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(NEWS)(GENERAL)(DEN)(00001)

Exabyte Names New Execs, Earns ISO Certification 12/10/92
BOULDER, COLORADO, U.S.A., 1992 DEC 10 (NB) -- Mass data
storage company Exabyte has announced the appointment of two
new managers and says it has earned International Standards
Organization certification for its Scotland facility.

The company also announced that Andrew Goldstein has been
appointed to the newly created position of director of engineering
for eight millimeter (mm) cartridge tape subsystems. Goldstein
will be responsible for the engineering development and support
of full and half-height tape drives and future products. He joined
the company in 1990 as an engineering manager, and is credited
with leading the team that developed Exabyte's 2.5 gigabyte (GB)
and five GB half-height tape drives. Goldstein began his career
at IBM where he held various engineering and management
positions.

Named to the company's board of directors is Mark Canright,
Exabyte's vice president of worldwide sales and support. Canright
joined Exabyte in 1987 as one of the company's first sales
representatives and was promoted to Western region director in
1990. He became vice president of North American sales in
January 1992 and six months later, became vice president of
worldwide sales and support. In addition to directing the
company's sales efforts in North and South America, Europe,
Asia, and Australia, he will also oversee account management
and sales administration.

Exabyte also announced that its service and repair facility in
Cumbernauld, Scotland, has earned International Standards
Organization (ISO) 9002 certification. Part of the ISO 9000
program establishing worldwide quality standards, ISO 9002 is
a model for quality assurance in production and installation.

The Scottish plant opened in June 1990, and provides subsystem
repair, service, and refurbishment. The certification process
began in February 1992. Exabyte's Boulder, Colorado, facility is
also being evaluated for a similar certification.

(Jim Mallory/19921209/Press contact: Susan Merriman,
Exabyte Corporation, 303-447-7434; Reader contact: Exabyte,
tel [phone], fax [phone])


(NEWS)(GENERAL)(DEN)(00002)

Financial Programs Lead Software Etc Bestseller List 12/10/92
MINNEAPOLIS, MINNESOTA, U.S.A., 1992 DEC 10 (NB) --  Financial
software dominated the bestseller list of at least one
nationwide retailer last week.

Software Etc, a nationwide retailer of home PC and video game
software, says that four of the top ten productivity packages
allow users to manage their financial affairs.

Occupying the top two positions on the productivity software
list  were Quicken and Quicken for Windows, both from Intuit.
Microsoft Money for Windows grabbed the number seven spot,
and Chipsoft's TurboTax captured the number eight position.

Access, Microsoft's newly announced database program, was
fourth on the list. Microsoft says it has already shipped 50,000
copies of the program.

The rest of the list includes: Christmas for Windows from Wink
Data Products in the third spot; Star Trek Screen Saver from
Berkeley in number five; and After Dark, also from Berkeley, in
sixth position.  Filling out the list in ninth position is Print Shop
Deluxe for Windows by Broderbund, and tenth is Corel Draw
Upgrade from Corel.

Software Etc operates 267 retail outlets across the country,
selling home personal computer software, supplies, accessories,
PC upgrades, computer books and magazines, and video game
software and systems.

(Jim Mallory/19921209/Press contact: Mary Lilja, Software
Etc, 612-893-7140)


(NEWS)(TELECOM)(ATL)(00003)

Spectrum Putting Itself Up for Bids? 12/10/92
DALLAS, TEXAS, U.S.A., 1992 DEC 10 (NB) -- Spectrum Information
Technology, which in the past has advertised its stock on TV, is
now, according to a newsletter report, the subject of considerable
interest from AT&T.

The company, which holds patents on error-correction protocols
and connector technology between cellular phones and modems,
has sent out press releases trumpeting a newsletter report that
AT&T might buy it.

"The Report on AT&T" wrote in its December 7 issue that the
company has been successful in defending its patents, and their
breadth could draw a bid for the entire company from AT&T or
some other company.

Editor Mark Kellner told Newsbytes that he could not reveal his
source for the story, but it was "sourced from what I consider a
good reliable unnamed source that this was one of the options
they were considering."

In the press statement Spectrum President Peter T. Caserta,
said the newsletter has "fully recognized the positive impact of
Spectrum's patent technology and the implications of Spectrum's
position to the industry." The newsletter report continues that
Spectrum won $1.5 million in license fees, plus $6 to $10 per
modem, from Data Race for its cellular modems.

Spectrum has also sued Microcom for willful patent infringement
on its SPCL protocol -- the patent was re-issued in November
"over opposing evidence and arguments supplied by Microcom,"
according to the newsletter. Caserta said Spectrum hopes
Microcom will reverse its position.

"Spectrum intends to enforce these patent rights and not deprive
ourselves of revenues estimated to be in the billion dollar plus
area." Neither AT&T nor Spectrum would comment beyond the
report, but Spectrum stock has been trading heavily on the
NASDAQ exchange.

(Dana Blankenhorn/19921209/Press Contact: Mark Kellner, The
Report on AT&T, 703-683-4100; Spectrum Information
Technologies, Kathy Bachand, 214/999-6028)


(NEWS)(BUSINESS)(LON)(00004)

UK: Azlan To Handle Microsoft LAN Manager Front-End 12/10/92
WOKINGHAM, BERKSHIRE, ENGLAND, 1992 DEC 10 (NB) -- Azlan has
secured the exclusive distribution rights to ABC Systems and
Development's LAN Admin software. Pricing on the package, which
acts as a front-end to Microsoft's LAN Manager, starts at UKP 400
for 10 workstations.

LAN Admin is billed as the first LAN administration tool for
Microsoft LAN Manager users. It is a Windows-based package that
claims to automate local area networking administration tasks
that are normally delegated to the network manager.

In use, the package automatically creates user directories, sets
permissions (security levels) and provides paths to relevant
applications software. Azlan also claims that a number of built-in
security measures allow network managers to specify different
level users and restrict individual user access.

Announcing the distribution arrangement, Steve Lockie, Azlan's
product marketing manager said that LAN Admin combines the
ease of use and flexibility of LAN Manager, while providing "a
powerful, integrated environment that is easy to control and
administer."

"The exclusive distribution agreement underlines the fact that
Azlan is the largest and most technically qualified LAN Manager
distributor in the UK," he said.

Azlan is a networking distributor in the UK. The company, which
has been a Novell Netware distributor since 1985, claims to be
the leading distributor in its field and offers a variety of
products, including interface cards and networking software from
companies such as 3Com. Digital Equipment, Made Networks,
Microsoft, Novell, Retix, and Xircom.

(Steve Gold/19921209/Press & Public Contact: Azlan - Tel:
0734-894400; Fax: [phone])


(NEWS)(GENERAL)(LON)(00005)

Xircom Intros Network Simplicity 1.2 In UK 12/10/92
WOKINGHAM, BERKSHIRE, ENGLAND, 1992 DEC 10 (NB) -- Azlan,
the networking distributor, has announced it will be marketing
Xircom's latest version of Network Simplicity in the UK.

According to Azlan, version 1.2 of Network Simplicity includes
the latest performance enhancements of Novell's Netware Lite
networking software. As with earlier versions, this new version
of Network Simplicity is claimed to be a fully integrated
networking  and connectivity program designed for small
businesses and workgroups who need to share applications
software and system resources.

In use, the package allows users to network up to 25 PCs, piggy-
backing on to Novell's Netware Lite operating system. According
to Steve Lockie, Azlan's product marketing manager: "There has
been a rapid growth in the acceptance of networking, but
installing a network is still seen as being a complex exercise
by most users. The Network Simplicity approach changes all that."

As supplied, the package includes Simplicity Set-up, a menu-based
installation utility that allows users to name each workstation
and identify system resources. Also included is Simplicity E-mail,
which is an electronic mail utility that can be accessed from
within other applications, allowing users to exchange messages
with other users on the network.

Pricing on Network Simplicity has been set at UKP 599. For the
money, users get everything they need to connect two PCs and a
printer together. Extra nodes on the network cost UKP 299. A two
year warranty and technical support package comes free within
these price tags.

(Steve Gold/19921209/Press & Public Contact: Azlan - Tel:
0734-894400; Fax: [phone])


(NEWS)(TELECOM)(LON)(00006)

UK: Mercury Enhances Frequent Caller Programs 12/10/92
LONDON, ENGLAND, 1992 DEC 10 (NB) -- Mercury Communications
has announced a number of changes to its frequent caller
programs (FCPs). The changes come just days after BT announced
its decision to enhance its FCPs in the face of increasing
competition.

For residential customers, Mercury has increased its FCP discounts
by an extra five percent. The discounts mean that FCP subscribers
pay around 10 percent less than standard Mercury subscribers on
weekday office hours calls.

For business subscribers, Mercury is introducing four new schemes
which it claims will offer significant savings to customers using
Mercury over their BT exchange lines, as well as for subscribers
with their own direct link to Mercury.

Mercury claims that its residential FCP will save money for those
subscribers who spend UKP 35 or more on prime or standard rate
periods on their trunk and international calls. The FCP program,
which costs UKP 5 a quarter extra, is claimed to save between six
and nine percent over BT's Option 40 FCP for its residential
subscribers.

Business customers' break-even points for their FCPs (levels one
to four) is UKP 35, 2,250, 10,000 and 30,000 per quarter. Mercury
claims that a customer spending UKP 2,250 a quarter on long
distance and international calls will save between eight and 11
percent compared to the BT FCPs.

Just to complicate matters further for business subscribers,
Mercury has introduced a special scheme for large corporations
with multiple sites. For a single fee of UKP 2,500, these
customers can gain access to Mercury's volume discounts, with
the discounts based on the aggregate of their spending with the
telecommunications company.

(Steve Gold/19921209/Press Contact: Mercury Communications -
Tel: [phone])


(NEWS)(GENERAL)(LON)(00007)

Delrina Intros Winfax Pro 3.0 In UK 12/10/92
BOREHAMWOOD, HERTFORDSHIRE, ENGLAND, 1992 DEC 10 (NB) --
Delrina Technology has begun shipping Winfax Pro 3.0, which it
claims is a major upgrade on its Windows-based fax software.

This latest upgrade to the fax software, which has been designed
for use with a variety of fax/data modems, includes a number of
enhancements, including annotation, optical character recognition,
fax document management, an advanced phonebook, a cover page
designer, image processing, scanner support, and more than 100
unique cover pages.

"The appeal of PC faxing has been its ease of use and the
convenience of sending and receiving from your desk," explained
Mark Skapinker, Delrina's president. "Winfax Pro 3.0 moves PC
faxing to its next plateau, offering a new breed of benefits to
users. We've not only improved on all the conveniences but we've
added capabilities like OCR, document management, and image
processing," he added.

One of the most interesting features of Winfax Pro is the inclusion
of the facility to convert faxes into an editable format for use by
word processors and spreadsheets. The technology is based on
Anyfax, a brand of OCR developed by Caere that allows images to
be converted - where possible - to ASCII text. Spell checker and
pattern recognition/probability facilities are included to prevent
errors.

Winfax Pro is shipping immediately at a special price of UKP 99.
Existing users of earlier versions of the package, along with
registered users of DOSfax Pro and DOSfax Lite, can upgrade for
UKP 35.

(Steve Gold/19921209)


(NEWS)(BUSINESS)(LON)(00008)

Olivetti & Cheyenne Software In Networking Alliance 12/10/92
LONDON, ENGLAND, 1992 DEC 10 (NB) -- Olivetti has signed an
agreement with Cheyenne Software, the developers of LAN
(local area network) management software, involving Olivetti's
high-end PC servers, the LSX series.

Terms of the agreement call for Olivetti to market all of
Cheyenne's current networking products. These are all server-
based Network Loadable Modules (NLMs) for use with Novell
Netware -- they include Arcserve (a data management module),
Monitrix (network traffic monitoring), Innoculan (anti-virus),
and Faxserve (a fax transmission/reception module).

The idea behind the technology link-up is to develop a common
data interface between the LSX SCSI (small computer system
interface) tape unit and Novell's S-Backup utility, as well as
Cheyenne's applications software. In theory, this should make
life easier for third-party software developers, as well as
speeding up applications.

As part of the agreement, Olivetti UK will be shipping, free of
charge, copies of Cheyenne's Arcserve and Monitrix NLMs with
its LSX file server PCs.

Announcing the agreement, Mike McCormac, marketing manager of
Olivetti's systems division, said that it is significant for the
company's resellers and their customers.

"Networking software is becoming an increasingly important part
of the networking equation, and it is obvious interest for our
users not to have to worry about this element when they source a
network. This venture forms an important part of Olivetti's aim
to provide a true, one-stop service to its customers," he said.

"Obviously, no company can be an expert in all aspects of
computing. By allying ourselves with industry leaders in
specialized markets, we hope to supply one of the most
sophisticated networking offers available on the market today,"
he added.

(Steve Gold/19921210/Press & Public Contact: Olivetti UK -
Tel: [phone]; Fax: [phone])


(NEWS)(TELECOM)(BOS)(00009)

 ****Wireless Datacomm: InfraLAN's FDDI Wireless LAN 12/10/92
BOSTON, MASSACHUSETTS, U.S.A., 1992 DEC 10 -- InfraLAN, a
vendor already producing wireless LANs (local area networks)
widely considered the fastest on the market, plans to unveil a
100 Mbps version of its product line in the first quarter of next
year, Newsbytes has learned.

In an interview at Wireless Datacomm'92, William R. McCarthy,
chief operating officer, told Newsbytes that the upcoming
infrared (IR) wireless network will conform to the FDDI (fiber
distributed data interface) standard.

InfraLAN's existing token-ring-compliant system runs at 4 and
16 Mbps, a rate much higher than competing wireless LANs, which
typically range in speed from 1 to 3 Mbps, emphasized McCarthy.

Unlike the more prevalent radio frequency (RF) wireless LANs,
which use antennae for communications between devices,
InfraLAN and other wireless systems are based on light emitting
diodes (LEDs), the COO said. The LEDs, or transceivers, convert
electrical signals into beams of light and transform incoming
light back into electrical signals.

InfraLAN uses a type of IR technology called point-to-point, in
which all transceivers must be laid out in a precise line-of-sight
arrangement. Other forms of IR include multi-point, where all
devices must be aimed at a common spot in the room, and diffuse,
a technology that requires the beams of light to be bounced off a
nearby surface.

According to McCarthy, the InfraLAN token-ring network revolves
around six-port base units, 14.9 by 7.3 by three-inches in size.
Each base unit is equipped with two LEDs measuring 3 by 4 by 4
inches apiece. Four of the six ports are for computers only, but
port one can be switched from a computer port to a ring-in port
and port six from a computer port to a ring-out port.

Switching of the ports allows for the use of another piece of
InfraLAN hardware, a multi-station access (MAU) unit that can
link the wireless LAN to servers, bridges, and wired token-ring
networks.

McCarthy told Newsbytes that InfraLAN's new FDDI base units will
employ two different LEDs, both from Hitachi but each running at
a separate rate. The 40-multiwatt LED now being implemented on
the InfraLAN wireless token-ring LAN will be augmented by a new
and more powerful 80-multiwatt diode, he explained.

McCarthy also noted that visitors to the InfraLAN booth at the
show have reacted quite positively to first glimpses of InfraLAN's
IR wireless technology. "Many attendees have told us that our
equipment is much smaller, lighter, and easier to move around
than they expected," he informed Newsbytes.

(Jacqueline Emigh/19921210; Press contact:  Linda Hanson,
Communications Events, tel [phone])


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

Australia: High Schooler Wins IT Software Competition 12/10/92
SYDNEY, AUSTRALIA, 1992 DEC 10 (NB) -- A 15 year old student of
one of Sydney's technology high schools has won one of two
sections of the inaugural Sydney region Work Skill Australia
Information Technology (IT) competition.

Ben Caple, of Muirfield Technology High School, came first in the
Software Applications section of the competition against TAFE
(technical college) and university computer students up to 10
years his senior.

The competition, open to all school, TAFE and university students,
as well as private sector employees under 25, was held at the
TAFE college in North Sydney. Despite rain and a rail strike, it
attracted 40 entrants.

The Software Applications section drew 25 entrants, and the Data
Coding section drew 15. Muirfield High entered 12 students, with
six being placed in the top 14 of the Software section. Ben scored
87 out of a possible 87, with Chris Ryan, of Indigo Pacific scoring
76 and Sidney Chow, also of Muirfield, scoring 66.

In the Data Coding section, Newcastle (approximately 171
kilometers north of Sydney) TAFE student Stuart Spencer scored
94.16 points, ahead of Tony Heydeman of Macquarie University
with 92.84 points and North Sydney TAFE's Darius Powell with 88
points.

The six winners will now go on to the national finals, to be held at
the Powerhouse Museum in Sydney in April, 1993. The competition
is organized by Work Skill Australia and the New South Wales
TAFE's Computer and Information Services Industry Training
Division.

Muirfield High will receive a special award for the quality and
quantity of its entrants, and all competitors who ranked in the
top 16 will receive certificates granting them credits towards
TAFE computing courses.

(Sean McNamara/199211209)


(NEWS)(GENERAL)(SFO)(00011)

Shiva Starts Shipments Of LanRover/E, Bundles Magnet 12/10/92
CAMBRIDGE, MASSACHUSETTS, U.S.A., 1992 DEC 10 (NB) -- Shiva
has begun shipments of LanRover/E. At the same time the company
has announced that it is bundling No Hands Software's Magnet
product with any LanRover/E that is purchased for use with
AppleTalk Remote Access (ARA).

LanRover/E comes in several versions. The first breakdown relates
to the amount of modems that the device can handle. There are four-
and eight-port versions available. LanRover/E also comes with
either Appletalk or NetWare software.

The idea behind LanRover/E is to allow mobile employees a method
for connecting to the home office and accessing the office local
area network. The remote users would dial in and access the
network via ARA or a similar product for Novell Netware users.
LanRover/E retails for $1,999 for the four-port version and
$2,999 for the eight-port version.

For ARA users, up until March 1, 1993, Shiva will bundle a free
copy of No Hands Software Magnet with every LanRover/E sold.
Magnet allows users to synchronize their laptop's files with
the desktop computers that they have in the office. Magnet's
suggested retail price is normally $129.95.

Newsbytes has learned that Shive was considering similar
products from other vendors but chose No Hands Software due
mainly to its concentration on ARA.

According to the companies, the bundling arrangement does not
imply any strategic relationships between No Hands Software
and Shiva.

(Naor Wallach/19921209/Press Contact: Carol McGarry, Criswell
Communications for Shiva, 617-876-1188/Public Contact: Shiva,
617-252-6300, No Hands Software, 415-321-7340)


(NEWS)(IBM)(LON)(00012)

UK: Power Up Unveils Calendar Creator Plus/Windows 12/10/92
CAMBERLEY, SURREY, ENGLAND, 1992 DEC 10 (NB) -- Power Up
Software has announced a Windows version of its Calendar
Creator Plus software. The package sells for UKP 59.95.

Calendar Creator Plus 1.0 for Windows provides users with what
Power Up describes as a wide range of options for producing
highly customized diaries and calendars in any style or format.
The addition of the Windows version means that the package is
now available for DOS, Windows and Apple Mac users.

"Since shipping Calendar Creator Plus in 1988, we have developed
an installed base of close to a million users worldwide. This
success illustrates the extent to which even non-technical
managers are increasingly making use of their PCs for many
aspects of business and home life," explained Peter Scatchard,
Power Up Software International's managing director.

Scatchard went on to say that CCP is a niche product that is
highly functional, yet inexpensive. In use, the package allows
users to organize their diaries into daily, weekly, monthly, and
annual formats. Under the Windows version, users can also use
new formats, such as weekly schedules with time bars, two-
page spreads, multiple calendars on a single page, and calendar
listings.

Calendar Creator Plus 1.0 for Windows is shipping now in the
UK. Existing users of the DOS version can upgrade for UKP 29.95.

(Steve Gold/19921210/Press & Public Contact: Power Up
Software - Tel: [phone]; Fax: [phone])


(NEWS)(UNIX)(SFO)(00013)

 ****Unix Int'l Responds To Gates' NT High-End Claim 12/10/92
SAN FRANCISCO, CALIFORNIA, U.S.A., 1992 DEC 10 (NB) -- Unix
International's Vice President of Worldwide Marketing David I.
Sandel, in an exclusive interview with Newsbytes, responded in
no uncertain terms to Microsoft's Bill Gates' claims that the,
as-yet unreleased, Windows NT operating platform, will "take
over" the high-end computing environment now dominated by Unix
workstations.

Among other comments, Sandel said that Unix already has a
track record and major vendor support, with products currently
available, and that users today want open systems, not
proprietary products, such as Windows NT.

Said Sandel, "There are a lot of companies today in the Unix
workstation market. A number of them are in the high-end,
desktop marketplace, and have provided very sophisticated
systems that are easy to use, run on the whole range of CISC
and RISC processors, and have significant functionality, both
in the uni-processor mode and the multi-processor mode."

Bill Gates' claims, reported by Newsbytes a few days ago,
were made at the Personal Computer Outlook conference in
San Francisco.

Sandel was adamant about Unix's ability to triumph against NT,
saying, "It is very clear that we are out there to compete and
win in the high-end desktop market place. We are the major
player in the server marketplace. And we, the Unix companies,
plan to be a major player in the workstation marketplace."

He gave a number of reasons why he considered Unix a superior
platform to NT. "Unix has been around for a good number of years
and a lot of large companies have put money in to make it a
viable, commercial operating system," he said. "It has excellent
functionality in multitasking, it has capabilities in networking,
which provides the vehicle of having an excellent client/server
model - and Unix is the vehicle to do that."

Multi-vendor support is an important factor in Unix's success.
"Unix provides the capability that, since a number of companies
are investing hundreds of millions of dollars in Unix, a lot of
the new innovation will be done, because a lot more parties are
doing it, and it's vested into a number of different companies."

He was skeptical of Microsoft's ability to go it alone, and also
cited users' distrust of proprietary systems. "Regardless of
(Microsoft's having) a lot of money, they can't do everything.
Even if they could, I think users today are demanding open
systems. And open systems means choice. The choice means the
ability to deal with multiple vendors. Not to be locked into one
single vendor."

In conclusion Sandel said: "So I think the bottom line is, that
(Unix) has the functionality now, it is ruggedized and mature,
NT is brand new and it will take a couple of years for
it to mature. (Unix also) meets the needs of open systems by
having it available on a number of different architectures
supplied by a number of vendors."

Standards and application support are important factors in Unix's
favor, he said. "Unix meets all the de facto industry standards.
Microsoft NT -- it is unclear what they meet at this point. And
there are a lot applications out there for Unix today. We just
produced a catalog with well over 9,000 applications."

The important factor in the equation is the availability of Unix
and Unix products today, he said. "A number of unix companies
today have started to release and provide to the marketplace
high-end desktop Unix systems, including Unix Systems
Laboratories, Univell, SunSoft, and Santa Cruz Operation. So
products are out there and end users have a choice today."

(Ian Stokell/19921210)


(NEWS)(UNIX)(SFO)(00014)

 ****Sun Shining In Russia 12/10/92
SAN FRANCISCO, CALIFORNIA, U.S.A., 1992 DEC 10 (NB) -- Sun
Microsystems expects its annual sales in the former Soviet Union
to increase by over 200 percent next year, Sun's general manager
for the Commonwealth of Independent States region, Robert Hall,
says. He expects sales growth to remain at or above 100 percent
for several years in a market that "will explode between now and
1996."

Hall spoke at the Russian Business Forum, an event co-sponsored
by the Russian consulate and the US-CIS Business Institute at
San Francisco State University.

While starting from a small base of 600 units in the CIS, Sun,
Hall said, would double its installed base next year. Part
of the growth will come from a downsizing revolution familiar
to Western MIS (management information system) executives,
Hall predicted.

Before the overthrow of the Communist regime, Soviet engineers
developed clones of IBM 370 mainframes as well as Digital
Equipment PDP and VAX minicomputers. "There are thousands IBM
mainframe, PDP and VAX clones in Russia with PCs attached to
them," Hall said. "The mainframes are running IBM's MVS operating
system, which doesn't like lots of PCs requesting information. We
are starting a 'smart sizing' program to off-load tasks from
mainframes by placing a Sun server between the PC and the
mainframe."

Besides growth from native Russian organizations, Hall also sees
demand coming from multinational companies setting up CIS
operations such as AT&T and projects funded by international
banking organizations such as the World Bank.

The major applications of Sun products by Russian organizations
include utilities, education, industrial design, and financial
institutions. The growth of small private banks and more than
1000 commodity exchanges are fueling demand for SPARC-based
systems in financial markets, Hall noted. For instance, the
company recently won the Kiev Stock exchange account and is
being evaluated by the St. Petersburg exchange.

Comparing these organizations' needs to those of the Wall Street
firms that have turned to Sun, Hall said they need a system
to manage their foreign currency transfers and track commodities
as diverse as 286-based PCs and packaged food. The new banks
also require branch automation.

"Russian manufacturers want to improve the efficiency of their
design," Hall said. Krasny Kotelschik is a manufacturer of large
boilers that has 15 SPARCstations and a server. Hall claimed the
company recently won a major West European account because
the sophistication of their computer systems impressed the
German purchasers.

Building on its prominent development agreement with Russian
supercomputer designer Boris Babayan, Sun is also developing
local operations in the CIS for research and development in a
variety of fields. "The CIS has the most cost-effective group
of highly educated engineers in the world," Hall said. He
cited the compiler technology developed for the Erbrus 3
supercomputer, object-oriented computing and very wide
instruction set chip design as some of the areas for joint
development.

(Chris Sundlund/19921210)


(NEWS)(TELECOM)(ATL)(00015)

AT&T Pushing Smart Cards Again 12/10/92
SAN ANTONIO, TEXAS, U.S.A., 1992 DEC 10 (NB) -- AT&T is making
a renewed effort to put its smart card technology into the US
banking system, with the help of its NCR unit, which is a leading
producer of automated tellers. The two companies recently
demonstrated use of AT&T smart cards, which contain computer
chips instead of a simple magnetic stripe, at a Retail Delivery
Systems conference.

The problem with smart cards in the past has been the huge
installed base of ATMs (automated teller machines) and networks
which use mag stripes. Adding the data a smart card can generate
would require extensive reprogramming, both of internal bank
networks and of the wider networks like Cirrus and Plus which
serve them, along with the systems of third-party vendors who
merely pass transactions along.

One smart card capability demonstrated in San Antonio was the
use of voice prints as a security measure. Mike Jacobs of AT&T
told Newsbytes that adding this would require only the
replacement of the ATM, not an addition to the network, and that
customers could still be identified if they had colds or other
voice problems, using AT&T's proposed software.

Account information could also be put into the smart card chip,
allowing a customer to check the information using a smart card
reader on a PC. That would also require no alterations to
networks, AT&T said. AT&T sees smart cards as "small portable
databases" with many other applications. Medical networks could
use the smart cards to store patient records, both financial and
medical, allowing for quick checks of status by doctors and
pharmacists.

AT&T said a single smart card could also be used by a bank as an
ATM card, a debit card, for paying highway tolls, for paying mass
transit tolls, and for making phone calls. The company sees the
smart card as a single transaction device, but that will require
extensive reprogramming and cooperation among banks, public
agencies, and other businesses.

(Dana Blankenhorn/19921210/Press Contact: Mike Jacobs AT&T,
201-564-3836)


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

Fujitsu Intros PCX Light Cellular Phone 12/10/92
RICHARDSON, TEXAS, U.S.A., 1992 DEC 10 (NB) -- Fujitsu has
counter-attacked in its continuing battle with Motorola to
produce smaller, lighter cellular phones, with the PCX, which
it claims is the world's smallest cellular handheld flip phone.

The PCX, however, is not lighter than the Micro-Tac Lite, a
competing Motorola product. Instead, Fujitsu claims its new phone
is just smaller by volume than the Motorola product. Using a
special Ultra-Light battery it weighs 7.4 ounces, less than 0.2
kilograms, and measures 5.4 inches long, 2.3 inches wide and 0.8
inches deep, roughly 14 centimeters (cm) by 6 cm by 2 cm. Fujitsu
claims it fits comfortably in a shirt pocket.

Motorola may be able to immediately counter-attack on the battery
front, thanks to a $100 million contract it signed a day earlier
with Valence Technology of San Jose for solid lithium batteries,
which are still in the prototype stage but could put out more
power with less weight and more recharges.

The Fujitsu PCX does add one interesting feature - a built-in
pager with a voice chip that can answer incoming calls and record
the phone number of the person calling. This means PCX users can
turn off the phone's ringer and select the answering function to
record the phone number of those who call.

It also runs on three different types of batteries --  a standard
video camcorder battery, the batteries included as standard, or
six AA alkaline batteries. The Fujitsu PCX will be available in
selected US markets in January, then nationwide and in Canada
in March. The suggested retail price is $1,295.

(Dana Blankenhorn/19921210/Press Contact: Fujitsu America,
Brian Renaud, 214-520-3555)


(NEWS)(TELECOM)(TOR)(00017)

Bell Canada Launches MNP-10 Trial On Cellular Net 12/10/92
TORONTO, ONTARIO, CANADA, 1992 DEC 10 (NB) -- Bell Mobility
Cellular, the cellular-phone unit of Bell Canada, is launching a
three-month technical market trial of Microcom Inc.'s MNP-10
data transmission protocol on its cellular network.

Depending on the outcome of the trial, Bell might offer data
transmission services to customers using MNP-10, Microcom
spokesman David Powers said.

Introduced at the beginning of 1991, MNP-10 is a data
transmission protocol designed to minimize errors while getting
the best possible performance out of modems, according to
Microcom. Its key feature is the ability not only to slow down to
a lower transmission speed when line quality is poor, but to
speed up again if the connection improves. Most modems will slow
down in response to a poor connection, but cannot resume a higher
speed.

The ability to shift speed both up and down makes MNP-10 well
suited to cellular transmission, where the quality of a
connection may vary as the mobile unit moves around. MNP-10 can
also cope with the glitches caused as the cellular system "hands-
off" calls from one cellular transceiver to the next, Powers said.

Bell Mobility Cellular plans to have about 100 users of its
cellular network in Toronto, Montreal, and Ottawa, try out
MNP-10 transmission from December 14 until the end of March,
1993.

Bell Mobility Cellular also offers its subscribers Datacall and
Faxcall data and facsimile transmission services over the
mobile network.

Powers said MNP-10 is licensed to between 10 and 15 percent of
the roughly 150 manufacturers in the modem market. One of the
latest licensees is Compaq Computer Corp., which announced plans
to use MNP-10 during the recent Comdex/Fall computer show.

(Grant Buckler/19921210/Press Contact: David Powers,
Microcom, 617-551-1955)


(NEWS)(IBM)(TOR)(00018)

 ****IBM Launches New PS/1 Models 12/10/92
SOMERS, NEW YORK, U.S.A., 1992 DEC 10 (NB) -- IBM has launched
seven new models in its PS/1 line of personal computers. All of
the machines use 25 megahertz (MHz) Intel 486SX microprocessors,
and they are spread across the three PS/1 lines, which are sold
through different marketing channels.

The first model comes with four megabytes (MB) of memory,
expandable to 32MB, a 129MB hard drive, and a 3.5-inch diskette
drive. It is sold as the 2133-W53 in the PS/1 Essential line, as
the 2133-S53 in the PS/1 Expert line, and as the 2133-G53 in the
PS/1 Consultant line.

IBM does not publish suggested retail prices for PS/1 machines,
but company spokeswoman Jill Balmuth said prices for these
units will be in the $1,699-$1,899 range.

The second model is similar, but comes with a 170MB hard
drive and both 3.5-inch and 5.25-inch diskette drives. It is sold
as the 2155-W54, 2155-S54, and 2155-G54. Prices will be in
the $1,999-$2,099 range, Balmuth said.

The PS/1 Essential line is meant to be sold to small business
through office warehouse outlets. The PS/1 Expert line is aimed
at experienced PC users and sold through computer superstores,
and the PS/1 Consultant line is sold through general retail
channels for the home office.

The seventh new model, the 2133-G50, is a variation on the
2133-x53 machines, the same in most respects but equipped
with diskette drives in both 5.25-inch and 3.5-inch sizes. It will
be sold only through Sears, and prices will be in the same range
as the other models, Balmuth said.

(Grant Buckler/19921210/Press Contact: Jill Balmuth,
Technology Solutions PR for IBM, 212-505-9900)


(NEWS)(GOVT)(DEN)(00019)

 ****Microsoft Hit With Countersuit Over Piracy Raid 12/10/92
REDMOND, WASHINGTON, U.S.A., 1992 DEC 10 (NB) -- A Microsoft
spokesperson confirmed to Newsbytes that a company raided by
Microsoft and federal agents has countersued the software giant.

As reported by Newsbytes in September, Microsoft representatives
and federal agents raided Sunnyvale, California-based U-Top
Printing and seized 150,000 copies of allegedly counterfeit DOS
5.0 software and manuals. At the time of the U-Top raid, Microsoft
said it was the biggest seizure ever of counterfeit software.

U-Top now claims it was simply printing the material for various
clone vendors, all of whom U-Top says had valid licenses to copy
DOS to ship with their PCs, and has filed an $8.8 billion
countersuit. U-top legal counsel Peter Peckarsky told trade
publication Infoworld, "My client's position is that they were
acting in good faith and believed that the OEMs (original equipment
manufacturers) had valid Microsoft licenses."

Microsoft does not sell DOS separately, but licenses
IBM-compatible PC manufacturers to ship it with their PCs. It
stated in its original complaint against U-Top that two of the
clone vendors had possessed valid licenses, but those had expired
at the time of the raid. Microsoft says U-Top was willfully
engaging in counterfeiting of the software and manuals to make
a profit.

The U-Top suit reportedly claims damages to its reputation and
emotional distress of its owner. It also claims that Microsoft
initiated the raid as a means of influencing the passage of a
software piracy bill that was being considered by Congress at the
time. Congress recently passed the Software Copyright Bill which
makes commercial software piracy a felony, punishable by fines
of up to $250,000 and up to five years in jail.

Speaking about the amount U-Top is seeking, Microsoft
spokesperson Katy Ehrlich told Newsbytes, "The amount per se
speaks for itself in terms of how seriously one might take the
suit." A copyright lawyer reportedly told Infoworld that the
U-Top damages "are out of proportion to reality."

Ehrlich said antitrust is a favorite counterclaim for companies
sued by Microsoft on this (counterfeiting) subject. She pointed
out that in the case of BEC the judge dismissed the alleged
antitrust  violation claim against Microsoft with prejudice,
meaning the case  could not be re-filed. Ehrlich said Microsoft
expects that to be the  outcome in the U-Top counterclaim.

(Jim Mallory/19921210/Press contact: Katy Ehrlich, Waggener
Edstrom for Microsoft, 503-245-0905; Reader contact: Microsoft,
206-882-8080)


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

 ****Microsoft Ships Windows NT Device Driver Kit 12/10/92
REDMOND, WASHINGTON, U.S.A., 1992 DEC 10 (NB) -- Microsoft has
started shipping a preliminary version of its device driver kit
(DDK) for its Windows NT operating systems.

The DDK supplements the Win32 software development kit, giving
developers the resources to create portable device drivers so
their hardware can support Windows NT.

Windows NT is a separate implementation of Windows designed
for machines powered by 386 and higher chips with eight
megabytes of system memory, as well as RISC computers and
servers. Microsoft calls it the "underpinnings" for the next decade.

Microsoft says this release includes source code that will build
50 drivers for devices such as network cards, video displays,
keyboards, pointing devices, printers, SCSI (small computer
system interface) hard drives, CD-ROMs and other storage
devices, tape and multimedia devices, scanners, communication
devices and real-time data acquisition devices. A subset of
Microsoft's hardware compatibility test suites is included.

The DDK also includes kernel debugger extensions, a kernel debugger
sample, performance tools and symbols, and more than 2,000 pages
of documentation. Basic operating system functions are stored in
the kernel. This is the code that has to be changed when porting to
a new machine architecture.

Microsoft says the DDK is available on compact disk (CD) with
printed documentation for $399. For $69 you can get the CD with
the documentation on the disk in both PostScript and Windows
Write format. Both prices include updates and the final version
of the DDK.

A recent DDK conference in Anaheim, California drew more than
one thousand developers, and a similar conference in London
drew hundreds of international developers.

The company has also announced the availability of two Microsoft
Windows Sound Systems developers assistance kits, which
provide information to software developers who use MS-DOS to
write applications and drivers for the Windows sound systems.

At least two companies have already said they would develop
products that allow users to run DOS-based applications using
the Windows sound system. The Windows sound board is capable
of playing and recording 16-bit 48 kilohertz stereo sound and
generating up to six four-operator FM synthesis sounds.

Microsoft will hold a Windows Programming Conference for Apple
Computer Macintosh developers Jan 11-12 at the Fairmont Hotel in
San Jose, California immediately following the MacWorld
Exposition. Microsoft technicians will team Windows programming
from a Mac perspective. Additional sessions will cover the
Windows NT operating system, multimedia development, and
networking. Microsoft will also present its case for converting
developer's current applications to Windows.

Microsoft spokesperson Collins Hemingway told Newsbytes that
the  company isn't trying to move developers away from the Mac
platform  and into Windows, but rather to show them how their
applications can be ported to Windows giving them a larger
potential market.

Hemingway said it is relatively easier for developers who are
already used to writing for a graphical interface such as the
Macintosh to learn to program for Windows.

The cost of the conference is $495. In addition to getting in to
the conference, attendees will also get a copy of Windows 3.1,
the Microsoft QuickC Compiler for Windows, and the Microsoft
Developer Network CD-ROM, which contains thousands of lines
of sample Windows code. Hemingway told Newsbytes attendance
will probably be less than 200. About 100 have already
registered.

(Jim Mallory/19921210/Press contact: Collins Hemingway,
206-882-8080; Conference registration: 800-421-2388 or 415-543-
5847; DDK or Assistance Kit: 800-227-4679)


(NEWS)(IBM)(DEN)(00021)

New For PC: Cross-Platform Doc Management Software 12/10/92
OREM, UTAH, U.S.A., 1992 DEC 10 (NB) -- Global Integrated Systems
(GIS) says it will soon be shipping version 3.0 of ReferencePoint, a
client-server workgroup tool for cross-platform document
management and retrieval.

GIS says the client-server application is designed to operate on
networks running Novell Netware, Microsoft LAN Manager, IBM
LAN Server or Banyan Vines operating systems.

ReferencePoint supports both DOS and Windows, enabling users
to exchange documents and data between desktop environments
of their choice.

ReferencePoint 3.0 uses a "filing cabinet" metaphor, allowing users
to gain access to specific documents or groups of documents and
"check them out" by moving them to a personal workspace on the
network. Once moved, users can view, modify, or copy the document,
then return it to the "main filing cabinet."

According to Jacques Jonassaint, GIS chief executive officer, while
any workgroup can benefit from implementation of ReferencePoint
3.0, trends show that its popular with the healthcare, legal,
financial services, and government industries because of its
sophisticated document management of the large volume of
documents those industries produce.

To use ReferencePoint 3.0 you'll need a network running one of the
operating systems mentioned above and desktop PCs running DOS 3.1
or higher with 500 kilobytes (KB) of RAM. The program has a
suggested list price of $199, and the company says it is scheduled
to ship on January 11, 1993. Users of ReferencePoint version 2.0
will receive a free upgrade.

(Jim Mallory/19921210/Press contact: Kelli Christensen, The
Kelly Christensen Group for GIS, 801-572-5812; Reader contact:
GIS, 800-374-6805)


(NEWS)(GOVT)(DEN)(00022)

FTC May Ask For Anti-trust Injunction Against Microsoft 12/10/92
REDMOND, WASHINGTON, U.S.A., 1992 DEC 10 (NB) -- The Associated
Press reported late Wednesday that lawyers investigating possible
antitrust practices at Microsoft for the Federal Trade Commission
have requested FTC permission to seek a temporary injunction
against the software giant.

According to AP, Monday's edition of the newsletter FTC:WATCH
reports that staff attorneys with the FTC's Bureau of Competition
submitted an informal, 250-page report recently recommending
that the agency go directly to federal court for relief in the case,
rather than issue an administrative complaint that could take
years to resolve. According to the newsletter the report "targets
Microsoft's alleged strategy of licensing its proprietary MS-DOS
operating system for IBM-compatible personal computers in a
manner calculated to prevent competing operating systems from
being established."

Citing the non-public nature of the inquiry, Microsoft has had
little to say about the investigation except that it is "cooperating
fully." The company has provided large numbers of documents to
the FTC, and told the Seattle Times yesterday that it is
"continuing to work with the FTC staff on a regular basis."

Microsoft does not sell its disk operating system (DOS) as a
standalone product, but licenses it to IBM-compatible personal
computer makers for shipment with their personal computers.
Microsoft investigators and federal agents have conducted a
number of raids to seize allegedly counterfeit DOS software and
manuals. In at least two of those incidents the raided company
has filed an antitrust countersuit. At the beginning of December
a federal court judge dismissed one of those suits with prejudice,
meaning that the suit could not be refiled.

(Jim Mallory/19921210/Press contact: Microsoft Corporation PR
Dept, 206-882-8080)


(NEWS)(GOVT)(LAX)(00023)

Syquest Sues French Company Making Compatible Cartridges 12/10/92
FREMONT, CALIFORNIA, U.S.A., 1992 DEC 10 (NB) -- Removable
Winchester cartridge and drive-maker Syquest is suing Nomai
S.A., a French start-up company, and Srinivasan "Ravi" Chari
for making removable cartridges compatible with the Syquest
drive.

Syquest said it believes Nomai and Chari stole its trade
secrets to produce the compatible cartridges and is accusing
both of "theft of trade secrets, unfair competition and other
wrongful acts."

The company has gotten a temporary restraining order against
Chari and "anyone acting with him" to prevent development,
manufacture, marketing, distribution, and sales of the removable
5.25-inch Winchester disk cartridges for use in Syquest drives.

Syquest claims Chari had access to the company's secrets when
he worked as a technical consultant to Syquest. While Syquest
admits it knows of no Nomai cartridges shipped to customers,
the company is publicly claiming the cartridges "could cause
catastrophic head crash failures." Syquest says it obtained this
information by testing a sample cartridge manufactured by the
French company and added that the drive itself, as well as data
stored on the drive, could be damaged.

When asked how the company obtained the Nomai cartridge,
Syquest Chief Financial Officer Michael Perez said the company
gave it to Syquest sales representatives during a visit to the
French plant. The cartridge was then brought back and tested by
Syquest.

Besides Nomai, Syquest is currently the only company producing
cartridges compatible with the Syquest drives. Newsbytes asked
Perez if it was possible to produce a Syquest-compatible
cartridge without violating or in some way using the company's
trade secrets. Perez said that was not a possibility and added
that the company has a strong patent and trademark position as
well.

The removable cartridge Syquest drives are popular both on the
Macintosh and IBM compatible personal computer (PC) platforms
in imaging service bureaus, the company said.

Perez told Newsbytes the company has an installed base of about
800,000 drives and has sold over four million cartridges.
Cartridges in the 5.25-inch format range in price to consumers
from $62 for the 44 megabyte (after formatting) capacity
cartridge and $99 for the 88MB cartridge, the company said.
Removable cartridge drives and cartridges are also offered by
Syquest in the 3.5-inch and 2.5-inch formats.

While Perez said pursuing an international matter such as this
one has been a challenge, the company has lawyers both in the
US and in France and expects it will be able to stop Nomai. On
December 17, 1992, the California Superior Court issuing the
temporary injunction, will consider issuing a preliminary
injunction, Syquest added.

(Linda Rohrbough/19921210/Press Contact: Michael Perez,
Syquest, tel [phone], fax [phone])


(NEWS)(BUSINESS)(LAX)(00024)

$5 Software Company Claims Users & Authors Win 12/10/92
SAN CLEMENTE, CALIFORNIA, U.S.A., 1992 DEC 10 (NB) -- Does
computer software for $5 sound too good to be true? Wiz
Technology, parent company of the $5 Computer Software Store
says that, while users may end up paying for the software twice,
they'll save money in the long run.

The $5 Computer Software Store has been shipping shareware
titles in simple, brightly colored, plastic disk holder-type
packages for retail distribution for some time. Mar-Jeanne
Tendler a representative of Wiz Technology, said the company
used to distribute shareware, the try-before-you-buy software
usually distributed on computer bulletin boards or at computer
swap meets, but found the practice was trouble-prone with many
returns.

So Tendler said the company systematically went through 8,000
shareware titles, picked the 100 or so best titles, and
contacted the shareware authors to get an update and their
permission to distribute the software. Wiz then wrote a program
that installs the software automatically upon typing "wiz,"
designed packaging and descriptions of each of the titles, and
began to sell shareware as $5 software. The company even joined
the Association of Shareware Professionals (ASP).

Tendler claims the approach has been a successful one and the
$5 Computer Software is being marketed in Computer City, Tandy,
Biz Mart, Fedco, K-Mart in Canada, and is even offered in car
washes along with US Army and Air Force base stores.

While shareware is technically not free, as most authors
request in an opening screen that the user pay for the software
if use continues, Tendler says users still win and so do the
shareware authors.

The $5 Computer Software Store contends that the average user
may buy five $5 titles. If they decide they like, and will use, two
and register both, one for say $29 and another for $39, the they
have still spent less than $100. "How many of us actually like and
use all the retail software titles we've bought?" Tendler added.

Wiz says the shareware authors are delighted to have their
software distributed and are getting a higher percentage of
registrations, between five and 10 percent as opposed to the one
percent they were getting before.

Over 190 titles are being offered at present, Tendler told
Newsbytes. The titles range from business software to
children's software. Some of the titles for children even talk
to the child, Tendler added.

(Linda Rohrbough/19921210/Press Contact: Mar-Jeanne Tendler,
$5 Computer Software Store, tel [phone], fax
714-366-8784)


(NEWS)(BUSINESS)(LAX)(00025)

 ****Borland Lays Off 350, Restructures 12/10/92
SCOTTS VALLEY, CALIFORNIA, U.S.A., 1992 DEC 10 (NB) -- Nearly
350 of Borland's 2,200 worldwide workers - 150 at the Scotts
Valley, California-based headquarters - have lost their jobs, just
over two weeks before Christmas.

Borland International claims 15 percent of its workforce had to
be cut and that it has to consolidate, after its realization that
Windows software is becoming a commodity.

Borland representative Sandra Hawker was quoted by the AP as
saying: "The software industry is going through a fundamental
pricing restructuring change similar to the one in hardware. We
recognize this is a major trend in the industry and we have to
be poised for it."

While some industry analysts had speculated Borland might have
to make such a move, no one thought the company would announce
it before the holiday season. Part of that expectation came
from the Borland's open generosity toward Ashton-Tate
employees, some of whom received a full year of severance pay,
when Borland bought the struggling dBASE giant in 1991.

This year has been one full of bad news for Borland. The
company's stock has been dropping, industry analysts have been
devaluing the company's earnings, and the company is nearly a
year past its original shipping announcement for dBASE for
Windows. The company may also lose against Lotus in court over
similarities between Lotus 1-2-3 and the company's Quattro Pro
for Windows product.

Borland asserts it is still coming on strong, with President
Philip Kahn stating that 1992 is simply a year of transition and
technology investment for Borland. "For 1993, our new
organization and our products are optimized to serve customers.
Our investment in  object-orientation is paying off," Kahn said
in a prepared statement.

However, some analysts say Borland offered too much when it paid
$439 million for Ashton-Tate. That, compounded with the millions
some analysts are predicting Borland will have to pay to Lotus if it
loses the court case, appears to be taking its toll. Microsoft's
move into the database market, with its Access product already
shipping, and Foxpro for Windows planned for early next year has
not helped.

Borland, however, asserts its products are doing well. The
company says the Software Publishers Association has released
figures indicating Quattro Pro for Windows, after only 90 days
on the market, has over 25 percent of the Windows spreadsheet
market. Borland also disclosed that Paradox for Windows has gone
into gamma test and is scheduled for a January release.

While Borland claims dBASE for Windows development is "on
track," it has also announced it is buying dBASE-compatible
Arago for Windows and the Arago development team from
Wordtech. Wordtech, a very small software company
demonstrated a dBASE III Plus- and dBASE IV-compatible
Windows compiler at Comdex-Fall, which it claimed would be
released in March of 1993.

Borland representative Greg Cornelison told Newsbytes that
the company was not running scared in the Arago purchase, but
instead, is committed to the dBASE product line. Cornelison
pointed out the Arago product is the most dBASE-compatible
third-party product left and the purchase was simply a
technology purchase.

However, Borland's acknowledgement of the shift in the software
market is even more significant. As the word processing world
has discovered, once a product is in Windows, the Windows look-
and-feel, including the common user access interface, begins to
erode that product's distinction in the marketplace.

(Linda Rohrbough/19921210/Press Contact: Sandra Hawker,
Borland, tel [phone], fax [phone])


(NEWS)(GENERAL)(LON)(00026)

UK's Comshare Wins Japan's "Software Of The Year Award" 12/10/92
LONDON, ENGLAND, 1992 DEC 10 (NB) -- System W, Comshare's
host computer-based decision support software (DSS), has won
the Japanese "Software product of the year award" in the DSS
category. The package becomes the first UK developed application
to receive this credit from the Japanese government-sponsored
Software Information Center Foundation (SICF).

The Software Product of the Year award scheme was established
by SOFTIC to recognize outstanding software packages. Entries in
the scheme are nominated by computer users and a select group of
academics and industry figures then review the products,
choosing the winning software.

According to Comshare, System W was chosen from a dozen
candidates in the DSS category -- the other categories included
welfare, artificial intelligence, and security.

The Japanese version of System W was released in Japan last year
after the documentation was translated into the local language.
The package is now in active use by several industry majors in
Japan, including Japan Asia Airways, KDD, Mitsubishi, Coca-Cola
Japan, and Sony.

Commenting on the award, Ian McNaught-Davis, Comshare
International's managing director, said that it represents an
endorsement of world-class software developed in the UK and
marketed on a worldwide basis.

"We've made a strategic commitment to achieving leadership in the
Japanese market. The country is the most challenging, yet one of
the largest potential markets for software in the world," he said,
adding that Comshare is experiencing record sales in Japan. "This
recognition will be a terrific boost for the future," he said.

So what does System W actually do that makes it so popular?
In use, the package functions as a business tool for modeling,
reporting, and analysis. The software can be used for
consolidating business actual and forecasting data, as well as
modeling scenarios to help budgeting, long term planning, and
forecasting processes.

In the UK, major users of the package include British Aerospace,
Midland Bank, Shell Oil, the Woolwich Building Society, British
Gas, Unipart, Kodak and the Inland Revenue.

(Steve Gold/19921210/Press & Public Contact: Comshare -
Tel: [phone]; Fax: [phone])


(NEWS)(IBM)(LON)(00027)

Autodesk Unveils Autodesk Animator Pro 1.3 In UK 12/10/92
GUILDFORD, SURREY, ENGLAND, 1992 DEC 10 (NB) -- Autodesk
has announced Autodesk Animator Pro 1.3, an update to its
two-dimensional paint and animation package.

This new version features an image collection CD-ROM that
contains more than 475 megabytes (MB) of textures, backgrounds,
images, artists' palettes, animated clips, and 100 Postscript
Type 1 fonts.

Other new facilities in the package include: "Show 'em " - a text
charting feature that creates animated charts; support for
Postscript Type 1 fonts; and DPMI compliance, which allows
Animator Pro 1.3 to run a DOS application under Microsoft
Windows.

According to Nick Manning, the package, which runs on 80386
and better PCs retails for UKP 495. "It's been a big hit with
professionals in the animation, graphic design and video
production industries, and we expect version 1.3 will meet
with similar success," he said.

Manning added that the CD-ROM has a large number of pre-created
and artistic add-on files. This is something that professional
users are always looking for to differentiate their presentations,
he noted. "The ability to run under Windows via the new DPMI
compliance in version 1.3 means that users won't have to leave
Windows," he said.

Existing users of earlier versions of the package can upgrade for
UKP 99. Users of Autodesk Animator and Multimedia Explorer can
upgrade for UKP 299.

(Steve Gold/19921210/Press & Public Contact: Autodesk -
Tel: [phone])


(NEWS)(BUSINESS)(SFO)(00028)

Cabletron In Service Alliance With Silicon Graphics 12/10/92
ROCHESTER, NEW HAMPSHIRE, U.S.A., 1992 DEC 10 (NB) -- Cabletron
has extended the relationship it has with Silicon Graphics Inc. (SGI).
The agreement calls for SGI to recommend that Cabletron take care
of the networking needs of its customers.

Cabletron is going to offer five classes of service to SGI customers
under this agreement: network design, network troubleshooting;
network analysis and redesign; network testing certification and
documentation; and complete network management.

Ellen Carney of Cabletron told Newsbytes that Cabletron is
committed to meeting all of the customer's needs. If the customer
desires that Cabletron will route the wires and place the servers
and operate them at its site, then Cabletron is prepared to do so,
said Carney.

Cabletron's service division is currently comprised of 150 people
in 12 offices around the world. Cabletron has six offices in the US,
five in Europe, and one in Australia. Carney expects to see strong
growth in her division in terms of people as well as in their
contribution to the corporate bottom line.

This agreement is the first such formal arrangement between
Cabletron and other companies. However, Cabletron currently has
similar arrangements with other companies as well, although
these are less formal.

Bert Fornaciari, vice president of Silicon Graphics' Customer
Support Division stated that, "Through this alliance with
Cabletron, Silicon Graphics can not only continue to give its
customers the high quality hardware and software support they
have come to expect, but can also provide assistance throughout
the entire networking process, from network design and
installation to network troubleshooting and management."

(Naor Wallach/19921209/Press Contact: Darren Orzechowski,
Cabletron, 603-332-9400, ext 1282/Public Contact: Cabletron,
603-332-9400)


(NEWS)(TELECOM)(ATL)(00029)

Sprint Offers Telecom Services To Troops In Somalia 12/10/92
KANSAS CITY, MISSOURI, U.S.A., 1992 DEC 10 (NB) -- Sprint has
become the first company to offer a special deal to the US troops
in Somalia. The company is making free calling available on the
Military  Affiliates Radio System network, known as MARS,
through January 3.

During the recent Gulf War, numerous communications companies
offered special deals to the troops, providing great help to
service people stuck thousands of miles from home during the
holidays.

Sprint has offered free calls to overseas military people over
Thanksgiving for eight years, but extended the program for the
Somalia deployment. In the MARS system, operators on ships and
on land bases transmit radio frequencies to MARS operators in
the United States. Calls from military personnel are then
completed over the Sprint network.

Separately, Sprint said it was preparing for "800 portability,"
under which companies with toll-free numbers can take the
numbers  with them when they change carriers, with SiteRP, the
industry's first call-by-call routing system.

Sprint explained that 800 calls normally are routed based upon
pre-defined static routing plans in the long-distance carrier's
network, sending calls to different call centers based on time
of day, day of week, area codes, exchanges and percentage
allocation. A SiteRP connection allows a customer's routing
application to direct calls to the call center best equipped to
handle the call. It is an attempt to provide a service which will
encourage companies to switch to Sprint when 800 numbers
become portable in May.

(Dana Blankenhorn/19921210/Press Contact: Janis Langley,
Sprint, 202-828-7427)


(NEWS)(GENERAL)(WAS)(00030)

TFPL CD-ROM Directory To Publish Twice Yearly 12/10/92
CAMBRIDGE, MASSACHUSETTS, U.S.A., 1992 DEC 10 (NB) --
Dataware Technologies, which has been selected to supply its CD
Answer Retrieval Software for use on the CD-ROM version of the
"CD-ROM Directory," has announced that TFPL (Task Force Pro
Libra) Publishing of London, England, publisher of the database,
has decided to publish its list of CD-ROM titles and related
resources twice each year instead of annually as in the past. The
move reflects a recent explosion in the number of CD-ROM titles
published around the world.

According to Dataware there are now more than 3,500 CD-ROM
titles in print. Newsbytes notes that the 7th Edition, published
early in 1992, only contains references to 2,212 discs - a 58
percent increase in titles in less than one year.

The December 1991 edition of the CD-ROM Directory (both print
and CD-ROM) will make its debut at London's Online/CD-ROM
Information '92.

CD-ROM Directory is a massive worldwide listing of companies
working in areas that relate to CD-ROM or optical publishing. It
also lists all known CD-ROM, CD-I (CD-ROM Interactive), and
DV-I titles, and all CD-ROM players.

(John McCormick/19921209/Press Contact: Kathleen Hunter,
Dataware, 617-621-0820 or fax [phone] or TFPL phone
[phone] or fax [phone] in London)