:Nikolay Moiseev, GKVTI,
phone [phone] fax [phone])


(NEWS)(TELECOM)(LON)(00003)

UK: TRICOM RELEASES LX PAD SYSTEM 11/26/90
HIGH WYCOMBE, BUCKS, ENGLAND, 1990 NOV 26 (NB) -- Tricom, the
connectivity systems specialist, has launched the LX Pad, which
combines an X.25 link system with network management facilities,
billing and performance auditing software, as well as a network
security system,

The LX Pad allows allows asynchronous devices to access private
and public X.25 packet data networks and also provides
comprehensive billing information and performance statistics,
local and remote management and control, network user
identification (NUI) support and extended asynchronous device
handling.

In use, the LX Pad concentrates data from 4 to 8 asynchronous
devices onto a single X.25 link, running at speeds up to 72 kbps
with channel rates of up to 19.2 kbps. Pricing on the unit starts
at UK 1,000.

(Steve Gold/19901123/Press & Public Contact: Tricom
Communications - Tel: [phone])


(NEWS)(IBM)(WAS)(00004)

MERIDIAN SHIPS LOW-PRICED ADAZ DEVELOPMENT SYSTEM 11/26/90
IRVINE, CALIFORNIA, U.S.A., 1990 NOV 26 (NB) -- In a move to
capture a large portion of the Ada language market, Meridian
Software has started shipping a $149 Ada development
system. Ada is the language developed by the Pentagon as a new
standard language to replace COBOL (the last language adopted as
a U.S. military standard).

Ada compiler and development systems are normally priced in the
thousands or tens of thousands of dollars, making it difficult
for independent programmers and small businesses to become
familiar with this powerful general purpose computer language,
but Meridian's new AdaZ compiler, linker, debugger, optimizer,
windowed code editor, and library is a fully validated Ada system
with an introductory price of only $149.

All Ada compilers and development systems must meet stringent
test requirements conducted by military contractors before they
can use the name Ada, which was given to the language to honor
Ada Lovelace, Lord Byron's daughter, who is thought by many to be
the first computer programmer because of the ideas she gave
Charles Babbage.

Meridian has been selling more expensive Ada compilers for years
and has eliminated both a more expensive development system and a
student version by bringing out this more powerful low-priced
version. AdaZ carries a list price of $495 but is being
discounted to $149 for the next 60 days.

This bureau's copy of AdaZ came on ten 360 kilobyte 5.25-inch
disks and wasaccompanied by a moderate amount of documentation,
although the package did not include an Ada language tutor. Ada
is a powerful full-featured language and is intended for
professional programmers, especially those wishing to create
embedded real-time systems such as for military use.

Since Ada is now the standard language as specified by the
Department of Defense and because it was specifically designed to
allow reuse of previously created code, Ada is thought by some
observers to be a good candidate to become a major programming
language in both government and business, despite the fact that
it lacks a specific support for currency operations.

AdaZ requires a 640 kilobyte memory PC or PS/2 compatible system
running MS-DOS and a hard disk.

For further information, contact Meridian Software Systems, 10
Pasteur St., Irvine, CA 92718. Phone [phone].

(John McCormick/19901123)


(NEWS)(GENERAL)(WAS)(00005)

PDO REWRITABLE OPTICAL DISCS QUALIFIED FOR SHARP DRIVE 11/26/90
WASHINGTON, DC, U.S.A., 1990 NOV 26 (NB) -- Philips and DuPont
Optical Company (PDO) has just received qualification for its
5.25-inch rewritable glass optical discs which identifies them as
fully compatible with Sharp's Magneto Optical (M.O.) rewritable
drive models JY-700 and JY-7000.

The 650 megabyte discs from PDO provide a second source of media
for the Sharp drives besides those sold by Sharp. PDO discs made
in the company's Eindhoven, Netherlands factory are also
qualified by Sony, Ricoh, and Maxoptix for use in their M.O.
drives. PDO discs carry a 25-year guarantee and data warranty.

PDO is a 50-50 joint venture of N.V. Philips and DuPont.

(John McCormick/19901123/Press Contact: Kelli Kukura, PDO, 302-
479-2507)


(NEWS)(APPLE)(TYO)(00006)

JAPAN: ODA-BASED WORD PROCESSOR FROM KDD 11/26/90
TOKYO, JAPAN, 1990 NOV 26 (NB) -- Kokusai Denshin Denwa or KDD
of Japan has developed word processing software, ODA Word for
Macintosh personal computers, based on Open Document Architecture
or ODA defined by the CCITT (International Telegraph and Telephone
Consultative Committee) and the ISO (International Standard
Organization). ODA was defined by CCITT and ISO as a multimedia
platform upon which documents created by different word processors
could be edited and amended by other platforms.

The documents based on the standard structure can
be transferred via a communication network under DTAM (Document
Transfer and Manipulation) or MHS (Message Handling System).
The software was announced at the ODA Symposium held in Paris,
France.

(Naoyuki Yazawa/19901121/Press Contact: KDD, 03-347-6934)


(NEWS)(TRENDS)(TYO)(00007)

HITACHI-DEVELOPED CD-ROM APPLICATION SYSTEM 11/26/90
TOKYO, JAPAN, 1990 NOV 26 (NB) -- Hitachi has developed a portable
multimedia system based on the CD-ROM/XA format. It comes with a
5-inch color LCD (liquid crystal display) and a 12 centimeter CD-ROM
(compact disk-read only memory) drive, on a trial basis.
The prototype machine is an interactive multimedia tool and all
the functions, such as color display, image processing and
control units, are packed in an A4 file size and 70 millimeter-high
body as a stand-alone system.

The color display unit will process an image with 640 by 480
standard personal computer graphic resolution, and pick up 256
colors from the palette of 256,000 colors. Consequently 2,000
still pictures can be stored on a 12-centimeter CD-ROM disk.

The audio signal processing unit will retrieve data on a CD-ROM
and output to a built-in speaker, outer audio or headphone terminal
as a stereo signal.

Also, its control unit employs a 16-bit CPU (central processing
unit) and has an MS-DOS emulation function.

Since the portable machine based on the CD-ROM/XA format is
the first in the world, it establishes Hitachi's technical advantage
in this arena for the immediate future.

(Naoyuki Yazawa/19901121/Press Contact: Hitachi Co., Ltd.
045-881-4970)


(NEWS)(GOVT)(SYD)(00008)

AUSTRALIA: INFORMATION ON FEDERAL GOVERNMENT IN A STACK 11/26/90
CANBERRA, AUSTRALIA, 1990 NOV 26 (NB) -- Information on the
working of the Federal Government is now available in a Hypercard
stack to facilitate the easy study of the political workings of
Australia. The stack has been specifically designed with the
student in mind, and is available from the Parliamentary
Education Office at Parliament House.

Incorporating data from the 1986 census, the stack guides
students to the required information. Also included is
information on senators and members of the House of
Representatives, recent election results, electorate profiles,
and profiles of past parliamentarians and Prime Ministers.
According to David Arnold, one of the computer consultants with
the Parliamentary Education Office, the stack "is never daunting.
Even teachers or students with limited computer experience will
be able to adapt readily to the program."

The stack runs under Apple's Hypermedia system, Hypercard
(versions 1.2.2, 1.2.5 and 2.0). The stack is supplied on five
disks, and costs AUS$50 from the Parliamentary Education Office.
The stack will be regularly updated by the office to keep up with
changes in the Australian political scene.

(Sean McNamara/19901122)


(NEWS)(TELECOM)(SYD)(00009)

AUSTRALIAN ACADEMIC NETWORK EXPANDED 11/26/90
SYDNEY, AUSTRALIA, 1990 NOV 26 (NB) -- OTC has expanded the
capacity of the Australian Academic Research Network (AARNet) to
cater to the greater than expected demand on the system. AARNet
allows Australian academics to access international databases
(mainly in the U.S) via satellite links.

The network was established in August of this year, and many
local observers wondered if Australia had the "tertiary
sophistication" to maintain such a system, said Paul Rea, a
spokesman for OTC. However, demand has been so great that OTC has
now increased the capacity of the network from 56 Kbps [kilobits
per second] to 128 Kbps through its Skystream service.

The network is run by the Australian Vice Chancellors' Committee,
the Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research Organization
(CSIRO), and the Australian Committee of Directors and
Principals. AARNet provides local researchers with links to
research institutes and databases around the world from desktop
terminals. It was expected that the 56 Kbps capacity would be
adequate till mid-1991, said Geoff Huston, AARNet's network
technical manager. "But acceptance and use of the network by
scholars and researchers has been so enthusiastic that the volume
of data is growing by up to 12% a week," he said.

(Sean McNamara/19901122/Press Contact: Paul Rea, phone in
Australia [phone])


(NEWS)(GENERAL)(SYD)(00010)

JAPANESE LOOK TO AUSTRALIAN PROGRAMMING HOUSES 11/26/90
ADELAIDE, AUSTRALIA, 1990 NOV 26 (NB) -- Japanese computer
companies, often unable to find programming staff are looking
overseas, and many have come to Australia. Recently, a Japanese
consortium named Adelaide's Computel Computing Services as a
"model" for Australian development of Japanese software.

The consortium is called Australia-Japan Bridge, and consists of
a number of small systems developers and software purchasers,
including Matsushita. Adelaide is the proposed site of the
Japanese/Australian multifunction group and is seen likely to be
the site of many large software development projects starting
later in the nineties.

Computel's methods are also being examined by other Asian
countries keen on being part of the multi-country, multi-culture
software development marketplace, expected to boom over the next
few years. Additional projects being undertaken include the
development of international standards, conversion techniques and
quality control procedures.

(Paul Zucker/19901122)
(NEWS)(BUSINESS)(LAX)(00011)

INTERLEAF, IBM SIGN MARKETING PACT 11/26/90
CAMBRIDGE. MASSACHUSETTS, U.S.A., 1990 NOV 26 (NB) --
Representatives of IBM will now be marketing Interleaf publishing
software for the IBM RISC System/6000. Interleaf, however, will
set prices, terms, and conditions for its software.

In making the announcement, Mark Ruport, senior vice president of
sales and marketing for Interleaf said: "We are finding enormous
demand worldwide for our publishing software on the IBM RISC
System/6000 and our agreement with IBM will enable Interleaf and
IBM to respond even more effectively to this demand."

Interleaf active publishing technology provides information
accessing capabilities along with the ability to transform that
information into text and graphics and distribute it
electronically or as hard copy and manage the flow of documents
and information. In addition to being able to create text and
graphics documents using Interleaf, users can import data into
Interleaf from popular word processing programs, PCs, computer-
aided design systems, scanners, and mainframes. The software also
automatically hyphenates and spell-checks in 13 languages and
supports European paper sizes, keyboards, and character sets.

(Janet Endrijonas/19901126/Press Contact: John Squire, Interleaf,
617-577-9800, ext. 4470)


(NEWS)(BUSINESS)(LAX)(00012)

NEXT COMPUTER BEGINS VOLUME NEXTSTATION SHIPMENTS 11/26/90
REDWOOD CITY, CALIFORNIA, U.S.A., 1990 NOV 26 (NB) -- The
Nextstation 68040-based computer has begun shipping in volume
right on the targeted schedule. In addition, Next has also
announced the start of Nextcube computer shipments--the 68040-
based version of the company's cube-shaped computer.

Also shipping are 68040 CPU boards to upgrade existing 68030-
based Next computers already in use. Two new color computers, the
Nextstation Color and Nextdimension are scheduled to ship in
first quarter 1991. All new Next 68040 products including the CPU
boards contain Next's latest release of its software, Nextstep
Release 2.0 which can be purchased on its own and is compatible
with Next 68030-based equipment already in the field.

The Nextstation is a complete system that includes floppy and
hard disk drives and Nextstep, Next's software environment for a
list price of $4,995 is described by the company as "the most
affordable Next computer with one of the most impressive
price/performance ratios of any computer in its class."

(Janet Endrijonas/19901126/Press Contact: Emily Brower, Allison
Thomas Associates, 415-780-3786)


(NEWS)(TRENDS)(LAX)(00013)

MOTOROLA SHIPS 68040 MICROPROCESSOR IN VOLUME 11/26/90
AUSTIN, TEXAS, U.S.A., 1990 NOV 26 (NB) -- Motorola's
Microprocessor and Memory Technologies Group has announced the
initial volume shipments of the production version 68040
microprocessor. A total of 36 companies including Apple, Hewlett-
Packard/Apollo, NCR, Next, and Unisys have announced intentions
to use the 68040 microprocessor in future products.

The 68040 embodies a complete redesign of the 68000 architecture
enabling it to deliver what the company says is from three to 10
times the performance of its 68030 predecessor yet the 68040 is
fully compatible with all members of the 68000 family. It is
rated at 20 MIPS (million instructions per second) and 3.5 MFLOPS
(million floating point operations per second) at 25 MHZ and thus
offers what is said to be the highest throughput of any
mainstream processor, performing up to 14 operations at the same
time.

(Janet Endrijonas/19901126/Press Contact: Dean Mosely, Motorola,
512/891-2839)


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

HITACHI ANNOUNCES GENERAL PURPOSE NEURAL COMPUTER 11/26/90
NEW YORK, NEW YORK, U.S.A., 1990 NOV 26 (NB) -- Hitachi, Ltd.
has announced the development of a general-purpose neural
computer with learning circuits that can carry out up to
2.3 billion operations per second. The new neural computer
was unveiled at "Hitachi Technology 1991," a
technology fair being held at New York's Marriott Marquis Hotel
from November 26-28.

Hitachi's announcement states that the new system has the highest
learning performance ever achieved by such a computer. It includes
1,152 neurons and measures 12 inches high, 8.3 inches wide and nine
inches deep.

Hitachi also has developed stock price prediction and signature
verification applications which can be run on a workstation
linked with the neural system. A stock price prediction has been
timed at ten seconds while signature verification took two seconds.

In describing the differences between standard digital computers
and neural systems, the announcement stated: "A neural computer
is an information processing system which uses a neural network
modeled on the human brain. The Naumann-type computers in common
use today can handle problems amenable to numerical, comparative, and other types of logical processing at very high speeds. These
systems, however, are dawdlers when it comes to tasks that require
intuition, such as optimization and pattern recognition. On the
other hand, the neural computer - like the human brain that it
imitates - is poor at numerical calculations, but adept at
solving problems that involve optimization. Another feature
that sets the neural computer apart is its ability to learn.
Like the human brain, the neural computer can quickly store
huge quantities of information and come up with an optimized
solution almost instantaneously."

(Barbara E. McMullen & John F. McMullen/19901126/Press Contact:
Charlie Naito, Hitachi, 914-333-2902)


(NEWS)(GENERAL)(NYC)(00015)

LAURENCE TRIBE TO ADDRESS COMPUTER CONFERENCE 11/26/90
SAN FRANCISCO, CALIFORNIA, U.S.A., 1990 NOV 26 (NB) -- Jim
Warren, chairman of the first Computers, Freedom and Privacy
Conference, has announced that Harvard Law Professor Laurence
Tribe will give the conference's opening address. The
conference is to be held March 25-28, 1991 at the SFO
Marriott Hotel in Burlingame, California.

In describing the conference, Warren, founder of InfoWorld
Magazine and the long-running West Coast Computer Faire,
told Newsbytes: "This event will pull together computer
professionals and users, government and private-sector
information providers and users, teleconferencing and
networking operators and users, law enforcement officials,
legislative and Congressional representatives, federal and
state regulators, telecom and datacom service providers,
constitutional experts and civil libertarians. It
will be their first opportunity to discuss, together, their
interests and concerns about privacy and electronic civil
liberties in the Information Age. They will address how best
to protect responsible exercise of electronic speech,
electronic assembly, electronic press, personal privacy
and freedom of access to information -- the essence of a
free society. This will open valuable channels of
communication, identify areas of consensus,
and build needed bridges connecting the electronic frontier's
rapidly expanding, diverse communities."

Warren stressed the involvement of many diverse groups in the conference, saying: "The sponsor is the Computer Professionals
for Social Responsibility, with current co-sponsors including the
Videotex Industry Association, Electronic Networking, the
Electronic Frontier Foundation, the Peninsula ACLU, the WELL and
Portal Communications.  As of today, it is almost certain that
other cooperating organizations will include the
Association for Computing Machinery, ACM SIGCAS (Computers and
Society), ACM SIGSOFT, the ACM SF&HR (Committee on Scientific
Freedom & Human Rights), the national ACLU, the ACLU's Project on
Information Technology, and the Cato Institute."

Warren went on: "The Program Committee includes the former Director
of the Research Institute for Advanced Computer Science, one of
Washington's better-known computer privacy experts, the many-year
administrator of the Stanford Artificial Intelligence Lab, a
network specialist instrumental in creating PeaceNet and EcoNet,
a well-known computer security expert with Digital Equipment
Corp, a prosecutor nationally known for his computer crime
prosecutions, an attorney for the WELL who specializes in
datacomm law, the founder of InfoWorld and half a dozen other
ventures, and the organizer of most of the Hackers'
Conferences (hackers; not crackers). These also include a
former ACM President, a current member of the Board of Directors
of the local ACLU Chapter, a one-time CIA consultant, the
founding president of the Microcomputer Industry Trade
Association, the founding host of PBS' "Computer Chronicles"
series, the "futures" columnist for MicroTimes,
and current Director of CPSR's Washington DC offices."

(Barbara E. McMullen & John F. McMullen/19901126/Press Contact: Jim
Warren, CPF Conference Chairman, 415-851-2814 (fax))


(NEWS)(GENERAL)(TOR)(00016)

GROUNDHOG GRAPHICS TO SELL RADIATION SHIELDS 11/26/90
PUNXSUTAWNEY, PENNSYLVANIA, U.S.A., 1990 NOV 26 (NB) -- Groundhog
Graphics, manufacturer of graphics boards, has announced that it
will distribute radiation shields for computer monitors. Doug
Sandlin, president of Groundhog, told Newsbytes Groundhog's
customers are a natural market for radiation shields, since
high-resolution color monitors used for graphics emit more
radiation and graphics users often spend a lot of time at their
computers.

Groundhog Graphics will distribute the NoRad brand of radiation
shields.

Sandlin said that while there is no scientific proof of serious
health problems resulting from monitor radiation, there is
widespread concern. He noted a rash of articles on the subject in
industry magazines in recent months. Research suggests a distinct
possibility of radiation danger, he said -- "there is a definite
cause for concern." The US$139 radiation shields will offer
computer users peace of mind, Sandlin argued.

As well as manufacturing graphics boards, Groundhog distributes
input devices such as mice.

(Grant Buckler/19901123/Press Contact: Doug Sandlin, Groundhog
Graphics, 800-472-7499 or 814-938-8943)


(NEWS)(GENERAL)(TOR)(00017)

CANADIAN PROGRESS USERS FORM GROUP 11/26/90
TORONTO, ONTARIO, CANADA, 1990 NOV 26 (NB) -- Canadian users of
the Progress fourth-generation language have formed a national
users' group. The new organization includes a year-old regional
chapter in British Columbia and chapters in Ontario and Quebec
that were formed in June.

Peter Vincent, general manager of Progress Software's Canadian
operation here, told Newsbytes some six percent of the Bedford,
Massachusetts company's worldwide sales are in Canada, amounting
to between 2,000 and 2,400 licenses in this country. Progress is
available for MS-DOS, Unix, VAX VMS, CTOS/BTOS operating systems.
Vincent said Unix sales account for about 60 percent of the
total.

The three existing chapters will hold regular meetings to discuss
technical and marketing issues related to the software and the
company. Vincent said more chapters are expected to be formed
soon.

Progress Software acts a resource for the user group and does not
get involved in its management, Vincent added.

(Grant Buckler/19901123/Press Contact: Peter Vincent, Progress
Software Canada, 416-620-6766; Tony Dolph, Progress Software,
617-275-4500 ext. 477)


(NEWS)(IBM)(LON)(00018)

BANYAN VINES RELEASED IN SPANISH 11/26/90
MADRID, SPAIN, 1990 NOV 26 (NB) -- Banyan Systems has announced
the availability of Spanish Vines, the Spanish language version
of its integrated network operating system. The new package,
which was demonstrated earlier this week in Madrid, forms part
of the latest version of Vines Release 4.0, which supports all of
Vines' advanced networking features.

The Spanish version of the package was translated in conjunction
with SDI, Banyan Systems' country partner in Spain. The Spanish
language module forms part of the multilingual version of Banyan
Vines, which can now support English, French and German, as well
as Spanish users concurrently on the same network.

Announcing Spanish Vines, James Ringrose, European marketing
director with Banyan Systems, said: "The market opportunity for
the Spanish version of Vines has always been significant.
However, with this new Spanish version, multi-national companies
will be able to build multi-lingual networks that fully integrate
the Spanish translation of Vines with English, French and German
versions," he said.

The first customer shipments of Spanish Vines are scheduled for
December, 1990. The list price in the UK starts at UKP 960, which
buys an entry-level version of Vines/286.

(Steve Gold/19901123/Press & Public Contact: Banyan Systems -
Tel: [phone])
(NEWS)(IBM)(LON)(00019)

UK: TOSHIBA SHAVES LASER PRINTER PRICING 11/26/90
WEYBRIDGE, SURREY, ENGLAND, 1990 NOV 26 (NB) -- Toshiba has
shaved the price of its Pagelaser 6 and Pagelaser 6/G laser
printers. According to Nick Hall, marketing manager for the
Japanese giant, the price cuts - coupled with a per page
printing cost of 1.78 pence (3.2 cents) - make the machines
unbeatable in the present marketplace.

"Business uses now rate cost-effectiveness as highly as the
quality performance of a personal laser printer. Our printers
combine the two," he said.

"At six pages per minute, they are fast enough to print the
average office document in under a minute, while optional memory
upgrade cards and font cartridges make them even more flexible.
The printers also come with 12 months on-site warranty as
standard," he added.

The new recommended price of the Pagelaser 6 in the UK is UKP 995
(down from UKP 1,290) while the price of the Pagelaser 6/G falls
to UKP 1,95 (down from UKP 1,495). Both printers support six
pages per minute printing, with the Pagelaser 6/G featuring an
extra 1MB of RAM for complex graphics printing.

(Steve Gold/19901126/Press Contact: Nick Hall, Toshiba
Information Systems - Tel: [phone])


(NEWS)(BUSINESS)(MOW)(00020)

VOLKSWAGEN AND CDC START JOINT SOFTWARE FIRM 11/26/90
FRANKFURT-AM-MAIN, GERMANY, 1990 NOV 26 (NB) -- Volkswagen AG and
Control Data Corporation have announced a joint software development
venture called ICEM Systems GmbH. Its goals are to establish Control
Data's ICEM (Integrated Computer Aided Engineering and Manufacturing)
product family as a leading open CAD/CAM system on the market for
automobile and mechanical equipment manufacturing industries and to
develop next generation CAD systems.

This shows a move by Volkswagen to put its efforts into a commercially
available CAD/CAM system instead of continuing to develop its own
software privately.

"With the establishment of ICEM Systems, we have created the synergy
to develop task-specific solutions for product design, development and
production. This will enable us to significantly extend our
competitive advantage," Mr. Hagler Hultzsch, general manager of
Management Information Systems at Volkswagen said.

"The work of the new company can be helpful for Soviet car
manufacturers, who will need new software to become competitive," Mr.
Myev, a Control Data representative in Moscow told Newsbytes.

The new company, in which Control Data and Volkswagen will have equal
shares, is said to be the first joint venture between leading computer
systems producer and one of world's largest automobile manufacturers.

ICEM Systems will be headquartered in Hannover, Germany and will begin
operations on December 1, 1990. The company's president will come from
Control Data GmbH while Volkswagen will contribute financial,
organizational and product management officers.

(Kirill Tchashchin/19901126/Contact: Control Data GmbH, [phone],
Control Data Moscow office [phone])


(NEWS)(BUSINESS)(MOW)(00021)

MOSCOW: CDC MAKES FIRST DEAL IN 11 YEARS 11/26/90
MOSCOW, U.S.S.R., 1990 NOV 26 (NB) -- The first three Cyber computers
are being installed in the Scientific Research Institute of Power
Engineering in Moscow with three more to come next year. It's the
first sale of Control Data computers since the 1979 Afganistan
invasion export ban on high-tech equipment.

Mr. Victor Myev, Control Data USSR sales director told Newsbytes
that these computers will be used for nuclear power plant security
systems.

He told Newsbytes that Soviet personnel are now being trained in
Frankfurt, Germany to provide maintenance and service for
these machines.

Mr. Myev said: "The Soviet market is huge and there's enough room for
growth" but he refused to give estimates of expected business in the
coming year. "The economy is very unstable here and nobody can tell
what'll happen even next week," he concluded.

(Kirill Tchashchin/19901126/Press contact: Victor Myev, Control Data
Corp., phone [phone])


(NEWS)(GENERAL)(SYD)(00022)

HIGH-END AUSTRALIAN ACCOUNTING PACKAGE AIMS AT ORACLE 11/26/90
ADELAIDE, AUSTRALIA, 1990 NOV 26 (NB) -- The market for $200,000
accounting packages may not have the high volumes enjoyed by PC
products, but at that price it's quality of customer that counts.
Australian software manufacturer CSP has developed Prophecy under
the Ingres database environment, and has aimed it at traditional
customers of the Oracle financial system -- companies with annual
turnover in the tens of millions of dollars.

Prophecy consists of a complete suite of modules for payroll,
personnel and management accounting and is designed for modern
client/multiserver environments such as Unix on Sun, Sequent,
Prime and Unisys computers. It is the result of a 30 man-year
project, and the Ingres fourth generation database allows each
version to be customized to the user's needs. It has been bought
by a number of Australian and international companies, and CSP is
now negotiating with potential distributors in the US and Europe.

Other functions include: general ledger; accounts payable;
accounts receivable; order entry; purchasing; inventory; project
costing; and assets. It is expected that country-specific versions
will be created for local accounting practices, tax laws and so
on.

(Paul Zucker/19901126/Contact: Agent: Hani Iskander [phone]
or Press: Geoff Walkden [phone])


(NEWS)(APPLE)(SYD)(00023)

APPLE AUSTRALIA EMBARRASSED BY POPULARITY OF MAC CLASSIC 11/26/90
SYDNEY, AUSTRALIA, 1990 NOV 26 (NB) -- Despite round-the-clock
shifts in the Singapore manufacturing facility, Apple has found
itself unable to meet demand for the Mac Classic in most markets.
Australian dealers have been told that they are being allocated
stock on the same basis as US dealers, and as a result will have
to wait as long as them until supply meets demand -- at least
three months.

Apple Australia spokesperson Emilio Robles told Newsbytes that
his company is sourcing product from both the Singapore and
Fremont factories, and has already placed large orders for the
new LC model, expected early next year. "We had an excellent
campaign in August and that gave us record sales, but the new
machines have even outstripped those records. And the IDC market
data shows that we're not cannibalizing our own market for the
new Classic, but we've taken market share from the budget PC
area."

Asked if Apple Australia would follow IBM and other vendors in
appointing low-end retail dealers he said: "We were there back in
the early 80s with the Apple II and we'll never go back there
again. Our users need the support that they can never get from
rock-bottom discounters. They want to go back in six months and
find the same staff, and get good answers to their questions
which will be a lot more technical by then."

(Paul Zucker/19901126/Contact: Emilio Robles [phone])


(NEWS)(BUSINESS)(SYD)(00024)

IDC AUSTRALIA PREDICTS GOOD GROWTH IN LASER MARKET 11/26/90
SYDNEY, AUSTRALIA, 1990 NOV 26 (NB) -- The non-impact printer
market in Australia is expected to grow by an average of more
than 20 percent each year for the next five years, according to
International Data Corporation (IDC) Australia. The research
company predicts sales of 145,000 units (AUS$690M) in 1993.

The highest growth is predicted in the low-speed (less than 6
page per minute) machines, increasing from less than one percent
of the market, to 29 percent by unit. Rather than move to fast,
centralized printers, the move will be to more modest printers
shared by small work-groups. IDC also predicts a steady drop in
prices over the period, though top-end machines will become more
expensive as they get faster and add features such as color and
large page size. IDC also predicts the adoption of low-speed
lasers as personal printers, replacing the dot-matrix for many
quality-conscious applications.

(Paul Zucker/19901126)


(NEWS)(BUSINESS)(SYD)(00025)

BRISBANE DEVELOPER WINS SUN DEVELOPMENT PROJECT 11/26/90
BRISBANE, AUSTRALIA, 1990 NOV 26 (NB) -- Australian hardware
developer Delta Technology has been appointed by Sun to produce
an interface between Sun SPARC workstations and servers, and
Canon printers. This includes laser printers, bubblejet printers
and color laser copiers (with printer interface).

The first products are expected mid-1991 and are expected to be
sold worldwide by Sun. The project is part of Sun's input to the
Australian Partnership For Development (PFD) program where
overseas companies take part in local product development to
offset their normal import-oriented operations. Delta expects
this project to launch it into the international arena as a
high-end supplier of graphics and color printing hardware.

(Paul Zucker/19901126)


(NEWS)(GENERAL)(SYD)(00026)

AUSTRALIAN DESIGNED SYSTEM ENSURES AUDIO TAPE INTEGRITY 11/26/90
SYDNEY, AUSTRALIA, 1990 NOV 26 (NB) -- A tape system designed in
Australia that guarantees audio recording integrity is currently
being studied for possible use by the FBI and the British Police.
The TPR recording system, developed by local firm Tape Products
Research (TPR), is already in use by the Royal Australian Air
Force (RAAF) Police, the Australian Taxation Office, the
Department of Immigration, Australian Customs, the Los Angeles
Police Department, and the California Department of Justice.

The system is the only audio recording verification system in the
world, according to Ian McWhirter, managing director of TPR, and
has been heavily patented. The system works by recording a
simultaneous digital track and then encoding the whole signal
when the recording is first made. Any inconsistencies found later
on that digital track then point to tampering. The TPR system
uses a three tape system to ensure data integrity when checking.
Video and reel to reel systems can also be catered to, thereby
increasing the range of applications in which the system can be
used.

The TPR recording system has met the Californian Department of
Justice's approval by complying with the relevant regulations and
"electronically protecting the integrity of audio recordings."
TPR was established in 1981 by McWhirter to develop the system.
3M helped development until a disagreement on a suitable
recording medium. After buying the system development back from
3M with partners, McWhirter has now completed the development of
the system. TPR is hoping that the endorsement by such bodies as
the California Department of Justice will see the system succeed
in international markets.

(Sean McNamara/19901126/Press contact: Ian McWhirter, phone in
Australia [phone])


(NEWS)(IBM)(TOR)(00027)

NEW FOR IBM: Library Aids Windows LAN Development 11/26/90
TORONTO, ONTARIO, CANADA, 1990 NOV 26 (NB) -- A dynamic link
library (DLL) that gives Microsoft Windows applications access to
Novell NetWare service calls will dramatically simplify
development of Windows applications for networks, according to
the software's developer. Chris McBryan, president of PC Comnet
here, told Newsbytes the Windows version of his company's NetWare
Application Programming Interface Library (NAPIL) will free
developers from "a whole lot of tricks that had to be done" to
make Windows applications work with NetWare.

PC Comnet earlier offered a version of NAPIL for character-based
DOS applications, McBryan said. The company converted its
software to a dynamic link library, a popular approach in
Windows.

In the past, McBryan said, Windows programmers wanting to support
NetWare had to program their own interfaces to the network
software in a language such as C.

NAPIL allows any software that can call C functions to use
NetWare's service calls, McBryan said. That means existing
packages such as Asymetrix' Toolbook and Microsoft's Excel can
use its facilities, he said.

Novell itself has yet to announce tools to help Windows
developers work with NetWare. McBryan said PC Comnet has held
"very early discussions" with the networking company about the
possibility of Novell buying PC Comnet's technology. However, he
added, PC Comnet is not pinning all its hopes to that possibility
and is working on its own marketing plans for the software.

(Grant Buckler/19901122/Press Contact: Chris McBryan, PC Comnet,
416-289-1331)


(NEWS)(IBM)(TOR)(00028)

NEW PRODUCT: Cardinal Offers PC10-386SX  11/26/90
LANCASTER, PENNSYLVANIA, U.S.A., 1990 NOV 26 (NB) -- Cardinal
Technologies has announced the latest addition to its PC10 series
of desktop computers, the PC10-386SX. The integrated design is
similar to modular models of the Apple Macintosh and the IBM
PS/1, with a single power cord.

Based on a 20-megahertz Intel 386SX processor, the system sells
for US$999 with a VGA monitor built in. A version with a 40MB
fixed drive costs US$1,399.

The unit has base random-access memory of one megabyte,
expandable to eight megabytes, and supports Expanded Memory
Specification 4.0. There are one parallel and two serial ports
and a mouse port.  There are also two industry standard (ISA)
compatible expansion slots, one 16-bit and one eight-bit.

Cardinal has included an operating system, DR DOS 5.0, a
graphical user interface, built-in VGA graphics, and a
1.44-megabyte 3.5-inch disk drive.

Cardinal Technologies designs, manufactures and markets computer
components and systems under its own name and through other
companies.

(Grant Buckler/19901123/Press Contact: Nick Selch, Cardinal
Technologies, 717-293-3037)


(NEWS)(APPLE)(NYC)(00029)

DCA REPACKAGES MACIRMA, SUPPORTS NEW MACS 11/26/90
ALPHARETTA, GEORGIA, U.S.A., 1990 NOV 26 (NB) -- Digital
Communications Associates has announced it will combine in a single
package its MacIRMA Entry Emulator software for single session
Macintosh-to-mainframe communications, its MacIRMA WorkStation
software for multiple sessions and its MacIRMA hardware. This offer will
result in savings of as much as $300 over purchases of the products
separately.

In conjunction with the bundling announcement, DCA also announced
software and hardware support for the recently announced Apple
Macintosh IIsi, Macintosh LC and the Macintosh Classic.

Making the announcement, Paul A. Rodwick, vice president and general
manager, Macintosh Communications business unit, said: "Because our
software supports the new Macintosh's today, we have a corporate solution
now that is based on the industry's defacto standard for 3270 connectivity.
By bundling the emulation software for single session or Control Unit
Terminal (CUT) connectivity and multiple sessions or Distributed Function
Terminal (DFT) connectivity with hardware, we provide the Macintosh
market a simple solution to complex connectivity needs with a competitive
and cost-effective workstation solution for use now and in the future."

The newly packaged emulation software will be available with any of
DCA's MacIRMA hardware boards that support the Macintosh II, SE and
SE/30 product lines. DCA is also including in the new package, at no
additional charge, a MacIRMA Family Utilities Disk containing the
MacIRMA Application Programming Interface (API) drivers enabling
users to implement custom applications created by software developers for
use with DCA's MacIRMA product line.

DCA will offer the newly packaged MacIRMA Entry Emulator and
MacIRMA WorkStation software with its MacIRMA hardware boards
beginning in early November through its standard distribution channel for
a suggested retail price of $1,195.   The new MacIRMA hardware for the
Macintosh LC and the enhanced hardware which supports both the
Macintosh IIsi and the Macintosh SE/30 will be available in late winter
1991 for a suggested retail price of $1,195.  Upgrades on MacIRMA
software products are available through DCA's Customer Response Center.

(Barbara E. McMullen & John F. McMullen/19901121/Press Contact:
Elissa Stoll, Digital Communications Associates, Inc., 404-442-1000)


(NEWS)(APPLE)(NYC)(00030)

NEW FOR MACINTOSH: Version 2.0 of Correct Grammar 11/26/90
SAN FRANCISCO, CALIFORNIA, U.S.A., 1990 NOV 26 (NB) --
Lifetree Software has announced a new version of Correct Grammar. The
new release, version 2.0, adds, in the words of the announcement, "a new
system for identifying stylistic errors."

In announcing the new product, Camilo Wilson, chairman of Lifetree
Software, said: "Spell-checking has become an indispensable part of the
writing process, but why stop there? Checking your grammar and style is
just as critical, and now it's just as easy."

Correct Grammar supports Microsoft Word, Microsoft Works, Microsoft
Write, MacWrite, MacWrite II, WriteNow, WordPerfect, Acta, Acta
Advantage, AppleLink, Lotus Jazz, QuickLetter and all ASCII-compatible
word processing packages. It requires a Macintosh Plus, SE, or II with a
hard disk and at least one megabyte of RAM. System 4.2 or later is
required. It has a suggested retail price of $99 and is available
immediately.

(Barbara E. McMullen & John F. McMullen/19901121/Press Contact: Pam
Buda, Lifetree Software, 415-541-7864)