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(NEWS)(TELECOM)(ATL)(00001)

Information America Info Firm Continues To Grow 10/22/92
ATLANTA, GEORGIA, U.S.A., 1992 OCT 22 (NB) -- While America
Online has been winning headlines for its consumer-oriented
on-line services, Information America is quietly becoming a
force in the business information area.

The 10-year old company, which went public about a year ago,
announced that its earnings continue to grow at a good rate
despite a slump in the legal industry. The company earned
$465,000 on revenues of $4.67 million for the quarter ending
in September, and for the year so far revenues total nearly $14
million, up from almost $12 million in 1991.

Spokesman Jeffrey Alperin discussed the results, and the
company's future, with Newsbytes. He acknowledged that the
company is making a new push to sell its services to companies
other than law firms, including government agencies, bankers,
and private investigators. President Mary Madden, who co-founded
the company with Chairman Buck Goldstein in 1982, expressed
satisfaction with the move.

Information America is also diversifying, having announced plans
to buy Baltimore-based Hylind infoQuest, a document delivery
company, in September. While the law business itself has been
struggling, and some document delivery houses have struggled
with them, Alperin said the company has high hopes. "There's a
magic in the industry, sending people earning $5 per hour out for
20 minutes and charging $15 for the service." However, "It's a
different workforce" than Information America has worked
with before. "These people know how to handle it."

Hylind also offers vertical integration. "Right now we provide
the ability for customers to manually retrieve documents either
by calling us or entering orders in our computer. We have a
network of correspondents filling the orders. This is one of
them, perhaps one of the largest in the industry. There are just
6-7 big players, but the rest are moms and pops. And this company
does no sales or marketing. These people bring us a new sales
channel -- their customers might use our services as well."

During the quarter, the company also named the Law Bulletin
Publishing Company as its exclusive sales representative in
Illinois. The Law Bulletin, the 138-year-old publisher of the
Chicago Daily Law Bulletin, serves approximately 400 law
customers with its computer services. Alperin called the move
unique. "Until now, all sales were done by company employees.
It's a peculiarly good fit for us. It's a news publisher with its
own on-line system. We don't know of anyone else like that
anywhere in the country."

While the company started offering only local legal documents in
the Atlanta area, Alperin said, the company has since added many
types of services. "We're now getting data nationally. Some is
from specific counties. We don't have every courthouse on-line.
We have corporate registration information from secretaries of
state in 32 states now. We have courthouse records from
California, Texas, Georgia, and many places on the east coast,
including Philadelphia. We have a Dun & Bradstreet product
everywhere" in the country. "Our geographic coverage is more
extensive than competitors.

Alperin also discussed the company's business environment. "The
other people who are public in this area are small divisions of
larger businesses -- like a small group within Mead Data Central.
But Mead is a very small part of Mead Corp. Prentice-Hall Legal
and Financial is another competitor, and they're smaller than us.
Within our niche, we're the leaders."

(Dana Blankenhorn/19921021/Press Contact: Information
America Jeffrey Alperin, 404-892-1800)


(NEWS)(GENERAL)(TOR)(00002)

Client/Server Version Of MarketPulse Marketing System 10/22/92
CAMBRIDGE, MASSACHUSETTS, U.S.A., 1992 OCT 22 (NB) --
MarketPulse, which sells database-driven marketing software for
IBM mainframe computers, has announced a client/server version
of its software that uses IBM RISC System/6000 servers with
personal computers running Microsoft Windows as clients.

The software, also called MarketPulse, gives people throughout
an organization simultaneous, immediate access to millions of
customer records as well as transaction data, the vendor said.
The client/server implementation, version 2.0, has all the
features of the mainframe software "and then some," said Betsy
Nugent, director of product marketing at MarketPulse.

MarketPulse version 2.0 takes a modular approach, the vendor
said, allowing users to implement capabilities such as "select,"
"profile," or "report" individually.

Features of version 2.0 include a proprietary query engine that the
company says will allow fast queries on very large databases, the
ability to communicate with other programs through Windows'
dynamic data exchange (DDE) features, full relational database
capabilities, and a three-dimensional (3-D) profiling capability
said to allow marketers profile information and create 3-D
cross-tabulations.

This is no low-priced PC package, however. Nugent said a starting
implementation would cost about $40,000 for the software alone.
As a server, MarketPulse 2.0 needs an IBM RS/6000 with at least
32 megabytes (MB) of memory, the IBM AIX 3.2 operating system,
and Network File System (NFS). Clients must have at least a 386
processor, a VGA monitor, four MB of memory, a high-density
diskette drive, and an Ethernet adapter card, plus DOS 5.0,
Windows 3.0 or later, and Beame and Whiteside's NFS software.

(Grant Buckler/19921021/Press Contact: Paula Mae Schwartz or
Kathy Dowling, Schwartz Communications for MarketPulse,
617-431-0770; Public Contact: MarketPulse, 617-868-6220,
fax [phone])


(NEWS)(GENERAL)(TOR)(00003)

Canada: CGI Opens 3rd Connectivity Research Center 10/22/92
OTTAWA, ONTARIO, CANADA, 1992 OCT 22 (NB) -- Canadian
consulting firm CGI Group, of Montreal, has opened its third
Connectivity Research Center, this one in Ottawa. The first
opened in Montreal in November, 1991, while the second is in
Quebec City.

The nationwide consulting firm said it plans three more such
installations in Toronto, Edmonton, and Salem, New Hampshire. The
company expects to invest a total of C$10 million in the six
facilities by the time all are complete in 1993.

Each center is a research and development laboratory equipped with
"up-to-date" hardware and software, including personal computers,
Unix workstations, network servers, and a range of networking
hardware, telecommunications equipment, and printers. There is
also an assortment of networking, client-server, and applications
software. The goal is to make all the equipment and software work
together well.

The Ottawa operation will focus on issues of concern to the federal
government and other public agencies in the area, including
electronic data interchange (EDI), image and text retrieval,
distributed systems, and secure systems hardware and software.

CGI has about 900 consultants working in offices across Canada
and the United States. Established in 1976, it focuses on three
major areas: information systems, telecommunications, and
management consulting in the area of technological change. The
company's shares are traded on the Montreal Exchange, and in the
year ended September 30, 1991, it reported revenues of C$66.2
million.

(Grant Buckler/19921021/Press Contact: John Ruffo, CGI,
514-234-2155)


(NEWS)(GENERAL)(LAX)(00004)

Visualworks ADE From Parcplace Systems 10/22/92
SUNNYVALE, CALIFORNIA, U.S.A., 1992 OCT 22 (NB) -- Parcplace
System has announced Visualworks, a new application development
environment based on the company's Objectworks\Smalltalk
product. The company says the product offers integration of
user interface builders, database access tools, and application
logic that, once completed, will run on a variety of platforms.

Criticism levied at Parcplace for its object-oriented tools has
maintained that while the finished application would run on a
Macintosh, under Windows on an IBM personal computer (PC),
under OS/2 on a PC, and in Unix environments such as Open Look
and Motif, the applications did not take on the characteristics
of the user interface in the environment. Parcplace says
Visualworks offers a change, in that the user can choose the
desired "look-and-feel" for the application from a list in the
"Chameleon View" section. The application then takes on the
characteristics of the platform chosen.

Much emphasis in the Parcplace announcement of Visualworks is
made of the product's graphical interface builder with a
"palette" and "canvas" metaphor. The company says the metaphor
is easily learned and designers who know little about computers
can build a user interface. Once visual components of the
interface are placed on the canvas, Parcplace says users can
re-size, cut, paste, or re-align the pieces.

Database access directly to Oracle and Sybase databases is
allowed and the addition of Information Builder's EDA/SQL
gateway allows access to 48 other database products on
minicomputers, mainframes, and workstations, Parcplace said.
Database data can also be mapped to objects via the Visualworks
External Database Interface, the company added.

The product generates code to link the graphical user interface
to the underlying application via a reusable application
framework. Some actions can be entirely generated by the
reusable application framework, but where they cannot be the
framework prompts the developer to write the necessary code.

Parcplace representatives also said an application module can
be created and all applications using the module will inherit
any new behavior assigned to the original. This type of
inheritance allows for a change to be made in one place that is
reflected in the entire application. The company uses the
example of changing from a five to nine digit zip code, saying
inheritance makes it possible to make that change in one place,
while more traditional methods might require weeks of
reprogramming the appropriate interfaces in a large
application.

The company says the product can be used to quickly prototype
an application that can then be used to go on and develop the
actual application instead of being thrown away.

With a basis in the language Smalltalk, Parcplace says users
do not have to worry about memory management and the language
is widely supported.

Visualworks is shipping on Intel 386- and 486- based PCs under
Windows 3.1; Apple Macintosh, Quadra, and Powerbook computers
under System 7; Sun 4; IBM RS/6000; HP 9000 Series 700;
Digital's Decstation under Ultrix; and Sequent's Symmetry 200
Series under Open Look and Motif.

The product is in beta test stages on OS/2 and Next and is expected
to ship in January of 1993. The product is retail priced at $2,995
for Windows, OS/2, and Macintosh, and $4,995 for Unix. Database
drivers for Oracle and Sybase are an additional $495 or $995 for
EDA/SQL drivers.

Sunnyvale, California-based Parcplace Systems offers object-
oriented programming languages C++, Smalltalk, and other
software application development tools. Dr. Adele Goldberg,
still chairman of the board at the company, stepped down to
allow Bill Lyons, former chief executive officer (CEO) at
database giant Ashton-Tate, to take the CEO position this year.
The company's largest competitor in the Smalltalk language
field is Los Angeles, California-based Digitalk, developers of
Smalltalk/V.

(Linda Rohrbough/19921022/Press Contact: Maureen Welch,
Cunningham Communications for Parcplace Systems, tel
408-764-0766, fax [phone])


(NEWS)(IBM)(LAX)(00005)

New For PC: Software For Grassroots Politics 10/22/92
SAN RAFAEL, CALIFORNIA, U.S.A., 1992 OCT 22 (NB) -- Making your
voice heard in politics at the federal level may just have got
easier. Soapbox Software has introduced Federal Soap Box, a
program designed for contacting and influencing policy and
lawmakers at the federal level.

The program is more than just a current list of "who's who" in
the federal government. It actually offers advice on how to
contact and follow up with federal officials, as well as a
graphical tree structure of the federal government hierarchy to
show what offices report to whom, staff listings for each
government office with the staff's party affiliations and contact
information, phone numbers of critical government agencies, and
information on public access legislation such as the Freedom of
Information Act.

A set of correspondence tools to create mailing lists, write the
body of the letter, automatically address the correspondence,
and sample letters are also included, the company said.

The current version is geared toward IBM and compatible
personal computers (PCs) under DOS but the company says it is
working on a Windows version and a Macintosh version for
release next year, as well as OS/2, Unix, and Amiga versions.

Also the program is only geared towards the federal government,
so asking it to search for presidential candidate Bill Clinton
comes up empty as Clinton is Governor of Arkansas. Soapbox did
say state versions are planned for California, Texas, and New
York.

The program is offered on a subscription basis directly from
Soapbox Software with an introductory price of $89 for the
program and three updates. Updates are quarterly and are
offered for $49 a year, Soapbox said.

The program requires an IBM PC with 649 kilobytes of RAM and
can be run in DOS graphics or text modes. A mouse and a printer
are strongly recommended.

(Linda Rohrbough/19921022/Press Contact: Lee Moberly, Soapbox
Software, tel [phone], fax [phone]; Public Contact,
Soapbox Software, 10 Golden Gate Dr., San Rafel, CA 94901, 800-
989-7627)


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

Optus Claims It Has Been Good For Australian Economy 10/22/92
CANBERRA, AUSTRALIA, 1992 OCT 22 (NB) -- Optus claims it
has significantly benefitted the Australian economy in its first
five months of operation, according to the first annual report it
has submitted to the federal government. Optus is required by its
agreement with the government to provide an annual report for
the first five years of operation.

The report claims that in the five months from January 31 to
June 30 (Australia's financial year ends on June 30) Optus and
its strategic partners have invested AUS$247 million in capital
expenditure, with AUS$120 million being spent locally, and that
over 1,100 people have been employed by the companies during
that time.

Optus chief executive officer Bob Mansfield said in the report,
"The achievements to date show we are well on our way to
fulfilling the vision enunciated in our industry development plan.
As a direct result of the introduction of choice in
telecommunications, Australian industry is not only getting an
opportunity to grow, but also to build performance to a level
where it can compete strongly on international markets."

Optus was appointed Australia's second domestic and mobile
telecommunications carrier in December 1991, and will operate
in a duopoly in the general carrier market with AOTC (Australian
and Overseas Telecommunications Corporation) for five years.

Since it was awarded its second-carrier and mobile licenses,
Optus' staff has increased from 300 to 900, and its strategic
partners claim to have employed 550 people as a direct result
of the presence of the second carrier in Australia.

(Sean McNamara/19921022)


(NEWS)(TELECOM)(SYD)(00007)

Australia: AOTC's Chairman David Hoare Reappointed 10/22/92
SYDNEY, AUSTRALIA, 1992 OCT 22 (NB) -- AOTC (Australian and
Overseas Telecommunications Corp) Chairman David Hoare has
been reappointed to the post for a second, three year term. Hoare
was named as chairman for the then fledgling AOTC 12 months
ago, when Telecom and OTC merged to form Australia's
government-owned carrier.

During his twelve months with the carrier, Hoare has concentrated
on the merging of the two companies, and he will continue to do so
during his next term. Senator Michael Collins, Federal Minister for
Transport and Communications, said that Hoare was playing a
critical role in the continuing development of the Australian
deregulated telecommunications industry by the government.
Collins went on to say that Hoare will also help in the important
work to develop "a fully commercial culture" within AOTC

The announcement came with the news from AOTC chief executive
officer, Frank Blount, that managerial positions had been changed
to strengthen AOTC's focus on research and development. These
changes included the appointment of Harry Wragge (head of
Telecom's Research Laboratory since 1985) as chief technical
advisor to Telecom (now the domestic trading arm of AOTC), and
Ray Liggett (currently managing director of Telecom's corporate
and government business unit) as its director of research.
Liggett's previous position will be held by Lindsay Yelland,
ex-vice president Asia-Pacific for Data General.

(Sean McNamara/19921022)


(NEWS)(IBM)(DEN)(00008)

New For Windows: Visio Drawing Software 10/22/92
SEATTLE, WASHINGTON, U.S.A., 1992 OCT 22 (NB) --It is said that
if you build a better mousetrap, the world will beat a path to your
door. A Seattle company thinks they have built their own kind of
better mousetrap, this time a specialized drawing program for
Windows.

Shapeware is set to release Visio 1.0, described as a new kind
of drawing program for business and technical users who need to
create drawings of diagrams but are not graphics specialists.

"Graphics are no longer just the domain of specialists and artists,"
said Shapeware's President and co-founder Jeremy Jaech. He
believes all kinds of business and technical professionals - from
MIS (management information systems) professionals, program
managers, and marketers, to administrative professionals and
engineers - need to illustrate concepts, processes and
relationships as part of their jobs, but do not have the time to
master a complicated drawing program.

Shapeware calls their approach to drawing the "drag-and-drop
drawing" approach. Visio provides more than 300 different
shapes specific to different tasks such as flow diagrams, business
models, engineering schematics, organizational charts, facility
plans, and network layouts that can be used much like plastic
stencils are used. Each group of related shapes, such as flow
diagrams, is organized as a group called a "stencil." Users click on
the desired shape, "drag" them into the drawing area and "drop"
them into place.

What makes the concept different from the usual clip art is that
each shape has an underlying spreadsheet of information which
can be changed by the user to affect the properties of the shape.
You can affect the form, proportion, color, and other properties,
depending on the context in which the shape is to be used, says
the company.

Visio shapes include geometric objects, trees, houses, flow
chart objects, and various shapes and symbols appropriate for
making maps.

In addition to the shapes, Visio includes a drawing tool set.
Windows object linking and embedding (OLE) is supported both as
a client and as a server, allowing the user to incorporate the
drawings into documents, reports, presentations, forms, and
other files. Material from other applications, such a text, can
also be incorporated into a Visio drawing.

Other features include "Glue" and "AutoConnect," conversion of
two-dimensional shapes into one-dimensional shapes that act like
lines, and the ability to split a single shape into separate pieces
and join shapes to create special effects or complex structures.
Shapes can be rotated to any angle around its center, and the
style of text, line weight, fill pattern and other attributes can be
controlled.

Shapeware spokesperson Laura Williams told Newsbytes that
the company is also marketing additional stencils, or shape
collections. Williams said the specific price of the additional
stencils had not been determined, but that they would be
collections of shapes appropriate for specific industries. Expect
prices for the extra shapes kits to range from $49 up. Buyers who
purchase Visio before April 30, 1993 will receive one free stencil
of their choice.

Shapeware says it will ship Visio in early November, with a
suggested retail price of $299. The price includes 90 days of
free technical support and a 60-day money-back guarantee.

(Jim Mallory/19921022/Press contact: Laura Williams,
Waggener Edstrom for Shapeware, 206-637-9097; Reader
contact: Shapeware Corporation, 206-467-6723)


(NEWS)(APPLE)(DEN)(00009)

Kodak Donates Equipment For Budding Film Maker Use 10/22/92
ROCHESTER, NEW YORK, U.S.A., 1992 OCT 22 (NB) --Eastman Kodak
has announced the donation of a variety of Kodak digital hardware,
software and educational resources to the American Film
Institute's Apple Computer Center in Los Angeles.

Kodak's Bob Bender says the gift is intended to enrich the
education of current and future film makers as well as encourage
creative experimentation with the use of hybrid film-digital
imaging technologies. "The work being done at the Apple Computer
Center will help keep us focused on how our customers want to
use these different technologies to meet their specific needs,"
says Bender.

The donations include a Kodak professional DCS 200 digital camera.
The DCS 200 is a Nikon F4 camera equipped with a special digital
storage back that stores the picture in place of conventional film.
Images made with the camera can then be transmitted via
computer over telephone lines. The camera has been tested on
various photojournalist assignments such as the Democratic
convention, where images were quickly transmitted to newspapers
across the country for the next days paper, eliminating the time
consuming film development process.

Other donated equipment includes a Kodak XL7700 digital
continuous tone printer, a Kodak professional RFS 2035 film
scanner, a Kodak Photo CD player PCD 870, and software for
image storage and display. Kodak said its personnel will also
participate in AFI-sponsored seminars and training courses on
the use of these and other hybrid imaging tools.

An AFI spokesperson told Newsbytes the AFI-Apple Computer
Center for Film and Videomakers opened in 1991 as a Macintosh
computer lab for training and production. The lab was funded by
a grant from Apple  Computer as well as donations from 90
other companies. After the violence in Los Angeles this summer,
the lab instituted a six-week job internship for students from
area disadvantaged families. The workshop was funded by five
corporate and individual sponsors, including Apple.

(Jim Mallory/19921022/Press contact: Dave Harney, Eastman
Kodak, 716-724-3169; Emily Laskin, AFI, 213-856-7600)


(NEWS)(IBM)(DEN)(00010)

Microsoft To Host Two Windows Developer's Conferences 10/22/92
REDMOND, WASHINGTON, U.S.A., 1992 OCT 22 (NB) --Microsoft will
host two conferences for developers next week, one at the Santa
Clara (California) Marriott Hotel, and one at the Disneyland Hotel
in Anaheim, California.

The Santa Clara conference is for people interested in learning
how to develop 32-bit drivers for Windows NT. The Anaheim
conference is for Windows developers. Both shows are expected
to draw attendees from all over the world.

Specific sessions at Santa Clara will cover printers, keyboards,
video display adapters, network interface adapters, 3270 cards,
scanners, fax devices, communications devices, mice and other
pointing devices, audio hardware, and SCSI (small computer
system interface) devices.

Microsoft hopes this conference will help ensure the success of
32-bit computing by supporting the development of a new
generation  of peripheral devices to take advantages of the
Windows NT operating system, when it is finally released.
Microsoft has already pushed the release date back once. More
than 700 developers are said to have already registered.

The company said senior Microsoft design engineers will deliver
more  than 50 sessions on a broad range of driver related topics,
including the design of the Windows NT kernel and I/O
(input/output) subsystem, the NT graphics engine architecture,
network driver interface specs, and SCSI for various peripherals.

Microsoft spokesperson Erin Holland told Newsbytes registration
is still open for the conference for those who have the $895 price.
A $100 discount is available to those who attended the Win32
Professional Developers Conference held in San Francisco in July.
Microsoft has a toll free number to accept registrations.

The Disneyland gathering is for Windows developers who want to
learn about Windows 3.1's capabilities, and runs October 26
through 30th.

(Jim Mallory/19921022/Press contact: Erin Holland, Waggener
Edstrom for Microsoft, 503-245-0905; Reader contact: 800-677-
4697 for show registration)


(NEWS)(IBM)(SYD)(00011)

Australia: PC OEM Signs Up For Workgroup Windows 10/22/92
SYDNEY, AUSTRALIA 1992 OCT 22 (NB) -- Australian PC
manufacturer Osborne Computers has signed an OEM (original
equipment manufacturer) agreement with Microsoft for its
soon to be released Windows for Workgroups software. The
manufacturer plans to deliver more than 120,000 network-
ready machines with the software already-installed.

The move has pleased Microsoft, but some dealers have
expressed misgivings. One dealer told Newsbytes "It looks like a
good product but did they have to give it to a discounter so soon?
It sets the street-price expectation before we even get product
on our shelves."

Osborne Chief Executive Officer John Linton said his company
has already sold 40 percent of its machines into local area
networks and he expects this to increase to 80 percent within
three months. "All our computers are pre-loaded with DOS 5.0
and Windows 3.1 and since February this year we've been
pre-loading an increasing percentage of machines with
Microsoft's Word for Windows and Excel.

Osborne has 50 retail stores throughout Australia and has a
sizeable proportion of the high quality clone marketplace. One of
its selling points is a five year warranty on all machines. It also
offers a 486sx, on-site motherboard upgrade for most PCs for
AUS$895 (around US$640).

Microsoft Australia, meanwhile, has grown by 41 percent in net
revenues over last year.

(Paul Zucker/19921022/Osborne Computers: [phone])


(NEWS)(IBM)(SYD)(00012)

Australia: Telecom Law Book On PC Disk 10/22/92
SYDNEY, AUSTRALIA 1992 OCT 22 (NB) -- An Australian
company has developed a series of law books that are supplied
not on paper but on a computer disk. The first to be released is
Telecommunications Law for AUS$195 (around US$140).

The disks are designed to run on any DOS-based PC. A typical
3.5-inch disk can hold around 200,000 words. However, these
disks use a proprietary compression, indexing and retrieval
system to fit almost a million words on a single disk.

According to the company, users need no training and can locate
any word, topic or phrase in the book in seconds. Menu options
then allow them to copy the desired text to another disk or
print it.

Telecommunications Law contains all current Australian acts,
regulations, determinations directions, and declarations in the
field of telecommunications law. Purchasers will be able to
obtain a number of updates throughout the year, at much lower
prices than a comparable printed book, claims the company.

The "books" are being published by Australian company Eurofield
Information Systems which also invented the "MegaFloppy"
system used to store the data. Other books already released
using the MegaFloppy system include the Bible and Australia
Post's "List of Lists."

Eurofield Managing Director Alf Papallo said he believes
MegaFloppy is the only system of its type in the world. "We know
of no equivalent. Other systems have some of our features but
not all of them. It's ideal for encyclopedias, directories,
dictionaries, legal and medical reference services and product
and service listings. And they could save millions of trees! We
even use premium disks so they can be used over and over."

While a 1.44 megabyte (MB) MegaFloppy diskette can hold up to
a million words, the less common 2.88 MB disks can hold up to
two million words. Twenty MB diskettes will hold up to 20
million words. According to Papallo, that is more than the entire
Encyclopedia Brittanica.

(Paul Zucker/19921022/Contact: Eurofield Information
Systems; phone [phone], fax [phone]


(NEWS)(TELECOM)(TOR)(00013)

Gandalf Intros Wide Area Network Gateway 10/22/92
OTTAWA, ONTARIO, CANADA, 1992 OCT 22 (NB) -- Gandalf
Technologies has introduced a wide area gateway module for its
Access Hub.

According to the vendor, the new gateway offers three
capabilities not previously available on an intelligent hub: a
local area network (LAN) to wide area network (WAN) gateway;
translation from the Digital Equipment LAT to the Telnet
protocol; and hub-based access to frame relay transport.

The WGM 2590 wide area gateway is the latest in a series of
add-on products for the Access Hub. Essentially circuit boards
that fit into the Access Hub cabinet, the options include local and
remote Ethernet bridges, routers, and a terminal server whose
introduction was reported in Newsbytes previously.

As a LAN-to-WAN gateway, the WGM 2590 allow the LAN-based
LAT protocol and TCP/IP networks to work together, Gandalf said.
It supports as many as 250 simultaneous gateway connections
and provides network printer support, reverse LAT protocol,
host-initiated requests, and multiple sessions per user.

Telnet-to-LAT protocol translation lets users on the same LAN
use host systems running Unix or Digital Equipment's proprietary
VMS operating system, according to the company.

The gateway can use the frame relay protocol -- a technology
similar to packet switching but faster -- to carry multiple types
of data between sites without the need for a high-end frame
relay switch, according to Gandalf. Its frame relay interface is
fully compatible with Gandalf's Infotron 2000 family of wide
area network products.

The WGM 2590 costs US$8,995 (C$8,900 in Canada) and is
available now, a company spokeswoman said.

(Grant Buckler/19921022/Press Contact: Liz Cherry, Gandalf,
613-723-6500 ext. 8742; Janice R. Drummond, Gandalf,
613-564-0183)


(NEWS)(IBM)(TOR)(00014)

 ****IBM Claims Full Employment Still Stands 10/22/92
WHITE PLAINS, NEW YORK, U.S.A., 1992 OCT 22 (NB) -- IBM claims
it is keeping to its long-standing practice of not laying off
employees and says that a recent policy memo on the subject
simply shifted responsibilities in line with an over-all
decentralization of the company.

IBM has lashed out at The Wall Street Journal over a report on the
policy change, which puts day-to-day responsibility for avoiding
layoffs in the hands of 13 business-unit general managers.

Spokeswoman Kathleen Ryan read Newsbytes the brief memo
which circulated throughout IBM in early October. It reaffirmed
that the company has a practice of not laying off employees, then
stated that in future the managers of IBM's business units will
have the responsibility of maintaining the practice.

That move is "consistent with the delegation of decision-making
that we've been making," Ryan said, referring to IBM's "ongoing
movement towards a federation of companies."

Analysts have been quoted as saying that by shifting responsibility
for maintaining employment to lower-level managers, IBM might be
making it easier to lay off employees in future without the move
reflecting badly on top management. Ryan denied that, pointing out
that the new policy requires managers to obtain the IBM
management committee's approval before breaking the no-layoff
practice.

Part of the policy statement read to Newsbytes said: "We should
realize a departure from full employment could have prolonged
adverse business consequences and undermine the leadership of
those initiating the action."

In a letter to the editor of The Wall Street Journal, a copy of
which Newsbytes has obtained, IBM's senior vice-president for
personnel, Walton E. Burdick, claimed the newspaper's report
"grossly distorts" the meaning of the statement and accused
the Journal of taking a "sensational approach."

Part of Burdick's complaint is that the Journal's story linked the
IBM move to the company's recent poor financial performance.
His letter said the move is unrelated to current earnings.

Ryan pointed out that the policy statement was circulated
October 1, while IBM's recent $2.8 billion quarterly loss was
not reported until mid-month.

Newsbytes notes that another IBM spokesman said in September
that the company expected a loss in the quarter, and that IBM has
had poor results for the past several quarters.

(Grant Buckler/19921022/Press Contact: Kathleen Ryan, IBM,
914-697-6578)


(NEWS)(IBM)(TOR)(00015)

Software Vendors Support IBM's Database Architecture 10/22/92
WHITE PLAINS, NEW YORK, U.S.A., 1992 OCT 22 (NB) -- Two more
software vendors have announced products using IBM's Distributed
Relational Database Architecture, (DRDA), and two others have
announced that they plan to deliver such products.

According to an IBM spokesman, more than 20 vendors have
revealed plans to implement DRDA, and ten of those have licensed
the technology from IBM.

DRDA, announced in September, 1991, is a client/server
architecture for accessing distributed relational data on systems
from IBM and other vendors. It is also a key component of the
data delivery element of IBM's Information Warehouse framework.

Object Technology International of Ottawa and XDB Systems of
Laurel, Maryland, have announced products that provide access
from their database products to IBM's relational database
managers using DRDA.

Ingres and Progress Software have announced their intention to
deliver products that support DRDA. These firms have also
licensed DRDA, and they along with OTI and XDB bring to ten the
number of software vendors that have licensed DRDA and intend
to produce DRDA Application Requesters and/or Application
Servers.

The other six are Borland International, Cincom Systems,
Informix Software, Micro Decisionware, Novell, and Oracle.

Object Technology introduced Envy/400, an object-oriented
application development system for the IBM AS/400 minicomputer.
Based on the Smalltalk object-oriented language, it is meant for
creating client/server applications running on the AS/400 and
PCs. Shipment is expected by the end of the year.

XDB announced that version 2.0 of its XDB-Link software supports
DRDA. XDB Link is a "PC gateway for mainframe data," a company
spokeswoman said. It allows applications running on personal
computers to use data from mainframe databases.

IBM said DRDA will give users access to data in the four IBM
relational database products -- Database/2 (DB2), Structured
Query Language/Data System (SQL/DS), the Operating System/400
relational database manager on AS/400 minicomputers, and
Distributed Database Connection Services/2 for OS/2 -- as well
as database products from the other vendors.

(Grant Buckler/19921022/Press Contact: Steven Malkiewicz,
IBM, 914-642-5449)


(NEWS)(TELECOM)(ATL)(00016)

 ****Bell Atlantic To Test Telephone Video Delivery 10/22/92
ARLINGTON, VIRGINIA, U.S.A., 1992 OCT 22 (NB) -- Bell Atlantic
will test the delivery of videos via its phone network in Virginia.
About 400 company employees will participate in the test next
year.

While the company only announced that an application had been
filed for the test, FCC Chairman Alfred Sikes issued an
approving statement the day of the filing, saying "competition"
was his preferred method for regulating the cable television
industry.

In the test, employees will dial into an electronic warehouse,
called a "video server," and select any movie they want. US West
conducted a market test of this idea earlier this year in
Colorado, using a library of tapes which were racked up in
response to telephone queries. GTE is also testing response to
video services in Cerritos, California.

In the Bell Atlantic service, however, videos will be stored and
transmitted in a coded, compressed form that conforms to the
Motion Picture  Experts Group, or MPEG standard.

The unit on top of the consumer's TV will decode and decompress
the video and send it to the TV screen. Art Bushkin, Bell Atlantic
president of Information Services, called video-on-demand a
"tremendous market opportunity" adding the company is talking
with many possible providers of services.

Bell Atlantic will use a Bellcore technology called Asymmetric
Digital Subscriber Line, which lets it deliver video signals into
a home over the telephone network by simply adding special
equipment to each end of an existing line. Its use will enable
the Bell Atlantic companies to enter the mass market for video-
on-demand services in 1994. The company said fiber cables,
which will allow for the simultaneous transmission of multiple
channels, will be installed where "the economics justify the
investment."

Even if the test pans out, however, there is another problem.
The Blockbuster Entertainment video store chain succeeded a
few years ago in having the "availability" dates of pay-per-view
movies on cable moved back until weeks following their arrival in
video stores. The company succeeded simply by threatening to cut-
off studios which did not comply with its demands. A statement
from Blockbusters ominously warned that "Hollywood knows
which side its bread is buttered on," and, "Video on demand will
not have parity with the home video business until the dollars
are there."

(Dana Blankenhorn/19921022/Press Contact: Larry Plumb, Bell
Atlantic, 703-974-5446)


(NEWS)(TELECOM)(ATL)(00017)

International Phone Update 10/22/92
ATLANTA, GEORGIA, U.S.A., 1992 OCT 22 (NB) -- Conflicting
signals from Brazil highlight international telecommunications
developments.

The Brazilian Congress was told it must approve an amendment to
that country's constitution before the Telebras telecom monopoly
can be sold. The statement was seen as a setback to privatization
moves. President Fernando Collor de Mello was for privatization
before his impeachment, but acting President Itamar Franco has
not made his position clear. All this came as the Securities and
Exchange Commission in the US approved an American Depository
Note, or ADR, issue for Telebras in the US. This means that
Telebras can be traded on over-the-counter markets using a
depository bank chosen by Telebras.

Elsewhere. Croatia said it has bought four international phone
switches from Ericsson of Sweden. The former Yugoslav republic
will install the AXE switches in Zagreb, Rijeka, Split, and
Osijek, through a Zagreb licensee, the Nikola Tesla company.
Tesla will be privatized by the end of the year, Ericsson said.
Also, Infonet set up a joint venture with Telecom Finland, 90
percent owned by the Finnish side, to sell the packet network
company's global network. The company's facilities in Helsinki
support X.25, TCP/IP and intra-LAN communications.

On the negative side, telecommunications with Monrovia, Liberia
remained down. Civil war has erupted again, with an army
bombarding West African peacekeeping troops and the US State
Department warning its nationals to keep away from the country.
Both sides have been warned by their neighbors that a total
blockade of Liberia will be imposed unless order is restored by
November 6. Liberia was founded by former US slaves, and its
capital is named for former US President James Monroe.

(Dana Blankenhorn/19921022/Press Contact: Infonet Services,
Susie Mitchell, 818-889-9100; Ericsson, Kathy Egan


(NEWS)(TELECOM)(LON)(00018)

Ericsson Wins Singapore Order For GSM Phones 10/22/92
STOCKHOLM, SWEDEN, 1992 OCT 22 (NB) -- Ericsson is continuing
its season of winning orders for its digital phone technology with
a major contract in Singapore.

The Singapore deal will bring the Swedish telecommunications
giant a total of US$64 million within the next year. Terms of the
deal call for Ericsson to supply and install its global system for
mobile communications (GSM) digital phone technology in the
country, ready for a commissioning date of September, 1993.

What's interesting about the deal is that, far from hailing GSM
as a successor to the existing analog extended total access
communications (ETACS) network, both Ericsson and the
Singaporean PTT see GSM as augmenting, rather than replacing,
the existing network.

GSM is fast expanding its international base, after a shakey
start a year or so ago. The mainstay of the digital mobile phone
technology is that it allows roaming between networks without
the need for subscriber information to be logged on all network
computers -- subscriber details are passed "on demand" between
networks using packet data techniques.

GSM is already slated for introduction in Australia, Hong Kong
and India, as well as across Europe. The Singapore network,
which should go live in September of next year, will have an
initial network capacity of 100,000 subscribers.

As a spin-off from the GSM network contract, Ericsson plans to
use some of the digital network capacity to expand its ETACS
analog cellular phone network, which as supplied to the Singapore
PTT a few years ago. Ericsson anticipates that the ETACS network
capacity in Singapore will be boosted to 100,000 subscribers.

(Steve Gold/19921022)


(NEWS)(TELECOM)(LON)(00019)

European Commission Takes Up Phone Monopoly Cause 10/22/92
BRUSSELS, BELGIUM, 1992 OCT 22 (NB) -- After years of paying lip
service to the idea of free market competition in the European
telecommunications marketplace, the European Commission has
launched an offensive to tackle the problem of those PTTs it
regards as lagging in plans to open the market up.

The fundamental idea behind the move is to ensure that,
regardless of where in the EC business and residential
subscribers are located, they have access to the widest possible
range of telecom services, much as is the case in city areas of
the US.

Announcing the offensive, Sir Leon Brittan, the EC Commission in
charge of the competition policy division. said that the EC's aim
is to ensure the best service at the best price for the consumer.

Brittan, a long-time proponent of free market competition here in
Europe, said he viewed the present telecoms situation in the EC
as "totally unacceptable."

Under wide-ranging powers, the EC has the option of overriding
national governments in its quest for a free market in telecoms.
Brittan, however, in what many see as a clear attempt to solve
the political problem before getting heavy-handed, said he ruled
out any possible moves before the end of the year.

The initial focus of Brittan's offensive will be on the often-
expensive intra-country calls within the EC. Pundits have long
complained about the cost of a phone call from one EC country to
another comes close to the cost of a call from Europe to the
US. In some situations, it is actually cheaper to call between
EC countries using AT&T's World Connect service, with the call
routed via the US, than to call between EC countries directly.

When asked to back up his comments with real examples, Brittan
cited the situation in many countries where an intra-EC country
call, even across a national border, was up to three times more
expensive than a trunk call within that country. Typical examples
of this are Sweden and Germany, both of which have only recently
freed themselves from the shackles of government-controlled
telecommunications.

Under the Treaty of Rome, all EC inter-country trading should
open up to the free market on January 1,1993, when all trading
barriers are set to come down. The reality, sadly, is that it is
still be more expensive to trade internationally with the EC than
on an in-country basis, with or without the EC's long-running
plans.

(Steve Gold/19921022


(NEWS)(TELECOM)(LON)(00020)

Ford Working On Satellite-Based Car Alarm 10/22/92
LONDON, ENGLAND, 1992 OCT 22 (NB) -- The Ford Motor Company
has announced that it is working a satellite-based emergency car
calling system to track down thieves if they steal a car.

The system builds on the technology already used by mobile phone
services which poll a car every so often to check that all is
well. If a car's alarm system is tripped, then it signals to the
network and car details are passed to the police.

That is the idea that Ford is working on porting to a satellite-
based alarm system, although officials have admitted that the
technology is unlikely to be available much before the end of the
decade. Ford claims it is working on a prototype vehicle location
system, linking back to headquarters using satellite
communications.

The Ford system is essentially a re-work of the global positioning
service (GPS) that boats and other mobiles use to locate
themselves and maintain contact with their colleagues. Details of
the car's location, along with identification details, are passed
to base using a satellite phone link. Regular polling of the
vehicle by the network completes the picture.

In the event that a vehicle is lost or stolen, the police have the
option of immobilizing the vehicle or tracking its progress over
the network, allowing officers to move in for the arrest.

(Steve Gold/19921022)


(NEWS)(APPLE)(LON)(00021)

Apple UK Launches Educational Marketing Campaign 10/22/92
UXBRIDGE, MIDDLESEX, ENGLAND, 1992 OCT 22 (NB) -- Apple
Computer in the UK has announced an ambitious sales campaign
targeting students and their lecturers in higher education. The
aim of the campaign is to encourage more educational users of
the Macintosh, pushing market penetration in the educational
field to the same levels that the company enjoys in the US.

According to Apple, the "Dedication to Education" campaign
involves 39 authorized educational resellers in the UK. These
resellers will be conducting a series of on-campus demos of
Apple Macs at 81 universities and polytechnics over the coming
weeks.

The mainstay of Apple's argument in favor of the Mac is the
plethora of applications available in the educational marketplace.
According to David Heath, Apple's educational marketing manager,
there are more than 3,500 applications available. Each student
attending the demos will get a limited edition mug.

Heath said that he believes the campaign will sell a lot of Macs,
generating healthy profits for the Apple resellers and allowing
them to develop long-term relationships with key educational
establishments in their area. "The campaign will also enable
Apple Computer to build on its current share of the higher
educational market," he said.

Apple seems to be pulling out all the stops with this campaign.
It is encouraging its resellers to hold small demos for lecturers
on the benefits of the Mac over the PC, and offer short-term
loans of hardware to educational staff to win them over.

The campaign, which runs until December 18 -- the end of
the first term at universities and polytechnics in the UK --
features Apple's low-end Macs, including the Classic II and Mac
LC series. Apple claims that these offer students and lecturers
an excellent low-cost entry level to computing.

(Steve Gold/19921022/Press & Public Contact: Apple Computer
UK, 081-569-1199)


(NEWS)(GENERAL)(LAX)(00022)

Israel Featured In First Comdex Nat'l Resource Forum 10/22/92
NEW YORK, NEW YORK, U.S.A., 1992 OCT 22 (NB) -- In addition to
the myriad of activities that accompany Comdex, the annual
computer trade show scheduled for November in Las Vegas,
Nevada, computer related companies and high-technology talent
from the country of Israel will be featured in the first
National Resource Forum to be held November 17 and 18, during
the show.

Israel has had a relatively low profile in the computer
industry. However, Microsoft, Motorola, Intel, and IBM have
subsidiaries there. In fact, the Intel 386, 486, and P5
(recently dubbed "Pentium") microprocessors were designed and
developed in Intel's research and development facility in
Jerusalem, Israel's capital city. The country is boasting that
the Soviet immigration into Israel has given it the world's
highest per capita ratio of scientists at 4,832 per million,
compared to 3,282 per million in the US and 1,873 per million
in France.

Sheldon Adelson, chief executive officer of The Interface
Group, who puts on Comdex, said in a prepared statement:
"Israel's reputation for developing sophisticated computer
products and its growing population of highly educated Soviet
immigrants make Israel the ideal country to first present
itself in this forum at Comdex."

Fifty-eight companies in the Israeli computer industry will
demonstrate products at the forum and presentations by Andy
Grove of Intel, Bill Gates of Microsoft, and George Fisher of
Motorola will kick off the event, according to Meir Buber
Israel's Trade Minister to the US. In addition, plans are also
in the works for the companies to meet with US executives at
Comdex to develop joint ventures.

Also, a special pavilion featuring eight Israeli companies
exhibiting computer systems and products will be in the Sands
Expo and Convention Center, Booth 3242, all week during the
show.

(Linda Rohrbough/19921022/Press Contact: Erin Flynn, Hill and
Knowlton for the Government of Israel Department of Ministry
and Trade, tel [phone], fax [phone])


(NEWS)(GENERAL)(LAX)(00023)

How-to Computer Virus Newsletter Set For Release 10/22/92
TUCSON, ARIZONA, U.S.A., 1992 OCT 22 (NB) -- In a plain wrapper
marked "Confidential" Mark Ludwig is sending invitations to
purchasers of his book "The Little Black Book of Computer
Viruses" to become subscribers to a new publication, "Computer
Virus Developments Quarterly" (CVDQ).

Ludwig promises subscribers the quarterly publication will be
an "...independent, no-holds-barred publication that will keep
you up to date on the latest in computer viruses and teach you
about the new technology that even the anti-virus gurus don't
want you to know about."

While publishing source code and sample viruses in his book and
in the newsletter is controversial, Ludwig claims he is serving
"...a lot of people out there who had a legitimate need to
understand viruses, but they couldn't get their hands on the
material they needed...."

Newsbytes has seen the first issue which contains an interview
with Doren Rosenthal, author of the Virus Simulator. Rosenthal
claims the Virus Simulator is a software product that simulates
hundreds of viruses in order for users to check out their anti-
viral protection without risk of live virus infection. Other
articles included are "Are Scanners Outmoded?" "There Is No
Ideal Scanner," and "Computer Virus Disassemblies."

A disk comes with each issue, as well. In addition, Ludwig is
offering a series of computer virus disassemblies on disk that
he claims are fully documented with code documentation and
explanations of how the viruses work. The first two -- a
disassembly of The Pakistani Brain virus and a disassembly of
the Stoned virus -- are $20 each plus $2 shipping and handling.

Ludwig's activities are not illegal, but some argue about the
morality of what he is doing. Ludwig says his company's
advertising has been banned by most major computer media
but also claims the company has received a volume of
complimentary mail.

Subscriptions to CVDQ are $75 a year. However, a special $60
subscription coupon is included in the invitation to book
purchasers marked "Confidential."

(Linda Rohrbough/19921022/Press Contact: Mark Ludwig,
American Eagle Publications, tel/fax [phone]; Public
Contact, American Eagle Publications, PO Box 41401, Tucson,
AZ, 85717)


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

Ericsson-GE To Re-Sell Spectrum Axcell 10/22/92
DALLAS, TEXAS, U.S.A., 1992 OCT 22 (NB) Ericsson-GE has
announced it will market the Spectrum Axcell intelligent
cellular telephone interface with its cellular phones.

The Axcell allows a cellular phone to be connected directly to
the modem of a laptop computer, allowing data calls on regular
cellular lines. The Axcell will work with both the Ericsson
Pocket II and GE CT-200 portable cellular telephones.

Ericsson-GE is best known for its Mobidem, a radio data modem
supporting the Mobitex standard which in the US works on the
RAM Mobile Data network. The joint-venture, 80 percent owned by
Ericsson since the summer, also makes cellular telephones and
mobile radios. The Ericsson GE Axcell will carry a retail price
of $389.99.

(Dana Blankenhorn/19921022/Press Contact: Spectrum
Information Technologies, Kathy L. Bachand, 214-999-6023)


(NEWS)(TRENDS)(TYO)(00025)

Pioneer LDC Intros More Laser Disc Graphic Software 10/22/92
TOKYO, JAPAN, 1992 OCT 22 (NB) -- Pioneer LDC, a subsidiary of
Pioneer, will push the sales of its brand new system called the
Laser Disc Graphic. It allows graphics to be inserted into
the foreground of motion picture.

Pioneer LDC says it will release more software for its Laser Disc
Graphic player. The player is the high-end version of its Laser
Disc player. With this feature, the user will be able to place
graphic text information in the foreground of the picture. For
instance, the user can display language-translation text of movies
on the screen.

So far, Pioneer LDC has released about 25 software titles, most
of which are video versions of theatrical movies. The text
information on these disks is in Japanese.

One of the major advantages of the Laser Disc Graphic player,
according to the company, is its ability to support different
languages or text information on a multiple number of channels.

Pioneer LDC is preparing to release software disks containing
other language texts such as French and German as well as
Japanese. All these languages are included on one disk, and the
user will be able to choose the language to be shown on the
screen.

The company claims that the text information is recorded on
the sub-code area of the disk. The price of the software disks
is the same as that of regular Laser Disc software.

A Pioneer LDC spokesman told Newsbytes that this sub-code
text information is a bonus track and therefore, they do not want
to charge any fee.

The price of the Laser Disc Graphic Player is 128,000 yen
($1,050), which is slightly more than that of a regular Laser Disc
Player. Pioneer, the parent firm of Pioneer LDC, is also selling
the graphic decoder for regular Laser Disc players. It costs
39,000 yen ($325).

(Masayuki "Massey" Miyazawa/19921022/Press Contact: Pioneer
LDC, [phone])


(NEWS)(GENERAL)(TYO)(00026)

Nintendo Predicts Sales Of 10 Million Super NES Units 10/22/92
TOKYO, JAPAN, 1992 OCT 22 (NB) -- Kyoto-based major game
machine maker Nintendo has released an ambitious plan to sell
its Super Famicom or the Super NES game system by mid-1993.
The firm predicts it will sell more machines than it was
initially estimated.

Despite the slump in the industry, Nintendo is planning to sell
total one million units of the Super Famicom in Japan and the
US between October and December. The firm claims it will
sell 10 million units by next August.

In the US, Nintendo was initially planning to sell six million
units for the year 1992, but the firm has recently modified this
estimate to seven million units. This is mainly due to the
expected release of quality programs such as "Dragon Quest" for
this coming Christmas sales season.

Another reason is the price drop of the product -- it is now
selling for almost 30 percent cheaper than the recommended
retail price.

Nintendo's Super Famicom was first released in Japan in November
1990. It sold 6.46 million units within a year since this release
date. The Super Famicom is the 16-bit version of its Family
Computer, which was sold over 1.8 million units. These machines
have no compatibility with each other.

(Masayuki "Massey" Miyazawa/19921022/Press Contact:
Nintendo, [phone])


(NEWS)(GENERAL)(DEN)(00027)

Optika Provides Document Imaging Systems 10/22/92
COLORADO SPRINGS, COLORADO, U.S.A., 1992 OCT 22 (NB) -- John
Galsworthy wrote in his play "Over the River" that how to
save the old, that's worth saving, is one of our greatest problems,
and the one we bother least about. Sixty years later, the same
thing can be said about business records. But a California
company is offering a way not only to save those records, but
also a way to instantly retrieve them without tediously
searching through a dusty file cabinet.

Optika Imaging Systems offers large and small businesses
PC-based image and data management computer software that,
the company claims, enables users to heighten productivity and
make better decisions.

The company, which ranks in the top three in the industry,
develops computer software which works with image scanning
and high capacity data storage hardware to store business
records and instantly display those documents on a high
resolution computer screen when they are needed. The company
already has over 200 installations in the US and Europe.

Ever since businesses started storing paper there have been
reasons to look at the documents again -- insurance companies
have to review claims, manufacturers have to look at blueprints,
buyers need to look up items in catalogs, and all businesses have
occasion to review correspondence or personnel records.

That is where Optika comes in, President Harvey Jeane told
Newsbytes. Optika writes customized software programs that
enable hardware such as scanners and optical disks to store and
later retrieve those records electronically. A scanner is used to
capture a digital image of the document, and that image is stored
on an optical disk, similar to the way a company stores word
processing documents, spreadsheets, databases, or accounting
data on magnetic disks. Optical disks are used because digital
images require considerably more disk space and optical disks
can store many times as much data as the same size magnetic
disk.

Optika's systems are usually sold to the end user through VARs
(value-added resellers) or VADs (value-added dealers) --
companies that combine hardware and software into a turnkey
package. Optika can offer VARs and VADs software that will
interface with various combinations of hardware, depending on
the needs of the customer.

Optika's enabling software is designed to run on PC-based local
or wide area networks running under any of the popular network
operating systems. The company also develops software that is
compatible with the popular Windows 3.1 graphical user interface
(GUI) released by Microsoft in May, 1992.

Optika has already demonstrated a development version of
FilePower that is compatible with Windows NT (New Technology),
Microsoft's 32-bit multitasking version of Windows scheduled
for  release by the end of 1992. "We were the first to have a PC
Windows-based imaging system, and the first to have a PC-based
Windows networking system," Jeane says.

Multitasking will allow FilePower users to process hundreds of
simultaneous requests instead of one at a time. Multitasking
will also allow users to perform tasks such as scanning,
printing, and document retrieval in the background. Optika is
also planning voice annotation for future versions of FilePower,
allowing users to attach voice messages to images, much like
Post-It type notes can now be attached.

FilePower also has the capability to place signature replicas on
documents or images being processed. Its SigFiler module
provides the ability to link or index signatures to key information
in an image, storing signatures on a high-density optical disk or
magnetic for retrieval and review. "SigFiler is an excellent
solution for banks or other institutions that need a better
alternative for verifying signatures," says Jeane. SigFiler can
provide rapid access to signatures from remote branch offices on
LAN/WAN networks, claims the company.

Optika was founded in 1985 by Malcolm Thomas and Paul Carter,
veterans of software publisher Ashton-Tate. The company has
announced that it would relocate its entire operation from its
present location in Simi Valley, California to Colorado Springs,
Colorado in early December. Jeane told Newsbytes that all of the
company's 34 employees and their families have already visited
the  high-tech city at the foot of Pikes Peak. Jeane told
Newsbytes that quality of life, lower employee costs, lower
property costs, a considerably lower cost of doing business, and
tight government regulations in California are principal factors
in the decision to move.

Asked about the paperless office, Jeane told Newsbytes that there
may be an illusion that business is moving towards that goal. But
he believes that most computer uses, such as spreadsheets, create
more paper than they eliminate. He says this is the first industry
he has been associated with that has a chance of moving towards
the paperless office.

But will the paperless office become a reality? "I don't think so,"
said Jeane. He says that while companies may create more
documents electronically, they usually distribute them on paper,
and its the storage of that paper by the recipient, rather than the
originator, that will perpetuate the storage of hard copies.

(Jim Mallory/19921022/Press contact: Harvey Jeane, Optika,
805-520-9060, fax [phone])


(NEWS)(GENERAL)(SFO)(00028)

Innosoft's PMDF-FAX supports Two Additional Modems 10/22/92
CLAREMONT, CALIFORNIA, U.S.A., 1992 OCT 22 (NB) -- Innosoft has
announced that their PMDF-FAX product will now support two new
and additional modems that will increase the capabilities and
flexibility of the product, especially in overseas markets.

PMDF-Fax is a component of the PMDF electronic mail system made
by Innosoft. The FAX components allows for the reception and
transmission of faxes. PMDF-FAX was originally introduced with
support for just two modems - DCE's FaxBox/30 and Fujitsu's
dexNet 200.

Innosoft has discovered that due to the diversity of telephone
systems, and the prevalence of their product around the world,
those two modem models by themselves do not adequately
accommodate all of their customers needs. Therefore the company
has worked on identifying other fax modem manufacturers that
would bring to Innosoft significant advantages.

Innosoft has chosen to implement support for the US Robotics
WorldPort 2496 and the Hewlett-Packard LaserJet FAX. Between
these two modems, Innosoft reaps the benefits of support for
over 40 countries phone systems and the ability to attach to
the HP LaserJet printer line for use as the output devices.

The US Robotics WorldPort 2496 FAX/data modem is a V.42bis
modem capable of sending and receive Group III faxes. It will
support data rates of up to 9,600 baud for faxes and 2,400 baud
for data. It retails for $379. The Hewlett-Packard LaserJet Fax is
also Group III-compatible and supports modem and fax
transmission data rates of 2,400 to 9,600 baud.

(Naor Wallach/19921021/Press Contact: Tom Woolf, Woolf Media
Relations for Innosoft, 415-508-1554/Public Contact: Innosoft,
714-624-7907)


(NEWS)(IBM)(SFO)(00029)

New For PC: EasyTax Tax Preparation Software 10/22/92
BOCA RATON, FLORIDA, U.S.A., 1992 OCT 22 (NB) -- Softkey
Software Products has been involved in the tax preparation
business for many years. Now, it has decided to apply its
knowledge to the personal tax preparation arena with its newest
program EasyTax.

"Softkey can no longer ignore the growth in the personal tax
market. We are banking on our 12 years experience in the
professional tax software business to deliver a product second
to none," said Kevin O'Leary, president of Softkey. "We estimate
the market to be at least 1 million units this year and we are
aiming for a 30 percent share. Everybody hates to do their taxes,
so the key to success is ease of use. By that measure, EasyTax is
the best offering."

Newsbytes has further learned that Softkey believes that a
number of factors will lead to its success in this field. In the
first place, the company feels that it is very experienced in the
tax field with sales of over $22 million last year serving the
corporate tax market. Softkey also believes that it has the
proper distribution strategy and price strategy for entering the
consumer marketplace, and that it knows how to write software
tax packages.

The Early Bird Edition of EasyTax is shipping now. Softkey will
upgrade registered users free of charge if any changes occur in
IRS regulations that would affect users of the package. EasyTax
includes such features as an IRS Audit Alert, Electronic Filing of
returns, Printing of IRS approved forms, 60 built-in tax tips, and
a year-end tax planner. In addition to the main program, Softkey
will sell individual state tax programs as separate items.

EasyTax retails for $79.95 and each of the individual states sell
for $29.95. There are 24 state programs available. Softkey is not
planning on developing any more at this time. The ones available
are for: Alabama, Arizona, California, Georgia, Illinois, Indiana,
Iowa, Kansas, Kentucky, Louisiana, Maryland, Massachusetts, Maine,
Minnesota, Missouri, New York, New Jersey, North Carolina, Ohio,
Oklahoma, Pennsylvania, South Carolina, Virginia, and Wisconsin.

(Naor Wallach/19921021/Press Contact: Al Abrams, Abrams
Creative Services for Softkey, 818-343-6365/Public Contact:
Softkey, 407-367-0005)


(NEWS)(BUSINESS)(SFO)(00030)

Rabbit Software Signs New Distributors 10/22/92
MALVERN, PENNSYLVANIA, U.S.A., 1992 OCT 22 (NB) -- Rabbit
Software makes a full line of IBM 3270 emulators and other
connectivity products for DOS and Unix machines. The company
has established two tier distribution agreements with some of
the super-regional distributors.

Super-regional distributors are companies that have gotten their
start by serving the retailers and VARs (value-added resellers)
within a selected region but have later expanded to other areas.
Rabbit has previously signed such distribution agreements with
GBC Technologies of New Jersey and National Business Group of
Georgia. Two new distributor agreements have been signed with
Vitronix of Massachusetts and Costa Distributing of California.

Newsbytes has learned that Rabbit software is interested in such
distributorships from several perspectives. By concentrating on
the super-regionals, Rabbit feels that they get better service and
coverage within the geographical regions. Rabbit also believes that
the super-regionals provide better service than the big national
distributors as they tend to have local training and demonstration
facilities and become much more knowledgable about the products
that they carry. Rabbit officials contrasted this level of knowledge
and service with the large national distributors who, in Rabbit's
opinion, focus mainly on moving inventory through their warehouses.

With the addition of these two distributors, Rabbit claims that
the company has achieved complete coverage of the United States.
Rabbit is not closing the door on other distributors, but it feels
that it does not need to seek out any additional US distributors at
this time. However, the company is still seeking a strong
distributor in Canada.

(Naor Wallach/19921020/Press Contact: Francine Carb, Rabbit
Software, 215-647-0440/Public Contact: Rabbit Software,
215-647-0440, 1-800-RABBITC)