INFO WORLD MARCH 1 1. 1331 FOR POWER BUYERS OF PC AND NETWORKING PRODUCTS INFOWORLP TEST CENTER PostScript Languages InfoWorld presents a tutorial examining the differences between PCL 5 and PostScript. See Page 55 VOLUME 1 3. ISSUE 1 □ i , OS/2 Clients Get SNA Links Microsoft Licenses Font System for Matching Type IBM Opens Its SNA Door To Non-IBM PCs, LANs Brings OS/2 Extended Edition Into the Fold Developers Point To Microsoft OLE Deployment Edge By Stuart J. Johnston Concerns about Microsoft hav- ing an unfair advantage over third-party developers surfaced again last week when some competitors complained that the company had a head start in implementing embedded link- ing technology in its applica- tions. Developers began receiving beta versions of the Object Linking and Embedding (OLE) code in the form of Windows Dynamic Link Libraries in De- cember. But as early as last summer. Microsoft was ship- ping Pbwerpoint for Windows, which included a preliminary version of OLE. Microsoft also had the ad- vantage of being capable of beginning work on hardwiring a completed OLE implementa- tion into Excel 3.0 before De- cember, developers said. See OLE, Page 89 THIS WEEK Ente rprise This month's Enterprise Computing supplement follows the growing trend toward downsizing host-based applications to run on PC LANs. See section following Page 46. THE NEXT WAVE Industry watchers are predicting the next boom will be in 'content- based' software — full encyclo- pedias. books, text databases, all available on CD ROM discs. See Page 47. by Kristi Coale Microsoft has licensed font- classification technology that will make it easier for users to get the best available match to the font they want, officials confirmed last week. Panose, developed by Else- ware Corp. of Seattle, employs a scheme similar to those used in the sciences, where plants and organisms are organized accord- ing to various traits. By Barbara Darrow Nearly one year after Windows 3.0’s debut. Lotus Development Corp.’s 1-2-3 for Windows is approaching the beta-test stage. The spreadsheet giant hopes a Windows version of 1-2-3 will stave off challenges from Micro- In the type world, fonts are broken down by their visual characteristics, including serif style, weight, proportion, and x height. Each typeface is assigned a Panose number according to these traits. “We needed a nu- merical mechanism to sec what a typeface looks like.” said Ben Bauermeistcr, Elsewhere found- er and developer of Panose. Panose will be able to offer users a “best fit" solution when See Font, Page 89 soft Excel 3.0. Beta testers of the new 1-2-3, code-named Rockport, expect to have it by month’s end. Lotus officials point to a summer release of the finished product. Although some large custom- ers have moved from 1-2-3 to Excel, many seem to be waiting to see 1-2-3 for Windows. “There are certainly custom- ers leaving Lotus for Excel, but the fundamental issue is that they’re going to Windows and will go to the best spreadsheet at any particular time,” said one large reseller. “Nobody is up- grading 100 percent of their See 1-2-3, Page 89 By Barbara Darrow IBM last week took a major step toward opening its Systems Net- work Architecture (SNA) world- view to include non-IBM LANs and computers. SAA Networking Services/2, Version 1 comprises IBM’s Ad- vanced F^er-to-Pter Network- ing (APPN) for OS/2 Extended Edition; the Advanced Pro- gram-to-Program Communica- tions (APPC) protocol; and a version of IBM’s Common Pro- gram Interface for Communica- tions (CPI-C) for OS/2. APPN is IBM’s distributed networking scheme that allows direct communication between any user on the network, and allows any device to be config- BY NlCO KROHN And Lisa Picarillc After urging third parties to create Windows multimedia au- thoring tools. Microsoft is pre- paring its own $99 product, code-named WinDoc. that will challenge products that carry price tags as high as $8,000. The company showed pri- ured as a network node — capa- ble of routing network traffic — or an end node. “APPN, at the middle layer of the architecture, does the networking, while APPC, or LU 6.2, the application protocol, runns on top,” explained Rick McGee, manager of communi- cations systems architecture for IBM. Previous versions of APPN were available for System 36 minicomputers and midrange AS/400s. This announcement brings OS/2 Extended Edition — and therefore PS/2 worksta- tions — into the fold, noted David Passmore, principal with Ernst & Young Network Strate- gies, in Fairfax. Virginia. See IBM, Page 89 vately an alpha version of the WinDoc authoring tools last week at the Windows & OS/2 conference in San Jose, Califor- nia, and to content publishers late February'. At its expected low list price, WinDoc will sell for much less than existing systems. Accord- ing to sources briefed on the See Microsoft, Page 8 1-2-3 for Windows to Go Into Beta With Hopes for Summer Release Microsoft Scrambles Onto Multimedia Authoring Boat ial PETER NORTON NOW CURES VIRUSES. 'Suggested retail price. © 1991 Symantec Corporation.The Norton AntiVirus is a trademark of Symantec Corporation. All other brand or product names mentioned are trademarks or registered trademarks of their respective holders. Warning. Peter Norton has deter- mined that PC viruses can be hazardous to your data. So to combat the threat, he’s developed SNORTON ANTIVIRUS 4il ST c&tur Afcrft*- the only comprehensive virus protec- tion, detection and elimination soft- ware for DOS. 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NEWSPAPER $2.95 INFO WORLD INFOWORLD EM— — Getting Your Wings InfoWorld tests 8 powerful 386SX notebooks that make great traveling partners. See Page 55 MARCH A, 1901 FOR POWER BUYERS OF PC AND NETWORKING PRODUCTS VOLUME 1 3. ISSUE 9 First PC Designs For Pen Windows May Look Familiar By Nico Krohn Hardware manufacturers are readying pen-based systems that closely resemble traditional lap- top-size computers instead of upscale electronic clipboards. These “transitional” ma- chines will include a keyboard and will open like laptop com- puters, said Pradeep Singh, group product manager for Microsoft Corp.’s Rjn Windows product unit, who claims to have seen prototypes from sev- eral companies. Last week, Microsoft an- nounced that 2 1 computer man- ufacturers will license the Pen Windows operating system. Unlike common notebooks. See Pen, Page 97 Prototype 2-in-l Pen-Based Portable 40-MHz 386 Clone Ready; Systems to Ship in April By Tom Quinlan And Barbara darrow Advanced Micro Devices is ex- pected to announce its clone of the Intel 386 this month. Sys- tems using the 386DX chip substitute will hit the market in April. The company will release both 25- and 40-MHz versions of the 386 chip during the week of March 25, sources say. Cur- rently Intel Corp.’s fastest 386 is a 33-MHz chip. AMD’s chip prices will be comparable to Intel’s, sources added. The 40- MHz version will be positioned to challenge Intel’s expected stripped-down 486 chips, code- named the P23 and P24. It is unclear what AMD will call its 25- and 40-MHz chips. Intel has sued to prevent the company from using 386 in its products’ names. An AMD spokesman said the company had not set a date for the introduction. The absence of a final name or any price break, however, is not keeping systems vendors from working with the chips. The 386 DX is still on allocation by Intel, so AMD’s will simply feed a hungry market. “What matters is that we will be getting the chip in quantities and a more powerful version of the 386 with AMD's 40-MHz design,” said one system manu- facturer, who wished to remain anonymous. “(AMD has] to be careful not to position themselves as the cheapo alternative," said Rich- ard Shaffer, editor of the New York-based Computer Letter. “They must command at least as good a price, maybe a price premium, and also an engineer- Sw 386. Page 97 IBM Strikes Back With OS/2 Blitz Campaign Designed to Win Over Corporate 'Hearts and Minds’ BY ED SCANNELL IBM is preparing a massive marketing campaign to finally establish OS/2 as the operating system of choice for corpora- tions. Beginning in early spring, IBM will stage a series of educa- tional seminars and high-power marketing and promotional campaigns to convince develop- ers and large corporate accounts of OS/2’s benefits and strategic importance. The massive, year- long campaign will be fueled by at least $40 million, according to sources. As part of the seminars, IBM will bring in a variety of corpo- rate and third-party developers who will “give witness” to OS/2 by showing off what IBM con- siders to be its “solution or application success stories,” sources said. There will be little attention paid to Windows during this campaign, although IBM will stress it can offer users and developers a “better Windows than Windows” — using OS/2 as the engine to drive existing Windows-compatible applica- tions. This year IBM plans to pro- vide better Windows compati- bility for OS/2 2.0 through a porting layer that allows many Windows device drivers to work with OS/2. The lack of good device drivers has long haunted OS/2. Micrografx Inc., which has See IBM, Page 97 ■ FIRST LOOK SPC ProWrite Plus Packs Extras For Midrange Users By Michael J. Miller Software Publishing Corp.’s Professional Write Plus is stak- ing out a middle ground in Win- dows word processors by includ- ing such extras as a built-in grammar checker and electron- ic-mail connection. ProWrite Plus doesn’t share much with the DOS version of Professional Write. Instead, it is built on code used in Samna Corp.’s Ami — the low-end ver- sion of Ami Professional. How- ever, SPC has made the menus and icons a bit more straight- forward than those in Ami. Professional Write Plus has just about all the major word processing features — and then THIS WEEK THE POWER OF THE PEN The ability to use a pen to op- erate a PC is finally on the ho- rizon. and so is a battle be- tween an industry heavyweight and a courageous newcomer. An electronic mail connection to MHS is one of the unique features of Software Publishing Corp.'s Profesional Write Plus. some. It lets you define and change templates with multiple styles, then apply those styles to paragraphs. You can set several options in those styles, including fonts, alignment, spacing. breaks, notations (for such things as outline numbering), lines before and after para- graphs, and activating hyphena- tion. See First Look, Page 97 DRI Adds Multiuser Tools to DR DOS; MS DOS 5.0 Release Slips to June By Ed Scannell Trying to maintain its technol- ogy lead over Microsoft Corp., Digital Research Inc. last week unwrapped a multiuser, multi- tasking version of DOS. For its part, Microsoft last week briefed dealers on its release plans for DOS 5.0. which matches many of the features of current DR-DOS. Replacing Digital Research’s Concurrent DOS 386, DR Multiuser DOS lets 80386SX- based systems and above sup- port a mix of 10 terminal and PC users simultaneously. Each node supports eight indepen- dent DOS sessions, each one protected from the others. “For small groups of users, this product offers an economi- cal solution." said Dick Wil- liams. DRI’s president and CEO. adding that a 10-user system costs about 50 percent of See DOS, Page 97 Intelligent pager support. Set your PC to send messages to an alpha- numeric pager, no matter where you are. A complete address list. It organizes your names, finds your numbers, places your calls, and prints out your telephone lists. Four calculators in one. Crunch numbers in four different ways —simple, scientific, financial and programmer. The ultimate time planner. Includes a calendar, an appointment list and a To-Do list with prioritizing capabilities. All have professional-quality printouts. Full-featured notepad. Lets you check your spelling and even con- sult an online thesaurus. Reconcile your appointments. Sidekick identifies and reconciles differ- ences in appoint- ments you have made on your laptop, palmtop or notebook computer with those on your desktop PC. Borland’s New Sidekick 2.0 Organize Ybur Life Forever Or Ybur Money Back Sidekick," the world’s most popular organ- izer, now keeps you organized in an intercon- nected world where people are constantly on the go. Sidekick’s time planner, address book, notepad, calculators and communications have all been redesigned with one thing in mind . . . organization. And it’s all there for you at the touch of a key. Just check out Sidekick’s features: Profes- sional-quality calendar printouts that fit into your favorite appointment books. The ability to reconcile appointments you have made on other PCs or palmtop organizers. Total LAN support to coordinate schedules with others in your workgroup. And new 40K RAM-resident memory efficiency. Limited Tune Offer. Get Sidekick for only T -r- 17 S69 95 !* Organization *3 guaranteed or your money back within 60 days of purchase. See your dealer, or call NOW 1 - 800 - 331 - 0877 . AND B O R L Makers of Paradox' Quattro' Pro, Turbo C+\ Turbo Pascal* and Sidekick’ 'Otter exjxes 6/30/91 Suggested retw price is S99 95 Otter good m U S and Canada only Sidekick is a registered trademark ot Borland Internationa, tnc Copyright • 1991 Borland Bl 1363 Copyrighted material AT DEADLINE MARCH A, 1331 VOLUME 13. ISSUE S PAGE 3 Hitachi introduces the 14MVX/ LMF, a 14 -inch low-emission color monitor 21 Oasis gives users the feeling of painting on canvas, including user-defined drying time 24 Clarity develops Rapport, a document-creation tool avail- able to Unix users 29 NEWS Compaq Computer is develop- ing monitoring devices to im- prove systems management .... 5 INFO WORLD Hewlett-Packard unveils its 17-ppm LaserJet Illsi for the workgroup publishing arena 5 MACINTOSH NEWS Due to the rapidly changing technology, existing solutions for color-matching difficulties are limited 34 INDUSTRY Compaq Computer sidesteps confirming its involvement in a MIPS RISC design coalition.. 5 cc:Mail licenses Network Scheduler II from Fowercore to bridge gap in Lotus' Notes 36 IBM Corp. cuts prices on most of its PS/2 systems in response to competitive pressures.... 5 Synoptics Communications debuts Sparc-based multiprotocol network management tool 8 IBM Corp.’s offer to be an OEM supplier instigates a rapid XGA development effort 6 PERSPECTIVES The uncertain future of pen-based computing pits a new arrival against an industry leader ...44 PRODUCT COMPARISON We evaluate eight powerful 386SX portable notebook computers 58 IMPRESSIONS Microsoft, Logitech Ready Small Trackballs Both Microsoft Corp. of Redmond. Washington, and Logitech Inc. of Fremont. California, arc readying trackball products especially suited to laptop and notebook computers. Next week. Microsoft will release Ballpoint, a small trackball that can be mounted on either the right or left side of the keyboard. In early April, Logitech will announce a similar pointer that is "right- and left-hand capable,” a source at Logitech said. Unlike Microsoft's pointer, the Logitech trackball can also be used stand-alone or held in the hand, the source said. — Mark Brownstein IBM to Unveil APPN for OS/2 EE Tomorrow IBM Corp. is expected to announce a version of its Advanced Rrer to Peer Networking (APPN) for OS/2 Extended Edition, joining versions for its AS/400. System 36, and System 38 platforms. “This builds on the Type 2. 1 node capability that’s already in OS/2 EE’s Communication Manager, adding an intermediate node-routing capability.” said one analyst familiar with the product. “It’s not quite plug-and-play SNA but it’s getting pretty close." — Barbara Darrow Apple to Ship System 7 on May 13 To jumpstart the ISDN market, a coalition pushes for national deployment by 1992 8 AT&T issues a warning to MIT about possible patent infringement involving X Window 8 Gupta Technologies includes NetWare 386 and Unix versions in its latest release of SQLBase. .8 Apple Computer's True Type, Adobe Systems Type 1 will highlight Seybold Conference 8 Windows favored over OS/2 at Conference 8 Sun Microsystems and Hewlett-Packard jointly submit object-oriented technology to OMG...97 SOFTWARE SPC's Windows-based word processor links to existing E-mail systems via MHS 13 Pacioli 2000, low-price LAN-based accounting software 71 Ask Me 2000, a capable all-in-one authoring system 72 BUYER’S ADVISORY Brett Glass discusses the benefits and drawbacks of 486 "burst mode," and running multiple printers off a single PC 78 REVIEWS WordPerfect 2.0 for the Macintosh 77 Zenith Z-386/33E 80 COLUMNS Tech Talk: Steve Gibson.. Users encounter difficulties us- ing Windows-based type raster- izers and font scalers 13 PROGRAMMING A plethora of vendors respond to Borland's Turbo C+ + 2.0 ... 19 HARDWARE The lack of drive-array technol- ogy standards causes inconsis- tent implementation ... 21 Commax Technologies and Dyna Mech Electronics unveil lightweight notebooks ... 24 NETWORKING Novell, Gupta Technologies ce- ment their ties by jointly an- nouncing SQLWindows for Btrieve 29 State of the Industry: Rachel Parker 38 NEXT WEEK PRODUCT REPORT. Wc discuss the relative merits of two page-command languages: Adobe’s PostScript and Hewlett-Packard’s PCL 5. REVIEWS. CorelDraw 2.0; CA-SuperProjcct Expert 2.0; FileMaker Pro 1 .0. PERSPECTIVES. With the proliferation of CD ROM and laser discs, the software industry is moving from building applications to also selling contcnt-bascd pack- ages. including reference and marketing materials. Tech Street: John Gantz 39 From the Editor 50 To the Editor 50 Future Tense: Paul Saffo 51 First Look/Toshiba T2000SX: Michael J. Miller 71 Resources 75 Q&A: Quindlen and Alsop: Ruthann Quindlen 98 Notes From the Field: Robert X. Cringely 98 INFOMARKET 89 Apple Computer Inc. is set to ship its long-awaited System 7.0 to end- users on May 13. the opening day of its International Developers’ Conference, said sources close to the company. On this day. end-users can get the $50 software through dealers. In an unrelated move, Apple named Daniel L. Eilers as president of Claris Corp. — Kristi Coalc Big Blue Previews Signature Last week, Fernand Sarrat, vice president of IBM’s desktop software unit, previewed DOS and Windows word processors resulting from IBM's alliance with Xyquest. Pricing and availability were not dis- closed. Signature for DOS. now in beta test, boasts some Windows- like talents — mouse support, editable WYSIWYG mode, dialog boxes. Bitstream fonts — but runs in 640K. Sarrat said. An alpha version of a future Windows product — with a customizable icon ribbon — is making the rounds of large customers. — Barbara Darrow HP Links to Retix OpenServer 400 Hewlett-Packard Open Mail Server users will be able to route their X.400 electronic mail messages to other E-mail systems via a link with Rctix’s OpenServer 400 message server, the companies announced last week. Messages can be sent to any system that offers an X.400 gateway, including cc:Mail, WordPerfect Office, and Netware MHS. Both products ship next quarter. HP OpenMail. Release I.I for SCO Unix costs $2,395; prices for Retix’s OpenServer 400 for SCO Unix 3.2 start at $6,995. — Jodi Mardesich EDITOR’S NOTE: After an internal policy review. InfoWorld has modified its long-standing practice regarding the spelling of company and product names. Beginning with this issue, internal capital letters and initial lowercase letters will be used according to the style preferred by the company. Names with internal punctuation marks or all uppercase names (unless the word is a true acronym) will continue to be spelled according to standard English usage. These changes are designed to serve readers by promoting easier comprehension of the many product and company names published in InfoWorld. EDITORIAL, ADVERTISING. AND BUSINESS OFFICES: 1060 Marsh Road. Menlo Park. CA 94025. (415) 328-4602. Telex: 176072 (InfoWorld MNPK). CompuServe: 73267,1537. MCI Mail: 259-4127. POSTAL INFORMATION: Second-class postage paid at Menlo Park, CA, and additional mailing offices. InfoWorld (ISSN 0 1 99-6649) is published weekly, except for a combined Chnstmas/New Year s issue, by InfoWorld Publishing Inc., 1060 Marsh Road. Menlo Park. CA 94025, a subsidiary of IDG Communications Inc., 375 Cochituate Road, Framingham. MA 01701 REPRINTS: Copyright 1991 by InfoWorld Publishing Inc. All rights reserved. Reproduction of material appearing in InfoWorld is forbidden without written permission. 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All subscnptions must be prepaid in U.S. currency. For rates to other countries, please write the publisher. The single copy price is $2.95. Please allow four to six weeks for new subscnptions to begin. CHANGE OF ADDRESS: Please allow four to six weeks for change of address to take effect. POSTMASTER: Send change of address to InfoWorld. P.O. Box 3014. Northbrook. IL 60065. InfoWorld and Enterpnse Computing are trademarks of InfoWorld Publishing Inc. Macintosh is a trademark of Apple Computer Inc. INFOWORLD You get what you don’t pay for ^ Introducing the NEC UltraLite " 28 6F note- ^ Atypical proportions book computer. The best value in notebooks. Buy a typical notebook computer and you get exactly what you pay for. A typical notebook computer. Buy the Ultra- Lite 286F notebook, however, and you get considerably more than you pay for. ^ Atypical screen The UltraLite 286F screen for instance. Instead of the usual blue LCD, you get a black and white LCD double scan CGA screen. So there’s greater contrast for optimized text readability. In fact, text fonts appear as clear as they do on a VGA LCD screen. ^ Atypical battery life You can use the UltraLite 286F for virtually an entire coast to coast flight, thanks to a battery life that’s twice as long as most other notebooks’. Speaking of getting around, the UltraLite 286F is actually small and light enough to fit com- fortably in your briefcase. N Atypical for anyone but NEC You also get standard features like an internal 3.5” floppy disk drive in addition to a 20MB hard disk drive. An 80C286 processor run- ning at 12MHz with 1MB of RAM expandable to 5MB. Not to mention connectivity options including serial, parallel, CRT and external disk drive ports. In short, it’s totally unheard of for anyone else to give you so much in such an affordable computer. But for NEC? It’s very typical. For product literature or location of your nearest dealer call 1-800-NEC-INFO. C«C NEC Copyrighted material MARCH A. 1991 PAGE 5 NEWS Compaq Develops Troubleshooting AidforSytemPro By David Course y Troubleshooting a Compaq Sys- temPro may someday be as easy as attaching a special monitor- ing device and reading its dis- play. much as mechanics do with automobiles. Adding sophisticated system management features to the multiprocessing server is a top priority for the company, said Mike ftrez, director of systems technology at Compaq. He said the company is already beta- testing a device that provides performance statistics, such as disk, CPU. and network utiliza- tion through a dedicated serial port. While it may never become an actual product, current tests are likely to yield a systems management add-on board, which may include actual re- mote control features as well. Perez said. Compaq's Mike Perez: Top pri- ority is management tools. Systempro buyers are used to mainframe capabilities, and are asking for them, Perez said. Because of this, customers can expect more high-end add-ons. For example, the company recently announced drive arrays capable of giving the machine up to 20 gigabytes of on-line storage, a figure Perez wants to see doubled. While few users have need for such storage today, making it available illus- trates Compaq’s willingness to build features that future high- end applications will require. Compaq Denies Involvement In RISC Workstation Coalition By David Course y Compaq Computer Corp. offi- cials last week sidestepped ques- tions regarding earlier published reports that confirmed the com- pany’s involvement with a MIPS RISC coalition. Last week the Wall Street Journal published a report that quoted new Compaq COO Eck- hard PfeifTer, confirming that Compaq had joined a group dedicated to designing a stan- dard architecture around the MIPS RISC chip. However, the story was “not accurate," and Pfeiffer's re- marks could not be considered confirmation of such a worksta- tion coalition, said Compaq spokesman Bob Beach. Beach declined to comment on whether Compaq was in- volved in such a coalition or if Compaq is discussing such is- sues with workstation vendors. Other Compaq executives last week played down talk concerning Compaq and RISC- architecture machines. "The problem with RISC is that Sun Microsystems Inc. has done a pretty good job creating the perception that RISC offers much higher performance," said Mike Pirez, director of systems technology. Compaq isn’t cer- tain performance advantages ex- ist that cannot be equalled by the Intel architecture, he said. Though Compaq is investi- gating a variety of RISC technol- ogies, the company doesn’t see a large enough market to support releasing a product in the near future. “What software would they run?” ftrez said. Compaq has, however, made its feeling known to Intel that certain RISC features could be used to improve the perfor- mance of X86-family proces- sors. HP to Unveil 1 7-PPM Network Printer Near 600-DPI LaserJet IllSi Uses Canon Engine, RISC Processor By Kristi Coale Beefing up the performance of its LaserJet line. Hewlett-Pack- ard Co. will unveil today the LaserJet IMSi printer. The $5,495 IHSi is based on a 17-page-per-minute (ppm) Can- on engine, features an AMD 29000 RISC main processor, and comes standard with an enhanced version of PCL 5 and HP’s patented Resolution En- hancement Technology (RET), according to the company. This summer HP will offer a printer model with a factory- installed ROM-based version of Adobe PostScript and 2 mega- bytes of RAM that will list for $6,595; for now, users can get the $895 PostScript upgrade from dealers. Using the RISC-based con- troller board, the IHSi can main- tain its 1 7-ppm speed even when printing complex graphics, par- ticularly under PCL 5. HP said. The IHSi is designed for a shared environment, and has enhanced reporting capabilities that let network users know if something has gone wrong with a printing task, the company said. HP will also offer Ethernet and token ring network interface boards, which support both Net- Ware or LAN Manager. Both boards are currently shipping, with the Ethernet selling for $695 and the token ring card (running at either 4 or 16 megabits per second) carrying a list price of $795. In the fall, HP will release an AppleTalk inter- face that will let users hook into a Macintosh network. Pricing has yet to be determined. Among the third- party products avail- able is Digital Pro- ducts Inc.’s LAN- Sprint Print Server board, which speeds up graphics printing or font downloading op- erations. and supports up to six parallel print- ers. Others, such as Extended Systems’ Bridgeport, offer mixed computing en- vironments a way to hook up both Macin- toshes and PCs to the toIIISi. HP also improved the LaserJet’s resolution. In addi- tion to RET, the IHSi has a microfine toner that aids in boosting the 300-dot-per-inch (dpi) standard resolution to close to 600 dpi. Unlike others, this $169 toner cartridge has a finer grain of toner that is less likely to scatter, yielding sharper edges on characters and graph- ics. Hewlett-Packard Co., 19310 Prunridge Ave., Cupertino, CA 95014; (800) 752-0900. HP's LaserJet IllSi brings near-600 dpi resolution to the departmental printer. Synoptics Enhances Distributed Network Management Tools By Yvonne Lee Synoptics Communications Inc. will introduce today a Sparc- based hub module and a range of applications for managing Ethernet and token ring net- works from the same console. Central to Synoptics’ net- work management strategy is the LattisNet System 30040 Network Control Engine (NCE), which distributes the burden of managing network information across the network. The $9,995 module works with the Lat- tisNet System 3000 intelligent hub and looks for vital, predefined information to be passed on to the network man- agement station. Local processing of manage- ment information minimizes the traffic on the network and assures that only high-level in- formation is sent to the network management station, the com- pany said. The NCE can access all three Synoptics System 3000 hub backplanes, including Ethernet, token ring, and FDDI. This will allow it to pass information from all three network architec- tures to the appropriate software management package. The unit will ship next quarter. Synoptics also announced a set of network management software packages. One of them, LattisNet Ad- vanced Network Management, is designed for complex net- works with multiple segments, differing protocols, and restric- tion sections for security or mission-critical applications. It runs over Windows 3.0, is priced at $5,000, and will ship next quarter. A second, LattisNet Basic Network Management, is de- signed for networks of fewer than 200 nodes. It offers the network administrator several views of the network, including Static Network Views, Ring Views, and Expanded Views of activity throughout the network. LattisNet Basic Network Management is available now at a retail price of $2,295. A third module, LattisNet Network Management for Unix, is built over the SunNet Manag- er platform. Because it uses the multitasking Unix environment, it is particularly suited to moni- toring and managing large net- works, such as those that would benefit from the NCE, the com- pany said. Low-End Competitors Force IBM to Reduce Prices on Its PS/2 Models By Ed Scannell Responding to competitive pres- sures, IBM last week cut prices on most of its PS/2 models, including a healthy 14 percent reduction on its best-selling Model 55SX. The price cuts, which range from 5 to 20 percent, affected all members of the PS/2 family except the 80386-based Model 70 and the Models 90 and 95, introduced last October. The pricing action brought the Model 55SX, with 30 mega- bytes of storage capacity, down to $2,995 from $3,495. The 60- mcgabvte version was reduced to $3,295 from $3,895. The price cuts came in re- sponse to low-end competitors whose 80386SX-based systems are eating into IBM's market share from below. Some observers believe these cuts foreshadow new systems from Big Blue. Several dealers expect IBM to unveil several new machines in the first half of this year including followups to the Models 55SX and 70. “There is a lot of pricing competition with SX machines from companies like AST and Hyundai," said Matt Fitz- simmons, a Computerland deal- er. in White Plains, New York. Prices for the Model 65SX will now range from $4,445 fora 16-MHz 386SX model with a 60-megabyte hard drive, to $6,745 for for a Model 65SX with a 320-megabyte hard drive. The Model 80 will now be priced at $5,495 for a 20-MHz 386 model with a 80-megabyte hard drive, to $ 1 1 .495 for a 25- MHz system with a 320-mega- byte drive. INFOWORLO PAGE B NEWS MARCH A. 1 991 IBM Tries to Jump Start XGA Development, to Supply Chip Set By Tom Quinlan AndNicoKrohn In one bold move, IBM has tried to freeze the future of PC graphics in its own im- age. placing the future of 8514/A — its orphaned graphics standard of late 1987 — in a precarious state. Last month an IBM official told the Video Electronics Standards Association (VESA) that the company would become an OEM supplier of the XGA chip set. (See ‘‘IBM Moves to Supply XGA Products to OEMs," February 25, Page 3.) Many VESA developers now say it’s virtually assured that they will quickly start an XGA development effort. The IBM offering would consist pri- marily of two ASIC chips that some developers estimated would have a price of $200. By offering a noninterlaced ISA version of XGA at a nominal cost, IBM gives users high-resolution graphics and 16-bit color for the desktop while aggres- sively seeking to promote its own vision of the PC’s future. Some manufacturers arc already anti- cipating a raft of XGA-clone products to be announced at fall Comdex, with deliv- ery expected early in 1992. For Rent: More Computers, One Great Locale. Looking for the perfect spot to fill your com- puter rental needs? 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Northwest 800.343 7368, 415.574.5797 • SouWst 800 638 7854, 81 8 240.3244 • Central 800.323 4823, 708.790.2050 • Northeast 800 241 .5841 Southeast 800 241 5841 , 404 925 7980 • London 01 1.44.923 897000 ©1991 Data Preference Incorporated “I think the technology is going to be available a lot sooner than people expect- ed, but I think the price is going to be higher," said Darwin Chang, director of product marketing for Genoa Systems. However, even companies conceding that IBM’s promise of near-term XGA technology is too good to pass up are concerned about the lack of technical information coming from IBM. “I’d say we’re going to do it because we don’t have that much of a choice,” said one developer. “But I’m a little bit worried, because IBM has made it clear that it doesn’t intend to give us technical information about the future directions of XGA. We would learn about XGA en- hancements when IBM is ready to sell us a product but not before." As quickly as some third-party devel- opers rushed to embrace XGA, others insisted that the market has moved past IBM’s capability to set a de facto standard. “The question today is software com- patibility.” said Dale Mehl, general man- ager of the graphics processor group for Weitek — a manufacture of high-end graphics products for such companies as Silicon Graphics Inc. — and intends to offer a more broad-based graphics prod- uct later this year. IBM’s XGA announcements will deal a heavy blow to its own 8514/A, develop- ers also believe. "IBM’s 8514/A is a dead product,” said Michel Castro, a senior industry analyst for Dataquest. Although existing 8514/A products could fill a profitable niche for the next two years, "a company would be foolish to begin developing an 8514/A product today,” said Castro. Even the name 8514 may now be seen as a drawback. “The name 8514/A may have some negative connotations, [and] some ven- dors will package themselves as some- thing different by changing the product name, i.c., to Windows Accelerator, and de-emphasizing certain aspects of the product," said Jake Richter, president of Londonderry, New Hampshire-based Pa- nacea Inc., which develops drivers for various graphics standards. Although developers will probably focus on the prospect of an XGA product now, it will take at least a year for products to hit the market, cautioned Keith Angelo, graphics operation market- ing manager for Chips & Technologies Inc. “While 8514/A won’t be as large as XGA, it’s going to be an important product for the next year or two.” What Graphics Vendors See Copyrighted materi If you think the LaserPrinterE looks good in person, wait till you see how it looks on paper. The New IBM LaserPrinter E HP LaserJet IIP Speed ✓ up to 5 ppm up to 4 ppm Speed upgrade option ✓ uptolOppm No Adobe PostScript option Yes Yes Printer emulation / IBM, HP PCL HP PCL Std. plotter emulation ✓ Yes No Font card slots ✓ 2 1 Std. input paper tray capacity ✓ 200 50 Std. output paper tray capacity ✓ 100 50 Opt. sec. input paper tray capacity ✓ 500 250 Opt. envelope tray capacity ✓ 75 20 Any wav vou look at it, the IBlVl LaserPrinter E gives you a lot of appealing features at a very appeal- ing price. The affordable IBM LaserPrinter E gives you all the advantages of laser qual- ity output 25% faster than the major competitor, the HP LaserJet IIP The IBM LaserPrinter E also comes standard with four times the paper capacity and twice the number of font slots. Plus, the 1 BM LaserPrinter E is unique in its price range because it lets you customize your printers speed and features to meet your exact needs at any given moment. All of which makes the IBM LaserPrinter E the only affordable laser printer that lets you buy now and grow later. For example, if you decide you want faster printing, only the LaserPrinter E lets you double its speed. Or if your software requires the Adobe PostScript^ language, the LaserPrinter E can also give vou that creative flexibility at a reasonable price. Or if you decide you could use automatic collating of letterhead, second sheets and enve- lopes, the LaserPrinter E lets you add that, too. Yet no matter how many features you add, the LaserPrinter Es unique stackable design takes up practically no more deskspace. So whether your first requirement is,afiord- ability, performance or flexibility, the IBM LaserPrinter E should be at the top of your shopping list. See it today bv calling 1-800-1 BM-2468, ext. 982, for the name of your nearest IBM Authorized Remarketer. The IBM LaserPrinterE. Suddenly, nothing else measures up. DM is • rapsrarad trademark of frrtometional Bums* MacTwras Corporation MP LmMVIi a product of Hewlett Padurd Corporation Mob* Pc*Scnot a * rapsKrad t I Adobe Sytern, me f>1991 BMCorp Copyrighted material PAGES NEWS MARCH 4,1991 AT&T Claims X Window Patent Rights Business Market Applications for ISDN • Banking Credit authorization, account reconciliation • Insurance Agent support, claims processing • Government Budget negotiations • Military Service records • Manufacturing Customer support • Retail Point-of-sale support SOURCE NYNEX Vendors Publish Spec For Enhanced ISDN By Patricia i. Pane AT&T threw a monkey wrench into MIT’s X Window System, warning that the interface may infringe upon a 1985 Bell Lab- oratories patent. AT&T’s patent covers the “backing-store" functionality on overlapping windows. In its February 7 letter, the company suggests X Window developers license the technology from AT&T. The letter was standard business practice, said A1 Herron, manager of intellectual property at AT&T, in Short Hills, New Jersey. However, Herron acknowledged that it marked the first time each member of the X Consortium By Scott Mace And Louise Fickel Gupta Technologies is trying to tie up some loose ends with the next release of its database ser- ver, now designated SQLBase 5.0. At the top of its list are NetWare 386 and Unix ver- sions, as well as referential inte- grity. Although Version 5.0 has not yet been officially announced, Gupta has talked about and demonstrated progressive alpha versions of the package for months, most recently during last week’s joint launch of SQL- Windows for Btrieve with Novell Inc. (See “Novell, Gupta Announce Joint Database Prod- uct," Page 29.) At Comdex 1989 Gupta an- nounced that a Unix version of SQLBase 4.0, which is available for DOS and OS/2, would ship had been contacted on an indi- vidual basis about licensing. The letter is aimed at any use of the patented technology, whether implemented internally or commercially, Herron said. Several members of the consor- tium already license the patent, and that licensing could be resolved by a cross-licensing agreement, he added. MIT doesn’t charge for its X Window System, a building block for developers that has evolved into a de facto open systems standard. MIT, along with many oth- ers, is still formulating its re- sponse and refused to comment, according to Richard Scheifler, director of the X Consortium at MIT, in Cambridge, Massachu- early in 1990, and that a Net- Ware Loadable Module (NLM) version for NetWare 386 would ship in mid- 1990. Neither of those products have yet shipped. By the time Gupta held its developer confer- ence last August, SQLBase 4.1 was in development; that ver- sion added cursor context pres- ervation and a router for single- user SQLBase. Off cials also said that SQLBase 4.3 would enforce referential integrity. A month later, Gupta offi- cials said they had pushed the SQLBase Server NLM beta-test release back to the first quarter of 1991. Now that beta release has slipped to April, and the compa- ny has renamed the product SQLBase 5.0. Gupta has target- ed October as the final ship date for production releases. More features have been added, in- setts. “We didn’t go out there with the idea of taking anyone’s copyrighted material,” Scheifler said. Some members of the X Consortium have large patent libraries, so they may respond to AT&T with their own charges and cut a cross-licensing deal, according to David Card, an analyst with International Data Corp. (IDQ, in Framingham, Massachusetts. AT&T’s actions aren’t ex- pected to derail the progress of X, said F^ter Burris, IDCs director of IBM research. “X will probably happen within certain places in the industry. My sense is that AT&T is saying ‘This is my ball, let me play, or I’m taking my ball home.’ ” CEO Umang Gupta: SQLBase 5.0 was delayed by coding- style changes to support Unix eluding a significantly enhanced query optimizer, said Umang Gupta, president and CEO of Gupta Technologies, in Menlo Park, California. Also added is support for the double-byte character set used to interna- tionalize SQLBase applications. Gupta said that changes in coding style needed to port SQLBase to Unix meant that all other versions of the server had to be upgraded at the same time. “We want to make sure that it’s absolutely solid before it gets out,” said Gupta. By Barbara Darrow In an elTort to breathe life into the sluggish ISDN market, a coalition of switch makers, tele- phone service providers, and computer vendors last week pushed for national deployment of ISDN by 1992. Representatives from AT&T, Bell Atlantic Corp., Bellcore. Digital Equipment Corp., IBM Corp., Northern Telecom Inc., Nynex Corp., and others — under the aegis of the Corpora- tion for Open Systems — an- nounced a set of detailed specifi- cations that they hope will make possible a wide-scale ISDN im- plementation, called ISDN-1. These guidelines will ensure that ISDN-capable switches from different suppliers work together. ISDN enables the simulta- neous transmission of voice and data over one wire. It has been around for 10 years, but the AT&T divestiture in 1984 and other issues have hindered its acceptance, according to John Seazholtz, vice president of technology and information ser- vices for Bell Atlantic. There arc currently about 200,000 ISDN lines deployed, he estimated. For computer vendors, a set- in-stone standard ensuring inter- operability between switches will ease product development. “[Until] now we’ve had to be sensitive to which switch was in the network,” said Mary A. Patterson, director of ISDN sys- tems for IBM Corp. “Now there’s a consistent way to attach to the network.” Large companies could use ISDN to supplement existing networks, supporters noted. Some, however, are not con- vinced ISDN-1 will prompt greater acceptance. “People who wrote the standard hoped it would wipe out the private net- work market by drawing busi- ness users back into the public network with a flexible mixture of voice and data capabilities," said Kenneth Bosomworth, president of International Re- source Development Inc., in New Canaan, Connecticut. “But it didn’t work out that way. It’s fine for niche applications, but it is not a mainstream solution.” Windows, Windows Everywhere, But OS/2 Dry Spell Continues Gupta Preps SQLBase 5.0, Overdue Beta Set for April Fonts Take Seybold Show Center Stage By Kristi Coale BOSTON — Apple Computer Inc.’s True Type scalable font technology will finally have its day at this week’s Seybold Con- ference here, while Adobe Sys- tems will have something up its sleeve with an enhancement of its Type 1 format. Adobe is expected to an- nounce “optical-scaling” tech- nology for its Type 1 fonts, sources outside the company said. With this technology, fonts at various extreme sizes will look better. Adobe declined to comment on its Seybold announcements. True Type support will come from Agfa/Compugraphic and Bitstream Inc., which will an- nounce their intention to pro- vide libraries to users within the year. Agfa/Compugraphic’s Ap- ple format of its Desktop Series is due out with some True Type fonts by midyear. Bitstream plans to have its library of fonts available in Type 1, Spcedo, and True Type for- mats by the end of the year. Some True Type fonts for the Macintosh will ship this spring. Pacific Data Products will introduce PacificPage XL for the LaserJet. Outfitted with an Intel i960 KB RISC-based pro- cessor, PacificPage XL divides the FtostScript interpretation tasks between its own processor and the printer’s Motorola 68000 processor. Other printer-related an- nouncements will include Elec- tronics For Imaging's (EFI) introduction of the Fiery Color- Laser controller, a MIPS R3000 RISC-based board that turns plain-paper digital color copiers into color PostScript laser print- ers. Fiery ColorLaser currently works with the Canon Color Laser Copier. Custom Applications Inc. will show a prototype Windows 3.0 version of Freedom of Press, its PostScript-compatible inter- preter. The Windows version is slated to ship in the second quarter. — Barbara Darrow and Scott Mace contributed to this article. By The InfoWorld Staff SAN JOSE, CA — This week’s Windows & OS/2 Conference will have a definite Windows bent, and few offerings are expected for OS/2. Ventura Software Inc. will use the show to announce incre- mental upgrades to the Win- dows and OS/2 versions of Ven- tura Publisher. Added to the Windows release is support for the Hewlett-Packard LaserJet. Ventura Publisher for OS/2 will include new network nodes, ac- cording to sources briefed on the company’s plans. RasterOps Corp. will intro- duce an enhanced version of its 24-bit ColorBoard 1024MC graphics board, which moves data on-screen up to eight times faster than the previous version. Three-D Graphics is expect- ed to announce three licensing agreements for its Windows and OS/2 graphics engine. Users can expect to see several products based on the engine, including a Windows-based graphics pack- age from Fox Software Inc., according to sources close to the company. Zenographics Inc will an- nounce that it is shipping ver- sions of SupcrPrint, Version 1 . 1 for a wide range of color output devices including Calcomp’s color thermal printers and Pre- sentation Technologies’s Mon- tage slide maker. The 1 Soft Corp. will deliver 1 Team, the company’s new pro- ductivity tool for DOS, Win- dows. and OS/2. The $295 program allows users with any mix of workstations and all three editions of the program to share a common user interface. Users of 1 Team can plan, coordinate, and track workflow, using a scheduler, a notebook, and a word processor. INFOWORLD Copyrigh Add HP NewWave to Windows Windows 3.0 is a great step forward. It just doesn’t go far enough. You still have to overcome barriers you thought you’d left behind. Such as DOS. The complexities of file management and application integration. And working in two environments. The solution? Simply add HP NewWave. In this one simple step, you turn your PC into the most powerful, easiest-to-use information tool in business. Tb prove it, we’ve put an eye- opening, interactive demonstration on disk. It shows how NewWave’s simple object model lets you work on one desktop environment, instead of having to use both the Program and File Managers. You don't have to understand the DOS file system at all. And it works with the Windows applications you already have. Integrating NewWave applications is astoundingly simple. Just drag and drop. “Drill down” editing lets you make changes in part of a document, such as a chart, without leaving it. And with “hot links;’ your data changes automatically in all connected files. To evaluate NewWave, call (408) 376-2727 for your interactive demonstration disk. (Handling charge $3.95.)Then experience one of the most dramatic breakthroughs ever brought to your screen. HEWLETT PACKARD HP NewWave requires Windtnvs 3.0 and an Intel 286 or 386 based PC with 640 Kb base and 2 Mb extended memory Windows 3.0 is a pnalurt of Microsoft Corporation. C 1991 Hewlett 1‘arknnl Company NSS9016 This One All the monitors you’ll need for What you see is the remarkable MultiSync* 3D color monitor from NEC. What you don’t see is how this one 14" monitor can accommodate not only the broadest range of current mainstream standards, but also the next standards to become mainstream— 8514/A and XGA, with brilliant color resolution of 1024 x 768. Built around our award- winning multiple fre- quency technology, this one monitor automatically adjusts to frequencies from CGA all the way up to 8514/A and XGA. Which means even if you haven’t moved up to 8514/A or XGA yet, you have the opportunity to purchase a (■M «cmri»T rw m bu •< mnn •> miw mm Cnnw monitor through foresight, rather than hindsight. CMC Computers and Communications Copyrighted material all the resolutions you’ll need. Especially since the MultiSync 3D also has a microprocessor-based digital control system that provides automatic screen configuration, lets you select the ideal resolution for your software, and even has a memory that recalls your preferred screen settings. And it’s also compatible with the IBM PC/XT/AT, PS/2 and the Macintosh computer systems. Now, since NEC is ready to accommodate even the newest graphics standards to emerge, maybe the real question is: Are you? For literature call NEC at 1-800-826-2255. For details, call 1-800- FONE-NEC. And in Canada, call 1-800-268-3997. NEC Copyrighted material pcANYWHERE IV even gives you field advantage at home. Use it to access on- line services to finish research for month-end reports. Answer electronic mail. Forward reports right to your boss' computer. pcANYWHERE IV's remote computing plus terminal emulation capabilities keeps your team together - in the field or office. Use it to share information, provide help, explore options - maintain the competitive edge - from remote site to office and back again. If a late night flight has you in a hotel room without critical files, don't worry. Keep your field advantage with a laptop and pcANYWHERE IV's bi-directional high speed file transfer. Get the information you need directly from your office PC. Next morning you can be on-site, inputting real-time information pcANYWHERE IV will transmit results of your visit instantaneously to headquarters. “Chat" on-screen with people at the office. Print updates on your boss' printer. pcANYWHERE IV gives you the field advantage to make things happen. I Enhanced Performance Remote Computing 1776 East Jericho Turnpike, Huntington, NY 11743 (516) 462-0440 A» fame* products and lattices are the eademarks <* regmered tiademaiks d ther •opectt>« crganjaOora MARCH A. 1301 PAGE 1 3 SOFTWARE ■ TECHNOLOGY UPDATE Problems With Rasterizers Arise Users Encounter Confusion With Windows-Based Type Managers Thanks to built-in MHS support, Pro Write Plus users can send and receive E-mail messages without having to exit the application. SPC Rolls Out High-End Windows Word Processor By Kristi Coale W indows users may just be getting their feet wet in fonts and font-scaling technologies, but based on their preliminary experi- ences, they have found the vendors also still have a few kinks to iron out. For example, users of the Hewlett-Packard LaserJet II se- ries or earlier models who also use Adobe Systems Inc.’s Adobe Roster of Rasterizers Adobe Type Manager • Type I Postscript Bitstream FaceLift • Speedo Zenographic's Superprint •Type I Postscript • Speedo • Fontware (Bitstream) • Intellifont (Agfa/Compugraphic) Atech Software Publisher's Powerpak • Fastfont Various technologies underlie existing Windows font scalers, providing mixed capabilities. By Scott Mace Hoping to peel away another layer of the dBase user base. Microrim last week showed a revised RBase capable of run- ning any DOS application from within RBase. RBase Upgrade Express 3. 1 A also provides four major speed improvements and almost a dozen new functions to R- Base3. 1, which was released last October. Upgrade Express re- leases provide RBase users with new functions in a timely fash- ion, giving MIS departments predictable updates and a choice of upgrade frequency. Microrim officials said. New Dynamic Application Integration (DAI) lets users sus- pend RBase operation, unload all but 15K of RBase, and run any DOS EXE program. When finished running another appli- cation, users can resume RBase operation at the point of exit. Users can create and manage a menu of EXE files from within RBase using the Zip Return command. They can also cus- Type Manager (ATM) 1.0 for Windows may experience print- er errors when ATM generates its fonts on the fly. The Series II and earlier HP printers cannot handle all the complex operations involved in on-the-fly font generation and will often yield an Error 21, according to user Brian Maho- ney, proprietor of Computer Chargeback, a VAX software reseller in Seal Beach, Califor- nia. To remedy this problem, users need to be able to prebuild and predownload fonts to their printers, a capability that does not ship with ATM, according to Mahoney. Adobe, however, does offer a free, separate utility. Font Foundry, to users purchasing its Plus Packs and those calling the customer service line: (4 1 5) 961- 4992. Font Foundry contains tools for building these fonts, includ- ing an Adobe Font Metric (AFM) file. Predownloading fonts — generating each font before sending it to the printer — means that users alleviate the complexity of building a font for a printer. However, experts call this a less-than-elegant solution. According to Adobe, this tomize Application Express it- self to allow nonprogrammers to create such menus, according to Microrim officials. DAI is similar to products provided for X-Base, the family of dBase-like languages, in pack- ages such as Fox Software’s Foxswap and Dr. Switch from Black & White International, but may be more easy to use, according to Michael Master- son, founder of the Silicon Valley dBase Language Group. The speed improvements in Upgrade Express 3.1 A include query engine optimization, re- port printing, conversion func- tions that reduce search time on lext/data columns, and en- hanced commands that increase productivity with less code. An Upgrade Express subscription, available directly from Micro- rim, costs $129 per year and includes three upgrades. Until April 30, Microrim is offering an introductory price of $99. Microrim, 15395 S.E. 30th Place. Bellevue, WA 98007; (800) 248-2001 or (206) 649- 9500. error results from a shortage of memory; users can circumvent the need to prebuild fonts by simply adding memory to their LaserJets. Bitstream’s FaceLift, a Speedo font rasterizer that comes with the capability to build fonts, has also reportedly caused some difficulties, accord- ing to users of Ventura Publish- er. When creating a document using italicized type, the spacing between characters is awkward and not easily remedied by kerning. According to Bitstream technical support, this problem originates with FaceLift and not with Ventura. Although it would give no specifics about alleviating this problem, Bitstream indicated that the fix could come in a future version of the rasterizer. FIXES ON THE WAY. That such confusion and problems are arising is not a surprise to some, including Jesse Berst, publisher of the Windows Watcher news- letter in Redmond, Washington, who feels these issues may be moot with the upcoming release of TrueType. Berst cites the fact that TrueType, as a rasterizing technology, will be a part of the standard operating system and will see fewer compatibility problems with applications. But throwing in an additional rasterizer will only serve to exacerbate the problems users face now, said Ben Bauermeis- ter, founder of Elseware, a soft- ware company in Seattle. □ ByLisaPicarille SAN JOSE, CA — Nine months after licensing Samna Corp.’s technology to accelerate its move into the Windows market. Software Publishing Corp. will unveil its Professional Write Plus Windows-based word pro- cessor at the Windows & OS/2 Conference here this week. One of the key features of this program is its capability to link to existing E-mail systems via MHS. This lets users send and receive messages and attached files without exiting the applica- tion. Professional Write Plus will also automatically display a file in its native format by launching the application used to create the File, if it’s available on the user’s machine or the network, according to Bill Daw- son, product manager. The E-mail capabilities of the program so impressed beta site Northwestern National Life Corp. that the company is now looking for an E-mail package to work with Pro Write Plus, said Dave Garrison, an information systems consultant for the firm. Although the $249 program provides users with pull-down menus, it also sports an icon bar along the left side of the screen. This customizable icon bar gives users quick access to frequently used tools and functions. Professional Write Plus also features improved font and graphics controls. When select- ing font sizes and styles, users view a dialog box with a repre- sentation of the new font before applying the style to the docu- ment. For placing graphic frames on a page, users can select from predrawn style sheets or place graphics any- where on the page. Frames can also be used for text. Users can move and rotate images within the frames, as well as adjust the aspect ratio of images if a frame is resized. The program also features several modes for viewing infor- mation, such as working mode, which is 9 1 percent of standard WYSIWYG mode size. Users can also display documents in layout, draft, and enlarged mode — all of which are fully editable. In addition. Pro Write Plus includes a spelling checker, the- saurus. and grammar checker. Professional Write Plus, which is slated for release in two weeks, will be available to regis- tered users of Professional Write and OfficeWriter for $65. Software Publishing Corp., 1901 Landings Drive, P.O. Box 7210, Mountain View, CA 94039-7210; (415)962-8910. ■ PRODUCT SPOTLIGHT Central Point Software Inc. this week announced Anti-Virus 1.0, taking a direct shot at competitor Symantec s The Norton Antivirus. Capable of detecting known and unknown viruses and popping up a customizable alert, the $129 DOS-based Anti-Virus comes armed with the signatures of over 400 known viruses, which it can clean from a user's disk. Central Point's support plan includes quarterly updates of newly detected virus signatures. (503) 690-8090. Microrim RBase 3.1 Gets DAI, Improved Speed, Extra Functions INFOWORLO It took us thousands of steps what we wanted Fortuna }ile jLdi t Formula F ormat Data Option +i usia wol -i . — - - Noiinal kVN One step outlining. Outline worksheets to see only the detail you need. One step styles. Save and apply your own style Mix up to 256 fonts, 16 of 16 milium colors and 18 patterns. One step formulas. Use Autosum ™ to add a range of cells by double clicking. LJU13J Our exclusive Outlining feature lets you expand ana collapse your worksheet So you're able to display and print only the data you need to view or share with others. I itil I ormula I nnnat Data Optin' Mm to Wimtnw Help I lit »l/l - U I ■! 1 I I || || I I Slat aai an t Fr w yaa« Piotactwn Elim- inating the need to create sep- arate documents for your boss and your boss’s boss. Furthermore, if you don't select specific param- eters. the program will automatical- ly outline your worksheet. You can also combine virtually hundreds of worksheets through the con- solidation feature. Regardless of for mat or structure. Cm* 194.845 203 330 223663 Meaco 43.292 43 7® 50283 UfMdSttfM 1232 300 1 3565® 1219377 1 466 437 1 606 645 1 493923 Fiance 184 845 194 087 203 731 Gwn», 308.075 369 630 373 387 CKhH Exc oaan 61.615 92.423 184 846 k ">7.777 74 556 E mope 6n m r tS9t 3977 836579 58555 1.759.724 43.993 65.990 598.306 1 .081 5710 020 370 2.680.833 3.414.193 4.350.874 Select a range of cells arul transform them into a chart on a worksheet. With one simple click. Or why not create a 3-D chart. Then rotate it 360° How's that for a view? With new Microsoft ' Excel, you can choose from 68 different chart types, 24 of which are 3-D. Or even create your own. ' And because this is a graphical program, it’s easy to combine text, data and graphics on a single page. Of course, it’s WYSIWYG too. Which means you can actually see what you're working on. For mart information in the 50 Untied Statu, call (800) 541-1261. Dm P67. In Canada, call (416) S6&35CB. Outside the U S and Canada, call (206) 93&966L 0 1991 Microsoft Corporation All right* reserved Microsoft and the Microsoft logo art rtgalertd trademarks and Making * ill m»kr ataae, Antosum, Toolbar and Windows art trademarks of Microsoft Corporation. 1-2-3 is a registered trademark of Lotut Development Ceepotathm. to mate this spreadsheet do :ely it’ll only tate you one. Exce MM Macro Window Help One step bold and italic. Select a cell and click here. Then see it there. One step selection. Group objects together. Then move, sue or format. t. Align data to the ft. To the right Or the center. r. Highlight key data >, circles and arcs. Introducing Microsoft Excel version 3.0. Out of all the steps it took us to create the new Microsoft’ Excel for Windows; there were two in particular that had the most impact. The first to our users and to listen carefully. The second was to take that knowledge and implement it intelligently The result is outrageous power coupled with ease-of-use. It is this idea that drives all of our efforts. And has since we introduced the first graphical spreadsheet back in 1985. A recent example of this is the Toolbar; This addition lets you do every- thing from formatting, to formulas, to One step charting. Select a range, click and drag. And that's it One step text box Insert descriptive text on a worksheet or chart. One step macros Add buttons and access hundreds of macro commands outlining with one click of a button. Best of all, it’s really easy to make the move. Microsoft Exed comes with online help for 1-2-3’ users. So you can learn by simply applying your existing knowledge. Take the next step, call (800) 541-1261, Dept P67, for the name of a dealer Microsoft Making it all make sense' Copyright. PAGE 1 B SOFTWARE Qualitas’ BlueMax 5. 1 Lets Users Expand Memory on High-End PS/2s Qualitas Inc. has delivered a version of its memory management software that lets DOS users with IBM’s 486-based PS/2 Models 90 and 95 gain an additional 80 to 84K of high memory. Unlike most memory managers, the latest version of BlueMax 5.1 can recover the additional memory by automatically compressing the ROM BIOS code not be- ing used by DOS. company officials said. The new version also gains memory by loading device drivers, pop-up utilities, disk caches, and other kinds of resident software above DOS' 640K barrier. BlueMax support lor a particular sys- tem requires a specific BIOS Compres- sion File (BCF) for that system’s BIOS. Registered users of BlueMax can download an update to the BCF for the 80486-bascd PS/2 from Qualitas' bulletin board by dialing (301) 907-8030; users who do not have modems can call customer support for the update. Compatible with Microsoft Corp.’s Windows 3.0, BlueMax 5.1 works with 80386SX- and 80386-based systems, as well as 80486-based machines and DOS 3.0 or later. The product is available now for a suggested retail price of $ 1 55. Qualitas Inc., Suite 1386, 7101 Wis- consin Ave., Bethesda, MD 20814; (301) 907-6700. — Ed Sea tint’ll WordScan, The Most Accurate OCRYou CanBuy And We’ll Prove It we build into unique f^op-up ognition ces. Our ■suits e cha o the )narie ither UUK products. You i it accurately recognizes our hig editor Ipop-up in ca On ie can eue un Our unique Pop-up Editor guarantees the most accurate results possible. Proof twice as fast without referring to the original document. W e started with the lowest error- rate OCR technology in the industry Then we added exclusive features to make WordScan even more accurate. With WordScan you get the same state-of-the-art recognition we build into our high-end systems, at desktop prices. Exclusive features make WordScan even more accurate. Our unique Pop - up Mforguarantees the most accur- rate results possible. It pops up an enlarged image of any questionable character or word so you can proof without referring to the original document. And because Word- Scan uses dictionaries dur- ing recognition, we don’t make mistakes common to other OCR products. You can even add your ' WORDSCAN PLUS REDEFINES WHAT WE EXPECT FROM AN OCR PACKAGE. ITS EXCEPTIONAL ACCURACY, WEALTH OF FEATURES, AND HANDS-OFF 1 —PC MAGAZINE ~~ own words so WordScan accurately rec- ognizes unusual or specialized terms. Zap figures or text right from a fax card to your word processor or spread- sheet. No frizzy print-outs. No retyping. No errors. And only WordScan has built- in dot-matrix support to read even draft quality dot-matrix documents accur- ately. Most OCR products can’t do this at all or charge you extra. Other unique WordScan features get the job done faster, better. Clipping another WordScan exclusive, lets you choose just what you want on the page, ffext, image, or both. All in one pass. Scan Now, Recognize Later\e\s'jw$can large documents now, but do OCR later so your PC is not tied up. Make different documents look the same with our unique Style SheetlesWK. Process multiple documents into separate files auto- matically Just put a blank page between documents and WordScan does the rest. WU send you the proof. To see the results of .... head-to-head, real-^ world comparison tests with the leading competitive OCR soft- ware products, or to get the name of a dealer where you can make the com- parisons yourself, just give |_q|\ f\ us a call at 800-544-7051. RECOGNITION SYSTEMS 2500 Augustine Drive. Santa Clara. CA 95054 USA. 800- 544-7051; outside USA, 408-986-8006; FAX 408 986-1440 0 1990 Calera Recognition Systems, Inc Calera* is a registered trademark of Calcra Recognition Systems. Inc WbrdScxn and ThieScan air trademarks of Calera Recognition Systems, Inc MARCH A. 1 39 1 S SOFTWARE PIPELINE ■ GRAPHICS LOTUS UPGRADES DOS FREELANCE. Lotus Development Corp. this week will an- nounce an upgrade to its DOS-based graphics program. Freelance Graphics for DOS. Version 4.0 is slated to ship in the second quarter with an updated graphical WYSIWYG interface and support for on- screen color, a mouse, and Bitstream fonts. It offers file compatibility with previ- ous versions and continues to support vi- sual data import. (617) 577-8500. ■ SPREADSHEETS CA SLASHES SUPERCALC PRICES. Last week. Computer Associates International Inc. cut the suggested list price for Supercalc5 from $495 to $ 1 49. This fol- lows price cuts on the company's ACCPAC Bedford accounting software, to $199 for both Macintosh and MS-DOS versions — down from $349 and $249, respectively. (800) CAL-C149. ■ DEVELOPMENT TOOL MIND'S EYE OOP NOW SHIPPING. Mind's Eye Inc. recently released its object-ori- ented program (OOP) that integrates project management, financial modeling, and graphics. The $695 package, named Mind s Eye. can be used to develop sin- gle-user applications. It also features its own graphical user interface and can han- dle 2.500 objects. (800) 622-6746. LUIMfl PC-TO-WIZARD TOOLKIT. Nictrix Corp. re- cently announced a toolkit that enables users of the Sharp Wizard electronic orga- nizer to create specialized databases on Integrated Circuit (1C) cards from their desktop PC. The toolkit facilitates devel- opment of databases for customer lists and expense files. The $299 product in- cludes communication software for data transfer between Wizard and PC. a con- nection cord, and a Sharp 1C card (with 64K of EPROM and 32K of RAM). (201) 947-2220. ■ INTEGRATED SOFTWARE MICROSOFT SHIPS UPDATED OFFICE FOR WINDOWS, version 1 .5 of Microsoft Office for Windows, which includes Excel 3.0. is now shipping. Introduced last October, Of- fice for Windows bundles Word. Excel, and PowerPoint for a combined price of $995 — separately, each program costs $495. The update is priced at $ 1 29 for users of Version 1 .0 who purchased the package before December 7. 1990. Users who bought 1 .0 after that date will receive the upgrade free. (206) 882-8080. ■ MULTIUSER OS 2 SYSTEM CITRIX SHIPS OS/2 SYSTEM. Citrix Systems is now shipping Citnx Multiuser for OS/2, which supports multiple dumb or intelli- gent terminals connected to a single PC running OS/2. The package costs $995 for a five-user license; an additional $495 license allows you to double the number of users. A $ l .995 add-on license to the basic five-user package supports unlimited users. (305) 755-0559. MARCH A, 1 99 1 SOFTWARE PAGE 1 ~7 Windows’ Imaging Software Lets Users Customize Applications By Ed Scannell A fully featured image processing and analysis package from Data Translation Inc. touts a scripting option that lets technical users customize applications for Microsoft Corp.'s Windows 3.0. Global Lab Image has advanced processing and analysis capabilities, in- cluding morphology, filters, histograms, and image acquisition — all of which are integrated into the environment. Besides exchanging data with such ap- lications as Microsoft Excel and Word, scientific users can cut and paste images and measurements with Windows 3.0’s Clipboard. The new program is useful for many scientific and industrial applications; for example, when counting and measuring objects such as tissue cells or defects in semiconductors. Once an image has been Data Translation's Global Lab Image integrates scientific analysis with image processing in a Windows environment. PowerSoft’s QuickPix Builds Applications Merging Data, Images Users lacking programming skills can use a new utility to build applications merg- ing data and images. QuickPix from PowerSoft Inc. allows a photograph or other image to be displayed within another application via a memory-resi- dent program. The $495 program, which began shipping in quantity last month, comes in two parts. An authoring program creates links between image files and DOS applica- tions. QuickPix, which uses standard PCX images, requires an image "trigger” to appear within the associated data record. The trigger, which can be any text string, relates the display to a particular image to be retrieved. After the triggers have been config- ured, QuickPix uses a 20K TSR program to “watch” the screen for triggers, dis- playing the associated image when a trigger appears. The package includes a user license for up to five copies of the TSR viewing program, allowing users to distribute QuickPix applications. The program supports resolutions from CGA to Super VGA, as well as color and gray-scale images. Users can also print images. Besides DOS productivity applica- tions, the program will also work inside a terminal emulation package. PowerSoft Inc., P.O. Box 956338, Duluth, GA 30136; (404)446-3185. — David Coursey “threshholdcd” according to gray scale. Global Lab Image automatically counts and measures all objects on-screen. Data can be analyzed in the program’s frequency domain, where a specific fre- quency or range of frequencies must be filtered out. In the frequency domain, users can carry out Fast Fourier Trans- forms (FFTs), inverse FFTs. and various spectrum-editing operations. The scripting option allows less so- phisticated users to record sequences of commands that can be saved to a file and replayed when needed. More advanced users can edit or write their own code. Global Lab Image also supports image processing operations, from simple acqui- sitions to display and file input. Images can be acquired one by one or continu- ously. Those images can then be analyzed with histograms and lines profiles. The program supports Data Transla- tion’s frame-grabber boards for both IBM’s PC AT and the PS/2 series. Available April 15, the program’s single-unit price is $2,495; volume discounts are available. Data Translation Inc., 100 Locke Drive. Marlboro. MA 01752-1 192; (508) 481-3700. DynaComm/Elite. The most powerful 3270 Windows application. tdH Seifth gelogs Canned Iumfcra Ss&x There's no need to settle for anything less than the best in synchronous communications software. Now there's DynaComm/Elite.™ More features. More functions. DynaComm/ Elite is a family of SNA and SAA communications products. For the first-time user, DynaComm/Elite is a simple, intuitive Windows™ 3 application. For the experienced network technician, it is a cost-effective development tool for leveraging the host- connected Windows 3 environment. More flexibility with M.D.I. Multiple Document Interface support means your 3270 Windows application behaves just like your favorite Windows 3 spreadsheet or word processing application. Instead of running multiple instances of the application to support multiple sessions, DynaComm/Elite runs a single instance of the application using M.D.I. More powerful scripting. DynaComm/Elite's power scripting can make host applications look and feel like Windows 3 applications. We've dramatically improved their useability by combining session monitoring and control facilities with the Windows user interface. Robust keyboard support. DynaComm/Elite's Keyboard Editor lets you remap 3270 functions for the keyboard, including smaller portable laptop layouts. With our Flashpad, you can change labels, colors and shapes of your DFAULTPD.FPO DynaComm/Elite DDE | tsooooo 00, to oo ■ fsbuary Can Trucks Vans ■ March keys, use icons instead of keys and start scripts or script subroutines, in addition to autosizing. More connectivity options. DynaComm/ Elite supports more adapters and data links than any other product in its category. It supports over 50 different Coax and SDLC cards as well as 802.2, NetBIOS and IPX/SPX. All of your end users can get the same look and feel regardless of how they connect to the host. For Windows-based LU6.2/APPC cooperative processing applications, look to future versions of DynaComm/Elite. Features will include APPC basic and mapped verbs, interactive learning and implementation facilities, high-level language interfaces and transaction program compatibility with IBM's OS/2 EE API. Call FutureSoft or NSA for a free demonstration disk. DynaComm/Elite The SNA communications solution for Windows 3.0 FutureSoft, 1001 South Dairy Ashford, Suite 101, Houston, TX 77077 713-496-9400 FAX: 713-496-1090 Network Software Associates, 39 Argonaut, Laguna Hills, CA 92656 1-800-352-3270 FAX: 714-768-5049 DvnaComm/Elite is a trademark of FutureSoft Engineering, Inc. and Network Software Associates. Inc. DynaComm is a registered trademark of FutureSoft Engineering, Inc. Elite is trademark of Network Software Associates, Inc. FutureSoft is a trademark of FutureSoft Engineering, Inc. All other trademarks arc the property of their respective holders. DuiaCommfJ Elite Copyrighted material The Panasonic 1124 i is here. The Panasonic KX-P1124 has probably won more awards than any other dot matrix 24-pin printer in history. The KX-P1124/ represents a significant improvement It’s simpler to operate. With a new LCD display on our EZ- Set™ operator panel, so you can not only see what you’re doing. . . but how. It’s fester. In feet, at up to 300 cps in draft, it’s fester than most of the other popular printers in its class. It now has 11 built-in fonts, including a Super Letter Quality font, to give all your most important business correspondence a truly professional look. It’s easier to load. With front, bottom and rear paper paths made even more convenient by a new and simpler tractor feed. Yet with all this enhanced power and flexibility, the 1124/ is still one of the most attractively- priced printers around. Printers Computers, Peripherals That, too, is the Panasonic way. And the reason why our strongest r impression is value. For further information on the KX-P1124/, and the name of the dealer nearest you, call 1 - 800 - 742 - 8086 . * Based on US dollar market share of competitive models for the 12 months ending December. 1990. as reported by InfoCorp ( 1/91 ) Panasonic. Office Automation^^s^ P5-IW MARCH A, 1 03 1 PAGE 1 3 PROGRAMMING TOOLS Hyperkinetix’s Builder 1.5 Extends Batch Commands Zinc Software is shipping a Windows version of its Zinc Interface Library, which will support Turbo C+ + 2.0. Slew of ISVs Ready to Support Turbo C++ 2.0 ■ LANGUAGES JENSEN INTRODUCES “MODULAR" TOOLS. Jensen & Partners Inter- national is shipping Version 3.0 of its TopSpeed Multi-Language Development System, which lets users couple its programming environment with any of four lan- guage modules. The system, which lets programmers work with more than one language si- multaneously. supports coding for DOS. Windows, and OS/2. The company also rolled out new versions of Its TopSpeed C+ + and Pascal compilers. The envi- ronment costs $99. and each compiler costs $99. (415) 967- 3200. ■ CASE TOOLS CASE:W CORPORATE EDITION SHIPS. Caseworks Inc. is ship- ping a version of its Case:W Windows development package specifically for corporate users. Case:W Corporate Edition adds support for secondary windows — including both child windows and Multiple Document Interface. It also offers CUA validation, context-sensitive help genera- tion, and improved support for code regeneration. The package costs $995; upgrades from the current Case:W product cost $200. (404) 399-6236. ■ DEBUGGERS HARDWARE-ASSISTED DEBUGGER TO SHIP. Systems & Software Inc. will ship next month PCsteam. a hardware-assisted debugger for developers using Windows 3.0 or DOS extenders. The package features a Codeview-like interface with complex hardware breakpoints, timers, and triggers, and it pro- vides a real-time execution audit trail. PCsteam, which includes both hardware and software, will have a list price of $3,995. (714) 833-1700. ■ DEVELOPMENT TOOLS UPGRADED VALIDATION TOOL SHIPS. Codecheck 3.0, a devel- opment tool that analyzes source code, is shipping from Abraxas Software Inc. Version 3.0 analyzes C and C + + code, and validates whether it meets portability standards for DOS, OS/2, the Macintosh, and sever- al versions of Unix. The package now supports code written for Microsoft Corp.. Borland Interna- tional, Zortech Inc., Metaware Inc., and Intel Corp. compilers. The package costs $495 for DOS and the Mac; $695 for OS/2; and $995 for Unix. (503) 244-5253. BY MARK BROWNSTEIN Hyperkinetix Inc. is shipping a software package that extends the DOS batch commands and that can be used to create compiled applications based on batch files. Builder 1.5 lets users create effective menu scripts for net- works and installation pro- grams. In addition, the batch commands can be hidden from unauthorized users after they have been compiled into a COM or EXE program. Further, the product includes commands that can be used to filter out unwanted keystrokes and to act on user input. Display boxes, colored text, and cursor positioning can also be con- trolled using Builder keywords. An interactive editor con- verts batch files into BLD files that are converted to object ByEdScannell Cognos Inc. has announced an OS/2-compatible implementa- tion of its computer-aided soft- ware engineering (CASE) tool that aids analysis and generates code for midrange systems from vendors such as IBM and Digital Equipment Corp. FowerCase for OS/2 marks the first time a CASE tool has been fully integrated within a fourth-generation language (4GL) and ANSI-standard SQL relational databases. Combining a 4GL with its application development envi- ronment. the new version lets corporate developers create ap- plications faster and easier. “CASE development is mov- ing away from just stand-alone code, and can be linked into COM or EXE programs. Both compiler and linker are included in Builder 1.5. More than 140 keywords provide the capability to sup- port mice, to produce a variety of menus — including light bar, pop-up, or pull-down — and to evaluate user input and system configuration. In addition, screen modification commands can be executed without loading ANSI. SYS. Applications can be devel- oped using Builder's interactive menu, which provides a multi- windowing development envi- ronment. Users who don’t need the interactive interface may compile and link BLD files using simple commands. Builder 1.5 lists for $149.95. Hyperkinetix Inc., 666 Baker St., Suite 405, Costa Mesa, CA 92626; (800) 873-9993. offerings to being an integral component of application devel- opment tool sets," said Fjter MacKinnon, director of CASE products. “And OS/2 makes sense because it delivers work- stationlike functionality." FowerCase for OS/2 has the capability to automatically gen- erate on-line documentation as applications are written. The program lets Presenta- tion Manager display different views of the application simulta- neously. These views can range from data flows to entity-rela- tionship diagrams. Available now. PowerCase for OS/2 costs $15,000 for the initial license. Cognos Inc., 67 S. Bedford St., Burlington, MA 01803- 5164; (617)229-6600. Class Libraries, More, By Stuart J. Johnston In the wake of Borland's Turbo C+ + 2.0 announcement, more than a dozen vendors have said they will provide class libraries and other products that support the package. Borland's latest offering al- lows users to develop Windows applications in either C or C++ without purchasing Mi- crosoft’s Windows Software De- veloper’s Kit. (See “Borland C++ 2.0 Shines at Software Development ’91," February 18, Page 8.) Zinc Software of Pleasant Grove, Utah, will ship next month two versions of its Zinc Interface Library 2.0 — one that supports DOS in text and graph- ics modes and another for Win- dows. (801)785-8900. The DOS-only package with source code will cost $249 or $199 without source code. The Windows product costs $399 (with source code) and $299 (without source code). Blaise Computing Inc. of Berkeley, California, will also ship next month Win + +, a library of nearly 100 classes for writing Windows applications, the company said. Win + + , which includes source code, will cost $249. (415)540-5441. Sturmer Hauss Corp. of Ste- phenville, Texas, is shipping its $450 Tier class library for Borland C+ + 2.0., the compa- ny said. Tier features more than 100 classes for Windows devel- opment. (8 1 7) 965-2227. Greenleaf Software of Dallas announced it will ship this month versions of its C+ + class libraries that support the new Borland release. Prices range from $199 for Financial Mathlib++ to $359 for to Ship Next Month Commlib. (800) 523-9830. Nu-Mega Technologies of Nashua. New Hampshire, will ship Version 2.0 of both its $249 Bounds-Checker and $386 Soft- ICE debuggers in March, the company said. (603) 888-2386. CNS Inc. of Minneapolis, Minnesota, is shipping C++/ Views 1.1, a $495 package that features an integrated Windows C++ development environ- ment and more than 75 object classes. (6 1 2) 944-0 1 70. Xian Corp. of Ridgewood, New Jersey, said its Winpro/3 Windows code prototyper and generator will support Turbo C++ 2.0. The package costs $895. (201)447-3270. Creative Programming of Carrollton, Texas, will ship this month Version 4.0 of its Vita- min C windowing-interface li- brary for both DOS and OS/2. The DOS product, which works with Turbo C++ 2.0, costs $395; the OS/2 version costs $495.(214)416-6447. Raima Corp. of Bellevue, Washington, announced it is shipping a Turbo C++ 2.0- compatible version of its Db- Vista III database development system. Purchasers of Turbo C+ + 2.0 can buy a Developer’s Edition of Db-Vista for $195 and later purchase an upgrade that lets them distribute finished applications, the company said. (206) 745-5570. Other companies announc- ing support include XVT of Boulder. Colorado. (303) 443- 4223; the Oakland Group of Cambridge, Massachusetts, (800) 233-3733; Microquill of Seattle, (800) 441-7822; Empa- thy Inc. of Cambridge, Massa- chusetts, (617) 787-3089; and Rogue Wave of Corvallis, Ore- gon, (503) 745-5908. Builder 1.5 from Hyperkinetix lets programmers design menu scripts and installation programs. Cognos Debuts PowerCase for OS/2 INFOWORLD file Options Window Help I OOD I 'VV. (100 [OOP| Norv Windows AptAc^ions file £dil Formula Formal Qata Options Macro Window SHEET1.XLS Revwa Budget Summary s CM-1440: A Trinitron' tube and our enhanced technology makes Windows and all business applications cleaner, brighter, and sharper. CM-1450: Non-interlaced 1024x768 resolution makes CAD, DTP, and business graphics brighter without flicker or ghosting. For under $1000. Why Cleaner Screens Brighten Windows; (Awl Doors) In a word, focus. The bright, clean images on our CM-1440 and CM-1450 high-resolution screens come from the best Trinitron tubes, made even better by Seiko Instruments’ precision electronics. You see, other monitors’ electron guns sometimes misalign, resulting in fuzzy, less intense color dots and slightly out of focus type. Our specially designed driving and focusing electronics are simply more precise. So our colors are always on target. And always in focus. The result is brighter, richer color. Sharper lines. And crisper type. All of which works wonders for Windows, or any application. Choose the CM-1440 for the sharpest images in business. Or for even crisper, flicker and ghost-free desktop publishing, graphics and CAD, pick the non-interlaced CM-1450. Both have a .25mm aperture grille (dot pitch) to sharpen the details. Of everything from Windows to doors. Call 1-800-888-0817 Ext U2B for dealer information and a free brochure on our entire line of precision engineered, 14" and 20" monitors for PCk and MACsl Model 640x4*0 800x600 1024x768 1024x768 640x480 1024x768 VGA SVGA top Noodnt* MAC MAC CM-1440 W XXX CM-1450 14- X X X X CM-205020- X X X X X X CM-1445 14- X SII Seiko Instruments Seiko Instruments USA. Inc., ll30RingwoodCoun, San Jose. CA 95131. 1408) 922-5900. •Interlaced and Non-Interlaced. Trinitron and MAC are registered trademarks of Sony Corporation and Apple Computer, Inc respectively. Specifications subject to change C 1991 MARCH A. 1 99 1 PAGE 2 1 HARDWARE ■ TECHNOLOGY TUTORIAL Drive Array Technology Too New for Standards Implementation Varies Between Vendors By Mark Brownstein Previous installments have dis- cussed the theory' behind RAID, and the various levels of RAID implementation. T oday’s drive array architec- tures lack any clear stan- dards. Although several vendors offer RAID Level Five, the means of implementing the arrays varies from manufac- turer to manufacturer. For large systems. HIPPI (high-performance parallel in- terface) has been proposed as an ANSI standard. Currently, HIP- PI systems require dedicated drive controllers and can use ESDI or other high-perfor- mance hard disk drives. A number of systems use proprietary hard drive control- lers, and in some cases, specially developed hard drives. These systems, while providing high performance and reliability, may lock the user into one ven- dor's RAID architecture. For example, only a drive available from the same vendor can be added to such a system, and often at a premium price. Compaq Computer Corp.’s System Pro uses a proprietary hardware approach to imple- menting its RAID technology. IBM and other vendors are also expected to use proprietary hardware to control their drive arrays. A second approach relies on the relatively more standard SCSI host adapters, SCSI hard drives, and specialized software. This is the approach taken by 1 776 Inc. of Los Angeles: Tense Lcctronix Corp. of Ashland. Massachusetts; Integra Technol- ogies Inc. of Sharon, Massachu- setts; and other developers. Micropolis Inc., which makes SCSI drives, is also work- Panasonic Ushers in Two 24-Pin Dot-Matrix Printers By Tom Quinlan Panasonic Communications and Systems Co. is continuing to focus on the oft-neglected dot- matrix printer market with the introduction of two new 24-pin printers aimed at both business and home users. The $499.95 KX-Pll24i re- places Panasonic’s original 1 124 model and can produce draft, letter, and super letter quality at speeds of 300, 100 and 40 characters per second (cps), re- spectively. Super letter quality mode enables the dot matrix printer to provide a character matrix of 48 dots by 30 dots, which is only Panasonic's 24-pin dot-matrix printer, the KX- P1123 comes with seven fonts at $399.95. slightly less then the 300-by-300 dot-per-inch (dpi) resolution that’s standard on laser printers, according to officials at the company. The graphics resolution of the 1 1 24i printer is 360 by 360 dpi. Other features of the 1 1 24i include 1 1 built-in fonts, a liquid crystal display control pa- nel, printer control commands in four foreign languages, and a I2K buffer, which can be ex- panded to 44K with an optional 32K buffer chip. At $399.95, Panasonic’s KX- P1123 offers users draft and letter-quality modes at speeds of 240 cps in draft mode and 63 cps in letter-quality mode. The printer al- so comes with sev- en resident fonts, five pitch settings and a 10K buffer, which can be ex- panded to 32K. Panasonic Communications and Systems Co., Office Automa- tion Group. 2 Panasonic Way, Secaucus, NJ 07094; (800) 742- 8086. Approaches to RAID + Offers high performance and reliability. - Use of proprietary controller and drive technology locks user Into one vendor’s offering. Software: + SCSI implementation offers additional level of intelligence, faster per- formance. is non-proprietary, and potentially cheaper. - As yet. no agreed upon SCSI stan- dard. currently SCSI control limited to seven total devices. Users have to decide between current hardware-based disk array solutions and SCSI-based software solutions coming soon. ing on a SCSI implementation. The software approach uses the SCSI adapter’s capability to control as many as seven drives. Standard SCSI commands allow it to control concurrent write while reading and other opera- tions that arc necessary for maximum performance. In addition, the use of multi- ple host adapters provides fur- ther performance enhancements by reducing the latency of opera- tions. For example, on a system with four drives, performance is better with two host adapters, each controlling two drives, than it would be using one host adapter to control all four drives. SCSI adapters, however, are still not completely standard- ized. and special versions of SCSI software may be required for each flavor of SCSI host adapter. In addition, all drives in an array should be the same size to enable data and error-correction “striping” across the array. “Striping" involves putting parts of a file across the different drives in an array. If one drive fails, the data in the lost stripe can be recovered by examining the data on the other drives and error-correction code. The approach to RAID im- plementation that is being devel- oped by Micropolis places more intelligence on each drive’s con- troller. In current implementa- tions of RAID the CPU is required to manage the drives. The Micropolis approach shifts the management burden onto each drive — error detec- tion, correction, and negotia- tions between drives occurs at the drive level. By moving the control off the CPU, higher system performance can be achieved, a company spokes- man said. □ 16-Bit Graphics Board Supports Varieties of Display Resolutions By Mark Brownstein Personal Computer Graphics Corp. is shipping a graphics board that can produce a video signal at up to 75 MHz. The Photon Ultima Turbo is a 16-bit video adapter designed to operate on all monitors run- ning at 30- to 57-kHz frequen- cies. In addition, the adapter is compatible with fixed scan-rate monitors operating at 3 1 ‘/z kHz or 50 kHz, according to the company. The Photon Ultima Turbo can display images at resolutions as great as 1 ,280 by 1 ,024 with as many as 16 colors in nonin- terlaced mode. Other resolutions supported by the board include noninter- laced 256-color displays at 1,024-by- 1.024. 1 ,024-by-768, or 600-by-800 pixel resolution. An interlaced display of 256 colors at 1.024 by 768 pixels is also supported. The board is 100 percent register-level compatible with VGA, EGA, and CGA, compa- ny officials said. In addition, an external out- put connector allows simulta- neous use of two monitors. The 1 ,024-by- 1 ,024 mode al- lows for display of a square image on a monitor capable of displaying l,024-by-768 resolu- tion. The board comes with 1 megabyte of memory and in- cludes display drivers for Auto- CAD, Release 10 386 protected mode; AutoCAD, Release 11; Windows 3.0; and other popular graphics program. A display list processor built onto the board also provides high performance for AutoCAD users and sup- ports fast bird’s-eye view, zooms, and pans. The Photon Ultima Turbo is priced at $695 and comes with a five-year guarantee. Personal Computer Graphics Corp., 5819 Uplander Way, Culver City, CA 90234; (213) 216-0055. Hitachi Releases Low-Emission VGA Color Monitor ByTusedaA.Gragqs The Hitachi Group's Nessei Sangyo America Ltd. subsidiary recently released the 14MVX/ LMF, a low magnetic field, 14- inch multiscanning color moni- tor for business graphics users. The monitor is designed to comply with the most stringent electromagnetic emissions regu- lations for monitors in the office environment. The Swedish gov- ernment mandates Vi milligauss magnetic strength or less at 20 inches from the screen. Incorporating high-focus gun technology usually found in high-end CAD/CAE monitors, the 14MVX/LMF’s image doesn’t need adjusting. The monitor also has VGA resolu- tion of 1 ,024 by 768, horizontal scanning frequencies between 30 and 40 kHz, and Mac II compatibility. The monitor, which lists for $995, also offers such ergonom- ic features as silica anti-glare treatment, a full-tilt and swivel base, and front panel controls. A number of companies have recently begun introducing low- emission monitors, although they stress there has been no proof that monitor radiation is a health hazard. However, a number of com- panies in Europe are currently considering adopting mandato- ry standards based on the Swe- dish emission standards, which are now only advisory. The company also released the Info SGX and IGX graphics boards and software drivers for AutoCAD and Windows 3.0. The boards are high-resolu- tion, high-speed, intelligent graphic controllers. They support DOS, Unix, and OS/2, and feature software- selectable resolutions as high as 1 ,600-by- 1 .800 dpi for the SGX, and 1 ,280-by- 1 ,024 dpi for the IGX. The SGX and IGX boards are now available and cost $4,295 and $2,795, respectively. Nissei Sangyo America Ltd., 800 South St., Waltham, MA 02 1 54; (800) 44 1-4832. Hitachi has introduced a low- emission graphics monitor, the 14-inch 14MVX/LMF for $995. infoworld When you call Tandon YOU GET A PERSON. Of course, YOU CAN ALSO GET A COMPUTER. At Tandon, we believe in selling ourselves, not just our computers. That’s why our direct sales force is made up of friendly people who are good at listening and great at helping. A highly knowledgeable group who truly enjoy answering questions about our computers. Whether it’s about our 486 EISA Desktop, a machine PC Computing described as “slick, amazingly fast, innovative and reasonably priced by 486 standards,” or our equally impressive line of 386’s and other 486’s. They’ll also tell you everything you want to know about our high performance Slimlines, Desktops, Laptops and Network Stations, as well as our Towers. All of which are made with the outstanding quality you’d expect from a $400 million U.S. company with fifteen years of manufacturing and design experience, sixteen patents, and extensive research, development and engineering facilities. But of course, we’re concerned with more than just making a sale. That’s why if for any reason you’re not completely satisfied with your Tandon Computer, you can return it for a full refund within 30 days. And that’s why every Tandon Computer comes with a one year limited warranty. On site service. And technical support. We even offer a special leasing program for your convenience. So, pick up the phone and call one of our helpful sales representatives today. Next to our machines, they’re as user friendly as you can get. TO ORDER DIRECT, CALL NOW: 800 - 800-8850 FAX 805-529-8408 $ 2,499 LEASE: AS LOW AS S143/MONTH. STANDARD CONFIGURATION Micropro ce ssor and Main Board: Intel 11 80386sx running at either 6 or 16 MHz. Main board has socket for an optional math coprocessor. Me m ory : I MB memory standard, expand- able to 5MB. Storage: 1.44MB, 3.5 inch, high density, double sided diskette drive. 40MB IDE hard drive. Keyboard: 82 key layout emulates 101 -key keyboard with embedded keypad and 12 function keys; system supports external keyboard and external 10-key keypad. Video: Built-in VGA monitor adapter. Dual panel EL backlit monochrome VGA LCD. supports external monitor. Order now and receive a World Port Pocket Modem at no charge. $ 3,399 LEASE: AS LOW AS 1112/MONTH. STANDARD CONFIGURATION Wcroprace ea or end Main Board: Intel 80386 running at either 8 or 33 MHz. Main board has socket for Intel 80387 or Weitek™ 3167 math coprocessor. Memory . 4MB of standard memory, ex- pandable to 16MB of 32-bit memory. Storage: 1.2 MB. 5.25 inch, high density, double sided diskette drive. OR 1.44MB, 3.5 inch, high density, double sided dis- kette drive. 1 10MB IDE hard drive. Keyboard: 101-key enhanced layout. Video: 16-bit VGA adaptor. 14 inch VGA monochrome display. Call for information on our 386/25 Desktop. d Copyrighted material $ 1,199 LEASE: AS LOW AS 169/MONTH. STANDARD CONFIGURATION Microproce sso r and Main BoanJ: Intel 80386sx running at 8 or 16 MHz. Main board has socket for 80387sx math coprocessor. Memory: I MB memory standard: expand- able onboard to 8MB. 16MB system maximum. Keyboard: 10 1 -key enhanced layout. VMbo: Built-in VGA adapter. 14 inch VGA monochrome display. Options: 1.44MB. 3.S inch, high density diskette drive. 40MB IDE hard drive. Additional options available, please call for details. Call for information on our 286/N Low Profile. Network Station, starting at $949. Tandon 486/33 EISA Desktop $ 7,299 LEASE: AS LOW AS 1183/MONTH. STANDARD CONFIGURATION Microprocessor and Main Board: Intel 80486 running at either 8 or 33 MHz. Main board accepts a Weitek 4167 coprocessor to coexist with the 80486's built-in math coprocessor. Memory: 4MB memory expandable to 64MB of 64-bit memory. Storage: 1.2MB. S.2S inch, high density, double sided diskette drive. OR 1.44MB. 3.S inch, high density, double sided dis- kette drive. 200MB IDE hard drive. Keyboard: 10 1 -key enhanced layout Video: 16-bit VGA adapter. 14 inch VGA monochrome display. $ 1,999 LEASE: AS LOW AS S114/MONTH. STANDARD CONFIGURATION Mtaoproca s sor and Main Boanl: Intel 80386sx running at either 8 or 20 MHz. Main board has socket for 80387sx math coprocessor. Memory. I MB memory standard; expand- able onboard to 5 MB. 16MB system maximum. (With expansion board.) Storage: 1.2MB. 5.25 inch, high density, double sided diskette drive. OR 1.44MB. 3.5 inch, high density, double sided dis- kette drive. 40MB IDE hard drive. Keyboard: 10 1 -key enhanced layout. Video: 16-bit VGA adapter. 14 inch VGA monochrome display. $ 4,399 LEASE: AS LOW AS S121/MONTII. STANDARD CONFIGURATION Microprocessor and Main Board: Intel 80386 running at either 8 or 33 MHz. Main board has socket for Intel 80387 or Weitek 3167 math coprocessor. Me m ory . 4 MB standard memory, expandable to 16MB of 32-bit memory. Storage: 1.2MB. 5.25 inch, high density, double sided diskette drive. AND 1.44MB. 3.5 inch, high density, double sided diskette drive. 200MB IDE hard drive. Keyboard: 101-key enhanced layout. Video: 16-bit VGA adapter. 14 inch VGA monochrome display. Tandon SL 486/25 Slrofine $ 2,999 LEASE: AS LOW AS S10.VMONTH. STANDARD CONFIGURATION Mkroprocessor and Main Board: Intel 80486 running at either 8 or 25 MHz. Memory. 2MB memory standard: expan- dable onboard to 5MB. 16MB system maximum. (With expansion board.) Storage: 1.2MB. 5.25 inch, high density, double sided diskette drive, OR 1.44MB. 3.5 inch, high density, double sided dis- kette drive. Keyboard: 101-key enhanced layout. Video: 16-bit VGA adapter. 14 inch VGA monochrome display. Call for information on our SL 486 Up- grade Package and additional options. Tandon Tower 486/33 EISA $ 7,699 LEASE: AS LOW AS I19Q/MONTH. STANDARD CONRGURATON Microprocessor and Main Boanl: Intel 80486 running at either 8 or 33 MHz. Main board accepts a Weitek 4167 coprocessor to coexist with the 80486's built-in math coprocessor. Me m ory 4MB memory standard: expandable to 64MB of 64-bit memory. Storage: 1.2MB. 5.25 inch, high density, double sided diskette drive. AND 1.44MB. 3.5 inch, high density, double sided diskette drive. 200 MB IDE hard drive. Keyboard: 101 -key enhanced layout Video: 16-bit VGA adapter. 14 inch VGA monochrome display. Tandon reserves the right to amend specifications without notice. Tandon 486. Tandon 386. SL386&X. SL 486. IT/286, LT/386sx, 386sx/N, 286/N. Tandon Tower 386. Tandon Tower 486. PowerPoster. Multi CACHE, MIAT and Tandon LaserPrinter are trademarks of Tandon Corporation Intel and 486 are registered trademarks ol Intel Corporation. AJI other products or services are identified by the trademarks or service marks ot their respective companies. ©1991 Tandon Corporation, Moorpark, CA. Monthly lease rates based on length of lease. $999 STANDARD CONFIGURATION Microprocessor and Memory Motorola 68000 running at 12 MHz. 512KB RAM standard; expandable to 4.5MB. Paper Handing: 250 sheet drawer. Fonts: 14 Fonts; Portrait and Landscape resident fonts; Courier 10 and 12-medium, italic and bold. Line printer — 16.66 pitch. operating and installation manual, toner, OPC/developer cartridges. Call for information on the Tandon Laser Printer PS with built-in Adobe Postscript featuring 35 proportional fonts for $1,895. • 30- Day Moncyback Guarantee • TUI-Free Technical Support • 1-Year Limited Warranty • On-Site Service • Leasing Program Available Options and Custom Con figu RATIONS • Hard Drives, Diskette and Optical Drives • Memory Expansion • Modems • Coprocessors • VGA and Super VGA Monitors. • Additional Options Available On All Systems. Please call. Copyrighted matt PAGE 2-4 HARDWARE MARCH -4. 1 S3 1 Commax, Dyna Mech Release 4-Pound Lightweight Notebook PCs ByNicoKrohn Two companies, Commax Technologies Inc. and Dyna Mech Electronics, recently introduced notebook-size computers that weigh only 4 pounds. Commax believes its 386SX-based Ultrathin will appeal to the high end of the market, while Dyna Mech is aiming at the low end of the market with an 80C86- based machine. Commax’s Ultrathin will come with 1 megabyte of RAM, a 30-megabyte inter- nal hard disk drive, and an external 3 Vi- inch floppy disk drive. It will also include a VGA-compatible, 640-by-480-pixel display that gives up to 32 shades of gray. Ultrathin computers will include DR- DOS 5.0 in ROM. as well as external VGA and floppy disk ports, a parallel port, and a serial port. A basic configuration, which includes Eastman Kodak Offers Quick-Transmitting 35MM Film Scanner BY TUSEDA A. GRAGGS Eastman Kodak Co. has announced a 35mm rapid film scanner that can capture a photographic-quality image and transmit it via modem, all in less than five minutes. The scanner, which can also provide optica] cropping and advanced software tools, is designed for individuals and businesses that handle large numbers of photos. The scanner uses the company’s pro- prietary technology to capture a 1,312- by- 1 ,024-pixel image for each of the three RGB primary colors, which results in files as large as 4 megabytes. Users see a lower resolution image on-screen, which is updated every second and can be edited or cropped before the final scan. “Because cropping is done optically instead of electronically, the full resolu- tion of the sensor is always applied to the image area being scanned," said Ray- mond H. DeMoulin. vice president and general manager of Kodak’s professional photography division. The scanned image file is designed to be transferred to an Apple Macintosh II computer where it will be compressed using an optional image-compression method. The entire process including capture, compression, transmission, and decompression lakes less than five min- utes, according to the company. The machine stores as many as 32,000 characters of editable text, which could be a caption or other information, along with the image. A thumbnail image can also be stored, enabling the user to view a miniversion of the image without opening the file. The 35mm film scanner is currently available through VARs. Kodak also has plans to distribute the machine through audiovisual dealers and professional pho- tography suppliers. The product carries a list price of $8,495. Eastman Kodak Co., 343 State St., Rochester, NY 14650-0519; (800) 445- 6325. 1 megabyte of RAM and a 30-megabyte hard disk drive will cost $3,200. A 60- megabyte hard drive version weighs 2 ounces more, comes with 4 megabytes of RAM, and will cost $3,800. Both are ex- pected to ship this month. Dyna Mech Electronics also recently began shipping a notebook-size comput- er. The DME-2086 is based on an 80C86 microprocessor, and like Commax’s Ul- trathin, it also weighs in at 4. pounds. Intended to rival NEC’s Ultralite, the DME-2086 costs $995 and comes with a CGA-compatible display. It includes 1 megabyte of RAM, built-in DR-DOS 5.0, and a slot for Integrated Circuit memory cards that were designed to be compatible with PCMCIA standards. The cards come in a wide variety including 128K-, 256K-. 5 1 2K-, and 1 -megabyte capacities. External hard and floppy disk drives are also available for Dyna Mech’s DME- 2086, which runs on ofT-the-shelf AA batteries. Commax Technologies Inc., 2031 Concourse Drive, San Jose, CA 95131; (408) 435-5000. Dvna Mech Electronics, 123 E. 1850 N., Orem, Utah 84057; (801) 224-1261 ext. 414. INFOWORLD MARCH A. 1 991 HARDWARE PAGE 25 MCA Systems Can Use Adpatec Adapter Kit to Utilize SCSI Peripherals Adaptec Inc. is shipping a SCSI adapter kit that allows Micro Channel Architec- ture (MCA) systems to take advantage of SCSI peripherals. The SCSI Channel is a complete kit for use in MCA systems. The host adapter is based on Adaptec’s 16-bit AHA- 1640 controller, and includes bus-mastering capabilities. The adapter is designed to connect as many as seven devices, including hard drives. CD ROM drives, tape drives, and scanners. Data transfer rates of 5 megabytes per second (mbps) in synchronous mode and 2 mbps in asynchronous mode are typical for this controller, according to the company. In addition, the adapter is NetWare ready, the company said. The software included with the SCSI Channel adapter allows it to run under DOS, SCO Unix, SCO Xenix, and Interactive Unix. In addition to the software and controller board, a SCSI ribbon cable and complete documentation are included in the kit. The SCSI Channel is now shipping. It is priced at $399. Adaptec Inc., 691 Milpitas Blvd., Milpitas. CA 95035; (408) 945 8600. — Mark Brownstein For once, an announcement that will have businesspeople jumping into windows. Until now, a lot of businesses have been hesitant to take the plunge into Windows. People have w'ondered, for instance, whether critical applications and viable communica- ple to use, which helps txxxst productivity. For instance, mainframe data can be directly embedded into a word processor or spreadsheet, using DCA’s QuickScript™ "2 HARDWARE PIPELINE ■ SCANNERS HAND HELD PRODUCTS RELEASES LONG- RANGE SCANNER. Hand Held Products has introduced a long-range integrated bar- code scanner that allows scanning from as far away as six feet. The Laser-Wand ALR uses a microcomputer integrated with a scanning system, and weighs 22 ounces. The scanner comes with as much as 640K of RAM, a 33-key alphanumeric keypad, and a 32-character backlit dis- play. Available now, the scanner lists for $3,295 for the 128K version, $3,695 for the 256K version, and $4295 for the 640K version. (704) 541-1380. ■ COMPUTERS HYUNDAI INTRODUCES LOW-COST PCt. Hyun- dai Electronics America last week began shipping the Super 286E Plus, a 12-MHz AT-compatible PC. With a suggested retail price of $995 for the single 5 ‘A -inch floppy configuration, the computer is designed to be affordable for users wanting 80286- based computers. The computer includes 1 megabyte of RAM and is available with a 40- megabyte hard drive for a suggested price of $ 1 ,545. MS-DOS 4.0 1 and GW-Basic are bundled with the computer. (408) 473- 9200. tions would become available. Well, if we may be so bold, we d like to give you a little push - by introducing you to DCA®’s new IRMA" Workstation for Windows. A BREAKTHROUGH IN 3270 CONNECTIVITY: IRMA WORKSTATION FOR WINDOWS. In the Windows 3.0 operating environ- and Windows Dynamic Data Exchange. Only IRMA Workstation for Windows supports APPC and supplies you with a user interface that conforms to IBM's SAA/CUA standard. It also provides you with a transpar- ent migration path to OS/2? using DCA / Micro- soft* Select™ Communications Workstation . TRADE UP TO THE MOST FEATURE- RICH SOLUTION FOR ONLY $149. AST SHIPPING 386SX. AST Research Inc. Is currently shipping its Premium Exec line of notebook computers, which includes both a 286 and 386SX version. The systems were originally introduced last November. Both systems feature a 3 Winch floppy drive and a VGA-compatible liquid crystal display, and weigh 7.3 pounds, which is slightly more then their advertised weight of 6 Y 2 pounds. The 386SX/20 with a 20- megabyte hard drive costs $2,995; the 286/12 with 20-megabyte hard drive lists for $2,495. Systems with larger hard drives are available. (714) 727-4141. ■ STORAGE SYSTEMS • ment, only IRMA Workstation for Windows gives you a choice of single (CUT) or multi- ple (DFT) sessions via coaxial cable, remote SDLC or token-ring connections, as well as asynchronous connections. It also gives you 3270 terminal, 3270 printer and asynchronous terminal emula- tions, and an extensive range of 3270 and asynchronous file trans- fer protocols, including DCA’s and lBM*’s. Both DCA and IBM hard- ware ^ supported, as well. Which means you won’t have to reinvest in new soft- ware as your business’s needs change. In addition to its tremendous flexibility, IRMA Workstation for Windows is quite sim- Best of all, from now until March 29, 1991, you can trade in your old 3270 commu- nications software -regardless of who you bought it from -and receive IRMA Worksta- tion for Windows for just $149 (suggested retail price $495). If, within 60 days, you’re not completely satisfied, return it for a full refund. For more information or to order, call 1-800-348-DCA1, ext 66L. It's easy. Just take a deep breath. Close your eyes, if you feel like it. And jump. DGAIi I ®MA^brkStaiion for Window £— 6 0 of Digital Communications Associates, Inc. All other brand and product names are trademarks or registered trademarks of their respective owners MICROTECH SHIPS ECLIPSE STORAGE LINE. Microtech International Inc. recently began shipping its line of hard drive, removable hard drive, CD ROM, and memory prod- ucts for Next computers. The Eclipse hard drive products range in size from 200 me- gabytes to 1 gigabyte. The Eclipse 50R removable CD ROM product offers 50-me- gabyte removable cartridges. List prices for the series range from $ 1 ,899 for the 200-megabyte drive to $5,399 for the 1 - gigabyte model. The 50R lists for $ 1 ,399 and the CD lists for $ 1 .099. (203) 468- 6223. ■ KEYBOARDS NEW SMART KEYBOARD FROM NORTHOATE. Northgate Computer Systems has intro- duced Omnikey/101 Nl, its 101 -key pro- grammable keyboard for use with various computer systems, including 286-, 386-, and 486-based systems, as well as Com- modore Business Machines Inc.’s Amiga computer. Northgate intends to sell the $89 keyboard as both a replacement product and as an option with its own computer systems. Northgate is also of- fering users a money-back 60-day trial pe- riod for "test driving" the keyboard. (800) 526-2446. Copyrighted material PAGE 2B MARCH -4,1991 TECH TALK ■ By Steve Gibson Portability of PC Applications Provides Fertile Soil for Viruses The past two “Tech Talk” columns have explored some of the functional as- pects of software vi- ruses. Whatever their means or intent, these viruses are capable of spreading within an organization or community of computers by riding along whenever a program is uploaded, downloaded, bor- rowed, exchanged, shared, or demoed — even if it’s only run once for 10 seconds. I know how eagerly I explore new shareware or public-domain goodies that promise a benefit, and I’ve sold many copies of my own commercial programs to people who admit to having first “borrowed" a copy from a friend to try out. Such software borrowing is today’s reality, and I don't fight it. The virus topic is controversial be- cause many people feel that the press has overblown the whole afTair. However, the mounting evidence demonstrates other- Boca Research Is your perfect fit for/fjuaTify hoard level products. As a r ecogn ized industry leader, it's onl y fitting, th at w £ (MlerlR’tbrdtUilejjyluticiiis tailored to avaricty of needs. We offer an endless selection of video, memory and I/O PC and Micro Channel compatible products. ^ — \ In service, we’ve put the "personal"