Newsbytes - Internationa…ews 1983 May to 1994 June/Newsbytes - International Computing Industry News 1994 Edition - May 1983 - June 1994 - Wayzata Technologies (5045) (1994).iso/pc/text/mac_text/1994/jan_feb_94/nb022294

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

Lasermaster Ships Photo Quality Digital Color Printer 02/22/94
MINNEAPOLIS, MINNESOTA, U.S.A., 1994 FEB 22 (NB) -- Lasermaster
Technologies has announced it is now shipping a wide format digital
color printer that produces photo quality output directly from
Macintosh and IBM-compatible computers.

The new Displaymaker Professional Big Color Printer joins the
Displaymaker Digital Color Printer Lasermaster, which started
shipping in June, 1993.

Like its older sibling, the new printer includes a multi-platform
Postscript-language color server and an ink-jet printer that can
print on roll-fed or cut-sheet paper that is up to 36 inches wide.
Rolls of up to 18 feet long can be accommodated. The new model
uses Lasermaster's ink delivery system and ink calibrator.

Lasermaster's Big Ink Delivery System increases the ink capacity of
the printer by a factor of 10. The company says it designed the ink
delivery system to work with its Colormark color management
system, which depends on specific color profilers that Lasermaster
provides with each supply of ink.

The color server includes a number of job management and job
logging features and an icon display for easier print job
management. The server can be upgraded to add a second Big Color
printer. The second print head, called Displaymaker Remote, is
tentatively priced at $17,995 and is scheduled to ship in the
second quarter.

Lasermaster says the Displaymaker Professional is the ideal unit
for service bureaus, quick printers and photo labs that need a wide
format printer. "Users won't have to change ink cartridges as often,
they are less likely to run out of ink in the middle of a print job,
and we provide them with the tools that allow them maintain
accurate, consistent color from print to print," says Lasermaster
CEO Mel Masters.

(Jim Mallory/19940218/Press Contact: David Noah, Lasermaster,
612-944-9457; Reader Contact: Lasermaster, 612-944-9457)


(NEWS)(IBM)(DEN)(00002)

Windows Dynamic User Interface Design Tool Intro'd 02/22/94
COLORADO SPRINGS, COLORADO, U.S.A., 1994 FEB 22 (NB) -- A
Colorado company has announced a interface design tool for
Microsoft Windows 3.1 that it claims fits the firm's motto of
"Software to Visualize the Future."

Colorado Springs-based Altia Inc.'s Altia Design 1.3 for Windows
3.1 is a software tool that can create a dynamic user interface
to simulate products ranging from automobile dashboards and
airplane cockpits to oscilloscopes, ultrasound machines, and
communications equipment without having to write any computer
code.

Altia says customers are using the software early in the product
design cycle to acquire customer feedback on product features,
functionality, and human factors. Imagine you are designing a
revolutionary new cellular phone. Instead of building a prototype
device, you simply design it electronically using Altia Design 1.3,
says the company. The buttons work and testers can exercise all
the proposed functions such as programming and dialing. Human
factor data can be automatically collected for later analysis.

If you want to design a control panel for your latest mechanical
device, you can use Altia Design 1.3 to create a realistic-looking
panel on which all the knobs turn, the switches work, and the
gauges and readouts display data. The company says the software can
create an electronic prototype in a matter of hours or days, instead
of the weeks or months it would take to build a working mechanical
device.

A complete Altia Design system for Windows 3.1 carries a $4,900
price tag, and runs on 386 and 486-based personal computers.
Versions are also available for Windows NT and Unix workstations.

(Jim Mallory/19940218/Press Contact: Denise Fields, Altia,
719-598-4299; Reader Contact: Altia Inc, tel [phone],
fax [phone]/PHOTO)


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

HP & Fujitsu In Intelligent Network Deal 02/22/94
PALO ALTO, CALIFORNIA, U.S.A., 1994 FEB 22 (NB) -- Software
is a vital element of any telecommunications switching system,
especially in newer, highly complex networks. Now Hewlett-Packard
Co., and Fujitsu Ltd., have announced a long-term deal to provide
intelligent-network systems to telecom operators.

While value and terms of the nonexclusive deal were not disclosed,
the companies did say that it combines Fujitsu's "technology and
market experience in central-office switching system FETEX-150
with HP's expertise in Unix system-based, open-systems computing
and telecommunications."

The companies maintain that the intelligent-networks architecture
to be developed will allow operators to upgrade present networks,
and to offer "competitive and advanced telecommunications
services."

As a result, the two companies agreed to integrate their existing
intelligent-network elements and "further develop others." Fujitsu
plans to provide the service-switching point (SSP) based on its
FETEX-150 system and the service-management system (SMS)
running on HP's computers. HP will contribute the service-control
point (SCP) and the service-creation environment (SCE). HP's Unix system-
based computers will be used for SCP, which will include
Signalling System 7 technology, and in turn connected to the
network through Fujitsu's FETEX-150 system.

In announcing the deal, Akio Moridera, general manager of
telecommunication network systems at Fujitsu, said: "Fujitsu
sees intelligent networks as a universal core technology that can
integrate a variety of future services including multimedia over
different networks including broadband integrated services
digital networks (B-ISDN) and personal communications networks
(PCN). With intelligent networks, new services need not be
implemented separately at each exchange, but are provided on a
central system allowing for rapid and low-cost implementation
of telecom services by operators."

Both Fujitsu and HP concurrently will develop elements for the
Unix system-based service-management system. Research
and development work by Fujitsu and HP will be done at each
firm's facilities in Kawasaki, Japan, and in Grenoble, France.
The first Fujitsu/HP products are set for delivery at the end
of 1994.

(Ian Stokell/19940218/Press Contact: Korendo Shiotsuki,
81-3-3215-5236, Fujitsu Ltd - Japan)


(NEWS)(TRENDS)(SFO)(00004)

Report - Wireless Comms To Grow To $10 Billion By 1999 02/22/94
MOUNTAIN VIEW, CALIFORNIA, U.S.A., 1994 FEB 22 (NB) -- From
the continued growth of pagers, cellular and digital telephones,
and accessories in the past five years, a new report projects that
US sales will quadruple from $2.5 billion in 1992, to $9.5 billion
in 1999.

International high-technology research firm Frost & Allen's newly
released study, entitled, "US Cellular and PCS Telephone, Pager and
Accessory Markets: Time to Focus on Applications," is the result of
"extensive" interviews with marketing and technical experts and
selected individuals from the communications industry, says the
company. The research also reportedly involved secondary research
in databases, news releases, magazines and other sources.

The company claims that the study further indicates an increasing
growth in the retail channels as the general population becomes
more accustomed to an affordable cellular and digital
communications market.

Retail sales are projected to rise from 22 percent in 1992 to 34
percent by 1999.  Digital technology -- personal computer network
(PCN) or personal computer services/systems (PCS) -- is
stimulating price reductions and increasing channels of
communication that will allow a greater number of users to enter
the market.

Speaking with Newsbytes, Virginia Reeves, an analyst with Frost
& Sullivan, said, "The price reductions that had been expected as
cellular service grew has not been as dramatic as once thought
because the companies have had to reinvest in digital technology,
but in the long run this will introduce more and more users to
wireless communication and further price reductions are expected."

While the introduction of digital will provide more capacity,
improved data services, more privacy and security and lower
operation costs, there may be an adjustment time that will have
difficulties with both phones and service, says the report. Among
new users, projected increases are expected in personal use,
healthcare, security, and blue-collar end-users.

Reeves goes on to say, "While conducting research we found a
growing segment of users who were entering the market because
of personal safety and security."

The study goes on to conclude that handheld portable phones will
show the fastest growth as fixed-mobile units decline in demand.
New dual-mode phones will appear on the market that offer both
analog (current cellular signal) and digital signals. Cellular/pager
phones are projected to continue to grow as users desire to
monitor their calls. Similarly, numeric pagers will see continued
growth and tone-only pagers will become obsolete. The future of
alpha-numeric pagers that deliver text have a seemingly small
niche that will not show significant growth.

The results of distribution by revenue indicate a large growth in
retail sales by as much as a 33.9 percent share in 1999 and a
declining share for automobile manufacturers and retail auto
stores. Electronic specialty stores will continue with a slight
growth and direct carrier sales are predicted to decline.

(Patrick McKenna/19940217/Press Contact: Amy Arnell, Frost
& Sullivan, 415-961-9600)


(NEWS)(GENERAL)(MSP)(00005)

NewsPix Images For Newsbytes Publishers 02/22/94
MINNEAPOLIS, MINNESOTA, U.S.A., 1994 FEB 22 (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 January 21-25,1994

---------------------------

94021414CpqAero - Color from slide of subnotebook computer.
Newspaper in foreground for scale.

94020305PanlBook - Demonstration with presenter using Panel
Book to project image.  Color from slide.

94021805Sanrio - That lovable kitty in color.

94021501Ofoto - Color from slide; screen shot of Ofoto app.

94021720BookWrk - Color from slide; Books That Work screen
showing how to replace a shingle on a roof.

94011412Gravis - Color from slide; array of personal piano gear,
keyboard, discs, speakers, cables, etc.

94020305LitePro - Color from slide; video projector on display
column.  Lighting is colorful, column is faux greco-roman.
94020909HPtoner - B&W of printer, toner cartridge and
remanufacturing program brochure.

94020820Netpwr - B&W of terminal and drive towers.

94020821Kodak1580 - Color from slide of copier.

94021120skel - Color from slide of workstation with skull in
foreground.

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
lighweight Citizen printer.

94011015photoCD  -  Basic product shot of PhotoCD.

(Newsbytes/19940221)


(NEWS)(IBM)(LON)(00006)

Windows Show UK - IBM Pushes OS/2 Software 02/22/94
LONDON, ENGLAND, 1994 FEB 22 (NB) -- At the Windows Show,
which opened in Olympia in London today (Tuesday), IBM showed it
is getting serious about selling software. This is the first year
that Big Blue has attended the show and, according to Val Russell
of IBM's media relations department, marks the start of a major
end-user campaign as far as software is concerned.

Visitors to the IBM stand are greeted with a major push for the OS/2
for Windows 3.1 package. As reported previously by Newsbytes, this
is a special version of OS/2 for users of Microsoft Windows,
allowing them "easy" access to both the Windows and OS/2
environments.

According to IBM, the idea behind the package is to get the message
across that migrating to OS/2 is a one-way ticket as far as Windows
applications are concerned. Many users are under the impression
that OS/2 was only compatible with DOS, and that Windows
applications required a reboot of the PC.

As well as main theater extolling the virtues of OS/2 for Windows
3.1, IBM is offering show goers a chance for a hands-on with the
package. This is, Newsbytes notes, the first time that the package
has been made available for end users.

Elsewhere on the IBM stand, there are mini-theaters that IBM
describes as a means of getting an introduction to less mainstream
products. One of the mini-theaters is giving a rolling presentation
on desktop software, claiming to take personal productivity one
stage further. The aim of the presentation is to show how modern
software can be used to gain true competitive advantage.

Other mini-theater presentations include "Software for your
Workgroup,""Software for decision makers," and "Software for
Communicating."

The Windows Show runs through until Friday of this week.
Newsbytes will be reporting on the show all this week.

(Steve Gold/19940222/Press & Public Contact: IBM UK,
44-256-344390)


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

UK - Networks '94 Show Details Confirmed 02/22/94
LONDON, ENGLAND, 1994 FEB 22 (NB) -- Blenheim Online has
confirmed the details of one of the most popular communications
shows in the calendar -- Networks '94 -- will be held at the
Birmingham National Exhibition Center (NEC) from June 28 to 30
this year.

The show has expanded since last year, and plans now call
for the event to span halls 9, 10, 11 and 12. Now into its 14th
year, the show is claimed to be one of the UK's most successful
information technology (IT) exhibitions. Last year, Newsbytes
notes, there were 350 exhibitors with 20,000 show goers.

This year, the show has 400 exhibitors and, judging from the
preliminary list provided by Blenheim Online, the event is turning
into a "who's who" of the communications world.

In addition to planned demonstrations of interactive technology,
Networks '94 is launching Networks TV (NTV) at the event.
According to Samantha Stern, Networks '94 PR account director,
NTV will feature the fastest news from the UK networking
industry and a live satellite broadcast from PC Expo in New York.

One of the biggest problems at events such as Networks '94 is
keeping in contact with the office and friends outside of the show.
The uptake of mobile phones in recent years has meant that it is
well nigh impossible to "get a line" into or out of the NEC using an
analog phone.

Newsbytes has by-passed the problem by moving up to digital GSM
(global system for mobile communications) as its primary means
of communications at events such as these, but the organizers
have gone one stage further and plan to implement "Messagenet"
at the show.

Messagenet claims to be a "sophisticated networking system"
whereby visitors and exhibitors to the show can place and collect
messages from their colleagues at the show, and also gateway
back to a variety of electronic mail services.

(Steve Gold/19940222/Press Contact: NGA Public Relations,
tel [phone], fax [phone])


(NEWS)(TRENDS)(LON)(00008)

 ****ISDN Helps Injured At Winter Olympics 02/22/94
LILLEHAMMER, NORWAY, 1994 FEB 22 (NB) -- The Winter Olympics
are on at Lillehammer in Norway, and inevitably, some contestants
will end up breaking a bone. However, doctors have a problem --
with all the congestion on the roads in the vicinity of the games,
it extremely difficult to get the patient to a major orthopaedic
hospital for specialist treatment.

Normally, the authorities would have had to organize an expensive
air ambulance to ferry the patients to the main hospital. Since the
games are split between the main site at Lillehammer and two
venues at Hamar and Gjovick, this would have been an expensive
option.

Now the patients are being ferried to local hospitals, wherever
they are in Norway. However, according to the organizers, they are
receiving the best possible treatment.

The reason for this is that Lillehammer is the first Winter
Olympics to use integrated services digital network (ISDN)
connections across the course and to/from all the emergency
services. This means that doctors at all the local hospitals can
video link their systems to the main radiology department at the
Lillehammer hospital for "on-the-spot diagnosis" at a distance.

The hospitals within the Winter Olympics catchment area are divided
among several Norwegian regional health boards which means,
Newsbytes notes, there is no ready method of linking them together.
Using ISDN, this problem is alleviated, the organizers claim.

Spider Systems, a UK connectivity company, claims it has assisted
greatly in the inter-hospital links by supplying the health board
with its M290 routers that operate over ISDN links. The company has
been working closely with Kodak and Norwegian Telecom on the
project.

According to Spider Systems, the hospitals at Hamar and Gjovick are
each equipped with Kodak's Ektascan Imagelink film digitizer, as
well as a Kodak imaging workstation. The hardware then routes its
image calls over the ISDN network using Spinder's routers.

Kodak's health imaging systems operations in Richardson, Texas, has
supplied the hardware in use at Lillehammer. Even after the Olympics
have gone, the company plans to keep the system in operation as a
reference site for potential customers.

According to Larry Gawron, European marketing manager for Kodak
health imaging, the entire linkup and cooperation is the end result
of open systems technology. "Open systems and open standards are
very important to us and our customers," he explained.

"When we came to Europe, with our tele-radiology systems, we chose
Spider Systems as our communications partner because its routers
adhered to Euro ISDN standards, were approved by the European telcos
and had the support plus technical expertise across the region we
were looking for," he said.

Gawron is a keen proponent of ISDN. He claims that the technology is
accelerating in Europe. "ISDN is becoming the clear leader in the
wide bandwidth communications in Europe, particularly for this
type of application," he said. "You only need to pay for the time you
are on the line which important, if you are only sending five or ten
images a day."

(Steve Gold/19940222/Press & Public Contact: Spider Systems,
44-734-774747)


(NEWS)(GOVT)(LON)(00009)

Red Tape Snags Personal Data Privacy In Europe 02/22/94
BRUSSELS, BELGIUM, 1994 FEB 22 (NB) -- While certain individual
countries in the European Community have legislation protecting
personal data on their statute books, the European Commission (EC)
wants to enable a new Europe-wide set of legislation to protect data
on a cross-border basis. However, some observers argue that the
EC seems more bound up in its own red tape than in getting the laws
passed by its own Parliament.

According to Belgian media sources, the Greek government, which
has only limited legislation itself, wanted to rush an EC-wide set
of data privacy laws through in the first quarter of this year. EC
officials stepped in and said that even a discussion of the proposed
law was not possible until June of this year at the earliest.

According to EC ministers, the Greek draft law has hit problems
with very strong opposition from financial institutions. They see
a problem in that, while intra-country transfer of data is legal,
inter-country transfers are not. Bank officials are worried that, as
the border controls come down, inter-country bank accounts will be
in demand, though the information transfers required for handling
such an account would be illegal.

There may be an answer, albeit a low-tech one. It seems that paper
files are not enshrined within the letter of the proposed law as it
relates to personal data. So, while a data link passing information
on customers between EC countries may be illegal, faxing the same
data on a paper image basis, is quite legal.

Now, European banks are said to be looking at ways of storing data
electronically and printing it out to fax across borders, only to
have that information scanned back into a computer at the distant
end.

(Sylvia Dennis/19940222)


(NEWS)(GENERAL)(LON)(00010)

UK - Groupware Event Set For April 02/22/94
OXTED, SURREY, 1994 FEB 22 (NB) -- Office Futures has announced
it is hosting a two-day workshop on "Selecting Groupware and
Office Systems." According to Roger Whitehead of the company,
the event will be held at the Britannia Hotel on April 19 and 20.

Whitehead says that the aim of the workshop is to examine the
claims that groupware can increase efficiency, arrive at better
decisions, improve customer relations, and foster better group
relations. The event will also investigate what is necessary to turn
these ideas into reality.

The idea behind the event is that delegates can look at the variety
of products currently being sold as groupware and offer a method of
deciding which of them may be relevant to organizations. Plans for
the event also call for the group to consider the overlaps between
groupware, workgroup computing and office systems, and look at
the trends in these markets.

According to Whitehead, among the suppliers to be discussed are
Action Technologies, Applix, Ashmount, AT&T/NCR, Beyond, Borland,
Bull, Collaborative Technologies, Corporate Memory Systems,
CompuServe, Computer Associates, Data General, DaVinci, Delrina,
Digital Equipment Corp, Farallon, Finansa, Fischer International,
ForeFront, Fujitsu/ICL, Hewlett-Packard, IBM, Internet, Lotus
Development, Microsoft, Olivetti, On Technology, Oracle, Quadratron,
Powercore, Reach, Siemens Nixdorf, Software Publishing Corp,
Staffware, SunSoft, Uniplex, Unisys, Ventana, Verimation, Wang,
WordPerfect, and Xerox.

The workshop will, says Whitehead, provide attendees with an
independent (and fully documented) assessment of the significant
groupware and office systems suppliers and their products. He
also says it will provide selection and implementation advice,
"candid testimony" from genuine users of four different kinds of
groupware, discussing the strengths and weaknesses of the
suppliers and their products, as well as offer the opportunity to
discuss groupware experiences and problems with fellow
professionals.

"This workshop presents comparative information that is not
available in this form from any other external source. To gather
similar information directly for yourself would involve more time,
trouble and expense than most user organizations can afford. In
addition, attending this workshop lets you benefit from the
questions that other people ask," he said.

The workshop has been developed by Roger Whitehead, who will be
leading the two days. Newsbytes notes that he is a director of
Office Futures, an independent consultancy specializing in
groupware and office systems, that he established over twelve
years ago.

Whitehead claims to have advised a wide range of user organizations
on system selection and development, and on the strategic aspects of
information technology. He is a frequent writer and speaker on
groupware and office systems, and edits the subscription newsletter,
GroupWare News.

Other speakers at the event include Mark Braddock, divisional
manager of Blackhorse Financial Services; David Dewsbury, head of
National Sales at Powerline, Midlands Electricity; Mark Turrell of
the London City University Business School; and Michael Chapman
Pincher, managing director of SMI Public Relations.

Further details of the event can be obtained from Ms Dipti Chauhan,
IBC Technical Services: telephone at 44-71-637-4383, or fax at
44-71-631 3214.

(Sylvia Dennis & Steve Gold/19940222/Press Contact: Roger
Whitehead, Office Futures, tel [phone], fax 44-883-
716793; Email on the Internet: [e-mail])


(NEWS)(UNIX)(LON)(00011)

HP Laserjet Printers Supported In AIX Environments 02/22/94
BRACKNELL, BERKSHIRE, ENGLAND, 1994 FEB 22 (NB) -- Hewlett-
Packard (HP) has announced that its Laserjet printers are now
being supported directly under IBM's version of Unix - AIX 3.2.5,
using HP JetDirect network-printer interfaces.

According to HP officials, this support will allow IBM's RISC
System/6000 users to connect HP printers directly to their
Transmission Control Protocol/Internet Protocol (TCP/IP)-based
Ethernet networks, providing what HP calls "convenient access to
the full range of performance and manageability benefits offered
by HP network printing solutions."

HP claims that a RISC System/6000 network administrator can
install, configure and manage HP printers easily because the support
is built into the AIX operating system. No additional software is
required as the printer is configured using native AIX utilities.

"IBM's RISC System/6000 customers are accustomed to high
performance from their workstations, and now they can also
expect high performance and greater flexibility and manageability
from their HP printers by attaching them to the network,"
explained Mark Hollister, HP's UK network marketing manager.

"In addition, because IBM has supported our HP JetDirect interfaces
in the AIX operating system itself, RISC System/6000 users will
be able to get their HP network printing solution up and running
quickly and easily," he said.

According to HP, connecting its printers directly to Ethernet local
area networks (LANs) improves printer performance by transferring
data to the printer at fast network speeds. Simple Network
Management Protocol (SNMP) support built into HP JetDirect
interfaces makes HP printers easy to monitor and manage through
any SNMP console, such as HP OpenView, IBM NetView and others,
said the company.

Direct network connections from HP are also claimed to provide
printer location flexibility, allowing HP printers to be connected
anywhere along the network.

AIX 3.2.5, Newsbytes notes, is now one of 11 network operating
systems that can be supported simultaneously on a single HP
JetDirect interface, including the internal JetDirect cards and
the external JetDirect EX network interface. Others supported
include Novell NetWare 3.11 and 4.0, Microsoft LAN Manager,
Windows For Workgroups, Windows NT, IBM LAN Server,
AppleShare, HP-UX, SunOS, Solaris, and SCO Unix.

(Sylvia Dennis/19940222/Press & Public Contact: Hewlett-
Packard, 44-344-369222)


(NEWS)(TELECOM)(TOR)(00012)

Unitel Will Not Offer Long Distance In Alberta 02/22/94
TORONTO, ONTARIO, CANADA, 1994 FEB 22 (NB) -- Unitel
Communications Inc., has announced that it will not make long-
distance telephone service generally available in the province of
Alberta. The company, which competes in long-distance with
regional telephone companies in eight provinces, said it cannot
make money in Alberta because of the terms under which federal
regulators would allow it to enter the market.

Unitel will offer long-distance service to the Alberta offices of
large organizations that use its long-distance services across
the country, but will not serve local businesses or residential
customers.

"We can't pay for the privilege of offering service in a market,"
Unitel spokeswoman Stephanie MacKendrick told Newsbytes.

The issue is the amount Unitel has to pay to AGT Ltd., the
company that provides local and long-distance telephone service
in Alberta, and to Edmonton Telephones, an independent phone
company serving the city of Edmonton.

The Canadian Radio-television and Telecommunications Commission
(CRTC) set contributions that Unitel must pay to each regional
telephone company to help support local phone service. The
payments are higher in Alberta than in other provinces, and
higher again in Edmonton because Unitel would have to pay
Edmonton Telephones as well as AGT for access to the city.

The CRTC's figures were based on data provided by AGT on the
cost of providing local and long-distance service in the province.
Unitel maintains AGT has exaggerated the cost of local service
and understated its long-distance costs. Unitel officials said
AGT's figures put its long-distance costs at less than half those
of major US carriers such as AT&T, MCI, and Sprint, while its
local service is the least cost-efficient in North America.

AGT has said in the past that its local-service costs are high
because of the large number of customers it serves in remote
rural areas. Company spokesman Ron Liepert told Newsbytes he
had no comment on Unitel's allegations other than to say that the
CRTC's review of AGT's cost claims was "rigorous and exhaustive."

(Grant Buckler/19940222/Press Contacts: Carleen Carroll, Unitel,
416-345-2114; Ken Stewart, Unitel, 416-345-2094; Ron Liepert,
AGT, 403-498-7322)


(NEWS)(GENERAL)(TOR)(00013)

Canadian Product Launch Update 02/22/94
TORONTO, ONTARIO, CANADA, 1994 FEB 22 (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: Wang's
Open/workflow.

Wang Canada Ltd., of Toronto, introduced Open/workflow work
management software (Newsbytes, Feb. 9). Open/workflow for IBM
AIX servers will begin shipping by the end of February, company
officials said. Support for HP-UX is scheduled to arrive in
March. Server prices begin at C$10,500, including the graphical
builder, integration and reporting tools, and sample reports and
procedures. Open/workflow clients start at C$695, with volume
discounts.

(Grant Buckler/19940222/Press Contact: Gay Lynne Potts, Wang,
416-868-5227)


(NEWS)(GENERAL)(TOR)(00014)

Interleaf Offers Intellecte Document Management 02/22/94
WALTHAM, MASSACHUSETTS, U.S.A., 1994 FEB 22 (NB) -- Interleaf
Inc., has announced Intellecte, an integrated document management
application, at the Documentation '94 trade show in Los Angeles.

Due to be available worldwide in June, Intellecte is a
combination of software and services to create customized
document management systems for large organizations. Likely
buyers of the package would include businesses where documents
are critical to operations, such as financial institutions or
manufacturers of complex equipment, a spokeswoman for the
company told Newsbytes.

The application combines automated workflow and configuration
management, electronic document viewing and distribution, and
automated document assembly.

Intellecte is a client/server application that organizes key
documents into a document repository and lets end users on
Microsoft Windows, Macintosh, or Unix computers use full-text
searches and hypertext links to find the documents they need.
Documents can be edited and output to printers. The system also
automates the workflow by which the document repository is kept
up to date.

Interleaf said it will implement Intellecte in each client
organization over a 12-week period, in three phases. First,
Interleaf staff will work with a customer team to analyze and
organize documents and load them into a repository. Second, the
team will build a graphical front end for access to repository,
supporting 100 users or more. Third, the team will evaluate and
streamline the document creation process.

The complete application, including software, training, on-site
services, and a one-year support contract, will cost $175,000.
The document assembly component costs extra.

Interleaf said it plans to begin beta testing Intellecte on Unix
servers from several vendors, including Hewlett-Packard Co., IBM,
and Sun Microsystems Inc., in March. Client software for Unix
Motif, the Macintosh, and Microsoft Windows is also to begin beta
testing in March. First customer shipments of English-language
software are due in June, worldwide, with other languages to
follow soon after, the spokeswoman said.

(Grant Buckler/19940222/Press Contact: Carol McGarry, Schwartz
Communications for Interleaf, 617-431-0770)


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

 ****Dell Re-enters Portable PC Market 02/22/94
AUSTIN, TEXAS, U.S.A., 1994 FEB 22 (NB) -- Nine months after it
decided it pulled out of the portable PC market, Dell Computer
Corporation has announced its re-entry into the fray.

Dell has announced its Latitude line of 486-based 25 and 33
megahertz portable computers which will feature wired and wireless
communications capabilities. The company says the computers being
announced now are the first step of its re-entry into the highly
competitive portables market. Future Dell offerings are expected to
include high-end portable computers and a line of subnotebook
systems.

Depending on the configuration, the five Latitude units weigh from
5.75 to 6.4 pounds. All use Intel's 486SX chip and have power
management features to extend the life of the nickel metal
hydride battery between charges. Dell says normal battery
life is two to four hours. Available displays include monochrome,
dual-scan STN (SuperTwist Nematic) color, and active-matrix TFT
(thin film transistor) color.

Other features include a trackball mounted in the keyboard, hard
drives with capacities up to 260 megabytes (MB), and support for
PCMCIA (Personal Computer memory Card International Association)
Type II and Type III peripheral cards (which can be changed
while the system is running). Dell will install its Windows-based
CommCentral software that includes access software for the on-line
subscription service America Online where users can exchange mail,
upload and download files, and find information on a myriad of
topics.

Latitude will also have CommWorks for Windows, a communications
program from Traveling Software that allows the user to connect to
any on-line service or communicate with any other suitably equipped
computer. Commworks for Windows includes fax send/receive
capability, remote control of a distant computer, Laplink V for
inter-computer file transfer, and a program to notify the user when
a fax or electronic mail arrives.

Perhaps most interesting of the installed software is RadioMail, a
two-way wireless messaging service that allows the on-the-go PC
user to send and receive electronic mail without having to connect
the PC to a phone line. The America Online and RadioMail packages
both come with one-month free trial periods.

If you purchase a Latitude and want to use the various
communications programs included you will have to purchase a
modem, since that necessary communications device is not a part
of the standard Latitude configuration. Dell offers factory-installed
modems at prices ranging from $199 to $799. Modems are included
in the various upgrade packages being offered.

Dell is offering several hardware/software configurations. The "Must
Have" package includes: a 2,400/9,600 data/fax modem; an extra
battery; Microsoft Works, a software collection that includes word
processing, database, spreadsheet and charting; Lotus Organizer,
and Intuit's Quicken financial management software.

The "Mobile Sales Manager" pack includes ACT! Contact Manager,
Microsoft Powerpoint presentation software, and Microsoft Works.
You also get a 2,400/9,600 data/fax modem and a attache-style
carrying case. Options for this package include Microsoft Office
(Powerpoint, Microsoft Word, Access database software, and a
Microsoft Mail license) and an extra four megabytes of system
memory, or you can choose a higher speed (14,400) fax modem and
an extra battery.

The "Mobile PowerPack" includes the faster fax modem, the 4MB
memory upgrade, an extra battery, and the carrying case. If you
choose the "Desktop Solution" you get a color monitor, a desktop-PC
style keyboard and a mouse so you can use your Latitude as the basis
for a desktop system.

Latitude buyers get around-the-clock toll-free hardware and
software support, 45 days of free access to Dell's "Getting Started"
help line and one year of return-to-factory, rapid response service
with Dell paying for the round-trip overnight shipment.

Dell spokesperson Roger Rydell told Newsbytes Latitude pricing
starts at $1,699, which includes 4MB of memory, a 120MB hard disk,
one 3.5-inch high-density floppy drive, one serial port, one enhanced
parallel port, one PS/2 external keyboard port, a mouse port, an
external VGA monitor port, and a 9.5 inch monochrome display. All
Latitude systems come with Windows 3.1 and MS-DOS 6.2
pre-installed.

(Jim Mallory/19940222/Press Contact: Roger Rydell, Dell
Computer Corp., 512-728-4100)


(NEWS)(GOVT)(DEN)(00016)

Ohio Weather Info, Book Borrowing Goes Computerized 02/22/94
COLUMBUS, OHIO, U.S.A., 1994 FEB 22 (NB) -- Motorists and book
borrowers in Ohio are getting some help from computers, according
to a recent announcement by state officials.

The Ohio Department of Transportation (ODOT) says by next winter a
network of computerized roadside weather stations will help them
make better use of snow plow crews in northwest Ohio.

The 35 sensing stations to be installed in an eight-county area will
report temperature and wind data and perform a radar sweep to
check for falling precipitation. Special sensors embedded in the
roadway will report conditions such as snow or ice on the road as
well as the presence of de-icing chemicals.

The unmanned stations will be connected to a master computer at
ODOT District 2 headquarters in Bowling Green. District Director
James McCarty says 80 percent of the $2 million cost for the system
will be paid by a federal grant. Other states using similar systems
have reportedly recouped the cost of the system within two to three
years through savings from more effective use of snow and ice
removal crews.

The state has also unveiled a statewide on-line computer borrowing
system as part of its new statewide library system, OhioLINK. The
system allows students at Ohio university and colleges to
electronically borrow from other state educational institution's
libraries. By logging into the system from any computer you can
search the statewide catalog, make a request, and have the item
delivered at the requestor's campus within a few days.

Officials say the OhioLINK system has been in development since
1991 and now contains the library records of 10 state universities
and colleges. By the end of 1995 the catalog will include the
libraries of 17 educational institutions, the State Library of Ohio,
and Ohio's 23 community and technical colleges. It is expected to
eventually contain more than 20 million items.

In addition to the on-line statewide catalog, OhioLINK offers
newspaper, magazine and journal databases, medical databases, and
access to a large portion of the information services available on
Internet. Future plans call for development of scholar's workstations,
access to full-text books and articles, and real-time delivery of
full-text articles.

(Jim Mallory/19940222)


(NEWS)(IBM)(BOS)(00017)

Networks Expo - Cross-Server License Sharing From Saber 02/22/94
BOSTON, MASSACHUSETTS, U.S.A., 1994 FEB 22 (NB) -- At Networks
Expo, Saber unveiled Saber Enterprise Application Manager (SEAM),
a product billed as the first to allow real-time license sharing
across multiple servers.

Also at the show in Boston, Saber launched a new bi-monthly
technical publication for LAN administrators called "Saber LAN
Journal," along with a new, three-part distribution strategy for
1994 that includes marketing Saber's network management
software in major retail stores.

At an interview in the Saber booth, Liz Bross, sales support
manager, said that SEAM, a new NetWare Loadable Module (NLM)
add-on to Saber LAN (local area network) Workstation, is aimed at
reducing organizations' software costs by permitting a software
license to be employed by PC users throughout the enterprise.

In addition to letting users of DOS- and Windows-based applications
share software licenses across servers, SEAM provides software
metering across multiple servers and on local hard drives, she
added. The new tool permits the network manager to assign multiple
license security levels, from a "completely secure" mode to "audit
only."

In a demo, Newsbytes saw how, if all copies of an application are
in use, users denied access to the application for this reason are
first placed in a queue, and then notified when the application
becomes available.

If a user then tries to access the application without having
loaded the metering terminate-and-stay-resident (TSR) utility that
comes with SEAM, the user will be automatically logged off, Bross
explained. SEAM will also close a metered application if a user
"locks up" or turns off the machine without first existing the
application.

In addition to the TSR program, SEAM comes with Windows VXD
files. The new utility requires Saber LAN Workstation 2.0, and is
reportedly fully compatible with the metering in that product.
NetWare 3.x or 4.x and DOS 3.1 or higher are also required.
Windows 3.1 is needed for Windows clients. The product is
scheduled to ship this month.

The new "Saber LAN Journal" provides "real-word solutions" to
problems encountered in designing, maintaining or managing a
network, and also explains methods for integrating third-party
products such as Novell's NetWare Management System (NMS) and
Microsoft Excel, the company said.

Saber's new distribution plans call for a "more visible" retail
presence, in addition to expanded relationships with corporate
resellers and a revised program for systems integrators.

Although networking products are not commonly sold in retail
stores, Saber is working aggressively to change that, according to
officials. Saber LAN Workstation can now be purchased off-the-
shelf at both Computer City and Fry Electronics, and Saber is also
working with CompUSA to establish a retail presence in that store
chain.

In addition, ASAP Software recently joined a list of corporate
resellers for Saber that already included Egghead, Corporate
Software, 800 Software, Software Spectrum, and SoftMart.

Saber has also established the Saber Solution Provider program,
which supplies sales and technical training, marketing services,
technical support, and "priority access" to Saber's system
engineers and sales personnel for resellers who provide high levels
of network integration.

Saber Software Systems is based in Dallas, TX and London, UK, and
distributes its products worldwide. The products have earned such
awards as the Infoworld Buyers Assurance Seal, LAN Times Reader's
Choice, and PC Week Labs' Top Products of '92.

(Jacqueline Emigh/19940222/Reader Contact: Press Contact: Laura
Langendorf, Saber Software Corporation, 214-361-8086; Reader
Contact: Saber Software Corporation, 800-338-8754 in US,
9344-30470 in UK)


(NEWS)(GENERAL)(BOS)(00018)

Networks Expo - Expert "Travel Tips" For Internet 02/22/94
BOSTON, MASSACHUSETTS, U.S.A., 1994 FEB 22 (NB) -- With more
than three million users today and over one million connected
networks, the Internet is getting bigger all the time, observed
John Krick, senior analyst for Datapro, at the start of a talk called
"Driver Training on the Information Superhighway" at Networks Expo.

Over the next hour or so, Krick gave some of these users Internet
"travel tips" ranging from basic facts on addressing and types of
connections to explanations of Internet-related concepts like
"Archie," "Veronica," "Mosaic," and "News Groups."

The major Internet applications, he explained, include File
Transfer Protocol (FTP), Gopher, Telnet, Network News (USENET),
World Wide Web, and Wide Area Information Service (WAIS).

Users can send and receive Internet electronic-mail via commercial
services such as CompuServe, America OnLine, Genie and MCI Mail,
desktop applications such as POPmail, or connection of a LAN
e-mail system via a gateway, he added.

Internet addressing follows this scheme: [e-mail].
Internet domain types include: commercial organizations (.com);
educational institutions (.edu); government agencies (.gov);
military sites (.mil); nonprofit organizations (.org); and network
providers.

Services beyond e-mail to the Internet can be obtained through any
of three types of connections: on-line dialup services, dialup via
Internet Protocol (IP) software installed on the desktop, or
attachment through a LAN (local area network).

Dialup Internet service providers are not all the same, Crick told
the group. Some US providers supply service to users throughout the
country, and others only to a particular region. Advanced Networks
and Services, for example, is a national Internet provider.

Further, some providers supply only limited Internet services,
such as bulletin boards, while others, situated on the Internet
"backbone," offer a much wider range of Internet access. Fees
tend to vary accordingly.

Providers offering both kinds of services can be found at both
the national and regional levels. For instance, Global Enterprise
Services Inc., a regional service based in Princeton, NJ, is a
backbone service. Public Access Networks Corp., a "regional" in
New York City, concentrates on local bulletin boards, he said.

FTP, another major Internet application, is "simple to learn and
use," according to Crick. FTP provides access to software,
Internet documentation, and more from thousands of FTP servers
worldwide, he added. WUarchive, for example, a widely used FTP
server at Washington University in St. Louis, offers free access to
thousands of archived software packages, for popular operating
systems that include DOS, Windows, Macintosh, and Unix.

The software on the Wuarchive server ranges from high quality
word processors, spreadsheets and databases to esoteric offerings
like geneology, he said. Wuarchive "mirrors" Simtel20.mil, a
service of the US military that keeps copies of software uploaded
on to on-line services, he advised. Wuarchive "is a busy place, and
hard to get on to during business hours," he added. The Internet
address for Wuarchive is wuarchive.wustl.edu.

Another popular FTP server is the University of Minnesota's
BoomBox, birthplace of both POPmail and Gopher. A third, located
at the National Center for Supercomputing Applications (NCSA),
provides simple FTP and Telnet implementations for Pcs, and is
also the home of Mosaic, an Internet application with multimedia
functionality. Boombox can be addressed at boombox.micro.umn.edu.
The address for the NCSA server is ftp.ncsa.uiuc.edu.

Archie, the search tool for FTP, is "a corruption of the word
`archive,'" said Crick. Archie allows "Unix regular expressions,"
but has a generally "crude" user interface, and does not permit
searches with logical connectives such as "and" or "but."

"There are only about 20 Archie servers, six of them in North
America. That isn't enough. So I wouldn't recommend that you call
(Archie) during business hours," cautioned the Datapro analyst.

Newsbytes notes that users can also employ commercial services
such as CompuServe, America OnLine, Genie or MCI Mail, as well as
a wide range of other outside e-mail, to carry out Internet
searches, and to request files to be sent from servers on the
Internet.

For example, by sending e-mail to [e-mail], and
typing the word "help" in the body of the message, you can receive
instructions for performing an Archie search by e-mail. By sending
e-mail to [e-mail], and putting "send index" in the
body, you can receive an index of software available through
e-mail.

Also during his talk, Crick explained that Gopher, a menu-driven
interface to the Internet, has been used mostly by universities so
far, but is now spreading into the commercial sector.

Gopher is simple enough to be used not just by the "non-Internet
literate," but by the "non-computer literate," he added. The
application can deliver "most" kinds of Internet services,
including text files by mail, FTP via Gopher, and Telnet to Archie,
or to the NetFind, Whois, or X.500 directory services.

Gopher also has a search tool, Veronica, jokingly dubbed "Archie's
girlfriend" by Crick. Veronica allows for two types of services --
by title, and by text. Like Archie, though, she is light on servers,
and hard to access during business hours.

Telnet provides basic terminal emulation and remote control of
Unix applications, he asserted. NetFind, Whois, and X.500 provide
access to portions of the Internet, and can be accessed by Telnet
as well as by Gopher. "None of these directory services are
dependable, though, and none are comprehensive. There is not, as
yet, an overall directory to everyone on the Internet," he said.

NetWork News, also known as USENET News, is a large collection of
bulletin boards (bbs), broken down into seven "news groups": BIZ
(business); REC (hobbies); SCI (science); SOC (social issues); K12
(primary and secondary education); ALT; and COMP.

BIZ bulletin boards are still relatively few, according to Krick.
But COMP -- a category that concerns computer hardware, software,
communications, and the like -- boasts more than 500 different
BBSes, including comp,graphics.animation, comp,lang.c++,
comp.protocols.tcp-ip, comp.sys.novell, comp.dcom.lans.ethernet,
and comp.os.ms-windows.programmer.tools.

ALT is an "alternative" category containing BBSes on everything
from unidentified flying objects (UFOs) to mythical characters
known as "devilbunnies," he said.

When accessing an Internet news group, "Get the FAQs (Frequently
Asked Questions) first," Crick recommended. Available for most
Network News BBSes although sometimes difficult to find, "the
FAQs" provides ready-made answers to the most frequently raised
inquiries about the BBS. "Members of the BBS might not want to be
bothered with responding to questions from new users like 'What
is an Ethernet?'" he pointed out.

WAIS, another Internet application, offers subject-specific source
databases with a keyword search that is "powerful but complex,"
according to Crick.

World Wide Web, a hypertext application, provides browser software
designed to access all Internet functionality, including Mosaic for
both PCs and the Mac, and two other multimedia-capable
services -- Cello for the PC and Samba for the Mac.

Several DOS-based software packages for accessing the Internet are
available from Boombox, said Crick, including POPmail, a single-
user mail program, and the "easy to use" PC Gopher III. SLIPdial,
a package incorporating NCSA Telnet and FTP as well as POPMail
and PC Gopher III, is available through the NCSA server as well as
Boombox.

Also downloadable off the Internet is KA9Q, a DOS-based package
with a command-line interface that contains News, Telnet and FTP,
he added. Trumpet, a news reader developed at the University of
Tasmania, is available for both DOS and Windows from
ftp.utas.edu.au.

Other Windows-based access packages that can be found on the
Internet include NCSA Mosaic, HGopher, Wais Manager 3.0, USGS
(United States Geological Survey) WinWais 2.3, EWAIS, and Gopher
Book 1.1, a Gopher package with a book-inspired graphical user
interface (GUI).

Users can also opt to purchase commercial Internet packages such as
FTP Software's PC/TCP (Transmission Control Protocol), Intercon's
TCP/Connect II, and Spry Software's Air for Windows.

Crick's "required reading list" for Internet users includes Brendan
Kehoe's "Zen and the Art of the Internet," Ed Krol's "The Whole
Internet Catalog," Susan Estrada's "short and concise" guidebook
"Connecting to the Internet," Harley Hahn and Rick Stout's "The
Internet - Complete Reference," and "Doing Business on the
Internet," by Mary Cronin of Boston College. Noted Crick:  "I
can't recommend Cronin's book highly enough."

Other books getting the nod from Crick are Edward T.L. Hardie and
Vivans News' "Internet Mailing Lists"; Eric Brown's "The Internet
Directory"; John S. Quarterman's "The Matrix," and "!%@:: A
Directory of Electronic Mail Addressing & Networks," by Donnalyn
Frey and Rick Adams.

For those who like to do their reading on-line, there is "The
Desktop Internet Reference," a Microsoft Windows help file,
available from ftp.uwp.edu, providing 18,000 pages of Internet
documentation, including "Zen and the Art of the Internet,"
"Hitchhiker's Guide to the Internet," and much more.

(Jacqueline Emigh/19940222/Reader Contact: John Crick, Datapro,
800-328-8776; Press Contact: Annie Scully or Mark Haviland, The
Blenheim Group, 800-829-3976)


(NEWS)(GENERAL)(BOS)(00019)

Networks Expo - Frye Intros SUDS WAND, Three Upgrades 02/22/94
BOSTON, MASSACHUSETTS, U.S.A., 1994 FEB 22 (NB) -- At Networks
Expo, Frye Computer Systems (FCS) released Software Update and
Distribution System Wide Area Network Distribution (SUDS WAND)
Module 1.0, a product designed to automatically route software
updates throughout a large Novell local area network (LAN) or wide
area network (WAN).

The company also announced shipment of upgrades of three other
products: the NetWare Management troubleshooting and diagnostics
tool; SUDS utility for automated software distribution; and NetWare
Early Warning System (EWS) software for monitoring network
servers.

In Version 2.0, the NetWare Management tool is enhanced with new
features for centralized administration and management of NetWare
LANs, including the ability to edit and update NetWare functions
and clone user configurations from a central management console,
according to Russell H. Frye, president of Boston-based FCS.

"Network management can be extremely difficult (if) you have to
navigate through various menus and applications to monitor and
change a user or server configuration," said Frye.

SUDS, a tool for automated software distribution, has been
embellished in Version 1.5 with new distribution lists, as well as
new "Pull" features for selective display of procedures pertinent
to the user's network group or distribution list.

In Version 1.51, NetWare EWS is able to accept alerts from SUDS as
well as LAN Directory (LAND), a utility from FCS for automated
hardware and software inventory.

The new SUDS WAND is an add-on tool for SUDS 1.5 or later. The
tool provides "fan out," distribution routing, destination lists,
reporting, and "bundle inspection security" features that are aimed
at simplifying software distribution for large LANs and WANs,
according to Frye.

"With the release of SUDS WAND, we have responded to our
customers' needs once again, as the expansion of networks into
WANs plays an increasingly important role in the life of a
network administrator," he noted.

The "fan out" feature in the new SUDS WAND is meant to permit
distribution of SUDS procedures across a LAN or WAN through
distribution or destination lists. SUDS procedures are made up of
two elements: Criteria, in which the user decides which PCs and/or
file service directories are going to be automatically updated; and
Actions, where the user determines what steps to be taken
automatically at the selected PC or file server directories.

The distribution routing capability lets the SUDS WAND user create
a path to destination servers within the network. Bundles are then
dropped off for distribution to servers and workstations via local
copies of SUDS. Routes are initialized with username and password,
allowing configuration files for each server along the route to
then be updated with the information needed to access the next
destination in the route.

The destination lists in SUDS WAND let users define multiple
destination servers as "targets" along a destination list. Once
distribution routes have been defined, destination lists may be
created to define destination servers. These lists may be reused
for other distributions.

"Bundle inspection security" is an option that, if selected, will
let the network administrator at each destination server inspect
a received bundle before making it active for "fan out." The
reporting feature in SUDS WAND is for maintained centralized
log files of failed and completed procedures.

New features in NetWare Management 2.0 include the ability for
centralized editing and updates of NetWare's Syscon, Pconsole,
Fconsole, Printcon, Printdef, Volinfo, and Filer information.

The upgrade to Netware Management also adds to ability to clone
user configuration information across multiple servers, create new
users or groups, create or edit trustee assignments, rights and
printer configurations for each network user; and create, edit
and/or delete PRINTDEF forms and devices, print queues and print
queue jobs.

Users can also add realtime status for print server queues, file
servers, and notification screens. Other new features in Version
2.0 include file/directory information, enhanced help screens, and
the ability to launch any NetWare utility directly from NetWare
Management, and send any report to Netware Message Handling
Service (MHS) or to the queue of any attached file server.

In SUDS 1.5, the new distribution lists are designed to save time
for network managers by allowing reuse as often as needed. The
administrator can use "flexible criteria searches" to pick and
choose users for lists to be employed in executing SUDS procedures.

The new "Pull" features, which are meant to complement the "Push"
procedures which were previously available, give the user a menu
of procedures, specific to the user's network group or distribution
list, that can then be selected and run. Specific procedures can
also be invoked from the command line. Users can employ their
menus or batch files to run any individual procedure.

A new "procedure retry" allows a retry count to be maintained for
each user who has been given the right to defer a particular
procedure. If the user cancels a procedure, the retry count is
decremented, although the procedure remains active. There is also
a "force execution" switch that requires the procedure to be run
after the specified retry count has been reached.

Other improvements in SUDS 1.5 include the ability to set up a
"master procedure" with any number of sub-procedures for managing
simple or complex operations, as well as added detail on the
workstation maintenance screen regarding procedures that have
been run and their status.

The new alerting capabilities in NetWare EWS 1.51 allow the server
monitoring utility to report on the status of procedure execution
in SUDS, and also to provide notification for change tracking
features in LAND. Users can be alerted through any of the many
notification options in EWS, including pager and electronic-mail.

Additional utilities from FCS include the NetWare Console
Commander (NCC), for automatic scheduling of console commands,
and Node Tracker, for node management and point-to-point
diagnostics.

FCS claims to have been the first to implement "functionally
integrated network management processes" at the file server level,
with the introduction of its Automated Network Management (ANM)
technology back in 1989.

Officials added that the company was also the first to
introduce the following technologies: automated response
capabilities for PC LAN management (1989); e-mail-, fax-, alpha
pager-, and voice-enabled PC LAN management (1989-1990); "full
support" for Novell NetWare 3.x critical statistics (1990); and
"simplified, automated software updating and distribution" (1992).

FCS is a three-time winner of LAN Magazine's "Product of the Year"
award, twice for NetWare Management and once for SUDS. In 1994,
the company has received a Reader's Choice prize from LAN Times for
"Best Network Management Utilities," and its SUDS product has been
named to Network World's Short List. Other honors include Editor's
Choice awards from PC Magazine for the Frye Utilities in 1993, and
from NetWare Solutions for the company's LAND product in 1992.

The new SUDS WAND Module 1.0 is priced at $1,495. NetWare
Management 2.0 and NetWare 1.51 are each priced at $495. Current
users of NetWare Management can upgrade for $200 per server
license. SUDS 1.5 is priced at $995 for the first 50 computers
and $895 for each additional 100 computers.

(Jacqueline Emigh/19940222/Reader Contact: Frye Computer
Systems, 617-451-5400; Press Contacts: David Seuss, FCS,
617-451-5400; Dom Cilea, Set Marketing On, 212-989-3131)


(NEWS)(GOVT)(ATL)(00020)

 ****Home Schooling Under Threat By Govt Title I Funding? 02/22/94
WASHINGTON, D.C., U.S.A., 1994 FEB 22 (NB) -- A firestorm over
home schooling has imperiled the re-authorization of Title I,
the primary vehicle through which schools buy computers and
software. The re-authorization is known as H.R. 6.

Title I, sometimes called Chapter I, is a 30-year old piece of
the Elementary and Secondary Education Act which sends $6 billion
a year in federal aid to schools, aimed at the disadvantaged. The
House Education and Labor Committee passed the bill recently. It
will go to the Rules Committee February 23, which will decide
whether amendments can be offered when it is considered by the
full House February 24, in a session which will be televised on
the C-Span cable network.

The committee made a few changes to the formulae by which funds
are distributed, aimed at targeting new funds on poor districts.
But some columnists, echoing the Clinton Administration,
criticized those changes as not going far enough, noting that 93
percent of the nation's school districts now get Title I funds.
Other Administration suggestions, including an end to segregation
of Title I students from the rest of their classes, were taken by
the committee. That move could also help move school-owned
computers out of "computer labs" and into regular classrooms,
where many reform advocates feel they would do more good.

The re-authorization also requires that schools develop a
"school-parent compact" outlining how responsibility for improved
school performance will be shared by students, parents, and
teachers, and requiring such things as annual parent-teacher
conferences.

But a small amendment by Rep. George Miller, a California
Democrat, which he says was aimed at making sure all public
school teachers are qualified in their subject areas, has become
the subject of great debate. Rep. Dick Armey, a Texas Republican,
charged that the amendment was an attack on home schooling,
essentially requiring that parents be state-certified teachers.

Many home-schoolers must file papers with local school boards to
keep their kids at home. Armey offered an amendment to exempt
home and private schooling from the bill's training provisions,
but that was voted down on a party-line vote. Since then, the
National Center for Home Education, the Family Council Action
Committee and other conservative groups have asked members to
write, call and fax the Congress against the plan.

On February 18, Miller put a message on his office phones noting
that he supports home schooling, and will support changes in the
bill on the House floor to that effect. That message was still on
when Newsbytes called February 22.

Miller's press secretary, Danny Weiss, admitted to newsbytes that,
"It's tough when everyone's calling" and calling volume is "fairly
heavy. There are a lot of people with strong concerns." But he added
that many callers don't want any federal role in public education, a
view which was rejected 30 years ago and will continue to be
rejected.

Weiss added that his boss will support an "open rule" allowing
any number of amendments to be offered to the bill when it comes
up before the full House, but Miller is not a member of the
Rules Committee which will make that decision.

On February 21 the Family Research Council, headed by former
undersecretary of education Gary Bauer, issued a press release
claiming the bill "threatens federal control of private, religious
and home schools in addition to advocating programs that will
further decay public education."

Newsbytes discussed those concerns with Bauer spokesman Kristi
Hamrick, who said the concerns go beyond the home schooling
controversy. She claimed the bill will speed entry of school-based
clinics, which dispense condoms, into high schools and middle
schools.

She also attacked the idea of targeting federal funds on poor
districts. "The most money spent per child is in the District of
Columbia," where test results are very poor, she told Newsbytes.
"We're talking about the federal government dictating who can
teach and how to do it." She said her group remains convinced the
present bill is an attack on home schooling and private religious
schooling, and is urging its members to oppose its passage.

(Dana Blankenhorn/19940222/Press Contact: Kristi Stone Hamrick,
Family Research Council, 202-393-2100; Rep. George Miller, 202-
224-3121)


(NEWS)(TRENDS)(DEN)(00021)

BIS Predicts Digital Camera Market To Explode 02/22/94
NORWELL, MASSACHUSETTS, U.S.A., 1994 FEB 22 (NB) -- A research
firm which recently completed a survey on electronic photography,
predicts that the market for digital cameras will jump more than
600 percent in the next four years.

BIS Strategic Relations says it expects nearly 600,000 digital
cameras will be sold by 1998. That is a 600 percent increase over
the approximately 97,000 units expected to be sold this year. BIS
says that is an annual growth rate of 70 percent.

Digital cameras store their captured images electronically. The
images can then downloaded to a personal computer for viewing,
editing and printing.

BIS Senior Analyst Susan Moyse says that while the concept sounds
good, the cameras still have limitations to overcome. "Digital
cameras are currently unable to capture the high level of detail
that can be obtained with film. However, digital cameras can meet
the needs of many businesses and offer significant advantages when
processing large volumes of images or when immediate results are
required."

Toshiba introduced a $12,000 digital camera in 1990, but said it
would not export the device. A short time later Fuji introduced its
offering, which included a digital image professor and an image
transmitter, had a zoom lens, and could take three pictures per
minute. That system was priced at about the same price as the
Toshiba.

Digital cameras are currently available for press use in the form of
an Eastman Kodak attachment to a Nikon F3 or F4 camera at about
$20,000, and by several companies in a point-and-shoot format.
Newspaper and magazine photographers began using digital cameras
to capture and transmit images at the 1992 Winter Olympics. The
technique was also used in the Persian Gulf war. A digital back is
also available for Hasselblad cameras.

Consumer-type digital cameras have been introduced by several
companies, and sell for around $800. In late 1993 a California
company announced it is developing a digital camera that captures
its images on a PCMCIA (Personal Computer Memory Card
International Association) card. The user then removes the card from
the camera and inserts it in the PCMCIA slot of a personal computer.
Personal Computer Cameras Inc., says it expects its S-400 color
digital camera to be in retail stores in time for Christmas this
year at a price under $1,000.

Apple Computer recently announced its entry in the digital
camera market -- the QuickTake 100. A color digital camera,
Quicktake is scheduled to be available for Apple Macintosh
computers in late March priced at $749. The Windows version is
scheduled for release in June.

Moyse told Newsbytes BIS expects the street price of the low-end
digital cameras to come down to the $400 level while the
functionality and image quality improves. She thinks they will be
popular for such uses as images in product catalogs and pictures in
company newsletters. "A lot of companies today are doing a lot of
their own production work in house. These (cameras) may give them
some advantages they haven't had before. There seems to be a big
trend towards communicating with images in the business world."

(Jim Mallory/19940222/Press Contact: Susan Moyse, BIS Strategic
Decisions, 617-982-9500)


(NEWS)(TRENDS)(DEN)(00022)

Texans Get "Govt Services" Computerized Kiosks 02/22/94
AUSTIN, TEXAS, U.S.A., 1994 FEB 22 (NB) --  Texas says it will
install touchscreen multimedia kiosks across the state offering
Texans such government services as employment opportunities,
unemployment benefits,worker retraining, and child labor laws.

Called Info/Texas, the public access interactive multimedia kiosks
use full-motion video, spanish and English audio text, and graphics
to provide information and services available through the Texas
Employment Commission. Texas Governor Ann Richards says the
service will help the state deliver necessary information in a
simpler, more efficient, and more cost-effective manner.

Texas is the seventh state to install the kiosks developed by
Santa Monica, California-based North Communications. The service
is expected to eliminate the standing in line and filling out what
are often confusing forms to receive state benefits. It will also
free government workers from responding to the same question
several hundred times each day.

North Communications President Michael North says interactive
multimedia kiosks will revolutionize the way government delivers
services in the same way ATMs (automatic teller machines)
revolutionized banking. The company has installed its devices in the
Los Angeles area to provide information about available disaster
relief for the earthquake victims in that area.

Texas officials say other state agencies may choose to use the
network to distribute their information and services. Citizens may
be able to pay parking tickets, register vehicles, order duplicate
birth certificates, and renew drivers licenses.

At present the system only offers information about the various
TEC services, but officials say they hope to eventually allow job
seekers to apply for jobs, file unemployment claims, and allow
employers to review company tax records and submit job opening
listings. TEC Chairman Eddie Cavazos calls the network of kiosks
"the single face to government the public has been waiting for."

(Jim Mallory/19940222/Press Contact: Whit Clay, Capitoline/MS&L
for North Communications, 202-467-3900)


(NEWS)(GENERAL)(LAX)(00023)

Compton's Cuts Price Of 1994 Encyclopedia By 62% 02/22/94
CARLSBAD, CALIFORNIA, U.S.A., 1994 FEB 22 (NB) -- Compton's
has cut the retail price of the 1994 Compton's Interactive
Encyclopedia for both Microsoft Windows and the Macintosh
platforms by 62 percent to $149.95. This price was previously
available to those upgrading from earlier versions or switching
from other electronic encyclopedia products.

The Compton's Interactive Encyclopedia is published on compact
disc read-only memory (CD-ROM) and offers video clips as well as
photographs and reference material. Compton's also boasts a user
interface that allows the encyclopedia to be "open" several
places at once so users can easily jump back and forth between
references they have already located.

For families with school-age children, a multimedia computer with
an electronic encyclopedia product can often be obtained for the
same amount of cash as an actual set of encyclopedias. The
computer can then be used for other activities both educational
and recreative as well. Compton's is involved in bundling deals
with computer manufacturers for its encyclopedia product.

Compton's also recently announced a deal with IBM to incorporate
IBM's Continuous Speech Recognition so users with the appropriate
computer hardware can "talk" to the encyclopedia.

Specializing in CD-ROM titles, Carlsbad, California-based
Compton's Newmedia was purchased last year by the Tribune
Publishing Company. The most recent of its over 150 products
include: "The Lifestyles of the Rich and Famous Cookbook,"
"Jazz: A Multimedia History," "The Human Calculator," and "The
Sporting News Pro Football Guide."

The company became embroiled in a bitter controversy last fall
when it announced at the world's largest computer trade show
that it had a patent on multimedia. The Interactive Multimedia
Association (IMA), populated by 280 companies and organizations
including Apple Computer and IBM, was one of many in the computer
industry who complained to the US Patent Office about issuing,
"broad and non-technical patents." The Patent Office announced it
would re-examine the Compton's patent and is currently involved
in that process.

(Linda Rohrbough/19940222/Press Contact: Pat Meier, Pat Meier
Associates PR for Compton's Newmedia, 415-957-5999; Christina
Germscheid, Compton's Newmedia, tel [phone], fax 619-929-
2555)


(NEWS)(GOVT)(HKG)(00024)

EDS Wins Contract From Hong Kong Immigration Dept 02/22/94
CENTRAL, HONG KONG, 1994 FEB 22 (NB) -- EDS Asia Pacific has
been awarded a $HK14.4 million contract to implement a territory-
wide data communications network to support the Hong Kong
Immigration Department's new Information Systems Strategy.

The contract is significant to EDS because it is the company's first
major agreement with the Hong Kong Government. Under terms of
the agreement, EDS will install a "comprehensive" data
communications network linking the client server applications at
each of Hong Kong's nine immigration control points, including the
airport, Macau ferry and helicopter terminal, and all border
crossings into China. EDS will also connect approximately 40
immigration offices. The entire network will provide an
infrastructure designed to speed immigration services.

A new network management system, based on Hewlett-Packard's
OpenView, will manage the new network and computing
infrastructure. In addition, an FDDI (fiber distributed data
interface) local area network (LAN) backbone will be installed on
various floors throughout the Immigration Department's Wanchai
headquarters, connecting the department's client server
applications throughout the territory.

"This tender was different from some others in that the bidders
were required to propose an optimal network design for the
integration of the proposed network equipment based on a set of
workload and performance requirements," said Y.M. Cheung, chief
systems manager with the Information Technology Services
Department of the Hong Kong Government.

Cheung continued: "The tender had to aim at maximum reliability,
availability, security and fast response time to provide what the
Immigration Department needed. There couldn't be a single
point-of-failure in any of the proposed internetworking devices.
EDS responded to this tender with a careful analysis of the
requirements and proposed a solution including implementation
services, training, and a disaster recovery plan."

Stephen Wade, the EDS program manager responsible for integrating
the department's computer systems, said, "As multiple vendors
become involved in providing hardware and software, it will be our
job to integrate all the different technologies seamlessly." Wade
was transferred from EDS' Government Systems Group in Washington
to prepare the bid and oversee the implementation of the system.

(Keith Cameron/19940221/Press Contact: Terrence Shan,
852-867-9860, EDS)


(CORRECTION)(TRENDS)(SFO2)(00025)

Correction - Dataquest 1993 Semiconductor Survey 02/22/94
SAN JOSE, CALIFORNIA, U.S.A., 1994 FEB 22 (NB) -- In a recent
article by Newsbytes summarizing the results of Dataquest's
1993 Semiconductor Growth survey, there was an error in the
reporting of the figures.

Where it is stated, "As reported by the company, last year's 'entire
industry growth' figure was 9.3%," the article should have read,
"As reported by the company, 1992's 'entire industry growth' figure
was 9.3%."

Further into the report, where the article said, "Worldwide revenue
from IC's, with the inclusion of IBM, was $35.1 million, with
discrete devices $11.6 million, optical semiconductors $11.8
million, and total semiconductor growth $31.2 million," the report
should read, "Percentage of worldwide growth from IC's with the
inclusion of IBM, was 35.1%, with discrete devices 11.6%, optical
semiconductors 11.8% and total semiconductor growth 31.2%."

Newsbytes regrets any problems this may have caused. An error
occurred in the data transmission of the original report.

(Patrick McKenna/19940222/Press Contact: Paul Wheaton,
Dataquest Inc., 408-437-8312)


(NEWS)(TRENDS)(LAX)(00026)

 ****3DO Multiplayer Cut To Under $500 02/22/94
REDWOOD CITY, CALIFORNIA, U.S.A., 1994 FEB 22 (NB) -- 3DO
announced its 3DO Interactive Multiplayer, manufactured by
Matsushita under the Panasonic brand name, has been reduced $200,
or 28 percent, from $699.95 to $499.95. In addition, a Video CD
adapter for the playback of films on CD is expected this Spring.

Of the new video cassette recorders (VCRs) of the 90's, 3DO's
largest competitor is the Philips Compact Disc Interactive (CD-I)
player. Philips cut the price of the CD-I player last year to the
under $500, but an optional cartridge to make the unit able to
play movies on CD brings the price up to $700. Philips also
announced deals with major movie studios for movies in the CD-I
format and now has a catalog of hit films available to consumers.

The bane of the 3DO's existence has been its lack of titles,
though company officials are quick to point out the number of
developers and the number of titles is growing rapidly. The
company claims there are about 200 titles in development or
completed for the 3DO platform, 20 of which are currently
available in retail outlets in the US. The latest titles,
announced this month, include the space game "Total Eclipse,"
a children's game show title "Twisted," and "John Madden Football."

Trip Hawkins, 3DO's president and chief executive officer (CEO),
claims the company has a jump on competitors who have announced,
but not released "advanced CD" systems. In August, home game
manufacturer Nintendo and workstation computer vendor Silicon
Graphics, Incorporated (SGI) announced "Project Reality." The new
game system, like the 3DO, is powered by a reduced instruction-
set computing (RISC) chip and is aimed first at the video arcade
market, then at the home user.

The new lower 3DO pricing is due to manufacturing improvements
and expansion of Panasonic's production scale. As an added
incentive to move the units into the homes of consumers, 3DO
said it is offering two shares of stock to Matsushita for each 3DO
player sold before September 30, 1994.

The stock deal in exchange for 3DO unit sales is not finalized,
the company said, though it does plan to offer similar incentives
to other of its hardware licensees. American Telephone &
Telegraph (AT&T) and Sanyo, 3DO licensees, are expected to
introduce 3DO hardware products this year. Matsushita is also
releasing 3DO hardware in Japan on March 20 for a retail price of
Yen54,800 in Japan, or about $500. This will make four 3DO-
compatible hardware brands shipping on three continents this
year, 3DO maintains.

(Linda Rohrbough/19940222/Press Contact: Cindy McCaffrey, 3DO,
tel [phone], fax [phone]/PHOTO)


(NEWS)(GENERAL)(ATL)(00027)

Licensing Deals Continue In Educational Software 02/22/94
NEW YORK, NEW YORK, U.S.A., 1994 FEB 22 (NB) -- A gold rush is on
as educational software producers seek to license characters for
use on their products.

In the last few weeks Davidson & Associates licensed the Fisher-
Price name, K-III acquired the "Parents Magazine" line of products
from Gruner + Jahr USA, and Electronic Arts' EA Kids signed a
license for interactive rights to Ludwig Bemelman's book "Madeline."

In the February 9 issue of "Inside Report on New Media," editor
Tony Bove notes that such deals require a new way of doing
business from software companies. Distribution will arise as the
thorniest issue, he writes, since Hollywood studios control that
absolutely. Silicon Valley is also learning how licensed
characters are protected -- Berkeley Systems had to invoke the
"prime directive" in its "Star Trek" screen saver and keep its
"Disney" characters from selling products in order to win screen
saver rights there. But the effort can be worth it -- Berkeley
sold 200,000 of its Disney screen savers in six weeks, at about
$30 retail each. Despite record growth last year, such numbers
are unheard-of in the educational software market.

You may also expect to see a lot more about software on your TV.
Camelot Corp., said its Camelot Entertainment unit will begin
selling its Professor Nozall educational titles using direct-
response television ads. King Media will coordinate the ads, with
West Telemarketing handling the calls. The TV campaign will start
in March, Camelot said.

(Dana Blankenhorn/19940222/Press Contact: Danny Wettreich,
Camelot, 214-733-3005; Gregory William Miller, for K-III, 212-
484-7404; Susan Dyssegard, Electronic Arts, 415-513-7307; Tony
Bove, Inside Report, Customer Contact, fax [phone])


(NEWS)(TELECOM)(ATL)(00028)

Penn State Univ, AT&T Sign Telecom Deal 02/22/94
STATE COLLEGE, PENNSYLVANIA, U.S.A., 1994 FEB 22 (NB) -- Penn
State University has signed a 10-year alliance with AT&T worth
about $90 million.

Under the agreement, the school's students, faculty and alumni
will all be offered AT&T long distance calling plans at a set-
rate, while Penn State's own distance education program will be
expanded, providing another $17 million in revenue to AT&T. Penn
State has 22 campuses around Pennsylvania. The college expects
its students, faculty and alumni could save $20 billion from
taking the AT&T calling plans over the 10-year life of the contract.

Beyond selling services, AT&T also agreed to introduce and test
new technologies at the campus, and create a new doctoral
fellowship to encourage discovery of new applications for
computing. Penn State has 68,000 students, 15,000 full-time
and 13,000 part-time faculty and staff, along with hundreds of
thousands of alumni.

Robert Kavner, AT&T executive vice president and CEO of
Multimedia Products and Services, said in a press statement
the alliance redefines AT&T's relationship with academic
institutions, adding he hopes it will be the first agreement
among many.

Penn State President Joab Thomas, a former president of the
University of Alabama, said that the deal grew out of a report
on the school's information infrastructure which recommended
such strategic alliances, along with new funds from the state
and internal reallocations of funds.

In addition to other services, Penn State's conference hotel,
which opens in May, will be equipped with a variety of AT&T
products, including portable computers, fax machines, printers,
telephone systems and cellular phones. Some funds will be used to
support the Catalyst Center for Information Technologies in its
School of Communications, and funds will also be used to benefit
the Four Diamonds Fund, for families of children with cancer, at
the school's Hershey Medical Center. Additional opportunities in
collaborative research will also be pursued.

Penn State spokesman Christy Rambeau, however, emphasized to
Newsbytes that no one is being forced to go with an AT&T calling
plan. "This is not a monopoly situation. People can stay on
Sprint," she said. The $90 million AT&T expects to generate
"would be mostly user fees of people who choose to take advantage
of the discounts AT&T will provide to faculty, staff and alumni."
The university is also naming AT&T its default long distance
company, although most of the university has been using AT&T for
some time.

(Dana Blankenhorn/19940222/Press Contact: Christy Rambeau, Penn
State, 814-865-7517)


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

FCC Finalizes Cable Rate Regulation 02/22/94
WASHINGTON, D.C., U.S.A., 1994 FEB 22 (NB) -- In a proceeding
televised on the C-Span cable network, the Federal Communications
Commission finalized its rules for re-regulating cable rates.

Under the rules, local governments must file with the commission
to regulate basic cable rates, but the FCC itself is regulating
"expanded basic" rates, those most people pay. Charges for pay-
per-view and premium channels like HBO remain unregulated.

While the new rules passed on a unanimous 3-0 vote, remarks from
commissioners made clear there were differences of opinion. While
Commissioner James Quello praised new Chairman Reed Hundt, who
apparently came around to his position on stiffening rates,
Commissioner Andrew Barrett closely questioned staff members
on the possible impacts of the rate case on operators' ability to
invest in the "Information Superhighway."

He finally concluded, "While this is on the high end" or rate
reduction proposals, it does offer cable operators some leeway.
That leeway is seen in a "cost of service" finding, which operators
could use to get around the new, lower rates, and their ability to
charge higher prices for new services.

Chairman Hundt, a Clinton appointee, called the decision a
"brilliant balance" and predicted it will save consumers $3
billion a year, with rates cut 17 percent from where they were in
September, 1992, when the cable re-regulation bill was passed
over the veto of former President Bush. "That's a pretty big
deal," he added. He noted that prices for basic cable rose 50
percent from 1987-92, twice the rate of inflation. He also
praised the commission for completing action on the case, which
will allow a freeze on rates to expire as scheduled in May. Under
the new rules, Hundt said, cable companies will be allowed a
11.25 percent rate of return.

Technically, the action by the commission was a re-consideration
of actions it took last year, before Hundt joined the panel.
Rates will be determined based on charges in areas where two
cable companies compete, but this "competitive differential" will
be phased in. There are also exceptions for operators who now
charge abnormally-low prices, and for small systems. And, in a
warning to cable operators that they not sue to block the new
rules, Hundt said, "We've tried to win-again for cable companies
the trust and confidence of their consumers."

In addition to the televised hearing, which FCC spokesman
Rosemary Kimball told Newsbytes was the first to be televised
live, the FCC also moved to disseminate its findings in other
ways. Hundt said a phone line is being established for consumers
with questions on the plan, 202-416-0856, and staff members will
be divided into four regions to answer questions, so consumers
should know what state they are calling from. Local governments
which want to learn more about how to get in step with the new
regulations should call 202-416-0940. In addition, Hundt said,
the FCC is in the process of setting-up a computer bulletin board
system offering information on its work. In addition, files will
be available on the Internet through remote ftp procedures.

(Dana Blankenhorn/19940222/Press Contact: Rosemary Kimball, FCC
Press Office, 202-632-5050; consumer contact: 202-416-0856)


(NEWS)(TELECOM)(ATL)(00030)

Prodigy To Offer Chat 02/22/94
WHITE PLAINS, NEW YORK, U.S.A., 1994 FEB 22 (NB) -- Prodigy
said it will add live, interactive chat services to its system this
summer.

Chat involves two or more people typing messages back-and-
forth -- live. Prodigy already offers hundreds of bulletin boards
for its members in which messages are written and posted
sequentially.

Most of Prodigy's rivals in the on-line industry have long offered
chat. In the last year the service, which is a joint venture
between IBM and Sears, has made a number of moves aimed at
making Prodigy more like its rivals, allowing some file
downloads, for instance.

Prodigy added that its "Prodigy Live" TV ad campaign has resulted
in solid growth in its membership, with 55,000 new customers
signing-on for the first time in January alone. Additional orders
are coming in through the service's link with CBS and its Winter
Olympics coverage, which is pushed during Pat O'Brien's late-
night coverage of the games. A special bulletin board set up by
CBS has received over 7,000 messages so far, the service said.
Prodigy also estimated it is getting 700,000 log-ons each day.

Spokesman Brian Ek told Newsbytes many Prodigy members belong
to other services because Prodigy does not provide chat. Prodigy
has a bulletin board called "new members" and messages to that
effect have been posted there. "It'll be here in the summer."

(Dana Blankenhorn/19940222/Press Contact: Brian Ek, Prodigy,
914-448-8811)


(NEWS)(GENERAL)(SFO)(00031)

Newsbytes Daily Summary 02/22/94
PENN VALLEY, CALIFORNIA, U.S.A., 1994 FEB 22 (NB) -- These are
capsules of all today's news stories:

1 -> Lasermaster Ships Photo Quality Digital Color Printer 02/22/94
Lasermaster Technologies has announced it is now shipping a wide
format digital color printer that produces photo quality output
directly from Macintosh and IBM-compatible computers.

2 -> Windows Dynamic User Interface Design Tool Intro'd 02/22/94 A
Colorado company has announced a interface design tool for Microsoft
Windows 3.1 that it claims fits the firm's motto of "Software to
Visualize the Future."

3 -> HP & Fujitsu In Intelligent Network Deal 02/22/94 Software is a
vital element of any telecommunications switching system, especially
in newer, highly complex networks. Now Hewlett-Packard Co., and
Fujitsu Ltd., have announced a long-term deal to provide
intelligent-network systems to telecom operators.

4 -> Report - Wireless Comms To Grow To $10 Billion By 1999 02/22/94
From the continued growth of pagers, cellular and
digital telephones, and accessories in the past five years, a new
report projects that US sales will quadruple from $2.5 billion in
1992, to $9.5 billion in 1999.

5 -> NewsPix Images For Newsbytes Publishers 02/22/94 These are the
photos that have been digitized and correspond to stories Newsbytes
has reported recently.

6 -> Windows Show UK - IBM Pushes OS/2 Software 02/22/94 At the
Windows Show, which opened in Olympia in London today (Tuesday), IBM
showed it is getting serious about selling software. This is the first
year that Big Blue has attended the show and, according to Val Russell
of IBM's media relations department, marks the start of a major
end-user campaign as far as software is concerned.

7 -> UK - Networks '94 Show Details Confirmed 02/22/94 Blenheim Online
has confirmed the details of one of the most
popular communications shows in the calendar -- Networks '94 -- will
be held at the Birmingham National Exhibition Center (NEC) from June
28 to 30 this year.

8 ->  ****ISDN Helps Injured At Winter Olympics 02/22/94 The Winter
Olympics are on at Lillehammer in Norway, and inevitably, some
contestants will end up breaking a bone. However, doctors have a
problem -- with all the congestion on the roads in the vicinity of the
games, it extremely difficult to get the patient to a major
orthopaedic hospital for specialist treatment.

9 -> Red Tape Snags Personal Data Privacy In Europe 02/22/94 While
certain individual countries in the European Community have
legislation protecting personal data on their statute books, the
European Commission (EC) wants to enable a new Europe-wide set of
legislation to protect data on a cross-border basis. However, some
observers argue that the EC seems more bound up in its own red tape
than in getting the laws passed by its own Parliament.

10 -> UK - Groupware Event Set For April 02/22/94 Office Futures has
announced it is hosting a two-day workshop on "Selecting Groupware and
Office Systems." According to Roger Whitehead of the company, the
event will be held at the Britannia Hotel on April 19 and 20.

11 -> HP Laserjet Printers Supported In AIX Environments 02/22/94
Hewlett- Packard (HP) has announced that its Laserjet printers are now
being supported directly under IBM's version of Unix - AIX 3.2.5,
using HP JetDirect network-printer interfaces.

12 -> Unitel Will Not Offer Long Distance In Alberta 02/22/94 Unitel
Communications Inc., has announced that it will not make long-
distance telephone service generally available in the province of
Alberta. The company, which competes in long-distance with regional
telephone companies in eight provinces, said it cannot make money in
Alberta because of the terms under which federal regulators would
allow it to enter the market.

13 -> Canadian Product Launch Update 02/22/94 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. This week: Wang's Open/workflow.

14 -> Interleaf Offers Intellecte Document Management 02/22/94
Interleaf Inc., has announced Intellecte, an integrated document
management application, at the Documentation '94 trade show in Los
Angeles.

15 ->  ****Dell Re-enters Portable PC Market 02/22/94 Nine months
after it decided it pulled out of the portable PC market, Dell
Computer Corporation has announced its re-entry into the fray.

16 -> Ohio Weather Info, Book Borrowing Goes Computerized 02/22/94
Motorists and book borrowers in Ohio are getting some help from
computers, according to a recent announcement by state officials.

17 -> Networks Expo - Cross-Server License Sharing From Saber 02/22/94
At Networks Expo, Saber unveiled Saber Enterprise Application Manager
(SEAM), a product billed as the first to allow real-time license
sharing across multiple servers.

18 -> Networks Expo - Expert "Travel Tips" For Internet 02/22/94 With
more than three million users today and over one million connected
networks, the Internet is getting bigger all the time, observed John
Krick, senior analyst for Datapro, at the start of a talk called
"Driver Training on the Information Superhighway" at Networks Expo.

19 -> But COMP -- a category that concerns computer hardware,
software, communications, and the like -- boasts more than 500
different BBSes, including comp,graphics.animation, comp,lang.c++,
comp.protocols.tcp-ip, comp.sys.novell, comp.dcom.lans.ethernet, and
comp.os.ms-windows.programmer.tools.

20 -> Networks Expo - Frye Intros SUDS WAND, Three Upgrades 02/22/94
At Networks Expo, Frye Computer Systems (FCS) released Software Update
and Distribution System Wide Area Network Distribution (SUDS WAND)
Module 1.0, a product designed to automatically route software updates
throughout a large Novell local area network (LAN) or wide area
network (WAN).

21 ->  ****Home Schooling Under Threat By Govt Title I Funding?
02/22/94 A firestorm over home schooling has imperiled the
re-authorization of Title I, the primary vehicle through which schools
buy computers and software. The re-authorization is known as H.R. 6.

22 -> BIS Predicts Digital Camera Market To Explode 02/22/94 A
research firm which recently completed a survey on electronic
photography, predicts that the market for digital cameras will jump
more than 600 percent in the next four years.

23 -> Texans Get "Govt Services" Computerized Kiosks 02/22/94  Texas
says it will install touchscreen multimedia kiosks across the state
offering Texans such government services as employment opportunities,
unemployment benefits,worker retraining, and child labor laws.

24 -> Compton's Cuts Price Of 1994 Encyclopedia By 62% 02/22/94
Compton's has cut the retail price of the 1994 Compton's Interactive
Encyclopedia for both Microsoft Windows and the Macintosh platforms by
62 percent to $149.95. This price was previously available to those
upgrading from earlier versions or switching from other electronic
encyclopedia products.

25 -> EDS Wins Contract From Hong Kong Immigration Dept 02/22/94 EDS
Asia Pacific has been awarded a $HK14.4 million contract to implement
a territory- wide data communications network to support the Hong Kong
Immigration Department's new Information Systems Strategy.

26 -> Correction - Dataquest 1993 Semiconductor Survey 02/22/94 In a
recent article by Newsbytes summarizing the results of Dataquest's
1993 Semiconductor Growth survey, there was an error in the reporting
of the figures.

27 ->  ****3DO Multiplayer Cut To Under $500 02/22/94 3DO announced
its 3DO Interactive Multiplayer, manufactured by Matsushita under the
Panasonic brand name, has been reduced $200, or 28 percent, from
$699.95 to $499.95. In addition, a Video CD adapter for the playback
of films on CD is expected this Spring.

28 -> Licensing Deals Continue In Educational Software 02/22/94 A gold
rush is on as educational software producers seek to license
characters for use on their products.

29 -> Penn State Univ, AT&T Sign Telecom Deal 02/22/94 Penn State
University has signed a 10-year alliance with AT&T worth about $90
million.

30 -> FCC Finalizes Cable Rate Regulation 02/22/94 In a proceeding
televised on the C-Span cable network, the Federal Communications
Commission finalized its rules for re-regulating cable rates.

31 -> Prodigy To Offer Chat 02/22/94 Prodigy said it will add live,
interactive chat services to its system this summer.

(Ian Stokell/19940222)