Newsbytes - Internationa…ews 1983 May to 1994 June/Newsbytes - International Computing Industry News 1994 Edition - May 1983 - June 1994 - Wayzata Technologies (5045) (1994).iso/pc/text/mac_text/1992/nb921109

Text File | 1992-11-09 | 59.3 KB | 1,336 lines

(NEWS)(TELECOM)(SFO)(00001)

New Book: DNS And BIND For Internet Users 11/09/92
SEBASTOPOL, CALIFORNIA, U.S.A., 1992 NOV 9 (NB) -- O'Reilly &
Associates has released a new book intended to help network and e-mail
administrators in installations attached to the Internet. The new
book is called "DNS and BIND" and it is intended to be the definitive
guide to those two mainstays of the Internet.

DNS is the Domain Name System. This is the way in which the
network is broken down so that each person on the Internet has a
unique address. Internet users are used to dealing with addresses
that look something like "[e-mail]." The DNS ensures
that these addresses are determined locally, in a manner
meaningful to humans, and that is also understood by the programs
designed to deliver the mail.

BIND is the Berkeley Internet Name Domain software which is used to
set up and maintain addresses.

The book is written for network administrators in charge of network
e-mail addressing schemes. It is a rather technical and detailed
book that explores the most complex details of this subject. This
is not a book for the casual user.

O'Reilly & Associates is a well-known technical publisher attempting
to enhance its reputation in the Internet audience. This book is
the first in what is expected to be a series of Internet titles. It is
also, to date, the only book that concentrates on DNS and BIND beyond
what is offered in the scanty documentation that comes with some
software packages.

O'Reilly brought 500 copies to a trade show and reports that it sold
all of them within the first half day of the show. Their first print
run since the show numbers 15,000.

The book is available now. It retails for $29.95. The book's ISBN
number is 1-56592-010-4.

(Naor Wallach/19921109/Press Contact: Brian Erwin, O'Reilly &
Associates, 707-829-0515/Public Contact: O'Reilly & Associates,
800-998-9938)


(NEWS)(GENERAL)(SFO)(00002)

New For Networks: Triticom Upgraded LANdecoder/tr 11/09/92
EDEN PRAIRIE, MINNESOTTA, U.S.A., 1992 NOV 9 (NB) -- Triticom has
announced an upgrade to its software protocol analyzer product for
Token Ring networks, LANdecode/tr. The new version is numbered 1.1
and has several enhancements and improvements that resulted from
customer requests and ideas, the company says.

One improvement is the expanded number of adapter cards with which
LANdecoder/tr will now work. While version 1.0 worked only with
Proteon cards, this new version will work with more than 50 different
cards from 15 different vendors. Another major improvement is
wrap-around on the data capture buffers. This feature allows easier
decoding and diagnosis of activities on the network.

Other new features include the decoding of several more protocols,
a summary report of the decoding of all seven layers of any given
protocol, stand-alone operation, more filtering options, and more
triggering options including the ability to trigger on all events
that involve a station or certain stations that are under
investigation.

LANdecoder/tr version 1.1 retails for $1195. This is the same price
as LANdecoder/tr version 1.0. Current users can upgrade from 1.0 to
1.1 for $100. All upgrade requests should be made via Triticom. The
new version is shipping now.

(Naor Wallach/19921109/Press Contact: Jodie Boseck, Triticom, 612-
937-0772/Public Contact: Triticom, 612-937-0772)


(NEWS)(GENERAL)(SFO)(00003)

New For Networks: Lancast Fiber Optic Transceiver 11/09/92
AMHERST, NEW HAMPSHIRE, U.S.A., 1992 NOV 9 (NB) -- Lancast is
filling out its network transceiver line with the introduction
this month of its latest fiber optic transceiver models. The
Transcast ENT-4322 "Micro Fiber Optic Transceiver" is intended to
assist those users who wish to connect various types of devices
to a fiber optic backbone.

The transceiver is a very small device (measuring 1.5" X 0.75" X
2") and weighs one ounce. It contains six LEDs to help monitor
network progress. It also features an AUI connector and a fiber
optic connector. As there are two different kinds of connections to
a fiber optic link, Lancast really has two different models of the
ENT-4322. One comes with an ST connector while the other comes with an
SA connector. Customers need to tell their dealer which kind of
connector they want at the time of purchase.

The six on-board LEDs indicate Jabber, Link, Collision, receive
data, transmit data, and power. The unit will retail for $325 when
it is shipped later this month.

(Naor Wallach/19921109/Press Contact: Roberta Corbinand, Lancast,
800-752-2768/Public Contact: Lancast, 800-752-2768)


(NEWS)(IBM)(SFO)(00004)

New For PC: Kid Works 2 11/09/92
TORRANCE, CALIFORNIA, U.S.A., 1992 NOV 9 (NB) -- On the heels of
the release of Kid Works 2 for the Macintosh, Davidson has
released the MS-DOS version of the program. This Windows version of
the well-received drawing program for kids has an interface
similar to the Macintosh.

Although the new interface is the major enhancement in the program,
there are other new features. Many sound and graphics improvements
have been made, and the program will now support many of the more popular
sound cards. There is also a "Talking Help" feature that uses human
voices to walk a child through certain areas where help is needed.

Many of the tools that a child can use are now placed on a visual
"shelf." Unlike most kid's rooms though, the program always keeps
the shelf well organized so that every tool is in its place when
the child needs it. All of the features found in the Macintosh
version are now in the MS-DOS version, including Story Writer,
Story Illustrator, Icon Maker, and Story Player.

Kid Works 2 will also work inside an MS-DOS window under Microsoft
Windows. A separate Windows version of the program is not being
contemplated at this time. The MS-DOS version of the program is
being shipped and will retail for $59.95 -- the same price as the
Macintosh version.

(Naor Wallach/19921109/Press Contact: Liz Rich-Reardon, Davidson
& Associates, 310-793-0600 Extension 230/Public Contact: Davidson
& Associates, 310-793-0600)


(NEWS)(IBM)(TOR)(00005)

New For PCs: Ad Lib Surround Sound To Ship This Month 11/09/92
QUEBEC CITY, QUEBEC, CANADA, 1992 NOV 9 (NB) -- The resurrected Ad
Lib Multimedia will finally ship late this month the Surround Sound
module the company announced at the 1991 COMDEX/Fall show.

Ad Lib announced the board, an add-on for its Ad Lib Gold 1000
Stereo Sound Adapter, at the Las Vegas show last fall. Then, Ad Lib
declared bankruptcy and closed its doors May 1 without shipping the
board. A German company, Binnenalster, bought the company and reopened
it, changing the name from Ad Lib Inc. to Ad Lib Multimedia
Inc.

The Surround Sound module is due to ship November 25. Mike McGrath,
an Ad Lib spokesman, said the product is the same one shown at last
fall's COMDEX, though the packaging has been redesigned.

The board provides special effects such as stereo depth simulation,
echo, and reverb. It comes with several presets meant to simulate
the sound characteristics of various venues such as a recital hall,
a concert hall, a chapel, a jazz club, and a cavern.

The Surround Sound module works with the Ad Lib Gold adapter, and
does not require specially adapted software. It also works with
standard stereo speakers or headphones, McGrath said.

The suggested retail price of the board is US$89.95.

(Grant Buckler/19921108/Press Contact: Mike McGrath, Ad Lib, 418-
529-9676, fax [phone])


(NEWS)(GENERAL)(SFO)(00006)

New For Networks: Upgraded Mail*Link MHS Gateways 11/09/92
BERKELEY, CALIFORNIA, U.S.A., 1992 NOV 9 (NB) -- StarNine
Technologies is shipping a 2.0 upgrade to the Mail*Link MHS gateways
for QuickMail from CE Software, and Microsoft Mail for AppleTalk
networks.

Mail*Link MHS connects Macintosh QuickMail or Microsoft
Mail users with PC mail users via Novell's NetWare MHS
(Message Handling Service), and electronic-mail protocol
that is widely supported by PC LAN e-mail systems.

Mail*Link MHS version 2.0 now offers compatibility with MHS 1.5
(in addition to MHS 1.1) and simplified administration via a
Preferences Subsystem. Enhancements include unrestricted delivery
of incoming mail, outgoing mail address verification, restrictions
of incoming address verifications for QuickMail mail centers,
administrator notification of undelivered mail, file system
queuing of outgoing mail, multiple recipients efficiency
(sending only one copy of the message through the gateway),
and System 7 support for virtual memory and 32-bit mode.

The upgrade includes new documentation and costs $95
for owners of version 1.x; the cost for owners of site licenses
is $195. The upgrade is free for those who purchased the
gateway on or after July 1, 1992. For further information, call
510/649-4949.

(Computer Currents/19921106)


(NEWS)(GOVT)(NYC)(00007)

Reports Of "Raid" On 2600 Washington Meeting 11/09/92
WASHINGTON, D.C., U.S.A., 1992 NOV 9 (NB) -- The publisher of
a well-known hacker magazine claims a recent meeting attended by
those interested in the issues his magazine raises was disrupted
by threats of arrest by security and Arlington, Virginia
police officers.

Eric Corley, also known as "Emmanuel Goldstein," editor and publisher
of "2600 Magazine: The Hacker Quarterly," told Newsbytes that the
meeting was held November 6th at the Pentagon City Mall
outside Washington, DC was disrupted and material was confiscated
in the raid.

2600 Magazine promotes monthly meetings of hackers, press, and other
interested parties throughout the country. The meetings are held in public
locations on the first Friday evening of the month and the groups often
contact each other by telephone during the meetings.

Corley told Newsbytes that meetings were held that evening in New
York, Washington, Philadelphia, Cambridge, St. Louis, Chicago,
Los Angeles and San Francisco. Corley said, "While I am sure that
meetings have been observed by law enforcement agencies, this is
the only time that we have been harassed. It is definitely a
freedom of speech issue."

According to Craig Neidorf, who was present at the meeting and was
distributing applications for membership in Computer Professionals
For Social Responsibility (CPSR), "I saw the security officers focusing
on us. Then they started to come toward us from a number of
directions under what seemed to be the direction of a person with
a walkie-talkie on a balcony. When they approached, I left the
group and observed the security personnel encircling the group of
about 30 gatherers. The group was mainly composed of high
school and college students. The guards demanded to search the knapsacks
and bags of the gatherers. They confiscated material, including CPSR
applications, a copy of Mondo 2000 (a magazine), and other material."

He adds that the guards also confiscated film "from a person trying
to take pictures of the guards. When a hacker called "HackRat"
attempted to copy down the names of the guards, they took his
pencil and paper."

Neidorf continued, "I left to go outside and rejoined the group when they
were ejected from the mall. The guards continued challenging the group
and told them that they would be arrested if they returned. When one of
the people began to take pictures of the guards, the apparent supervisor
became excited and threatening but did not confiscate the film."

Neidorf also said, "I think that the raid was planned. They hit right about
6:00 and they identified our group as "hackers" and said that they knew
that this group met every month."

Neidorf's story was supported by a Washington "hacker" called "Inhuman,"
who told Newsbytes, "I arrived at the meeting late and saw the group being
detained by the guards. I walked along with the group as they were being
ushered out and when I asked a person who seemed to be in authority his
name, he pointed at a badge with his name written in script on it.
I couldn't make out the name and, when I mentioned that to the person,
he said 'If you can't read it, too bad.' I did read his name,
'C. Thomas,' from another badge."

Inhuman also told Newsbytes that he was told by a number of people
that the guards said that they were "acting on behalf of the
Secret Service." He added, "I was also told that there were two
police officers from the Arlington County Police present but I
did not see them."

Another attendee, Doug Luce, reports, "I also got to the DC
meeting very late; 7:45 or so. It seemed like a coordinated harassment
episode, not geared toward busting anyone, but designed to get people
riled up, and maybe not come back to the mall."

Luce adds that he overheard a conversation between someone who had
brought a keyboard to sell. The person, he said, was harassed by
security forces, one of whom said, "You aren't selling anything in
my mall without a vendors permit!"

Possible Secret Service involvement was supported by a 19 year-old
college student known as the "Lithium Bandit," who told
Newsbytes, "I got to the mall about 6:15 and saw the group being detained
by approximately 5 Arlington County police and 5 security guards. When I
walked over to see what was going on, a security guard asked me for an ID
and I refused to show it, saying that I was about to leave. The guard
said that I couldn't leave and told me that I had to see a police
officer. When I did, the officer demanded ID and, when I once again
refused, he informed me that I could be detained for up to 10 hours
for refusing to produce identification. I gave in and produced my
school ID which the police gave to the security people who copied
down my name and social security number."

Lithium Bandit continued, "When I asked the police what was behind this
action, I was told that they couldn't answer but that 'the Secret
Service is involved and we are within our rights doing this."

The boy says he and others later went to the Arlington police station
to get more information and were told only that there was a report
of the use of a stolen credit card and two officers were sent to
investigate. "They later admitted that it was 5 [officers]. While I was
detained, I heard no mention of a credit card and there was no one
arrested."

Marc Rotenberg, director of CPSR's Washington office, told Newsbytes, "I
have really no details on the incident yet but I am very concerned
about the reports. Confiscation of CPSR applications, if true, is
outrageous. I will find out more facts on Monday."

Newsbytes was told by the Pentagon City Mall office that any information
concerning the action would have to come from the director of security, Al
Johnson, who was not available until Monday. The Arlington Country
Police referred Newsbytes to a "press briefing recording" which had not
been updated since the morning before the incident.

Corley told Newsbytes, "There have been no reports of misbehavior by any
of these people. They were obviously singled out because they were
hackers. It's as if they were being singled out as an ethnic group. I
admire the way the group responded -- in a courteous fashion. But it
is inexcusable that it happened. I will be at the next Washington
meeting to insure that it doesn't happen again."

The manager of one of New York state's largest malls provided
background information to Newsbytes on the rights of malls to police those
on mall property, saying, "The primary purpose of a mall is to sell. The
interior of the mall is private property and is subject to the
regulations of the mall. The only requirement is that the regulations
be enforced in an even-handed manner. I do not allow political
activities in my mall so I could not make an exception for Democrats.
We do allow community groups to meet but they must request space at
least two weeks before the meeting and must have proper insurance.
Our regulations also say that groups of more than 4 may not congregate
in the mall."

The spokeswoman added that mall security can ask for identification
from those who violate regulations and that they may be barred from the
mall for a period of 6 months.

She added, "Some people feel that mall atriums and food courts are public
space. They are not and the industry is united on this. If the malls were
to receive tax benefits for the common space and public service in snow
removal and the like, it could possibly be a public area but malls are taxed
on the entire space and are totally private property, subject to their own
regulations. If a group of 20 or more congregated in my mall, they would
be asked to leave."

(Barbara E. McMullen & John F. McMullen/19921107)


(NEWS)(IBM)(TYO)(00008)

Japan: Sony Multimedia CD-ROM Bundled With IBM PC Debuts 11/09/92
TOKYO, JAPAN, 1992 NOV 9 (NB) -- Sony reports that IBM will sell
its multimedia CD-ROM player with IBM personal computers.

The Sony multimedia CD-ROM player, small enough to fit into
the palm of the hand, has a monochrome LCD (liquid crystal display) and
supports a variety of data including motion pictures, voice and
text. The device can store about 39,000 pages of A4-size pictures
and graphs, or 300,000 pages of textual data, or 16 hours of voice or
sound data, Sony reports. The device can also be connected to
a color TV.

The Multimedia CD-ROM will be released for a price of about $1,000
in the US this week.

Sony reports that IBM will sell the device under the Sony brand name
but IBM will later sell the device under the IBM label.

Several programs for this device have been developed by
IBM's Multimedia Publishing Studio in Atlanta. Most of the programs are
for corporate employee education or business needs. IBM will sell the
programs for corporate users via mail order.

Sony expects to sell about 1,000 units of the device per month to start.
Sony has been manufacturing the Multimedia CD-ROM at its Nagano
plant in Japan. It has been shipped to Sony America in the US and
will shortly be delivered to IBM through Sony America.

(Masayuki "Massey" Miyazawa/19921109/Press Contact: Sony, +81-3-
3448-2200)


(NEWS)(IBM)(TYO)(00009)

Japan: NEC May Get Latest Japanese OS/2 From IBM 11/09/92
TOKYO, JAPAN, 1992 NOV 9 (NB) -- NEC is reportedly licensing IBM Japan's
latest operating system, OS/2 Version J2.0, for use on the NEC
PC-9801 series of computers. An IBM spokesman told Newsbytes that
the firm has been providing technical support to NEC which is
currently testing OS/2 on NEC personal computers.

NEC recently released a high-end model of the PC-9801, called the
PC9821. The computer supports dual screen modes -- 640 x 480 pixels for
Windows, and 640 x 400 pixels for MS-DOS-based NEC computers. OS/2
operates better in the 640 x 480 pixel mode.

IBM Japan recently released its own personal computers equipped with
the operating system OS/2 J2.0.

IBM also reports that it will supply OS/2 information to OADG (Open
System Architecture Development Group) in the near future. Many
Japanese personal computer makers including Sharp, Mitsubishi and
Sony, are supporting IBM personal computers under the OADG. Currently,
IBM Japan is providing DOS/V technical information regarding its
personal computers to member firms, and is encouraging them
to develop IBM-compatible personal computers. The association aims
to create an environment for software makers to develop more programs
for IBM PCs and so far, it has been relatively successful.

(Masayuki "Massey" Miyazawa/19921109/Press Contact: IBM Japan,
 [phone])


(NEWS)(TELECOM)(TYO)(00010)

Major Asia-US Undersea Telecom Cable Planned 11/09/92
TOKYO, JAPAN, 1992 NOV 9 (NB) -- Major common carriers in Asia
and the US have reached an agreement concerning large-scale
undersea telecommunication cables to link Southeast Asia and the
US.

Japan's KDD and AT&T plan to have the undersea cable connect
Japan, Taiwan, Hong Kong, Thailand, Singapore, Malaysia, Indonesia,
Brunei (Malaysia), the Philippines and Guam. The undersea cable is called
Asia Pacific Cable Network or APCN and it will have a total capacity
of 30,000 circuits.

The APCN is expected to have been laid out and will start service
in 1996. The total construction cost will be between 130 billion
yen and 150 billion yen (around $US1.2 billion).

This project represents the expansion of Japan-Taiwan undersea cables
which were initially planned. Later, other firms from Southeast
Asian countries and the US joined the project. The first Asia-Pacific
undersea cables (APC) are expected to be operational by the end of 1995.
The APC will have about 120,000 circuits.

The project should accommodated the increasing number of international
calls being made, and help create a cleaner transmission. Current
undersea cables are aging, suffer from noise, and are unreliable.

(Masayuki "Massey" Miyazawa/19921109/Press Contact: KDD, +81-3-
3347-6934)


(NEWS)(UNIX)(TYO)(00011)

Japan: NEC Releases Superfast 64-bit RISC Processors 11/09/92
TOKYO, JAPAN, 1992 NOV 9 (NB) -- NEC has developed a super-fast
64-bit RISC (reduced instruction set computing) processor aimed
at Unix workstations and high-end personal computers.

NEC's latest RISC chip is called the VR4400, and it is fully
compatible with MIPS' RISC chip R4000. NEC's processor operates
at 75 megahertz, and has a 32-bit cache memory. The firm claims
that it also has the fastest operating speed among this MIPS' family.

NEC has applied an ultra-thin 0.6 micron CMOS processing technology in
the creation of this chip. The unit is also designed to save energy
by consuming only seven watts, or about half what current processors
require.

NEC is shipping the processor and there appear to be customers despite
the unit's high price of 400,000 yen (US$3,300). The price will go
down to 200,000 yen ($1,650) when the chip is made in quantity in April
1993. NEC plans to ship a total of 10,000 units per month.

There are actually three type of processors. The VR4400PC has one cache
memory. The VR4400SC has two cache memories from 256 kilobytes
to 4 megabytes. The VR4400MC supports a multi-processor system.

NEC is also planning to release a more powerful version of the processor
called the VR5000, which operates at 100 megahertz, by the end of
1993.

(Masayuki "Massey" Miyazawa/19921109/Press Contact: NEC, +81-3-
3451-2974)


(NEWS)(TELECOM)(SYD)(00012)

Australia: Proposed New Phone Numbering System 11/09/92
SYDNEY, AUSTRALIA 1992 NOV 9 (NB) -- Australia currently has 54
telephone two and three-digit area codes and a mix of six and seven-digit
telephone numbers. This may all change with a proposed simplification plan.

Under the plan all numbers would become eight-digit but the area codes
would be reduced to just four. The western half of Australia would
take 08, New South Wales and the ACT would take 02, Victoria and
Tasmania would be 03 and Queensland would be 07.

The example given is an Adelaide number [phone] which would
become [phone].

At present all calls within a single area code are untimed even if the
area is tens of miles across. Under the proposed system the existing
charge areas would be unchanged even though the area codes were.
This means that users can no longer know if a call is local or trunk
just by the area code.

The changeover is due to commence in 1994 and be completed by 1999.
Authorities say the change is necessary because some cities are fast
running out of numbers.

(Paul Zucker/19921109)


(NEWS)(IBM)(LAX)(00013)

Toshiba Pen-Based Computer Offers Windows or Penpoint 11/09/92
IRVINE, CALIFORNIA, U.S.A., 1992 NOV 9 (NB) -- Toshiba has
announced its first pen-based notebook computer, the Dynapad
T100X. The new pen computer comes with either Microsoft Windows
for Pen Computing or Go Corporations Penpoint operating system
pre-installed on the hard disk drive.

The unit weighs in at 3.3 pounds, according to Toshiba and
offers a low power consumption 3.3 volt 386SXLV processor from
Advanced Micro Devices (AMD) running at 25 megahertz (MHz). The
Dynapad comes with 4 megabytes (MB) of memory, expandable to 20
MB, a 9.5-inch video graphics array (VGA) black and white
transreflective screen with a sidelight that can display a 16-
gray scale. Like most pen-based computers, the Toshiba Dynapad
is almost all screen, with dimensions of 10.6-inches long by
8.3-inches wide and 1.6-inches in thickness.

Also included is a 40-megabyte (MB) hard disk drive, two PCMCIA
2.0 slots for input/output devices such as modems, fax/modems,
local area network (LAN) connection, or flash memory cards.
Toshiba says the Dynapad also includes serial and parallel
ports, a PS/2 keyboard, and floppy drive ports for connection
of external floppy disk drives. A special pen unattached pen
for use with the Dynapad is also included.

Toshiba says the unit has 2 to 3 hours of battery life, but
says users can get a full day of portable use out of the unit.
This is possible due to the included extra battery pack, and
the built-in Maxtime power saver feature combined with the
built-in Autoresume feature, which allows the user to come back
where they left off, Toshiba maintains.

Also offered is a one year parts and labor warranty and toll
free product support, Toshiba added.

The Dynapad is expected to be available in January of 1993 at a
retail price of $3,499.

(Linda Rohrbough/19921109/Press Contact: Howard Emerson,
Toshiba, tel [phone], fax [phone])


(NEWS)(GENERAL)(BOS)(00014)

Many Ways To Set Up Client/Server, But Few In Play 11/09/92
BOSTON, MASSACHUSETTS, U.S.A., NOV 9 1992 (NB) -- There are at
least five possible ways of setting up the client/server
architecture, but most are not being implemented today, and even
the few in widespread use could stand some improvement, a group
of experts agreed on Friday.

Many users mistakenly regard the "server" as the machine that
holds the resources in distributed computing, suggested Lou
Mazzucchelli, one of the speakers in a panel discussion at
"Unisys Symposium: The Client/Server Paradigm," an all-day press
event held in Boston.

"But actually, the server is a process that contributes access to
the sharing of resources," contended Mazzuchelli, co-founder,
vice president, and chief technical officer of Cadre Technologies,
Inc.

Distributed computing consists of presentation, business logic,
and data management elements, and any one of these three elements
can be made to reside on the server alone, the client alone, or a
combination of client and server, he indicated.

Mazzuchelli then outlined five theoretical models for dividing
these functions: distributed presentation, remote presentation,
distributed function, remote data management, and distributed
data management.

Jerrold M. Grochow, another speaker, pointed out that, of the
five models, only distributed presentation and distributed data
management are playing major roles as yet. Distributed
presentation is the most common scenario for networked
applications, said Grochow, vice president of American Management
Systems, Inc.

Under the distributed presentation model, business logic and data
management reside on the server only, while presentation is split
between the client and server. Grochow noted that, in actual
practice, this translates into applications where the user
interface appears on both client and server, but all other
elements are on the server.

Distributed data management is now cropping up in database
management applications, Grochow observed. In these
applications, the server might appear anywhere on the network,
including the client machine, he continued. Under the
distributed data management model, presentation and business
logic live on the client only, but data management is shared
between client and server.

A third speaker, Dominique Laborde, vice president of research
and development for Computer Associates, took strong exception to
both distributed and remote presentation, a model that calls for
presentation to reside on the client, and business logic and data
management on the server, without any elements being shared.

"Take out those two (models), because the interface can't relate
intelligently with the user," asserted Laborde. Users want GUI-
based applications that can also perform such functions as
multitasking, multischeduling, and preemptive scheduling, he
maintained. "A substantial portion of the intelligence must be
on (the client)," he declared.

Users are no longer interested in "dumb terminal" applications,
concurred Greg Grosh, domain expert, Bachman Information Systems
Inc. Like other speakers, though, Grosh made it known that
distributing applications over a network is no easy matter.

Database management is considerably more difficult today than in
the days before the client/server architecture, said Grosh.
Added Grochow: "Network management of LANs is a nightmare."

Economics are the driving force behind typical client/server
implementations, emphasized two experts. According to
Mazzuchelli, users find these architectures beneficial because
new capabilities can be added in a more gradual and affordable
manner. "You can manage improvements incrementally," he stated.

Echoed Grechow: "What people really want to do is to save
money." But, he warned, users often request applications based
on articles they've read in business magazines, unaware that
they're asking for client/server implementations, and unprepared
for the difficulties that can come up in interoperability and
other matters.

Aside from remote presentation, the other little-used
client/server architectures mentioned during the session were
remote data management, in which presentation and business logic
are both on the client but data management is on the server, and
distributed function, in which presentation is on the client,
data management is on the server, and business logic is shared.

(Jacqueline Emigh/19921009)


(CORRECTION)(TELECOM)(ATL)(00015)

Correction: CERFnet Not Cerf's 11/09/92
RESTON, VIRGINIA, U.S.A., 1992 NOV 9 (NB) -- Vinton Cerf, head of
the Internet Society, wrote through the Internet to correct a
mistake in our recent story mentioning him.

Cerf is commonly thought to have been honored with the name of
CERFNet, a California network linked to the Internet. In fact, he
writes, this is not the case. "Originally, General Atomics
planned to call their network SURFNet, but this conflicted with a
company offering Internet services in the Netherlands, so they
decided on California Education and Research Foundation Network
(CERFNet). Someone thought it would be courteous to ask if I
objected to this and after some thought, I decided I had no
grounds for complaint. I was invited to attend the 'dedication'
of CERFNET in July, 1989, and Susan Estrada and I broke a bottle
of fake Hollywood champagne (plastic bottle filled with glitter)
over a Cisco router as a way of "launching" the network. I have
neither financial nor operational involvement in the system."

The route taken by the message to Newsbytes is a good example of
the power of Internet-linked networks, however. It arrived from
PSINet via Brad Templeton of Clarinet, who forwarded it complete
with routing codes. Newsbytes appreciates the correction, regrets
the error, and thoroughly enjoyed Mr. Cerf's note.

(Dana Blankenhorn/19921109/Press Contact: Vinton Cerf, Internet:
[e-mail])


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

Bell Atlantic Expands ISDN Marketing 11/09/92
ARLINGTON, VIRGINIA, U.S.A., 1992 NOV 9 (NB) -- Slowly, the
regional Bell companies are putting dollars behind selling
digital services under ISDN standards.

It started with Ameritech, which was among the most aggressive
of the Bells in putting the software into its switches, and
which even put together a simple, aggressively priced tariff for
the service, pricing ISDN lines at just 30 percent more than the
price of a regular business line. US West has been creating "ISDN
islands," small sections of central cities with ISDN-capable
switches. It has aimed its marketing at selling specific services
based on ISDN, rather than the whole package. Now Bell Atlantic,
whose headquarters now has a switch working under the National
ISDN-1 standard, is getting into marketing the system.

Bell Atlantic's strategy is to form strategic alliances with
companies that make telecommunications hardware or write software
applications. Knowing that implementing use of ISDN is not yet
simple, the company hopes this strategy will bring large
companies into ISDN, after which its use will filter down-market.
"Our purpose is to sell applications," spokesman Nancy Murray
told Newsbytes.

The latest partners include AT&T; Connective Strategies,
DigiBoard, AT&T's NCR computer unit and IBM's Mid-Atlantic Area
marketing and service group. The five join Ascend Communications,
Gandalf Systems, Hitachi America, Sun Microsystems, and Unifi
Communications, which announced their participation in July. The
alliance partners will hold joint sales calls with Bell Atlantic,
attend trade shows together, coordinate on in-house
demonstrations and offer other special events to market customer
applications using Bell Atlantic ISDN links and ISDN-compatible
hardware and software tools provided by the alliance partners.

Applications include electronic imaging, automatic call
distribution, desktop video conferencing, collaborative computing
and LAN access and interconnection. The ISDN offerings are named
Bell Atlantic IntelliLinQ BRI digital service for Basic Rate
interface and Bell Atlantic IntelliLinQ PRI digital service for
Primary Rate interface.

(Dana Blankenhorn/19921109/Press Contact: Nancy Murray, Bell
Atlantic, 703-974-1719)


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

BellSouth Plans To Cut Jobs 11/09/92
ATLANTA, GEORGIA, U.S.A., 1992 NOV 9 (NB) -- BellSouth kept quiet
most of the year while other regional Bell companies announced
major job cut-backs, driven mainly by the automation of networks
and reduced needs for maintenance. Now it has announced the bad
news -- 8,000 jobs will be gone by 1996. The company says normal
attrition, and some selected retirement packages, will take care
of the people.

"This is driven by competition and the need to streamline the
business to provide better service at lower cost," a spokesman
told Newsbytes.

More interesting, perhaps, is the merger of the headquarters
staff of its BellSouth Enterprises business unit with its
corporate staff, scheduled for early 1993. The resulting staff
will be reduced, and appropriate functions will be transferred to
specific business units. BellSouth Enterprises had been the
company's home for "unregulated" or "experimental" operations
like its TransText videotex gateway, and was based in the Atlanta
suburbs, where creativity was supposed to flow far from the
"Bell-heads" at corporate. But while most BellSouth Enterprises
units turned into cash drains, the main company prospered, and as
those units which did succeed grew, they began to require the
disciplined management skills of headquarters. The success of the
Bells in loosening some restrictions of the Bell break-up decree
also helped make the unit unnecessary.

"The unregulated units will continue to operate as separate
business," said Kristie Madara. "Rather than a management holding
company, you have a financial holding company." There were 1,150
people working in the combined headquarters and Enterprises'
staffs. It's projected that the combined headquarters staff will
have about 500 people.

BellSouth will conduct a series of studies on work processes
before letting anyone go. It said it's already decided it can let-
go of about 150 people in economic analysis and forecasting, and
825 people among the company's comptrollers.

(Dana Blankenhorn/19921109/Press Contact: Kristie Madara
BellSouth, 404-249-2849)


(NEWS)(IBM)(DEN)(00018)

Cyrix 50 MHz 486 Plug-compatible Chip 11/09/92
RICHARDSON, TEXAS, U.S.A., 1992 NOV 9 (NB) -- Cyrix Corporation
today announced its first 486 socket-compatible microprocessor, the
Cx486S2/50. Cyrix President Jerry Rogers says the new chip is the
first in a family of 486SX and DX products.

Cyrix is one of several companies which recently entered the
microprocessor market to compete with Intel Corporation. Cyrix and
Intel have been battling verbally and in the courts, with Intel
claiming Cyrix is infringing on Intel's patents. A recent Newsbytes
story reported that Intel was advising PC makers using non-Intel
chips that they would have to pay a per-system license fee for use
of Intel technology. Rogers said Cyrix has filed a lawsuit to
prevent Intel from collecting the fee.

The new Cyrix chip uses an internal cache architecture that Cyrix
says provides performance "significantly faster than (Intel's)
i486SX-33." Cyrix marketing VP Jim Chapman told Newsbytes the total
386/486 market will be as much as nine million units by the end of the
year, but stopped short of estimating how much of that Cyrix would
be able to capture.

The new chip uses write-back technology, increased write buffers and
burst write capability to cache writes as well as reads, which Cyrix
says will reduce the time required to perform necessary writes and
reduce bus traffic. Writes are sent to external memory only when
they are needed. "Our Fascache write-back architecture eliminates
two-thirds of write traffic on the CPU local bus. This keeps the CPU
from stalling and gives our clock doubled CPU better performance,"
says engineering VP Kevin McDonough.

Cyrix has priced the new chip at $249, which it says is about half
the cost of Intel's i486DX2-50. It also plans to market a separate
surface-mount math coprocessor chip that works with the CPU for $35.
Volume shipments are expected to begin in the first quarter of '93.

Cyrix also said its next offering in the 486 family is code-named
the M7, a 486DX socket-compatible chip with a higher performance
ratio than the S2 being announced today. Chapman told Newsbytes the
M7 will have a larger write-back cache (8 kilobytes), higher clock
speeds (66 megahertz), and an integrated math coprocessor.

(Jim Mallory/19921109/Press contact: Jodi Shelton, Cyrix
Corporation, 214-992-8302; Reader contact: Cyrix Corporation,
214-234-8387, fax [phone])


(NEWS)(IBM)(DEN)(00019)

Compaq Active Matrix Color Notebook 11/09/92
HOUSTON, TEXAS, U.S.A., 1992 NOV 9 (NB) -- Compaq Computer
Corporation today introduced an active matrix display color notebook
powered by an Intel 486SL chip. The company also announced a
notebook system using an active matrix monochrome VGA display, and
66 megahertz (MHz) models of its Portable 486.

The color notebook, called the LTE Lite 4/25C, runs on Intel's 25 MHz
486SL chip that includes an integrated numeric coprocessor and 8
kilobytes (K) of cache. The 6.5-pound system measures 8.5 by 11 by 2
inches. It can be upgraded to 486SL-based chips when those become
available.

Other system features include an integrated trackball, 4MB of system
memory, or RAM, battery life of up to three hours, and DOS and
Windows pre-installed. The base unit carries a price tag of $4,099
and comes with a 120MB hard drive. An optional 209MB hard drive adds
$300 to the sticker price.

The monochrome notebook unit also includes a trackball, and both the
display and processor can be upgraded, replacing the monochrome
display with a color panel and upgrading the 386SL chip to a 486SL
processor. Standard features include 4MB of RAM, battery life up to
four hours, and DOS and Windows pre-installed. The Lite 25E carries
a price tag of $2,999 with an 84MB hard drive or $3,199 with a
120MB hard drive.

The two new EISA-based (extended industry standard architecture)
portable 486 systems being announced are available in monochrome
and color models, with prices ranging from $4,999 to $7,999.
Included are DOS, Windows, a mouse, and 210MB or 525MB hard drive.
Compaq says its 33 MHz 486-based portables have been discontinued.

The company also announced several new options, including
Quickconnect, which allows users to quickly connect and disconnect
external peripherals such as a CD-ROM to their notebook PCs. It's
also introducing an internal and an external dual speed CD-ROM drive
with an embedded SCSI (small computer set instruction) interface and
audio capability. A new SCSI controller board, priced at $139, is
available for installation in any ISA (industry standard
architecture) or EISA-based system for connection of hard drives,
CD-ROM drives, scanners, or tape drives. Up to seven devices can be
connected using a single expansion slot.

(Jim Mallory/19921109/Press contact: John Sweney, Compaq
Corporation, 713-374-0484)


(NEWS)(BUSINESS)(DEN)(00020)

Traveling Software Opens German Subsidiary 11/09/92
BOTHELL, WASHINGTON, U.S.A., 1992 NOV 9 (NB) -- Traveling Software,
best known for its Laplink products that allow easy transfer of
files between computers, has announced the opening of a subsidiary in
Munich, Germany.

TS says the new office will provide local sales support and
marketing services, with special focus on corporate accounts and
resellers. The new office brings to six the number of TS offices,
and is the second opened during the current year in Europe. The
company's corporate headquarters is located in Bothell, Washington,
and it operates sales offices in Washington, DC and Tokyo, Japan.
Other offices are located in the United Kingdom and Paris, France.

"We're pleased with the explosive growth in our German and other
European markets over the last three years. With the growth of our
user base in Germany, a German subsidiary was the next logical
step," said company president, Jonathan Scott.

TS has licensing agreements with a number of laptop manufacturers to
bundle its file transfer software with their products, and says it
is developing linking technology for the new Apple Newton Personal
Digital Assistant.

(Jim Mallory/19921109/Press contact: Marci Maule, 206-483-8088;
Reader contact: Traveling Software, 206-483-8088)


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

Storagetek Says Iceberg Delayed Again 11/09/92
LOUISVILLE, COLORADO, U.S.A., 1992 NOV 9 (NB) -- Storage Technology
said today that based on its latest program review beta testing on
its long awaited Iceberg product will extend into the second half of
1993. The announcement was made before the market opened, and
Storagetek spokesperson David Reid told Newsbytes the company's
stock dropped 8-9 points in early trading.

Iceberg is an advanced disk array architecture designed to assure
the safety of computer data by storing data on multiple disks. It's
about the size of a household refrigerator, and uses up to 256 5-1/4
inch disks to store as much as 150 gigabytes of data. The product
has been plagued by delays. The company says it continues to
encounter delays due to the complexity of integrating the software
and hardware of the system.

Storagetek's president, Ryal Poppa, continues to express optimism
about Iceberg. "Based on what we can see in the developing disk
array marketplace we continue to believe that Iceberg will satisfy
significant unmet needs in large-scale online storage and in so
doing take the lead in this class of product," he said.

Reid declined to say when Iceberg would now come to market, saying
"You can't ship it until you have a successful beta test complete."

Iceberg was originally announced in November 1991, with Poppa saying
"It'll turn from a loss to a profit in 93." The product was
scheduled to ship during the 92 second quarter. In May, Storagetek
said Iceberg wouldn't ship until the fourth quarter, and in August,
citing programming problems, the company said Iceberg would be
delayed another quarter.

(Jim Mallory/19921109/Press contact: David Reid, Storagetek,
303-673-4815, fax [phone]; Reader contact: 303-673-5151)


(NEWS)(APPLE)(SFO)(00022)

New For Macintosh: Stac Data Compression Software 11/09/92
CARLSBAD, CALIFORNIA, U.S.A., 1992 NOV 9 (NB) -- As new
applications use up more and more hard disk space, the need
for data compression software becomes more appealing as an
alternative to buying a larger drive. Stac Electronics, creator
of the popular Stacker software for the PC, has now introduced
Stacker for Macintosh, which "automatically and transparently
doubles the storage capacity of hard drives for any Apple
Macintosh computer."

According to the company, the new product is based on Stacker
LZS, Stac's patented disk-doubling compression technology. The
product can be used with any Macintosh, including network
servers, and supports any SCSI (small computer systems
interface) device, including SyQuest, Bernoulli and magneto-
optical removable media.

Stac claims that early data compression products for the
Macintosh were designed for archival purposes and for
transporting data by diskette or modem. They require a user to
launch the application, select specific files to be compressed,
and then wait until the compression occurs. Newer products
have tried to automate the file-oriented approach in products
aimed at saving hard disk space. However, claims Stac, this
file-oriented technique requires significant user involvement
and causes compatibility problems with some applications.

When data is written to a stacked drive using Stacker for Macintosh,
it is "automatically and transparently compressed, and when data
is read from a stacked drive, it is automatically and transparently
decompressed." The company claims that, because the software
operates at the disk level, it avoids the compatibility problems
inherent in the file-oriented approach.

A company spokesman told Newsbytes that, while he did not
have "an exact" figure as to the price, it will he "less than $150."

At the end of October, Newsbytes reported that Stac had
introduced Stacker version 3.0, which installs from Windows
or DOS and offers on-screen gauges to Windows users.

(Ian Stokell/19921109/Press Contact: Joanne Rush,
619-431-7474, Stac Electronics)


(NEWS)(TELECOM)(LON)(00023)

Romania Rebuilds Phones With Telefonica Cellular 11/09/92
BUCHAREST, ROMANIA, 1992 NOV 9 (NB) -- As Romania struggles to
update its hard-wired telephone network, the Romanian Government
has announced a joint venture with Telefonica of Spain to install
a cellular phone network in double-quick time.

Announcing the deal with Telefonica, Florian Rusu, head of
Telefonica Romana, as the joint venture is known, said that the
network should be operational within five months, ready to take
its first subscribers, albeit in Bucharest only, in March of next
year.

Telefonica has invested $3 million in the project with Rom
Telecom, the Romanian state-owned telephone company and
Radiocommunicatii, a private telecom company, sharing the
remaining $2 million stake between themselves.

The deal is unusual, since it is rare to find a foreign company
investing more than half in a joint venture telecom operation
behind the former Iron Curtain.

Cellular phones are still beyond the reach of most Romanian
citizens. Hardware to join the network will set anyone back a hefty
UKP 400, with a further UKP 20 a month payable for a subscription.

Again, this is unusual, since most Eastern Bloc cellular phone
networks tend to be priced at rates significantly lower than in
Europe and the US. The Romanian project's rates are in line with
those of the UK.

(Steve Gold/19921109)


(NEWS)(TELECOM)(LON)(00024)

UK: Mercury Discounts UK-To-US Phone Calls 11/09/92
LONDON, ENGLAND, 1992 NOV 9 (NB) -- Mercury Communications has
announced that calls to the US and Canada will be half the
standard rate if made between 6pm and 8pm each weekday from the
23rd of November, 1992, until the 2nd of January, 1993.

The deal follows in the wake of similar "happy hour" promotions for
calls to several European countries. Calls to North America will
cost just 29.1 pence per minute, a rate which is the lowest ever
on record, Newsbytes notes.

In addition to the happy hour promotion, Mercury is offerings its
subscribers the half standard rate calls continuously from
Christmas day through to December 28th, as well as New Years Day.
The happy hour rates are also reduced to before 8am and after 6pm
on US/Canadian calls on December 29, 30 and 31.

According to Christine Holgate, Mercury's manager for consumer
marketing, as an extra bonus, Mercury is abolishing the peak rate
(3pm to 5pm Monday to Friday) for the duration of the happy hour
promotion. Calls made during peak rate times will be charged at
the standard rate of 58.2 pence per minute.

(Steve Gold/19921109)


(NEWS)(TELECOM)(LON)(00025)

Greece To Sell A Third Of State Phone Company 11/09/92
ATHENS, GREECE, 1992 NOV 9 (NB) -- The Greek Government has
announced plans to privatize 35 percent of OTE, the state-
controlled telephone network. The plan has yet to be formally
passed by the Greek Government, but the sell-off is expected to
take place next spring.

As with all state sell-offs of this nature, it is very difficult
to calculate a net worth for a state telecom administration.
Sources suggest that the Greek Government could generate as much
as $4,500 million from the sale.

According to the Reuters news wire, potential suitors for the 35
percent stake in OTE include AT&T, British Telecom, France
Telecom and even Japan's NTT. Newsbytes notes, however, that a
European buyer is likely to be favoured owing to Greece's
membership of the European Community.

Last year, the OTE group generated $250 million in profit.
Currently, the group employs just under 28,000 people.

(Steve Gold/19921109)


(NEWS)(IBM)(LON)(00026)

UK: Compaq Unveils New Portables; Improves Desktops 11/09/92
RICHMOND, SURREY, ENGLAND, 1992 NOV 9 (NB) -- Compaq Computer has
announced three new portable computers, as well as enhancing its
range of Prolinea and Deskpro/i range of desktop computers, in
an announcement that parallels one in the US.

The portable additions come exactly a decade after Compaq
announced the industry's first portable computer, the Compaq
portable.

The three new machines unveiled this time around are the Compaq
LTE Lite 4/25C, which the company claims is the industry's first
active-matrix color 486SL-based notebook; the LTE Lite/25E, which
is claimed to be the first notebook for feature a bright, active-
matrix monochrome VGA display; and a 66MHz 486DX2-based version
of the Portable 486.

Announcing the new machines, Joe McNally, Compaq's vice president
and UK managing director, said that, since the introduction of the
first Compaq portable ten years ago, the company's engineering,
technology and manufacturing strengths "have enabled us to grow
from a mere start-up portable PC manufacturer to a Fortune 200
company."

"Today we add an exclamation mark to a record-setting product
introduction year for Compaq. Since January, we have brought out
over 100 new products, including high-quality notebooks,
desktops, PC servers and network laser printers," he said.

The LTE Lite 4/25C weighs in at 6.5 pounds and is claimed to be
100 percent faster than 386SL-based machines. This, Newsbytes
notes, takes the 25MHz 80486SL-based machine to the same
specifications as desktop 486DX-based systems. Two models in the
range are available from next month onwards: a 120MB hard disk
version at UKP 3,595 and a 209MB version at UKP 3,995.

The LTE Lite/25E comes with what Compaq claims is an exclusive
active matrix mono VGA display (640 x 480 pixels) that is up to
three times brighter than competitive passive matrix-based mono
machines. The machine comes with 4MB of RAM, a four-hour battery life
plus DOS 5.0 and MS-Windows 3.1 pre-installed. Pricing on the
machine, which ships immediately, is UKP 2,795.

The 66MHz 486DX2 versions of the Portable 486 series are claimed
to be 75 percent faster than the 33MHz 386-based Toshiba T6400DX
family. Two versions are initially available in the UK: the Model
210 and the Model 525 at, respectively, UKP 4,495 and UKP 6,695.
The Model numbers signify the hard disk capacity on the machine,
which will ship next month.

Also unveiled with the new portables is the Quickconnect unit, a
UKP 70 device that attaches to the external connector of the
Compaq LTE Lite series to allow fast connection and disconnection
of peripherals.

In parallel with the launch of the new portables, Compaq has cut
pricing on the existing LTE Lite/25 and LTE Lite/25C series by an
average of 13 percent.

Backing up the new portables are a number of improvements to the
Prolinea and Deskpro/i series. Compaq is now bundling Windows 3.1
and a Compaq mouse to all its hard disk versions. The company has
also introduced higher-capacity hard disk models to both
families, and added a low-cost VGA color monitor to its optional
extras.

The larger hard disk option on the Prolinea and Deskpro/i series
is the Model 240 (240MB hard disk). Prices start from UKP 1,595.
In addition to the larger hard disk, Compaq is also enhancing its
386SX-based Prolineas with the basic memory being upped from 2 to
4MB.

The new 14-inch monitor offered by Compaq costs UKP 245. The unit
supports 720 x 400 pixels in text mode and 640 x 480 pixels in
graphics mode. Up to 256 simultaneous colors can be displayed at
once.

(Steve Gold/19921109/Press & Public Contact: Compaq - Tel: 081-
332-3000)


(NEWS)(IBM)(SFO)(00027)

New For PC: ColorArtist Pro Scanner Delivers Color At 800dpi 11/09/92
IRVINE, CALIFORNIA, U.S.A., 1992 NOV 9 (NB) -- Mustek Inc., has
introduced the CG-8000 ColorArtist Pro, which the company claims
is the first hand-held scanner for Windows to deliver 24-bit color
images at up to 800dpi (dots-per-inch) resolution.

Mustek's ColorArtist Pro recognizes up to 16.8 million colors in its
24-bit mode and up to 4,096 colors in its 12-bit color mode. The
ColorArtist Pro also scans true 256 or 16 gray scales as well as
halftone images and line art, the company says. Users have the
option to scan at resolutions ranging from 100dpi to an
interpolated resolution of 800dpi.

The ColorArtist Pro is TWAIN-compliant, meaning that the input of
the scanner integrates directly with software packages that are
able to use the information generated by the scanner, without
having to scan and import the file through an intermediate software
application.

The ColorArtist Pro comes bundled with Micrographx's Picture
Publisher image editing software, Perceive Personal Omnifont OCR
from Ocron (a high-accuracy optical character recognition package)
and Mustek Slideshow, software that presents images in a slide-show
format.

The suggested retail price of the CG-8000 ColorArtist Pro is
$599. Call 714/833-7740 for further details.

(Computer Currents/19921109)


(NEWS)(IBM)(SFO)(00028)

New For PC: Express Publisher DOS Upgrade Gives Design Advice 11/09/92
SAN MATEO, CALIFORNIA, U.S.A., 1992 NOV 9 (NB) -- Power Up
Software has announced Express Publisher 3.0 for DOS, a new version
of its desktop publishing program that includes an expert design and
layout system.

The product's new Layout Adviser features online advice and templates
from Roger Parker, author of Looking Good in Print, the best-selling
book on desktop publishing design. Parker's Layout Advisor guides
users through the design process by illustrating and explaining
design trade-offs and options so that they can make the appropriate
decisions about their documents. Throughout each step of Layout
Advisor, a preview provides a thumbnail view of the document as various
options are explored and executed.

In addition, Roger Parker's Layout Adviser automates basic
layout functions, such as setting up a grid system, selecting
matching typefaces and developing a document's look and
feel, the company says. Other automatic tools include
automatic text wrapping for flowing text around the
contours of a graphic; automatic alignment of any two
objects by tops, sides, centers, etc.; and automatic page
creation and text flow for creating new pages and text frames
to accommodate overflowing text.

Express Publisher 3.0 has a suggested retail price of $149.95,
and upgrades and competitive trade-ups are available. For
further information, call 415/345-5900.

(Computer Currents/19921109)


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

New For Windows: Logitech's AudioMan Audio Device 11/09/92
FREMONT, CALIFORNIA, U.S.A., 1992 NOV 9 (NB) -- The demand for
improved sound capabilities in IBM PCs and compatibles has been
fueled in no small part to both the increasing popularity in
multimedia applications, and advanced video games and
educational software. However, not everyone wants to open up
their PC and add a sound board to an available expansion slot.
To address the issue, Logitech Inc., has introduced AudioMan, a
compact digital audio tool for the Windows 3.1 environment.

According to the company, AudioMan is an external audio device
with an integrated speaker and microphone, which attaches to
any PC via the parallel port, allowing it to produce audio (voice,
sound, and music) within a sound-compatible application. The
product will be available in December at a list price of $179.

AudioMan uses object linking and embedding (OLE), which allows
users to integrate a variety of data formats (graphics, sound,
and text) from diverse sources within a single document.

David Pelton, Logitech product marketing manager for
sound, said: "AudioMan's 'no-board' design is the easiest way for
corporations to add sound to their installed base of PCs. Users
don't even have to open their machines to install the product.
And clearly, sound is a very straightforward way to increase
the clarity and impact of business communications."

Unlike the Macintosh, which has extensive sound features
built-in, PCs include some sound capabilities, but these are
usually barely audible unless a board is added.

Logitech claims that AudioMan is the first peripheral audio
device which integrates a speaker, a uni-directional microphone,
and a board into one external unit. In addition, a special
"pass-through" connection has been designed for the parallel
port, enabling a printer to be plugged in and used at the same
time.

The company maintains that AudioMan makes sound a practical
business tool by enabling users to easily add verbal notes to
their work, rather than written ones. In addition to voice
recording, AudioMan records sounds from other sources, such as
tapes and CDs via the audio input port. Also, an output port allows
the connection of headphones. AudioMan is powered either by
standard "AA" batteries or by AC.

Logitech says the software driver is easy to install and features
a control panel that detects battery level and allows adjustment
of output volume.

AudioMan requires an IBM AT or compatible system with 286,
386 or higher processor, PC or MS-DOS version 3.3 or later,
Microsoft windows 3.1, and one parallel port.

In August, Newsbytes reported that Logitech had introduced a
24-bit color hand-held scanner, called Scanman Color. The
company claimed at the time that, unlike other hand-held
scanners on the market, the product does not require a warm-up
period and does not need to be turned off periodically to cool.

(Ian Stokell/19921109/Press Contact: Amy Rupley,
510-713-4516, Logitech)


(NEWS)(APPLE)(SFO)(00030)

New For Macintosh: MyLabelDesigner From MySoftware 11/09/92
MENLO PARK, CALIFORNIA, U.S.A., 1992 NOV 9 (NB) -- Best known
for its cheap, single-task utilities for the PCs, MySoftware has
introduced the MyLabelDesigner, which does just what it says,
for the Macintosh platform.

According to the company, MyLabelDesigner can custom design
and print any size label or choose from over 100 standard sizes,
including all Avery labels. This is accomplished by clicking
and dragging graphics or text to where they are wanted. Also,
users have access to a variety of fonts, sizes, styles, and even
rotated text, borders, lines, and art.

Dave Mans, president of MySoftware, said: "We'll continue to
provide quick- and easy-to-learn software tools for small
businesses. MyLabelDesigner is our latest step in that direction.
We've built on our expertise in making great database programs
by adding a rich set of design tools."

MyLabelDesigner supports color printers and can print color
lines, borders, text and graphics, as well as shading black and
white art. Over 50 clip art images are also included.

MySoftware's products designed as single-task utilities and
come with a lifetime warranties. The company also offers
technical support.

MyLabelDesigner carries with a suggested retail price of $24.95,
and requires 512 kilobytes of RAM and System 4.1 or above
(including System 7).

In February, Newsbytes reported that Mysoftware was offering a
full rebate of the purchase price of Myinvoices or Mycheckbook
for the PC upon receipt of an order of either checks or invoices
from the company.

(Ian Stokell/19921109/Press Contact: Kimbery Norris,
415-688-8450 MySoftware Co.)