Newsbytes - International Computing Industry News 1983 May to 1994 June

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(NEWS)(TRENDS)(LON)(00001) UK Accounting Firm Alleges 1993 Fraud At Record High 02/07/94 LONDON, ENGLAND, 1994 FEB 7 (NB) -- The amount of money allegedly stolen, misappropriated or misused in major corporate fraud cases has risen by 11 percent since 1992 to reach a peak last year, KPMG Peat Marwick, a London-based accounting consultancy group has announced. According to KPMG, the amount covered in fraud charges rose to UKP 704 million n 1993 from UKP 637 million a year earlier, although the number of major cases going through the courts fell to 53 last year from 83, the accounting firm said. KPMG's fraud investigators said that cases involving the Bank of Credit and Commerce International (BCCI) and the late Robert Maxwell were what made 1993 a record year for fraud cases. (Steve Gold/19940207/Press & Public Contact: KPMG Peat Marwick - Tel: +44-71-236 8000; Fax: 44-71-248 6552) (NEWS)(BUSINESS)(LON)(00002) Czech Republic Bank Computerizes Int'l Payments System 02/07/94 PRAGUE, CZECH REPUBLIC, 1994 FEB 7 (NB) -- Banka Bohemia has installed a Stratus A/R fault tolerant (FT) computer to automate its international payments system. The Czech Republic bank claims that, since the computer replaces its previously manual ticketing and cable/telegram-based systems, its international payments processing time can be speeded from several weeks to the international standards offered by Western banks. The system, which is being sold through Olivetti, a Stratus Computer dealer in the Czech Republic, is also being used to spot frauds. The payments software for the computer was developed by Maof Communications of Israel and, the bank claims, has extensive anti- fraud modules built into. Banka Bohemia intends to defray the cost of its computerisation by selling time on its system to other Czech banks. The bank claims that, while renting out system time to other banks will reduce the payback time, the anti-fraud aspect will contribute greatly towards a speed-up payback. (Sylvia Dennis & Steve Gold/19940207) (NEWS)(IBM)(SFO)(00003) Media Vision Ships Windows Accelerator Board 02/07/94 FREMONT, CALIFORNIA, U.S.A., 1994 FEB 7 (NB) -- With the increase in use of Microsoft's Windows graphical user environment, users wanting to optimize PC performance often choose a spatial accelerator board that plugs into their desktop system and speeds up screen changes. Now Media Vision says it has begun shipping in volume its Pro Graphics 1024 Windows accelerator. According to the company, the Pro Graphics 1024 speeds up the computer's processing of graphics, text, and video. The board supports 16.7 million colors. Announcing the card, Greg Reznick, Media Vision's vice president of marketing, said: "Accelerated graphics is a basic of the multimedia equation. But most graphics accelerators make you choose between resolution or color depth because they don't have the horsepower to do both at once. This board gives you both." Media Vision is taking a two tack distribution strategy with the board, by offering it through both its retail channels as well as to OEMs (original equipment manufacturers). According to the company, the Pro Graphics 1024 offers 16.7 million colors at resolutions up to 1024 by 768, and uses the company's custom-designed graphics accelerator chips. The Pro Graphics 1024 is available in both a True Color and a 256- color version, with the 256-color version being upgradable to True Color with the addition of video memory chips. Resolutions supported include VGA and SVGA modes, along with 640 by 480, 800 by 600 pixels, and 1024 by 768 pixels in both 256 colors and 16.7 million colors. The board comes is offered in three bus formats for interface to a 386DX-based or higher PC: VL, PCI (Peripheral Component Interconnect), or ISA (Industry Standard Architecture). Both Windows 3.1 and AutoDesk ADI display drivers are currently shipping with the product, with display drivers for OS/2 2.1 and Windows NT will be available "in the near future," according to the company. Bundled with the Pro Graphics 1024 True Color version is Kai's Power Tools for Windows Special Edition, which was developed by HSC Software. The software is designed to allow for the enhancement of images with special effects. The Pro Graphics 1024 VESA local bus version is available now at $595 for the True Color version, and $395 for the 256-color version. ISA bus versions will be available in the first quarter, with PCI bus versions available in the second quarter. The company has been busy with alliances recently. In January, Newsbytes reported that Media Vision had signed a licensing deal with the National Academy of Recording Arts and Sciences designed to produce interactive multimedia entertainment. At the time the two parties said that they expected the collaboration to result in the development of CD-ROM titles relating to the music industry's 1994 Grammy Awards. That was not the only link up for Media Vision in late 1993. In October, Newsbytes reported that the company signed a deal with integrated circuit manufacturer Analog Devices to develop "next generation" multimedia semiconductors for PCs. At the time, Newsbytes reported that the deal called for Media Vision to have an exclusive license to use Analog's core DSP (digital signal processing) technology in the PC sound market for four years, with the technology being integrated into its 16-bit audio architecture. In November, Newsbytes reported that Media Vision licensed technologies from Spectron Microsystems and Microsoft. Under terms of the deal, Media Vision licensed Spectron's SPOX operating system and Microsoft's Windows-based DSP resource manager and DSP application programming interface (API). According to the company, the technology simplifies the development of applications software for use with DSPs. Most recently, in December, hardware vendor Gateway 2000 said its sound card will use the Jazz16 chipset from Media Vision. (Ian Stokell/19940207/Press Contact: Elizabeth Fairchild, 510-252-4472, Media Vision) (NEWS)(GENERAL)(SFO)(00004) Banyan Restructures Vines & ENS Pricing 02/07/94 WESTBORO, MASSACHUSETTS, U.S.A., 1994 FEB 7 (NB) -- In the second announcement involving the company's Enterprise Network Services (ENS) product in a week, Banyan Systems says that, effective April 1, it will change its pricing and packaging for its Vines network operating system and ENS for Unix product lines according to how many users the purchase is intended for. The company says that its Value Investment Protection (VIP) Plan, enables customers to upgrade their systems with all product releases provided free of additional charge on a yearly basis, along with being "transitioned to a user-based pricing model." According to the company, the pricing change reflects an industry trend towards user-based software pricing for client-server enterprise applications. According to company officials: "The user- based pricing model provides a scalable, consistent mechanism for enabling customers to plan and budget for their network deployment in the most precise yet straightforward way possible." Under the plan, in 1994, users can receive a "transition upgrade" to a user count of currently shipping versions of Vines or ENS for SCO Unix free of charge. Those not already covered by the plan can subscribe between April 1 and June 30. Pamela Campagna, Vines product line manager, said: "the main objective for Banyan is to ensure that we package, price and sell our products in the manner that is most consistent with our customers' needs. We believe that the user-based model is the most equitable and flexible way to accomplish this goal. At the same time, we also want to make it convenient, during this transition period, for current customers to take advantage of the new pricing model and assimilate it into their networks." The new US listed prices for VINES are: 10-users, $2,995; 50-users, $7,995; 100-users, $9,995; 250-users, $14,995. The VINES VIP Plan costs: $1,795 for 10-users; $2,795 for 50-users; $3,195 for 100-users; and $4,995 for 250-users. Prices for ENS for HP-UX and ENS for HP-UX VIP Plan are, respectively: 0-users, $4,995 and $1,495; 20-users, $5,495 and $1,995; 50-users, $8,495 and $2,995; 100-users, $10,995 and $3,595; 250-users $18,995 and $5,995; 500-users, $28,995 and $8,995; and 1000-users, $54,995 and $17,495. Prices for ENS for SCO Unix and ENS for SCO Unix VIP Plan are, respectively: 0-9 users, $1,995 and $995; 10-users, $2,495 and $1,295; 50-users, $6,995 and $2,295; 100-users, $8,995 and $2,695; 250-users, $13,995 and $4,495; 500-users, $24,995 and $7,495; and 1000-users, $48,995 and $14,695. This week Newsbytes reported on Banyan and Hewlett-Packard's announcement of the availability of Banyan's ENS software running on top of the HP 9000 Series 800 PA-RISC-based Business Servers. At the time, the companies said that ENS for HP-UX includes DOS, OS/2, Windows and Unix client support. ENS includes the StreetTalk III Directory Service and StreetTalk Directory Assistance (STDA), security, intelligent messaging and network management, along with file and print sharing capabilities. (Ian Stokell/19940207/Press Contact: Gary Wolfe, 508-898-1000, Banyan Systems) (NEWS)(IBM)(SYD)(00005) Sybiz Announces Open-Architecture Accounting For Windows 02/07/94 SYDNEY, AUSTRALIA, 1994 FEB 7 (NB) -- Australian accounting software manufacturer Sybiz claims to have come up with another world first - - an accounting system that runs under Windows, that users can customize using readily available development tools. The new package was developed under Microsoft's FoxPro using an industry standard xBase database which can be modified by the user. Resellers and consultants can develop custom software, using popular tools like Visual Basic, Access and ObjectVision. Sybiz claims that these custom modules can then be readily and seamlessly integrated with the Sybiz product. Announcing the new software, managing director Peter Lucas said: "It answers the age old problem of making an accounting system fit the business. Application developers can build vertical market applications quickly using Sybiz as the accounting core. The only people likely to be upset by this are our opposition." Full developer's kits cost AUS$500 (around US$350). (Paul Zucker/19940207/Contact: Sybiz Software Pty Ltd. tel. +61-2- 954 5211 fax +61-2-954 5240) (NEWS)(IBM)(SYD)(00006) Australian News Briefs 02/07/94 SYDNEY, AUSTRALIA, 1994 FEB 4 (NB) -- Here's a roundup of computer and telecom industry news this week from down under. [] NEC has announced a swathe of new product releases with notebooks and desktop PCs, and dot-matrix and laser printers. The AUS$406 Pinwriter P1200 is an entry-level printer aimed at the SOHO market. The AUS$1803 SilentWriter 640, meanwhile, is a six pages per minute (ppm) laser for the Mac market. There are also new Energy Star compliant Desktop PCS and a revamped Versa E series notebooks, now with integral trackball, faster graphics and bigger hard disks. [] Australia's leading IBM compatible PC supplier Osborne has done a deal with AT&T GIS (which was called NCR last until just a few weeks ago, but not any more) to sell its Pentium-based PC servers. Osborne only sells direct. [] Osborne has also launched its "keyboardless" PC -- an OS/2 machine loaded with IBM's Dictation System which allows the PC to convert spoken text to machine text in real time. A DX2/66 machine loaded with the speech system and hardware will sell for around US$7000. [] Australian modem manufacturer NetComm is shipping its V.Fast (V.34) modems capable of 19.2, 24 and 28.8 kbps as well as standard modem speeds. They will sell for around US$1,000. NetComm claims to be the first modem manufacturer in Australia to have V.Fast products for sale. [] Odyssey Development, creator of the ISYS text retrieval system, has appointed Martin Steinberg as new president of its US office. Part os his mission is to boost North American sales of ISYS, including the establishment of a value-added reseller network. [] IBM Australia has posted an AUS$128M (around US$90M) loss for 1993. Gross income was up to AUS$1.6B from $1.3B in 1992, including almost $500M in export business. [] An alleged software piracy case involving a Sydney college has been settled for a six-figure sum, the Business Software Association of Australia has announced. The aggrieved software manufacturers were Lotus, Microsoft and WordPerfect. (David Frith, Computer Daily News and Paul Zucker/19940207) (NEWS)(IBM)(SFO)(00007) Individual Software Unveils Personal Organizer For Windows 02/07/94 PLEASANTON, CALIFORNIA, U.S.A., 1994 FEB 7 (NB) -- Individual Software, the producers of Professor Multimedia, has released AnyTime 2.0 for Windows for immediate shipping. According to Kathleen Turnbull, the company's public relations director, in a field of complex PIMs (personal information managers) and personal organizers, Individual Software chose to develop a broad-based, easy to use organizer that would appeal to a large audience of Windows users. "We are targeting mainstream users at home and in business who are not power users and would like to have an organizer that installs easily and operates immediately without having to read a lot of manuals and directions. Our entire focus has been on reaching users who want an organizer that works intuitively, simple, and fast," she told Newsbytes. AnyTime has three main components: a day planner, an address book and a To-Do-List. To all of these, custom notes and directions can be added. Once the data has been entered, users may select from a variety of layout options for printing and presenting professional- looking documents and labels. Individual Software has also developed "Quick Glances" as a tool for viewing and manipulating schedules in a monthly, weekly, daily, calendar or graphical form. Printing options offer customizable fonts, borders, headers, footers, shading, and colors and the ability to output to fit paper-based organizers like Day-Timer, Day- Runner, Filofaxes and Franklin Planners. Ready-made layouts include Emergency Contact list, Travel Planner, Weekend Planner, and Agenda. AnyTime for Windows 2.0 is available in most of the super stores and software outlets or it can be purchased direct from Individual Software. The suggested retail price of the package has been set at $49.95 and registered AnyTime DOS customers can upgrade for $19.95. AnyTime requires 2 megabytes (MB) of RAM (Random Access Memory), 3MB of hard disk space, a VGA or higher graphics display, and Windows running in 386 enhanced mode. (Patrick McKenna/19940207/Press Contact: Kathleen Turnbull - Tel: 510-734-6767; Fax 510-734-8337) (NEWS)(IBM)(LON)(00008) UK - Softklone Readies For Windows '94 Show This Month 02/07/94 LONDON, ENGLAND, 1994 FEB 7 (NB) -- Softklone UK, which claims to be the exclusive republisher for various communications and software products in the UK, has announced it will be presenting four selected items at the Olympia show "Windows 1994" show in London later this month. The "Windows 1994" show will be held in the Grand Hall, Olympia, in London on 22-25 February. According to Lee Wood, Softklone's managing director, the first product, HDK Version 2, an update to the original HDK Windows help file system, has been designed to help non-programming users create Windows Help format files. Wood said that the complex on-line manuals have replaced the need for expensive, outdated and time- wasting documentation, adding that package is an extremely powerful tool for creating Windows help files and the only to fully exploit the Windows help engine. Next up for launch at the show is Version 2 of ReportSmith, the Client/Server reporting and query software. The package is credited with providing users with the ability to create simple and complex reports from SQL (structured query language) and PC databases, using a unique "live data" approach, where users do not need to possess any programming skills. This new version, the company claims, simplifies reporting and querying with support of Microsoft's OLE (object linking and embedding) 2.0 facilities. Pricing on the package has been set at UKP 239. Third new product on Softklone's exhibition stand us a new version (v2.4) of the company's well-established terminal emulation package. The package is billed as working with multi-vendor host-systems and networks. According to Softklone, it now includes support for IBM 3270 and Wyse 60 terminals, plus additional support in a local area network (LAN) environment for Microsoft's TCP/IP and Cterm under DECNet. Last, but not least, is a new version of Show Business, Softklone's executive information system (EIS). The UKP 495 package, which was chosen by Lotus Development as the EIS for Lotus Notes, has been extended by the Show Business Library for Notes. This facility, the company claims, allows users to monitor the workflow of their businesses as it takes place in Lotus Notes, providing the ways of accessing information contained in a selected Lotus Notes View. (Steve Gold/19940207/Press & Public Contact: Softklone UK - Tel: +44-628-819200) (NEWS)(IBM)(LON)(00009) Pro Micro Pacific Announces The Computer Condom 02/07/94 LARKSPUR, CALIFORNIA, U.S.A., 1994 FEB 7 (NB) -- Pro Micro-Pacific has unveiled the "Computer Condom" anti-virus package. Selling for just $14-95, this unlikely-sounding package is a repackaged budget version of the company's Thunderbyte anti-virus software. The repackaging consists of the Thunderbyte Anti-Virus Utilities (TAVU) suite on a disk wrapped in a XXL-sized latex condom that Newsbytes notes is far too large for most PC users to use. TBAV consists of four modules: TBSCAN, TBSCANX, TBCLEAN and TBMON. According to the company, TBSCAN scans both hard and floppy disks for known virus signatures and heuristically examines code to uncover potential unknown viruses. TBSCANX is a memory-resident scanner that operates continuously. TBCLEAN's heuristics, the company claims, allow it to remove even unknown viruses from infected disks. TBMON prevents viruses from entering memory, remaining resident and altering files. The basic program, Newsbytes notes, has to be updated by a registration fee of between $24 and $62, depending on site licensing conditions, and entitles the user to access extra features of the package, as well as year's quarterly updates. The software needs DOS 3.3 or later plus 640K to run. (Sylvia Dennis/19940207/Press & Public Contact: Pro Micro-Pacific - Tel: 415/924-5121) (NEWS)(TELECOM)(TOR)(00010) Newbridge Offers ATM Adapters For PCs 02/07/94 OTTAWA, ONTARIO, CANADA, 1994 FEB 7 (NB) -- Newbridge Microsystems, a division of Newbridge Networks Corporation, has announced an asynchronous transfer mode (ATM) adapter for personal computers. An addition to Newbridge's Openbus line of communications products, the NM 121 ATM Adapter is meant for PCs running Novell NetWare, NetWare Lite, DOS, and Microsoft Windows. According to Newbridge, it is the first ATM network interface card that works with NetWare servers and PC clients. The adapter is also compatible with ATM hubs and switches from a variety of vendors, including Newbridge, Synoptics, and Fore Systems, officials said. The device supports throughput as high as 100 megabits per second (Mbps) over multi-mode fiber, as many as 4,000 permanent virtual circuits, comprehensive remote management using the Simple Network Management Protocol (SNMP), and such industry standard protocols as Transmission Control Protocol/Internet Protocol (TCP/IP) and Novell's Internetwork Packet Exchange (IPX). The NM 121 is due to be available in March, and the company said that prices will be announced then. Officials did not return telephone calls seeking further comment. (Grant Buckler/19940207/Press Contact: Jim Marshall or Sandra Plumley, Newbridge Networks, 613-591-3600) (NEWS)(TRENDS)(BOS)(00011) Retail Distribution Up For PCs, Direct Response Down 04/07/94 FRAMINGHAM, MASSACHUSETTS, U.S.A., 1994 FEB 7 (NB) -- PC vendors are pulling back from direct response sales, but the dealer and reseller distribution channels remain strong, and retail and mail order approaches are both on the upswing, according to a new study by International Data Corporation (IDC). Retailers now account for about 22 percent of the dollar value of all US shipments of PCs, and this figure will rise to 25 percent by 1997, the researchers said. The retail category covers computer superstores and mass merchants as well as consumer electronics and office supply stores. The top four PC players -- IBM, Apple, Compaq and Packard-Bell -- maintain a 41 percent share of these retail channels today, but their collective share will leap to 55 percent by the end of this year, the survey predicted. Meanwhile, several top manufacturers -- including IBM, Compaq and AST -- have been legitimizing mail order distribution, and the value-added activities of organizations like PCs Compleat and PC Connection are also helping in this way, IDC reported. For these reasons, together with "changing user channel expectations," the researchers project that the mail order channel will move from a four percent to a six percent channel share by 1997. The dealer channel will stay the largest for the foreseeable future, accounting for roughly a 40 percent share, officials added. But even this channel is changing. IDC expects the Merisel/ComputerLand acquisition to be followed by others, as companies look for partnering opportunities to solidify their positions. Value-added resellers (VARs), another major channel, will continue to represent 14 percent of PC sales through 1997, according to the study. Researchers noted that this channel is not dominated by any one player; no individual VAR accounts for more than a single-digit market share. But the strength of the VAR, dealer, retail and mail-order channels seems to be coming at the expense of the direct channels, the researchers theorized. Several major vendors, including Apple and Compaq, are pulling back from direct response, due to the difficulty of managing channel conflict and retaining the loyalty of resellers, according to IDC. IDC expects the channel share for direct-response sales to drop from 17 percent in 1993 to 14 percent in 1997. (Jacqueline Emigh/19940207/Reader Contact: IDC, 508-872-8200; Press contact: Mike Ault, IDC, 508-872-8200) (NEWS)(GENERAL)(BOS)(00012) "Desktop Channel" Allows Online Purchases Of PC Products 02/07/94 PEABODY, MASSACHUSETTS, U.S.A., 1994 FEB 7 (NB) -- NECX has launched The Desktop Channel, an online service that lets users shop for, locate, and receive 24-hour delivery on IBM-compatible and Apple PC products by dialing an 800 number via modem. Aimed primarily at business buyers, government agencies and educational institutions, The Desktop Channel currently stocks more than 20,000 products for IBM-compatible PCs and Macintoshes, from over 800 manufacturers, according to Henry Bertolon, president and co-founder of NECX. These items include hardware, software, networking products, supplies and accessories. The new online shopping service provides a user-friendly interface that is the result of a three-year development effort, Bertolon added. Users can call 800-808-3375 to request a complementary "key." Compatible with any PC running MS-DOS, the key provides the communications software needed to access The Desktop Channel. Once online, users can search for specific products by entering such parameters as model name, manufacturer or part name. If users do not know exactly what they are looking for, they can employ The Desktop Channel's custom search software to compile a list of products that meet their buying requirements. Search criteria include price and up to 50 performance specifications per product type. To help users make buying decisions, The Desktop Channel also provides product information that includes product descriptions, technical specifications, independent reviews, and industry awards, such as "Product of the Year." In addition, users can enter online faxback requests for literature on any of the products carried by The Desktop Channel. "Shopping online with The Desktop Channel is like walking into a first-class computer store and having a knowledgeable salesperson greet you at the door, provide you with informed product recommendations based on your needs, and immediately process your order for next-day delivery," said Bertolon. The Desktop Channel also offers a 30-day "no hassle" return policy and free technical support for every product sold, according to Bertolon. Users can buy products either online or by phone. Purchases may be made with Visa, Master Card or American Express. Approved customers have the option of paying via purchase order by establishing a corporate account. In addition to its online shopping service, The Desktop Channel operates a fully staffed telephone ordering center. Phone orders can be placed between 8 am and 8 pm., Eastern Standard Time, Monday through Friday, and from 9 am to 5 pm on Saturdays. The Desktop Channel is a new division of NECX, a major distributor of PC products and integrated circuits. Founded in 1980, the privately held, Peabody, Massachusetts-based company has 140 employees and generated $150 million in revenues for 1993. (Jacqueline Emigh/19940207/Reader contact: The Desktop Channel, 800- 808-3375; Press contacts: Brian Marley, The Desktop Channel, 508- 538-8100; Christopher Sampson, WTM for The Desktop Channel, 617-337- 3633) (NEWS)(GOVT)(WAS)(00013) NAFTA Customs Information Now Available On BBS 02/07/94 WASHINGTON, DC, U.S.A., 1994 FEB 7 (NB) -- While Vietnam was opened up to US business yesterday, most companies will be more likely to want to deal with less-distant countries first and with an eye to the need for more information about trade matters, the US Customs Service maintains an electronic bulletin board system (BBS) that carries everything from the latest Customs regulations related to NAFTA, the North American Free Trade Agreement, to news of the latest drug busts. For more than most people ever wanted to know about US Customs operations use your modem to call 703-440-6155 (8,N,1 - that is, set your telecommunications software for 8 bit word, no parity, and one stop bit). If you can't get through to the 24-hour board, try calling 703-440-6236 for human help during normal Washington business hours. Sign up takes about three minutes because Customs seems to want to know a lot about you, including the type of telecom software you are using, or perhaps the system operator (sysop) just doesn't know how to shut off all of the usual Wildcat! BBS (Mustang Software) introductory questions. But there is no discrimination, you can sign up on this board whether you are one of the exporters, importers, ABI Brokers (what ever that is) or other commercial enterprises which the board is designed for, or if you are just a private individual. NAFTA regulations on the board are compressed in self-extracting (.EXE) files: N-REGS1.EXE (187 Kilobytes) "NAFTA Regulations" and N- REGS2.EXE (63 K) "NAFTA Interim Regulations Country of Origin." Interesting press releases found on the board this morning include: "Operation Toothpick" Targets Two Organized Crime Rings" which describes organized crime activities in San Diego's Vietnamese community; and notice of a seminar on "Impact of Customs Modernization Act" which will be held in Washington on February 22. There are a great many trade-related files on this active BBS and many seem to have been downloaded many times (the average seems to be about 30 downloads per file - a relatively large number). This looks like a very useful information source for any company dealing with imports and exports which must pass through US Customs. There are even consumer-type files which discuss toy safety and reports on child pornography. (John McCormick/19940207/Press Contact: Sue Coppola, U.S. Customs Service, 703-440-6236) (NEWS)(TRENDS)(TOR)(00014) Canadian Industry Grew 3.7 Percent In 1993 - IDC 02/07/94 TORONTO, ONTARIO, CANADA, 1994 FEB 7 (NB) -- Despite further shrinkage in the large- and medium-scale systems markets, the Canadian information technology industry grew 3.7 percent overall in 1993, according to International Data Corp. (Canada). IDC expects growth to remain stable at about that same rate through 1997. According to the research firm's figures, the industry had revenues of C$18.32 billion in 1993. The mainframe computer market continues a slide that has been going on for several years. In 1993, large-scale systems sales in Canada shrank 15.8 percent to C$800 million, IDC said. The decline is expected to continue, but by 1997 IDC expects it will slow to a rate of about one percent per year. That will be due to aggressive discounting and cost-cutting among mainframe vendors, which coupled with new technology such as complementary metal-oxide semiconductor (CMOS) processors will offer mainframe buyers better value for their money, IDC predicted. The company also said that mainframes still have some advantages for central database-intensive applications and in areas such as data integrity and security. The medium-scale systems market shrank 14.7 percent in 1993, to C$990 million, IDC said. The small-scale systems market -- by which IDC means small multi-user computers but not single-user PCs and workstations -- grew 2.2 percent to C$700 million. The single-user system market grew 3.5 percent to C$2,810 million in 1993, and IDC expects it to reach C$3.100 billion by 1997, when it will account for 50.1 percent of the total hardware market. Strong growth continued in internetworking products and voice mail. Telecommunications hardware sales grew 2.8 percent to C$5.75 billion in 1993, but IDC forecast marginal growth at best for this sector in the next three years. The reason, the researchers said, is that Canadian telephone companies are having to tighten their belts as they absorb the impact of new competition in long-distance service, and they are cutting capital budgets as a result. The software and services market showed the strongest growth, with revenues increasing by 11.6 percent to C$6.48 billion in 1993. Within this group, the growth leader was packaged software at 16.7 percent. (Grant Buckler/19940207/Press Contact: Debbie Currey, IDC Canada, 416-369-0033, fax 416-369-0419) (NEWS)(IBM)(BOS)(00015) MarketPulse Adds New Features For Target Marketing 02/07/94 CAMBRIDGE, MASSACHUSETTS, U.S.A., 1994 FEB 7 (NB) -- MarketPulse has added new features to its database marketing software for IBM mainframes and IBM P/370-workstations. Used in such industries as insurance, publishing, retail, banking, and non-profit fundraising, the MarketPulse system is designed to let organizations build marketing campaigns, profile and segment customers, track the promotional history of each customer, and measure the success of direct marketing campaigns. The software supports both OS/2 and Windows. MarketPulse Version 1.4 brings several new ways of targeting and identifying audiences, according to officials. "Marketing professionals can now more accurately target their customer audience and reach the most qualified buyers while controlling marketing program costs," said Tom Lix, company president. A new "max per value" capability is intended to let organizations narrow the results of a query, selection plan or direct mail campaign to create a prioritized and distributed subset of records. To help control marketing costs, the feature lets the user specify a maximum of records to be selected or counted for each household, company or business. A new summary file extraction capability in Version 1.4 is aimed at letting the user extract and print out summary information for groups of records on a single line and in a single step. A "cross tab ranges" feature offers a new method of filtering out excess information for a cross tabulation report. Instead of using each distinct value of a field for a separate row or column, the user can now specify ranges of values to be used for rows or columns of the cross tab, according to MarketPulse. Also new in Version 1.4 is the ability to create "3-D cross tab reports," which add a context-dimension to the rows and columns in cross-tab reports. Available now, MarketPulse 1.4 is priced starting at $75,000. Headquartered in Cambridge, Massachusetts, MarketPulse has international operations in both the UK and Canada. (Jacqueline Emigh/19940207/Reader contact: MarketPulse, 617-868- 6220; Press contacts: Victoria Winston, MarketPulse, 617-868-6220; Carol McGarry or Shirley Macbeth, Schwartz Communications for MarketPulse, 617-431-0770) (NEWS)(GENERAL)(BOS)(00016) Bull And Novadyne Form Three-Year Strategic Pact 02/07/94 BILLERICA, MASSACHUSETTS, U.S.A., 1994 FEB 7 (NB) -- Bull and Novadyne have entered into a three-year strategic alliance with terms that allow each company to offer a combined services package to existing and prospective customers. The pact permits Novadyne to act as the prime contractor, immediately delivering a full range of local area network (LAN) and desktop services to customers. Similarly, Bull can now offer its customers Novadyne hardware and software services on DEC, Sun, and Tandem products. These services combine to broaden overall services capabilities, but they do not overlap, officials said. The new relationship between Bull and Novadyne is expected to bring immediate networking capabilities in these environments: Novell NetWare, Microsoft LAN Manager, Microsoft Windows for WorkGroups, 3COM, Apple Share, Apple Talk, Proteon, transmission control protocol/internet protocol (TCP/IP), and IBM System Network Architecture (SNA). "Novadyne has the ability to deliver a complete LAN service to corporate accounts nationwide. We are extremely pleased with our relationship with Bull," said Novadyne CEO Robert B. Laurence. Commenting on the pact, Dick Suech, executive VP of Bull's Customer Services Organization (CSO): "Novadyne's expertise and commitment were key factors for us in the formation of this strategic partnership. More importantly, we felt we shared the same vision of the service industry; we see the same trends and opportunities. That should allow us to add value to each other's businesses." Bull's CSO provides integrated service solutions for open systems and proprietary environments, according to the company. CSO is a division of Bull HN Information Systems Incorporated, Billerica, Massachusetts, which is part of Groupe Bull, a worldwide computer company with presence in more than 100 companies and combined revenues of about $5.7 billion. Santa Ana, California-based Novadyne Computer Systems Incorporated was founded in June, 1990 in a management buy-out of McDonnell Douglas Field Service Company. Today Novadyne is a nationwide reseller of computer system management products, and also provides system management services, including provisioning, maintenance and support of multivendor hardware, software, networks and peripherals. (Jacqueline Emigh/19940207/Reader contacts: Bull HN Information Systems, 508-294-6602; Novadyne Computer Systems: 714-566-2000; Press contacts: Bruce MacDonald, Bull HN Information Systems, 508- 294-6602; Pat Dwight, Novadyne, 714-566-3717) (NEWS)(IBM)(DEN)(00017) ****Compaq Intros Subnotebook Computer 02/07/94 HOUSTON, TEXAS, U.S.A., 1994 FEB 7 (NB) -- Compaq Computer Corporation has announced its first entry into the subnotebook computer market. Compaq says the Contura Aero will be available in monochrome and color versions. The monochrome Aero weighs 3.5 pounds, has a backlit screen, and will run for about four hours on the standard battery. The color system comes with a larger battery which is expected to provide about the same life between charges for that unit. The monochrome system can run up to six hours on the battery that ships with the color system. Compaq spokesperson John Sweney told Newsbytes that the battery compartments in both units are the same size. Monochrome users who elect to use the shorter-life and less expensive battery install a spacer in the battery compartment. The color Aero weighs 4.2 pounds. The Aero is available in models powered by an Intel Corporation 486SX 25 megahertz or 33 megahertz microprocessor. The standard configuration is with four megabytes, but memory can be expanded to 12 megabytes. Hard drives from 84 to 250 megabytes are available. The Aero has one PCMCIA slot for a credit-card sized accessory card that provides peripherals such as a modem or network interface card. An optional floppy disk can be attached through the PCMCIA slot. The PCMCIA card can be changed while the machine is running, and the Aero will automatically reconfigure for the new card. Both models will ship with DOS 6, Microsoft Windows 3.1, Lotus Organizer and Compaq's Tabworks user interface installed. The Aero sold through retail outlets will also be equipped with Microsoft Works for Windows and the Microsoft Entertainment Pack. Compaq no longer announces suggested retail pricing for its computers but Sweney told Newsbytes the monochrome version of Aero will probably sell for about $1,399, while the color model should be available for just under $2,200. The mono model is immediately available, and the color unit is scheduled to ship in March 1994. (Jim Mallory/19940207/Press contact: John Sweney, Compaq Computer Corporation, 713-374-1564; Reader contact: Compaq Computer, 713-374- 1459 or 800-345-1518/PHOTO) (NEWS)(GENERAL)(TOR)(00018) Canadian Product Launch Update 02/07/94 TORONTO, ONTARIO, CANADA, 1994 FEB 5 (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 Macintosh LC 575, ClarisImpact and ClarisWorks 2.1 for the Macintosh, more memory on Hewlett-Packard's 100LX palmtop PC, new storage products for IBM's midrange AS/400 systems, Lotus 1-2-3 Release 4 for Windows Multimedia Edition, Sun's SunPro Workshop, and Toshiba's new T1910 notebooks. Markham, Ontario-based Apple Canada unveiled the Macintosh LC 575 (Newsbytes, Feb. 2), which the company said is its most powerful all-in-one computer. Canadian pricing for the LC 575 is to start at less than C$2,500, Apple Canada said. Claris Canada, of Toronto, announced ClarisWorks 2.1 for the Apple Computer Inc. Macintosh (Newsbytes, Feb. 3) and began shipping its ClarisImpact graphics software for the Mac. ClarisWorks 2.1 is due to be available in Canada in mid-February, with a suggested retail price of C$349. Upgrades are available from Claris at 800-361-6075. ClarisImpact for the Macintosh is now shipping, with a list price of C$499. Registered owners of Claris' MacDraw Pro can buy it for C$124, those who bought MacDraw Pro after June 1, 1993, can get it for C$64, and registered owners of MacDraw II, ClarisWorks, or comparable competitive graphics packages can buy ClarisImpact for C$124. Hewlett-Packard (Canada) of Mississauga, Ontario, said it has doubled the memory of its HP 100LX palmtop PC to two megabytes (MB) (Newsbytes, Feb. 3), and cut the price of the 1MB version to C$780. The two-MB version sells for C$1,064. IBM Canada in Markham, Ontario, announced several new storage products for its AS/400 line of midrange computers (Newsbytes, Feb. 3). They include additions to the 3995 Optical Library Dataserver line as well as new models in the 3490 Magnetic Tape Subsystem line. IBM's two new tape units, the tabletop E01 and the rack-mount E11, are both due to be available March 25 at a list price of C$35,650, IBM Canada said. The Optical Library Dataserver Models A43, 043, and 143 will be available June 24 for C$18,030, C$42,920, and C$105,650 respectively. The multifunction Models A23, 023, and 123 are to be available May 27, at C$21,780, C$53,610, and C$133,350. Conversions from current models 021, 022, 121, and 122 to the new 023 and 123 models will be available July 29 at prices ranging from C$20,570 to C$49,550. Lotus Development Canada of Toronto, began shipping 1-2-3 Release 4 for Windows Multimedia Edition (Newsbytes, Feb. 2), a multimedia version of its spreadsheet software. Due to be widely available by February 11, the software has a Canadian list price of C$599, and upgrades from all other releases of 1-2-3 and competitive spreadsheets are C$159. Sun Microsystems of Canada, in Markham, Ontario, announced the SunPro Workshop suite of development tools for client/server Unix systems (Newsbytes, Jan. 26). SunPro Workshop for C, C++, and FORTRAN are available now for Solaris 2.2 or later. List prices are C$3,295 for the C version, C$4,495 for the C++ version, and C$4,795 for the FORTRAN version. All these prices are for a single-user license, the company said. Toshiba of Canada announced the new T1910 series of notebook computers (Newsbytes, Jan. 31). The Markham, Ontario company said it will begin shipment of the three new models immediately. List prices are C$2,449 for the monochrome T1910/120, C$2,799 for the monochrome T1910/200, and C$3,599 for the color-display T1910CS. (Grant Buckler/19940207/Press Contact: Franca Miraglia, Apple Canada, 416-513-5511; Joan Wilson, Claris Canada, 416-941-9611; Martha Terdik, Hewlett-Packard Canada, 905-206-3311, fax 905-206- 4739; Jane Bargout, IBM Canada, 905-316-2262; Marsha Connor, Lotus Canada, 416-364-8000; Michael Douglas, Sun Canada, 905-477-6745; Barbara Minor, Toshiba Canada, 905-470-3478 ext. 252, fax 905-470- 3479; Public Contact: Apple Canada, 905-477-5800; Claris Canada, 800-361-6077; Hewlett-Packard Canada, 905-206-4725; IBM Canada, 905- 296-8888; Lotus Canada, 800-GO-LOTUS) (NEWS)(GENERAL)(WAS)(00019) ProPhone CD-ROM for European Phones 02/07/94 WASHINGTON, DC, U.S.A., 1994 FEB 7 (NB) -- Fresh from shaking up the US mailing list industry with the introduction of their inexpensive business address and phone CD-ROMs that are used to generate custom mailing lists, Marblehead, Massachusetts-based ProCD has announced plans to provide similar CD-ROMs for the European mail-advertising market. Europages, the first European ProPhone CD-ROM developed by ProCD carries a business directory with listings for more than 150,000 companies in 16 countries. Using more than 6,000 key words a company using Europages can select a custom list, export it, and even choose from a selection of sales or inquiry letters which have been translated into European languages and published on the disc. These local-language letters can be mail-merged with mailing lists generated from the files on the disc. Even at the extremely low $49 (U.S.) price, this disc does not require any additional fees to use the information it contains -- that is, as with the ProPhone directories for U.S. businesses, and unlike the more expensive lists published by some other companies, the information included on a ProCD disc is not subject to usage limitations or additional charges after a certain number of names are exported. These CD-ROMs can be used to produce mailing/phone sales lists, or just as a substitute for the per-call directory assistance. Euredit, SA in Paris is the compiler and European distributor for Europages and, according to Jim Bryant, owner of ProCD, the company sets its own price so the same disc costs $300 US in Europe - still quite a bargain. The European directory contains complete company name, one or more key words to help users locate just the company they want, phone number, along with complete street address and mailing code. Asked about competition from traditional mailing list companies Mr. Bryant told Newsbytes that he has been the target of a number of nuisance suits claiming unfair competition but points out that what he has done is produce a good product at a reasonable price. "All we've done is empower the end user to access information," Mr. Bryant told this bureau and then pointed out that his earlier product covering U.S. white pages costs only a couple of hundred dollars but offers the same information that Nynex charges $29,000 for and even this is down from the earlier $65,000 cost which was in effect before ProCD entered this market. Newsbytes expects to carry a complete review of several new ProPhone products in the near future. (John McCormick/19940207/Press Contact: Jim Bryant, ProCD, 617- 631-9200) (NEWS)(GENERAL)(SFO)(00020) NewsPix Images For Newsbytes Publishers 02/07/94 MINNEAPOLIS, MINNESOTA, U.S.A., 1994 FEB 7 (NB) -- These are the photos that have been digitized and correspond to stories Newsbytes has reported recently. These photos are not available to the general public, but are designed for use by licensed Newsbytes publishers who log into our private bulletin board system in Minneapolis. For information on how to become a licensed Newsbytes publisher in any medium call Newsbytes at 612-430-1100. Newspix weekly summaries will appear Mondays on the Newsbytes wire. All photos are in JPEG format. Photo file names correspond to year-month-day-story number-brief name of picture contents. --------------------------- Week of February 7-11, 1994 --------------------------- 94012715ATIGWondr - Color from slide: view of ATI Technologies windows accelerator card and product box. 94020428MTouch - B&W shot of TruePoint DS-17 flat square touch monitor. With hand coming off frame to touch screen. 94012118CLIRad - Color of desk setup showcasing Compression Labs Inc new Radiance videoconferencing system. Product and people shot. 94011423gore - Head and shoulders portrait vice president Al Gore, (b&w). 94010708sumer - Color from slide. Wide shot of Sumerian ziggurat courtesy Sumeria, producers of the CD-ROM Ancient Cities images of historical sites. 94011019nagel - David Nagel, senior vice president and general manager of Apple's AppleSoft Div. Color from slide. 94011310gryph - Gryphon software in action, Mona Lisa morphs into wacky grin. Color from slide. 93111611spindl - Michael Spindler, Apple's president and chief executive officer (CEO). Color from slide. 94011207mosc - Very wide angle, almost fish eye, shot of Moscone center, site of recent Macworld Expo. Color from slide. 94010428Eworld - View of E-world, Apple's coming online service, screen. 94011423LaTime - Color group shot of Pacific Telesis and Times Mirror execs signing agreement for the creation of "the home-shopping lane of the communications superhighway." Includes Richard T. Schlosberg III, publisher & CEO of the LA Times; Hal Logan, general manager of the Pacific Telesis Electronic Publishing Services; Robert F. Erburu, chairman, president and CEO of Times Mirror; Lee Camp, president of Pacific Telesis Electronic Publishing Services and VP of Pacific Bell. 93111613bastien - B&W portrait of Gaston Bastiaens, general manager for the P.I.E. division of Apple Computer. 94010608SirSp - B&W shot of Sir Speedy franchisee at workstation with Team CD. 94011321philip - B&W of fullmotion video cartridge and box. Cartridge is being inserted in back of CDI unit with Maganavox monitor in background. 9401008citiz - B&W product shot of new lightweight Citizen printer. (Newsbytes/19940207) (NEWS)(TELECOM)(TOR)(00021) Bell Canada To Kill Alex Videotex Service 02/07/94 OTTAWA, ONTARIO, CANADA, 1994 FEB 7 (NB) -- The Alex videotex service, which showed early signs of being a big success when launched as a market trial in 1989, has turned into a failure and is expected to shut down by summer. Bell Canada, which operates Alex in Montreal and Toronto, has applied to the Canadian Radio-television and Telecommunications Commission (CRTC) for permission to close it, company spokeswoman Ruth Foster told Newsbytes. Bell asked to shut the service down as of March 31, but is not expecting a ruling from the regulators until some time in the second quarter, Foster said, so Alex is likely to operate until some time in the second or third quarter. Bell began the service as a videotex trial in Montreal at the beginning of 1989. By June of that year, about 22,000 users had signed up, and that September Bell announced it would turn Alex into a commercial service and extend it to Toronto. Tentative plans to offer it in Ottawa and Quebec City were also discussed. But as early as the beginning of 1990, the cracks began to show. There were reports subscribers were cancelling the service. Bell denied these reports, but provided no hard numbers to substantiate its denials, having stopped publishing subscriber numbers late in 1989. Foster said Bell puts some of the blame on the economic recession that set in just about the time Alex was launched. All services on Alex are discretionary -- that is, subscribers could get the same thing another way -- and financially pressed consumers decided they could do without the service, she said. The collapse of this service does not necessarily mean there is no future for videotex, Foster said. Bell learned a good deal from the Alex project and will use that knowledge in future offerings, she claimed. (Grant Buckler/19940207/Press Contact: Ruth Foster, Bell Canada, 613-781-3768) (NEWS)(GOVT)(WAS)(00022) Administration Continues Support For Weak Encryption 02/07/94 WASHINGTON, DC, U.S.A., 1994 FEBRUARY 7 (NB) -- Despite fierce complaints from the computer industry and civil liberties groups, the Clinton Administration has re-affirmed support for the National Security Agency's (NSA) requested restrictions on encryption technology. The Super Secret NSA is charged with breaking codes and producing unbreakable codes for the use of US military and intelligence communities. After nearly a year-long study, the US Department of Commerce has announced that there will be no change in the government policy which bans export of any encryption software which can't be broken by the NSA. The NIST (National Institute of Standards and Technology), a division of the Dept. of Commerce, works with the NSA in developing and testing encryption systems and establishing standards for government and US commercial use of encryption. This means that the Clinton Administration will continue to support the use of the "clipper" chip, an NSA-developed encryption device and system which can be broken by the NSA. The clipper is intended to be used as a real-time encryption system for telecommunications and its use will allow the government to break encrypted messages relatively easily. There are two major objections to this system: first, if the NSA can break the code with relative ease, companies worry that some hacker or foreign power may learn how to do the same thing; second, civil liberties groups object to any encryption scheme which can easily be broken by the government. In addition, the Washington Post reported on February 5 that the Administration would also endorse a proposed FBI (Federal Bureau of Investigation) requirement that US telecommunications companies be required to make certain that law enforcement agencies could easily tap telephone and computer lines. Unsurprisingly, the law enforcement community says that it needs such access to protect against criminal and terrorist activities while civil libertarians protest that even given clear warnings of such things as expected airplane bombings the FBI has failed to prevent them. Another objection from US computer and telecommunications firms is that, if they are required to use the government-provided clipper technology, no foreign corporation or government in their right minds would adopt the products - thus hurting exports. Newsbytes understands that a court order would be required to access encrypted messages through the keys which will be held by NIST and the Treasury Department (the agency controlling Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, and Firearms and the Secret Service, which supervises protection of the president and combats currency-related crimes) but some people point out that a message recorded today could sit for years in computer records and be decrypted in the future when it is possible that the climate for issuing wire-tap orders could be much looser. At the same time that it endorsed the use of the clipper encryption device and said that it would oppose exporting non-breakable encryption technology, the Clinton Administration loosened the paperwork requirements involved in exporting encryption technology. (John McCormick/19940207) (NEWS)(BUSINESS)(TOR)(00023) SoftKey, WordStar, Spinnaker Complete Merger 02/07/94 CAMBRIDGE, MASSACHUSETTS, U.S.A., 1994 FEB 7 (NB) -- SoftKey Software Products, of Toronto, WordStar International of Novato, California, and Spinnaker Software Corp. of Cambridge have formally completed their three-way merger. The result of the deal is a parent company called SoftKey International Inc., headed by former SoftKey executives but based in Cambridge. The new SoftKey International is essentially the old WordStar, with the old Spinnaker and SoftKey Software Products as subsidiaries. Michael Perik, former chairman and chief executive of SoftKey, will take the same titles at the merged company. SoftKey President Kevin O'Leary will also carry over his title to SoftKey International. David Seuss, who was president of Spinnaker, left the company recently. He had earlier been slated to be president of the merged firm, with O'Leary taking over the chairman's title from Perik. Ron Posner, who was chairman and chief executive of WordStar, and Yoav Stern, who was the California firm's president and chief operating officer, will remain on the SoftKey board. Since all three companies have been consolidating in recent months, no further staff cuts are expected to follow the merger, company spokeswoman Penelope Lamers told Newsbytes. The firm will several lines of software products. The SoftKey Premium line will include WordStar's namesake word processing software, Calendar Creator Plus, the American Heritage Dictionary on compact disk read-only memory (CD-ROM) and others. SoftKey's Key line of small- and home-office titles will continue. The company will also have Easy Working and Titanium Seal lines of software. The merger involves a reverse stock split under which 10 WordStar shares will become one share in SoftKey International. (Grant Buckler/19940207/Press Contact: Penelope Lamers, SoftKey International, 617-494-1200 ext. 584, fax 617-577-7903) (NEWS)(TELECOM)(ATL)(00024) ****Sculley Quits At Spectrum 02/07/94 MANHASSET, NEW YORK, U.S.A., 1994 FEB 7 (NB) -- Less than two weeks after saying he had no plans to leave, former Apple Computer chairman John Sculley has abruptly quit as head of Spectrum Information Technologies. And he didn't just quit, either. According to a report on the CNBC cable network, Sculley charged he wasn't given timely knowledge of Securities and Exchange Commission investigations into the company, and sued Spectrum president Peter Caserta. According to CNBC columnist Dan Dorfman, that suit asks damages of $10 million. Sculley also said he would not exercise stock options which were part of an employment contract he signed last October. Reports at the time indicated that options were the major part of his compensation and were worth up to $20 million. On January 26, Newsbytes received a press statement from Spectrum saying Sculley had no plans to leave. At the time, Sculley reportedly told Dorfman he instead planned to move the company's head offices to Manhattan, nearer his home in Greenwich, Connecticut, and that his wife had come up with a new name for the company -- SpecTel. Some joked after that announcement the name should be "spectral," and that humor proved on-the-mark. Sculley's decision comes at a time when some felt he was turning a corner with Spectrum. Caserta and other insiders apparently sold out their interests in the company soon after Sculley was hired. Combined with an ongoing investigation of Caserta's activities in May, when he made an apparently false claim on the value of a license deal with AT&T, Sculley appeared to have the credibility and leverage to take complete control of the company. But he apparently decided over the weekend it wasn't worth the trouble. While at Spectrum, Sculley worked hard to change the company's image from that of a litigious patent holder to a product company. He settled patent litigation Caserta had filed against Microcom and Data Race, as well as a shareholders' suit filed in the wake of the AT&T license announcement. Efforts to release Sculley or Spectrum for details on the decision were unsuccessful. The stock fell hard on the news, falling over $3 per share to a little over $2. It recovered by mid-day to a little over $2.50. Twice in the last year, specifically at the time of the AT&T press release and Sculley's hiring, the stock traded as high as $12. In his report on the Sculley decision, Dorfman said sources have predicted more stockholder and class action suits. Spectrum's patents may also be suspect. Motorola has yet to license them and in the past spokesmen for that company have assured Newsbytes their cellular phone-modem connectors and error-correction schemes do not infringe on Spectrum's patents. (Dana Blankenhorn/19940207/Press Contact: John Henderson, for Spectrum, 212-489-6900; Dae Chang, Spectrum, 516-627-8992) (NEWS)(BUSINESS)(SFO)(00025) Banyan Systems Acquires Beyond, Posts 1993 Income 02/07/94 WESTBORO, MASSACHUSETTS, U.S.A., 1994 FEB 7 (NB) -- Networking software company, Banyan Systems, has entered into a definitive agreement to acquire the stock of Beyond. At the same time, the company has reported that net income for its full year ended December 31, 1993, was $12,962,000, a 57 percent increase over its 1992 net income of $8,234,000. Newsbytes notes that Banyan markets the VINES network operating system which competes mainly with Novell's NetWare for market share. Under terms of the deal, Banyan will acquire the outstanding stock of privately held Beyond, an enterprise-wide electronic messaging vendor, for $17.5 million in cash. The companies expect the acquisition to be completed during the first quarter of 1994 and will be accounted for as a purchase. According to Banyan, a "substantial portion of the acquisition costs will be allocated to purchased research and development and could result in a one-time-after-tax charge against earnings of approximately $11 million." In announcing the deal, David C. Mahoney, Banyan's chairman and chief executive officer, said: "Banyan's enterprise network services infastructure, coupled with beyond's products, will enable Banyan to deliver significant new enterprise capabilities to customers. Our goal is the delivery of 'best-in-class' enterprise network services, including products to enable our customers to build messaging into their networks as a platform for a new breed of mail-enabled solutions." Banyan plans to "further integrate" its Intelligent Messaging technology with Beyond's products to "provide a complete messaging solution for corporate customers to link many different types of computers." Banyan's financial results are up from 1992. According to the company, net income per share was 70 cents in 1993 compared to 50 cents per share in 1992. Revenues for the year were $127.8 million compared with $113.5 million in 1992. Said Mahoney: "Compared to the full year 1992, we have seen a 25 percent increase in software revenues to $94.2 million, and a 26 percent increase in support and training revenues to $18.6 million in 1993. As we expected, hardware revenues declined 36 percent to $15 million in 1993." Revenues from the company's North American business increased to $107.1 million in 1993 from $91.2 million in 1992. North American software revenues increased 33 percent to $77.2 million this year, and 1993 international revenues were $20.7 million compared with $22.3 million in the prior year. The company said that, international software revenues were "essentially flat" at $17 million. However, the company plans to increase its field sales and support staffing by more than 20 percent in 1994, with particular emphasis on growing its international operations. For the fourth quarter of 1993, Banyan's revenues totaled $32.8 million, compared to $30.6 million in the same period a year ago. Net income increased to $3,217,000, or 17 cents per share in the quarter, as compared to $2,924,000, or 16 cents per share, in the fourth quarter of 1992. The fourth quarter of 1993 includes a charge of $800,000 for "severance costs related to the elimination of certain staff positions." Banyan has also announced that its board of directors has authorized the company to repurchase up to one million shares of its common stock "from time to time, in open market transactions." According to the company, the stock repurchase will be used to "acquire shares for use in the company's Incentive Stock Option and Employee Stock Purchase Plans, and similar corporate purposes." As reported elsewhere by Newsbytes, effective April 1, Banyan will change its pricing and packaging for the Vines and ENS for Unix product lines according to how many users the purchase is intended for. (Ian Stokell/19940207/Press Contact: Siobhan Carroll, 508-898-1000, Banyan Systems) (NEWS)(TELECOM)(ATL)(00026) ****CERT Issues Warning of Internet Trojan Horse 02/08/94 PITTSBURGH, PENNSYLVANIA, U.S.A., 1994 FEB 7 (NB) -- The Computer Emergency Response Team (CERT), a federally-funded group based at Carnegie Mellon University, has issued a series of statements warning of an intruder alert on the Internet, and sent detailed messages on the problem to operators of systems linked to it. A message from CERT, sent late on February 3, indicated that intruders have captured access data for several thousands of systems. The method is said to be a "Trojan Horse," a program which appears innocuous but and works its damage clandestinely. In this case, the program appears to have been capturing access codes, a technique known as "sniffing" in hacker/security circles. CERT is funded by the Advanced Research Projects Administration, or ARPA, an arm of the Department of Defense. According to a CERT statement sent to Newsbytes, "Internet systems that allow remote access via remote login, anonymous file transfer protocol or remote ftp, and telnet protocols are at high risk of compromise. Internet system administrators and users were urged to change their passwords immediately, and adopt stronger authentication technology now available to the Internet community. A complete advisory, itself available through remote ftp, is at info.cert.org, and additional information can be obtained on comp.security.announce. A copy of the February 3 advisory, also obtained by Newsbytes, notes that reports of intruders monitoring network traffic had increased dramatically in the previous week. It added that all sites with systems supporting the /dec/nit interface, mainly Sun OS 4.x and Solbourne systems, specifically should disable this feature if it is not used and attempt to prevent unauthorized access if the feature is necessary. The advisory described a method for doing this, as well as a method for determining whether the intruders' programs are running on each system. It added that the best long-term solution is to reduce or eliminate the transmission of reusable passwords in clear-text over the network. The advisory said that root-compromised systems supporting a promiscuous network interface are being used by intruders to collect host and user authentication information visible on the network. Intruders use an unpatched vulnerability the advisory gives directions for patching, then run a network monitoring tool that captures up to 128 keystrokes on all newly opened ftp, telnet and rlogin sessions within the domain, with a Trojan Horse program installed to support subsequent intruder log-ins and hide the monitoring program. All connected network sites that use the network to access remote systems are at risk, the advisory adds. System administrators can become part of the CERT advisory mailing list by sending a request to cert-advisory-request@cert.org, including complete contact information as well as a telephone number. The FBI is reportedly also investigating the break-ins. The news comes just as the government is passing a series of electronic "keys" to the Department of the Treasury and National Institute of Standards and Technology aimed at implementing its new chip-based wiretapping strategy for digital networks. That strategy has been widely criticized by privacy advocates, and the government emphasizes it is a voluntary system. The White House says it will allow the export of devices containing the new scrambling technology, dubbed a "Clipper chip" by some, and industry spokesmen expressed disappointment, since they wanted to export equipment with other encryption devices, and software buyers are demanding such Fed-proof encryption features. (Dana Blankenhorn/19940207/Press Contact: Terry McGillen, CERT, 412-268-7394; Sysop Hotline: 312-268-7090; e-mail: cert@cert.org) (NEWS)(GENERAL)(BOS)(00027) Cabletron Intros Smart Switching Hub For Today And Future 02/07/94 NEWTON, MASSACHUSETTS, U.S.A., 1994 FEB 7 (NB) -- Cabletron has unveiled the Multi Media Access Center (MMAC)-Plus, an intelligent switching hub aimed at giving today's network users the high bandwidth needed for new applications like multimedia, while also allowing migration to the even higher bandwidth that will come when asychronous transfer mode (ATM) arrives as a commercial reality. MMAC-Plus will supply super-fast aggregate switching performance of nine gigabytes-per-second (Gbps), without requiring users to abandon their investments in existing local area network (LAN) technologies such as Ethernet, token ring and fiber distributed data interface (FDDI), officials said at a press conference attended by Newsbytes in Newton, Massachusetts. Slated to start shipping in May, the 14-slot switching hub will also allow immediate uplinks to outside ATM switches, noted MikeSkubisz, director of product marketing for Rochester, New Hampshire-based Cabletron. In the first half of 1996, Cabletron plans to release the Cell Transfer Matrix (CTM), a backplane component that will permit the hub itself to be configured as an ATM backbone switch, with a switching capacity of more than 60 Gbps, he said. In addition to high bandwidth and a clear migration path to ATM, MMAC-Plus will also provide high price/performance, integrated routing, fault-tolerant operation for "zero downtime," and backward compatibility to other Cabletron hubs, the five executives told hundreds of journalists in the conference room at the Newton Marriott Hotel. "With the strategy we're announcing, you can integrate the entire network," said Robert Levine, president and CEO. Chris Oliver, director of engineering, explained that the 14-slot MMAC-Plus chassis will be able to serve as either a date center or wiring closet hub, with over 500 ports and support for over 168 LAN segments. The hub platform is built on Cabletron's Fast Packet Switch (FPS) technology, a method based on the same connection-oriented switching concept as ATM, and on the company's PLUS Architecture, a platform that revolves around an Intel 80960 RISC processor. The PLUS architecture is also used in MicroMMAC hubs for small branch offices with 10 to 20 users, and in MMAC three-, five- and eight-slot hubs for larger regional offices with 50 to 100 users. Cabletron plans to deploy FPS across its entire family of hubs, including the MMAC series of modular hubs and the HubStack line of stackable hubs, according to the officials. FPS is designed to provide each user with a dedicated, switched access connection to the network, assuring that each user has access to 100 percent of the available bandwidth, instead of having to share -- or contend with -- other users for bandwidth, as is the case with traditional shared access local area networks (LANs). Michael Skubisz, director of product marketing, said that FPS works with the Internal Network Bus (INB), a dual bus on the switching backplane of the MMAC-Plus. The INB is built for simultaneous transport both variable length local and wide area network (WAN) packets and fixed-length ATM traffic. FPS switches the multiprotocol packets in hardware through custom- designed application specific integrated circuits (ASICS) that are based on LSI Logic's 300K chip technology. The switch also performs Remote Monitoring MIB (RMON), a Simple Network Management Protocol (SNMP)-based capability for network analysis and problem solving, he said. Cabletron will deliver FPS to users in hardware-based modules, each with its own i960 processor, according to Skubisz. The company will initially provide Ethernet, token ring, FDDI, and ATM interface modules that use the FPS technology. In their first implementation, the Ethernet, token ring, FDDI, and ATM modules will provide up to 650 megabits-per-second (Mbps) bandwidth and a sustainable forwarding rate, or throughput, exceeding 400,000 pps, according to Skubisz. The ATM module will employ Fore Systems' cell-switching technology to provides a non-blocking ATM switching capacity of 2.5 Gbps. Cabletron has announced intentions to support all standard ATM connectivity or "uplink" options, including 100 Mbps, 155 Mbps Sonet, and 45 Mbps DS3 port interface. Oliver told the journalists that a key reason for the high throughput of the MMAC-Plus is built-in bridging and routing. In contrast to static port or "multichannel" hubs like the Cisco AGS+4, which require external bridges and routers for internetworking, MMAC-Plus integrates bridging at the media access control (MAC) layer and routing at the network layer, he said. At the start of the product development process, Cabletron considered using a multichannel architecture, but then decided against it, he recalled. "We're getting twice the performance of a static-port hub, at half the cost," he asserted. With MMAC-Plus, 100 ports will cost about $50,000, he acknowledged. No additional bridging or routing devices are necessary, however. In contrast, a multichannel hub costs only about $20,000 for 100 ports. But if an external bridge/router is required, the total cost of the system will soar to about $90,000 for 100 ports, and throughput will fall to less than 100,000 pps, he maintained. "A multichannel architecture would also limit our ability to scale forward," he added. Where the multichannel hub does not scale well to more than three LANs per wiring closet, the packet-switched backplane supports 168 LANs in a single hub, according to Cabletron. Multichannel hubs switch ports, rather than packets of data, unlike "true" packet-switching hubs such as FPS, Oliver explained. Moreover, multichannel hubs do not support RMON. The INB backplane bus on the MMAC-Plus is designed to provide non- blocking intermodule switching transport services up to a sustained 4 Gbps, at 2 Gbps per channel, according to Skubisz. With the use of statistical multiplexing, the INB can also support the MMAC-Plus' aggregate switching rate of greater than 10 Gbps. The dual-bus design of the INB not only allows for simultaneous transport of packets and cells, but also promotes fault tolerant operation by eliminating a single point of failure, he told the journalists. Other factors contributing to fault-tolerant operation include the flexible network bus (FNB), system power bus, and system management bus that reside with the INB on the backplane of the hub, and the SNMP-based network management capabilities that are built into all hub modules. Through the network management capabilities, one module in the hub is "elected" at system start-up to perform the duties of chassis manager. The remaining modules stand-by as managers and can dynamically assume the role of chassis manager in the event of a failure or overload of the elected module. MMAC-Plus can be administered through any network management system that complies with SNMP, including Cabletron's Spectrum for Open Systems product family, according to Skubisz. The FNB on the backplane of the hub consists of two FDDI networks, FDDI-1 and FDDI-2, which together provide up to 400 Mbps of data bandwidth for connectivity to other MMAC-Plus hubs, other FDDI- compliant devices, and Ethernet and token ring LAN segments on the network. The use of four FDDI rings is also aimed at securing redundancy, he said. The system management bus features two management channels: SMB-1, a 1 Mbps channel for internal hub management tasks, and the SMB-10, a 10 Mbps channels for "sideband" management. SMB-10 provides a separate bus for downloads and system control, and also acts as a redundant path to in-band network management information. The system power bus uses a distributed DC power system similar to those found in supercomputers. The system is based on a 48-volt DC power bus that runs across the backplane to power all modules and subsystems. In addition, a 5-volt power supply is delivered to each system component for use in powering the diagnostic controllers that are present on every module. Skubisz explained that another key component of the hub, the "environmental module," sits as a tray on top of the chassis. The environmental module includes an internal 32-bit microprocessor and memory chip from Intel, a fault-tolerant cooling system, out-of-band access to management information, and a 4-by-40 liquid crystal display (LCD) that provides access to system status information. "This is a very complex product," noted Craig Benson, chairman and COO. Due to the intricacy of the new hub, product development has been a three-year, $100 million development effort, involving the purchase of $30 million in new Electronic Design Automation (EDA) tools as well as the introduction of concurrent engineering to Cabletron's manufacturing process. In a Q&A session that followed, journalists asked Levine, Benson, Oliver, Skubisz, and Michael Welts, director of marketing, about topics ranging from whether MMAC-Plus will route IBM's Advanced Peer-to-Peer Networking (APPN) protocol, to whether the hub will support SNMP-II, to how Cabletron perceives Cisco's products. The hub does support SNMP-II, even though user demand has not been that high for the revised network management protocol. Cabletron views the products of Cisco, Wellfleet and other internetworking vendors as "moving routing off to the side" of other networking functions, the executives responded. In the first half of 1994, MMAC-Plus will route internet protocol (IP), internet packet exchange (IPX), DECnet and AppleTalk protocols. Cabletron expects to add support for the APPN, Banyan, open systems interconnect (OSI), and Xerox Network Services (XNS) protocols in the second half of this year. At the close of the three-hour event, Cabletron officials, partners and users were on hand to talk with the journalists. In a meeting with Newsbytes, Tony Stelliga, director and general manager of LSI Logic, said that the FPS, which uses LSI's chip technology, integrates the complexity of a 486 PC on a single chip. FPS represents LSI's strategy of providing core chip technology that can then be differentiated by original equipment manufacturers (OEMs) to provide unique final products. In addition to working with Cabletron, LSI Logic is also partnering with Newbridge Networks in this way. The company plans to announce several other partnerships over the next few weeks, Newsbytes was told.. In another meeting, Sam Picture, manager of telecommunication for Home Savings of America, Irwindale, California, said that the bank is looking at MMAC-Plus as well as competing products from other vendors. Factors to be considered include cost, multiprotocol routing capabilities, and how these products would stack up against any ATM services that telecom carriers might be offering in the future, according to Picture. After the press conference, Pat Boyd, network engineer at Duke University, Durham, North Carolina, told Newsbytes that the university plans to take part in the MMAC-Plus beta test that is scheduled to start in March. "ATM is still immature, to say the least. But at the same time, we have some application areas where 10 Mbps or even FDDI may not be enough. Based on Cabletron's solid track record with us, we believe that MMAC-Plus will provide us now with an intermediary step toward full-blown ATM on the desktop," he reported. Analysts were also enthusiastic about the potential of MMAC-Plus. Tam Delloro, senior industry analyst, data communications, for Dataquest, San Jose, California, said that switching has traditionally been an area setting internetworking players like Cisco and Wellfleet apart from hub vendors like Cabletron, Synoptics and Chipcom. "If the technical features Cabletron is talking about are really there, then Cabletron is spearheading a movement toward the collision of these two worlds," she told Newsbytes. Mark McElroy, senior manager of KPMG Peat Marwick's National Network Technologies Practice, said that KPMG has been advising clients in recent months to start thinking of switching hub technology as a steppingstone to ATM. "In our view, shared access LANs are obsolete, for all intents and purposes. The sooner the industry comes to market with switching hubs, the better," commented McElroy, who is based in Radnor, Pennsylvania. "The Cabletron announcement represents nothing less than a watershed in the industry. Switching opens the door to dramatic improvements in performance and network management, and to applications beyond data, such as multimedia and videoconferencing. That's also the general allure of ATM, but ATM is still premature at this point," McElroy told Newsbytes. (Jacqueline Emigh/19940207/Reader contact: Cabletron Systems, 603- 332-9400; Press contacts: Darren Orzechowski or Michele Jachim, Cabletron, 603-332-9400) (NEWS)(IBM)(LAX)(00028) ALR MM PC W/ Dual Speed CD-ROM, VGA Monitor Under $2K 02/07/94 IRVINE, CALIFORNIA, U.S.A., 1994 FEB 7 (NB) -- Advanced Logic Research (ALR) is offering a deal for those interested in a multimedia personal computer. The company says it is offering a 486DX 50 megahertz (MHz)-based multimedia personal computer (PC) for under $2,000. The ALR Multimedia Express system comes with a dual speed, multisession compact disc read-only memory (CD-ROM) drive that is Kodak PhotoCD compatible; a 16-bit sound card; speakers; a 250 megabyte (MB) hard disk drive; and a color video graphics array (VGA) monitor and card with 1 MB of dynamic RAM (DRAM) -- all for $1,995. The system also is equipped with 4 megabytes of random access memory (RAM) on the system board and comes preloaded with Microsoft Windows 3.1, Microsoft DOS 6.2, Voyetra Multimedia Sound Software, and HSC Interactive SE (Special Edition). Four CD-ROM titles also included are: Microsoft Bookshelf; Great Wonders of the World Volume 1; The San Diego Zoo Presents: The Animals; and Where in the World is Carmen San Diego? Deluxe Edition. The company has a toll-free number for those interested in finding ALR dealers in their area and offers a one year warranty on its systems. (Linda Rohrbough/19940207/Press Contact: David Kirkey, Advanced Logic Research, tel 714-581-6770, fax 714-581-9240; Public Contact, Advanced Logic Research, 800-444-4257; PHOTO) (NEWS)(BUSINESS)(SFO)(00029) ****DEC To Produce 486 Microprocessors For AMD 02/07/94 SUNNYVALE, CALIFORNIA, U.S.A., 1994 FEB 7 (NB) -- High demand for 486 microprocessors from Advanced Micro Devices (AMD) has led to the company signing up Digital Equipment Corp., to become a foundry. The deal is for two years initially, and is intended to satisfy market demand until the company's new manufacturing facility is completed in Austin, Texas, at the end of 1995. As a result of the deal, DEC will produce wafers for AMD at its South Queensferry, Scotland, manufacturing facility. The company plans to utilize an adaptation of its 0.68-micron process technology. John Greenagel, spokesman for AMD, told Newsbytes that, "This is probably the most important semiconductor market in the world today. AMD's current ability to gain market share and serve customers is limited by our manufacturing capacity. While we are building a new one billion dollar factory in Austin to build microprocessors, that new facility won't be in full operation until late 1995. The addition of a foundry capacity to get us through and enable us to gain market share while were are getting that facility operational is of vital importance." Commenting on DEC, he said: "Having a foundry partner like Digital -- one of the foremost semiconductor manufacturers in its own right -- would be a great boost to AMD." The deal is also an important one for DEC. Said Robert B. Palmer, president and chief executive officer of the company, "This agreement will enable Digital to produce increased volumes in our South Queensferry fab, resulting in lower cost per wafer for all of Digital's semiconductor products. Building on our world-class semiconductor design and production capabilities is a key part of our ongoing plan to return Digital to sustained profitability." So what happens after the two years, Newsbytes asked Greenagel? "This is an agreement that will run for two years and there's options to extend the foundry arrangement if we require additional capacity. And obviously, while we are building a huge facility in Austin, we hope that demand will outstrip our ability to manufacture. We are hopeful of a long-term relationship." Initial production shipments of Am486 products from wafers manufactured by Digital are expected to begin in the fourth quarter of 1994. AMD, for its part, expects shipments of Am486 microprocessors manufactured from die produced at the DEC facility will reach an annual run-rate of 2,000,000 units in the first half of 1995. Said WJ Sanders III, chairman and chief executive officer of AMD, "From a long-term strategic perspective, this agreement also assures that AMD will have added production capacity for current and future generations of microprocessor products. With this foundry agreement, we have the ability to allocate additional 0.5-micron manufacturing capacity at our facility in Sunnyvale, California, to production of both our high-performance Am486 devices and our fifth-generation K5 microprocessor products in 1995." The processors will be manufactured in the Scottish facility on the same line as the company's Alpha AXP microprocessors. Said Ed Caldwell, Digital's vice president of Semiconductor Operations, "This takes advantage of our high-yielding 0.68-micron process. In addition, we will be migrating this facility to 0.5- micron technology over the next year to boost performance and output of both Alpha AXP and Am486 microprocessors." The legal battle between Intel and AMD, as well as other 386 and 486 microprocessor clone-makers has been a long and expensive one, notes Newsbytes. But the rewards are huge. In January, Newsbytes reported that AMD reported record annual revenues for the third successive year. According to the company, sales of $1,648,280,000 for the fiscal year ended December 26, 1993, represented an increase of nine percent over the prior year, and operating income of $305,053,000 was also a record. The company's fourth-quarter revenues were $413,404,000, which produced net income of $41,639,000 before the preferred stock dividend, or $0.41 per common share after the dividend. The immediate-prior quarter revenues were $418,351,000 and net income of $61,338,000 before the preferred stock dividend. In the fourth quarter of 1992 AMD reported revenues of $400,224,000 and net income of $69,564,000 before the preferred stock dividend, or $0.73 per common share after the dividend. (Ian Stokell/19940207/Press Contact: John Greenagel, 408-749-3310, Advanced Micro Devices; Lisa Lipson, 508-568-4352, Digital Equipment Corp.) (NEWS)(TELECOM)(ATL)(00030) MCI Completes BT North America Buy 02/07/94 WASHINGTON, D.C, U.S.A., 1994 FEB 7 (NB) -- MCI completed its acquisition of what it called "substantially all" the assets and businesses of BT North America, which runs the Tymnet packet data network. The purchase price, $125 million, will make no material difference in its financial results, the company said. The BT North America service portfolio is being integrated into MCI's data services division. When the data services division was formed last year, it was based in Dallas, Texas, but its operations are spread throughout the country. MCI Mail, for instance, is still based in Washington, D.C. BT North America is based in San Jose, California. Robert Harcharick, head of the new division, is based in Richardson and was the first head of MCI Mail, a spokesman told Newsbytes. The San Jose location will remain, MCI spokesman Pam Small told Newsbytes. All data operations, however, will report to Dallas. Still unclear is exactly what MCI is buying. A press release from the company indicated that MCI is in the process of "reviewing BTNA services for integration within the MCI portfolio," a process which could take months. In addition to its packet network, BT North America also owns such thing as a credit authorization service. At one point, there were rumors BT itself was interested in getting rid of that division, something BT denied. But credit card authorizations don't seem to fit into the MCI framework, and those rumors may begin again. In a press statement MCI praised BT's virtual data units, and made no mention of credit authorization. The acquisition is part of a major alliance between MCI and BT announced last June, under which will buy 20 percent of MCI for $4.3 billion. That deal is still not complete, and requires approval from governments in both Europe and the US. (Dana Blankenhorn/19940207/Press Contact: MCI, Pam Small, 202- 887-3000) (NEWS)(GENERAL)(LON)(00031) Newsbytes Daily Summary 02/07/94 MINNEAPOLIS, MINNESOTA, U.S.A., 1994 FEB 7 (NB) -- These are capsules of all today's news stories: 1 -> UK Accounting Firm Alleges 1993 Fraud At Record High 02/07/94 The amount of money allegedly stolen, misappropriated or misused in major corporate fraud cases has risen by 11 percent since 1992 to reach a peak last year, KPMG Peat Marwick, a London-based accounting consultancy group has announced. 2 -> Czech Republic Bank Computerizes Int'l Payments System 02/07/94 Banka Bohemia has installed a Stratus A/R fault tolerant (FT) computer to automate its international payments system. 3 -> Media Vision Ships Windows Accelerator Board 02/07/94 With the increase in use of Microsoft's Windows graphical user environment, users wanting to optimize PC performance often choose a spatial accelerator board that plugs into their desktop system and speeds up screen changes. Now Media Vision says it has begun shipping in volume its Pro Graphics 1024 Windows accelerator. 4 -> Banyan Restructures Vines & ENS Pricing 02/07/94 In the second announcement involving the company's Enterprise Network Services (ENS) product in a week, Banyan Systems says that, effective April 1, it will change its pricing and packaging for its Vines network operating system and ENS for Unix product lines according to how many users the purchase is intended for. 5 -> Sybiz Announces Open-Architecture Accounting For Windows 02/07/94 Australian accounting software manufacturer Sybiz claims to have come up with another world first - - an accounting system that runs under Windows, that users can customize using readily available development tools. 6 -> Australian News Briefs 02/07/94 Here's a roundup of computer and telecom industry news this week from down under. 7 -> Individual Software Unveils Personal Organizer For Windows 02/07/94 Individual Software, the producers of Professor Multimedia, has released AnyTime 2.0 for Windows for immediate shipping. 8 -> UK - Softklone Readies For Windows '94 Show This Month 02/07/94 Softklone UK, which claims to be the exclusive republisher for various communications and software products in the UK, has announced it will be presenting four selected items at the Olympia show "Windows 1994" show in London later this month. The "Windows 1994" show will be held in the Grand Hall, Olympia, in London on 22-25 February. 9 -> Pro Micro Pacific Announces The Computer Condom 02/07/94 Pro Micro-Pacific has unveiled the "Computer Condom" anti-virus package. Selling for just $14-95, this unlikely-sounding package is a repackaged budget version of the company's Thunderbyte anti-virus software. 10 -> Newbridge Offers ATM Adapters For PCs 02/07/94 Newbridge Microsystems, a division of Newbridge Networks Corporation, has announced an asynchronous transfer mode (ATM) adapter for personal computers. 11 -> Retail Distribution Up For PCs, Direct Response Down 04/07/94 PC vendors are pulling back from direct response sales, but the dealer and reseller distribution channels remain strong, and retail and mail order approaches are both on the upswing, according to a new study by International Data Corporation (IDC). 12 -> "Desktop Channel" Allows Online Purchases Of PC Products 02/07/94 NECX has launched The Desktop Channel, an online service that lets users shop for, locate, and receive 24-hour delivery on IBM-compatible and Apple PC products by dialing an 800 number via modem. 13 -> NAFTA Customs Information Now Available On BBS 02/07/94 While Vietnam was opened up to US business yesterday, most companies will be more likely to want to deal with less-distant countries first and with an eye to the need for more information about trade matters, the US Customs Service maintains an electronic bulletin board system (BBS) that carries everything from the latest Customs regulations related to NAFTA, the North American Free Trade Agreement, to news of the latest drug busts. 14 -> Canadian Industry Grew 3.7 Percent In 1993 - IDC 02/07/94 Despite further shrinkage in the large- and medium-scale systems markets, the Canadian information technology industry grew 3.7 percent overall in 1993, according to International Data Corp. (Canada). 15 -> MarketPulse Adds New Features For Target Marketing 02/07/94 MarketPulse has added new features to its database marketing software for IBM mainframes and IBM P/370-workstations. 16 -> Bull And Novadyne Form Three-Year Strategic Pact 02/07/94 Bull and Novadyne have entered into a three-year strategic alliance with terms that allow each company to offer a combined services package to existing and prospective customers. 17 -> ****Compaq Intros Subnotebook Computer 02/07/94 Compaq Computer Corporation has announced its first entry into the subnotebook computer market. 18 -> Canadian Product Launch Update 02/07/94 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. 19 -> ProPhone CD-ROM for European Phones 02/07/94 Fresh from shaking up the US mailing list industry with the introduction of their inexpensive business address and phone CD-ROMs that are used to generate custom mailing lists, Marblehead, Massachusetts-based ProCD has announced plans to provide similar CD-ROMs for the European mail-advertising market. 20 -> NewsPix Images For Newsbytes Publishers 02/07/94 These are the photos that have been digitized and correspond to stories Newsbytes has reported recently. These photos are not available to the general public, but are designed for use by licensed Newsbytes publishers who log into our private bulletin board system in Minneapolis. For information on how to become a licensed Newsbytes publisher in any medium call Newsbytes at 612-430-1100. 21 -> Bell Canada To Kill Alex Videotex Service 02/07/94 The Alex videotex service, which showed early signs of being a big success when launched as a market trial in 1989, has turned into a failure and is expected to shut down by summer. 22 -> Administration Continues Support For Weak Encryption 02/07/94 Despite fierce complaints from the computer industry and civil liberties groups, the Clinton Administration has re-affirmed support for the National Security Agency's (NSA) requested restrictions on encryption technology. The Super Secret NSA is charged with breaking codes and producing unbreakable codes for the use of US military and intelligence communities. 23 -> SoftKey, WordStar, Spinnaker Complete Merger 02/07/94 SoftKey Software Products, of Toronto, WordStar International of Novato, California, and Spinnaker Software Corp. of Cambridge have formally completed their three-way merger. 24 -> ****Sculley Quits At Spectrum 02/07/94 Less than two weeks after saying he had no plans to leave, former Apple Computer chairman John Sculley has abruptly quit as head of Spectrum Information Technologies. 25 -> Banyan Systems Acquires Beyond, Posts 1993 Income 02/07/94 Networking software company, Banyan Systems, has entered into a definitive agreement to acquire the stock of Beyond. At the same time, the company has reported that net income for its full year ended December 31, 1993, was $12,962,000, a 57 percent increase over its 1992 net income of $8,234,000. 26 -> ****CERT Issues Warning of Internet Trojan Horse 02/08/94 The Computer Emergency Response Team (CERT), a federally-funded group based at Carnegie Mellon University, has issued a series of statements warning of an intruder alert on the Internet, and sent detailed messages on the problem to operators of systems linked to it. 27 -> Cabletron Intros Smart Switching Hub For Today And Future 02/07/94 Cabletron has unveiled the Multi Media Access Center (MMAC)-Plus, an intelligent switching hub aimed at giving today's network users the high bandwidth needed for new applications like multimedia, while also allowing migration to the even higher bandwidth that will come when asychronous transfer mode (ATM) arrives as a commercial reality. 28 -> ALR MM PC W/ Dual Speed CD-ROM, VGA Monitor Under $2K 02/07/94 Advanced Logic Research (ALR) is offering a deal for those interested in a multimedia personal computer. The company says it is offering a 486DX 50 megahertz (MHz)-based multimedia personal computer (PC) for under $2,000. 29 -> ****DEC To Produce 486 Microprocessors For AMD 02/07/94 High demand for 486 microprocessors from Advanced Micro Devices (AMD) has led to the company signing up Digital Equipment Corp., to become a foundry. The deal is for two years initially, and is intended to satisfy market demand until the company's new manufacturing facility is completed in Austin, Texas, at the end of 1995. 30 -> MCI Completes BT North America Buy 02/07/94 MCI completed its acquisition of what it called "substantially all" the assets and businesses of BT North America, which runs the Tymnet packet data network. The purchase price, $125 million, will make no material difference in its financial results, the company said. The BT North America service portfolio is being integrated into MCI's data services division. (Steve Gold/19940207)