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/1993/nb930330

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(NEWS)(UNIX)(SYD)(00001)

Australian Transport Fleet Control Software Developed 03/30/93
MELBOURNE, AUSTRALIA, 1993 MAR 30 (NB) -- A group of Australian
scientists have developed a real-time, large-scale transport fleet
optimization system. The scientists, who hail from traffic management
and engineering disciplines, claim that the Unix package, Despatch
Manager, can cope with the largest of fleets of trucks, or in
Australian, "lorries."

The company behind the software is Dynamic Transport Management (DTM),
which claims that, although it was initially designed for use by large
courier fleet operators, it has been customized for many other
transport industries involved in vehicle pick-up, the making of
deliveries and service calls, as well as scheduling generally.

According to Ros Trayford, DTM's research manager, the software
was developed in close co-operation with Sun Microsystems' Australian
division. Trayford said that Despatch Manager's best attribute was its
ability to determine the most cost-effective allocation of new jobs.

In use, he said, it can take into consideration several factors, such
as the size of parcels to be picked up, the size of the vehicle, the
loads already allocated and the priority of the job, when deciding how
best to route the vehicle. "Best routing" not only saves fuel -- in
today's service-driven economy, customers return to those companies
that provide the best service. By ensuring optimum delivery times,
companies that use Despatch Manager can ensure that they offer the
best service to the customer.

"Courier fleet management is far more complex than taxi cab
management," he said. "We know of no other system in the world capable
of addressing the real-time complexities involved in the cost-
effective allocation and despatch of vehicles."

Despatch Manager is already in use in a number of Australian courier
companies. The package is used to manage the 400-odd cars in the
Federal government car fleet.

(Paul Zucker/19930330/Contact: Mike Wooldridge at DTM on phone +61-3-
887 9722)


(NEWS)(BUSINESS)(TYO)(00002)

Matsushita Diversifies 03/30/93
TOKYO, JAPAN, 1993 MAR 30 (NB) -- Matsushita Electric has announced
plans to set up a system engineering division next month. The aim of
the new division is to increase the level of technical support
available to customers, so boosting sales of PCs and workstations.

Matsushita has not been maintaining its profit margins in its computer
operations. This strategy is clearly an attempt to regain that
profitability, preferably by increasing sales while keeping costs
relatively static. Initially, between 50 and 60 engineers will be
transferred from the research and development plus technical
divisions, to set up the new technical support operation. Plans call
for the number of staff in the new division to be boosted to 100 by
the end of the year.

The idea is that the new staff do not sit in their offices all day,
either. They will visit the offices of their customers and, if nothing
is wrong, will make suggestions as to how the customer can best employ
his/her computing resources. Initially, the engineers will support the
customers of 11 Matsushita group companies, including Tokyo Matsushita
and the National Group in Japan.

The idea of adding customer service to the product mix is not as
strange as it might first sound. Matsushita sources its PCs from
Fujitsu on an original equipment manufacturer (OEM) basis, so by
adding value in the form of better customer support, it minimizes the
risk that Fujitsu (or any third party company) can undercut them on
price terms.

(Masayuki "Massey" Miyazawa/19930330/Press Contact: Matsushita
Electric, [phone], Fax, [phone])


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

800-Portability Still Controversial 03/30/93
WASHINGTON, D.C., U.S.A., 1993 MAR 30 (NB) -- One month before toll-
free 800 numbers officially become portable, meaning their holders can
change carriers without losing the numbers, the entire topic remains
controversial, with no one seemingly willing to address the issues
involved within the telecom companies concerned.

Newsbytes notes that there appear to be two primary areas of
controversy. First, smaller carriers are charging that AT&T is
threatening their customers, sending them letters stating that if they
do move their 800 service, their prices on other AT&T services will go
up. This is because AT&T, like the other carriers, has been signing
many deals combining a lot of calling services, from calling cards to
regular long distance but including toll-free services, into a single
contract under a combined discount. If one set of services is taken to
another carrier, that reduces the total invoice and, thus, reduces the
discount.

The Federal Communications Commission however, has said that customers
should get a "fresh look" period, during which they can change toll-
free carriers without penalty. Whether the "fresh look" period would
allow AT&T customers to get out of broad-based contracts, however, is
doubtful.

The second controversy involves how local phone companies are
implementing and charging for the databases needed to make the
numbers portable. Previously, carrier assignments were based on
exchanges. Now the entire phone number will be used.

This facility costs money, which local carriers must charge the long
distance carriers for handling the database work. Allnet, a small long
distance carrier, recently filed papers with the FCC complaining that
most of the local companies have not sent data needed for comparing
rates and costs, assuring that they don't make excess profits for
handling the service.

The extra charges could be especially onerous on small long distance
companies. Thus one of their number, Allnet, wants the accounting
practices investigated, which could delay portability.

(Dana Blankenhorn/19930330/Press Contact: Roy Morris, for Allnet,
202-293-0593)


(NEWS)(GENERAL)(DEN)(00004)

What Do Elephants And FRAMs Have In Common? 03/30/93
COLORADO SPRINGS, COLORADO, U.S.A., 1993 MAR 30 (NB) -- The answer, of
course, is that they both have long-lasting memories. Most of us have
heard that elephants "never forget" and Ramtron International claims
that its FRAMs (ferroelectric random access memory) operate in a
similar fashion, retaining their stored information even if power is
interrupted.

Originally, the electronics company was looking for a way to bring
its products -- the company also manufactures EDRAM (enhanced dynamic
random access memory) chips -- to the attention of electronics
engineers and designers. Ramtron's ad agency decided the comparison
between elephants and the chips would do the job.

There are some subtleties involved in the ad campaign, which began
last fall and uses the theme "Are your memory solutions a little
less than ideal?"

One of the four ads used depicts an elephant on roller skates with a
rocket strapped to its back, and the ad copy talks about EDRAM being a
better solution if you want speed. Another shows an elephant
balancing on one leg on a stack of computer circuit boards, and
another shows the elephant eating a pile of money.

Lest animal lovers complain of mistreatment, the company has revealed
that the elephants were photographed at California's "Have Trunk, Will
Travel" elephant farm, then the photos were enhanced using a
computer to add the extra items, like the skates and rockets.

Ramtron first announced FRAMs in January 1991 and is presently
shipping chips with 4-kilobit to 64-kilobit capacity. The company
announced in February 1993 that its EDRAM chips would be used in YARC
Systems MacRageous II RISC coprocessor graphics accelerator board
for Apple Computer's Macintosh systems.

Once they are available in higher capacities, FRAM chips may be the
wave of the future for use as the memory for personal computers.

Today's chips lose whatever is in the computer's memory if the power
is interrupted, an experience most PC users have had to
their chagrin when they have typed a multi-page document or prepared
a complex spreadsheet and then lost it when the power goes off for
whatever reason. The logical thing to do is to save the data every few
minutes -- but, of course, most users do not follow this suggestion.

(Jim Mallory/19930330/Press contact: Jill Goebel, Origin Systems for
Ramtron, 719-630-3384; Reader contact: Lee Brown, Ramtron Systems,
719-481-7000)


(NEWS)(GENERAL)(DEN)(00005)

Mastersoft Licenses Compound Document Converter 03/30/93
SCOTTSDALE, ARIZONA, U.S.A., 1993 MAR 30 (NB) -- Mastersoft has
announced it is licensing its compound document conversion technology
to OEM (original equipment manufacturer) customers.

Compound document converters, or CDCs, can convert documents that
contain both text and documents in a single pass. Previously a
converted document could retain the graphic in a file only if the
target file used the same graphic format as the original.

Using the CDC, embedded graphics are carried through the conversion
process in the same manner as text attributes, and on a transparent
basis. For example, a WordPerfect 5.1 document containing an embedded
graphic in the WPG bit map or vector format can be transparently
converted to a Microsoft Word for Windows format, converting the
original graphic to a WMF Windows Metafile format.

Many software applications publishers are now including the ability
to combine graphics in their text files, and, according to Lise
Lambert, senior VP of sales and marketing at Mastersoft, "As text-
based applications increasingly integrate graphics features, the need
to exchange compound documents continues to grow."

CDC formats currently supported by the company include RTF,
FrameMaker, Xerox Globalview, Ami Professional, Word For Windows, Word
for Macintosh, MacWrite, MacWrite II, and Wordperfect for DOS.

Mastersoft has also announced that it will utilize Polaris Software's
PackRat Extension Object technology to adapt its Word for Word
document conversion software for use inside the newest version of
Polaris' Windows-based information manager PackRat.

The company says that the special adaptation of Word for Word is a
document viewer and conversion utility that allows the user to view,
convert, and print documents created in over 100 file formats. The
views and conversions are fully formatted, including font and text
attributes such as boldface, italics, and colors.

(Jim Mallory/19930330/Press contact: Robert Caplan, Mastersoft,
602-277-0900, fax [phone]; Reader contact: Mastersoft,
602-277-0900, fax [phone])


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

Sun Foundation Funds Lowell, MA Community Program 03/30/93
MOUNTAIN VIEW, CALIFORNIA, U.S.A., 1993 MAR 30 (NB) -- Some high-tech
companies are keen to be seen as providing a service to local
communities in which their facilities are located. Along those lines,
the Sun Microsystems Foundation has renewed funding to an organization
that is creating jobs, building housing, and promoting leadership among
low-income residents of the "Acre" community in Lowell, Massachusetts.

The foundation says it has been offering funding support for three
years to the Coalition for a Better Acre (CBA). The current award is
for $44,000 and will support the Hispanic Empowerment and Leadership
Project (HELP) initiative for two of the Acre neighborhood groups: the
North Canal Tenants Council and the Acre Improvement Committee.

Lisa Ganier, a spokesperson for the company, told Newsbytes that the
foundation is a non-profit organization. "They do the grants on a
quarterly basis. They are reviewed, not only by the board, but there
are a group of employees that have a grant reading" with a view to
evaluation and recommendations, "how much we should give. The board
has final approval."

Announcing the funding, Mark Vermilion, director of corporate affairs
for Sun Microsystems, said: "CBA has built a real foundation for
economic growth within the Acre. It manages numerous community
programs, it has created 400 housing units and it provides supports
through the business assistance groups. CBA is truly a model for
community development."

"We give grants primarily in the Boston and San Francisco Bay area,
and also in Linlithgow in Scotland, where we have another
manufacturing plant," he added.

CBA is in its eleventh year and supports the community by establishing
neighborhood groups to deal with and provide leadership on issues such
as high levels of unemployment and drug traffic. It also works to
provide safe and affordable housing for residents of the Acre
community.

The foundation says that, in addition to the grant to the CBA, it has
donated $20,000 to the Lawrence Youth Commission for its "Early Career
Awareness Program," which assists minority and low-income junior high
school students in developing education and career paths.

The foundation says that it has made $220,580 in community development
grants to 10 other organizations in the San Francisco Bay Area and the
Merrimack Valley north of Boston, the two regions in which Sun
Microsystems has its largest operations. The grants bring the total
value of the money donated to $284,580. The total contributions from
both Sun and the foundation now reportedly exceed $3.1 million since
the grants program was established in April 1990.

Grants issued by the foundation focus on four specific community
development areas: education, job training, leadership development and
business enterprise development. After prospective organization grant
proposals are evaluated by the team of Sun employees, which includes
both management and non-management staff, recommendations for funding
are then submitted to the foundation for consideration.

(Ian Stokell/19930330/Press Contact: Lisa Ganier, 415-336-5637, Sun
Microsystems)


(NEWS)(TRENDS)(DEN)(00007)

 ****Computers Systems Monitor Patients At Home 03/30/93
WEST LAFAYETTE, INDIANA, U.S.A., 1993 MAR 30 (NB) -- Health care costs
are a popular topic for discussion these days, and a Indiana-based
company has introduced a computer system to monitor patients at home.
By doing this, it claims it can help control those rising costs

TeleHealth Systems says the system, developed at Purdue University,
can help keep a lid on health care costs by allowing doctors and
other health care professionals to monitor a patient's progress
without prolonging hospitalization or requiring repeated trips to
the doctor's office.

TeleHealth President Gerald Roesener said that, because the calls are
made by computer, "the program provides a very efficient and
economical way for a care-giver to keep in touch with patients."
He told Newsbytes that the system consists of a Next workstation
using NextStep software, a special modem, and a custom-designed
software package. The software directs the computer to dial
the patient and a recorded voice asks "yes/no" type questions
which the patient responds to by pressing keys on a touch-tone phone.

Other numerical data such as temperature, weight, pulse rate, and
other variables, can also be transmitted over the modem link. Other
than a touch-tone phone, no special equipment is required in the
patient's home.

Roesener stressed that the questions can be recorded by the doctor,
a nurse, or other person. He said the patients often become attached to
the voice. When the patient answers the call, they are asked if the
patient has answered the phone, or if not, is the patient at home.

The press of a key is used to answer that question. If the patient has
answered the phone, the system proceeds to ask the appropriate
questions. If not, the system will call back at predetermined
intervals.

According to Roesener the present system configuration is limited to
about 1,000 calls per week because of the use of the special modem.
Additional workstations could be used to increase call capacity. The
complete system sells for $29,350 including hardware, modem,
software, installation, training, and one year of maintenance.

Dr. Charles Babbs, a researcher with Purdue's Hellenbrand Biomedical
Engineering Center who helped design the program, says that doctors
can easily personalize the service to meet the individual needs of the
patient or a particular type if illness. The responses are recorded
and automatically processed into a report that can be reviewed by a
doctor or other health care professional to detect changes in the
patient's condition. If an anomaly shows up, the patient can then be
asked to come in to see the doctor.

"Instead of having a patient spend several hundred dollars a day to
recuperate in a hospital room, doctors can monitor how well the
patient is doing by calling him on a regular basis," said Babbs. The
software can be tailored to control the frequency of the calls to an
individual patient.

The software has already been used in pilot programs to track heart
patients, and to monitor high-risk pregnancies.

(Jim Mallory/19930330/Press and reader contact: TeleHealth Systems,
800-783-8628)


(NEWS)(APPLE)(SFO)(00008)

Adobe Font Folio CD-ROM For Macintosh 03/30/93
MOUNTAIN VIEW, CALIFORNIA, U.S.A., 1993 MAR 30 (NB) -- Adobe Systems
is now shipping a new expanded version of the Adobe Font Folio CD-ROM
for Apple Computer's Macintosh. The CD-ROM supports typeface packages
1 through 325 of the Adobe Type Library.

Through June 1, the Adobe Font Folio CD-ROM carries a suggested
retail price of $14,000, which the company claims is 81 percent
below the suggested retail price of the packages if they are
purchased separately. After June 1, the price will be $17,000.

LaVon Peck, spokesperson for the company, told Newsbytes that the
target market for the CD-ROM, is "anyone that needs a large number of
typefaces, such as service bureaus, designers, or publishers."

In use, the CD-ROM is accessed by a CD-ROM reader attached to the SCSI
(Small Computer Systems Interface) port of any Apple Mac computer.
Fonts on the disc can be accessed for use through the computer or
downloaded to a PostScript printer.

The Adobe Font Folio CD-ROM includes the CD-ROM disc, Adobe Type
Manager (ATM), Adobe Type Reunion and Adobe TypeAlign software,
Suitcase 2 and user documentation. The package requires a Mac running
System 6.0.5 or later, a PostScript or QuickDraw printer, as well as
software applications supporting the PostScript language and the Adobe
Type Library.

(Ian Stokell/19930330/Press Contact: LaVon Peck, Adobe Systems - Tel:
415-962-2730)


(NEWS)(GENERAL)(SFO)(00009)

Accton Slashes Laptop LAN Adapter Pricing 03/30/93
FREMONT, CALIFORNIA, U.S.A., 1993 MAR 30 (NB) -- Hoping to appeal
to corporate laptop computer users who require access to a
centralized local area network (LAN), Accton Technology has
cut pricing on its entire line of laptop LAN adapters by at
least $100. Accton has also created an introductory pricing
program designed for first-time buyers.

Announcing the price cuts, Jim Hsia, manager of product marketing for
Accton Technology, said that "laptop computers have become the
fastest-growing hardware segment in the computer market and, like it
or not, they are becoming an integral part of today's LAN
infrastructure."

According to Hsia, moving data from portable computers to the
corporate LAN is often still being accomplished by inputting data onto
a floppy disk, which is then transferred to the LAN.

"For an incremental investment of $200, these same users can now gain
full access to network resources, sharing print and communication
services, and most importantly, assuring that data is current and
accurate," he said.

Accton's EtherPocket-10T and EtherPocket-CX Ethernet adapters for
coaxial cable and 10Base-T cable have been reduced from $399 to $299.
The price of Accton's RingPocket 4/16-Mbps adapter has been reduced
from $699 to $599.

Speaking of the price cuts, Hsia said: "With our new laptop adapter
price structure, we believe we have opened up the realm of workgroup
productivity to all laptop and notebook computer users."

Accton is also offering first-time customers a deal whereby they can
buy individual Ethernet evaluation units at an introductory price of
$199 each, or Token Ring adapters for $399 each. The offer is limited
to one evaluation unit per customer.

"At the same time market demand for laptop connectivity products has
been increasing, we have been improving our manufacturing techniques
and developing new, more cost-effective chip technology. We expect to
extend our line of laptop products later this year with the addition
of adapters for multiple cable types," Hsia told Newsbytes.

Accton claims that its portable LAN adapters are compatible with any
laptop or notebook computer with a parallel port, regardless of the
microprocessor type.

(Ian Stokell/19930330/Press Contact: Tom Woolf, 415/508-1554, Thomas
M. Woolf Media Relations)


(NEWS)(TELECOM)(WAS)(00010)

 ****US High Court Keeps Limits On Telemarketers 03/30/93
WASHINGTON, DC, U.S.A., 1993 MAR 30 (NB) -- Do you, like nearly
everyone else, hate, detest, and revile those telemarketers who
use computerized dialing systems to invade your privacy and
disturb your peace with phone calls you can't seem to hang up on?

Well, help may just be on the way because the Supreme Court has
decided that free speech is not a strong enough argument in their
favor to even consider the complaint of a telemarketer that
Minnesota's restrictive laws were ruining his business.

The decision not to block the state law gives a green light to
other states considering similar laws.

The Minnesota law doesn't actually ban the sort of computerized
telemarketing where a dedicated computer system dials number after
number and then plays a tape recording at individuals and
businesses; what it does require is that an actual human being
initiate the call, giving the person on the receiving end
a chance to decline the opportunity to hear the recorded sales
pitch.

In the past there have been horror stories about these machines
calling people and then refusing to hang up even when the person
tried to disconnect them in order to place an emergency call.

The particular case that brought the 1987 Minnesota law to the
official attention of the Supreme Court involved Larry Hall from St.
Paul whose calling machines were clogging a Minneapolis hospital's
phone lines. According to the UPI news wire of the time,
Hall's home-operated business made nearly 30,000 calls each
day but got fewer than 30 positive responses.

Computerized telemarketing systems are common in larger US towns and
cities but don't often target rural areas because the cost of making
calls outside of a local free calling area are so high compared to the
tiny returns from such untargeted "cold calls." Cities offer a large
population base within a free calling area and are thus targeted by
computerized telemarketers while low-population density areas are hit
by live telemarketers.

Federal laws restricting such unwanted computer-generated "cold
calls" are on the books but are not currently enforced.

The Minnesota law, which also restricts the time of day when the
telemarketers can operate, was upheld by the state's own courts, but
is far from the total prohibition on this type of marketing that some
individuals seek.

The story doesn't end here because the recent action by the US Supreme
Court did not actually involve any decision on the law's merits one
way or the other and, although it is unlikely, similar laws could be
struck down in the future as unconstitutional because what the Supreme
Court actually did was decline to make any decision on the case.

This can happen for a number of reasons, for instance, when the Court
doesn't consider a case important enough or if the justices feel that
a particular case isn't clear enough to constitute a precedent. But
while such a decision such as this to let a law stand doesn't carry
the same philosophical weight as a firm court decision and written
opinion on a case, it is still a good indication that other similar
laws will be left alone by the Supreme Court for the immediate future.

When the Supreme Court makes a clear decision such as it has on
subjects like segregation, then future courts are traditionally very
reluctant to reverse earlier courts.

(John McCormick/19930330)


(NEWS)(TELECOM)(MOW)(00011)

Russia - Infotel Enters Electronic Banking 03/30/93
MOSCOW, RUSSIA, 1993 MAR 30 (NB) -- Infotel, the Moscow-based data
communications provider, has announced plans to create "plastic card"
banking facilities in the Rostov-na-Donu region in Southern Russia.
The telecom company is teaming up with the Russian Savings Bank to
offer the service, which will offer ATM and debit card facilities to
customers of the Rostov branch of the bank.

Plans call for branches in the region to begin issuing ATM/debit cards
to customers this summer, working closely with shops and other retail
outlets to ensure that customers can actually spend with their cards,
according to Yuri Filimonov, Infotel's marketing director.

Infotel is a data communications service company founded just two
years ago by the Moscow city telephone network (MGTS) and the InterEVM
Moscow-based company. Currently, the company is one of four competing
datacom service providers in Moscow.

In a separate announcement, Infotel said it has signed contract with
the Vladivostok Clearing Center, which is the main interbank
transaction clearing house in the Far East of Russia. The center will
use packet data network (PDN) links with participating banks.
Filimonov claims that the high-speed links will enable banks to enjoy
faster clearing of payments to and from the region.

(Kirill Tchashchin/19930330/Press Contact: Infotel, phone [phone]-
9600)


(NEWS)(GENERAL)(LON)(00012)

 ****CeBIT - The Show Gets Bigger, Despite The Recession 03/30/93
HANNOVER, GERMANY, 1993 MAR 30 (NB) -- CeBIT '93, which is currently
in day seven of its eight-day run, has attracted more than 5,600
exhibitors from 45 countries onto show floors which span an
astonishing 439,000 square meters.

Trudging from one of the 22 aircraft hangar-sized halls to the next,
the casual show visitor (one of 500,000, according to the show
organizers, Deutsche Messe AG) could be forgiven for thinking that, if
this is the IT industry in recession, then it must have been pretty
amazing in the mid-1980s.

Looking through the organizer's statistics, however, this year's show
is actually larger than last year's (by 10 percent), and even larger
than the ones from the mid-1980s. So how is it that CeBIT has done so
well in the face of the recession?

The answer seems to be that CeBIT's success is due to its evolution
and diversification. In the early 1980s, the show was relatively
poorly organized in terms of layout, with the result that mobile phone
companies jostled for space alongside hardware and software vendors.
The CeBIT of 10 years ago bore more resemblance to the COMDEX shows in
the US than to this year's CeBIT event in Germany.

That's not surprising, as CeBIT was conceived as a copy of the all-
American success story. It was only the sheer size of the show in the
late 1980s that forced the organizers, Deutsche Messe AG, to divide
the event into theme-specific halls.

CeBIT is carefully segregated. At this year's event, for example, it
was possible to assimilate all available information on mobile
telephony by spending a few hours going around the three adjacent
halls dedicated to the subject.

Showgoers had to bring their checkbooks with them -- the show
catalogue to this year's CeBIT cost a hefty DM 30 ($20). Admission to
the event for a single day cost a further DM 26 ($17) or, for hard-
liners, DM 62 ($41) for an eight-day special.

According to Deutsche Messe, this year's event was unusual in that it
was the first major IT show to take place after the removal of trade
barriers across most of Western Europe. The changes taking place in
Eastern Europe -- as witnessed by the opening of computer vendor
offices in places as far flung as Warsaw and Moscow -- also offer the
prospects of huge profits to any entrepreneurial information
technology (IT) company.

(Steve Gold/19930330)


(NEWS)(BUSINESS)(LON)(00013)

UK - Merisel Acquires P&P Micro Distributor 03/30/93
ROSSENDALE, LANCASHIRE, ENGLAND, 1993 MAR 30 (NB) -- It's been
no secret in the computer reseller business in the UK these past
few months that P&P Micro, one of the industry's oldest and
most respected distributors, has been up for sale. So it came
as no surprise when Merisel announced it is scooping up the
distributor for an undisclosed sum.

P&P currently employs around 800 staff with an annual turnover of more
than $330 million. Around half of the company's staff are employed in
specialized areas, such as training, with an unspecified number
actively employed in Europe.

As of close of business on April 16, P&P officially becomes part of
Merisel's UK operation. According to Merisel, plans on how the
operation will continue have yet to be decided, although, for the time
being, the Rossendale and other UK offices will continue as before.

P&P originally started life as Pet & Pam Computers in the early 1980s,
quickly carving out a name for itself as a supplier of Apple II and
early CP/M computers, as well as associated software. By the mid-1980s,
the company had branched out into selling products to dealers,
effectively becoming a distributor. According to Peter Southworth, the
founder and group managing director of the company, the Merisel deal
will free him up to concentrate on supplying products direct to end
users once again, just as he did in the early 1980s.

For Merisel, the acquisition means that the company automatically
becomes a strong distributor of AST, Hewlett-Packard, IBM and 3Com
kit, as well as the several hundred other vendor product lines that
P&P handles.

Southworth said that he is delighted to reach agreement with Merisel.
"This will allow us to continue our strategy of focusing on specialist
distribution, end-user and corporate product and services
opportunities previously outlined," he said.

Newsbytes notes that Southworth and his staff will still be kept busy.
The past few years has seen Southworth set up two operations --
Principal Distribution and P&P Power Systems -- which supply hardware,
software and peripherals to the trade.

(Steve Gold/19930330/Press & Public Contact: P&P - Tel: [phone])


(NEWS)(IBM)(DEN)(00014)

 ****Microsoft's "Hermes" Technology Closer To Release 03/30/93
REDMOND, WASHINGTON, U.S.A., 1993 MAR 30 (NB) -- Microsoft has
revealed that it still hasn't decided exactly how to package the
technology it has code-named "Hermes," but expects that parts of it may
appear later this year in the long-awaited Windows New Technology (NT)
operating system.

In Greek mythology Hermes was the messenger of the gods, carrying a
wand called a caduceus that turned everything it touched to gold.
Undoubtedly Microsoft hopes the electronic Hermes will do the same
thing.

A Microsoft spokesperson told Newsbytes that one of the principal
functions of Hermes is to control all the hardware and software on a
computer network, tracking how many copies of what software is
installed, and the specifications of each network workstation in terms
of memory, CPU (central processing unit), attached printers and other
peripherals, and the amount of installed system memory, or RAM.

That information is stored in a database that can be queried by the
system administrator. Tracking of the number of copies of a software
program is important for users because of the need to match the number
of installed copies of a program with the number of licenses
purchased.

Another function of Hermes will be the ability to remotely install
software through the use of an automated script that installs an
updated program at a pre-scheduled time using MS Test, a language
that will be bundled with Hermes. Installation and upgrading of
software on a network has long been a nightmare for many system
administrators.

What portions of Hermes will show up with Windows NT is uncertain.
According to a Microsoft spokesperson: "It's not likely that all of
the Hermes technology would be in one product."

(Jim Mallory/19930330/Press contact: Microsoft, 206-882-8080; Reader
contact: Microsoft, 800-426-9400)


(NEWS)(IBM)(DEN)(00015)

24-Bit Color Plus Programmable Clock For PC 03/30/93
COLORADO SPRINGS, COLORADO, U.S.A., 1993 MAR 30 (NB) -- Music
Semiconductors has announced what it describes as the first PC color
graphics device to combine the functionality of a 24-bit direct color
mode palette device and twin programmable clock synthesizers.

The new SYNDAC (synthetic digital analog converter), like its earlier
cousins, is designed for use on original equipment manufacturers video
cards to improve the quality of the display. Music's new MU9C9910V
also includes a color lookup table, three eight-bit video digital-to-
analog converters (DACs), and can display 256 colors from a palette of
over 260,000 choices. In the direct color mode, the device can display
up to 16.8 million colors.

Tom Weldon, Music's director of product planning, said that the new
device not only provides a higher level of performance, but also
decreases overall system power requirements and board space needs. It
combines a 256-word by 18-bit lookup table RAM (random access memory),
24-bit direct color by-pass, three eight-bit video DACs, and an
asynchronous microprocessor interface with two programmable clock
synthesizers.

The VGA-compatible lookup table accepts up to eight bits per pixel
from a frame buffer and performs a translation into three six-bit
values for conversion into red, green, and blue analog signals. Each
of the video DACs can directly drive a double-terminated 75-ohm
transmission line. The device automatically senses the type of monitor
connected to the PC.

The two on-chip programmable synthesizers provide flexibility for the
control of the graphics subsystem timing. One synthesizer has eight
programmable clock rates for use as a video dot clock. The second has
two programmable clock rates for use as a controller or frame buffer
refresh clock. Two additional frequencies are available on each clock
synthesizer for use with liquid crystal displays (LCDs).

Music says that the device is compatible with VGA, Super CGA, VESA,
TIGA, and 8514/A video standards. Like other Music SYNDAC's about
which Newsbytes has reported, the new device uses the company's
proprietary pixel replicate feature, which allows read and write
access to the internal lookup table when the display is active
without producing "sparkles" or other noise in the display.
Pixel rates of 125 megahertz (MHz), 110MHz, and 90MHz are
supported. The company says that the 9910V is available at $5.45
in 1,000-piece lots.

(Jim Mallory/19930330/Press contact: Jil Goebel, Origin Systems for
MUSIC, 719-634-3384, fax [phone]; Reader contact: MUSIC,
800-788-6874, fax [phone]. European readers call
31-0-45-467878)


(NEWS)(UNIX)(DEN)(00016)

 ****Dell, Others Announce Solaris Support 03/30/93
SANTA CLARA, CALIFORNIA, U.S.A., 1993 MAR 30 (NB) -- Dell Computer
Corporation has announced that it will offer SunSoft's Solaris
distributed computing environment for present and future models of
its 486-based personal computer systems.

Solaris is a 32-bit distributed computing environment, a variant
of Unix, based on Intel's Pentium microprocessor. Its features
include multi-tasking, multi-threading, multi-processing, networking
and security. Solaris is expected to ship in volume in May.

In other Solaris news, SunSoft said this week it will develop a
version of Solaris that will run on Motorola's PowerPC RISC (reduced
instruction set computing) microprocessor architecture. Motorola
says it will work with SunSoft's development team to assure Solaris
optimization on the PowerPC platform.

PowerPC chips, which are being designed, manufactured, and marketed
by Motorola and IBM, are intended to support a wide range of
computing applications, including handheld, portable and desktop
systems, midrange workstations and servers, and supercomputers.
Some of the companies who have already announced support for PowerPC
include Apple, Bull, and IBM.

Mentor Graphics has also announced support for Solaris, saying it
will port several of its electronic design automation products to
Solaris. The company says that the first Solaris-compatible products
will include Idea Station, Board Station, GDT, Checkmate, AutoLogic,
MCM Station and Hybrid Station. The first products are expected to be
available by the end of July, according to the company,

(Jim Mallory/19930330/Press contact: Karen Andre, SunSoft,
415-336-3890; Lisa Rohlf, Dell Computer, 512-794-4100)


(NEWS)(TRENDS)(SFO)(00017)

Dataquest Offers Multimedia Research 03/30/93
SAN JOSE, CALIFORNIA, U.S.A., 1993 MAR 30 (NB) -- Multimedia is one of
the fastest growing areas of the computer industry. In recognition of
the trend, Dataquest is preparing to launch a new information service
in the second quarter of 1993 that will focus on the emerging
multimedia market.

Announcing the formation of the program, Frank Clugage, vice president
and director, Dataquest's Software Research Group, said: "The market
for multimedia computing systems is expected to approach $10 billion
within five years, but this is just the tip of the iceberg if you
factor in the growth potential for consumer and communications
multimedia products and services."

"Much of our initial research will center around a series of end-user
studies that will identify key user adoption plans and explore issues
including platforms, tools, standards, compatibility, communications,
and budgets," he added.

The company says that Bruce Ryon, principal multimedia analyst, will
lead the group. Ryon was previously with Apple Computer where he was
home entertainment business development manager.

Speaking of the task in hand, Ryon said: "We will assess the
technology, market and end-user factors critical to the success
of hardware, software, and communications companies planning
to participate in the multimedia market."

The company says that its research alliance with NewMedia
magazine, which was announced last fall, is a key component of
its multimedia research strategies. Joint research studies and
seminars on multimedia markets and applications are being
planned as part of the Dataquest/NewMedia alliance.

(Ian Stokell/19930330/Press Contact: Paul Wheaton, 415-437-8312,
Dataquest)


(NEWS)(BUSINESS)(SFO)(00018)

VLSI In Fuzzy Logic Deal With Togai 03/30/93
SAN FRANCISCO, CALIFORNIA, U.S.A., 1993 MAR 30 (NB) -- VLSI Technology
and Togai InfraLogic have signed a "letter of intent" to co-develop
customized chips and software that can perform complex computations,
know as "fuzzy logic."

According to the two companies, the arrangement makes VLSI and TIL
exclusive providers of customized fuzzy logic chips, called
application-specific integrated circuits (ASICs) for the merchant
market. The agreement also calls for VLSI to make a minority
investment in TIL, as well as for the addition of a VLSI nominee as a
member of TIL's board of directors.

According to the companies, cooperative activities outlined cover
both marketing and technology development, including "joint research
and development in current and emerging market areas; new product
development for both software and hardware product solutions; training
and engineering support of design and application activities."

Extended technical support efforts are set to include a joint design
effort and technical marketing support already in progress. TIL
becomes an "Authorized Design Center" for VLSI, specializing in the
area of merchant ASICs which will incorporate fuzzy processing
capabilities.

Speaking of the use of fuzzy logic, Daniel C. Bochsler, vice
president at TIL, said, "Fuzzy logic is a proven technology of
choice today for achieving competitiveness in industrial and
consumer markets. Effective system integration support for any
technology is now a major requirement from customers across a broad
spectrum of products and industries."

"Fuzzy logic" is seen as a term used to describe a method of computing
that allows systems to make "shades of gray," analog decisions as
opposed to the just the "yes" or "no" approach dictated by
conventional digital computer logic. It is used in such applications
as consumer home appliances, utilities, engine and motor control,
jitter compensation, telecommunications, and flight controls.

In July 1992, VLSI licensed TIL's Fuzzy Computational Acceleration
(FCA) technology and incorporated it as a core in its proprietary
library of FSB cells.

(Ian Stokell/19930330/Press Contact: Barbara Kalkis,
408-434-7726, VLSI Technology Inc.)


(NEWS)(GENERAL)(SFO)(00019)

Emerald Offers Free LAN Handbook 03/30/93
SAN DIEGO, CALIFORNIA, U.S.A., 1993 MAR 30 (NB) -- Emerald Systems is
offering its 50-page "Network Data Storage and Management Handbook"
free to administrators of local area networks (LANs).

According to the company, the handbook is designed to give an overview
of data storage management on Novell LANs as well as specific
suggestions for "protecting data, maximizing the use of a data storage
system for cost efficiency, and accessing stored data quickly."

The handbook covers several different types of storage concepts and
devices, NetWare characteristics and how they affect storage, data
threats, hardware protection, backup strategies, archiving and data
migration. A worksheet is also included to aid in estimating storage
needs.

The company is offering the handbook to LAN administrators at
no charge. All the administrator has to do is send his/her name,
title, address, telephone number, type and size of LAN administered
to: Emerald Systems "Handbook," 12230 World Trade Drive, San Diego,
California 92128. They can also telephone the company at 619-673-2161,
extension 3110.

The handbook costs $19.95 direct from Emerald Systems for
non-LAN managers.

(Ian Stokell/19930330/Press Contact: Karen Thomas, 619-673-2161, ext
4106, Emerald Systems)


(NEWS)(GENERAL)(SFO)(00020)

SynOptics' NetWare Network Products 03/30/93
SANTA CLARA, CALIFORNIA, U.S.A., 1993 MAR 30 (NB) -- SynOptics
Communications has introduced the Optivity for NetWare network
management software. At the same time, the company has announced
extended support for the IPX (Internetworking Packet Exchange)
management protocol to its LattisNet System 3000 for Ethernet and
Token Ring connectivity.

The company claims that Optivity will "soon be available as a
snap-in application, fully integrated with Novell's NetWare
Management System (NMS) software platform."

Novell and SynOptics are also set to sign an original equipment
manufacturing (OEM) agreement, whereby SynOptics resellers will
offer the NMS platform, now known as NMS RunTime, integrated
with Optivity for NetWare.

As a result, SynOptics claims that it is now the first major
intelligent hub vendor to deliver advanced hub management for NMS.

SynOptics claims that porting its network management capabilities to
the NMS platform alleviates the problem of "swivel-chair management"
by integrating physical-layer management with management of servers,
the network operating system and network services. It reportedly puts
management of SynOptics networks, as well as Novell's network system,
under the control of a unified management system, which simplifies
troubleshooting and maximizes network availability.

Beginning in April, SynOptics will also ship both its LattisNet and
LattisSwitch System 3000 with software agents that support IPX, as
well as IP (Internet Protocol), for Ethernet networks. The company
says that IPX support eliminates the need to use a parallel IP network
to manage IPX environments and will provide integration of SynOptics
products into NetWare-based networks. IPX support for Token Ring in
the System 3000 will become available later in 1993.

(Ian Stokell/19930330/Press Contact: Tim Helms, 408/988-2400,
SynOptics Communications Inc.)


(NEWS)(UNIX)(TOR)(00021)

More Support For Solaris 03/30/93
ISLANDIA, NEW YORK, U.S.A., 1993 MAR 30 (NB) -- Solaris, the Unix-
variant operating system from Sun Microsystems' SunSoft subsidiary, is
attracting a lot of attention these days. Three more software vendors
have just announced plans to adapt their products to Solaris.

Computer Associates International plans to put its CA-Visual 20/20
multi-user spreadsheet software on Solaris 2.x. Cognos, an Ottawa-
based maker of application development tools, is planning a Solaris
version of its PowerHouse fourth-generation language. And
Computervision, the Bedford, Massachusetts-based maker of computer-
aided design software, will put its CADDS 5 design software on Solaris
2.x.

Computer Associates said it plans to put CA-Visual 20/20 on
Solaris 2.x for both Sun's SPARC systems and the Intel 80x86
architecture. The SPARC version is due to be available in the
third quarter of this year, CA said; no target date was given for
shipping the version for Intel chips. For a limited time,
customers can order the product for $295 per user.

Computervision, which already offers its Medusa two- and three-
dimensional and Personal Designer three-dimensional mechanical design
software on Solaris, said it will offer CADDS 5 on Solaris for SPARC
systems in the third quarter of this year. Computervision also said it
expects its System 9 geographic information system software to be
shipping on Solaris 2.x by September. Finally, Computervision's
Microdraft, a two-dimensional drafting package, is available now on
Solaris 2.1.

CADDS 5 is priced by module, starting at $1,495. Microdraft has a
$2,495 price tag, and System 9 is priced on a modular basis from
$7,500.

Cognos will release its PowerHouse fourth-generation language for
Solaris 2.1 on SPARC systems late this year, with prices ranging from
$10,000 to $200,000 depending on configuration. The company plans
support for Solaris 2.x on Intel systems, but has not set a release
date, spokesman Michael Greeley said.

"PowerHouse is primarily a server-oriented 4GL," he said, adding that
the company believes the SPARC release is the more important one.

These announcements closely follow moves by three vendors of
software development tools -- SunPro and Talarian of Mountain
View, California, and Alsys of Burlington, Massachusetts -- to
bring their products to Solaris (Newsbytes, March 29). Earlier this
month, WordPerfect announced plans to bring its popular word-
processing software to Solaris 2.x on SPARC systems.

(Grant Buckler/19930330/Press Contact: Bob Gordon, Computer
Associates, 516-342-2391; Maura Milden, Computervision,
617-275-1800 ext. 4982; Michael Greeley, Cognos, 617-229-6600
ext. 2207)


(NEWS)(GENERAL)(TOR)(00022)

Cognos Ships PowerHouse 4GL For DEC Alpha 03/30/93
OTTAWA, ONTARIO, CANADA, 1993 MAR 30 (NB) -- Cognos has begun shipping
its PowerHouse fourth-generation language for Digital Equipment
Corporation's Alpha AXP computer systems. According to Cognos,
PowerHouse is the first fourth-generation language to run in native
mode on Alpha AXP machines -- other such software currently available
for the systems runs in a "translation mode," said company spokesman
Michael Greeley.

According to Cognos, applications developed with PowerHouse on
either the new Alpha systems or DEC's older VAX minicomputers are
binary-compatible across both types of system -- they can be
moved from one to the other and run without recompiling.

PowerHouse itself -- which must be present on the system for the
application to run -- takes advantage of the 64-bit reduced
instruction set computing (RISC) design of the Alpha systems to
provide improved performance when running on those machines.

Initially, Cognos has released PowerHouse to run under DEC's Open
VMS operating system on the Alpha systems. A version for the
company's OSF-1 version of Unix is due to begin beta testing late
this year and should be available by the middle of 1994.

Cognos also plans to port PowerHouse to Microsoft's upcoming Windows
NT operating system, which is expected to be formally announced later
this spring. Cognos said its timetable for that version will be
announced once Windows NT becomes commercially available.

PowerHouse is already available for Open VMS and DEC's older Unix
variant, Ultrix, running on VAX systems. It is also offered for
several other systems including various flavors of Unix and
proprietary minicomputer operating systems, as well as personal
computers.

(Grant Buckler/19930330/Press Contact: Michael J. Greeley,
Cognos, 617-229-6600)


(CORRECTION)(APPLE)(TYO)(00023)

Correction - SuperMac Opens Tokyo Office 03/30/93
TOKYO, JAPAN, 1993 MAR 30 (NB) -- California-based SuperMac
Technologies wishes to correct several points in the story
with this headline which appeared on March 15.

Supermac reports that its subsidiary in Japan is independent
of any cooperative agreement with BUG or Canon Sales,
contrary to information in Newsbytes' initial report.
Supermac did form a strategic partnership with BUG, but there
has been no investment on the part of BUG nor Canon sales
in the establishment of Supermac's subsidiary.

SuperMac Technologies further stresses that its Tokyo office
will handle sales and marketing support for its established
distributors, and has no plans to undertake direct sales.

As the first story reported, the decision to locate an office
in Japan is a logical outcome of the company's success there.
SuperMac Technologies has made over 20 percent of its 15 billion
yen ($125 million) in annual sales in Japan, and the Japanese
market is expected to continue to reap rewards for the firm.
SuperMac Technologies has in turn, given its Japanese sales
high priority.

BUG's strategic partnership with SuperMac Technologies involves
a technical support agreement.

The Tokyo office will open for business June 1.

(Wendy Woods/19930330/Press Contact: B-U-G, +81-3-
5802-0750, Fax, [phone]; Supermac - Mary Hubenette, 408-
245-2202)


(NEWS)(TELECOM)(TYO)(00024)

Japan Satellite Broadcasting Logs Onto Niftyserve 03/30/93
TOKYO, JAPAN, 1993 MAR 30 (NB) -- Niftyserve has teamed up with Japan
Satellite Broadcasting Corporation (JSBC) to discover how its "Game
the Haven" drama series should progress.

Plans are already well in hand for the early episodes of the drama
series, but JSBC wants to get feedback from the people on how the
later episodes should go. Ideally, the company is looking to
Niftyserve's 460,000 subscribers to provide some of the storylines for
the episodes.

Niftyserve, which is linked to the Compuserve network, has created a
special conference to discuss the show. JSBC plans to incorporate
Niftyserve subscribers' views and suggestions in its series, which is
broadcast every Sunday evening.

In a related story, Niftyserve has lowered the gateway charges for
Compuserve for its subscribers. Until the end of March, subscribers
pay 70 yen (60c) a minute. From April 1, however, that gateway rate
falls to 50 yen (40c) a minute. In addition, the database service
charge for Niftyserve drops from 40 yen to 25 yen a minute. Niftyserve
claims that by cutting its profits it will attract more users to its
gateway services.

(Masayuki "Massey" Miyazawa/19930330/Press Contact: Nifty-serve,
[phone], Fax, [phone])


(NEWS)(BUSINESS)(TYO)(00025)

Japan - Softbank, Slate In Pen Deal 03/30/93
TOKYO, JAPAN, 1993 MAR 30 (NB) -- Softbank, the Tokyo-based PC
publishing company, has signed an agreement with Slate Corporation in
the US. Terms of the deal with the Arizona-based portable computer
software specialist call for Softbank to market its applications
software in Japan.

The idea is that Slate's pen-driven software gain a wider audience in
the world. To support its Japanese users, Slate has just opened a
Tokyo office and has started revising its pen-based computer programs
for use with Japanese computers.

Plans call for Slate to develop Japanese language-specific versions of
its programs, which will be sold on a direct sales basis, as well as
through dealers and on an original equipment basis.

Initially, Slate is developing a version of Pen Ups, its application
program development package, for the Japanese marketplace. The company
claims that several Japanese companies, including Fujitsu, Toshiba,
Hitachi, Oki Electric and Mitsubishi Electric, have been showing
interest in purchasing the program.

Slate reckons it can gain 100 million yen ($0.83 million) worth of
sales in Japan in its first year of operations. Despite this ambition,
the company is still quite young, having been set up in 1990. The
company specializes in pen-driven computer software.

(Masayuki "Massey" Miyazawa/19930329/Press Contact: Softbank, +81-
3-5488-1117, Fax, [phone])


(NEWS)(GOVT)(DEL)(00026)

India To Allow Software Duplication 03/30/93
NEW DELHI, INDIA, 1993 MAR 30 (NB) -- India is always looking to
reduce its foreign exchange imbalance, so this makes the latest
decision to relax copyright provisions on legal copying of imported
software all the more understandable. The Indian government has
announced that it will now allow local companies to enter into deals
with foreign software houses to duplicate their software.

The government also hopes that the problem of software piracy will
also be solved with this arrangement. More tangibly, however, the
price of such locally produced software is expected to be around half
of the imported product.

Overseeing the projects will be the Reserve Bank of India (RBI) which
will limit payable royalties to a maximum of 30 percent of the Indian
price of the package. This control is necessary, the RBI claims, to
ensure that the foreign exchange reserves are not depleted, as they
are at the moment with imported high technology products.

Until this government decision, the duplication of imported software
was not allowed in India. As a result, companies that wished to use
several copies of a particular package had to import and pay an
astonishingly high 85 percent customs duty on all copies. Needless to
say, the attraction of software piracy was great -- hence this
government climb-down on the matter.

(C.T. Mahabharat/19930330)


(NEWS)(IBM)(LAX)(00027)

 ****Symantec First Off With DOS 6.0 Products 03/30/93
CUPERTINO, CALIFORNIA, U.S.A., 1993 MAR 30 (NB) -- Symantec has
announced several new versions of its Norton range of utility products
for DOS, just in time for the introduction of Microsoft's MS-DOS 6.0.

The new versions have all been updated to handle the data compression
facility seen in DOS 6.0 and are: Norton Backup 2.2 for DOS, The
Norton Desktop version 2.2 for Windows (NDW), The Norton Desktop for
Windows Network Menuing Admin Pack version 2.2, and The Norton
Utilities version 7.0.

While MS-DOS 6.0 offers new backup facilities, Symantec claims that
the Norton Backup 2.2 adds high-speed tape controller support, reads
and writes backups created with DOS 6.0, and DOS 6.0 can read and
write backups created by the Symantec product. The company claims that
the package is up to 4 times faster than DOS 6.0 in performing
backups.

In addition, the package allows system administrators to create preset
backup routines for users. Original features such as scheduling of
backups, time calculation of the backup, "on-the-fly" floppy disk
formatting, rejection of bad floppy disks without having to restart
the entire backup, restoration of data from damaged backup disks, and
backup of multiple drives in a single session to a central device are
also available.

Symantec claims that the new Norton Desktop 2.2 for Windows can
also handle DOS 6.0 compressed drives, read and restore DOS 6.0
backups, offers virus protection with 100 new strains added (for a
total of 1500) and is faster than the DOS 6.0 antivirus protection,
and offers Windows for Workgroups support with drag and drop mail.

Norton Desktop for Windows (NDW) Network Menuing Admin Pack version
2.2 (network pack) claims to offer network administrators the ability
to create standard menus for groups of networked Desktop users, offers
centralized network security and control, an easy menu set-up for the
administrator, and supports Banyan Vines at extra cost, Symantec
maintains.

Norton Utilities version 7.0 will talk to compressed DOS 6.0 files as
well as offering support for drives compressed with disk compression
products Stacker or Superstor. Defragmentation of DOS 6.0, Stacker,
and Superstor compressed drives is also available as is support for
disks up to two gigabytes in size. Recovery of data from damaged DOS
6.0 compressed files is a feature and support for DOS 6.0's new memory
management is also included.

The 7.0 version of Norton Utilities also includes diagnostic tests
including system board tests, complementary metal-oxide semiconductor
(CMOS) and memory tests; checking for floppy and hard disk drives;
video components; mouse, speaker, keyboard testing; serial and
parallel port tests providing internal and external registers; and
advanced testing of the ports with optional loop-back connectors.

Norton Backup 2.2 is retail priced at $149, though Symantec said that
DOS 6.0 users can get the Backup product for $69. Upgrades to
registered users are $39. The Norton Desktop for Windows is $99 with
the purchase of DOS 6.0 and includes the Norton Backup product.

The Norton Desktop for Windows Network Menuing Admin Pack version 2.2
is available for $295 per server and it requires the Norton Desktop
2.0 or higher for Windows for each network user, Windows 3.x, Novell
Netware Version 2.15 or higher, LAN Manager Enhanced Version 2.0 or
higher, or Banyan Vines 4.11 or higher, and 300 kilobytes (K) of free
disk space for installation. The Norton Utilities 7.0 is also being
offered for $99 to those upgrading to DOS 6.0.

(Linda Rohrbough/19930330/Press Contact: Ana Shannon, Symantec,
tel [phone]; Pam Barnett, Wilson McHenry for Symantec, tel
415-592-7600, fax [phone])


(NEWS)(TRENDS)(LAX)(00028)

 ****Kodak Offers Personal CD Creation 03/30/93
SAN JOSE, CALIFORNIA, U.S.A., 1993 MAR 30 (NB) -- Eastman Kodak has
developed software to allow photographs digitized onto its Photo
compact discs (CDs) to be incorporated into commercial CD titles on
personal computers. Kodak anticipates the market for the CDs will be in
the "picture story" consumer end of the market, such as weddings or
recording family trees.

The new format for the picture story CDs is called Portfolio and the
process requires a read/writable compact disc read-only memory (CD-
ROM) drive and software Kodak says will be available this summer. The
idea is to place the digitized images from the Photo CD with other
digitized media such as combinations of audio, graphics, and text
screens. The software will also allow some programming so access to
the material can be controlled by the creator of the disc. Kodak says
that the finished Portfolio CDs will be able to be played on both
television or computer.

Announcing the software, Fred Geyer, general manager and vice
president of CD Imaging at Kodak, said: "Today, Kodak is extending
this core technology to business and professional users by giving them
the tools to produce commercial discs at their desktop computers."

Kodak envisions businesses and commercial applications for the
software as well, such as presentations or product catalogs.

A local area network (LAN) version of the Kodak software, called Kodak
PCD LAN Writer 200, will allow DOS and Microsoft Windows users to
output data to the Kodak writable CDs on a Novell-based Ethernet
network.

Plans call for Kodak to also provide the actual rewritable CDs
themselves, which it is calling CD-Recordable discs and says it can
provide CDs with greater longevity and durability than CDs which are
write-once or mass-produced. Toshiba, a manufacturer of CD-ROM drives
for personal computers, has also announced it has licensed right to
use the Kodak Photo CD trademark which it plans to put on the drives,
on packaging, in promotional literature, and in advertising.

The software for Apple Mac and Microsoft Windows computer users to
read and save Photo CD images, and to incorporate them into current
applications has been available since last fall. Called Kodak Photo CD
Access, Kodak says over 40,000 copies have been sold so far, and the
company boasts it is currently shipping approximately 2,000 more units
every week.

(Linda Rohrbough/19930330/Press Contact: Alan Brakoniecki,
Eastman Kodak, tel [phone], fax [phone])


(NEWS)(TELECOM)(TOR)(00029)

Int'l Financial Services Net Picks Stentor, Newbridge 03/30/93
OTTAWA, ONTARIO, CANADA, 1993 MAR 30 (NB) -- Two Canadian companies
have been chosen for key roles in creating a 12-country financial
services network to be run by a group of telecommunications carriers.

Stentor, the consortium of Canada's established regional telephone
companies and one of the partners in the FNA alliance, has been chosen
as the global administrator for the network. The Ottawa-based
consortium's role will include coordination of all network software,
hardware, and facility implementation; network administration; and
performance measurement and reporting.

Stentor's National Data Network Control center in Ottawa will be
the base for the global monitoring operations, officials said.

Stentor spokeswoman Liz Cherry said that the company could not say how
much revenue might result from the deal or whether new jobs are likely
to be created as a result.

Meanwhile, Newbridge Networks, an Ottawa-based maker of
telecommunications equipment, has been chosen to supply products to
allow the construction and network management of the FNA global
financial network.

The network will use Newbridge's 4602 MainStreet Network Manager
software and Intelligent NetworkStations, officials said, and a
number of participating telephone companies will become new users
of Newbridge MainStreet network products because of their
participation in the network.

Newbridge spokeswoman Sandra Plumley said it is not clear how
much revenue Newbridge will gain from the contract, though it is
expected to be substantial. The deal is also important because
the use of Newbridge equipment in a global financial network will
lend credibility to the company and "a lot of indirect sales" are
likely to result from exposure to the 12 telephone companies
participating in the network, Plumley said. The deal is "a
significant piece of business in a lot of ways," she added.

FNA, a strategic alliance of 12 of the world's leading
telecommunications companies, was created to provide unified
communications services among the world's major financial
centers. The founding companies are AOTC of Australia,
RTT-Belgacom of Belgium, Stentor, France Telecom, Deutsche
Bundespost Telekom of Germany, Hong Kong Telecom, Italcable of
Italy, KDD of Japan, Singapore Telecom, Telefonica of Spain,
Mercury Communications of the UK, and MCI of the US.

Construction and testing of the network is expected to be
completed by June, with customer trials and service to follow.

(Grant Buckler/19930330/Press Contact: Jim Marshall or Sandra
Plumley, Newbridge Networks, 613-591-3600; Lynda Leonard,
Stentor, 613-785-3377)


(NEWS)(IBM)(BOS)(00030)

Traveling Software Sells Battery Watch Pro To Phoenix 03/30/93
BOTHELL, WASHINGTON, U.S.A., 1993 MAR 30 (NB) -- Traveling Software
has sold the rights for its Battery Watch Pro PC utility package to
Phoenix Technologies. The deal calls for Phoenix Technologies to
assume retail as well as OEM responsibilities for the software, which
allows users monitor their own battery usage.

Phoenix Technologies will also take charge of product development
for Battery Watch. Financial terms of the sale were not disclosed.

Announcing the deal, officials of Traveling Software explained that
Battery Watch had been the only product in the company line-up not to
be geared to communications. "Due to our business focus, it makes
sense to allow Battery Watch to continue its growth with Phoenix,"
commented Mark Eppley, chairman and CEO.

Officials of Phoenix Technologies said that Battery Watch will
enable the Norwood, MA-based vendor to supply a more complete
software solution to portable PC manufacturers. The company's
existing product family includes BIOS, video BIOS, PCMCIA, and
power management software for portable computing.

In addition, Phoenix has recently announced a new family of
communications software products, to be launched with the upcoming
Phoenix Fax and Phoenix Data. Phoenix sells primarily to OEMs, but
some products are also marketed at retail, the spokesperson noted.

Battery Watch Pro provides the portable user with two ways of
viewing how much time is left on the battery: as a fuel gauge or
as a reduced icon with a digital clock.

Version 4.0 operates with 50 portable computers and offers support
for both DOS and Windows. The program will continue to track
battery usage even when the user switches back and forth between
DOS and Windows applications.

Traveling Software specializes in software that links portable and
desktop computers to computing environments. Off-the-shelf
products include LapLink V, LapLink V for NetWare, LapLink Mac, and
DeskLink.

Traveling Software's original equipment manufacturer (OEM) division
holds strategic alliances with a number of portable PC manufacturers.
For example, the company is now working with Apple Computer to provide
linking technology for the Apple Newton PDA (Personal Digital
Assistant).

(Jacqueline Emigh/19930330/Press contacts: Michael Deutsch, Phoenix
Technologies Ltd., tel [phone]; Marci Maule or Elaina Dulaney,
Traveling Software, tel [phone]; Laura Gaittens, Hastings Humble
Giardini Inc., tel [phone])