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/may_jun_94/nb062194

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(NEWS)(BUSINESS)(DEN)(00001)

Truckstops Get Radio Shack Mini-stores 06/21/94
FORT WORTH, TEXAS, U.S.A., 1994 JUN 21 (NB) -- Radio Shack and
National/Auto Truckstops Inc. have teamed up to put Radio Shack
consumer products in about 100 truckstops across the country.

Called Radio Shack Travel Centers, the collection includes about
250 of the company's products, including handheld and mounted CB
(citizen's band) radios, AC/DC televisions, portable and short-wave
radios, scanners, portable stereos and tape recorders, walkie-
talkies, antennas, tools, flashlights, batteries, travel-related
12-volt accessories, and electronic toys.

Travelers will also be able to get stereo headphones, cassette
recorders, calculators, TV remote controls, power meters, LCD
(liquid crystal display) clocks, and pillow speakers.

Radio Shack officials declined to estimate the market potential
value, but National/Auto Truckstops reportedly believes the deal
is worth about $20 million. Radio Shack is not flooring the
products, but wholesales them to National, which sets the
selling price.

A Radio Shack spokesperson told Newsbytes the concept was tested
in about half a dozen selected markets earlier this year before the
program was expanded nationwide. The company is also exploring
other types of outlets in which the mini-stores or kiosks might be
placed.

(Jim Mallory/19940620/Press contact: Ron Trumbla, Radio Shack,
817-878-4969/TRUCK940620/PHOTO)


(NEWS)(APPLE)(DEN)(00002)

Apple's Digital Camera Available For Power Mac, Windows 06/21/94
CUPERTINO, CALIFORNIA, U.S.A., 1994 JUN 21 (NB) -- Apple Computer
has announced the immediate availability of its Quicktake 100
digital color camera for Power Macintosh and Windows computers.

Newsbytes reported the announcement of the one-pound Quicktake,
a camera that uses no film and downloads pictures to either Mac or
Windows PCs, in February 1994. The standard Macintosh version
shipped in March.

Quicktake is a point-and-shoot type camera with built-in flash
that performs most functions automatically. It has an autofocus
range from four feet to infinity, f2.8 to f16 lens openings, auto
exposure, and shutter speeds from 1/30 to 1/75th of a second.

If you bought your Quicktake 100 to use with your Macintosh
computer and now have a Power Mac, you can get the necessary
software and cables by calling toll-free to Apple's Order Center.

The Power Mac software includes a PowerPC "native" image
compressor/decompressor which speeds up image opening time
on a Power Mac by more than 100 percent over a comparably
equipped 68K-based Mac, according to Apple.

Apple is also shipping several accessories for the camera, including
a $79 travel case, a three-inch by five-inch $49 external battery
booster pack that uses eight AA lithium batteries, a $65 AC adapter
and Mac or Windows connection kit for $99. The kit allows a
Quicktake owner to use the system with either computer platform.
A protective carrying case that can be worn around the waist or
over the shoulder is included.

Newsbytes reported recently that BIS Strategic Relations expects
the digital camera market to reach 600,000 units annually by 1998

Toshiba introduced a more sophisticated $12,000 digital camera
in 1990. Fuji has also introduced a digital system at about the
same price, which includes a digital image processor and an
image transmitter and zoom lens. Fuji says that unit can take
three pictures per minute.

Earlier this month Eastman Kodak Company introduced its $10,995
DCS 420, a digital camera designed for capturing images for desktop
publishing, scientific research, and law enforcement purposes.
Unlike the Apple offering, the DCS 420 uses a conventional film
camera body , the Nikon N90, for its picture taking. Images are
stored on a PCMCIA (Personal Computer Memory Card International
Association) card.

Apple says the Quicktake 100 has a suggested retail price of $749.

(Jim Mallory/19940620/Press contact: Natalie Barreiro, Apple
Computer Inc., 408-974-3118; Reader contact: Apple Computer Inc.,
800-769-2775 (for Power Mac upgrade) or 800-538-9696)


(NEWS)(APPLE)(DEN)(00003)

Adobe Shipping Photoshop 3.0 For Mac 06/21/94
MOUNTAIN VIEW, CALIFORNIA, U.S.A., 1994 JUN 21 (NB) -- Adobe
Systems Inc. says version 3.0 of its Photoshop software for the
Macintosh, Power Mac and Windows platforms will ship in the third
quarter.

Adobe will formally introduce and demonstrate Photoshop 3.0 at the
PC Expo trade show that opens its three-day run in the Jacob Javits
Convention Center in New York on June 28, 1994.

According to Adobe, the most significant new features in the new
release are support for multiple layers and new color correction
tools. Support for multiple layers allows users to manipulate
elements on an image on separate layers as if the elements were
on separate transparent sheets. Each layer can be edited and
special effects and filters can be applied individually. A "what-if"
feature lets the user try different combinations of graphics, text
and effects without discarding the existing image.

Users can also attach a single 8-bit alpha channel mask, called a
Layer Mask, to any layer to apply effects to that layer, vary the
opaqueness of the layer and use channels calculation commands
on a layer without destroying layer data.

The new color correction controls improve the process of getting
color fidelity when adjusting images for CMYK (cyan, magenta,
yellow and black) output. Those colors are mixed in printing to
produce other colors. A user can specify precisely the amount
of ink in a given color plate.

The Replace Color feature lets users create masks based on specific
colors and correct the color by adjusting hue, saturation, and
brightness. CMYK Preview provides a preview of the color mixing
before making the selections permanent.

The user interface has also been enhanced with redesigned floating
palettes, a new Commands palette and a new drag-and-drop feature.
Adobe says the new interface is also more intuitive to use.

The floating palettes can be combined and arranged in any order,
while the Commands palette lets the user create a palette that
contains buttons for the most frequently performed tasks.

Adobe has also provided a Dust and Scratch plug-in that allows
users to remove dust and scratches from scanned images. The
Filter Factory lets users create and name new Adobe Photoshop
plug-ins.

Registered owners of earlier Photoshop versions can upgrade for
$149, plus a "small handling fee." If you bought Photoshop version
2.5 after June 15, 1994, the upgrade is free. Adobe Photoshop LE
users can upgrade for $199 plus handling.

(Jim Mallory/19940620/Press contact: Lavon Peck, Adobe
Systems Inc., 415-962-4430)


(NEWS)(UNIX)(BOS)(00004)

HP Adds High-End X Terminals To Envizex & Entria 06/21/94
BOSTON, MASSACHUSETTS, U.S.A., 1994 JUN 21 (NB) -- Hewlett-
Packard has unveiled new high-end additions to HP Envisex and HP
Entria, two families of X terminals first introduced in September,
1993, and January, 1994, respectively.

In a pre-briefing with Newsbytes in Boston, Mukund Ghangurde,
marketing program manager, said that the new HP Envisex model
20CaS is aimed at "performance-oriented technical users" who
previously might have turned to more costly workstations, while
the new HP Entria models 17Ch and 19Ch represent the "ultimate
upgrade" for terminal users wishing to move beyond a text-based
interface to a windowed graphical environment.

The three new X terminals from HP offer 1280 by 1024 high
resolution monitors, with 72 hertz (Hz) refresh rates, at prices
either at, or near, the bottom of their market segments, he
maintained. The 20CaS performs at 154,000 Xstones. The 17Ch
and 19Ch each perform at 133,000 Xstones.

The official rollout of HP's latest X terminals was made at the
Xhibition trade show in San Jose, California, in conjunction
with the announcement of Release 5.2 of HP's Enware, an X station
software environment that supports the HP Vue graphical user
interface (GUI).

During the pre-briefing with Newsbytes, Ghangurde said that
Release 5.2 adds new features for enhanced security, such as "local
xlock" and "local xclock," in addition to new management capabilities
that permit the systems administrator to launch selected clients
automatically at boot time, to choose from a variety of startup
modes, and to reprogram flash ROM (read only memory).

Release 5.2 is required for the 17Ch and 19Ch, which fill in the
upper end of HP's entry-level Entria line. Even before Entria's
debut early this year, HP had already taken the lead in both the
total US X terminal market and the color market, said Ghangurde,
citing figures from both International Data Corporation (IDC),
Framingham, Massachusetts, and the Fremont, California-based
X Business Group.

IDC gives HP a 22.4 percent share of a $643 million total market
for 1993, and a 26.2 percent share of a color market consisting of
189,200 units, with HP's nearest competitor, NCD, finishing at
21 percent and 21.9 percent, respectively, in these markets,
according to Ghangurde.

Similarly, the X Business Group grants HP a 23.4 percent share of
a $615 million total X terminal market and 25.7 percent of a color
market made up of 192,921 units, with runner-up NCD obtaining
21.9 percent and 22.1 percent of these markets.

HP's X station families are aimed at customers "who need high
resolution or ease-of-use, and/or are price sensitive," Ghangurde
explained.

Among the latest Entria models, the 17Ch, which features a 17-inch
color monitor, is priced at $3,895 with four megabytes (MB) of
memory and $4,190 with 8MB of memory, he said. The 19Ch, with a
19-inch color monitor, is $4,395 with 4MB of memory, or $4,690
with 8MB of memory.

In the 4MB configurations, the 19Ch is priced lower than either
the NCD MCX, Tektronix XP35x, IBM 140, or DEC VXT2000+, and
provides faster performance than all but the Tektronix machine,
Newsbytes was told.

"The 19-inch high resolution is probably the best selling product
within the X terminal marketplace. So we feel that by offering
the best price on that, we're bringing value to a large number of
potential customers," the program manager told Newsbytes.

The 17Ch is less costly than any of the competing models aside
from the DEC VXT2000+, which costs $3,795, Ghangurde said. HP's
17-inch model offers greater performance than either the DEC,
Tektronix, NCD, and IBM equivalents or the Sun 4/10FGX-8, he added.

Like previously released Entria X terminals, the new 17Ch and 19Ch
offer "an easy-to-use, icon-based desktop environment," along with
Energy Star compliance, silent operation, two PS/2 ports, one
serial port, one parallel port, and "a small footprint, about the
size of a small pizza box," Ghangurde said.

Other features shared by the new Entrias and their predecessors
include: built-in ThinLAN and 10Base-T support for local area
network (LAN) connections; "dynamic keyboard mapping" for
switching between an industry-standard PC 101 keyboard and an
IBM 3270 terminal emulation keyboard; and "plug-and-play
functionality" through the Dynamic Host Configuration Protocol
(DHCP).

DHCP simplifies installation by automatically assigning an Internet
Protocol (IP) address to the X terminal when the terminal is
connected to the network, Ghangurde contended.

On-board memory is expandable to 68MB, and an audio kit is
optionally available. The kit features a microphone for voice
annotation of electronic mail or documents, he said.

The program manager added that HP envisions its new 20Ca X
terminal as a cost-effective alternative to workstations for
applications like CAD/CAM (computer-aided design/computer-aided
manufacturing), GIS (geographic information systems), and CASE
(computer-aided software engineering).

One user that is currently employing Envizex stations for this
kind of purpose, he said, is a global telecom manufacturer. The
manufacturer is linking together 15 sites in North America, Europe,
and Asia for collaborative design and manufacturing, and is also
looking into new technologies for connecting home-based
employees as telecommuters.

In the company's new client-server system, HP 9000 Series 700
workstations are being used as general service servers, he said.
The clients are other HP workstations as well as Envizex X
stations, running Shared X, an application that "allows you to
share an X Window across the network, so that other users will
have 'read' and 'write' privileges as well as view privileges."

The manufacturer has experienced "significant productivity
improvements in collaborative activities," according to Ghangurde.
"They're also finding that their factory workers have better online
access to worldwide documentation."

The Envizex stations are also aimed at other image-intensive and
multimedia applications, he reported. For its latest TV "ratings
sweep," he illustrated, Nielsen Media Research traded in its
character terminals for a client-server architecture that includes
HP 9000 Model 735 database servers and 144 HP Envizex stations.
The database contains information on TV viewing patterns and
demographics.

"I've heard that Nielsen saw something like a 46 percent
productivity gain through our easy-to-use GUI with multiple
windows. This time around, everything was done in an accurate and
timely fashion. They didn't have to hire any new workers or pay
anybody overtime," Ghangurde told Newsbytes.

Other users are attracted to HP's X terminals by cost
considerations, he reiterated. For example, a division of Northrop
that is the only manufacturer of fuselages for Boeing 747 jets has
off-loaded some of its applications from the mainframe to a
"three-tiered" client-server architecture, after being mandated
to reduce data processing costs by 60 percent over 18 months.

The new architecture at Northrop includes 115 HP 9000 Model 7XX
and 10 Model 8XX database and application servers, plus some 150
Envizex stations, 300 HP Vectra PCs, and Apple Macintoshes. "The
benefits they've seen have been substantial cost savings, as well
as enterprise-wide access to data," he said.

Ghangurde added that, like earlier releases in the Envizex line,
the 20Ca offers options that include "not just an audio kit," but
several for external connectivity: a floppy drive for transfer of
diskettes Unix, PC and Macintosh environments; Type 2 and Type 3
PCMCIA (Personal Computer Memory Card International Association)
slots; and a SCSI (small computer systems interface) interface that
supports a ScanJet IIc scanner.

Other options include a flash ROM (read-only memory) card and PC
101 and HP-HIL keyboards. In addition, support is provided for
XShare as well as HP's MPower multimedia software. On-board
memory is expandable to 132MB.

Although 20- and 21-inch X terminals from NCD and Tektronix also
have audio capability, the competing terminals do not afford local
scanner or local floppy functionality, or a "local user
environment" along the lines of HP Vue, he said. X terminals from
Sun do not supply any of these four features, he maintained.

HP's 20-inch 20Ca is priced at $5,195 with 6MB of memory and
$5,795 in a 12MB configuration. HP's new high-end Envizex
workstation outperforms either the Sun 4/10 GX-8, which is rated
at 100,000 Xstones, or the NCD21c, which is not as fast as the Sun,
Ghangurde maintained to Newsbytes. Moreover, the 20Ca is less
expensive than the NCD product, he said.

The newly announced Enware 5.2 X station software from HP is priced
at $695. HP Enware X terminal manager, a set of X terminal network
management tools that is part of the same software family, is
priced at $495, with only one copy required per customer site,
according to Ghangurde.

The new "local xlock" feature in Release 5.2 is designed to prevent
unauthorized access to local software. Local "xclock," in contrast,
"reduces network traffic" by providing a clock on the local
workstation, according to Ghangurde.

Also with HP Enware 5.2, systems administrators will be able to
reprogram the flash ROM card with either custom or HP-provided
file sets, and to choose from such startup modes as XDMCP, Auto
Telnet, Auto Serial, and local commands.

In addition to automatic local client launch, other new
capabilities in Release 5.2 include implementation of X11R6 XIE (X
Image Extension) implementation, for more efficient image display,
plus a "tamper-proof booting" function that prevents end users from
disrupting the booting process by disabling the mouse and keyboard
at that time, he said.

Newsbytes asked Ghangurde whether, given the capabilities of HP's
new X terminal families, HP's workstation line is being
"cannibalized" at all. "There are areas where more than one product
could overlap," he acknowledged, "but we feel that our X stations
will attract customers who don't need to have storage or compute
power in and of itself."

"Certainly, some of those customers may have used workstations in
the past. But we would prefer they use HP's workstations rather
than anybody else's. Where cannibalization may be happening, it's
better for HP to be the beneficiary than some other company. The
bottom line is that we're much less concerned over cannibalization
than for customers to get the products they need. Everything else
will take care of itself," he added.

Analysts told Newsbytes that, with the 17Ch, 19Ch and 20Ca
workstations and HP Enware 5.2 software, Hewlett-Packard is
providing users with features they want to see in X terminals.

"HP has made a number of modifications that users would consider
to be positive improvements, judging from research we've done,"
said Greg Blatnik, vice president of the X Business Group.

Users are looking for higher quality monitors in X terminals, as
well as XIE and other software enhancements for X terminal
management, Blatnik asserted.

Eileen O'Brien, director of the terminals program at IDC, pointed
to the price/performance of the HP's new X terminals. "These are
basically extensions to HP's existing Entria and Envizex lines,
with larger screens. But HP is always very savvy in providing
affordable, fully featured X terminals," she told Newsbytes.

Although the 19Ch and 20Ca are less expensive than rival models,
"HP is giving you more," O'Brien maintained. The 17Ch is priced
$100 above the DEC VXT2000+, but the HP machine also comes
standard with 2MB more memory, she pointed out.

(Jacqueline Emigh/19940620/Reader Contact: Hewlett-Packard,
508-256-6600; Press Contacts: Tim Hurley, HP, 508-436-5042;
Jim Barbagallo, HP, 508-436-5049; Roman Kichorowsky,
Copithorne & Bellows for HP, 617-252-0606)


(NEWS)(IBM)(TYO)(00005)

Korea - IBM/Novell/Microsoft Compete For DOS Users 06/21/94
SEOUL, KOREA, 1994 JUN 21 (NB) -- IBM Korea and Novell
Korea have entered the domestic DOS market which has been
monopolized by Microsoft. IBM Korea announced its Korean
version "PC DOS 6.3" last week.

The product will be introduced for its own "Value Point"
series and five or six domestic computer makers as well.
The company also plans to expand sales to users of other
company products, like MS-DOS, through upgrades.

Novell Korea presented "Novell-DOS 7" on May 17 and
is working on licensing contracts with five or six companies.
Many small- and medium-sized Korean companies, including
Aproman, have already started selling PCs introducing the
products. Novell Korea has also started selling upgrades for
MS-DOS users at a 20-30 percent discount and plans to
advance the network market.

On the other hand, Microsoft plans to keep its existing
customers and users by substituting the Windows "Chicago"
for MS-DOS 6. The company is believed to have modified its
DOS strategy because of a decision by a US Court for patent
infringement on a disk compression program previously
included with MS-DOS.

Analysts say the DOS environment will continue for at least
four or five years and that the three companies will keenly
compete for the market.

(Terry Silveria/19940620)


(NEWS)(GENERAL)(MSP)(00006)

Mexico - Computer & Telecom News Roundup 06/21/94
MEXICO CITY, MEXICO, 1994 JUN 21 (NB) -- In this week's computer
news from Mexico: Group Technologies to buy electronics plant
from Philips, IBM Introduces New PCs to Mexico, Grupo Alfa
studying entry to local telephone markets, Mexican firm to
operate and expand Cuban telephone system.

Group Technologies To Buy Electronics Plant From Philips

The US firm, Group Technologies (GTC), will buy a plant in
Mexico City that assembles circuit boards and employs about
130. The plant has ISO 9002 quality an attraction for the US$250
million firm. The firm has been seeking to enter Mexico to add
lower-cost capacity that is convenient to its US operation.

IBM Introduces New PCs To Mexico

IBM introduced new models of the PS/1, ValuePoint, and
ThinkPad lines of PCs and servers. The PC Server has a 66
megahertz (MHz) 486DX2, or 60MHz, eight megabytes (MB) of
memory, PCI (Peripheral Component Interconnect) and SCSI
(small computer systems interface) . The firm introduced
NetFinity, an application package for client/server control.
The OS/2 package support Windows clients and NetWare
servers. The PS/1 line added Basic, Multimedia, and Inteligente
models. The new ValuePoint Performance model has either a
100MHz 486 or a 60MHz Pentium and 64-bit graphics on the
motherboard. The ThinkPad 755C includes an active-matrix
color display.

Grupo Alfa Studying Entry To Local Telephone Markets

Grupo Industrial Alfa, a giant steel and diversified
conglomerate, is studying entry into the local telephone markets
with an investment of US$1 billion. The plan is to link with a
foreign source of technology. They would enter the business
when competition begins in the long distance market in 1997.
Concessions are expected to be granted this fall. Other firms
pursuing the concessions include: Bell Atlantic with its US$1
billion investment in Iusacell; Grupo Pulsar, that recently
invested in the British wireless firm Ionica; Nextel
Communications that will invest US$165 million in a Mexican
wireless firm Mobilcom, and MCI and Grupo Financiero Banamex-
Accival.

Mexican Firm To Operate And Expand Cuban Telephone System

Grupo Domos Internacional said it will acquire 49 percent, and
operating control, of the Cuban telephone system, Etec (Empresa
de Telecomunicaciones en Cuba). The firm will have a 55 year
concession. The total cost is US$1.442 billion, with US$724 paid
now and the balance in five years. Immediately, the firm will
replace 200,000 of the 450,000 installed lines (5 lines per 100
people) and will expand the system to one million lines (11 lines
per 100). Etec provides the total telecommunications for Cuba,
except cellular, including cable TV, wireless, and data. The
transaction was assisted by KPMG/Peat Marwick and Rothschild de
Mexico. The firm is using its own resources and US$350 from
Bancomext (the Mexican export bank). Mexico's president is
expected to visit Cuba in connection following the announcement.
However, the Cuban government would not confirm or deny the
arrangement.

(Terry Silveria/19940620)


(NEWS)(GENERAL)(SFO)(00007)

Conner Intros 4GB RAID System For PC LANs 06/21/94
LAKE MARY, FLORIDA, U.S.A., 1994 JUN 21 (NB) -- As computer
storage devices increase in capacity, so does the need for reliable
technology for local area networks (LANs) used in vital mission-
critical networking environments within companies. Now Conner
Peripherals Inc.'s Conner Storage Systems division has introduced
a new four gigabyte (GB) version of its CR6-RAID (redundant array
of inexpensive disks) system designed for PC LANs.

The new version is an external, six-bay RAID system configured with
four one-gigabyte Conner disk drives. It allows for the addition of
up to two more one-inch high Conner SCSI (small computer systems
interface) drives as their capacity requirements increase.

The new version is set to become available through distributors and
value-added resellers in July. List prices begin at $8,375.

Newsbytes notes that, as more companies downsize from host-based
networks, LANs are being called upon to provide increasingly complex
and mission-critical operations. While a standalone PC, for
example, can simply be rebooted if it crashes, this is not the case
for network servers operating in client-server configurations,
because many clients (workstations) may be connected to them.
Also, important corporate information must also be regularly backed
up in order to prevent access problems in the event of some sort of
network or file server problem.

In announcing the new version, Bernie Wu, vice president, product
development for Conner Storage Systems, said, "The introduction of a
lower-capacity Conner CR6-RAID system allows organizations to make
a conservative investment in RAID at first and add storage capacity as
their data management needs evolve."

The system is designed to maximize fault tolerance, and features
four "hot-swappable" Conner FilePro Performance 1060 disk drives.
It also reportedly provides for a "hot" on-line spare drive, redundant
power supplies, and dual cooling fans.

The accompanying Conner Array Management System software
features a graphical user interface (GUI) and operates remotely
from a DOS or Windows client workstation. The software facilitates
configuration of the RAID systems and provides centralized
monitoring and reporting of multiple RAID devices on multiple
servers from a single administrator workstation.

The CR6-RAID products transfer data over a FAST SCSI-2 interface
at a rate of 20 MB/second. It has an average seek time of 10
milliseconds.

The company says that the CR6-RAID system has been "fully tested
and certified" by Microsoft Compatibility Labs for use with
Windows NT Advanced Server, and is also certified for use in Novell
NetWare 3.1x and 4.0x networks.

The company adds that the system now supports Intel's new 64-bit
PCI (Peripheral Component Interconnect) local bus architecture.
EISA (Extended Industry Standard Architecture) and Micro Channel
Architecture (MCA)-based file servers are reportedly already
supported by the Conner RAID systems.

All Conner RAID systems come with a three-year warranty.

(Ian Stokell/19940620/Press Contact: Jan Jahosky,
407-263-3654, Conner Storage Systems)


(NEWS)(TELECOM)(ATL)(00008)

Modem Improvements Coming 06/21/94
GAITHERSBURG, MARYLAND, U.S.A., 1994 JUN 21 (NB) -- Modems are
about to get much faster, putting new pressure on packet networks
to compete.

V.34, also known as the V.Fast standard, took another step toward
approval as a High Speed Modem Rapporteur Group completed a final
draft of the recommendation. The group, chaired by Richard Stuart
of Penril, will also meet next year to start work on a follow-on
standard for even faster products, capable of handling video.

V.34 modems would work at 28,800 bits-per-second (bps), and the
approved standard provides variable data speeds, adapting to the
highest possible transmission rate on each connection. This could
mean standard V.34 modems will be used on wireless connections --
the current 9,600 bps and 14,400 bps standards are not as adaptive
as a competing scheme, MNP 10.

The standard could become official in as little as 90 days,
Stuart said in a press statement, but the most volatile issue
before the group remains intellectual property. The group fears
that patents could require V.34 modem makers to pay substantial
license and royalty costs, slowing the modems' acceptance in the
market. Modem makers may be unwilling to give up their rights,
because the increased use of digital signal processors, or DSP
chips, to emulate modem functions has meant that prices for
fast-modems have been falling faster-and-faster as speeds have
increased, cutting profits.

Meanwhile, Hayes has released plug-in boards which represent
Version 2 of its ESP serial port accelerator technology for Micro
Channel connections. The boards speed-up the ability of a serial
port to accept data, which has become a bottleneck as modems
have gotten faster.

The new ESP boards can accept data as fast as 230,400 bps and
faster, Hayes said, making them useful for remote LAN access
and for communications servers as well as individual PCs. The
Micro Channel version retails for $199, and uses a custom
communications coprocessor chip and buffers for both sending
and receiving data.

(Dana Blankenhorn/19940620/Press Contact: Richard L. Stuart,
Penril Datability Networks, 301-921-8600, ext 8650;
Hayes, Beth McElveen, tel [phone], fax [phone])


(NEWS)(TELECOM)(ATL)(00009)

Comcast To Buy Maclean Hunter Cable 06/21/94
PHILADELPHIA, U.S.A., 1994 JUN 21 (NB) -- Comcast has agreed
to buy the Maclean Hunter cable systems from Rogers
Communications of Toronto for $1.27 billion. The deal allows
Comcast to leapfrog over Cox Enterprises and become the third-
largest cable operator, following Cox' announcement it would
buy Times Mirrors' cable operations.

With the Maclean Hunter systems, Comcast will have 3.5 million
subscribers. The largest cable operator, Tele-Communications
Inc., has 10 million, while number two Time Warner has seven
million. With the Times Mirror deal, Cox will have about three
million. However, with the Times Mirror deal, Cox's cable
operations will be spun-off into a new public company.

A spokesman for Comcast told Newsbytes the cash purchase will
be financed through debt and cash on hand. Since the deal will not
close for some time, Comcast has a number of options. It could
negotiate directly with banks, issue short term or long term
paper, or consider other arrangements.

In a press statement, Comcast President Brian Roberts noted
that the Maclean Hunter acquisition raises Comcast's profile in
three of the top 15 TV markets. The purchase, however, remains
subject to regulatory approval.

In addition to its cable operations, Comcast provides cellular
phone service to over 300,000 customers. It also has
international cable investments and a piece of Teleport, one of
the largest competitive access providers, as well as its own CAP
company, Eastern Telelogic. The Maclean Hunter systems were
purchased in March by Rogers when it bought the parent company,
which also publishes newspapers and engages in commercial
printing.

Comcast has also made news because it was involved in the QVC
bid for Paramount eventually won by Paramount, and because
President Brian Roberts has been widely promoted as an
"information highway" celebrity, appearing before Congress and
other forums to talk about the issue.

(Dana Blankenhorn/19940620/Press Contact: John R. Alchin,
Comcast, 215-981-7503)


(NEWS)(TELECOM)(ATL)(00010)

Pressure On Congress To Finish Phone Bill 06/21/94
WASHINGTON, D.C., U.S.A., 1994 JUN 21 (NB) -- Two court decisions
will put more pressure on the US Congress to finish a phone
deregulation bill now stalled by opposition from the regional
Bells.

In one decision, the US Court of Appeals for the District of
Columbia ruled the Federal Communications Commission cannot
force local phone companies to allow rivals links with their
switches and networks.

In the more recent case, before the US Supreme Court, a 5-3 ruling
upheld AT&T's contention that it could not be forced to disclose
details on its rates while rivals are not required to do so.

The latest decision was written by Justice Antonin Scalia, but
concurred-in by Clinton appointee Ruth Bader Ginsburg. It
overturns a 10-year old policy under which MCI, Sprint and other
AT&T rivals were exempted from complex reporting requirements
when they signed large businesses to their networks.

In a third case with information highway impact, an appeals court
in Richmond, Virginia is holding-up the appeal of a decision by a
US District Court, which ruled that keeping Bell Atlantic out
of the cable television business is a violation of its rights
under the First Amendment.

The cases, taken together, could provide new momentum for efforts
in Congress to re-write the communications laws. Bills to do just
that have been stalled, mainly due to opposition by regional
Bells unhappy that they will be only be allowed into long distance
slowly, while rivals will be able to enter the local phone
business quickly.

However, some observers argue that the cases, especially the
latest case, indicate that the courts will interpret the 1934
Communications Act narrowly, in the absence of new law, which
could thwart efforts to create competition among cable and
phone companies on the one hand, and local and long distance
firms on the other.

The Clinton Administration had hoped to have a communications
re-write done by the early spring, and in fact abandoned its efforts
to propose a bill, supporting existing bills instead, with some
amendments. The Administration has not been trying to break the
log-jam since it is putting all its efforts on health care reform.

The reaction to the new Supreme Court decision shows just how
tortured all of this has become. The FCC is being ordered to
re-instate complex disclosure requirements on MCI, Sprint and
others, while AT&T says it brought the original suit in hopes the
requirements would be dropped on all competitors. AT&T will
continue to push its view that the complex filings should not be
required at all.

(Dana Blankenhorn/19940620)


(NEWS)(TRENDS)(BOS)(00011)

NECC - Educational Prgms "Cross Over" 06/21/94
BOSTON, MASSACHUSETTS, U.S.A., 1994 JUN 21 (NB) -- When a music
group bridges the gap between rock and country, the phenomenon is
called a "crossover." Judging from patterns in product introductions
at the recent NECC show in Boston, the same kind of trend is now
cropping up in the educational software market, with makers of
"school" titles moving into the "home" market, and vice versa.

Computer Curriculum Corporation (CCC), a maker of classroom
software for 25 years, unveiled its intentions to enter the home
market with multimedia and language titles for kids. Power
Industries also "crossed over" from the school to home market,
with "Imagination Station," a new home version of its "Delta
Drawing" program used in schools.

Crossing over in the opposite direction were Soleil Software, with
a classroom edition of "Zurk's Learning Safari," and Humongous
Entertainment, making a similar announcement about its Junior
Adventures series. Meanwhile, Claris Corporation rolled out a CD-
ROM version of "Amazing Animation," a kids' movie-maker which is
meant to meet the needs of both markets simultaneously.

"`School to home' and 'home to school' is a trend. Absolutely,"
affirmed Nancy Deyo, vice president of marketing for CCC, in an
interview with Newsbytes. In Deyo's view, the crossover in
educational software is indicative of the computer industry's
overall movement toward "any time, anywhere" communications.
Products are no longer being confined by "the walls of the home, or
of the school," the VP explained.

CCC's new children's titles for the home market will be distributed
through Davidson & Associate's Affiliated Labels. "The Little
Turtle" and "Ocean Escape," the first two titles in the series, use
multimedia storytelling, songs and poetry to draw children into the
storytelling experience, according to Deyo.

More specifically, the expansion of educational software into the
home reflects consumers' growing demands for "quality" software,
Deyo maintained. "With all the software now on the market, parents
are getting increasingly selective about what they put in front of
their children," she told Newsbytes.

As a general rule, the new "crossover" titles are designed to teach
as well as to entertain. For example, "The Little Turtle," which is
based on a poem by Vachel Lindsay, takes kids on a journey with a
"friendly snapping turtle" through puddles, over rocks, and into a
field. "Ocean Escape" stars a boy named Gabriel who turns bath time
into an imaginary deep sea adventure that includes encounters with
dolphins and sharks.

But both of the new home titles from CCC also incorporate
activities for developing reading comprehension, vocabulary,
language, memory, and listening skills, according to Deyo. In
addition, "The Little Turtle" lets kids learn more about "real
turtles" by clicking on a photo glossary. They can also ask
questions about the characters by means of a microphone.

And in Ocean Escape, children can click on icons for more facts on
sea creatures as well as the various ways in which the creatures
communicate. The two CD-ROM titles from CCC are expected to be
available this fall for both Windows and the Mac, at a suggested
retail price (SRP) of $49.95.

Software publishers are also adding new features for their new
markets. For example, "Imagination Station," the new home version
of the "Delta Drawing" software package, sports new "coloring book
software," a "picture gallery" with 50 pictures for kids to
customize and print out, and an Explorer's Guide manual the company
says is "specially tailored to parents." Regularly priced at
$39.95, the DOS-based home version is available through September
30 for $29.95.

Along similar lines, the new CD-ROM version of Claris' "Amazing
Animation," aimed at "promoting cooperative learning in school and
at home," has lesson plans for parents and teachers, instructional
materials for children that can be printed out, and ten projects
that range from creating an "animated family tree," to animating
mathematical fractions, to demonstrating the process of volcanic
eruption, according to a Claris spokesperson.

The Mac-based movie-maker from Claris is also being offered on
floppy disk. Each edition provides three progressive skill levels,
geared to ages five to 14. The "Basic Level," for instance, includes
"Scenes" and "Stamps & Sounds." The "Tools Level" contains "Paints,"
"Squish," and "Letters." The "Effects Level" offers "Buttons,"
"Wipes," and "Pauses." Both versions are expected to ship this
summer for $59. Educational site licensing will also be available.

The Claris spokesperson concurred with CCC's Deyo that the use of
software in actual classrooms lends credibility for use at home.
Parents looking for "quality software" for their kids feel more
comfortable when the software has been given this kind of "stamp
of approval," she told Newsbytes.

That helps to explain why educational publishers are moving into
the consumer market. But what about the crossovers from home to
school? Representatives of companies in this segment say that, as
the use of computers in schools continues to spread, educators are
seeking software that will engage students' interest while at the
same time meeting curriculum objectives and teaching about
computers.

"Zurk's Learning Safari," for example, appeals to educators due to
its multicultural, multimedia content, and also because it allows
for exploration on the computer without any "right" or "wrong"
answers, according to a spokesperson for Soleil.

Available for Macintosh and DOS, the new school version of the
safari software package features "cooperative learning activities"
that run the gamut from hide-and-seek, to puzzles, to "swimming in
a bowl of alphabet soup filled with letters that morph into animals."

The package comes with a teachers' resource guide for incorporating
activities into seven curricula: science, pre-reading, pre-math,
art, social studies, music/rhythm, and movement.

Educational objectives for science include "naming animals,"
"contrasting wet/dry seasons," and "noticing camouflage," for
example. For social studies, the objectives encompass "counting in
different languages" and "beginning geography skills," and for pre-
math, "comparing dimensional shapes," "creating graphs," and
"verbalizing thinking skills."

A teacher's version of Zurk's is priced at $59.95 for a single
copy. Student editions are $149.95 for a lab pack (up to five
copies); $595 for a network version (up to 50 network stations);
and $695 for a site license (up to 100 stations.)

Humongous Entertainment describes its Junior Adventures, which are
scheduled for release in school versions this August, as "a series
of non-violent multimedia stories" that "unfold with the child's
own actions."

Intended to teach number and shape recognition, critical
thinking, and problem solving skills to pre-schoolers through
second graders, the stories feature click points for interacting
with characters, finding puzzles, and gathering information.

Stories in the Junior Adventure series include "Putt-Putt Joins the
Parade," "Putt-Putt Goes to the Moon," and "Fatty Bear's Birthday
Surprise." Each package includes a teacher's guide with ideas on
how to incorporate the software into the curriculum, suggestions on
outside reading, and blackline masters of hands-on activities.

Humongous Entertainment's Junior Adventures will be offered on
floppy disk and CD-ROM for Macintosh and DOS. A single version is
priced at $49.95. Site licenses are: $139.95 for schools with up to
50 computers; $249.95 for 51 to 150 computers; $359.95 for 151 to
300 computers; and $469.95 for 301 or more computers.

(Jacqueline Emigh/19940617/Reader Contacts: CCC, 408-745-6270;
Power Industries, 617-235-7733; Claris, 408-987-7000; Soleil
Software, 415-494-0114; Humongous Entertainment, 206-485-1212;
Press Contacts: Adrienne Hankin, CCC, 415-381-8446; Tristana
Webster, Power Industries, 617-235-7733; Natalie Lingo, Claris,
408-987-7487; Rachel Zeiph, Connors Communications for Soleil,
415-771-3940; Pam Herber, Miller Communications for Humongous,
206-450-9965)


(NEWS)(TELECOM)(DEL)(00012)

India's Telecom Policy Opens To Private Sector 06/21/94
NEW DELHI, INDIA, 1994 JUN 21 (NB) -- The much-awaited national
telecommunications policy has thrown open basic telephone
services to the private sector on terms similar to those of value-
added services.

Both domestic and foreign investors have been seeking this
for a long time. Now, foreign investment proposals from 21
companies worth over $4 billion are pending.

But plans to denationalize the Department of Telecommunications
(DOT) has been shelved for the moment and the status of Mahanagar
Telephone Nigam Ltd. (MTNL) has been maintained.

The plan's provision for the telecom sector has been raised to
R56,750 crore (over $18 billion) from R40,500 (about $13 billion)
crore planned earlier. However, a shortfall in resources still
amounts to R30,500 crore ($9.8 billion). In short, the success of
the policy hinges on huge amounts of capital coming from the
foreign and private sector. All value-added services available
internationally have also been promised in the government's
"Eighth plan" period.

However, some observers argue that the policy does not address
a number of crucial issues, such as: the maximum permissible
equity percentage in a company; the establishment of an
independent regulatory authority to provide a "level playing field"
for all service providers and to settle disputes between subscribers
and consumers (the draft policy had suggested the creation of a
regulatory body); and the amendment of the Indian Telegraph Act of
1885, as outlined in the Arthreya Committee report.

The crucial policy document, which took over two years to see the
light of the day, was further delayed because of the differences
between the Minister of State for Communications Sukh Ram, and
N. Vittal, chairman of the Telecom Commission and pressure from
the powerful telecom employees union.

The policy has been finally listed only after the prime minister's
intervention. The policy has introduced competition in basic
services as pushed by Vittal, and opposed by Sukh Ram. The
deadline for approving the policy is also believed to have been set
up by the Prime Minister's visit to the US, where he is meeting
heads of various telecom firms. The government, some observers
argue, did not want to give "negative signals" to US and
multinationals during the prime minister's visit.

The only clear cut guidelines to have been issued stipulate that
private sector companies have to maintain a "balance" between rural
areas and urban areas, and that private companies have to operate
on agreed tariffs and revenue sharing agreement with the DOT.
However, objections have been raised on DOT's role as a player, as
well as regulatory body at the same time.

(C.T. Mahabharat/19940621)


(NEWS)(TRENDS)(SYD)(00013)

Australian Survey Says MIS Has Increased Influence 06/21/94
SYDNEY, AUSTRALIA, 1994 JUN 21 (NB) -- Senior financial
executives are getting more knowledgeable about information
technology (IT), but they are heavily dependant on their MIS
(management information services) managers telling them what
is going on. That is the principal finding of a survey conducted by
the Strategic Publishing Group and the Australian Society of
CPAs.

The survey found that most of the executives get their IT
knowledge from their MIS managers. Additionally, those who
have MIS managers reporting to them tend to feel very
uncomfortable about having to rely so heavily on their
subordinates.

The survey asked 383 randomly chosen senior financial
executives how they got their information about IT. The
executives carried titles ranging from senior financial
controller to chief executive officer. All were members of
the Australian society of CPAs.

Forty-one percent of the respondents had the most senior MIS
executive in the company reporting to them, either directly or
through a subordinate. Fifty-nine percent had no direct report
from the MIS department. Among the first group, the MIS manager
was by far the most important source of information, with a
ranking of 3.99 out of five. The next most important source was
business magazines at 3.17 out of five.

Even where MIS does not report to senior management, the survey
showed the senior executives heavily dependant on the MIS
manager's advice, with a score of 3.11. Computer consultants
rated low as sources of IT information with both groups of
executives -- third last in companies where MIS reports to the
executive and last where there was no such link.

(Computer Daily News/19940621)


(NEWS)(TELECOM)(DEN)(00014)

Megahertz Intros Ethernet-Modem PCMCIA Card 06/21/94
SALT LAKE CITY, UTAH, U.S.A., 1994 JUN 21 (NB) -- Megahertz
Corporation has announced a new PCMCIA (Personal Computer
Memory Card International Association) combination Ethernet-
modem card and its first modem based on the V.34 standard.

The combo card connects a personal computer to an Ethernet-
based network. It also functions as a modem to transmit and
receive data and faxes over a telephone line.

Ryan Ashton, Megahertz senior VP of sales and marketing, says
users of PCs that have only one PCMCIA slot will appreciate the dual
functionality. "This (announcement) is particularly relevant in that
many portable computing devices have only one PCMCIA slot, so
customers can now use that slot much more efficiently," says
Ashton.

The data/fax modem function of the card can send and receive data
and faxes at a speed of up to 14,400 bits-per-second (bps). It
offers Ethernet 10BaseT (unshielded twisted pair) and 10Base-2
(thin coaxial) cable configurations.

Megahertz says the card will ship in the early Fall of 1994. Pricing
will be announced just prior to shipment.

The company's new V.34 modem is also scheduled to ship in early
Fall 1994, once the International Telecommunications Union study
group ratifies the V.34 standard, which provides throughput at
28,800 bps.

The V.34 protocol allows the modem to identify itself to the
telephone network equipment, then adapt to the characteristics of
the connection. According to Megahertz it does that by probing the
channel then setting critical parameters such as carrier frequency,
equalization, symbol rate, and transmitted power in order to
maximize the data throughput.

The new modem, which meets the V.34 standard as currently
proposed, uses an AT&T chipset which has a flash upgrade capability.
That allows users to upgrade the modem remotely without returning
it to the vendor should the standard change by the time it's adopted.

(Jim Mallory/19940621/Press contact: Andy Capener, Megahertz
Corp., 801-320-7701; Reader contact: Megahertz, 800-527-8677)


(NEWS)(APPLE)(DEN)(00015)

Wordperfect 3.1 For Mac In Development 06/21/94
OREM, UTAH, U.S.A., 1994 JUN 21 (NB) -- Wordperfect Corporation
says it is developing version 3.1 of its Wordperfect for Macintosh
software and expects the upgrade to ship this summer.

One of the features of version 3.1, according to Wordperfect, is
QuickCorrect, which automatically corrects typing or spelling
errors as they occur. The correction occurs as soon as the user
presses the space bar or a punctuation character such as a period
or comma. QuickCorrect also expands abbreviations and corrects
words in which the first two characters only are capitalized.
That is a frequent problem for some speed typists. The user can
edit the abbreviation expansion list to add their own commonly
used terms.

Other features include a Fat Binary Installer option that installs
a universal version of the software. That version contains binaries
for a standard Mac or a Power Mac. Wordperfect says that makes it
easier to administer the software from a network.

New merge data file options let the user perform merges using
data that has been exported from FileMaker Pro as well as data
from Wordperfect tables.

Version 3.1 also supports QuickDraw GX printing that lets the
user designate the order of print jobs and change paper size and
orientation on a "page by page" basis.

The drag-and-drop capability will allow users to move text and
graphics between documents and other applications as well as
within a document. Text can also be dragged out of a document and
onto the desktop where it resides as a clippings file until it is
dragged back into another file.

Wordperfect 3.0 for Mac came to market in October, 1993. This
past March the company shipped a Power Mac version of the
program.

Wordperfect 3.1 for Macintosh will have a suggested retail price of
$495. If you purchase version 3.0 during a 60-day window centered
on the ship date you will get a free upgrade. For other users the
upgrade will cost $89. The company says users of any competing
word processor can switch for $99.

(Jim Mallory/19940621/Press contact: Dan Cook, Wordperfect
Corporation, 801-228-5014; Reader contact: Wordperfect,
tel [phone] or 801-225-5000, fax [phone])


(NEWS)(IBM)(TOR)(00016)

 ****IBM Offers Cyrix Chips In Its Blue Lightning Line 06/21/94
FISHKILL, NEW YORK, U.S.A., 1994 JUN 21 (NB) -- Thanks to its
agreement with Cyrix Corp., IBM is for the first time offering
stand-alone microprocessors as part of its Blue Lightning chip
line.

Up to now, IBM sold only subsystems built around its own versions
of Intel Corp. chip designs. Its manufacturing agreement with
Intel, the dominant chipmaker, did not allow IBM to sell the
chips by themselves. The deal signed with Cyrix in April contains
no such limit.

When that deal was announced, Ron Soicher, assistant general
manager of worldwide marketing at sales at IBM Microelectronics,
told Newsbytes one reason IBM signed with Cyrix was that Cyrix
offered IBM the right to sell individual chips on the merchant
market.

IBM will sell selected versions of Cyrix's x86 chip line under
the Blue Lightning name. IBM will make these chips, company
spokesman Jim Smith said, but they will follow Cyrix designs
exactly.

The first Cyrix designs to carry the Blue Lightning name will be
five-volt 486DX2 processors running at 50 and 66 megahertz (MHz)
with clock doubling, as well as three-volt versions running at
50, 66, and 80MHz with clock doubling. The five-volt chips are
available in sample quantities now and are due to ship in volume
in August, while the three-volt chips will be available in
quantity in September, IBM said.

In quantities of 1,000, prices are $195 for the 50MHz chips,
$239 for the 66MHz chips, and $295 for the 80MHz chip.

IBM's agreement with Cyrix also covers the M1, Cyrix's answer to
Intel's Pentium processor, which is expected late this year.

(Grant Buckler/19940621/Press Contact: Jim Smith, IBM
Microelectronics, tel [phone])


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

Edmonton Telephones Sale Likely, AGT Possible Buyer 06/21/94
EDMONTON, ALBERTA, CANADA, 1994 JUN 21 (NB) -- Edmonton
Telephones, the city-owned utility providing phone service in
Alberta's provincial capital, may be sold. And Telus Corp., whose
AGT Ltd. subsidiary provides phone service in the rest of the
province, wants to buy it.

Edmonton Telephones' management has told the city council it
needs to spend heavily in new technology, which does not fit
with the city's need for immediate returns on its investment,
company spokesman Stuart Adams told Newsbytes.

To prepare for a move to new high-bandwidth communications
services, Adams said, Edmonton Telephones will have to spend
about C$500 million over the next couple of years. "We're faced
with making the transition from a telephone company to a
telecommunications corporation." While doing so, he said, the
utility will be able to return little or no revenue to the city.

Since the city has indicated a need for short-term returns, and
since Edmonton Telephones' market value is currently high, making
this a good time to sell, Adams said, management has recommended
that the city find outside investors to take over its interest. The
city could get as much as C$475 million from the sale, Adams said.

Telus, which was once owned by the province but is now a publicly
traded company, said it is interested in buying the Edmonton
company and combining it with its telco subsidiary AGT. Such a
purchase would plug the only significant hole in AGT's coverage
of the province. This would mean better service for customers and
would give Edmonton Telephones a tie-in with the national Stentor
consortium of phone companies, of which AGT is a member,
officials said.

Telus tried to buy Edmonton Telephones in 1992, but talks ended
when Telus and the City of Edmonton could not agree on a price,
Telus spokesman Ron Liepert told Newsbytes. When word of the new
recommendation to sell came out, he said, "We wanted to ensure
that the city knew that we were still interested in talking."

Telus' overtures have already hit one snag, however. The company
asked Edmonton Telephones for information relevant to a possible
purchase, and Edmonton Telephones has told it to wait until a
prospectus is issued. "They're asking for proprietary or
competitive information," Adams said.

(Grant Buckler/19940621/Press Contact: Ron Liepert, Telus,
tel [phone]; Stuart Adams, Edmonton Telephones, tel
403-441-2116)


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

Lotus Unveils 1-2-3 Release 5 For Windows 06/21/94
CAMBRIDGE, MASSACHUSETTS, U.S.A., 1994 JUN 21 (NB) --
Emphasizing tie-ins to its other products, Lotus Development
Corp. has announced the latest version of its flagship spreadsheet
software.

1-2-3 Release 5 for Windows, due to ship in the third quarter of
this year, draws on the company's Notes software for workgroup
capabilities and on its Approach database management package for
some added database capabilities. In both cases, 1-2-3 users must
have the other Lotus packages on their computers to take
advantage of the added capabilities.

However, there are also new features wholly contained in 1-2-3
Release 5 for Windows. They include: the ability to pull selected
ranges out of a worksheet and send them to other computer users
for comment; changes aimed at making the program easier to use;
and the ability to represent spreadsheet data on a map.

The new release works with Notes/FX 1.1, the integration
technology built into Notes. This means developers can embed
worksheets as Notes objects and create applications that
automatically pass data between Notes fields and 1-2-3 ranges,
Lotus said. For instance, a sales forecast worksheet might be
embedded in Notes for sharing among a number of users.

That feature requires Notes, but the new Range Routing capability
works either with Notes or with any electronic mail system that
supports one of the major mail-enabling interface standards,
Vendor-Independent Messaging (VIM) and Messaging Applications
Programming Interface (MAPI).

Range Routing lets a user send a portion of a spreadsheet to
other users on a network. The other users can attach comments
using the electronic equivalent of sticky notes. Other
spreadsheet programs allow entire worksheets to be circulated
this way, but Lotus appears to be a step ahead of rivals with the
ability to route selected ranges.

Those who have Approach, Lotus' database software for PCs, can
draw on it for such database management functions as forms,
reports, and dynamic cross-tabs. The connection to Approach
uses the object linking and embedding (OLE) technology built
into Windows, company spokesman Peter Cohen told Newsbytes.

On the ease-of-use front, Lotus has added SmartMasters,
which are predefined templates with built-in intelligence for
common operations, and Assistants, which are dialog boxes that
walk users through frequent tasks. The concept is found in some
other software packages, including Lotus' own Freelance graphics
software.

Another addition is Lotus Maps, a collection of maps that can be
used to show geographic data. Like a chart, the map is color-coded
with a legend, Cohen said. For instance, a sales manager might
show a map of the United States, with states where sales fell
below $1 million in red, those with sales from $1 to $3 million
in orange, those with sales from $3 to $5 million in yellow, and
so on.

The initial release will ship with maps of the United States,
Australia, and Mexico by state, Japan by prefecture, Canada by
province, Europe and the world by country, Taiwan, and 1,500
major cities.

One addition not found in 1-2-3 Release 5 for Windows is
LotusScript, the company's BASIC-like cross-application scripting
language, which is eventually to be included in all Lotus products.
Cohen said Lotus expects to include it in the next major release.

To run on a stand-alone personal computer, 1-2-3 Release 5 for
Windows needs a PC with at least a 386 processor, four megabytes
(MB) of memory, and 11MB of available hard disk space. Another
2MB of memory is recommended for using Lotus Maps or Lotus
Approach. The software also needs a VGA or better display
adapter, DOS 3.3 or higher, and Microsoft Windows 3.1 or 3.11 in
standard or enhanced mode. A mouse is recommended. Server
installation takes 11MB of hard disk space, Lotus said.

The suggested retail price is $495, and upgrades from other 1-2-3
versions and qualifying competitive spreadsheets are $129.

As part of Lotus' recently announced product globalization
program, Cohen said, the software will ship simultaneously in
Chinese, English, French, German, Italian, Japanese, and Spanish.
Another 13 languages will follow within 90 days after initial
shipment, the company said.

(Grant Buckler/19940621/Press Contact: Peter Cohen, Lotus,
617-693-1283; Public Contact: Lotus, tel [phone])


(NEWS)(IBM)(DEN)(00019)

 ****Windows 4.0 Released To Beta Users 06/21/94
REDMOND, WASHINGTON, U.S.A., 1994 JUN 21 (NB) -- Microsoft
Corporation says it is shipping thousands of beta versions of
"Chicago," the software maker's code name for what is expected
to be known officially as Windows 4.0.

Some analysts expressed surprise at the quantity of beta copies
being shipped - about 20,000 - and see that as a good sign for the
quality of the product. Goldman Sachs analyst Rick Sherlund told
the British news service Reuters he had expected Microsoft to ship
about 10,000 beta copies.

In a software life cycle the initial testing phase is known as
"alpha" testing and is done by a limited number of testers on a
version of the software that often does not have all its features
enabled yet. Once the problems, or "bugs," reported by alpha testers
have been corrected the product and all functions have been
activated the software goes to a much larger sampling of "beta"
testers.

After the first phase of beta testing is completed and any problems
are corrected, a much larger group gets a chance to try the software
before the production model is released.

Windows 4.0 is expected to have a significantly different look,
possibly losing the familiar File Manager and Program Manager.
Instead, it will reportedly represent the file system as a series of
nested folders and icons that support drag-and-drop file movement
from one directory to another, bringing it closer to the Macintosh
interface and that used by non-windows software Geoworks. It is
also expected to allow long file names, exceeding the current DOS
limitation of eight characters plus a three character extension.

"Chicago" may also resemble the proverbial "cash cow." Many users
are anxious to get the latest versions of software, and analyst
Steve McLellan at Merrill Lynch estimates upgrades to Windows 4.0
will bring at least $2.2 billion to Microsoft in the first two years
of "Chicago's" release.

The upgrade will also allow Microsoft to ship "Chicago" versions
of widely used applications such as Microsoft Word, Microsoft Excel
and other products. McLellan estimates those upgrades can produce
as much as $500 million in revenue.

Other software companies can also be expected to benefit
financially by shipping "Chicago" versions of their software.

Microsoft officials have said they expect to ship "Chicago" by the
end of 1994. Some analysts think the actual release date will be
early 1995.

(Jim Mallory/19940621/Press and reader contact: Microsoft
Corporation, 206-882-8080)


(NEWS)(TELECOM)(ATL)(00020)

WTI Signs Master Agreement With RAM 06/21/94
NEW YORK, NEW YORK, U.S.A., 1994 JUN 21 (NB) -- RAM Mobile Data
has signed a distribution agreement with Wireless Telecom Inc., a
unit of Intelligent Electronics, under which WTI resellers will
be able to develop complete "solutions" using RAM's packet radio
network.

WTI and RAM had previously worked-up a low-cost bundle combining
RAM services, a Mobidem radio modem, and RadioMail gateway
services at a special low price. RAM said this was its first two-
tiered distribution agreement.

RAM's network is based on the Mobitex architecture pioneered by
Ericsson but offered as an open standard. The company is owned
by BellSouth and RAM Broadcasting. It has signed strategic
partnerships with many electronic-mail (e-mail) services and
makers of LAN (local area network)-based e-mail software
packages.

However, so far the wireless data market has disappointed its
boosters, because the market has turned out to be far more price-
sensitive than it thought, and because portable terminals like the
Apple Newton have also disappointed. But focusing on resellers,
and resellers' resellers like WTI, RAM could win more orders in
the real market, where offerings are customized by value-added
resellers (VARs).

Under the WTI agreement, customers will be able to buy "total
solutions," including RAM messaging, through a single source,
noted Janet Boudris, vice president, marketing at RAM, in a press
statement.

The agreement comes shortly after William Frezza, a RAM
executive who tried to create a mass market for the Mobidem,
left the company to return to his consulting career. RAM
acknowledged in its press statement on the move that it "marks
a pivotal change in the way wireless services are marketed."

(Dana Blankenhorn/19940621/Press Contact: Liza Kurtz,
for RAM, 212/995-5680)


(NEWS)(TELECOM)(ATL)(00021)

KSI Signs American Chamber Of Commerce Executives 06/21/94
ALEXANDRIA, VIRGINIA, U.S.A., 1994 JUN 21 (NB) -- Knowledge
Systems Inc., which develops custom online services for trade
groups, has won the business of the American Chamber of
Commerce Executives (ACCE) to run its ChamberNet service.

The ACCE consists of the officers of local, regional, and state
chambers of commerce, and is different from the US Chamber of
Commerce. ChamberNet has been around since 1986, and KSI
won the business after redesigning it to make it easier to use.

ChamberNet offers services like electronic-mail and chat, as
well as databases using pull-down menus. The re-designed
ChamberNet is integrated with such services as fax-on-demand,
broadcast fax and CD-ROM, ACCE officials told Newsbytes.

Bob Mellinger of KSI discussed the deal with Newsbytes. "We're a
niche provider of information services," he explained. "We gear
toward non-profits, trade associations and professional
societies. We're somewhere between" consumer services like
CompuServe and database services like Nexis in approach, but
aimed at niche markets.

"It can be a member benefit, or a source of revenue, depending
on the association's objectives. It's an affinity group." He added
that KSI opened for business in 1984, got its first customer in
1985, and now runs on Stratus hardware, the same brand of
hardware used by America OnLine.

Versions of ChamberNet are available under Windows, MS-DOS and
the Apple Macintosh, with versions in development for OSF Motif
and character-based Unix. "It's pull-down menus, with full mouse
control, point-and-click on the Windows version," said Mellinger.
"This is one of the more prestigious contracts since it's been
around a while," he added. "In the Association world they're one
of the premier networks."

(Dana Blankenhorn/19940621/Press Contact: Bob Mellinger,
Knowledge Systems, tel [phone], fax [phone];
David Saddler, ACCE, tel [phone], fax [phone])


(NEWS)(TELECOM)(ATL)(00022)

Broadband Wins OEM Deal With Alcatel 06/21/94
RESEARCH PARK, NORTH CAROLINA, U.S.A., 1994 JUN 21 (NB) --
Alcatel has agreed to resell the BroadBand Technologies 4500
video codec on an original equipment manufacturer (OEM) basis.
Under the agreement, Broadband will supply boards implementing
the 4500's designs to Alcatel, which will package them and
resell them to its customers under its own brand name.

Alcatel is a world leader in telephone switch technology, so the
deal could be important to Broadband in time, a spokesman told
Newsbytes. Alcatel will position the 4500 as a low-cost
offering in its product line.

A codec accepts an analog video signal and digitizes it, then
transmits the digitized video file in a standard format. The same
unit reverses the process. It is a video version of the modem most
computer users are used to. A codec allows interactive video to
be transmitted over telephone lines.

In a press statement Alcatel Product Director Larry Corbett said,
"The quality of video offered by the Broadband codec is better
than any product in its price class. The full motion and high
resolution offered by the Broadband codec ensures that no
limitations are placed on developers working on interactive video
applications."

The system could be sold for videoconferencing or distance
learning systems, and would be resold by developers as part of
their product line. The codec uses what is called the differential
pulse code modulation (DPCM) video compression technique and
offers compression ratios of approximately 3:1. This allows
standard NTSC (National Television Standards Committee)
signals, the kind used in the US, which now run at 140 million
bits-per-second (bps), to be transmitted at 45 million bps over
what are called "T-3" or "DS3" trunk lines, now widely available
on public and private networks.

Broadband is best known for its Fiber Loop Access or FLX system,
a fiber-to-the-curb system that uses asynchronous transfer mode,
or ATM, switching and transport techniques.

(Dana Blankenhorn/19940621/Press Contact: Beverlee Hanley,
BroadBand Technologies, 919/405-4816; Patrick Fetterman,
for BroadBand, 617/252-0606; Blake Lewis, for Alcatel,
214-443-7557)


(NEWS)(TELECOM)(ATL)(00023)

GEnie Now Does Windows 06/21/94
ROCKVILLE, MARYLAND, U.S.A., 1994 JUN 21 (NB) -- The GEnie
service can now be navigated using Microsoft Windows with the
release of the GEnie Windows graphical user interface (GUI).

GEnie subscribers can now use the service by means of a series
of colorful icons that guide them through GEnie's software
libraries, communications services and the hundreds of
RoundTables, systems that CompuServe calls Forums, which
include both discussion boards, interactive chats, and software
libraries.

The release of the GEnie software means that all the major online
services can now be accessed through Microsoft Windows. America
OnLine, CompuServe, and Prodigy previously released Windows-
based software, and the coming Ziff Interchange and Microsoft
Marvel services are both expected to offer Windows standard.

Among the tools available in the new software are: a "to do
manager," which allows users to select files for downloading
and store the list for action later; a filing cabinet that allows
tasks to be performed off-line; a built-in text editor; and an
address book. There is also an automated locate/notify function
that enables users to find other GEnie subscribers using the
service.

The new software is available online or users can request a free
disk and welcome kit by calling GEnie Client Services at 1-800-
638-9636. Subscribers can download the GUI by typing M1465
or the keyword, FRONTEND, at any GEnie Page prompt.

(Dana Blankenhorn/19940621/Press Contact: Vivian Kelly,
GEnie, 301/340-4494)


(NEWS)(TELECOM)(ATL)(00024)

Electronic Book Helps Put Documentation On Internet 06/21/94
NEW YORK, NEW YORK, U.S.A., 1994 JUN 21 (NB) -- Electronic Book
Technology (EBT) has announced DynaWeb, a World-Wide Web server
for the Internet that enables publishers to distribute using the
same tools and process now used for CD-ROM and LAN (local area
network) publishing.

EBT's Kent Summers told Newsbytes that the technology is being
made available free to current customers. "These are publishers
which now distribute on CD-ROM and over a LAN. This lets them
make the same information available on the Internet, through
existing web clients like Mosaic." EBT's customers are typically
in-house corporate publishers, handling support, maintenance and
technical documentation functions.

For instance, Summers said, a company like Novell, which now
distributes documents for its NetWare LAN operating system
via CD-ROM, could now use the Internet to offer updates to
that information. "We have big customers in computers,
telecommunications, and pharmaceuticals," Summers said.

The new EBT server also supports security functions, so users
can "just put pointers on what they want to make available,
publicly and privately within the backbone, and it's available."

Summers also discussed his company's vision. "To appreciate what
we're doing you have to appreciate some shortcomings of the
Internet. There are hurdles preventing large publishers from
putting content on the Internet," and the current software
solves only one problem, moving from formats like DynaText to
HTML.

"Clients won't see changes in formatting -- they'll still just have
HTML web tools -- but they'll have access to content which wasn't
there before," he continued. "People don't take books from Dynatext
to HTML -- you can't shoe-horn them in. This server strips out all
that information and just stuffs them into HTML, so publishers
don't need to do that. We're adding value to the client."

Of course, Summers added, publishers have other problems with
the Internet. "The most obvious is the mechanism for supporting
for-profit" publishing. "That consists of two things in development:
the electronic signature" which can turn ordinary electronic-mail
into electronic data interchange (EDI) electronic invoices and
purchase orders; as well as "the mechanism within the web
protocol to support paying for content."

"The protocol itself is HTTP," he added, "and the EDI stuff is being
developed in parallel. The question is what is the event that
triggers the charge -- that could be a uniform resource locator.
When someone requests information through that, it triggers a
transaction. That mechanism, extending it to accommodate the
pay-per-view, has not been put in place."

But just as important as those transaction components are the
functional components and the bottlenecks there," Summers
continued. "Most notable are two limitations - number one is the
structure and format of the document, and the other is the size.
Typically a document larger than 250,000 bytes will choke the
client. Just as obvious is the limitation on format and structure.
Currently HTML supports a flat structure that does not allow
publishers to add value by changing the look of the document.

"What we're doing as a first step is extending the server side of
this equation. We're making information currently installed at
Electronic Books, in a much richer structure than that supported
by current web protocols, available to the clients. Clients won't
see changes in formatting -- they'll still just have HTML web
tools -- but they'll have access to content which wasn't there
before."

Now, all publishers need to do to make their information
accessible on the Internet is set up the DynaWeb server and
create a mapping file that specifies the HTML-equivalent tags for
their existing SGML document element types. Everything else they
currently do to publish DynaText electronic books in CD-ROM
and/or on LANs remains the same.

EBT's flagship product is DynaText, introduced in August of 1990.
It was the first electronic book publishing system for large-
scale SGML documents. DynaText accepts any valid SGML document
and automatically builds a dynamic electronic book that enables
users to quickly browse, search, and annotate large, highly
structured documents.

The electronic books can be shared among networks or placed on
standalone devices. DynaText currently runs on Microsoft Windows,
Apple Macintosh, and Unix workstations. The company also produces
DynaTag, which converts word processing formats to SGML, and
DynaBase, an SGML publishing system for managing "in process"
documents, the company provides what it calls a complete
electronic publishing environment.

(Dana Blankenhorn/19940621/Press Contact: Electronic Book
Technologies, Kent Summers, 401/421-9550)


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

Ziff Adds 2nd Newspaper To Interchange Online Service 06/21/94
MINNEAPOLIS, MINNESOTA, U.S.A., 1994 JUN 21 (NB) -- Ziff
Interactive has signed its second newspaper, the Minneapolis Star-
Tribune, to use its Interchange online service, which is based on
Microsoft Windows, Earlier the Washington Post agreed to use
Interchange for its online service.

The last year has seen a rush by large newspapers to affiliate
with online services, and a rush by online services to sign-up
local newspaper affiliates. The first agreements were the Chicago
Tribune's deal with America OnLine and, for Prodigy, an agreement
with the Atlanta Journal Constitution. Both are being extended to
other papers owned by Tribune Co. and Cox Enterprises.

But AOL also has the San Jose Mercury's Mercury Center, and Delphi
signed up the St. Louis Post-Dispatch. The New York Times recently
agreed to start an AOL service, and The Washington Post signed
with Interchange.

Since daily newspapers hire more reporters in any large city than
other media outlets, the online services expect no competition,
but that could change if TV stations, radio stations, and free
weeklies see potential profits in such agreements.

The new agreement is also interesting in light of the Ziff
family's decision to sell Ziff Communications, the parent company
of Interchange. The Star-Tribune is owned by Cowles Media Group,
which has moved into computer publishing through its purchase of
Mobile Computing and Simba Communications, a marketing research
firm.

The Washington Post Co. also publishes Newsweek. Both firms
might become contestants to buy Ziff. The family is reportedly
asking $2-3 billion for the company, which they said has annual
revenues of $1 billion.

Robert Schafer will be publisher of the Star Tribune Online.
Schafer has been with the Star Tribune for 18 years in a variety
of newsroom positions, including assistant managing editor. More
recently, he headed the paper's new products team.

Features of the Interchange Online Network will include stock
quotes and personal financial information, sports, TV program
information and nationwide bulletin boards.

Star Tribune Online also will provide news, photos and information
beyond the material that is printed in the daily newspaper.
Specialized local information will include such features as an
information guide about the Twin Cities, entertainment listings,
event calendars, and the ability to search the paper's classified
advertising.

Subscribers will also have early access to news stories that will
appear in the newspaper the next morning. Other services include
bulletin boards, electronic-mail, and chat. Pricing has not yet been
determined, but is expected to be under $15 per month.

(Dana Blankenhorn/19940621/Press Contact: Stephanie Cadmus,
Minneapolis Star Tribune, 612-673-7672; Lisa Landa, Interchange,
612-252-5211; Star Tribune Online, Robert Schafer: e-mail:
[e-mail])


(NEWS)(GENERAL)(DAL)(00026)

 ****EA Founder Trip Hawkins To Resign 06/21/94
SAN MATEO, CALIFORNIA, U.S.A., 1994 JUN 21 (NB) -- Citing
concerns about interest conflicts, Electronic Arts (EA) founder
Trip Hawkins has announced he will step down as chairman of the
EA board at the annual stockholders meeting on July 17, 1994.
Hawkins resigned his post as EA's president and chief executive
officer three years ago to begin the entertainment technology
company 3DO.

Both Electronic Arts and 3DO are involved in publishing and
distributing software for the compact disc (CD)-based Real 3DO
Multiplayer, licensed to Matsushita and manufactured for the US
market by its subsidiary Panasonic. EA was aimed at title
development for the reduced instruction-set computing (RISC)
processor-based Multiplayer from the start, but Hawkins said he
now feels there could be potential for a future conflict of
interest between the two companies.

"I have made the difficult decision to step down as chairman of
Electronic Arts, the company I founded in 1982, to focus my time
and energy on 3DO. 3DO has a unique opportunity to establish its
technology as the standard platform for consumer multimedia,"
Hawkins stated.

Hawkins is not the only one who has recently taken a giant step
away from EA. Educational software developer Broderbund, which
publicly announced in February it would combine with EA in a merger
valued at $400 million, unexpectedly said in May it would pay $10
million to back out of the deal. The reason given was the stock
of both companies fell after the announcement and no agreement
could be obtained on a new price for the stock-swap merger.

Electronic Arts stock has been falling steadily since the May
merger cancellation announcement, and closed Monday, June 20
at 15 1/2, half of its value a year ago. The stock was down 1/4
in today's morning trading. In its last fiscal year, the company
reported earnings of about $45 million on revenues of
approximately $418 million.

Of the outstanding 50 million shares, Hawkins holds about 3.5
million, EA officials told Newsbytes.

3DO has not made any money at all and has announced it does not
expect to until 1996, or even 1997. The $4.2 million in black ink
it reported in its last quarter was due to licensing revenue from
the introduction of the Multiplayer in Japan. The company
reported in May a loss of $51.4 million for its fiscal 1994 year.

New competitors are looming on the horizon as well. Sony just
announced a RISC-based CD game machine, the Playstation, aimed
at the home gaming market to be introduced in Japan and priced at
50,000 yen or about US$500. However, Sony officials did say in a
recent press conference that the company did not feel it was
entering competition with 3DO.

(Linda Rohrbough/19940621/Press Contact: Jeanne Golly,
Electronic Arts, tel [phone], fax [phone])


(NEWS)(TRENDS)(LON)(00027)

Europay International Pushes Smart Card "Standard" 06/21/94
BRUSSELS, BELGIUM, 1994 JUN 21 (NB) -- After months of
discussions, Europay International, the major plastic payment
card issuer in Europe, has agreed to work to a common set of
specifications on the next-generation of plastic payment cards,
so-called "smart cards."

Europay International, which designs and issues Eurochecks plus
European "Plastic Cash" cards across Europe, has agreed to work to a
basic set of specifications drawn up informally by Visa International
and EuroCard/MasterCard. This will mean that any Visa, MasterCard
and European Plastic Cash smart debit or credit card should work
in just one terminal.

In Europe, because of the proliferation of currencies, most major
banks issue their customers with two checkbooks. One for local
currency, the other in a standard Eurocheck format. Many countries'
banks now issue just a Eurocheck checkbook as standard to their
customers. The last 18 months has seen the arrival of the Eurocheck's
successor, the European Debit Card (EDC), a multi-currency electronic
debit card for use in automated teller machines (ATMs) and in retail
outlets.

The idea behind Eurochecks is that they are guaranteed up to a preset
limit (typically $200) by a Eurocheck card, and can be written in most
major currencies of Europe. They are extremely useful for situations
where credit cards cannot be used, such as in banks for drawing
money from accounts, and in shops where plastic cards are not used.

Smart cards, meanwhile, allow the card to carry a lot more
information on the cardholder and his account and are generally
regarded as less of a security risk than a magnetic stripe card. The
chip on the smart card can carry, for example, a digitized photo of
the cardholder, together with details of his/her bank accounts,
allowing the card to act as a passport to a person's accounts at
any ATM.

This early agreement on the basic smart card data requirements is a
major stepping stone in universal acceptance of uniform smart card
technology. All three organizations have many thousands of member
card issuers, all of whom will now work towards a new common
standard for smart card payment cards.

So far, only Visa International has experimented with smart card
multi-use cards, staging trials of debit/credit card combo cards in
the UK and parts of the US. The idea is that, for major purchases, the
card operates as a smart credit card, while for minor purchases, the
cash is deducted from an on-card "electronic purse" balance which is
reloaded from the users' bank account while at an appropriately
equipped ATM or similar terminal.

According to Europay International, the smart card specifications
agreed upon are based on the International Organization for
Standardization (ISO) proposals outlined by Visa and MasterCard.

(Sylvia Dennis/19940621/Press & Reader Contact: Europay
International, [phone])


(NEWS)(TELECOM)(LON)(00028)

Slovak Republic Prepares For State Telecoms Sell-Off 06/21/94
BRATISLAVA, SLOVAK REPUBLIC, 1994 JUN 21 (NB) -- After years of
struggling and failing to meet demand for new telephone lines in
former Czechoslovakia, the fledgling Slovak Republic looks like
admitting defeat and preparing to sell off a slice of its operation
to raise much needed private investment.

According to press reports in Slovenia, the Slovak Government is
preparing to sell off a 20 percent stake in Slovenske Telecomunikacie
(ST) later this year, so that vital trunk and international exchanges
can be upgraded and/or replaced to meet the needs of businesses and
citizens of the country.

Gabriel Palacka, Slovenia's state secretary for privatization, has
said that there is a good chance that ST will sold off in its second
tranche of privatized companies later this year.

According to Palacka, if the deal gets the thumbs up from the
government as a whole, then it will bring in as much as $150
million in share sales. Although officials are keeping quiet on a
possible deal, the privatization will be handled differently to
West European sales of this type.

The idea is to sell off shares in a group of companies by issuing
every adult Slovak citizen with a voucher book that can be "cashed" by
buying shares in a specific share or group of shares. After an initial
period, the vouchers are canceled and the shares traded on a
government-controlled market.

Using this method allows citizens to choose which companies the
wish to invest in, without requiring the investor to pay for the shares
initially. The idea is that citizens already have a share in these
companies and should not have to pay for the privilege of buying
shares in which they, and their state, freely own.

This situation contrasts with that in Western Europe, where the
government sells off shares to the highest bidders. Critics claim
that the practice means that citizens must pay for companies
that they, or rather the state, still own.

(Sylvia Dennis/19940621)


(NEWS)(UNIX)(LON)(00029)

UK - Visionware Intros Fast X Server 06/21/94
LEEDS, YORKSHIRE, ENGLAND, 1994 JUN 21 (NB) -- Visionware, the
PC-to-Unix connectivity company, has unveiled a 32 bit version of
its XVision 5.1TM PC X Server for Microsoft Windows 3.1 and
Windows NT. The company claims that this is the fastest X Server
currently on the market.

Visionware's XVision 5.1 software allows a standard PC to display
and  use Unix or VMS host applications using the X Windows graphical
user interface, This facility, the company claims, creates a high
performance, easy to use client/server bridge between the Unix and
desktop environments.

Like earlier versions of XVision, XVision 5.1 has a number of integral
"intelligent" functions that is billed as assisting in the setting up
and ease-of-use of the system. The unique selling point (USP) of this
latest version is that it can operate in both 16-bit or 32-bit modes.

The 32-bit version of XVision was developed using Microsoft's 32-bit
compilers, using the Microsoft 32-s system. This means, the company
claims, that a 32-bit version of XVision can run unchanged under
Windows 3.1, Windows NT, and even Chicago when it ships.

"When displaying graphical applications intended for a Unix
workstation on a Windows PC, speed is clearly of paramount
importance. Visionware pioneered Windows X Servers and we
understand the issues better than anyone else," said Mike Bowes,
Visionware's managing director.

Bowes said that speed is not everything when it comes to X Server
technology. Another key factor that users look for, he said, is the
overall ease-of-use. "XVision 5.1 is not only the fastest PC X Server
on the market, but it's built-in intelligence ensures that it can be
optimized for each PC on which it runs," he explained.

In addition to the speed and flexibility improvements, XVision 5.1
now contains a 32-bit font compiler. This compiler allows the
package to be optimized for use with large fonts. Other facilities
include: bi-directional file transfers; VT320 terminal emulation;
graphics copy-and-paste between host and PC applications; as
well as a local print driver allowing PC users to access and print
locally.

Pricing on XVision 5.1 depends on site licensing conditions. The
company will be unveiling the product formally at the Networks '94
show, which opens at the National Exhibition Center in Birmingham
on April 28.

(Steve Gold/19940621/Press & Reader Contact: Visionware,
tel [phone], fax [phone])


(NEWS)(BUSINESS)(DEN)(00030)

 ****Microsoft, Stac Settle Patent Dispute 06/21/94
REDMOND, WASHINGTON, U.S.A., 1994 JUN 21 (NB) -- Battle-weary
David and Goliath met again today to settle their differences, but
in a press conference room instead on the field of battle.

In the high-profile software dispute, David is represented by Stac
Electronics, a Carlsbad, California company that publishes Stacker,
a data compression program for personal computers. Goliath is
Microsoft Corporation, the software giant that a federal district
court recently decided owed Stac $120 million for infringing on
that company's patented technology.

The court also directed Stac to pay Microsoft $13.6 million on a
counter-suit filed by Microsoft regarding its pre-load technology.
The agreement effectively erases both judgements, and Microsoft
will reverse the one-time $120 million non-recurring charge it
took for the judgement.

The term "win-win" was used frequently as the two companies
signed a cross-licensing agreement that includes an equity
investment in Stac by Microsoft through the purchase of nearly
$40 million worth of four percent non-voting convertible
preferred stock which matures in the year 2004. That represents
about 15 percent of the outstanding Stac stock. The stock has a
conversion price of $9 per share and is convertible into a total of
4.44 million common shares.

Microsoft Treasurer Greg Mafei said Stac has invited Microsoft to
attend Stac board meetings. "We intend to identify areas for
possible future cooperation. As an equity investor in Stac, we have
an economic incentive to seek opportunities that can enhance their
business," said Mafei. "Sometimes it pays to raise your head from
the battle and talk to the other guy," said Stac President Gary Clow.

The deal calls for cross-licensing of all the two companies
existing disk compression patents as well as any future disk
compression technology patents either might receive over the
next five years. Disk compression can nearly double the amount of
data that can be stored on a hard drive, depending of the type
of data involved.

Stac also gets a license to Microsoft's preload technology used in
MS-DOS 6, while Microsoft gets the right to license any of Stac's
existing patents or future patents received in the next five years
that do not relate to disc compression. Microsoft will pay a royalty
for use of Stac's technology. Both companies declined to reveal
what patent applications might be pending.

Microsoft said it will continue to offer DriveSpace, its current
compression technology with MS-DOS rather than incorporating
Stac into the operating system. Future Microsoft operating system
software will be compatible with both Stacker and Drivespace.

Clow said the agreement ends the conflict between the two firms
"and ushers in a new era of cooperation between the two companies."
He said it also puts an end to "burdensome" legal fees, creates a
royalty stream for Stac, and puts money in Stac's bank account. The
latter comment refers to Microsoft license payments to Stac of $1
million per month for a period of 43 months beginning next month.
After that period Microsoft can use Stacker technology without
paying any further royalties. Clow said Stac has spent over $8
million in legal fees, and the bills are not all in yet.

Clow said Stac's licensing agreements with companies like Compaq
Computer Corporation and Novell Inc. are not affected by the
agreement. Clow flatly denied any possible merger between Stac
and Microsoft, or a Microsoft takeover of Stac. He did hint that
Stac might use the additional cash to consider acquisitions, but
declined to give additional details.

Microsoft declined to comment on what effect, if any, the current
anti-trust investigation into Microsoft business practices might
have had on the two companies resolving their differences.

The other defendant in the Stac suit, Vertisoft Corporation, also
got off the hook today, although it did not get a license to use
Stac technology.

(Jim Mallory/19940621/Press contact: Mich Mathews, Microsoft
Corporation, 206-882-8080 or Lois Leslie, Stac Electronics,
619-431-7474)


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

Newsbytes Daily Summary 06/21/94
PENN VALLEY, CALIFORNIA, U.S.A.,1994 JUN 21 (NB) -- These are
capsules of all today's news stories:

1 -> Truckstops Get Radio Shack Mini-stores 06/21/94 Radio Shack
and National/Auto Truckstops Inc. have teamed up to put Radio Shack
consumer products in about 100 truckstops across the country.

2 -> Apple's Digital Camera Available For Power Mac, Windows
06/21/94 Apple Computer has announced the immediate availability of
its Quicktake 100 digital color camera for Power Macintosh and
Windows computers.

3 -> Adobe Shipping Photoshop 3.0 For Mac 06/21/94 Adobe Systems
Inc. says version 3.0 of its Photoshop software for the Macintosh,
Power Mac and Windows platforms will ship in the third quarter.

4 -> HP Adds High-End X Terminals To Envizex & Entria 06/21/94
Hewlett- Packard has unveiled new high-end additions to HP Envisex
and HP Entria, two families of X terminals first introduced in
September, 1993, and January, 1994, respectively.

5 -> Korea - IBM/Novell/Microsoft Compete For DOS Users 06/21/94
IBM Korea and Novell Korea have entered the domestic DOS market
which has been monopolized by Microsoft. IBM Korea announced its
Korean version "PC DOS 6.3" last week.

6 -> Mexico - Computer & Telecom News Roundup 06/21/94 In this
week's computer news from Mexico: Group Technologies to buy
electronics plant from Philips, IBM Introduces New PCs to Mexico,
Grupo Alfa studying entry to local telephone markets, Mexican firm
to operate and expand Cuban telephone system.

7 -> Conner Intros 4GB RAID System For PC LANs 06/21/94 As computer
storage devices increase in capacity, so does the need for reliable
technology for local area networks (LANs) used in vital mission-
critical networking environments within companies. Now Conner
Peripherals Inc.'s Conner Storage Systems division has introduced a
new four gigabyte (GB) version of its CR6-RAID (redundant array of
inexpensive disks) system designed for PC LANs.

8 -> Modem Improvements Coming 06/21/94 Modems are about to get
much faster, putting new pressure on packet networks to compete.

9 -> Comcast To Buy Maclean Hunter Cable 06/21/94 Comcast has
agreed  to buy the Maclean Hunter cable systems from Rogers
Communications of Toronto for $1.27 billion. The deal allows
Comcast to leapfrog over Cox Enterprises and become the third-
largest cable operator, following Cox' announcement it would  buy
Times Mirrors' cable operations.

10 -> Pressure On Congress To Finish Phone Bill 06/21/94 Two court
decisions will put more pressure on the US Congress to finish a
phone deregulation bill now stalled by opposition from the regional
Bells.

11 -> NECC - Educational Prgms "Cross Over" 06/21/94 When a music
group bridges the gap between rock and country, the phenomenon is
called a "crossover." Judging from patterns in product
introductions  at the recent NECC show in Boston, the same kind of
trend is now  cropping up in the educational software market, with
makers of  "school" titles moving into the "home" market, and vice
versa.

12 -> India's Telecom Policy Opens To Private Sector 06/21/94 The
much-awaited national  telecommunications policy has thrown open
basic telephone services to the private sector on terms similar to
those of value- added services.

13 -> Australian Survey Says MIS Has Increased Influence 06/21/94
Senior financial  executives are getting more knowledgeable about
information  technology (IT), but they are heavily dependant on
their MIS  (management information services) managers telling them
what is going on. That is the principal finding of a survey
conducted by  the Strategic Publishing Group and the Australian
Society of  CPAs.

14 -> Megahertz Intros Ethernet-Modem PCMCIA Card 06/21/94
Megahertz Corporation has announced a new PCMCIA (Personal Computer
Memory Card International Association) combination Ethernet- modem
card and its first modem based on the V.34 standard.

15 -> Wordperfect 3.1 For Mac In Development 06/21/94 Wordperfect
Corporation says it is developing version 3.1 of its Wordperfect
for Macintosh software and expects the upgrade to ship this summer.

16 ->  ****IBM Offers Cyrix Chips In Its Blue Lightning Line
06/21/94 Thanks to its agreement with Cyrix Corp., IBM is for the
first time offering stand-alone microprocessors as part of its Blue
Lightning chip line.

17 -> Edmonton Telephones Sale Likely, AGT Possible Buyer 06/21/94
Edmonton Telephones, the city-owned utility providing phone service
in Alberta's provincial capital, may be sold. And Telus Corp.,
whose AGT Ltd. subsidiary provides phone service in the rest of the
province, wants to buy it.

18 -> Lotus Unveils 1-2-3 Release 5 For Windows 06/21/94
 Emphasizing tie-ins to its other products, Lotus Development
Corp. has announced the latest version of its flagship spreadsheet
software.

19 ->  ****Windows 4.0 Released To Beta Users 06/21/94 Microsoft
Corporation says it is shipping thousands of beta versions of
"Chicago," the software maker's code name for what is expected  to
be known officially as Windows 4.0.

20 -> WTI Signs Master Agreement With RAM 06/21/94 RAM Mobile Data
has signed a distribution agreement with Wireless Telecom Inc., a
unit of Intelligent Electronics, under which WTI resellers will  be
able to develop complete "solutions" using RAM's packet radio
network.

21 -> KSI Signs American Chamber Of Commerce Executives 06/21/94
Knowledge  Systems Inc., which develops custom online services for
trade  groups, has won the business of the American Chamber of
Commerce Executives (ACCE) to run its ChamberNet service.

22 -> Broadband Wins OEM Deal With Alcatel 06/21/94
 Alcatel has agreed to resell the BroadBand Technologies 4500
video codec on an original equipment manufacturer (OEM) basis.
Under the agreement, Broadband will supply boards implementing  the
4500's designs to Alcatel, which will package them and  resell them
to its customers under its own brand name.

23 -> GEnie Now Does Windows 06/21/94 The GEnie  service can now be
navigated using Microsoft Windows with the  release of the GEnie
Windows graphical user interface (GUI).

24 -> Electronic Book Helps Put Documentation On Internet 06/21/94
Electronic Book  Technology (EBT) has announced DynaWeb, a
World-Wide Web server  for the Internet that enables publishers to
distribute using the  same tools and process now used for CD-ROM
and LAN (local area network) publishing.

25 -> Ziff Adds 2nd Newspaper To Interchange Online Service
06/21/94 Ziff  Interactive has signed its second newspaper, the
Minneapolis Star- Tribune, to use its Interchange online service,
which is based on  Microsoft Windows, Earlier the Washington Post
agreed to use  Interchange for its online service.

26 ->  ****EA Founder Trip Hawkins To Resign 06/21/94 Citing
concerns about interest conflicts, Electronic Arts (EA) founder
Trip Hawkins has announced he will step down as chairman of the EA
board at the annual stockholders meeting on July 17, 1994. Hawkins
resigned his post as EA's president and chief executive officer
three years ago to begin the entertainment technology company 3DO.

27 -> Europay International Pushes Smart Card "Standard" 06/21/94
After months of  discussions, Europay International, the major
plastic payment  card issuer in Europe, has agreed to work to a
common set of  specifications on the next-generation of plastic
payment cards,  so-called "smart cards."

28 -> Slovak Republic Prepares For State Telecoms Sell-Off 06/21/94
After years of struggling and failing to meet demand for new
telephone lines in former Czechoslovakia, the fledgling Slovak
Republic looks like admitting defeat and preparing to sell off a
slice of its operation  to raise much needed private investment.

29 -> UK - Visionware Intros Fast X Server 06/21/94 Visionware, the
PC-to-Unix connectivity company, has unveiled a 32 bit version of
its XVision 5.1TM PC X Server for Microsoft Windows 3.1 and
Windows NT. The company claims that this is the fastest X Server
currently on the market.

30 ->  ****Microsoft, Stac Settle Patent Dispute 06/21/94
Battle-weary  David and Goliath met again today to settle their
differences, but  in a press conference room instead on the field
of battle.

(Ian Stokell/19940621)