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/1994/jan_feb_94/nb011194

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(NEWS)(IBM)(DEN)(00001)

Composer Franz Schubert On CD-ROM For PC 01/11/94
REDMOND, WASHINGTON, U.S.A., 1994 JAN 11 (NB) -- Microsoft
Corp., has announced a new multimedia software program
that highlights the music of composer Franz Schubert.

The CD-ROM disk includes one of Schubert's most popular
works, "The Trout Quintet." Microsoft says the digital stereo
audio track was made available through a licensing agreement
with The Voyager Company. The disk is the newest in Microsoft's
CD-ROM music exploration series and joins "Multimedia
Beethoven: The Ninth Symphony," "Multimedia Mozart: The
Dissonant Quartet," and "Multimedia Stravinsky: The Rite of
Spring."

The program includes an on-screen pocket guide, a single
screen overview of the entire composition that enables the user
to instantaneously hear any individual section of the piece. There
is also a feature that uses examples from the quintet and other
works to illustrate general music concepts, and a continuous
real-time commentary to accompany the performance, which
users can search and browse. There is also an examination of
Schubert's life and times that Microsoft says enables users to
relate those circumstances to the creation of "The Trout Quintet."

Multimedia Schubert is scheduled to ship later this month, and
carries a $79.95 price tag. System requirements include a
multimedia-compatible PC powered by at least a 386SX
microprocessor, four megabytes (MB) or system memory, 4MB of
available hard disk space, Microsoft windows 3.1 or higher, a
mouse, a CD-ROM drive, a VGA display, an audio board, and
headphones or speakers.

(Jim Mallory/19940107/Press Contact: Julie Larkin, Microsoft
Corp.,, 206-882-8080; Reader Contact: Microsoft Corp.,
206-882-8080 or 800-426-9400)


(NEWS)(APPLE)(TOR)(00002)

After Effects Digital Software For Mac Upgraded 01/11/94
PROVIDENCE, RHODE ISLAND, U.S.A., 1994 JAN 11 (NB) -- The
Company of Science & Art (CoSA) has announced an update of its
After Effects digital post-production software for the Apple
Macintosh, as well as a new version of its Effects Pack of ready-
made effects for use with the software.

CoSA, which was founded in 1990 and acquired by Aldus Corp., of
Seattle last July, has sold After Effects since 1992. A
post-production tool, the software can take video clips and
graphics from various sources and edit and combine them.

Features include chroma-keying, which allows all areas of a
specified color to be replaced by a second video signal, and the
ability to animate graphic objects. After Effects has been used
by both Industrial Light & Magic and Paramount Pictures, and in
work on the hit movie Jurassic Park.

The new release, After Effects 2.0 Professional Version, is at
least twice as fast on average as the previous version due to
software optimization, the company said. It also offers a new
time layout window that makes possible more precise control of
motion. For example, users can now edit visible motion paths and
key frames in the composition window, officials said.

Additions to the list of file formats supported include sequence
of PICT files, Electronic Image's IMAGE format, and Photoshop 2.5
files and image/file format modules.

CoSA has also brought out a new version of its Effects Pack,
upgraded to work with After Effects 2.0. Like the previous version,
the new Effects Pack Volume 1 Version 2.0 provides 16 special
effects, such as block dissolve, linear wipe, strobe, and venetian
blinds.

CoSA After Effects 2.0 Professional Version has a list price of
$1,995, up from the $1,295 price tag of the earlier release.
Those who bought the earlier version direct or through a reseller
can upgrade for $395 until March 1 and for $595 thereafter. Those
who got the previous release bundled with SuperMac's Digital Film
can upgrade for $996 until March 1 and $1,295 thereafter. Effects
Pack Volume 1 Version 2.0 retains the former $199 list price, and
registered users will get a free upgrade if they buy After
Effects 2.0.

As Newsbytes reported in July, Aldus acquired all shares of CoSA,
its complete product line, all source code, copyrights, and
trademarks, for an initial payment of $1.6 million in cash and
Aldus common stock. Additional $1.6 million payments are tied to
performance objectives and other contingencies over the next two
years.

(Grant Buckler/19940107/Press Contact: Sara Daley, CoSA,
tel [phone], fax [phone])


(NEWS)(BUSINESS)(SFO)(00003)

Synopsys & Logic Modeling To Merge 01/11/94
MOUNTAIN VIEW, CALIFORNIA, U.S.A., 1994 JAN 11 (NB) -- Synopsys
Inc., and Logic Modeling Corp., have signed a definitive agreement
to merge.

According to the companies, the transaction is currently expected
to close on March 2, subject to stockholder and regulatory approvals.
Under terms of the deal, Synopsys will issue 2,600,000 shares of
its common stock in exchange for all outstanding shares, vested
options and warrants for LMC's stock.

The companies maintain that the transaction is "structured as a
tax-free reorganization and will be accounted for as a pooling of
interest," with LMC "operating as a differentiated business unit
headquartered in Beaverton."

LMC's president and chief executive officer, William W. (Bill)
Lattin, will serve as president of the Logic Modeling unit,
responsible for the modeling strategy of the combined company,
reporting to Aart J. de Geus, president and chief executive officer
of Synopsys. L. Curtis Widdoes, presently chairman and chief
technical officer of LMC, will assume an "executive technical
position" reporting to de Geus.

In announcing the merger, Dr. deGeus, said: "Synopsys and LMC share
a vision of how engineers will create and verify electronic designs.
We have both recognized the growing significance of modeling and
design re-use to leverage intellectual property and improve
productivity in increasingly complex systems. LMC has developed
models of standard integrated circuits for printed circuit board
and system simulation."

Continued deGeus, "Synopsys has developed synthesizable models
for use in ASICs (application-specific integrated circuits) and
FPGA's (field-programmable gate arrays). Together, the two
companies cover the spectrum of modeling technologies required
for electronic design automation (EDA) in the 90s."

LMC says it provides simulation models for more than 12,000
commercially  available ICs. Both companies claim that their
products support a wide range of EDA platforms.

In 1992, Synopsys reportedly introduced its DesignWare products
and methodology to "promote the productivity improvements
inherent in design re-use."

Said Harvey Jones, Synopsys chairman, "The enthusiastic customer
reaction we received from last year's DesignWare introduction and
acquisition of Compiled Designs GmbH were indicative of our
commitment to the development of design re-use as a fundamental
capability in EDA. Our DesignWare efforts are very complementary
to LMC's modeling technology and market franchise."

(Ian Stokell/19940110/Press Contact: Lois DuBois,
415-694-4255, Synopsys Inc.)


(NEWS)(GENERAL)(TOR)(00004)

Canadian Product Launch Update 01/11/94
TORONTO, ONTARIO, CANADA, 1994 JAN 11 (NB) -- This regular
feature, appearing every Monday or Tuesday, provides further
details for the Canadian market on announcements by international
companies that Newsbytes has already covered. This week: Apple's
PowerPC upgrade and Canadian shipments of Microsoft's Works for
Windows 3.0 and the 1994 edition of the Encarta encyclopedia.

Apple Canada Inc., of Markham, Ontario, said it will offer
processor card and logic board upgrades to add the new PowerPC
microprocessor to various Macintosh models (Newsbytes, January
3). Buyers of Macintosh Quadra 610, 650, and 950 computers will be
offered a PowerPC processor card, to be delivered when the first
PowerPC Macs are introduced later this year, for about C$150
extra. The same card will sell for about C$750 after the new
PowerPC Macs go on the market, Apple Canada said, and will work
with Quadra 700, 800, and 900 systems also.

Apple also plans to provide a replacement logic board for the
Macintosh Quadra 610, 650, 660AV, 800, and 840AV, Centris 610,
650, and 660AV, IIvx, and IIvi, as well as for the Workgroup
Server 60, 80, and 95 models. To be introduced along with
ready-to-run PowerPC systems in the first half of this year, the
board upgrades will cost from C$1,500 to C$2,900, Apple Canada
said.

Microsoft Canada Inc., in Mississauga, Ontario, said it is now
shipping its Works for Windows 3.0 integrated software and the
1994 edition of its Encarta multimedia encyclopedia on compact
disk read-only memory (CD-ROM). Both are part of the Microsoft
Home series of software (Newsbytes, October 1). Works for Windows
3.0 has a list price of C$269.95, but will be available for an
introductory price of C$115 until January 31, Microsoft said.
Encarta has a promotional list price of C$189.

(Grant Buckler/19940110/Press Contact: Franca Miraglia, Apple
Canada, 905-513-5511; Linda Carnell, Microsoft Canada,
905-568-0434 ext 4238)


(NEWS)(GENERAL)(BOS)(00005)

UMax Lowers Prices On 24-Bit Color Scanners 01/11/94
FREMONT, CALIFORNIA, U.S.A., 1994 JAN 11 (NB) -- UMax has
announced lower prices on its line of 24-bit color scanners, a
$200 rebate on its UC1200SE color scanner, and a $100 rebate
on all models of the UMax Transparency Adapter (UTA).

"We've now made our scanner family available at more affordable
prices for all users - from entry-level to graphics professionals,"
said Andy Chang, director of product marketing.

Among the 24-bit scanners, the ScanOffice/C and UC630LE, which
were formerly priced at $999 each, are now priced at $895 and
$845, respectively.

The UC1260, a 24-bit, 1,200 dots-per-inch (dpi) color scanner, has
been reduced in price from $2,495 to $1,695. ScanOffice/CII
for Windows and the UC840, two models built around the company's
800-by-400 dpi color scanner, are now available for $1,175
each. ScanOffice/CII was formerly priced at $1,495, and the
UC840 at $1,695.

The ScanOffice/C and CII for Windows are bundled with Picture
Publisher LE Version 4.0 for image editing and Windows Draw LE
Version 3.0, a vector drawing software package, both from
Micrografx; and CuneiForm OCR (optical character recognition)
reader and Business Card Reader (BCR), both from Cognitive
Technology Corp.

The UC630LE is bundled with Apple Photoflash and Adobe Photoshop LE
for Mac users and Photoshop LE for PC and Windows users. The UC840
and UC1260 are bundled with the full version (2.5) of PhotoShop for
both PC and Mac users. All Umax scanners adhere to the TWAIN
standard, according to the company.

The $200 rebate on the UC1200SE and the $100 rebate on all
models of the UTA are available through February 28, 1994. The
UC1200 SE is a 30-bit image scanner targeted at pre-press and
graphics users. The UTA is employed to scan transmissive materials
such as slides and x-ray film.

UMax has also added an extended service plan on the UC1200SE, a
single-pass, single-light source system that is built for sharper,
more detailed images. Equipped with an internal 30-bit
architecture for capturing up to one billion colors, the UC1200SE is
bundled with ColorAccess from PixelCraft and Adobe Photoshop LE
for Mac users, and with the full version of Adobe Photoshop for PC
users.

UMax is guaranteeing a two-day turnaround time for repairs on the
UC1200SE. An extendable warranty period of one-year is available
at the time of scanner purchase.

(Jacqueline Emigh/19940110/Reader Contact: UMax Technologies,
510-651-8883; Press Contact: Yvonne Lynott, Lynott & Associates
for UMax, 303-530-2492)


(NEWS)(GENERAL)(BOS)(00006)

Oberon Intros SynchroWorks Object-Oriented Env't 01/11/94
CAMBRIDGE, MASSACHUSETTS, U.S.A., 1994 JAN 11 (NB) -- Oberon
Software has released SynchroWorks, an object-oriented visual
development environment that the company says is geared to speed
and ease-of-use.

SynchroWorks allows the developer to quickly fabricate objects,
or alternatively, to assemble pre-built objects into finished
applications, said Ralph Specht, director of marketing, in an
interview with Newsbytes.

In contrast to competing products, the new environment from
Oberon does not require users to know third-generation, object-
oriented programming languages such as C++, he added.

"A lot of companies are developing tools for the professional C++
developer. Our product offers many of the same capabilities,
including a UI (user interface) designer. But we're concentrating
primarily on the mainstream programmer who wants to be able to
create (object-oriented) applications," Newsbytes was told.

SynchroWorks is currently available for Solaris 1.0 and Solaris 2.3
for Sparc. In its first release, the product provides an interface
for accessing objects that comply with the Interface Definition
Language (IDL) specification of the Object Management Group (OMG),
according to Specht.

This capability allows developers to assemble applications out of
all components, or objects, with OMG IDL interfaces, whether these
objects are written in C, C++, Objective C, or other languages.

The programmer can either fabricate the IDL-compliant objects
with SynchroWorks or a product such as NextStep, or use pre-built
objects purchased from a third-party vendor.

Oberon expects to provide direct support for the OMG's CORBA
(Common Object Request Broker Architecture) as well as IDL in
SynchroWorks Release 2, a product slated to ship concurrently
with SunSoft's Project DOE (Distributed Object Environment).

As part of a pact announced in November, SunSoft licensed its OMG-
compliant CORBA technology and IDL compiler to Next for use in the
NextStep object-oriented development environment. Also under the
agreement, the NextStep environment will be integrated with
SunSoft's DOE in Project DOE, according to SunSoft officials.

Upon the release of SynchroWorks, Guy L. "Bud" Tribble, vice
president of object products for SunSoft, characterized the product
from Oberon as a valuable object-oriented tool for MIS (management
information system)-level programmers. "SunSoft continues to
support Oberon as an important partner to Project DOE in providing
commercial customers with a comprehensive and easy-to-use
distributed application development environment," he added.

SynchroWorks incorporates a report generator, worksheet, browser,
class editor, and database access, in addition to a UI generator
and object fabricators, Specht explained. "But the crux of our
tool is the visual programming environment," he told Newsbytes.

Andrew D. Wolfe, principal at Lipa Strategic Technologies, a
consulting firm specializing in distributed systems architectures,
said that no other graphical programming tool expresses the
"object paradigm" as powerfully as SynchroWorks.

"Most of those graphical tools still make you write program texts,
and whether they're scripts or compiled code, they're a burden to
create and manage. SynchroWorks is virtually alone in letting the
developer express application logic visually. This capability,
together with SynchroWorks' OMG compliance, could make this
product the strongest tool for distributed object computing," he
said.

Denise Matthys, systems developer for Kash n' Karry Food Stores,
reported that SynchroWorks has permitted the retail grocery chain
to quickly assemble a new price management application. The
application allows the chain's buyers to find all the information
they need for setting prices in one place, instead of looking at
multiple systems.

"By (being provided with) a visual way to build the application,
our developers could focus on problem domain issues, and by (being
provided with) easy access to both relational and object databases,
we were able to maximize our investment in existing data," said
Matthys.

SynchroWorks requires a Sun Sparcstation or Sparcserver, Solaris
1.0 or Solaris 2.3 for Sparc, 110 megabytes (MB) of available disk
space and cartridge tape drive.

SynchroWorks is being marketed in the US and Western Europe
through Oberon's direct sales force. Availability in Japan is
expected to follow.

US pricing is $995 for a single-user trial license, $29,000 for a
four-user license, $49,000 for an eight-user license, and $89,000
for a 16-user license. Runtime pricing is $300 to $750 per user,
depending on volume.

(Jacqueline Emigh/1994010/Reader Contact: Oberon Software,
617-494-0990; Press Contact: Mirena Reilly, The Weber Group
for Oberon Software, 617-661-7900)


(NEWS)(GENERAL)(LAX)(00007)

AST Grid Convertable Receives Byte Award Of Merit 01/11/94
IRVINE, CALIFORNIA, U.S.A., 1994 JAN 11 (NB) -- AST has
announced the most recent award given the Grid Convertible 386 and
486 pen-based notebook computers it acquired when it purchased
the manufacturing assets of Tandy Corporation last year. This
time it was Byte Magazine who offered the product line its eighth
award with the 1993 Award of Merit, featured in its January 1994
issue.

The Grid Convertible, originally introduced in a 386-based
version at the 1992 Fall Comdex trade show, is so named because
as a pen-enabled tablet, it can be quickly converted to a notebook
computer with a full keyboard. The pen is then the pointing device
for the notebook computer.

AST says the 486 version was launched in June, 1993, and the
product line is aimed at vertical applications including sales
force automation, survey and inspection applications, and general
data collection.

Byte said the Grid Convertible was honored because of its
pioneering stance in mobile computing. Dennis Allen, Byte's
editor in chief, said: "Not only did AST's Grid Convertible help
progressively move the market toward pen computing, it has
continued the revolution of total mobility."

The nominations for the Byte Magazine Awards are by ballot on the
part of the editors, who chose the 10 most significant products
shipping to users by the end of 1993. Awards of Excellence,
Distinction, and Merit were assigned on the number of votes
editors submitted.

The product line's other awards include: the State of the Art
award from Portable Computing; PC Laptop's Most Versatile
Portable and Editor's Choice Best of Comdex awards; Mobile Office
magazine's Innovation Award; Business Week's Design Excellence
award; Computer Reseller News' Editor's Choice; Pen Magazine's
Reader's Choice; and the Good Industrial Design award from the
Industrie Forum Design show in Hanover, Germany.

AST reported sales of $1.412 billion and record volume
shipment increases of 69 percent for its fiscal year 1993, ended
July 3, 1993. In its first quarter statement for 1994, the
company reported an 80 percent revenue increase over the
comparable prior year period, and unit shipments up 111 percent
over the same quarter last year.

(Linda Rohrbough/19940110/Press Contact: Donna Kather, AST
Research, tel [phone], fax [phone]; PHOTO)


(NEWS)(IBM)(TOR)(00008)

Wintertree's Spell-Checker For Windows Developers 01/11/94
OTTAWA, ONTARIO, CANADA, 1994 JAN 11 (NB) -- Software
developers that want to build a spelling checker into their programs
for Microsoft Windows can get one ready-made from Wintertree
Software Inc. The company has announced The Spelling Sentry, a
dynamic link library (DLL) that checks spelling for Windows
applications.

The first version of the software, available now, can be used by
applications written in the C and C++ programming languages.
Application program interfaces for the Pascal and Visual BASIC
languages are due to be available by the end of March, the
company said.

The software comes with a 90,000-word main dictionary for either
American English or British and Canadian English, the company
said. It also allows creation of a supplemental dictionary for
the application, a user dictionary, and an exclusion dictionary.

Words in the exclusion dictionary are flagged as misspelled even
if they appear in one of the other dictionaries. Phil Comeau,
president of Wintertree, said The Spelling Sentry does not allow
users to remove words from its main dictionary, so if you want a
word that appears in the main dictionary to be treated as
misspelled, you add it to the exclusion dictionary.

According to Wintertree, The Spelling Sentre running on a
33 megahertz 386 processor can check more than 25,000 words
per minute.

Wintertree is offering the software to application developers
for a one-time fee of C$399 or US$299, covering unlimited,
royalty-free distribution. A tool kit to support compressed
application dictionaries is C$199 or US$149, and the C-language
source code of The Spelling Sentry is available for C$779 or
US$585. There is a market of "tens of thousands" of Windows
developers who might be interested in a product like this, Comeau
said. The software will not be sold directly to end users.

(Grant Buckler/19940110/Press Contact: Phil Comeau, Wintertree
Software, 613-825-6271)


(NEWS)(BUSINESS)(BOS)(00009)

Spartacus Names New Pres, Announces Restructuring 01/11/94
LOWELL, MASSACHUSETTS, U.S.A., 1994 JAN 11 (NB) -- Gulf
Computers has named Charles Greco, previously a senior executive
with International Date Group (IDG), to be president of both Gulf
Computers and Spartacus Technologies, a division of Fibronics
International that was acquired by Gulf Computers in July.

Gulf, a leading systems integration firm specializing in document
image processing (DIP) and geographical information systems (GIS),
has also announced extensive restructuring plans for Spartacus, a
major player in the field of TCP/IP (Transmission Control
Protocol/Internet Protocol) internetworking products.

"Our first objective in this restructuring is to strengthen our
research and development efforts. With this focus, Spartacus
Technologies is well positioned to help organizations maximize
their investments in existing legacy systems and offer solutions
that will optimize their vital network resources," said Greco, who
held a variety of senior management positions in a ten-year term
with IDG, including president and CEO of Technology Investment
Strategies, and president and CEO of IDC Financial Services.

On the research and development side, the restructuring will
concentrate on building new applications for Spartacus Technologies'
KNET product line, and on increasing strategic partnerships in the US
and worldwide, explained William Panepinto, vice president of
marketing and sales for Spartacus, in an interview with Newsbytes.

Panepinto will spearhead an expansion of marketing and sales
programs that are also part of the restructuring plan. The
restructuring will involve no layoffs, he noted. To the contrary,
the plan calls for enlarging the current sales force, with the
establishment of new sales offices in San Francisco, most likely
this month, and in Chicago, probably in the first or second
quarter. "This is a growth restructuring," said Panepinto, who
joined Fibronics in 1990 and remained with Spartacus through
the transition to ownership by Gulf. Fibronics created Spartacus
as a separate division in late 1992.

Spartacus Technologies' KNET product is a suite of TCP/IP protocols
that runs on IBM and compatible mainframes, providing connectivity
between the hosts and networked PCs, Unix workstations, and other
multivendor computer systems, Panepinto told Newsbytes.

KNET includes File Transfer Protocol (FTP) for transferring files
to and from the mainframe, Telnet client/server remote log-in
capability, SMTP (Simple Mail Transfer Protocol) for mail
exchange, the Domain Name Resolver directory, and an application
programming interface (API) to Oracle and Ingres.

Spartacus Technologies' current applications for KNET include an X
Windows client, 3270 terminal emulation, and NFS (Network File
System), a capability that allows mainframe files to be accessed as
though they were stored on the remote system. The KNET product
family also encompasses gateways built by Oracle and Ingres for
accessing mainframe data from client workstations.

"In the future, we'll continue to come to joint solutions with
other companies," said Panepinto. Already in the works is a joint
development project with Network Systems Corp., he added.
"Network Systems is putting together a product with IP in the
hardware. We are providing the applications to that," Newsbytes
was told.

To support the expansion of the KNET line, a new emphasis will be
placed on the Spartacus name in direct mail advertising and other
product literature. Previously referred to as the Spartacus
Division of Gulf Computers, the company will now be called
Spartacus Technologies. "Spartacus has a great deal of name
recognition in the TCP/IP industry," the VP pointed out.

Panepinto also intends to increase the company's participation at
Interop and other open systems-oriented trade shows, and to
create a series of seminars on TCP/IP connectivity for existing
and potential customers, to take place later this quarter.

Panepinto was formerly VP of worldwide sales and marketing for
Fibronics. Before then, he served as senior manager of marketing
and sales for the Personal Computer Products Group at Prime
Computer, and held a variety of key management roles for
Honeywell.

(Jacqueline Emigh/19940110/Reader Contact: Spartacus
Technologies, 508-937-1600; Press Contacts: Toni Silva or
Marijean Lauzier, Neva Group for Spartacus, 617-576-5747)


(NEWS)(TELECOM)(DEN)(00010)

Pacific CommWare Intros Windows Comms Drivers 01/11/94
ASHLAND, OREGON, U.S.A., 1994 JAN 11 (NB) -- Pacific
Commware has announced that it is shipping Turbocom/2, the
company's latest version of its high speed communications
drivers for Microsoft Windows.

Pacific Commware says Turbocom/2 allows users to make
reliable asynchronous data transfers at speeds up to 115,200
baud using a Microsoft Windows application or a DOS application
running under Windows.

Turbocom/2 supports extended interrupt request lines (IRQs) and
allows multiple ports to share a single IRQ simultaneously in the
ISA (Industry Standard Architecture) environment when used with
a serial port board equipped with a 16550 UART (Universal
Asynchronous receiver/Transmitter) chip. Turbocom/2 also
includes some new parameters that enable users to custom-
configure their serial port communications to the needs of their
applications and the characteristics of their system.

Pacific also produces Turbocom/2 Plus, a companion product
that extends Turbocom/2's features beyond four ports,
supporting simultaneous access to as many as nine ports.

The company has also announced Turbocommander, a Windows
application that incorporates a special version of the Turbocom
drivers. Turbocommander provides software-based control
panels that allow users to readily configure serial ports and
modems and allows multiple applications to automatically
share access to a single serial device such as a modem.

That feature would be particularly useful to users with PCs
equipped with fax modems. Some fax modem software has to be
unloaded before a communications application to send and
receive data can be loaded.

Pacific Commware spokesperson Charles McHenry told Newsbytes
Turbocommander eliminates that necessity. Turbocommander also
allows the user to monitor data transfers as they occur, and
provides real-time diagnostics for troubleshooting of
communications port problems.

Turbocommander has a suggested retail price of $49.95. McHenry
told Newsbytes Turbocommander is scheduled to ship in April
1994. Registered users of Turbocom/2 or Turbocom/2 Plus can
upgrade for $19.95, while registered users of Turbocom 1.x can
upgrade for $29.95. Turbocom/2 Plus has a suggested retail price
of $99. Turbocom/2 has a suggested retail price of $29.95.
Registered users of Turbocom 1.x can upgrade for $14.95.

(Jim Mallory/19940110/Press Contact: Charles McHenry,
McHenry & Associates for Pacific Commware, 503-772-2382;
Reader Contact: Pacific Commware, tel [phone],
fax [phone])


(NEWS)(IBM)(TOR)(00011)

IBM Ponders Sale Of Mutual Fund Group 01/11/94
ARMONK, NEW YORK, U.S.A., 1994 JAN 11 (NB) -- Continuing efforts
to regain its financial footing after several bad years, IBM is
considering the sale of an operation that manages mutual fund
investments for its employees and former employees and their
families.

The unit, part of IBM Credit Corp., was created in 1990. IBM saw
it as a good way to take advantage of the expertise it already
had among managers of its company pension plan, said spokesman
Bob Braun. "Now," Braun added, "we're at a point where we're
asking the question: Should IBM be in the mutual fund business?"

That does not mean IBM will sell the business, Braun said, but he
confirmed the company is thinking about it. He would not comment
on the possible value of a such a sale.

Selling off pieces of itself is only one of the ways IBM has been
trying to return to financial health. The largest recent example
was the sale of IBM Federal Systems to New York-based Loral
Corp., in early December. That transaction, effective January 1,
brought IBM $1.575 billion in cash.

Last July, as it reported an $8 billion second-quarter loss, IBM
said it would cut another 35,000 jobs from its, already reduced,
payroll.

(Grant Buckler/19940110/Press Contact: Bob Braun, IBM Credit
Corp., 203-973-5099)


(NEWS)(GENERAL)(DEL)(00012)

Gupta Intros Client/Server Tools In India 01/11/94
NEW DELHI, INDIA, 1994 JAN 11 (NB) -- Client/server computing
has been in the air for some time in India, but the dearth of
application packages hindered its growth. The switch over from
the traditional host and dumb terminal environment to enterprise-
wide client-server architectures now seems probable, with
packages like Gupta SQLWindows and PowerBuilder around.

Umang P. Gupta, founder of the $225 million Gupta Corp., a leading
PC database network software company, was in India recently. His
interest in setting up a new subsidiary, either wholly-owned or a
joint venture with an Indian company, supports the fact that
client-server computing is promising enough in India. Ironically,
the company's products are not recognized well enough in India as
they are in the US. A situation that both ISCT Information Technology
Ltd., dealer of Gupta products since early 1993, and the newly-
appointed dealer, Inventa Software India Pvt. Ltd., intend to improve.

The client-server systems developed by Gupta includes Quest,
which enables end-users to access data from a variety of corporate
sources and SQLWindows, a tool that enables programmers to develop
application software for client PCs. On the server side, SQLBase
server and SQLBase Engine database management systems run on the
network. The third product category is the connectivity software,
SQLConnect, that integrates PCs and networking systems. Gupta
claims that an entry-level package would cost R60,000, while a
comparable product by a competitor would not cost less than R3 lakh.

However, that is open to question. The Delhi-based startup company,
Crescent Software Solutions Pvt. Ltd., has brought in the US-based
Powersoft Corp.'s Powerbuilder client/server application packages --
and the entry-level PowerMaker costs R32,000. Both PowerBuilder
and SQLWindows are intended for COBOL programmers attempting to
build graphical applications without having to use C-based tools like
Microsoft's Windows Software Development Kit (SDK). Both use a
certain degree of object-oriented technology and both are used to
access data from a number of SQL (structured query language)
databases, including SQLServer, SQLBase, Oracle, and IBM's
mainframe-based DB2.

While SQLWindows requires developers to know about SQL and the
appropriate syntax associated with it, PowerBuilder simply asks
the developer to specify database tables, columns and other data
descriptions. The built-in tool, DataWindow, selects the matching
script and SQL Select statements to fetch the data from back-end
databases into the application.

SQLWindows asks the user to explicitly complete messages between
screen objects using its SQL Access Language (SAL). Tools such as
Quest generate only simple SQL statements that can be incorporated
into SQLWindows applications. "It is impossible to generate mission-
critical applications against an SQL database without knowing SQL.
A serious developer will be willing to accept complexities so as to
have greater control over his application." claimed the Gupta chief.

The sales figures of the two products also spell some differences.
Powerbuilder from PowerSoft started shipping in June, last year, and
has sold over 4,400 copies. SQLWindows, launched in 1988, has just
crossed the 10,000 milestone. The threat from Powersoft stems not
from those figures, but in the product's ease of use. The product has
emerged as a strong rival to SQLWindows. The Indian price of
PowerBuilder is R1.89 lakh or $6,300 (inclusive of duties) while
Gupta SQLWindows is priced at R1.40 lakh or about $4,600 (Standard
Edition). The Corporate Edition of SQLWindows is about R2.46 lakh
($8,200).

(C.T. Mahabharat/19940111)


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

 ****Telecom Test To Adapt Military Technology To Cable 01/11/94
BLUE BELL, PENNSYLVANIA, U.S.A., 1994 JAN 11 (NB) -- Computer
vendor Unisys Corp., and Time Warner Cable hope to adapt
communications technology that was designed for keeping military
messages secret to resolve traffic jams on the much-touted
information highway. The two companies have announced they will
study the use of spread-spectrum technology on cable television
networks.

Spread-spectrum technology scatters digital information in a
seemingly random pattern over a wide spectrum. From the
military's point of view, this is good because it makes
transmissions very hard to intercept and decode -- the signal is
indistinguishable from normal background radio noise, Unisys
said. From the point of view of cable transmission, it has other
advantages.

First, said Oliver Picher, a spokesman for Unisys,
spread-spectrum transmissions are less vulnerable to
interference. This will be more and more important as cable
signals into the home become digital, he said. Interference is
more noticeable with a digital signal than with the analog
signals that are common today.

Because it can scatter a signal anywhere on the available
bandwidth, spread-spectrum technology can also use the
bandwidth more efficiently, Picher said. This will be important as
information providers such as cable companies seek to provide
wider ranges of services. The higher capacity is also meant to
allow for interactive services in which cable customers can talk
back or control the signals coming into their homes.

Both Unisys and Time Warner will help pay the cost of the
testing, which is to be done by Cable Television Laboratories
Inc. (CableLabs), the cable industry's research and development
consortium. Unisys will produce any commercial products that
result from the work, Picher said. The companies hope the trial
will take a matter of months, he added, and real products are
possible by the end of the year.

No specifics were available on what the technology might cost,
but Picher said it is expected to be fairly inexpensive.

(Grant Buckler/19940111/Press Contact: Oliver Picher, Unisys,
215-986-5367; Michael Luftman, Time Warner Cable, 203-328-
0613; Michael Schwartz, CableLabs, 303-939-8500)


(NEWS)(BUSINESS)(TOR)(00014)

Forte, Advanced Gravis Cooperate On Virtual Reality 01/11/94
VANCOUVER, BRITISH COLUMBIA, CANADA, 1994 JAN 11 (NB) --
Advanced Gravis Computer Technology Ltd., and Forte Technologies
Inc., said a new joint venture will develop products for the virtual
reality market.

The letter of intent calls for formation and financing of a
jointly owned company. Each partner will hold 50 percent of the
as-yet-unnamed firm, said Forte spokesman Peter Matthews. The
new entity is to develop virtual reality technology and products,
for which it is to be the exclusive licensee, but Advanced Gravis
said it will negotiate for rights to manufacture and market
products licensed from the joint venture.

Formation of the joint venture depends on formal agreements on
terms, conditions, and financing, and on required regulatory and
government approvals.

The first product from this proposed new company is the VFX1
virtual reality headset shown at the recent Consumer Electronics
Show in Las Vegas. The VFX1 combines a pair of 0.7-inch color
liquid crystal displays to create a three-dimensional (3-D) image,
along with proprietary 3-D head tracker to detect head motion and
stereo sound.

It comes with an interface card that plugs into a personal
computer and connects to the PC's existing video adapter and
sound card, Matthews explained. Software will need to be written
to provide the dual video signals to drive the 3-D display, and
Forte is working with software developers on this.

The device can also accept NTSC (North American Television
Standards Committee) or PAL video signals from game
machines such as those made by Sega and Nintendo, company
officials said.

Forte, based in New York state, developed the system. The company
showed a prototype at CES, and the VFX1 is expected to be ready
for commercial sale by the fall, officials said.

The price is expected to be less than $1,000, the companies said.
The VFX1 prototype shown at CES weighed close to three pounds,
but the final version should weigh about 1.5 pounds, Matthews
said. Ergonomic design will ensure the weight is spread evenly so
the headset is comfortable to wear, he added.

Forte builds Advanced Gravis' Ultrasound audio board, and has a
"good working relationship" with the Vancouver firm, Matthews
said.

(Grant Buckler/19940111/Press Contact: Peter Matthews, Forte,
716-427-8595; Grant Russell, Advanced Gravis, 604-431-5020)


(NEWS)(TRENDS)(TOR)(00015)

 ****DEC Announces PCI Chipsets & Bridge 01/11/94
MAYNARD, MASSACHUSETTS, U.S.A., 1994 JAN 11 (NB) -- Digital
Equipment Corp., has thrown some more support behind the
Peripheral Component Interconnect (PCI) local bus standard, by
announcing PCI chipsets to go with the version of its Alpha AXP
microprocessor that does not have PCI capability built in, and by
unveiling a bridge chip to get around the usual limit of two PCI
slots per system.

The new DECchip 21071 and DECchip 21072 PCI-based system
logic chip sets are meant to work with DEC's Alpha AXP 21064
microprocessors.

Digital, a founding member of the PCI Special Interest Group
(SIG), earlier introduced the DECchip 21066 and 21068 Alpha AXP
chips with integrated PCI interfaces, as well as the DECchip
21040 PCI-based Ethernet controller.

The 21071 is a four-chip set including a memory controller, a PCI
interface, and two datapath chips. It offers a 64-bit-wide memory
path and costs $90 in quantities of 5,000. The 21071 chip set is
intended for low-cost PCs, DEC said.

The six-chip DECchip 21072 set has a 128-bit memory path and
error correction code and is intended to offer the high performance
and reliability needed in servers and high-end desktop computers,
the company claimed. It costs $140 in quantities of 5,000.

Both are meant to work with any DECchip 21064 microprocessor,
from the 150 megahertz (MHz) to the 275 MHz version. Samples are
available now for both products, DEC officials said, with volume
production planned for the second quarter.

The capabilities they offer are essentially the same as those
built into the 21066 and 21068 chips, said Patricia McGloin, a
DEC spokeswoman, but the separate chip sets offer system
designers more flexibility.

DEC has also announced the 21064 microprocessor PCI Evaluation
Board, which it said is meant to help hardware engineers design
21064-based products using the 21071 or 21072 chip sets. It is
to be available for $5,000 by the end of March.

Digital claimed its new DECchip 21050 is the industry's first
PCI-to-PCI bridge chip. The 21050, which works with systems
based on Intel's 486 and Pentium processors as well as Alpha chips,
allows for multiple hierarchical PCI buses on a system, DEC said.

The main benefit of this is that the PCI bus is typically limited
to two slots, McGloin said, and the bridge chip gets around that
limit -- a particular benefit for servers which may need many
slots. With multiple PCI-to-PCI bridge chips, servers can have as
many as 32 PCI option slots, DEC said. Also, they can support
multiple components, as in a quad Ethernet board or a multimedia
card, on a single PCI-based expansion card.

Packaged in a standard five-volt 208-pin plastic quad flat pack,
the DECchip 21050 bridge chip costs $22.80 in quantities of
5,000, and will be available in volume in the second quarter,
officials said. Samples are available now.

(Grant Buckler/19940111/Press Contact: Patricia McGloin,
Digital Equipment, 508-568-5102)


(NEWS)(GENERAL)(WAS)(00016)

ZDS/Novell Offer Turnkey Small Network Server 01/11/94
WASHINGTON, DC, U.S.A., 1994 JAN 11 (NB) -- In a move to capture
a piece of the small business or small company division network
market, Novell and Zenith Data Systems (Bull) have announced the
immediate availability of a low-priced "personal" server based on
the Personal NetWare network operating environment. Announced
simultaneously in the US and Europe, the Z-STOR is intended for
marginal or non-mission critical applications where customers
could not justify the work and cost of maintaining a large
network.

As a Zenith Data Systems spokesperson told Newsbytes, this
personal server is "personal as in easy to setup," and is intended
for those small businesses which do not want to put up with the
problems of installing a traditional network and the required
hardware and software.

Z-STOR is marketed as a turnkey system for small users and for
smaller workgroups in large businesses when these groups need
such network features as electronic-mail capabilities and file
sharing, but are not working on mission critical applications.

Since this system is based on a Novell software product it will,
according to ZDS, connect easily to large Novel networks running
versions 3.x and 4.x of the Novell NetWare network operating system.

Prices for this new product reflect its easy-of-use and low-end
application target audience, with the cost of a 400 megabyte (MB)
server pegged just under $1,000 and the one gigabyte (1,000 MB)
Z-STOR priced at just $1,699.

Of key interest to small business users is the idea that they can
install Z-STOR without the need for a certified Novell technician
and that upgrades are automatically configured by the system.

(John McCormick/19940111/Press Contact: Steve Bosak, Zenith
Data Systems, tel [phone], fax [phone], Internet:
[e-mail], MCIMAIL: sbosak, Public Contact: 800-553-0331)


(NEWS)(IBM)(TYO)(00017)

IBM Japan Moves Hard Disk Production To Thailand 01/11/94
TOKYO, JAPAN, 1994 JAN 11 (NB) -- IBM Japan plans to move the
production of its small hard disks to Thailand. The decision is
mainly due to increasing costs in Japan.

IBM Japan has traditionally produced the personal computer hard
disks at its Fujisawa plant in Kanagawa Prefecture. Now, the
firm has transferred the production of all 3.5-inch hard
disks to Thailand. IBM Japan expects to transfer production of
all 2.5-inch-type hard disks to Thailand by the end of March.

At the Fujisawa plant, IBM Japan produced a total 1.8 million
units of small hard disks in 1993. Also, IBM Japan assigned the
production of hard disks to Thailand's Saha Union on an OEM
(original equipment manufacturer) basis. At the Thai plant,
the firm produced 1.2 million units last year.

In addition to using the small hard drives in its own PCs,
IBM Japan has also sold them to third parties.

Due to the production move, about 500 employees out of a
total of 1,500 at the Fujisawa plant will be transferred to
other departments or plants.

Other Japanese personal computer firms, including Fujitsu,
have also begun shifting production of hard disks to Thailand
or other Asian countries.

(Masayuki "Massey" Miyazawa/199301111/Press Contact: IBM
Japan, tel [phone], fax [phone])


(NEWS)(TELECOM)(TYO)(00018)

Japan - Sharp Creates In-House Videoconferencing 01/11/94
TOKYO, JAPAN, 1994 JAN 11 (NB) -- Sharp has created a large-
scale videoconferencing system for linking its offices
around the world. It is connected via the integrated services
digital network (ISDN) of NTT.

Sharp's latest videoconferencing system is quite large --
connecting the firm's Tokyo headquarters with 17 branch offices
and its affiliated firms in the world. These offices include those
in Germany, England, and the US, as well as those in major cities
in Japan. The system reportedly supports conferencing at six
locations simultaneously.

As with any videoconferencing system, Sharp hopes to save on
corporate travel expenses for employees. The company hopes to
save a total of 1.5 million yen ($136,000) per month with the
system.

The firm has already tested the system for one month, and says
about 1,000 employees have used the system, which in turn has
saved the company about 1,200 hours of employee travel time.

Sharp says the majority of users were technical engineers who
wanted to exchange data and ideas concerning the development of
products. The company says that any personnel at the firm will
be able to use the system with prior booking.

The company cites both cost-saving and employee time-saving
as two major advantages. As a result of the new system, the
company also hopes that product development times will be
reduced.

(Masayuki "Massey" Miyazawa/19930111/Press Contact: Sharp,
tel [phone], fax [phone])


(NEWS)(UNIX)(LON)(00019)

UK - SAIC Intros 80MIPS Ruggedized Color Sparcstation 01/11/94
CAMBERLEY, SURREY, ENGLAND, 1994 JAN 11 (NB) -- Science
Applications International Corp. (SAIC) UK has unveiled an 80
million-instructions-per-second (MIPS) ruggedized color
Sparcstation based on the Weitek Power RISC (reduced
instruction-set computing) RISC chipset.

According to the employee-owned company, the machine, the
RSC-1X+, is intended for portable applications requiring very high
performance and power. The workstation features a Colorplus
edge-lit display and comes in a briefcase-sized container.

SAIC claims that the workstation was designed to fit into a
briefcase measuring five- by 18.25- by 14-inches, yet is powered
with a Sun Sparcstation IPX motherboard operating at 80 MIPS and
is fully software-compatible with all applications that run on Sun
Microsystems workstations.

As supplied, the machine comes with 16 megabytes (MB) of
memory, a 535MB removable hard drive, and a 3.5-inch 1.44MB
floppy disk. Optional extras include extra memory capacity, for
applications such as databases. The extra memory is available in
one and two gigabyte modules.

Chris Harrington, new business development manager with SAIC UK
told Newsbytes that the 640 by 480 pixel active matrix color display
on the workstation is capable of supporting 64 levels of gray scale
and a 262,000 color palette.

Included as standard on the UKP24,500 machine is an external 10
megabit-per-second Ethernet, a SCSI-2 (small computer systems
interface type two) interface, an SBus expansion interface and an
external color video port. Operating systems available include Sun
OS, Sunview and Open Windows.

(Steve Gold/19940111/Press & Public Contact: SAIC, tel 44-276-
675511, fax [phone])


(NEWS)(IBM)(LON)(00020)

UK - Elonex Intros "PC Options" Range 01/11/94
LONDON, ENGLAND, 1994 JAN 11 (NB) -- Elonex, the direct sales PC
manufacturer, claims to be dramatically extending its user choices
with the introduction of a new range of PCs pre-loaded with
individual applications from three major vendors -- Computer
Associates, Lotus, and Wordperfect.

Known as the Options range of machines, the PCs are aimed at users
who do not need to work with more than one type of application, yet
are still looking for the convenience of pre-loaded software.

David Bridson, marketing manager with Elonex, said that the company
will continue to offer its "Solutions" range of machines, which
feature pre-loaded suites such as Microsoft Office Professional and
Lotus Smartsuite, for those users who are looking for more than one
type of application.

The Options range of software includes Lotus 1-2-3 for Windows
4.01, Approach 2.1, Ami Pro 3.01, Freelance 2.01, and Improve 2.1.
Other packages include CA Supercalc for Windows and Wordperfect
6.0.

As with all of Elonex's machines, the Options series adopts a "mix-
and-match" approach to processors and configurations. Base pricing
on the series is UKP900 for a 25 megahertz (MHz) 486SX processor-
based system with four megabytes (MB) of memory and a 14-inch
SVGA monitor. A 240MB hard disk is fitted as standard.

In a related story, Elonex has announced it has become the first PC
manufacturer in the UK to standardize on the original equipment
manufacturer (OEM) version of the Microsoft mouse.

According to Demetre Cheras, Elonex' systems director, the company
has built its reputation on high quality products at the best
possible price. "We believe the Microsoft mouse is the highest
quality pointing device available. Its ergonomics, reliability,
accuracy, software and general build quality are all far superior
to anything else we've seen," he said.

Cheras also claims that, with the retail version of the mouse
selling for UKP50, the fact that Elonex is selling the mouse as a
free bundled option on its PC is good value. "You can't get better
value for money than that," he said.

(Steve Gold/19940111/Press & Public Contact: Elonex,
tel [phone], fax [phone])


(NEWS)(TRENDS)(LON)(00021)

Wordperfect UK Moves To "Net Pricing" 01/11/94
ADDLESTONE, SURREY, ENGLAND, 1994 JAN 11 (NB) -- Wordperfect
UK has scrapped its retail pricing system, replacing it with "net
pricing" with immediate effect. The move means that the software
company will quote an average price to potential customers, rather
than a recommended retail price (RRP).

Neil Gandhi, Wordperfect's channel marketing manager, said that
the company is implementing the change because of the current
discrepancy between the street and retail price of its products.
"The industry will continue to move in this direction. We want to
give users a fairer indication of real costs so that they can make
price comparisons more easily," he said.

The move by Wordperfect follows industry trends in the last year in
the UK, Newsbytes notes. While many companies have left their RRPs
at the same level for the past year, continuing competition and
manufacturer-led special offers have pushed the street price --
specifically, the "price on the street" -- lower and lower.

Many discounters now offer Wordperfect's products at under half the
RRP, a situation that many in the computer industry claim merely
confuses the potential purchaser, and prevents direct comparisons
between software packages.

(Steve Gold/19940111)


(NEWS)(GENERAL)(LON)(00022)

UK - Sony Intros New DAT Tape Backup Drive 01/11/94
STAINES, MIDDLESEX, ENGLAND, 1994 JAN 11 (NB) -- Sony Computer
Peripherals and Components UK has announced the release of its
new generation DDS-2 tape drive, the SDT-5000.

According to the Japanese electronics giant, the drive combines
high capacity, up to 16 gigabytes (GB) of storage capacity, with
compact size, 3.5-inch tape drive and a four millimeter (mm) tape
cartridge.

Using the industry standard DDS 2 data format, the SDT-5000 can
store up to 4GB of data on a single tape. When the Data Compression
Lempel Ziv (DCLZ) system is switched in, this capacity quadruples to
16GB per tape, Sony claims.

"Many systems used in the desktop publishing and pre-press business
are storing large amounts of critical data," explained Fiona
Minskip, DDS-2 product manager with Sony. "Backing up this data can
protect users from failure and free hard disk space by storing files
to tapes."

Minskip added that the same is true for workstation users who may
be engaged in complex computer-aided manufacturer/computer-aided
design (CAM/CAD) projects or realizing photo animations. "PCs,
workstations or other systems used in networks and organized
around servers may find it critical to protect themselves against
human and hardware failures by having automatic back-ups
performed," she said.

"The small 3.5-inch form factor combined with data compression,
makes the SDT-5000 compatible with a wide range of platforms
from LANs (local area networks) to workstations to minicomputers,
allowing for its easy integration both in personal computers and in
empty bays of LAN servers," she added.

The SDT-5000 is claimed to have a new digital processor and servo-
controller providing fast signal processing. With compressed data
the transfer rate can reach 1.464 kilobytes-per-second, Sony claims.

Sony used a different material to produce tape in the cartridge. The
thickness of the tape has been reduced by about 30 percent, enabling
a longer (120 meters) length to fit in the cartridge.

Despite this, Sony claims to have kept the average random access
time down, along with a quick search function. Sony claims that
users can work on data with 200 times faster movement than
normal recording or reading tape.

The device is claimed to be fully backwards-compatible with DDS 1
tape drives. The SDT-5000 can read data from DDS media such as
DG60M and DM90M, also DDS-MRS (Media Recognition System) media
like DG90M and DGD60MA, as well as writing data on them. Media
like DGD120MA can be read and written on by DDS-2 drives only.

The drive is available immediately in the UK with a recommended
retail price is around UKP1,100.

(Sylvia Dennis/19940111/Press & Public Contact: Sony
Computer Peripherals and Components, tel [phone],
fax [phone])


(NEWS)(TRENDS)(LON)(00023)

Wordperfect UK Tops Windows Word Processing Chart 01/11/94
ADDLESTONE, SURREY, ENGLAND, 1994 JAN 11 (NB) -- Wordperfect UK
claims that the latest market share figures from Romtec, the market
research company, show Wordperfect as the market leader in the UK
Windows word processing marketplace, as well as in the word
processing marketplace as a whole.

As a result of the figures, the company claims it is now targeting
the "suite" market as one its main areas of focus in 1994.

According to Romtec, Wordperfect has 49.9 percent and Microsoft
35.3 percent of the October, 1993, invoiced unit sales of Windows
word processing software. The same survey found that Wordperfect
held a market share of 56.4 percent and Microsoft 28.3 percent of
the total word processing market.

David Godwin, Wordperfect UK's sales and marketing general
manager, said that the Windows word processing market is now a
two horse race with Wordperfect in front. "With the launch of
Borland Office 2.0, we can combined our strength in the
Wordperfect word processing market with other best-of-class
applications to enabled us to win in the suite market as well,"
he said.

(Steve Gold/19940111/Press & Public Contact: Wordperfect UK,
tel [phone], fax [phone])


(NEWS)(GOVT)(LON)(00024)

 ****Poland Enforcing Copyright Legislation 01/11/94
WARSAW, POLAND, 1994 JAN 11 (NB) -- Almost overnight, pirate
music cassettes and computer software -- once sold openly from
suitcases on Polish street corners - have disappeared, following
the Polish government's decision to implement a much-delayed
law on intellectual copyright in the country.

Although approved by Parliament, the legislation has yet to be
officially "stamped" by the legislative board of Poland. Police and
local authorities are, however, gearing up for an increase in
arrests in connection with alleged copyright infringements.

According to the Polish government, around $25 million in taxes
are lost to pirates selling illegal and forged items on the streets.
Given that tax on audio and computer software is relatively low,
this illustrates how serious the problem has become.

On a recent trip to Poland, Newsbytes was able to buy pre-recorded
music cassettes -- many on chrome tape with Dolby noise reduction --
for around $1.50 each, compared with legitimate copies which cost
three times that price. Similar savings could be had on computer
software, which came complete with well bound manuals.

The reason for such low prices was simple - firms producing the
media and manuals could do so without any tax or royalties.
And because, until now, there has been no copyright law on
intellectual property -- as opposed to the printed word -- pirates
have been making a steady killing at the expense of the copyright
holders.

Many Poles ascribe the pirate situation to the greed of Western
software producers, many of whom sell their packages at prices
even higher than in the West. Only a couple of years ago, Polish
wage levels were less than 10 percent to that in, for example,
the US.

Today, the Polish economy has caught up, although many wage
earners have not had a pay rise for some time. This is due to the
sudden transition that Poland has made from a Communist to a
Capitalist state, with the Polish Zloty -- the unit of currency --
now being traded alongside the German mark and French Franc
on the European and world currency markets.

The International Intellectual Property Alliance (IIPA) in the US
has claimed in the past that illegal and unauthorized audio and
video software in Poland costs copyright holders around $140
million.

Under the new legislation, passed by an overwhelming majority in the
Polish Parliament. the original copyright legislation -- dating back
to 1926 and updated in 1952 -- has been replaced by a new set of
rules that take account of modern recording technology. Once
approved by the Senate and Lech Walesa, the president, the law will
become valid and approved. Polish sources expect this to happen
within the next few weeks.

Pirates flouting the law could face a lot more than a serious fine,
as was applicable under the old 1926 legislation, Newsbytes notes.
Persistent offenders could face up to five years in jail for
breaking copyright laws, even up to 50 years after the author's
death.

(Sylvia Dennis/19940111)


(NEWS)(TELECOM)(ATL)(00025)

 ****Preview Of Gore UCLA Superhighway Address 01/11/94
LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA, U.S.A., 1994 JAN 11 (NB) -- When Vice-
President Al Gore details the Administration's legislative plans
for the communications industry at his "Information Superhighway
Summit" at UCLA (University of California, Los Angeles), ears will
be pricked up at any mention of "universal service."

Universal service, the concept that everyone should have access
to phone services at a reasonable price, has turned out to be the
most contentious issue facing policymakers as they look at
broadband networks. Gore said at the National Press Club last
month that he wants the concept expanded to include access to
broadband networks for poor and rural areas. But that goal, and
any mechanism for paying for universal service, is certain to be
controversial. Gore also brought representatives of the industry
together at the White House in an attempt to thrash out a
compromise last week, but little progress was reportedly made.

Currently, subsidies for rural and poor consumers are part of
basic phone rates, and held by local phone companies. Most of the
money paid by long distance companies for access to local
networks is assumed to help pay for universal service as well.

MCI Chairman Bert Roberts has launched a campaign against this
practice, urging that subsidies be put into a separate fund, with
a separate administrator, with control taken from local operating
companies. One problem with this, the regional Bell companies
note, is that this would remove the incentives of anyone in the
business to maintain the subsidies at a reasonable level.

The move toward broadband networks complicates matters. When
US West announced its hybrid network plan in 1993, which only
involves video delivery to consumers, not among them, it
estimated the cost at $1,000 per household. Individual splices
and connectors for fiber networks can cost over $200, plus
installation costs. The stakes are higher, and all players are
most anxious to invest only where they can get a return -- in
business centers and wealthy neighborhoods.

Still, there is a broad consensus in Washington on amending the
Communications Act of 1934 for the $300 billion industry. Policy-
makers in both parties want to increase competition, allowing
phone and cable companies to compete, and allowing local
competition in telephone service. Bills need to get through
committee by March 3, when the President's healthcare plan
takes center stage, so there is a sense of urgency. Security and
privacy are key concerns, but most everyone involved in the
business says they are in favor of both.

Two key bills have been introduced so far, and Gore expressed
some support for them in his National Press Club talk. Powerful
House committee Chairmen Jack Brooks and John Dingell, both
Democrats, have proposed letting local phone companies into the
long distance business.

Telecommunications subcommittee Chairman Edward Markey, a
Massachusetts Democrat, and Texas Republican Jack Fields, his
ranking member, have introduced a bill that would let phone
companies into cable, and vice versa. But still unknown is whether
local phone consumers will be able to keep their numbers as they
change carriers, as they are allowed to do in New York. In
announcing his networkMCI plan, Roberts said he would have to
look at such issues very carefully.

While there is consensus on the outlines of what Gore should
propose, there remain things that all players want to prevent
others from doing. Roberts wants to keep local phone companies
out of long distance until local competition is a reality. Local
phone companies want to maintain control of, and subsidies for,
universal service, while winning the right to enter new
businesses. Cable companies may resist paying for universal
service, since they have no obligation to provide it in their
present form.

While many Democrats may want strict adherence to universal
service in the new legislation, the industry's charge that would
be too costly won new ammunition from the Standard & Poor's bond
rating agency, which warned their high credit ratings are at risk
due to their deals with cable companies.

(Dana Blankenhorn/01111994)


(NEWS)(TELECOM)(ATL)(00026)

TCI-Bell Atlantic Education Proposal 01/11/94
LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA, U.S.A., 1994 JAN 11 (NB) -- A proposal
by Bell Atlantic and Tele-Communications Inc. (TCI) to offer free
broadband links to public schools may be worth less than is
apparent.

Bell Atlantic Chairman Ray Smith and TCI head John Malone
trumpeted their plan in news conferences linked via satellite
between Washington and Los Angeles. But no dollar figures were
given for the cost to the companies of what they called the Basic
Education Connection. The connection seemed to some observers
just that, a connection, with services from the connection to be
provided only at market rates. That will be of little help to
cash-starved urban schools, observers said.

But the plan is politically attractive. In his speech to the
National Press Club in December, Vice President Gore repeatedly
descried the fact that most schools do not have computer
connections, and most classrooms do not have phones.

Under the Bell Atlantic-TCI plan, over 26,000 K-12 schools in their
service areas will be linked to basic phone, data, and video services.
That represents about 25 percent of the nation's schools. The
program will provide free educational TV programming, similar to
the cable industry's "cable in the classroom plan," as well as
free links to the Internet and existing data services such as
Xpress/Xchange geared to educators. The last service is, like
"cable in the classroom," a long-standing commitment of TCI.

The two companies said they would consult with schools and
government to learn what other features should be added, and will
seek advise from current Internet users on how schools can best
be served. Malone and Smith called on long distance carriers to
offer free Internet data services to schools in order to extend
the value of their offer.

In Bell Atlantic's service territory, the first schools to be
linked will be in the wealthy Washington-area suburbs of northern
Virginia and Montgomery County, where the company is planning on
offering "video dial-tone" services under a standard called
Asynchronous Digital Subscriber Line, or ADSL.

ADSL delivers video to consumers via phone lines, but does not allow
video output from homes or businesses. The company's schedule calls
for schools in the District of Columbia, the poorest section of the
region, to be the last to get the connections. Network connections
and monthly charges for basic services will be free, but schools
will be responsible for wiring inside their buildings, equipment,
and training.

In something of a coup for the companies, Keith Geiger, president
of the National Education Association, the nation's major teachers'
union, took part in their press conference and offered praise for
the project.

Bell Atlantic estimated the cost of the connection at "tens of
millions of dollars." But even before the announcement, Bell
Atlantic was offering up to $50,000 in video, audio and other
equipment to each of over 200 schools in Maryland, along with
free links to an Internet-linked education network.

Massachusetts Democrat Edward Markey, a key player in
telecommunications law reform, also praised the plan, giving it a
second political boost. But he warned that he remains concerned
about the "bottom 20-30 percent" of the population, which he
fears could be shut out for years from the "information
superhighway."

In addition to having a teleconference link to Washington, the
conference also included video hook-ups to schools in Union City,
New Jersey, and Carrollton, Georgia. New Jersey is where Bell
Atlantic recently won regulatory relief it says will let it offer
broadband video services. Carrollton was, until recently, the home
of House Republican whip Newt Gingrich, who moved to the Atlanta
suburbs recently when his district's boundaries were changed.

(Dana Blankenhorn/01111994/Press Contact: Tele-Communications
Inc., Lela Cocoros, 303-267-5273; Bell Atlantic, Eric Rabe,
703-974-1720)


(NEWS)(TELECOM)(ATL)(00027)

Redstone Defends Latest Viacom-Paramount Moves 01/11/94
PALM SPRINGS, CALIFORNIA, U.S.A., 1994 JAN 11 (NB) -- In an
unusual move, Viacom released the text of a speech its chairman,
Sumner Redstone, made to analysts defending his latest moves in
the continuing war for Paramount Communications.

On Friday, Viacom said it would buy Blockbuster Entertainment,
the nation's largest video store chain, for stock valued at $8.4
billion. It also made a new bid for Paramount, offering cash for
half the company in a tender offer and stock for the other half.

Some analysts said the Blockbuster deal put that company "in
play" just as Viacom's original bid for Paramount started a
bidding war, and other bidders may emerge. Blockbuster had been a
partner with Viacom in its Paramount bid, offering $600 million
in cash. The new Paramount bid was criticized by rival QVC
Network as not complying with the Paramount board's bidding
procedures, and was criticized by analysts as not being as high
as QVC's existing bid for the whole company, based on the low
and falling value of Viacom's stock.

"Redstone was going to be speaking at dinner last night, and
that's late for us," explained spokesman Elliot Sloane, adding he
would not remain on the West Coast for Vice President Al Gore's
speech on telecommunications policy at UCLA. "I'd say that given
the situation, he wanted to continue to emphasize the value in
this transaction," not just the Blockbuster deal but the underlying
Paramount bid.

Redstone, who won Viacom in a leveraged buy-out in 1986 after
raising his bid three times, has been heavily criticized by
analysts and the media recently for his business practices. He
denied to reporters that his original Paramount bid could be
trumped, but then it was. He has been hampered in his attempts to
counter QVC by a desire to maintain majority ownership control
over whatever entity he wins.

Some of his fire and bombast comes through in the speech text
obtained by Newsbytes. "It is not easy to know where to begin; so
dramatic, indeed awesome, are the events of recent hours," he
began, defending his management team. "The merger of Blockbuster
Entertainment into Viacom creates a gigantic new presence in the
global entertainment industry," he continued, based not just on
Blockbuster's 4,000 video stores, but its 511 music stores, 209
combination stores, and music distribution operations, as well as
its TV production facilities through Spelling Entertainment and
Republic Pictures, which between them have a library of over
20,000 hours of entertainment.

Redstone also praised Blockbuster's database of customers,
which includes 40 million people. It, "presents vast distribution
advantages," he insisted, "particularly in new businesses where
Blockbuster, for example, can double the sales of Viacom's new
media interactive products."

He said, "Blockbuster's retail operations can provide Viacom the
basis for quickly fulfilling its goal to enter the worldwide
retailing business," and noted that together, "Blockbuster and
Viacom will be the largest customer of Hollywood and record
companies, with obvious advantages in price,  promotion and
otherwise."

If Redstone wins Paramount, he added, he would have control over
nearly 40,000 programming titles. "Blockbuster's vast customer
database will provide an invaluable resource -- indeed, a unique
resource -- for tapping  consumer preferences about movies,
television, video games and music," he added. When Blockbuster
announced its database, it should be added, it ran into heavy
criticism from privacy advocates.

Redstone then turned to his Paramount bid. "Our bid is not
coercive. Our bid is not cynical. Our bid is rational. The cash
component of our bid is clearly superior to that of QVC. Throughout
the past several weeks, QVC has emphasized the cash component
of its bid, which is now inferior to ours. We added to the cash
component of our bid without compromising our balance sheet,
with less leverage and without dilution of our share value."

He continued: "Cash is king! And the reason for this, as you
all understand, is that cash is the only thing you can measure
with certainty. Last  Friday, for example, at the very end of
the day, our shares fell while QVC's rose. This happened for no
other reason than the word got out that we were going to make a
new bid. On the other hand, one day not long ago, in about three
minutes our shares rose in value by about $5 a share before
trading stopped. The reason was that it appeared that QVC had a
final merger agreement with Paramount. In short, these shares
have been deal-driven when, in fact, they should  be value-driven."

He concluded: "Blockbuster recognized the emphasis on value when
it paid $55 per share for its $1.25 billion investment in Viacom.
What Paramount stockholders should be asking themselves is where,
six months from now, QVC/Paramount stock would trade as opposed
to where Viacom/Paramount, indeed Viacom/Paramount/Blockbuster
stock would trade."

(Dana Blankenhorn/01111994/Press Contact: Viacom, Raymond A.
Boyce, 212-258-6530; for Viacom, Elliot Sloane, 212-704-8126)


(NEWS)(GOVT)(ATL)(00028)

Cable Wins Rights To NY Co-Op Apartment Blocks 01/11/94
NEW YORK, NEW YORK, U.S.A., 1994 JAN 11 (NB) -- Time Warner
Cable is likely to benefit from a New York state judge's ruling
that the company must have the right to serve the city's
co-operative apartment houses.

Justice Carmen C. Ciparick, who has just joined the New York
Court of Appeals, the state's highest court, issued the ruling in
favor of Time Warner Cable and the state's cable association. The
two had challenged eight Manhattan co-ops, all on the city's upper-
crust east side, which had tried to give exclusive deals to an
unfranchised cable operator called Liberty Cable.

Ciparick ruled that Section 828 of the New York Executive Law, a
so-called "cable access" law normally applied to landlords, also
applies to co-operatives. She added the statute allows the
operators to wire entire buildings, not just those residences
requesting service. The cases of four buildings were given over
to the city's Cable Commission to untangle building-specific
wiring issues.

Time Warner spokesman Robert Jacobs told Newsbytes the decision
"applies throughout New York state but not beyond it. There's an
access statute in New York state, and an awful lot of states
don't have them," he added. "Here there is a right of access for
cable companies.

"There's always an issue" of access, usually with owners of
apartment blocks which want to win cable fees for themselves,
sometimes by putting up dish antennas. "The degree may be
greater in New York City," where costs and prices are higher
than elsewhere.

Time Warner said co-ops affected by the decision are located at:
345 East 86th Street; 420 East 51st Street; 19 East 88th Street;
145 East 84th Street; 650 Park Avenue; 45 East 72nd Street; 160
East 65th Street; and 555 Park Avenue.

(Dana Blankenhorn/01111994/Press Contact: Time Warner,
Robert Jacobs, 212-522-6302)


(NEWS)(APPLE)(SFO)(00029)

Apple Launches Own Visa Card 01/11/94
SAN FRANCISCO, CALIFORNIA, U.S.A., 1994 JAN 11 (NB) -- Citibank,
the number one issuer of MasterCard and Visa cards, and Apple
Computer, have announced the new Apple Citibank MasterCard
and Visa cards.

The credit card, which should have an interest rate around
15.4 percent and an annual fee of $20, earns users a maximum
of five percent rebates on purchases of Apple hardware,
software and peripheral products.

Card members earn a rebate of 2.5 percent on annual purchases
up to $3,000, and five percent on annual purchases over $3,000.

Card members are limited to receiving $500 per year, up to a
total of $1,500 in a three-year period. Rebates may be
redeemed in any amount over $20 up to the maximum $1,500.
An interesting option gives card members the choice of using
the rebate themselves or donating the earned rebate to
participating schools.

Schools interested in participating in the rebate program
should call Apple at 1-800-SOS-APPL.

(Patrick McKenna/19940110)


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

Largest Prime Number Found - Again! 01/11/94
WASHINGTON, DC, U.S.A., 1994 JAN 11 (NB) -- 2^859433-1 (two
times two times two - 859,433 times) - that is the latest Mersenne
prime number to be "discovered" by the world's supercomputers.
This time, as in six out of the last seven times, a Cray computer
was used - not too surprising since the company uses a prime-
generating routine as a test of newly completed systems.

A Cray C90 system determined that the 258,716 digit number
was a prime, during recent tests conducted at Cray Research's
Egan, Minnesota offices.

There are an infinite number of prime numbers, a fact which was
proven by Greek philosopher/mathematician Euclid back a few of
thousand years ago. However, some observers point out that,
unless a new system (algorithm) for discovering large primes is
developed, these large numbers are of little interest to any but
theoretical mathematicians, and actually of very little interest
to them as well.

The particular method used at Cray involves squaring ever larger
numbers and is thus very processor intensive - providing a good
test of some major components.

Prime numbers are those such as 2, 3, 5, 7, and of course
2^859433-1, which are only evenly divisible by the prime number
itself and the number one.

For now, new prime numbers can only be generated on very fast
supercomputers because of the number of calculations involved and
because they have no real practical application. Cynics point out
that their discovery has to rely on such tests where the computer's
working time is not being billed.

(John McCormick/19940111)