Newsbytes - International Computing Industry News 1983 May to 1994 June

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(NEWS)(GENERAL)(SFO)(00001) Windows & OS/2 Expo: Overview 01/31/92 SAN JOSE, CALIFORNIA, U.S.A., 1992 JAN 31 (NB) -- In addition to the exhibitors on the exposition floor, a major source of attention at the Windows & OS/2 show in San Jose, California, was the test drive center, where attendees could go and try out certain products, without the pressure of "helpful" staff at the company booths. At the center, I counted 32 microcomputers being used by IBM to promote the long-awaited OS/2 2.0 operating system. Most of the machines were in use during the duration of the show. The Windows half of the test drive center featured a diversity of applications on its PCs, ranging from graphics and desktop publishing, to New Wave, spreadsheets and financials, and programming tools. Not surprisingly, IBM probably had the largest "booth," which featured multiple systems for demonstrations by the many staff, and loud bass-dominated music for the hard of hearing. Demonstrations of various products were going on most of the time, either at individual company booths, or at the designated areas around the perimeter of the exhibition hall. The appearance of Windows 3.1 at the Microsoft booth drew continuous small crowds around the demonstration system. Also being demonstrated there was the Windows NT product, along with most of Microsoft's other Windows stable, including Visual Basic, Microsoft Publisher, and Word. Some of the more interesting sessions were out in the smaller rooms, along from the hall, and included the "What's Hot and What's Not in Windows" session, reported elsewhere by Newsbytes. Multimedia reared its head at the exposition, hardly surprising as Microsoft's Windows is the basic foundation of the "Multimedia PC" would-be industry standard. Apart from the keynote speech by James Burke, reported on elsewhere by Newsbytes, multimedia found a public forum in a half dozen sessions over the duration of the show, including, "Multimedia Extensions to Windows: What Are They?," "Developing Interactive Multimedia Applications," "Developing Applications in Multimedia Toolbook," "Creating Multimedia Presentations with Sound and Sizzle," and "Multimedia Action Comes to your PC." Unofficial Newsbytes awards not-given at the show included the "After Dark" carrier bag for both "Most Colorful Carrying Utensil" and "Most Annoying Carrying Utensil," Logitech's Fotoman digital camera (reported elsewhere by Newsbytes) for "Most Interesting On-The-Spot Demonstration," the security guard at the bottom of the stairs as "Most Dedicated Staffer" for asking on at least a dozen occasions for my press identification (I promise to wear it next time!), and that sticky apple pastry in the press room at breakfast gets the "Naughty-But-Nice/ There-Goes-The-Diet" award. (Ian Stokell/19920131) (NEWS)(TELECOM)(TOR)(00002) Canada: Virtual Corporate Network Trial Planned 01/31/92 OTTAWA, ONTARIO, CANADA, 1992 JAN 31 (NB) -- Stentor Canadian Network Management, formerly the Telecom Canada consortium of Canadian telephone companies, plans to start a market trial of virtual corporate network service on March 31. The phone companies are only awaiting regulators' approval for their planned rates. Virtual corporate network service will handle all types of telecommunications services throughout an enterprise, said Tom Schwarzkopf, a spokesman for Stentor. In contrast to virtual private network service, which generally handles one function, it is a more versatile service. A virtual corporate network is a centrally administered enterprise-wide alternative to a private or dedicated network, Stentor said. Network intelligence provides call processing and call routing based on predefined network configurations and user instructions. It also provides advanced network monitoring, reporting, and traffic analysis functions. Stentor said the rates it is asking regulators to approve for the service amount to a 45 percent discount off regular phone rates. The service will offer companies with geographically dispersed locations the benefits that formerly called for private telecommunications links, the consortium said. Stentor has already tested the virtual corporate network technology and is confident it works, Schwarzkopf said. The upcoming trial is more of a "customer trial" designed to iron the bugs out of areas such as pricing and customer service. The term of the trial is indefinite, but when it is complete Stentor plans to introduce commercial virtual corporate network service. (Grant Buckler/19920131/Press Contact: Tom Schwarzkopf, Stentor, 800-461-7800 or 613-560-3009) (NEWS)(IBM)(SFO)(00003) Windows & OS/2 Expo: Lotus Intros SmarText 2.0 01/31/92 SAN JOSE, CALIFORNIA, U.S.A., 1992 JAN 31 (NB) -- Lotus Development used the occasion of the Windows & OS/2 expo in San Jose to release version 2.0 of its SmarText hypertext software for the Windows environment. According to the company, the product will begin shipping on February 7, 1992, and contains two modules. It will be priced at $495 for the SmarText Builder and $99 for the SmarText Reader. The company maintains that SmarText for Windows "combines artificial intelligence techniques and hypertext technology to automate the process of converting computer-based text and graphic files into interactive, hypertext-linked on-line documents." The SmarText Builder is used to create electronic documents, while the SmarText Reader is designed for distribution of the documents created by Builder. The company is claiming more than 25 new features and enhancements in version 2.0, including: SmartIcons; a customizable icon palette; the SmarText Bookshelf, which allows access to documents; improved "search" features; and link and outline capabilities. The product requires an IBM PC AT, or PS/2 or compatible microcomputer, one megabyte (MB) of RAM (although 2 MB is recommended), a hard disk, MS-DOS 3.0 or higher, and Microsoft Windows 3.0 or higher. (Ian Stokell/19920131/Press Contact: Beverly McDonald, Lotus Development Corp., 404-876-4482) (NEWS)(IBM)(SFO)(00004) Windows & OS/2 Expo: Blue Sky Intros Windows Robohelp 01/31/92 SAN JOSE, CALIFORNIA, U.S.A., 1992 JAN 31 (NB) -- Blue Sky Software Corp. was displaying its new Robohelp Windows help system authoring software at its booth at the Windows & OS/2 exposition in San Jose. Warren Stevens, spokesman for the company at the booth, told Newsbytes that Robohelp "significantly decreases the time required" to produce a "help system" for the Windows environment. The company claims that both programmers and non-programmers can quickly develop a complete "help system" under Windows, concentrating simply on the contents of the system, and not on the "peculiarities of the source code format for the Windows help compiler." According to the company, Robohelp features a visual tool palette that allows for the structure and content of the system to be "simply a matter of pointing and clicking with the mouse." Additionally, the company maintains that Robohelp guides the user through all the necessary steps, with the user just filling in the actual help text when prompted. Existing documents can also be turned into a "help system" using the product. Source code is generated by Robohelp for indexes, topics, keywords, categories, defined terms, pop-up definitions, bitmaps, bitmap "hot links," cross references, and hypertext links. Priced at $495, Robohelp is set to ship in February, 1992. The product requires Windows 3.0 or higher, WindowsWord version 1.1, 2.0 or higher, and a Windows 3.0 Help Compiler. (Ian Stokell/19920131/ Press Contact: Susan Boyer, Blue Sky Software Corp., 619-459-6365) (NEWS)(IBM)(TOR)(00005) PC Maker To Bundle Virus Protection Software 01/31/92 ROCKAWAY, NEW JERSEY, U.S.A., 1992 JAN 30 (NB) -- A small personal computer manufacturer, Osicom Technologies, has underlined growing concern about computer viruses by announcing that it will supply virus protection software with all of its personal computers. The announcement comes on the heels of the announcement by another manufacturer, Leading Edge Technologies, that as many as 500 of its machines may have left the factory carrying the Michelangelo virus, a nasty bit of software programmed to erase hard disks on March 6, the artist's birthday. "A majority of computer users will eventually become infected if they do not get vaccinated. We decided to offer our customers protection at the gate with pre-loaded virus protection with every system that we ship," said Par Chadha, president and chief executive officer of Osicom, in a press release. Virus protection software is designed to recognize known viruses, but new ones appear on a regular basis. According to Steve Winegar, director of marketing for Microcom, the maker of the Virex virus protection utility, as many as six new viruses are being reported every day. However, virus detection software will often spot warning signs of even unfamiliar viruses, Winegar said. Chadha said his company has had no problems with viruses since the company began using virus protection utilities, "but there are some very insidious programmers out there working around the clock on these bugs. We can assure our customers, however, that we'll be working on mutating a vaccine just as fast as they can mutate the virus." (Grant Buckler/19920131/Press Contact: Sharon Chadha, Osicom Technologies, 201-586-2550) (NEWS)(IBM)(SFO)(00006) Windows & OS/2 Expo: PowerLeads! Contact Management Pkg 01/31/92 SAN JOSE, CALIFORNIA, U.S.A., 1992 JAN 31 (NB) -- At the Windows & OS/2 exposition in San Jose, Pyramid Data was showing off the company's new PowerLeads! contact management and lead tracking software for the Microsoft Windows environment. Priced at $295, the company claims that the PowerLeads! uses a relational database to help prioritize, track and link clients, to-do lists, notes, calls, schedules, and expenses. The software also features auto-dialing, and mail-merge to the Ami Pro and Microsoft Word for Windows word processors. The company maintains the product can track up to one million contacts, and allows for the addition of customized fields and check boxes. Keyword, soundex, and wildcard searches allow for the finding of specific information, along with a boolean search facility. The package also displays each day's callback list, and provides 26 predefined reports, including sorted order by status, rating or priority, activity histories, and expense histories. PowerLeads! requires Windows 3.0, one megabyte of RAM, an IBM PC or compatible microcomputer with a hard disk, and a VGA (video graphics array) monitor. (Ian Stokell/19920131/Press Contact: Paul Dean, Pyramid Data Inc., 1-800-972-7972) (NEWS)(GOVT)(WAS)(00007) Congress Funds Ada Research At Universities 01/31/92 WASHINGTON, DC, U.S.A., 1992 JAN 31 (NB) -- The 1992 Defense Appropriations Bill has included a potential $3 million fund for the Ada Joint Program Office for use in purchasing Ada software compilers for U.S. universities. If the money comes through, the AJPO will purchase Ada software and give it free-of-charge to universities participating in Department of Defense (DoD) research projects. Ada is the DoD computer language named for Ada Lovelace, the first computer programmer. Ada is widely used in government software and is required for many programs developed for the government. The AJPO is offering a new revision of the Software Productivity Consortium's Ada Quality and Style guide, one not available in bookstores. Version 2.0 of the style guide is available for free downloading from the AdaIC BBS at 703-614-0215 as either a Postscript or ASCII file. The ASCII file is about 500 kilobytes in size, with the PostScript version measuring more than 6 megabytes. Hard copies of the manual are $10 from IIT Research Institute, ATTN: Ada Style Guide, 4600 Forbes Boulevard, Lanham, MD 20706-4320. The telephone number is 703-685-1477. (John McCormick/19920131) (NEWS)(GOVT)(WAS)(00008) 10th Annual National Ada Conference Scheduled 01/31/92 WASHINGTON, DC, U.S.A., 1992 JAN 31 (NB) -- The 10th Annual National Conference on Ada Technology will be held at the Hyatt Regency Crystal City in Arlington, Virginia, on February 24-28, 1992. More than 50 papers will be presented at the conference, and an exhibition of Ada products and services will also be held. Panel discussion topics will cover such areas as Department of Defense (DoD) acquisition, the Ada 9X Project, and Ada applications at NASA. Tutorials will be offered on Monday and Friday of the week-long conference. Costs for the conference and tutorial sessions are $20 each. For further information, contact Rosenberg & Risinger, 11287 West Washington Boulevard, Culver City, CA 90230, or phone 310-397-6338. Ada is the DoD computer language named for Ada Lovelace, the first computer programmer. Ada is widely used in government software and is required for many programs developed for the government. Ada is a highly structured language. Code segments are usually considered the most reusable of all languages, making it a powerful and efficient tool for programming. (John McCormick/19920131) (NEWS)(IBM)(TOR)(00009) Microcom Updates Virex Virus Software For PCs 01/31/92 NORWOOD, MASSACHUSETTS, U.S.A., 1992 JAN 31 (NB) -- Microcom has released version 2.1 of its Virex for the PC virus-detection software. Version 2.1 adds a new VPCScan interface, the ability to be loaded into high memory, and more than 100 new virus detectors, the company claims. Microcom officials said the upgrade makes it easier to adapt Virex to individual user needs. New options include a menu-driven scanner interface and direct access from within Microsoft Windows. Using Quarterdeck Office Systems' QEMM memory management utility or the built-in memory management features of DOS 5.0, Virex for the PC 2.1 can be loaded in high memory. This allows users to use more base memory for other applications, Microcom said. The new release also contains more than 100 new virus detectors, including a detector and disinfector for Michelangelo, a new, widely-spread variant of the Stoned or Marijuana virus. Steve Winegar, director of marketing at Microcom, told Newsbytes the rate of appearance of new viruses has "certainly escalated over the last year or so." One estimate says six new viruses are discovered every day, he said. Microcom releases quarterly updates to Virex to add detectors for newly discovered viruses. Winegar explained that in many cases the software will warn of the presence of even a virus it does recognize. Although it may not know the specific virus, he said, Virex checks for danger signals such as changes to executable files, and attempts to perform certain suspicious operations like formatting a disk. Registered users who purchased Virex for the PC after June 30, 1991, will receive a free upgrade to version 2.1 as part of their six-month free subscription service. Users who purchased Virex for the PC before that date can buy the upgrade for $25. The retail price for Virex for the PC 2.1 is $99.95, and the software is available now. (Grant Buckler/19920131/Press Contact: Sally Winship, Microcom, 617-551-1958) (NEWS)(GENERAL)(DEN)(00010) Cray Research Intros Internal Combustion Engine Simulator 01/31/92 EAGAN, MINNESOTA, U.S.A., 1992 JAN 31 (NB) -- In what could eventually have an effect on the efficiency of automobiles powered by internal combustion engines, Cray Research has introduced a software program designed to significantly reduce the testing period of such engines. Presently, auto designers say it takes about two years to test internal combustion emissions and efficiency of new engines. Cray Research says the new software could significantly reduce research and development costs, shorten design cycles, and bring more environmentally-sound engines to market quicker. The program, dubbed CRI/TurboKiva, is designed to run on all of Cray Research's computer systems. Cray supercomputers use Unicos, a Unix-based operating system. System prices range from $340,000 to about $30 million. Cray Research says the software models fluid flows -- air intake, combustion, and exhaust characteristics -- of internal combustion engines. The company says future releases of the program are planned to include the ability to simulate gas turbine engines, common in the aerospace industry. According to John Rollwagen, Cray Research chairman and CEO, the use of computers for simulating engine operation could soon equal their use for vehicle crash simulation. The new software is an enhancement of a computational fluid dynamics program developed at the Los Alamos National Laboratory. (Jim Mallory/19920131/Press Contact: Mardi Schmieder, 612-683-3538) (NEWS)(IBM)(DEN)(00011) Aldus Intros Pagemaker For Windows Tech Notes 01/31/92 SEATTLE, WASHINGTON, U.S.A., 1992 JAN 31 (NB) -- Aldus has announced an edition of Aldus Technotes for Pagemaker 4.0 for Windows 3.0. Technotes are Aldus publications providing technical information about its products. One year ago Aldus released a version of Technotes for Pagemaker 4.0 for the Macintosh. Technotes contain information from the Aldus technical support specialists, and, according to the company, goes beyond the information provided in the user manuals. Technotes for Pagemaker for Windows contains 320 pages, which the company says "are packed with technical information about working in the Windows 3.0 environment, including Windows modes and memory management, font-related issues, and preparing a publication for print." The publication also contains information about Pagemaker features such as indents and tabs, text wrap, indexing, dictionaries, and the story editor. Technotes for Pagemaker for Windows is available now for $29.95 by calling the Aldus sales and service number at 206-628-2320. Pagemaker 4.0 for Windows users who subscribe to Aldus' CustomerFirst Premier, Premier Online, or Corporate Library, will receive the notes automatically,without cost. (Jim Mallory/19920131/Press Contact: Jill Miller, Aldus, 206-628-2352) (NEWS)(BUSINESS)(DEN)(00012) Microsoft Senior VP Scott Oki To Retire 01/31/92 REDMOND, WASHINGTON, U.S.A., 1992 JAN 31 (NB) -- Microsoft has announced that Scott Oki, senior VP of US sales, marketing, and service, will retire effective March 1, 1992. Oki, 43, has been with Microsoft for 10 years. Prior to being promoted to his present position, Oki was VP of international operations. He has also held positions as marketing manager for special accounts. Microsoft said that under Oki's leadership, international sales grew to account for over 40 percent of the company's revenues. He will be replaced by Jeff Raikes, currently VP of the office systems group. Oki says he plans to spend more time with his family, pursue personal investment opportunities, and direct the Oki Foundation, a personal philanthropic organization. Microsoft says Raikes was the chief strategist behind Microsoft's entry in the Macintosh-based applications business, as well as the PC word processing business. Prior to joining Microsoft, Raikes was a software development manager at Apple Computer. Raikes currently serves as the chairman of the board of the Software Publishers Association. (Jim Mallory/19920131/Press Contact: Marty Taucher, Microsoft, 206-882-8080) (NEWS)(GENERAL)(NYC)(00013) ISA Panel Discusses Future Of Interactive Services 01/31/92 NEW YORK, NEW YORK, U.S.A., 1992 JAN 31 (NB) -- A panel of professional observers of the interactive services industry told an audience of service providers that it must do more in the way of promotion, and market education if it wishes to attract the popular marketplace it desires. Speaking on January 30th before the New York Chapter of the Interactive Services Association, Denman Maroney, vice president of the advertising firm of D'Arcy Masius Benton & Bowles, concentrated on the differences between mass media and what he called "class media," saying that current advertising methods will be dramatically affected by any movement toward interactive services. Maroney said: "Advertising in a mass media world is passive. People watch television and ads come and go. When we deal with interactive television and radio, faxes and computer systems, advertising takes on a much narrower focus and, as we progress, the recipient will have a hand in selecting and tailoring the advertising he or she receives." Maroney added: "The agencies have been slow to respond to these opportunities -- it represents a change in the way they see the marketplace and I'm afraid that they will not use the new channels of communications until the channels show a great rise in audience share. Once there is a breakthrough, the changes will be felt." Maroney used soap operas as an example of mass media , saying "people watch the dramas and then are hit by the soap ads," and "dial-a-porn" as an example of class media, adding that "We shouldn't dismiss the impact of porn -- it was triple X movies and not the betamax that jumped start the VCR boom." Newsday technology reporter Josh Quittner admitted to the audience that the technical nature of offerings by the telecommunications and interactive services industry often causes its news not to reach the public. Quittner, a former crime reporter, said that it was much more likely for a crime story to wind up in the daily paper than a story repording a new on-line offering. Quittner said: "Everyone understands crime and can jump right into the story. When I write about new information service, I have to define such terms as 'information service,' 'modem,' 'on-line,' 'operating system,' etc., for the story to be understandable to the general public. By the time I do that, there is no room left in a few hundred words for the story. I'm sick of the term 'chicken and the egg' but that's what it is -- the general public has to understand more about technology before it will relate to an in-depth article about some new development.; it will however, not understand the pieces unless I explain the terminology and the explanations reduce the readability of the article." John McMullen, Newsbytes NY Bureau Chief agreed with Quittner's analysis as it applies to Newsday but said that it was not particularly relevant at Newsbytes which concentrates solely on techology. He said: "Our readers are, by in large, very technically aware and do not require constant explanation of terminology." McMullen added: "There are, however, other problems. The traditional computer industry does a much better job of getting its message to the press and thus to readers. The use until now of the term 'videotex' was another liability. The term causes many to think of a medium whose time has never come. I'm glad that this organization changed its title from the Videotex Industry Association. The new name is much less threatening and presents a much clearer image of the medium." Quittner told Newsbytes that he felt that widespread use of interactive services may sneak up on us rapidly, saying: "The technology is in place. What is needed now is for the industry to convince the public of the value of such services." (Barbara E. McMullen/19920131) (NEWS)(APPLE)(SYD)(00014) Australia: ClarisCAD Used To Design Marinas 01/31/92 SYDNEY, AUSTRALIA, 1992 JAN 31 (NB) -- A chance meeting has led to ClarisCAD software generating $1 million worth of business in month through the design of some of the world's newest marinas. Harry Burn is one of Australia's leading marina consultants, and frequently travels overseas to inspect sites and lecture at universities around the world. Two years ago on an internal flight in the United States, he found himself sitting next to a NASA scientist who told him that for design work and drafting, ClarisCAD was the only software used by his section of the agency. Before he bought ClarisCAD, Burn's previous practice when designing a structure was to employ an engineer to calculate the measurements, a draftsman to draw them up, and finally the engineer who would have to check the drawings. It was not only costly but also presented other problems. "There were several places of possible error and ClarisCAD has eliminated all of them," he said. "If there are any mistakes these days I know exactly whose backside to kick!" Over the last 20 years Burn has designed marinas all over the world and his work in Australia includes Birkenhead Marina in New South Wales, Airlie Beach in Queensland, and North Haven in South Australia. More recently ClarisCAD software was used to design Cronulla Marina and is currently involved with plans for the new $5 million Awani Marina in Japan. "Although every marina is different, there are many elements that are the same and that's where ClarisCAD really comes into its own," he said. "You simply cut and paste between one drawing and another and every measurement is accurate, every time. Drawings which would have taken two days to complete, I can now do in an hour." ClarisCAD allows users to see the full version of a drawing in a reduced format so that it can all be seen on the screen at the same time, but Burn finds it useful to enlarge and print various sections of the design to reveal more detail for engineers who will be working on a particular part of the construction. Before using computer-aided design, Burn had had no computing experience, but learning to use ClarisCAD on his Macintosh llx computer was quite straightforward. He was able to produce a useful drawing in less than fifteen hours. He said: "I've looked at other CAD programs and I would need to go on a training course to use them. With ClarisCAD I produced my first working drawing in only a few hours, and that's the beauty of it, If what you need is a two dimensional drawing, it's a fine design tool." Another major advantage of ClarisCAD for him is that he can print out his designs on A4 sized paper using an Apple LaserWriter IINT and fax them all over the world. His clients at the other end can enlarge the design to A3 on their photocopier, and have the finished drawing exactly to scale. He said: "I could have bought an A1 plotter for $15,000 but I haven't got that type of money. On ClarisCAD I can produce a very dense drawing with all the specifications and technical instructions the client needs, and I only have to pay the transmission costs." Besides his consultancy work, Burn also writes and publishes articles for a number of marine trade journals, and finds it simple to move drawings produced on ClarisCAD to the desktop publishing program, PageMaker 3.0. His Macintosh computer saves the drawings in a PICT format, which PageMaker is able to read, and they are then pasted in. Burn said: "I've been in business for more than 20 years now and ClarisCAD has been one of the best investments I've ever made. As a design consultant, and a one-man business, with my Macintosh it's the single most important tool of my trade." (Peta Newbold/19910131) (NEWS)(GOVT)(SYD)(00015) Nintendo Wins Copyright Decision In Australia 01/31/92 SYDNEY, AUSTRALIA, 1992 JAN 31 (NB) -- Nintendo has won a copyright infringement case in Australia against the importer of a Taiwanese video game. The Taiwanese machine, from United Electronics Corp., was marketed as Spica, and brought into Australia by a company called Centronics Systems. An Australian law - the Circuit Layouts Act - says manufacturers are entitled to reverse engineer an electronics subsystem (create another that does the same thing, yet is not a copy). However, the law has not been tested to see how different the recreation needs to be to avoid infringing copyright. Counsel for Nintendo, David Webster said the act appeared to protect manufacturers against direct copies, but not against other manufacturers "freeloading off them." The court was told that the circuit in question was a modified copy, but still basically a copy. It was found that Centronics knew of the copying that had been done. The result of the case is that Nintendo was awarded damages, and an injunction against further imports of the copy. David Webster said the decision showed the importance of fully patenting products. (Paul Zucker/19910131) (NEWS)(BUSINESS)(SYD)(00016) Australia: Lotus Managing Director Resigns Suddenly 01/31/92 SYDNEY AUSTRALIA 1992 JAN 30 (NB) -- Gerry Anthony, managing director of Lotus in Australia, resigned suddenly on January 15. Casey Leaman, Asia Pacific region general manager for Lotus made a surprise visit on that day, and is believed to have removed Anthony because of poor company results recently. Leaman told the remaining management he had confidence that they could turnaround the performance. Lotus had reportedly lost a number of important major accounts to arch- rivals Borland and Microsoft. This included an extremely large contract to supply Australia's telephone carrier, Telecom. In particular, Lotus has been losing-out on network communications products and will place new emphasis on its Notes program. Borland, meanwhile, has moved into the Ashton Tate headquarters, and is busy consolidating markets. A recent demonstration to press of upcoming products left no doubt that the company will be biting at the heels of Lotus and Microsoft, especially with its new Windows products to be released in the next few months. (Paul Zucker/19910131) (NEWS)(GENERAL)(WAS)(00017) Ciprico Offers Low-Cost Server SCSI Drive Array 01/31/92 WASHINGTON, DC, U.S.A., 1992 JAN 30 (NB) -- Minneapolis, Minnesota-based Ciprico has announced a massive hard disk array which provides 5.4 gigabytes (GB) of storage at a cost of less than $6.25 per megabyte (MB). Netarray Model 6617 uses 1.5 GB drives as subsystems and is a full fault-tolerant disk array system for Netware file servers using the Ciprico Rimfire SCSI (Small Computer Systems Interface) adapters. Ciprico says that its Netarray system provides up to 80 percent usable capacity on the hard disks as opposed to the "mirroring" fault-tolerant option which only provides 0.5 MB of usable storage for every GB of capacity installed. The NetArray 6617, which appears to the server as if it were a single SCSI drive, can be attached to two servers using Ciprico adapters. If one of the drives fails it can be removed and replaced without interrupting operations of the rest of Netarray or taking the server off-line. The bare 6617 carries a suggested price of $14,495 and with the optional drives providing 5.4 GB of capacity it is priced at $33,495. (John McCormick/19920131/Press Contact: Don Peterson, Ciprico, 612-559-2034) (NEWS)(GENERAL)(WAS)(00018) Newsbytes Washington Chief To Judge Enabling Technologies 01/31/92 WASHINGTON, DC, U.S.A., 1992 JAN 30 (NB) -- John McCormick, Newsbytes' Washington Bureau chief and The Enabled Computer columnist for both Newsbytes and Computer Monthly magazine, is participating in this weekend's finals of The Johns Hopkins National Search for Computing to Assist Persons With Disabilities which is being held at The Smithsonian in Washington. McCormick was asked to act as one of the judges to help select the winners from among the 10 regional winners and 30 other selected entries chosen from the more than 700 original entrants. The National Search is intended to encourage the development and recognition of new computer-related technology that will assist the disabled with their everyday lives and in a work environment. Entries will be exhibited on February 1 and 2 at the Smithsonian's S. Dillon Ripley Concourse, next to the famous Castle on The Mall in Washington. The exhibit will be open to the public and winners will be announced Monday evening at an awards banquet being held at Washington's nearby J.W. Marriott Hotel. Newsbytes will carry stories and interviews relating to the conclusion of the search during the course of the next few weeks, mostly through each Friday's The Enabled Computer column. This contest, which offers a $10,000 first prize, is expected to become a regular event on a four- or five-year basis and is especially important with the Americans with Disabilities Act requiring companies to hire disabled workers if they are otherwise qualified for jobs. New technology such as that submitted to the search committee can help business inexpensively integrate disabled workers into the mainstream workforce and provide a vast pool of new and highly qualified workers to companies which often complain of a lack of qualified applicants. Exhibitors range from individuals to corporations and universities, and are judged in a number of different categories. McCormick will discuss the results of the judging on Saturday, February 8, during an hour-long telephone talk with Business Radio Network's Thom Foulks, host of Computing Success. BRN affiliates will carry the program either live or on a tape-delay basis that weekend. BRN is a 24-hour business news network with about 50 AM and FM stations around the U.S. It is also carried on satellite on Galaxy 3, transponder 8 at 8.055 megahertz (MHz). FM narrow-band. BRN's telephone number is 719-528-7040 in Colorado Springs, Colorado. (Beth Goldie/19920131/Press Contact: Paul Hazan, Johns Hopkins University, 301-953-5365; BRN, 719-528-7040) (NEWS)(GENERAL)(WAS)(00019) The Enabled Computer By John McCormick 01/31/92 WASHINGTON, DC, U.S.A., 1992 JAN 31 (NB) -- The Enabled Computer is a regular Newsbytes feature covering news and important product information relating to high technology aids for the disabled. Information Access. Getting around can be a major hassle for some disabled people and that can put a real crimp in your ability to gather information. However, learning to make use of computer-based information services can put you in touch with far more information than available to your neighbor who can just hop into his car and drive to a university library. Dr. Edward Del Grosso's Black Bag BBS, for instance, carries many interesting files, including lists of other medically-oriented BBSs (bulletin board systems) around the world, but it also specializes in disabilities-related information. To contact Black Bag, set your communications software to 2,400 baud or less, and 8N1 (8-bit word length, no parity, one stop bit). Although the Black Bag number, 302-731-1998, isn't toll-free, there are a number of "800" number medical BBSs and Dr. Del Grosso's board carries a list of them. Contributions are welcome and get users extra privileges, but everyone can join in and there is no mandatory charge to join the BBS. BBSs are a great way to gather information and, in combination with speech-generation software or hardware such as I reviewed in an earlier column, they provide an important resource for the disabled community whether, like me, it is just difficult for you to travel to libraries or because you are visually- or reading-impaired. But as important as BBSs are, and you certainly haven't heard the last of them here, they aren't the only places where a massive amount of information is available. Have you any idea how much data is now available on CD-ROM discs? My book, "A Guide to Optical Storage Technology," BusinessONE Irwin, lists resources for hundreds of commercial CD-ROM products, many containing hundreds of full-text copies of books and other documents. Although few of these discs are created with the visually-impaired in mind, some can be read using speech synthesis or Braille systems, but far from all of them are accessible because they may present unwanted graphics and there is no way to shut the graphics off. Some CD-ROM publishers are addressing this problem already, but at the forefront of efforts to make this and more data available to more users is a CD-ROM publisher and users' group, SIGTEAL (special interest group to expedite accommodation laws). This is an offshoot of SIGCAT (special interest group, CD-ROM applications technology), the world's largest CD-ROM user group, based at the U.S. Geological Survey Headquarters, Reston, VA. SIGTEAL is striving to create new standards for data recording so that the unexpected appearance of graphics characters and other barriers to speech synthesis is eliminated from CD-ROMs. Co-chaired by Textronix Corporation's Robert Jaquiss and Todd Enterprises' Tom Dennison, SIGTEAL, according to Dennison, is also interested in encouraging the publication of copyrighted materials such as those republished by "Talking Books." SIGTEAL wants to promote the license-free publishing of these books and periodicals for the exclusive use of the disabled. Dennison also told me that he is exploring the idea of developing a major library of 20 to 30 CD-ROM publications to be made available via a BBS to the visually-impaired. To join SIGTEAL, or offer your expert assistance, please contact Tom Dennison, SIGTEAL, at Todd Enterprises, 5817 South 4th St., Arlington, VA 22204. Please don't write asking how to contact the BBS because that is just an idea being bounced around. It doesn't exist -- YET -- although with some corporate assistance, who knows! If you don't yet have access to a computer terminal with modem, you might want to check out Trident Technologies' PCT or Personal Communications Terminal which should be available by the time you read this. Built by Alcatel S.A., the French telecommunications company that helped build the millions of terminals given by the French telephone company to all telephone subscribers instead of telephone books, the PCT will provide ASCII and TDD/TTY access through regular telephone connections. The new system will be priced around $500-$600 and is a small desktop system measuring just under ten-inches wide by 10.5-inches deep complete with a nine-inch screen. This is just one example of what should be a flood of new devices coming to market in the next few years as business begins to respond to the needs of the disabled. This is thanks in large part to the July 1990 passage of the Americans with Disabilities Act which requires most businesses to accommodate the needs of disabled workers and customers. This connection was recognized by Chuck Polle, president of Trident Technologies, who explained at the product announcement in early April that "The Americans with Disabilities Act requires businesses employing 15 or more people to provide equal access to their telecommunications systems. It is estimated that there are more than 25 million hearing- and speech-impaired persons in the United States. The PCT will enable these individuals to communicate with family and friends and compete on a more equal basis in the educational and business arenas." The PCT displays 25 lines with 40 characters on a line, has electronic mail features, and conference abilities. Both home and business users will appreciate the text storage capabilities of a 32 kilobyte (KB) memory and printer connection, as well as the auto-dial feature. The 32 KB memory isn't big by computer standards, it does provide enough memory for the creation of large documents off-line and capture of significant amounts of data or messages. (As a point of reference, this column runs about 10 K in size as a computer file.) Although limited to 1,200 baud, the PCT can also provide a convenient terminal to access personal computers via normal telephone lines. For further information, contact: Trident Technologies, 315 Spring Street, New York, NY 10013. The telephone number is 212-645-5656, fax 212-645-5763, PCT/TDD 212-645-9643. (John McCormick/19920131) (NEWS)(TELECOM)(ATL)(00020) New For Networks: Teleos VideoHub/Series 7000 01/31/92 WASHINGTON, D.C., U.S.A., 1992 JAN 31 (NB) -- Teleos Communications has introduced its VideoHub/Series 7000, a system which can simultaneously link videoconferences using multiple codecs from different manufacturers over multiple switched digital circuits from multiple carriers. Such a product is becoming important now that videoconferencing has becoming a more standard business tool, as many companies have multiple conferences going on at once, and most want the redundancy of working with different carriers for their digital circuits. With the new hub, each conference has access to the digital bandwidth it needs, when needed, so both equipment and network usage is optimized to reduce costs. The VideoHub can share network access lines between multiple conference rooms at one location or in a campus environment, at speeds from 56,000 bits-per-second (bps) to 2.048 million bps per port. Complementing the product is the Teleos Escort, a terminal adapter that provides bandwidth on demand for networking applications requiring direct connection to switched digital services. (Dana Blankenhorn/19920131/Press Contact: Anne Gitlow, (NEWS)(GENERAL)(WAS)(00021) ROUNDUP: Stories Carried By Other Media This Week 01/31/92 WASHINGTON, DC, U.S.A., 1992 JAN 31 (NB) -- Roundup is a brief look at some computer stories carried in other publications received here this past week. January's Computers in Healthcare says it is time to re-engineer electronic claims processing. The January/February issue of Boardwatch shows how to set up a BBS on a Macintosh and how to connect any BBS to the Internet. Informationweek dated January 27 looks at 25 network innovators. February's Communications of the ACM has a feature on copyright law for computer users. Workstation News for February says Hewlett-Packard's Snake is a powerful good buy. Network World with a January 27 cover date says that managers are hoping for an even better personal financial year after an average 4.2 percent salary jump last year. Computerworld for this week says Massachusetts Blue Shield is going to outsource to Electronic Data Systems, a $800 million deal. Computer Reseller News dated the 27th says that CompuCom is trying to recruit more VARs. (John McCormick/19920130) (REVIEW)(IBM)(TOR)(00022) Review of: Way You Work. DOS Shell/Organizer 01/31/92 Runs on: IBM AT, PS/2 or compatible PCs with 640K bytes of memory, minimum three megabytes of hard disk capacity, and DOS 3.1 or higher. From: Proteo Software Inc., 7100 Woodbine Ave., Suite 300, Markham, Ontario, Canada L3R 5J2 Price: US$399 Reviewed by: Grant Buckler SUMMARY: Way You Work is a DOS shell and personal information organizer that hides the DOS file structure behind a desktop metaphor with items such as documents, folders, forms, and to-do items. It can also run with Microsoft Windows. ====== REVIEW ------ ====== One of the problems a computer novice faces is getting used to the way computers organize information. As we who use the things know by now, everything is a file -- but there are different kinds of files, of which the two most important are programs we can execute and data files we can read, write, and modify. On most PCs, these files are further grouped by DOS directories. That approach is not intuitively obvious to someone who has not used a computer. People who have always done their work manually are more likely to think in terms of documents, which are independent of the tools used to create them. For example, if you want to read a paper report, you don't need to roll it into a typewriter first -- yet to read the same report on disk, you start by opening a word processing package. Way You Work tries to impose that more intuitive structure on DOS. It treats data files -- whether text, spreadsheet, graphics, or whatever -- as documents. It organizes them into folders rather than DOS subdirectories. To look at a document, you select the document from your desktop. Using information attached to the document, Way You Work opens the application program needed to work with that document. Point to a worksheet document, for instance, and Lotus 1-2-3, Microsoft Excel, or whichever spreadsheet was used to create the file is opened and the document automatically loaded. Way You Work also incorporates some of the characteristics of a personal information manager by letting you create forms and to-do items to organize your work. These are also documents on the Way You Work desktop. Way You Work lets you give your documents longer titles than the DOS eight-plus-three-character file name rules allow, and it can attach other information to files, such as an action date and keywords used in searching for items. The final key feature of Way You Work is the software robot. Software robots are macros meant to automate tasks that must be done regularly. A robot might, for instance, gather all the documents whose action date is today and place them on the desktop each morning. One thing a robot cannot do, however, is open an application program and perform actions within it -- that is, the robot has no way of passing keystrokes to another program. Way You Work does provide a macro recording feature that lets you create robots simply by turning on the record function and going through the procedure you want to automate. Way You Work can run on a plain DOS machine, or with Microsoft Windows. The advantage of pairing it with Windows is that you can use Windows applications. That is the only benefit, though, because Way You Work runs under Windows as a single application. You can call one other program at a time from within Way You Work. You can also switch out of Way You Work and run other applications directly from Windows. What you cannot do is open a document from Way You Work, then go back to the Way You Work desktop without closing that document. Similarly, Way You Work can be multitasked under Desqview, but you can't get multitasking within the Way You Work desktop metaphor. This probably isn't a really serious lack for Way You Work's intended users. The point of software like this is to make the PC less threatening to inexperienced users. Those of us who keep six applications open at once under Windows or Desqview have DOS commands and directory structures engraved on our brains by now anyway. That brings up another point: if you're an experienced DOS user, Way You Work is counterintuitive at first. I spent a long time trying to figure out how to open an application from within Way You Work. The manual does explain what must be done, but this sort of operation isn't emphasized. The developers apparently expect their package to be used more as a personal information manager, creating forms and maintaining to-do lists within Way You Work itself, rather than as a shell for running other programs. At least, that's the impression one gets from the manuals and tutorials. An experienced DOS user, having once found out where to look in Way You Work's menus for the "Integrate Applications" command that sets up other programs to run under Way You Work, will find the setup procedure simple enough. The novice will not. To integrate an application you have to specify the DOS path, the file name, and sometimes other parameters. Since the whole premise of the software is to shield people from DOS commands and directory structures, one suspects that many users will need someone to set the software up for them. In fact, this software came out of Proteo's consulting work with a number of large organizations -- the assumption probably is that PC support staff will set up the user's PC with the necessary application programs already integrated into Way You Work. =========== PUMA RATING =========== Performance: 3.0. Way You Work itself is not blazingly fast, but it's tolerable. The small part of the software that stays in memory when you invoke another application doesn't seem to make much difference to the speed of the other application. Usefulness: 2.5. It depends on the user. A novice may find that Way You Work makes a PC much more comfortable to work with. An experienced DOS PC user is likely to find the way it does things hard to get used to. Windows users will be irritated by the menu structure which bears almost no resemblance to Windows standards, and by the inability to run multiple programs at once from within Way You Work. Manuals: 3.0. The reference manual is fairly well written, but its organization is less than intuitive. That may have more to do with the design of the software than with the documentation itself, but it is compounded by a very sketchy index. The online tutorials are good. There should be a bit more emphasis on integrating applications packages with Way You Work. Availability: 2.5. Proteo is talking with retail distributors, dealers, and mail-order houses. 800 Software will be carrying the package. There is a toll-free support hotline. (Grant Buckler/19911204/Press Contact: Pamela White, Proteo, 416- 479-2000, fax 416-479-2385) (REVIEW)(IBM)(SFO)(00023) Review of: Olivetti PCS 386SX, desktop microcomputer 01/31/92 From: Olivetti, 765 US Highway 202, Bridgewater, NJ 08807; Telephone: 1-800-458-0149. Price: Local retailer listed price is $2,136. That is certainly overpriced, but I'm sure the price depends on the local reseller and is negotiable. PUMA Rating: 3.62 (on a scale of 1=lowest to 4=highest) Reviewed for Newsbytes by: Ian Stokell Summary: Solid, 16 MHz Intel 80386SX-based microcomputer. ====== REVIEW ====== So why review an Intel 80386SX-based desktop system when there are so many spectacular 486-based towers and 386-based notebooks on the market? The answer is that credit should be given where credit is due. Sure, there are plenty of speedsters with multitudes of bells and whistles getting all the attention, but the fact remains that the basic entry-level DOS system these days is an Intel 80386SX desktop microcomputer running at 16 megahertz (MHz). While the speedsters grab all the headlines, it is the low-end 386SX's that will most likely be the system of choice for first-time DOS buyers, and users upgrading from 286-based systems. Which brings us to the Olivetti PCS 386SX. What can I say about the system? Well, I have been using it virtually everyday for eight months, for between 5-6 hours a day, and, touch-silicon, nothing has gone wrong. Nothing has failed to work when it should have. Nothing has dropped off or overheated. In fact, the most flattering thing I can think of to say about the PCS 386SX, is that I have not given the machine a second thought since I began working with it. (Not strictly true, as I keep running out of hard disk space as the system comes standard with a mere 40 megabyte (MB) drive.) The system itself comes in a very attractive small-footprint design with a 40 MB hard drive as standard, and a single 1.44 MB 3.5-inch floppy disk. The PCS 386SX comes equipped with an Intel 80386SX microprocessor running at 16 MHz, and a socket for an optional 387SX coprocessor. One MB of RAM is supplied on the motherboard, which is expandable to 8 MB. The company maintains this can be expanded to up to 16 MB by installing optional expansion boards. An excellent 14-inch VGA (video graphics array) analog color monitor is also supplied, along with a 101/102 key keyboard, with 12 function keys and LEDs (light emitting diodes) indicating CAPS LOCK, NUM LOCK, and SCROLL LOCK. I really like the keyboard. It is very responsive and comfortable to use. Installation is easy with the accompanying documentation giving clear indications as to what leads and wires fit into what sockets. On booting up, everything worked immediately, with no tweaking required at all. I was slightly taken aback at this, as I didn't think anything worked properly out of the box any more! Installing extra RAM is pretty straightforward, if a little awkward. The system comes with one megabyte installed. Eight slots are provided for installing extra memory in the form of SIMMs (single in-line memory modules). To install the SIMMs you have to take off the back of the system, revealing the eight slots to the right of the casing. Four slots are already filled. Upgrading to 2 MB requires the addition of another four 100 nanosecond 256 kilobyte SIMMs. Nowhere in the accompanying documentation could I find how fast the SIMMs had to be. In the end I called the technical support number to get the information. Simply slip the four SIMMs into the four available slots, making sure you can hear them click into place at each end. The jumper then needs to be set. I couldn't get the system to recognize the extra RAM initially, as I hadn't inserted one SIMM properly. Because you have to install the SIMMs through the rear panel opening, it is difficult to see if they are installed properly, hence the need to listen for the click. Before I realised what the problem was, I called the technical support number to see if they had any ideas as to why the system would not recognise the extra RAM and spoke to a friendly, helpful technician who gave me a number of things to check. Accompanying software consists of a version of MS DOS and the inevitable GW-BASIC. Also included is the useful AlphaWorks integrated software package, that lets the user get on and use the system even if they do not have any other software. In my opinion, an integrated software package should be as basic an addition to a system as the version of DOS. All in all, I think the Olivetti PCS 386SX is a fine system that does not claim to be a trend-setter. It is a solid machine that is a good entry-level introduction to the world of DOS. ============ PUMA RATING ============ PERFORMANCE: 4.0. The Olivetti PCS 386SX does not claim to be anything other than a 16 MHz system based on a 386SX microprocessor that works well. The keyboard is especially pleasant to use. USEFULNESS: 3.5. The PCS 386SX does exactly what it is meant to do. The only "problem" I can see is the "small" 40 MB hard drive, but that's because I'm a software hoarder. Although, with packages like WordPerfect for Windows taking up 10 MB of hard disk space, the case against 40 MB drives as standard is getting stronger by the day. MANUAL: 3.5. The documentation is adequate and mostly informative, although I couldn't find that SIMM speed information. Accompanying documentation includes a very hefty MS-DOS installation guide, an introduction to installing the system, a guide to GW-BASIC, and a user guide to Olivetti Expanded Memory Manager. Accompanying documentation to AlphaWorks features a fine tutorial manual, a large reference manual, and a small booklet descibing additional features. AVAILABILITY: 3.5. I got my system through American Express. I've have seen the PCS 386SX in my local JC Penney department store. The Olivetti customer support passed me onto a salesman who immediately found a relatively local computer reseller that stocked the system. The technical support number, although busy the first few times I tried, was staffed by a very friendly, informative technician. (Ian Stokell/19920117) (NEWS)(TRENDS)(SFO)(000024) ****AMD To Market 486 Clone; Intros New Chips 01/31/92 SUNNYVALE, CALIFORNIA, U.S.A., 1992 JAN 31 (NB) -- Advanced Micro Devices' confirmation that it plans to release a clone of Intel's flagship 80486 microprocessor, while no surprise to the industry, is another confirmed headache for Intel, which has been fighting a tough rear-guard action since AMD cloned its popular 386 chip, and promptly stole a sizeable piece of the market. Ben Anixter, spokesman for AMD, told Newsbytes that the company intends to ship samples of the chip by this coming summer, and enter volume production sometime in the fourth quarter. He also said that the first versions of the 486 clone will come in 25, 33, and 50 megahertz (MHz) versions. In an effort to fend off the determined assault by AMD, Intel recently introduced a variety of new products, cut prices of established microprocessors, and became entangled in an ongoing copyright infringement suit with AMD. Anixter also told Newsbytes that the company is releasing a 33 MHz version of its 386SX processor, and also offering the 40 MHz 386DX at a lower cost. "The (40 MHz 386DX) has been available for a year now," said Anixter, "but it is now available in a low cost package." In addition, Anixter said that AMD plans to release a low voltage (three volt) 486 processor for the notebook market in a 20 MHz and 25 MHz version. Additionally, the company is working on a 486SX chip running at 25 MHz. All in not going AMD's way though in its ongoing fight with Intel, as major manufacturers are reluctant to endanger their relationship with Intel by encouraging AMD. Although IBM and Compaq have both been reported to have designed new systems using AMD products, it appears both have decided to go with the equivalent Intel chip. Anixter told Newsbytes that while AMD has "no positive knowledge about IBM's plans," he understands an IBM system "was designed using our chip." He did confirm that there "was a design at Compaq," and that the company "has decided to buy that chip from Intel." "We'll just have to work harder," at convincing major manufacturers of the benefits of using AMD processors, said Anixter. (Ian Stokell/19920131) (NEWS)(GOVT)(LAX)(00025) ****Davin Computer Files $250 Million Suit Against IBM 01/31/92 IRVINE, CALIFORNIA, U.S.A., 1992 JAN 31 (NB) -- Like David going after Goliath, Davin Computer of Irvine, California, is going after computer giant IBM. Davin, which has only seven employees, has filed a $250 million lawsuit against the IBM alleging misappropriation of trade secrets, fraud, negligent misrepresentation, breach of contract, and unfair competition. The charges revolve around a new technology Davin Computer developed called parallel byte processing (PBP). PBP is not parallel processing, the technique of using several central processing units in parallel to perform processing tasks that is used currently in the world's fastest computers. Instead PBP allows a single CPU (central processing unit) to process bytes of information in parallel, Davin President David H. Methvin said. In describing PBP, Methvin said: "It's like taking four- or eight-cylinder engines that have been running with only one spark plug and adding the other spark plugs. The effect is dramatic and the cost is trivial." Methvin describes himself as an inventor and a co-founder of Computer Automation, his first computer company started in 1967. Methvin says IBM licensed the rights to Computer Automation's first patent for use in its desktop computers, paying royalties to Computer Automation for a number of years. Methvin was chief executive officer at Computer Automation until 1985, when upon a disagreement over the direction the company should take, Methvin left. Davin, Methvin's lastest venture technology, produced a low- cost 64-bit minicomputer product line that uses the PBP technology. Then Methvin says he approached IBM. "We disclosed confidential and trade secret information to IBM at their request over a period of many months, believing that they were dealing in good faith with us," Methvin said. "With encouragement from IBM, we refrained from dealing with IBM competitors so as not to alert the other firms to what would be coming to market in a year or so." Methvin claims IBM led him to believe that they had the rights to manufacture the 486 and 586 microprocessor chips, as well as the rights to the 386. Methvin said he came to the realization he was not dealing in good faith with IBM when it came out the company did not have the rights to the 486 and 586 chips. "Without the manufacturing rights to the 486/586 processors, it made no strategic sense to put PBP into the 386. Davin had wasted a year with IBM, given them trade secrets, and then we spent another year trying to get IBM to rectify the situation and avoid litigation," Methvin continued. Brian Doyle, representative for IBM out of the Armonk, New York, office confirmed that Davin Computer did approach the company and made technical disclosures about the PBP technology between 1988 and 1989. However, Doyle says IBM told Davin it was not interested. "The suit is totally without merit," Doyle said. Davin admits IBM has not released any products that make use of the PBP technology, but claims it has proof IBM is using the "leg up" Davin gave it technically for internal development, and perhaps with its recent development agreement with chip- manufacturer Intel. Davin says it has extensive patent claims on PBP technology. "Right now we're pushing to get the existing case in front of a jury," Methvin said. Even though Davin originally filed the suit in October of 1991, it is just now making public announcements about it. Doyle of IBM said he was surprised to see Davin issue the public announcement. "It appears to be an attempt to try the case in the media," Doyle said. (Linda Rohrbough/19920131/Press Contact: David Methvin, Davin Computer, tel 714-250-0414, fax 714-250-0421; Brian Doyle, IBM, tel 914-765-6432, fax 914-765-7597) (NEWS)(IBM)(LAX)(00026) Spreadsheet For Windows Wars Continue 01/31/92 SCOTTS VALLEY, CALIFORNIA, U.S.A., 1992 JAN 31 (NB) -- In a fiercely competitive market, the major software companies producing spreadsheets -- Lotus, Borland, and Microsoft -- continue to battle it out, but now in the Windows environment. In the latest round, held at the Demo '92 show in Indio, California, Borland said its Quattro Pro For Windows product, still in pre- release testing, won. Borland said Quattro Pro For Windows was compared against Lotus 1-2-3 For Windows and Microsoft Excel 4.0 for Windows in three categories. The three categories were basic data entry and formulae, analysis and graphing, and macros. Quattro Pro scored higher in the first and second categories and tied in the macros category, Borland said. Quattro Pro for DOS has been doing quite well against Lotus 1-2-3 for DOS. The Pasadena IBM Compatible Users Group, one of the largest IBM user groups in the U.S., had both products in last year for a "shoot out" side by side and feature by feature, and said the Borland product won hands down. Lotus is in fact in the midst of a "look-and-feel" suit against Borland in regard to one menu in the Quattro Pro for DOS product that duplicates a menu in the Lotus 1-2-3 for DOS product. Lotus however, has beat Borland to market with its Lotus 1-2-3 for Windows product which was announced for shipment September 3 of last year. Microsoft Excel 3.0 For Windows has been available even longer, since 1990. Microsoft, however, seems to be competing more with Lotus than with Borland with its announcement that it plans to modify Excel so it can use unmodified Lotus macros. The move was designed to attract Lotus users to Excel for Windows. A macro is a series of keystrokes which can be stored and played back at will. For example, a macro could be created that would save the current spreadsheet, then print it, simply by pressing two keys. Complex macros can be created which pause for input by the user, display graphs, format portions of the spreadsheet, and nearly any other function which can be performed manually. Power users frequently have numerous complex macros, which they might be reluctant to re-create in a new program. Microsoft announced it is actively seeking Lotus 1-2-3 macros to test with the new version of Excel, now in pre-release testing. Microsoft Excel for Windows with Lotus macro capability is expected to ship in the first half of this year. Those who wish to send in Lotus macros for testing should send them to: Macro Mailbox, Microsoft Corporation, One Microsoft Way, Redmond, WA 98052. Those who include their name and address in submitting a qualifying macro will receive a copy of Microsoft's Entertainment Pack for Windows, Microsoft said. Borland has announced its Quattro Pro for Windows product will ship in the first half of this year as well. (Linda Rohrbough/19920131/Press Contact: Catherine Miller, Borland, tel 408-439-4691, fax 408-439-8050; Marty Taucher, Microsoft, 206-882-8080) (NEWS)(TELECOM)(TOR)(00027) Canada: Telecom Reorganization Gets User Group's OK 01/31/92 TORONTO, ONTARIO, CANADA, 1992 JAN 31 (NB) -- The reorganization of Canada's national telephone consortium has brought a positive response from the Canadian Business Telecommunications Alliance (CBTA). The 330-member national organization represents large users of telecommunications services. George Horhota, president of CBTA, told Newsbytes his group expects the creation of a new national group to coordinate the phone companies' product and service offerings will be good for customers. The new unit, named Stentor Resource Centre, is meant to make the formerly unwieldy alliance of nine phone companies more responsive. Charged with developing national products and services, Stentor Resource Centre does away with the veto which each member company formerly had over national product and service decisions. The existing Telecom Canada, which started life as the Trans- Canada Telephone System in 1931, becomes Stentor Canadian Network Management. It will continue to manage the connections between the regional telephone companies and the links to the rest of the North American telephone network. It will also continue serving as the means for dividing revenues from national services among the telephone companies. "On a preliminary basis we're very supportive," Horhota said. "In fact I'd say we're strongly supportive and applaud the initiative." Horhota said he believes the nine telephone companies that make up Stentor decided on the changes both to meet their own needs and to be more responsive to customers. He added that phone company officials did a good job of seeking input from major customers before they made the move. The reorganization is a recognition that increased competition is inevitable in the Canadian telephone market and the carriers must prepare for it, Horhota said. Unitel, a national data communications company, has an application before federal regulators to offer long- distance telephone service in competition with Stentor. Two smaller companies also have a competition application before regulators. Horhota did express one reservation, concerning the formation of Stentor Telecom Policy, which is essentially a new lobbying organization for the telephone companies. If this group focuses on attempts at "maintaining the monopoly telephone structure through lobbying," he said, "that, we believe, is not in our interest or the country's interest." Earlier, Toronto telecommunications analyst Eamon Hoey noted that the new organization could be a formidable opponent for user groups like the CBTA in future policy debates. Acknowledging this, Horhota said he hoped the new unit would direct its energy toward pressing regulators to allow faster introduction of new products and services, rather than to preserving the long-distance monopoly. (Grant Buckler/19920131/Press Contact: George Horhota, Canadian Business Telecommunications Alliance, 416-548-5132; Joanne Stanley, Stentor, tel 613-781-3726, fax 613-781-3741) (NEWS)(BUSINESS)(TOR)(00028) Spinnaker Deals Promote Personal Access Product 01/31/92 CAMBRIDGE, MASSACHUSETTS, U.S.A., 1992 JAN 30 (NB) -- The Plus division of Spinnaker Software has announced enhancements to its Personal Access database query tool, as well as two agreements for marketing and further development of the software. In February, Spinnaker plans to begin shipping copies of Personal Access that will support the Oracle database software, from the company of the same name, and Borland's Paradox database software. Personal Access currently supports multiple databases including Borland's dBase, Microsoft's SQL Server, Sybase SQL Server, and Novell's Btrieve. Also, Spinnaker and Micro Decisionware, of Boulder, Colorado, have jointly announced a product development and co-marketing agreement. Spinnaker is to provide Personal Access as a front end to Micro Decisionware's Database Gateway connection to large-scale mainframe and minicomputer databases, including IBM DB2, SQL/DS, and Teradata DBC/1012. The agreement also provides for both companies to market and sell their products jointly and develop joint sales opportunities in Fortune 500 companies and large government database markets. The Micro Decisionware agreement is the sixth Spinnaker has signed for its Plus and Personal Access products and technology. Other major alliances are with Oracle (Oracle Card), Revelation Technologies (Open Card), Information Builders (EDA/SQL), DataImage (DATwriter Plus), and Information Advantage (Axsys Object Manager). Additionally, Spinnaker has announced a marketing and sales agreement calling for Egghead Discount Software, through its more than 330-member corporate and government sales organization, to sell Personal Access to Fortune 500 companies and large U.S. government agencies. Plans call for Spinnaker's Plus division to provide Egghead with broad marketing support including sales collateral, trade show participation, direct mail, trade advertising, comprehensive product training, and on-line customer support. As part of a special introductory promotion, Egghead will bundle and sell four complete copies of Personal Access for the regular list price of one copy, $695. According to Spinnaker, Personal Access lets people with no knowledge of structured query language (SQL), networks, programming, or its Plus software, build queries to retrieve corporate data in less than five minutes. Users can access popular databases, display data, edit and join database information, and produce customized reports on demand, the company said. Personal Access also takes advantage of Microsoft Windows dynamic data exchange (DDE) to link database information to a variety of applications. All the features of Plus, Spinnaker's hypermedia development software, are built into Personal Access. Other key features include a "query builder," which provides a common interface regardless of the type of database from which information is to be retrieved, and a "table joiner," used to construct links between databases, which need not be of the same time or reside on the same server. The software also includes report writing capabilities, Spinnaker said. Personal Access began shipping in December, 1991. (Grant Buckler/19920131/Press Contact: Douglas Campbell, Spinnaker, 617-494-1200, ext. 357; David Thurman, Spinnaker, 617-494-1200, ext. 459) (NEWS)(TELECOM)(TOR)(00029) ****Canadian Phone/Satellite Companies Bid For Telesat 01/31/92 OTTAWA, ONTARIO, CANADA, 1992 JAN 31 (NB) -- A consortium of Canada's regional telephone companies and a firm that builds satellites for Telesat Canada have announced they are bidding to buy the federal government's 53 percent stake in the domestic satellite communications carrier. Stentor Canadian Network Management, which until this week was known as Telecom Canada, has launched the widely anticipated bid along with Spar Aerospace, which built Telesat's Anik D and Anik E satellites. Also part of the bid is Quebec-Telephone, a small carrier that is an associate member of Stentor. The companies have formed Alouette Telecommunications Inc., to bid for the government stake in Telesat. A Stentor spokesman said the company could not comment on the share each participant will hold in Alouette Telecommunications or on the bid price. The telephone companies already own 41.6 percent of Telesat, which has a monopoly on providing satellite communications services within Canada. Officials of Spar Aerospace said their company would play a major role in research and development and international marketing efforts for Telesat if the bid is successful. The deadline for the first round of bidding for Telesat was January 31. A decision is expected to be announced some time in March. At almost the same time as Stentor made its intentions known, rival Unitel Communications of Toronto announced it would not bid for Telesat. Unitel, a national data communications service provider that is currently seeking permission to compete with the regional telephone companies in the long-distance market, said the telephone companies' control over Telesat -- because they are its largest customers -- made it difficult for anyone else to bid on the company. Earlier in the week, international satellite communications carrier Teleglobe expressed the same view in announcing that it too had decided against a bid for Telesat. The position of the regional carriers as shareholders in and major customers of Telesat Canada makes it difficult for anyone other than the phone companies to bid, said Brian Hedges, senior vice-president and chief financial officer of Teleglobe. (Grant Buckler/19920131/Press Contact: John Anderson, Stentor, 800-461-7800) (NEWS)(BUSINESS)(TOR)(00030) Systemhouse Signs Nova Scotia Outsourcing Deals 01/31/92 HALIFAX, NOVA SCOTIA, CANADA, 1992 JAN 31 (NB) -- The government of Nova Scotia and the province's privately owned telephone company, Maritime Telegraph & Telephone, have awarded computer systems outsourcing contracts worth more than $100 million to Ottawa-based SHL Systemhouse. Systemhouse said it will set up a new Northeast data center in Halifax and expects to create more than 100 new jobs in the province as a result of the deals. At a signing ceremony in the Nova Scotia Legislature, Systemhouse Chairman John Oltman joined Premier Donald Cameron, MT&T President Ivan Duvar, and Tom Gillette, vice president of IBM Canada, to announce the details of the contracts that call for Systemhouse to manage the entire computer systems operations of both the provincial government and MT&T. Systemhouse said the announcement was its largest outsourcing deal ever. The seven-year contract with the Nova Scotia government provides for Systemhouse to acquire the province's data processing center and manage all of its processing services. Under another seven-year contract, Systemhouse will also take over MT&T's data processing resources and provide comprehensive services to MT&T. Systemhouse's new Northeast data center in Halifax will serve customers in the New England states, as well as clients in Atlantic Canada and Ontario. It is the latest in a number of data centers established in North America and Europe. The company now operates data centers in Houston, Los Angeles, Toronto, Ottawa, and London, England. Cameron said the Systemhouse contracts enable his government to cut costs and provide better services to his taxpayers. "This is a win-win situation for everyone," Cameron said in a prepared statement. "The new data center will put Nova Scotia on the cutting edge of computing technology without involving money from taxpayers -- no government grants, loans or credits. In fact, this arrangement will save the taxpayers a great deal of money." Systemhouse said that as a result of the contracts it will create more than 100 information-related jobs over the next four years in Halifax. It also plans to establish a Client/Server Services Unit and a Technology Competence Center in the city, and to move its ComputerLand-operated Telecare operation from Toronto. Telecare is a toll-free line for clients to call when they need information about systems or technology. SHL Systemhouse has more than 3,000 employees and reported 1991 revenues of just under $700 million. (Grant Buckler/19920131/Press Contact: Dennis Maloney, Systemhouse, 416-366-4600)