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(NEWS)(IBM)(NYC)(00001)

 ****IBM Expand AS/400 Line; Adds Mac Connectivity 09/01/92
WHITE PLAINS, NEW YORK, U.S.A., 1992 SEP 1 (NB) -- IBM has
announced a number of products for its mid-range AS/400 computer
series, including an interface to Apple Macintosh computers, that
it said "will significantly boost AS/400 customer productivity
and system availability."

The link to the Macintosh is one of the first tangible accomplishments of
the joint initiatives taken by Apple and IBM in 1991. The interface,
designed by Apple, adds an openness to the previously closed AS/400
platform.

The introductions, made at a press conference held today at New York
City's Park Tower, come at a time in which rumors are rampant that IBM
will go through still another restructuring to grant more autonomy and
profit responsibility to individual product units. A key participant
in the introduction, Ray AbuZayyad, general manager of the Adstar disk
storage business unit and an IBM vice-president, was one of the first
IBM executives to have responsibility for a separate, semi-autonomous
business unit.

The products introduced included a storage device, the RAID-5, said to
be able to enable computer users to reconstruct lost data. IBM
representatives said that they plan to move the RAID technology to
other platforms.

The most significant new product in the AS/400 camp from IBM is a
new flagship machine that IBM claims has 20 percent more
processing power than its previous model. The new machine costs a
hefty $973,000.

The conference also included demonstrations of object oriented
programming for the AS/400 and examples of the formerly proprietary
computer working as an "open system" in conjunction with other
systems.

A full report will follow tomorrow.

(Barbara E. McMullen & John F. McMullen/19920901/Press Contact:Jeff
Cross, IBM, 914-642-5358)


(NEWS)(BUSINESS)(DEL)(00002)

India: Price Waterhouse Unveils "Audit-Friendly" Software 09/01/92
NEW DELHI, INDIA, 1992 SEP 1 (NB) -- Price Waterhouse Associates
(PWA), the Indian offshoot of the California-based audit firm, has
unveiled what it claims are a range of audit-friendly software
packages and finance management systems.

According to Price Waterhouse, the software lays emphasis on deducing
information, validation, identification of goals, working out the
right financial strategy and providing data security.

Price Waterhouse has a two-fold thrust on systems development, as well
as management and software packages for keeping up to date external
and internal auditing. The range of products from the firm includes the
Strategic Information System and Planning (SISP), which identifies
exact information requirements of a company and looks into the
functional areas, along with estimating the crucial success factor and
formulating an effective strategy and the company's target.

The other package is a post-implementation Information System
Effectiveness Review (ISER) which is a data security application.
Besides keeping tabs on data contamination, ISER updates the control
mechanism to maintain system security. To support its systems, PWA has
teamed up with a number of third-party companies to offer service to
customers.

Price Waterhouse is well-known in Europe for its accountancy software.
The company, which has a relatively high profile in the UK, has a
reputation for high-quality software, but at a similarly high price.

(C.T. Mahabharat/19920901)


(NEWS)(IBM)(SYD)(00003)

Australia: Science Problem Solving Kit For Windows 09/01/92
ADELAIDE, AUSTRALIA, 1992 SEP 1 (NB) -- An Australian company has
developed a school science problem solving kit which works under
Windows. Intellecta, developed by Intellecta Technologies of Adelaide,
allows students and teachers to undertake science experiments without
the previously needed extensive set-up and write-ups.

The software and hardware package, which retails for AUS$1,200 for
schools and universities, allows students to link installed devices
via icons within the Windows controlling software. These links
must follow logical and process rules. The software and hardware has been
designed to interact with technical Logo, allowing students to use a
fairly common range of devices and sensors for their experiments.

Intellecta was the brainchild of staff and graduates at the School
of Applied Physics at the University of South Australia. Led by Dr
Tony Pugatschew, senior lecturer in physics at the school, the
developers tried to design Intellecta to provide many features
(including ease of use) to teachers and students, while reinforcing
the use of computers as tools in understanding science, rather than
as a replacement to understanding.

"We don't have a lot of computer equipment in the physics labs,"
Pugatschew said. "We have a rule that we use the computer as a last
resort if it enhances the work we do," he added.

Pugatschew saw the requirement of expertise of other such systems
restrictive. If the teacher has to know which interface cards,
devices and language to use, as well as how to use them, it often
spoils the idea behind using the computers as an aid in the first
place.

(Sean McNamara/19920901)


(NEWS)(TRENDS)(SYD)(00004)

Boom Time Ahead For LANs In Australia 09/01/92
SYDNEY, AUSTRALIA 1992 SEP 1 (NB) -- IDC Australia has released a
report which predicts strong growth for the local area network
(LAN) market-place over the next five years. The report predicts
2.15 million networked PCs by 1996, with a net worth of more than
AUS$760M.

Growth is set at 19 percent per year for units, and 4.3 percent by
value. The fastest growing sectors will be government, education,
manufacturing, banking, finance and service industries, although
these already have around 50 percent LAN connectivity.

The report claims that network card sales grew 36 percent last
year, with network operating system unit sales growing by 17
percent in the same period. Ethernet has 68 percent of the card
market, and is expected to maintain this level for the next few
years. IDC said the top four vendors are Eagle/Anthem, 3Com,
IBM and Western Digital/SMC, sharing 55 percent of total unit
sales last year.

(Paul Zucker and Trudi McIntosh/19920901/Contact: IDC
Australia - tel: [phone])


(NEWS)(GOVT)(SYD)(00005)

Australia: Govt Mandates Audits For Vendors 09/01/92
CANBERRA, AUSTRALIA, 1992 SEP 1 (NB) -- Companies endorsed by the
Australian Government in the Industry Development Arrangement
program will have to undergo additional audits, as doubts in the
program have begun to surface, the Government here has announced.

Companies already in the scheme were supposed to have their last
audit last month, but the Department of Industry, Technology and
Commerce has announced a further audit will be held on existing
firms when new ones are audited at the end of the year.

The agreements have been in place in the telecommunications
industry since 1989, and were aimed at providing a "transition
mechanism" to maintain local industry during the change to a
deregulated telecommunications market.

However, companies which would like to take advantage of the
Australian market but which haven't signed agreements yet, are
lobbying to have the scheme abolished and have a freer market. At
present, only endorsed companies can sell telecommunications
equipment (unless their turnover is less than AUS$10M), and this has
allowed the government to negotiate quite lucrative deals with
companies such as Ericsson.

Many of the assumptions made at the beginning of the scheme
regarding how various companies would act, especially the two
carriers Optus and AOTC, have since proved wrong, placing the
program in doubt, and departmental staff have already met with
Industry, Technology and Commerce Minister Senator John Button to
discuss alternative policy directions.

(Sean McNamara/19920901)


(NEWS)(TELECOM)(SYD)(00006)

Australia: AOTC In Thai Network 09/01/92
SYDNEY, AUSTRALIA, 1992 SEP 1 (NB) -- The Australian and Overseas
Telecommunications Corporation (AOTC) is one of around five
companies which is negotiating for a share of an equity company
which will be the network operator in Thailand's provincial
telephone network. The consortium charged with establishing the
network will be otherwise wholly Thai-owned.

Other companies from Japan, the US, France and Hong Kong are also
negotiating for a stake in the company. If successful, they will
enter a partnership with the Thai Telephone and Telecommunications
Company (TT&T) consortium, which has a 25-year concession for the
provincial licence which was issued by the State-owned Telephone
Organization of Thailand (TOT). Under the terms of the concession,
TT&T must appoint an experienced network operator, hence the
interest shown by international companies.

TOT must approve the appointment of any partners, said Suchin
Suwanacheep, vice president of one of TT&T's major partners, Loxley
(Bangkok). The first 200,000 provincial lines are planned to be
installed by July 1994.

A decision on which companies will be involved in the network
will be made by the end of the month, and Suchin said it was
unlikely that agreements will be signed before the end of the
year. The changes are going ahead despite major changes in the
management of TOT and the Communications Authority of Thailand.

(Sean McNamara/19920901)


(NEWS)(IBM)(SFO)(00007)

New For PC: DCA Releases Remote2 V3.0 09/01/92
ALPHARETTA, GEORGIA, U.S.A., 1992 SEP 1 (NB) -- DCA has announced
an upgrade to its remote control program for PCs known as Remote2.
Remote2 v3.0 has started shipping already and comes with a
collection of new features that should tempt current users to
purchase the upgrade.

Remote2 is a package that allows the user to control a remote PC
via a pair of modems. A PC at the office could have a modem attached
to it and then the user could dial in from their home and control
all of the functions and operations of the office PC from home.

According to the company, the most important new features in the
package is its support for the Lotus-Intel-Microsoft (LIM)
extended memory support (EMS) specification v4.0. This feature
allows the user to use less of their 640K of RAM (random access
memory) by using the extended memory that their computer may
possess. DCA is stating that with this one feature alone, it
should be possible to run Remote2 in as little as 5K of memory,
down from 70K.

Another major feature includes the ability of the program to process
file transfer requests in the background. The example given by
DCA is of a Remote2 user working at home and transferring files
from a Lotus spreadsheet to another PC in the office while that
office PC is also running WordPerfect or any other application.

Two other major enhancements include the program's ability to fully
support mouse operations and new security features. These new
features include the ability to set a password with a password
expiration date as well as the ability to set the maximum number of
password attempts allowed.

Remote2 v3.0 is shipping now for $195. This package includes both
the host side and the call side. Purchased separately they list
for $89 for the call software and $129 for the host. An upgrade
to v3.0 for previous users costs $49 for both program or $25 for
the Call and $30 for the host. Members of DCA's DCA Advantage
program should be receiving instructions on how to get the
upgrade for free from the company.

(Naor Wallach/19920901/Public Contact: DCA, 800-348-3221, 404-
442-4364)


(NEWS)(IBM)(SFO)(00008)

NetManage Ships NetMail For Chameleon, Announces Collaboration 09/01/92
CUPERTINO, CALIFORNIA, U.S.A., 1992 SEP 1 (NB) -- NetManage has made
a pair of announcements recently concerning its TCP/IP stack for
Microsoft Windows v3.1.

The first announcement concerns the availability of several new
features in on of the parts of Chameleon. NetMail is the part of
Chameleon that allows PC users to send and receive Unix-based
mail across the TCP/IP link that exists.

NetMail has been upgraded with several new capabilities. For
instance, NetMail now includes a Post Office Protocol (POP) release
2 mail server in addition to the SMTP (Simple Mail Transfer
Protocol) mail server that has come with NetMail in the past. Other
new features include complete address book functions, carbon copy
capabilities, blind copies, and an improved graphical user
interface (GUI).

Using NetMail eliminates the need for a gateway between PCs and
Unix mail servers. This is true also for the Internet as the
customer's normal Internet gateway can then route the incoming
mail messages directly to the PC. However, there is currently no way
to integrate Chameleon's NetMail with another commercial mail
package. If you want to do that you have to choose between pure
Internet/Unix mail and the other package with its gateway.

NetMail has been a part of Chameleon3 for Windows since its
inception. The new features discussed above have been made available
and shipped as part of Chameleon. Therefore, there is really no upgrade
policy set for users who wish to employ the full NetMail
functionality. If you are a Chameleon user, contact NetManage to
learn of the best way to upgrade your set-up.

In a separate, unrelated, announcement, NetManage and OpenConnect
Systems have revealed that OpenConnect will use the Chameleon
TCP/IP stack for Windows as the base for OpenConnect's line of
IBM 3270 and 5250 terminal emulators. These emulators will allow
a user to attach his PC to an IBM mainframe or AS400 and act as a
terminal to that machine across the network running TCP/IP.

(Naor Wallach/19920901, Press Contact:Dan Geisler, NetManage, 408-
973-7171/Public Contact: NetManage, 408-973-7171)


(NEWS)(IBM)(WAS)(00009)

New For PC: Phone Directories On Low-Cost CD-ROM 09/01/92
MARBLEHEAD, MASSACHUSETTS, U.S.A., 1992 SEP 1 (NB) -- ProCD has
announced a special limited-time pricing of $179 for ProPhone, a
three-disc set of CD-ROM (compact disk read only memory) disks
which contain many listed US white page and business telephone
numbers.

Full list price will eventually rise to $350 but, according to
Jim Bryant of the company, it looks like a lot of people aren't
waiting -- the company reports selling 3,000 sets within a few
days of the product's announcement at the temporary low
introductory price.

The business directory contains seven million searchable phone
numbers along with addresses and standard industrial
classification codes. One unusual suggestion for using these
listings was suggested by ProCD -- use the industrial code to
locate potential employers who might be receptive to your resume.

Residential CD-ROM phone directories are divided by the
Mississippi River but on either side of the country you can
search by a person's name -- limiting the search region by area
code, ZIP code, city, or state.

The software does not allows searches by telephone number but
does offer an autodial feature which lets modem owners call
numbers as soon as they are highlighted by the search.

Searches are quite fast considering the size of the database, and
the software offers the unusual ability to "browse" through all
listings.

Although all cities and even some smaller towns are included, not
all residential telephones which are found in published white
pages are included in the database. For instance, although
Punxsutawney, PA, near this Newsbytes Bureau, is included,
small towns contained in the Punxsutawney directory are left out.

These telephone directory CD-ROMs are mostly targeted at the
reference library and business markets where they save space and
cut directory assistance bills considerably but at this price
they may even find their way into some homes.

(John McCormick/19920901/Press Contact: Jim Bryant, ProCD, 617-
631-9200 or fax [phone])


(NEWS)(IBM)(SFO)(00010)

Complete 386SX/33 System Built Into A Keyboard 09/01/92
NEWPORT BEACH, CALIFORNIA, U.S.A., 1992 SEP 1 (NB) -- DataBusiness
Systems has announced the PC-101, a complete 386/33MHz computer system
with all peripherals and components installed within a 101-style
keyboard.

Important distinctions between the PC-101 and portable computers are
the size of the keyboard and the quality of the video. Although
appreciably smaller than a standard PC and keyboard, the system offers
virtually the same power, memory and expansion capabilities, the company
said.

Internal ports of the PC-101 include three parallel, two serial and one
game. The two built-in video ports support 1,024x768 SVGA graphics.
Internally, there is an FDD controller with a 1.44MB 3 1/2-inch
floppy drive and an IDE HDD controller. The 386SX system also includes
1MB of dynamic RAM expandable to 16MB.

The entire system weighs 9 1/4 pounds including the power supply.
Suggested list price of the standard PC-101 is $1,495 with optional
features priced separately. The system comes with a three-year warranty
on parts and labor.

More product information is available by calling the computer's
distributor, Tech Power, 800/989-1330.

(Heather Howarth, Computer Currents/19920901)


(NEWS)(TELECOM)(ATL)(00011)

Bellcore Sees Solar Powering Fiber As Future 09/01/92
CHESTER, NEW JERSEY, U.S.A., 1992 SEP 1 (NB) -- Bellcore researchers
think that solar cells might be able to act as repeaters within the
local loop of a fiber-based phone network. They are testing the idea
on a hillside 50 miles outside Manhattan.

Each cell can support just four homes, Bellcore spokesmen told
Newsbytes, but it does use commercially available equipment. "It
was originally developed for emergency situations, like the case
in Florida, where commercial power is out after a Hurricane,"
explained Barbara McClurken. "We went one step beyond that to
make it a stand-alone system, without relying on commercial
power."

To make the test practical, the equipment was put on a hilltop
where it is vulnerable to extreme weather conditions. The problem
researchers have is that the fiber itself doesn't carry
electricity, and many components in futuristic fiber-based
communications systems will still be electrical. Bellcore's
premise that dispensing power from a location close to a customer
is, in many cases, less expensive than sending energy from a
central office. It is engineered to supply solar power to remote
optical network units, located close to customers' premises to
make the last service connections to each home.

(Dana Blankenhorn/19920901/Press Contact: Bellcore, Barbara
McClurken, 201/740-6467)


(NEWS)(TELECOM)(ATL)(00012)

Pacific Bell Offers Enhanced Voice Mail In San Diego 09/01/92
SAN DIEGO, CALIFORNIA, U.S.A., 1992 SEP 1 (NB) -- Pacific Bell
is extending its Message Center service to San Diego, and to the
residential market. Digital Sound of Carpenteria, which supplies
equipment for the system, is pleased.

Unlike most phone company-created voice mail systems, which
essentially replicate answering machine functions and are thus
susceptible to competition from new chip-based answering
machines, the Pacific Bell offering has voice broadcasting
features as well.

The service costs $5.95 per month, about the same price as the
receive-only services of other Bell companies, and the company claims
it has 250,000 mailboxes on the service throughout the state. Pacific
Bell will put the service on sale for the next month, waiving a $10
installation fee, and is aiming marketing of the service to home-based
businesses.

The Digital Sound VoiceServer platform now includes services
using the Intel 80486 chip, instead of the 80386, Digital Sound
said in a press release. The same device can run both the
InfoMail voice mail and MessageNet networking software. The next
enhancement the company plans to offer is support for Unix System
V, Release 4 -- that will prove important in its phone company
market-place, since most phone firms are more comfortable with
Unix than MS-DOS.

(Dana Blankenhorn/19920901/Press Contact: Digital Sound, Andrea
Holm, 805/566-2000; Pacific Bell, Lou Saviano, 415/545-8191)


(NEWS)(TELECOM)(ATL)(00013)

Ameritech Finishes Fiber Contracts 09/01/92
CHICAGO, ILLINOIS, U.S.A., 1992 SEP 1 (NB) -- Ameritech has concluded
about $1 billion in contracts to put fiber cable in parts of its
local phone network.

The telecom company bought the Litespan-2000 and Starspan product
line from DSC, which DSC called the largest such purchase in industry
history. DSC said installation will begin next month, and fiber will
run from central offices to points at subdivisions and directly into
office buildings. The bidding process on the contract began in July.

It was a major win for DSC, which has been in an uphill fight since
Motorola created a joint-venture with Northern Telecom in digital
switching, and its signal transfer points were blamed for service
outages last year. The contract runs for three years.

The second contract is with Raynet of Menlo Park, which will
supply its LOC-2 fiber-in-the-loop hardware and RIDES software.
All five Ameritech states are covered by the new program, Raynet
officials said in a press statement. The Raynet system will serve
up to 20,000 lines, the company said, and the company will tie
its own development efforts to Ameritech requirements during the
remaining two years of the three-year contract.

Raynet said that Ameritech will triple the volume of fiber cable in
its local networks with the award. Raynet has been offering its LOC-2
system for sale for over a year, saying it is cost-competitive with
copper cable in large installations.

(Dana Blankenhorn/19920901/Press Contact: Terry Adams, DSC, 214-
519-4358; Raynet, Spencer Sias, 415/361-7840; Ameritech, Steve
Ford, 312-750-5205)


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

RAM Offers Public Safety Application 09/01/92
NEW YORK, NEW YORK, U.S.A., 1992 SEP 1 (NB) -- RAM Mobile Data
has formed an alliance with RF Data to bring wireless data services to
the public safety industry.

The system combines RF's system for accessing data in state and
national crime database files, called RF/Switch, with RAM's own
public radio network. The system allows police to access the
databases directly from their vehicles, without the use of
dispatchers.

The companies also claim the RAM network is more secure than regular
voice networks. The two companies also think RF/Switch will cost less
to use than other systems, since private networks can cost a half-
million dollars to create. By dedicating a single gateway to multiple
jurisdictions, small communities can also use the system, the
companies said.

(Dana Blankenhorn/19920901/Press Contact: Alan Caminiti, RAM
Mobile Data, 212-373-1943; Marv Allums, RF Data, 708-325-9300)


(NEWS)(BUSINESS)(LAX)(00015)

Rasterops Buys Truevision For Less Than Expected 09/01/92
SANTA CLARA, CALIFORNIA, U.S.A., 1992 SEP 1 (NB) -- The on-
again, off-again merger between Rasterops and Truevision is
finally complete, but Truevision stockholders are getting about
$51 million less than they might have gotten a year ago.

Rasterops said that the merger has been approved by both companies'
boards of directors and Truevision will now operate as a wholly
owned subsidiary of RasterOps.

The merger was first announced in May of 1991, and mutually
terminated in August of 1991, with an "inability to reach an
agreement" cited as the reason. However, in May of this year
the two companies announced they would try again, saying the
problems that had blocked the former attempt had been resolved.

Neither company wants to say what those problems were, but
Rasterops is paying a lot less for Truevision than it had
proposed in 1991. Then Rasterops said would offer 2.8 million
shares of its common stock in exchange for all existing
Truevision capital stock, but now the agreement calls for
issuance of 2.4 million shares of Rasterops common stock in
exchange for the Truevision capital stock.

Suzanne Crocker, spokesperson for the company, told Newsbytes
at the announcement of the merger for the second time that the
share numbers were determined by the relative contributions of
both companies. The lower number of shares now offered reflects
the lesser contribution expected by Truevision, Crocker said.

However, Rasterops stock has fallen in price from an average of
$25 per share in May of 1991 to an average of $10 per share in
August of this year. That makes the Truevision purchase price
drop from the initial $70 million offered in the first
negotiation to the approximately $24 million Truevision
shareholders are receiving now.

At the time of the first merger Keith Sorenson, president and
chief executive officer of Rasterops, told Newsbytes he
considered Rasterops the market leader in Macintosh video
products, while Truevision was the market leader in IBM
products, "but the underlying technologies are basically the
same."

Now a Rasterops spokesperson told Newsbytes Truevision has the
strength in video and that's a technology Rasterops wants.

The merger has been accounted for as a pooling of interests,
Rasterops said.

Rasterops is in another merger deal with Raster Image Processing
Systems (RIPS), for which Rasterops will exchange 60,000 shares of
its stock, or about $600,000. RIPS claims to have developed the
first page-description language interpreter to be recognized as
compatible with Adobe's Postscript. The five-year-old company also
maintains it was the first vendor to implement a Postscript
language-compatible interpreter on reduced instruction set chip (RISC)
architecture.

Boulder, Colorado-based RIPS is expected to join Rasterops as a
wholly owned subsidiary in much the same manner has Truevision
has, but no announcements as to the finalization of the deal
have been forthcoming.

(Linda Rohrbough/19920901/Press Contact: Karen Oppenheim,
Cunningham Communications, tel [phone], fax [phone])


(NEWS)(IBM)(LAX)(00016)

New For PC:: Fast Windows Paintboard PC Graphics Card 09/01/92
SANTA CLARA, CALIFORNIA, U.S.A., 1992 SEP 1 (NB) -- Rasterops
announced it has developed a video card for IBM and compatible
personal computers (PCs) specifically for graphic artists and
business presentations under Microsoft Windows. The new board,
the Paintboard PC, is a high resolution, 24-bit, single slot
board that Rasterops claims is one of the fastest for screen
draws on the market.

Rasterops Product Manager John Bass told Newsbytes that the speed in
the screen draws comes from three S3 graphics processor chips
which divide the processing of the red, green, and blue. Each
chip processes a single 8-bit plane of data that the board then
puts back together, Bass said. The company claims the chips are
so fast that a 2.3-megabyte (MB), 24-bit image can be redrawn
instantaneously.

Rasterops is aiming straight at the Windows user market with
the Paintboard and claims it has bundled software drivers for
Microsoft Windows with the new product.

The highest resolution the board offers is 1024 x 768, but it
can handle all video modes, including CGA. The card is capable
of 16.7 million colors for images requiring true color display
and can support monitors from 13 to 21 inches in size,
Rasterops maintains.

One thing Rasterops makes a point of saying is that the 1,024 x 768
pixels resolution creates more screen area, 156 percent more, because
everything displayed is much smaller. This means less zoom and
pan for users who are creating documents where they need to see
the entire document at once.

The company is hoping its reputation for true color displays in
the Macintosh world from its Paintboard products for Macs will
flow over into the PC world and help it with competition from
inexpensive 24-bit boards. Bass told Newsbytes that the cheap 24-bit
boards appearing on the market are thrown together pretty
quickly and the companies doing them don't have the history
with color that Rasterops has.

The Paintboard is pricey at $1,299, but the company justifies
the expense by saying only the one board is needed for 24-bit
color and high resolution, instead of two boards piggy-backed
such as the video boards competitors like Radius are offering.

Santa Clara, California-based Rasterops just completed a merger
with Truevision, known for its video boards. The company is
also working on a merger with Boulder, Colorado-based Raster
Image Processing Systems (RIPS), a company that claims it was
the first to implement a Postscript language-compatible
interpreter on reduced instruction set chip (RISC)
architecture.

(Linda Rohrbough/19920901/Press Contact: Carrie Coppe,
Rasterops, tel [phone], fax [phone]; Public Contact,
800-729-2656)


(NEWS)(IBM)(TOR)(00017)

New For PCs: Modem-Based Color Fax Alternative 09/01/92
VANCOUVER, BRITISH COLUMBIA, CANADA, 1992 SEP 1 (NB) -- Want to
send a color image over the phone lines without an expensive color
fax machine? There is a way, if both sender and receiver have a PC,
a modem, and new software from Telimax, a Vancouver software
company.

If the image starts out on paper, the sender also needs a color
scanner, and if it is to go back to paper form at the other end,
the receiver will need a color printer.

Telimax's RainbowFax Pro is designed to send and receive color
faxes between PCs with ordinary modems. Unlike conventional fax
software, it does not work with fax modems that communicate with
stand-alone fax machines, explained Edward Lee, general manager of
Telimax. RainbowFax Pro users need the software at both ends to
communicate.

That's not the disadvantage it may sound like at first, Lee added,
because in the fledgeling color fax market where standards are not
yet established, sending a color fax at all requires having the
same manufacturer's equipment at both ends of the connection.

Lee said there are possible uses for the software in advertising,
real estate, fashion, personnel ID, news reporting, and light-duty
electronic mail.

RainbowFax Pro allows the sender to capture color images directly
from color scanners or instant color photos from still video
cameras, the vendor said. The program can also import color
graphics in PCX or GIF format. To minimize connect time and thus
telephone charges, it processes and compresses colour images before
sending. The sender can choose to send faxes immediately or at a
scheduled time later. RainbowFax Pro can also be used to send
binary files.

RainbowFax Pro receives color faxes and stores them on the
computer's hard disk. Color faxes can then be viewed on a colour
VGA screen or printed on color printers. The program runs in the
background as a small memory-resident program that monitors phone
calls.

With 14,400-bit-per-second (V32bis) modems, Lee said, RainbowFax
Pro can send a single color, letter-sized page in about 90 seconds
and a plain typewritten page in about 1.5 seconds. With a 2,400-bps
modem, all times are multiplied by six.

The software has a user interface that looks like the controls of
a fax machine, the vendor said, and comes with a built-in phone
directory. It can share a single telephone line.

RainbowFax Pro requires an IBM or compatible PC, a Hayes-compatible
modem, a color VGA monitor and MS-DOS. A color scanner and printer
are optional.

RainbowFax Pro for MS-DOS is priced at $399. The company also sells
RainbowFax Basic, a version of the software that can receive color
faxes but does not support scanners and printers. It is intended
mainly for file transfer, Lee said. There is also a simpler
shareware version of the communications software, RainbowFax Lite,
and a complete turnkey system including all the hardware,
RainbowFax Ultra.

RainbowFax Pro is available directly from Telimax Software, and the
company is currently negotiating distribution arrangements, Lee
said.

(Grant Buckler/19920901/Press Contact: Edward Lee, Telimax
Software, 604-266-1124, fax [phone])


(NEWS)(APPLE)(TOR)(00018)

New For Macintosh: Willow's AppleJack Links To LaptopTV 09/01/92
BRONX, NEW YORK, U.S.A., 1992 SEP 1 (NB) -- Willow Peripherals has
announced AppleJack, a connector that will let its LaptopTV
VGA-to-video converter work with Macintosh LC and Quadra computers.

The AppleJack connector plugs into the video output of the
Macintosh and connects it to the VGA input of the LaptopTV device,
said Howard Alexander, vice-president of marketing at Willow
Peripherals. The LaptopTV converts the computer's video signal to
one that can be displayed on an ordinary television set or recorded
on videotape.

Alexander said that this can be useful for preparing presentations
such as training and sales videotapes using computer-generated images,
as well as for professional video production. It also has another use:
it turns any good-sized television set into a large-screen monitor.

That combined with the fact that the LaptopTV device is portable
means anyone who needs to do presentations in client sites can rely
on a portable computer and the LaptopTV. "The chances are greater
than 95 percent that you'll go into any office and there'll be a TV
set there," Alexander said. Those who give presentations in homes,
such as insurance salespeople, can also use the device, he said,
and schools can use it to take advantage of existing TV sets as
large-screen displays for their computers.

The AppleJack adaptor -- Willow's first product for the Macintosh
-- is available for $25. The LaptopTV converter costs $1,195.

(Grant Buckler/19920831/Press Contact: Howard Alexander, Willow
Peripherals, 212-402-9500, fax [phone]; Public Contact: Willow
Peripherals, 212-402-0010)


(NEWS)(IBM)(TOR)(00019)

IBM Takes Minority Stake In Synon 09/01/92
WHITE PLAINS, NEW YORK, U.S.A., 1992 SEP 1 (NB) -- Continuing a
tradition of taking small equity positions in companies involved in
its International Alliance for AD/Cycle, IBM has bought a piece of
Synon, a Larkspur, California software developer.

AD/Cycle is a framework for applications development tools that
work on IBM's larger computers. It encompasses products from IBM
and other vendors, a number of which participate in the alliance.

IBM would not say exactly how large a stake it bought in Synon or
what it paid. Company spokeswoman Karla Feuer said only that the
stake was less than 10 percent and "in line" with IBM's stakes in
other AD/Cycle alliance members.

Synon sells several software products for IBM's AS/400 minicomputer
designed to aid in application development, software
re-engineering, improving code quality, and software maintenance.

Since 1989, IBM and Synon have been marketing several of Synon's
products jointly. The two companies also work together on
development. Feuer said the relationship between IBM and Synon will
not be much changed by IBM's purchase, but the deal will "allow us
to work on development more closely." The investment is meant
partly to help fund further development work, she said.

An IBM executive will have a seat on Synon's board of directors.

(Grant Buckler/19920901/Press Contact: Karla Feuer, IBM,
914-642-5473; Jim Smith, Synon, 415-461-5000)


(NEWS)(IBM)(DEN)(00020)

New PC: Gateway 2000 66MHz System 09/01/92
NORTH SIOUX CITY, SOUTH DAKOTA, U.S.A., 1992 SEP 1 (NB) -- PC clone
manufacturer Gateway 2000 has announced a new desktop system which
will use Intel's 486 DX2 66 MHz (megahertz) microprocessor. The
company says the ISA (Industry Standard Architecture) compatible
system will also incorporate ATI's custom-designed Ultra local bus
video card.

The recently announced Intel chip improves system performance by
utilizing a 32-bit data path which runs at the speed of the
processor. Gateway's new $2,995 system, which will be available in
mid-September, also includes two VESA-compatible slots.

"We recently joined VESA to give customers more assurance that
Gateway systems will be compatible with different video cards, hard
disk controllers, and other current and future high performance
peripheral cards," said Gateway 2000 President Ted Waitt.

As reported by Newsbytes in June of this year, VESA is the Video
Electronic Standards Association, a group formed to establish local
bus specifications. VESA Local Bus, or VL-Bus, is designed to boost
performance of peripherals such as video subsystems, network
adapters, and mass storage devices by bypassing the ISA/EISA
(Industry Standard Architecture/Extended Industry Standard
Architecture) expansion bus and connecting the devices directly to
the CPU.

Gateway claims it is presently the only computer manufacturer using
ATI's new Ultra local bus video card, which enhances video speed.
The video card uses ATI's 68800 chip and contains a video
co-processor for graphics acceleration and a local bus interface for
enhanced data transfer cards.

The card can display up to 64,000 colors, and supports video
resolution of up to 1128 X 1024 pixels (picture elements). "The new
card will make significant performance improvements in Windows,
multimedia, CAD (computer aided design), and other graphical
interface applications available now and in the future," said Waitt.

The Gateway 4DX2-66V comes standard with Gateway's new 15-inch flat
square CrystalScan color monitor, a flat, square, non-glare screen
that reduces distortion around the corners of the monitor.

Also standard is a Western Digital Caviar 340MB IDE hard drive with
an access time of less than 12 milliseconds. Other standard
features include 8MB of RAM, a 64K RAM cache, 1.44 and 1.2MB floppy
drives, DOS 5.0, Windows 3.1, and a Microsoft mouse.

In addition to the standard software, buyers get their choice of one
free software package. They can select from Microsoft Excel,
Microsoft Word, Microsoft PowerPoint, Borland Paradox, or Microsoft
Project For Windows.

Gateway 2000 spokesperson Glynis Gibson told Newsbytes that in lieu
of one of those programs, buyers can select either the Entrepreneur
Pack or the Windows Programmer Pack. The Entrepreneur Pack contains
Microsoft Works, Publisher, Money, and the Entertainment Pack, a
collection of games. The Windows Programmer Pack includes Quick C
for Windows, Visual Basic For Windows, the Windows Control
Development Kit, Windows Help Compiler, and Windows Programmers
Online Reference.

Gateway 2000 representatives will be previewing the new unit for the
computer industry press in Boston, New York, and San Francisco this
week.

(Jim Mallory/19920901/Press contact: Glynis Gibson for Gateway 2000,
312-883-2388, fax [phone]; Reader contact: 605-232-2000 or
800-523-2000)


(NEWS)(GENERAL)(DEN)(00021)

 ****ASi, PKWare To Develop Multi-Platform Compression Programs 09/01/92
DAYTON, OHIO, U.S.A., 1992 SEP 1 (NB) -- Anyone who has ever tried to
find a compression program that works well across several platforms,
including Macintosh and DOS machines, knows what a chore it is. One
of the few applications that do this now is Compactor Pro and its
DOS counterpart EXTPC. But ASi and PKWare have joined up to present
users with a new cross-platform compression alternative.

The two companies have announced a joint agreement under which the
two companies will cooperate to develop platform-independent data
compression programs.

The new software will build on PKWare's popular PKZip program.

Under terms of the agreement ASi will develop the PKZip-based
routines with PKWare acting as the distributor for the new
applications. "We are building a relationship with PKWare to
provide the end user with a standard of data compression which they
can then use among all of their operating environments," said ASi
President Tim Meade. According to Meade, the computer industry as a
whole has never had a data compression standard. "We intend to
change that."

The two companies say they will work together to port existing
PKWare applications to Unix, Macintosh, MVS, Amiga, Ultrix, and
other environments as needed. Meade told Newsbytes that products
will include PKZip for data compression; PKUnzip,to decompress
files; the PK Data Compression Library, a C library of compression
code for programmers to incorporate into their own programs;
PKLite, which compresses most .EXE (executable) and .COM (command)
files while still allowing the files to run; PKSFX, which makes
files self-extracting; and future PKWare products.

Compression/decompression utilities are particularly popular with
users who send and receive files via modems, since a compressed file
takes less time to send. Time translates to money when files are
being sent via long distance telephone lines, or are downloaded from
subscriber bulletin board services such as Compuserve or GEnie.
Stored files also benefit from compression, since they take up less
storage space.

The two companies say they will be trying to raise the level of
public knowledge about data compression in day-to-day operations. The
first products, already available, are the PK Data Compression
Library for Unix, Macintosh, Ultrix, and MVS, as well as PKZip for
Unix. PKZip for the Mac and Amiga will follow shortly, probably in
this quarter, according to Meade.

Meade told Newsbytes that the data compression library has a
suggested list price of $495. PKZip has a shareware registration fee
of $87. Shareware is a software distribution system which allows the
user to download or obtain the program on disk and try it out. If
you like the program and want to use it, you pay the author a
nominal (compared to comparable commercial programs) registration
fee which usually gets you the latest update. Many highly qualified
software developers produce very professional programs under the
shareware concept.

(Jim Mallory/19920901/Press contact: Tim Meade, ASi, 513-436-9012)


(NEWS)(GENERAL)(DEN)(00022)

EDS Licenses TI's Info Engineering Facility 09/01/92
PLANO, TEXAS, U.S.A., 1992 SEP 1 (NB) -- Electronic Data Systems
(EDS) and Texas Instruments (TI) have announced that EDS has licensed
TI's integrated computer-aided systems engineering(I-CASE) product
IEF (Information Engineering Facility) to develop and maintain
computer software applications.

TI Information Technology Group VP for business development Ron
Brittian said the five-year multimillion dollar agreement is
potentially one of the largest license agreements in IEF's five-year
history, but declined to discuss the specific value of the contract.

IEF software is used by business analysts and software engineers to
automate the development and generation of computer software.

"TI's Information Engineering Facility conforms well to our vision of
what CASE technology should be - an integrated tool with
model-driven maintenance supporting heterogeneous platforms," said
Joe Holmes, president of EDS' technology architecture division.

According to John White, president of the Information Technology
Group, the ability of IEF software to support multivendor platforms
such as DEC, HP, Sequent, Tandem, IBM, and other Unix-based
hardware, will prove ideal for the development and cross generation
of applications for EDS clients.

White said EDS is working with TI in beta testing of TI's
client/server enhancements and is expected to participate in beta
testing of Windows-related software.

(Jim Mallory/19920901/Press contact: Steve Stibbons, TI,
214-575-6455 or Julie Bartosh, EDS, 214-661-6516)


(NEWS)(IBM)(DEN)(00023)

 ****Book Says Windows Undocumented Features Favor MS 09/01/92
REDMOND, WASHINGTON, U.S.A., 1992 SEP 1 (NB) -- According to an
article in this week's Infoworld, authors of the book "Undocumented
Windows" say they tore apart the code for Windows and determined
that the program contains undocumented calls.

Undocumented calls are functions in a software program that do not
appear in the documentation. If the charge is true, it could give
Microsoft's in-house application developers a distinct advantage
over independent developers.

Newsbytes' Linda Rohrbough reported last week that this issue was
raised at the Quarterdeck Desqview/X Developers Conference in Santa
Monica California, where developers and hardware manufacturers alike
expressed their concern that Microsoft would engulf and strangle the
entire personal computer universe.

Developers attending the conference accused Microsoft of "hiding"
features in its products by not documenting them, but providing the
information to its own product developers. Quarterdeck reportedly was
having problem with a Windows network device driver that their product
couldn't successfully load in high memory, but DOS 5.0 could.

Quarterdeck claims that there were undocumented quirks about that
particular driver about which Microsoft evidently had informed its
DOS 5.0 development team but had neglected to document.

Conference keynote speaker Darell Miller, executive vice president
at Novell, expressed concern about Microsoft's power, saying that
Novell sees it as its job to help make sure there are a lot of
strong competitors in the market.

Infoworld says its own Test Center confirmed that "a number of
Microsoft applications take advantage of (undocumented) calls
described in the book." Infoworld says that Microsoft executive vice
president, Mike Maples, said during a December 1991 interview, "To
my knowledge, there isn't a single undocumented thing in Windows
that is used by a Microsoft application."

In 1990 the Federal Trade Commission initiated an investigation
targeting Microsoft, claiming possible anti-trust violations and
attempting to create a monopoly. In May of 1991 the FTC said that
it was broadening the scope of that case. No further word regarding
the investigation has been released by the FTC. Microsoft has said
it would cooperate fully in the query, and denied the charges.

Microsoft director of developer relations, Cameron Myhrvold,
reportedly denied the charges, saying "If we were really out there
trying to screw them (independent software vendors) then one hand
wouldn't be sharing Windows source code with them."

According to the Infoworld story, developers claim that Microsoft
has repeatedly ignored pleas for information on the undocumented
calls. One developer told Infoworld that Microsoft says the calls
are subject to change, and that Microsoft has no control over their
own developers. Another told Infoworld that his company needed
five undocumented calls to write debugging devices for Windows 3.0.

"We spent six months trying to get those calls from Microsoft, but
they refused to cooperate," one major software vendor reportedly
told Infoworld. Other vendors claim that after they went public
with their complaints, Microsoft excluded them from the list of
companies receiving the Win32 preliminary software developers kit
for Windows NT.

Maples, responding to a Newsbytes inquiry prior to his departure for
Europe, acknowledged his remark that there were no undocumented
calls being used, saying, "I would have made the same statement
today," according to Microsoft spokesperson Claire LaMatta. He did
not deny that the software contains undocumented calls, LaMatta told
Newsbytes.

LaMatta characterized the issue of undocumented calls as "a tempest
in a teapot," saying doing undocumented calls is something "a lot of
different programmers do. It's not just limited to Microsoft."

Asked if Microsoft was intentionally including undocumented calls in
order to give its own applications programmers an advantage, LaMatta
emphatically replied, "Absolutely not! That's absolutely not true."
LaMatta pointed out that undocumented calls are a headache for
programmers who have to modify a program's code as well as for the
technical writers who prepare the documentation.

"To the best of my knowledge, the programmers are not doing that,
because it's not good programming practice," Maples told Lamatta.

Microsoft provides a number of support services to independent
software developers, including software developer kits and
conferences. In a series of questions and answers prepared to
respond to this issue, Microsoft pointed out that it also sponsors
online support for developers, publishes a systems journal, and in
general provides support for documented calls.

According to Microsoft, most undocumented calls are for the internal
operation of the operating system, or for the system publishers use,
not intended to be used by applications developers. The company
also told Newsbytes that other undocumented calls include those that
duplicate documented functions; those that were part of a feature
that was cut, but some of the code was left in; short term
solutions, or "quick hacks" which are likely to be revised or
replaced with a more elegant solution in a future release; obscure
or trivial calls that almost no one uses; and those that were in
earlier versions of operating systems and that have been
functionally replaced or impaired, but are left in for compatibility
reasons.

In a telephone interview with Newsbytes today, Brad Silverberg,
Microsoft's VP of Personal Systems Group, said, "It's baloney!" when
asked if ISV's had been denied help from Microsoft regarding
information about undocumented calls. "We go out of our way to give
ISV's whatever help is possible. Just call us up," he said.

In response to another question, Microsoft said it provides at least
26 ISVs with information, and sometimes source code, about
undocumented calls in Windows. Adobe, Aldus, Fifth Generation,
Intel, Lotus, Novell, Tandy, and Wordperfect, as well as several
mouse makers and other network software developers. Those same
companies are also on a list provided to Newsbytes of companies who
use some undocumented calls in their Windows applications.

According to Microsoft, of the 11 undocumented calls found by the
authors of "Undocumented Windows" in Excel, four are documented and
five others perform the same function as documented APIs.
"Schulman's book is a good treatise on how undocumented calls are
used in Windows and is useful reading for any serious developer,"
says Microsoft.

Answering a question about why Microsoft uses undocumented APIs when
Bill Gates and Mike Maples say it doesn't, Microsoft responded, "Bill
and Mike have stated our policy...in fact some of our applications
still make one or two trivial uses of undocumented APIs, and it is
our objective to eliminate those uses over time." However, the
company said there won't be a special program initiated to do that.

Microsoft denies that it gets any unfair advantages from using
undocumented APIs in Windows, saying, "The use of undocumented APIs
in applications is innocuous and represents old, out of date code or
functions that can just as easily be performed with the documented
API."

(Jim Mallory/19920901/Press contact: Claire LaMatta, Waggener
Edstrom, 503-245-0905, fax [phone])


(NEWS)(BUSINESS)(SFO)(00024)

Sun Teams With Tektronix & National Instruments 09/01/92
MOUNTAIN VIEW, CALIFORNIA, U.S.A., 1992 SEP 1 (NB) -- Hoping
to break into the test and measurement system market, Sun
Microsystems Computer Corp., (SMCC), has formed an alliance
with Tektronix Inc., and National Instruments Corp. The alliance
calls for the companies to develop, market, and sell a new line of
integrated test and measurement systems called Open Measurement
Solutions.

The products will be based on SPARCstation and SPARCserver
systems from SMCC, VXI and GPIB test instrumentation from
Tektronix; and LabView graphical application software and
instrument controller hardware from National Instruments.

According to the companies, Open Measurement Solutions will
be targeted at industries such as aerospace, automotive,
telecommunications and electronic design automation (EDA).
The three companies anticipate nearly $30 million in combined
worldwide revenue in the first year as a result of the agreement.

The companies are claiming compatibility with other vendors
equipment for the proposed products. Said the companies in a
prepared statement: "Unlike products from other vendors, these
systems can be linked easily to equipment from other companies.
This ensures that users will not be locked into proprietary
products from a single vendor and that systems can be easily
expanded to meet future needs."

The companies maintain that customers will be able to buy Open
Measurement Solutions products through three channels,
depending on the level of integration needed. For those who
require "complete test and measurement systems," the Tektronix
Integration Center will configure standard systems based on
products from the three companies.

The companies also claim that there are products from third-party
system integrators and value-added resellers (VARs) that can
add further customization to meet users' requirements. Also,
those who want to assemble their own test and measurement
systems can purchase products separately from each of the three
companies, knowing that the products will work together.

The companies respective sales forces will be trained to work
together and cross-sell products. End-user support contracts
will be provided through National Instruments.

(Ian Stokell/19920901/Press Contact: Robert Manetta, Sun
Microsystems Computer Corp., 415-336-0979)


(NEWS)(IBM)(SFO)(00025)

 ****Toshiba Intros Satellite Series Of Notebooks 09/01/92
IRVINE, CALIFORNIA, U.S.A., 1992 SEP 1 (NB) -- Just a few days
after Librex announced it is withdrawing from the US notebook
market because the competition is too stiff and the profits are
too small, Toshiba America Information Systems Inc.'s Computer
Systems Division has introduced the Satellite value series of
notebooks.

The Satellite Series features three models -- the T1800, T1850,
and T1850C -- with variations in hard disk and RAM capacity and
monochrome or ultra STN (SUPER TWIST NEMATIC) color display
technology.

The T1800 comes standard with a 20 megahertz (MHz) 386SX CPU
(central processor unit), 60 megabyte (MB) hard disk drive, 2MB
RAM, (expandable to 10MB), and a 9.5-inch VGA (video graphics
array)-compatible black and white LCD (liquid crystal display)
screen with 64 gray scales. The system weighs 6.8 pounds and
measures 11.8-inches by 8.4-inches by 2.2-inches.

The T1850 features a 25 MHz 386SX with a choice of 80MB or
120MB hard disk drive, 4MB RAM (expandable to 12MB) and a
9.5-inch VGA-compatible black and white LCD screen with a 64-gray
scale. It weighs 6.8 pounds and measures 11.8-inches by
8.4-inches by 2.2-inches.

The T1850C is differentiated from the other models by its
9.5-inch VGA-compatible ultra STN-LCD color screen. Other
standard features include 4MB RAM (expandable to 12MB), and
either an 80MB or 120MB hard disk drive. The system weighs 7.3
pounds and measures 11.8-inches by 8.4-inches by 2.3-inches. The
T1850C is bundled with a pointing device, DOS 5.0 and Windows
3.1.

The Satellite notebooks also come standard with a parallel port,
a serial port, a VGA monitor port, a PS/2 mouse port, and a port
for an optional 17-key keypad or 101-key enhanced keyboard
adapter. The series also has a built-in dedicated Toshiba
"E"-style modem slot and credit card-style memory slot.

The company claims that the Satellite T1800 and T1850
incorporate the enhanced nickel cadmium battery to power the
notebook between three and four hours, with a recharge of two
hours. The T1850C is claimed to last over two hours one a
single charge, with a 1.5-hour recharge.

The T1800 retails for $1,799. The T1850 with an 80MB hard disk
drive sells for $2,199. The T1850C with an 80MB hard disk drive
will be $3,299. Availability and pricing of the T1850/120 and
T1850C/120 will be announced in the fourth quarter of 1992.

(Ian Stokell/19920901/Press Contact: Howard Emerson,
Toshiba America Information Systems Inc., 714-583-3925)


(NEWS)(UNIX)(SFO)(00026)

New For Unix: Oracle SQL TextRetrieval 2.0 Dev't Tool 09/01/92
REDWOOD SHORES, CALIFORNIA, U.S.A., 1992 SEP 1 (NB) -- Oracle
has made another play for the corporate document management
market with the introduction of SQL TextRetrieval version 2.0.

The company claims that it is the first development tool to fully
integrate the "90 percent of all corporate information held in
business letters, contracts, spreadsheets, images, and other
documents into strategic business applications based on" the
company's own "Oracle database management system (DBMS)."

According to the company, SQL TextRetrieval 2.0 provides "simple"
extensions to standard SQL (structured query language) that
enable data and documents to be retrieved and managed together.

Richard Barker, senior vice president of Oracle's European
development center, said: "By enabling SQL to manipulate all types
of information, not just data, SQL TextRetrieval opens up a new
universe of truly strategic, integrated applications that is as
large as the imagination of the user."

SQL TextRetrieval provides the technology that makes large-scale
document management applications practical. At the same time it
illustrates Oracle's strategic commitment to managing all types of
information including text, images, and graphics, in addition to more
traditional data."

The company maintains that SQL TextRetrieval 2.0 enables
documents to be stored and managed in native formats such as
Microsoft Word and WordPerfect, as well as ASCII and EBCDIC.

Users can view the textual portion of documents even if the
application that created it is not present, said Oracle. This is
accomplished through a technology the company calls "filters."
Filters for Microsoft Word 4.0, WordPerfect 5.0, and WPSplus
for DEC ALL-in-1 are shipped with SQL TextRetrieval V2.0, and
an open interface is provided for adding filters for other file
formats and applications.

According to the company, document storage is managed
"transparently" for users, whether documents are stored in Oracle
databases to provide security and network transparency, or in
operating system files. SQL TextRetrieval 2.0 also provides an
extended SQL that integrates text queries into standard SQL.

According to Oracle, extended SQL enables users to retrieve
documents by including string, wildcard, fuzzy-match, boolean,
proximity, phrase, synonym, and concept searches in standard
SQL queries.

SQL TextRetrieval 2.0 is currently available on Sun SPARC
systems and DEC VAX/VMS. The company says that MS-DOS, MVS,
and additional Unix platforms will be available shortly. SQL
TextRetrieval V2.0 is compatible with both Oracle version 6
and the Oracle7 cooperative-server DBMS.

(Ian Stokell/19920901/Press Contact: Steve Lai, Oracle
Corporation, 415-506-3117)


(NEWS)(GENERAL)(LON)(00027)

Microsoft UK Expands Training Operation 09/01/92
WOKINGHAM, BERKSHIRE, ENGLAND, 1992 SEP 1 (NB) -- Microsoft has
unveiled "Microsoft Training Services," a major expansion of its
existing training division, which has been revamped to cope with the
demand for training facilities.

The announcement coincides with the appointment of Neville
Gordon-Carroll, late of Novell in the US, who will head up the newly
revamped operation. Gordon-Carroll was director of education services
for Novell in the US.

According to John Leftwich as Microsoft's business changes, so must
the company's support systems. The reason? Customer companies are
becoming highly reliant on their software, so Microsoft has to offer
an appropriate level of support, John Leftwich, Microsoft's director
of marketing, claims.

"Increasingly, corporate customers are basing their whole IT strategy
on both our systems and our applications. Consequently, there is a
growing demand for a training network that can support our whole
product range, something that, up until now, has been limited mostly
to our range of applications," Leftwich said.

"With Neville heading the division, we will initiate a wide variety of
new programmes to help our network of authorized training centres to
meet that demand. His experience will prove invaluable in building on
our existing success and in meeting the training challenges of the
future," he added.

(Steve Gold/19920901/Press & Public Contact: Microsoft - Tel: 0734-
2700001)


(NEWS)(BUSINESS)(LON)(00028)

Greek Strike Due Thursday 09/01/92
ATHENS, GREECE, 1992 SEP 1 (NB) -- If you were thinking of placing a
telephone call to Greece this coming Thursday, think again, as the
Confederation of Greek Workers (GSEE), the largest trade union in the
country, has called on its members to strike for 24 hours this
Thursday.

The reason for the strike is to protest, the union says, against the
severe austerity measures imposed by the Government recently. The
union dispute is the worst that the conservative government has faced
since coming to power two years ago.

Greek industry watchers say that the strike by the million-plus
members in all sectors of Greek industry will paralyze the country.
Several sections of the union have already staged a series of
stoppages which last week threw many banks, universities, offices,
trains and buses into chaos.

Telecommunication and postal services are particularly badly hit,
Greek sources report. Already, several banks have been closed in
Greece for three days, causing problems for businesses in the country.

According to some reports, large areas of Greece have been without
electric power during periods of the day since last Thursday, as the
Greek electricity board attempts to eke out its power resources. This
has had a devastating effect on the countries telecoms services, much
of which relies on country satellite exchanges with limited battery
backup facilities.

(Steve Gold/19920901)


(NEWS)(GOVT)(LAX)(00029)

 ****9th Circuit Court Lifts Sega Ban Against Accolade 09/01/92
SAN JOSE, CALIFORNIA, U.S.A., 1992 SEP 1 (NB) -- Accolade says
it may have lost as much as $10 million in revenues, but is
delighted the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals has dissolved an
injunction by the Federal District Court that Accolade could
not sell or develop new titles for the Sega Genesis game
system. Accolade says the injunction was publicly lifted by the
court so it could get back to business, but the paperwork as to
why is still in the works.

When asked if it was unusual for a court to announce a decision
without saying why, Accolade representatives said their lawyers
told them the paperwork in a landmark decision such as this one
is tremendous and the Court is attempting to allow Accolade to
get back into the market while it completes the paperwork.

The Ninth Court repealed a further injunction Sega was awarded
by the District Court in April that would have made Accolade
pull all current products off the shelves. Sega had to post a
bond to get the injunction that was just lifted, but Accolade
says the bond isn't enough to cover the estimated 2 million a
month it lost in the 5 months since the original decision.

While Accolade still has to label its titles "Not Produced Or
Licensed Under Sega" the company said it can now go back to
development and release of new titles for the Sega game system,
hopefully in time for the holidays. Accolade is known in the
Sega Genesis world for its games based on the character Sonic
the Hedgehog. The company said, interestingly enough, the
labeling didn't seem to affect sales of the titles in the
consumer channel at all.

Sega filed the suit on October 31, 1991, claiming the company
infringed on Sega's copyrights and trademarks when it developed
a line of Genesis-compatible products, creating an impression
among consumers that Accolade software was authorized and
licensed by Sega. Sega has also condemned Accolade for "reverse
engineering" which is the common practice among software
developers and involves taking the system apart to see how it
works in order to develop products that are interoperable with
it.

Sega charged Accolade was confusing consumers by giving them
the impression the Accolade products were made by Sega.
Accolade says the impression is Sega's fault as Sega modified
its hardware so any cartridge inserted into the Genesis game
system displays the message "Produced By or Under License From
Sega Enterprises Ltd." Alan Miller, president and chief
executive officer of Accolade, said Sega is attempting to force
Accolade into agreeing to what amounts to a non-negotiable,
third-party licensing arrangement.

The whole issue here is whether or not a hardware manufacturer
can force those making compatible software to pay them for
doing so. Decisions made in the fights between game manufacturers and
the makers of compatible cartridges are expected to have profound
legal implications in the entire world of computers and software.

Accolade spokesperson Charlotte Skeel told Newsbytes that the court
was quite critical during the hearing of Sega's copyright claims, but
that the actual written document will be what the decides where the
suit goes from here.

Depending on what's in the written decision, Sega could appeal
the Ninth Circuit Court's decision to the Supreme Court, but
Accolade could, based on the evidence in the written decision,
go back to the District Court and ask that the Sega claims be
thrown out, Skeel said.

Skeel added that it wasn't that Accolade didn't want to be a
licensee of Sega, but that the license terms were unacceptable
and so it chose this other route.

Sega's tactics in its suit against Accolade have been condemned
by the American Committee for Interoperable Systems (ACIS).
Peter Choy, chairman of ACIS and deputy general counsel of Sun
Microsystems said when the Sega suit was announced: "The life
blood of the computer industry is the ability of any competitor
to make and distribute interoperable software and hardware."

(Linda Rohrbough/19920901/Press Contact: Charlotte Skeel,
Accolade, tel [phone], fax [phone])


(NEWS)(IBM)(LAX)(00030)

 ****Color Notebook Price Wars: ALR And Dell Battle Out 09/01/92
IRVINE, CALIFORNIA, U.S.A., 1992 SEP 1 (NB) -- Advanced Logic
Research (ALR) has openly challenged Dell in price wars to gain
the color notebook computer market. ALR is saying its new
notebook is better because its Ranger MC4SX/20 486-based color
notebook computer is only $50 more than Dell's 325NC, based on
a 386SL microprocessor running at 25 megahertz.

ALR spent as much time talking about the limitations of the
Dell 325NC as it did bragging about its new color notebook. ALR
says the Dell notebook has limited upgrade expansion, only 12
megabytes (MB) of memory maximum, more limited power management
and a longer battery charge time. Dave Kirkey, president of ALR
said the Dell computer has to be turned off during battery
charging and it takes three hours to charge.

In comparison, ALR says its notebook has the more powerful 486
microprocessor running at 20 megahertz, charges in two hours
while the unit is running, can be expanded to 16 MB of memory,
offers input/output expansion for a small computer systems
interface (SCSI).

ALR says that its notebook offers up to five hours of battery life,
a utility program that allows users to monitor battery life
status via a pop-up menu, and an option to power up and slow
down the speed of components when not in use.

The company is also boasting about an Expansion Station that is
not yet available that will have an intelligent battery charge
feature so the unit is fully charged when it leaves the
station, three full size 8/16 bit industry standard
architecture (ISA)-compatible slots, and room for 4 internal
drives. Six standard interfaces for hook up of external
devices, a hardware security system, and a 150-watt power
supply will be included.

ALR offers two models of its 486 notebook, both of which come
with 4 MB of memory. The pricing differs based on the size of
the hard disk drive; the 80 MB hard disk model is retail priced
at $2,949 and the 120 MB hard disk model is $3,249. One year
limited warranty service and support is offered as well, and at
additional cost, an optional care maintenance program can be
obtained as well.

Dell announced a price cuts of as much as $350 on its 325NC
color notebook in August. The 7.1 pound color notebook was
introduced at fall COMDEX at $4,500, was dropped to $3,499 in
May and reduced again in August. The Dell 80 MB version is
retail priced at $2,899, and the 120 MB hard disk version
carries a retail price of $3,099.

At the time Dell lowered its prices it said the reductions
brought its color notebooks to within $550 of a comparably
configured monochrome notebook PC.

(Linda Rohrbough/19920901/Press Contact: Genevieve Ortegon,
ALR, tel [phone], fax [phone]; Roger Rydell, Dell
Computer, 512-794-4100; Reader contact: Dell Computer, 800-289-
3355)