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" <lxtck into personal computers with outstanding technical suppon^bni includes a BBS and a five-year wamu/fty. ' Nothing puzzling about it ... when the pieces fall right into place, yootjye m ade the rigfu choice Boca Research ... the perfect fit. - - 6401 COngre^ Avenue • Boca Raton, FL 33487* (407) 997-6227 * FAX (407) 997-0918 wise. I’m aware of many private and public companies that have been hit hard by software viruses. No one wants to publicize that they've been infected by potentially troublesome software, so news of these outbreaks is often quickly and effectively squelched. An example of a venerable software virus, the Retro Virus, will serve to demonstrate just how pernicious infec- tious software can be. The Retro Virus is capable of infecting any one of three popular commercial software programs in such a fashion as to remain completely hidden. By living inside the program’s dead spots. Retro becomes very hard to spot. Whenever one of these three infect- ed host programs executes. Retro gains brief control of the system, then time and date stamps a hidden part of the system with the fact that it was executed on this date. By monitoring the state of this date stamp, each of the separate Retro in- stances can monitor the last execution date of one of its “brothers,” thus assuring that the virus’ clone counterparts are still active. If the other components become dormant for any reason, the last surviving copy of the virus comes out of hiding to reinfect the other potential viral carriers. Thus the Retro Virus is extremely difficult to kill off; any small fragment is capable of “regrowth." So what can be done to combat these diabolical software gremlins? Are preven- tive measures, inoculations, antidotes, and sugar cubes available? Yes. The first step is to take the problem seriously, you can’t fight an enemy that you don’t believe in. With all of the software that the average personal computer user is exposed to, it’s easy to drop our guard from time to time and just run that one little public-domain program. A terrific group of people in Santa Clara, California, who I have found over the years to be very accurate and reliable, have dedicated themselves to catching, analyzing, and disseminating helpful and specific information about software virus- es. The Computer Virus Industry Associ- ation offers a 24-hour national BBS that can be reached at (408) 988-4004, or by voice at (408) 727-4559. The BBS con- tains a variety of extremely useful antivi- ral shareware that is kept up to date with the very latest knowledge of software viruses. These programs rapidly scan local or remote network hard disks searching for the distinctive "fingerprints” of scores of prevalent and formerly prevalent viruses. Whenever we have a system that begins acting up and behaving mysteriously, and after first ruling out operator and other reasonably explainable errors, we down- load a recently updated copy of these antiviral utilities and run them against the suspicious system. Although we have never yet uncovered a virus in this fashion, 1 know of many people who have discovered the Jerusalem virus lurking on their systems in just this manner. This is certainly a case where an ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cured system data. Steve Gibson is the developer and publisher of SpinRite and president of Gibson Research Corp. of Irvine, Califor- nia. The views expressed are his own. TECHNOLOGY: IT’S ALL IN THE ATTITUDE. MIS Director Third Degree Black Belt Hates errors. Likes speed. Cardinal modem user. Fast, Error-Free Modems By Cardinal We share your attitude about technology. The real reason for technology is to make your job easier. To give you the time to do what you like to do. That’s what you expect. And it’s why Cardinal creates original technologies that deliver beyond your expectations. All Cardinal modems use proven technology - MNP® Class 1-5 error correction and data compression - to achieve quicker, error-free communications. Some models have the capability designed right into the hardware. For others, we use our own unique FLASHlink™ software. That means every Cardinal modem can boost exchange rates up to two times, and our new V42 Series up to four times! Proven technology. Original designs. Superior performance. Made in our own factory right here in the USA. They’re all i * part of the Cardinal attitude. For more information about Cardinal’s full line of modems, or any of our other computing products, call your local dealer or (800) 253-0187 today. . products and services mentioned arc the trademarks or registered trademarks of their respective organizations. Cardinal » Where Originality In Technology Begins. 1827 Freedom Road, Lancaster, PA 17601 (800) 233-0187 • (717) 293-3000 Copyrighted material All things being equal, they’re not They’re just about the same price. They’re made by two very good companies. Yet, there is one thing that makes NEC’s Silentwriter®2 Model 90 look much better on paper than Hewlett-Packard’s LaserJet 8 III. It comes Hewlett-Packard LaserJet III. $2,395** with Adobe 8 PostScriptf So whether you’re printing newsletters or flyers, sales sheets, stationery or shareholders reports, you’ll have thirty-five differ- ent typefaces to help you create the most dazzling documents possible. Of course, you can get a Hewlett-Packard with PostScript, too. If you’re willing to pay an extra thousand dollars’. Which you’d be crazy to do when you consider how much NEC’s Silentwriter has going for it. Like screen fonts, a standard 2MB memory, an Apple Interface? the ability to do envelopes, and the richest blacks you’ve ever seen. All things the Hewlett-Packard wishes it had. For product literature, call 1-800-NEC-INFO. NEC’s Silentwriter2 UMM • ■ laeMinM Mmn o- hmi ruuM Cowmu* Amu inume. • • ium imiua * Amu Emt mc Model 90. Take a close look and you’ll find it has no equal. CsC Computers and Communications NEC ■ Copyrighted material MARCH A. 1 03 1 PAGE 23 NETWORKING ■ TECHNOLOGY TUTORIAL Vendors Seek Fax Modem Accord TR-29.2 Class Standards May Slowly Eliminate Proprietary Solutions Novell, Gupta Announce Joint Database Product SQLWindows for Btrieve Tied With NetWare By David Coursey O ne of the problems with fax modems has been the tight linkage between each vendor’s own hardware and software. With only one standard (Intel's Communicating Appli- cations Specification) gaining limited acceptance, buying a fax modem usually means getting a proprietary device capable of running only the manufacturers’ applications software. The good news is those chains are being broken. The Electronic Industries Associa- tion’s new standard, TR-29.2 Facsimile Digital Interfaces, will eventually outline three fax mo- dem specifications. Class 1, adopted last Octo- ber, provides the minimal hard- ware support necessary to send a fax from a PC. “There are some things involved in sending a fax that simply cannot be done in software,” said Toby Nixon of Hayes Microcomputer Systems. These include special modula- tion schemes used by Group III By Yvonne Lee Clarity Software is beta testing a mixed-media, document cre- ation and presentation applica- tion which it hopes will lure business users to Unix. The product, called Rapport, includes word processing, a spreadsheet with charting capa- bilities, presentation graphics, sound capability, and advanced electronic mail with fax support. Clarity developed Rapport because it saw a void in the document creation tools avail- able to Unix users, company of- ficials said. “Unix workstations can’t run the simple things,” said Philip Whalen, vice presi- dent of sales. “You’ll have someone with a $20,000 ma- chine with a $5,000 machine alongside to do word proces- sing." The program’s modularity and customizability lets users swap out portions of the pro- gram for applications they may already be using. Beta testers who chose Lotus 1-2-3 instead of Rapport's spreadsheet can call up 1-2-3 by selecting the spreadsheet icon from Rapport’s menu. Similarly, Rapport's X.500- compliant directory service can store profiles of other users, in- cluding those using other envi- ronments. Mac users with Word fax machines and conversion from the PC’s asynchronous data stream to the synchronous stream required for fax trans- mission. A number of vendors, includ- ing Rockwell International, Intel Corp., and Yamaha Corp. of America are working on Class 1 chip sets for general release, sources said. The standard adds less than 10 new commands to the AT command set, Nixon said. SoftKJone this week is an- nouncing a new version of its Mirror software which uses technology from Thought Com- munications Inc. of Santa Clara. California, to support Class 1 devices. A number of hardware and software vendors are expect- ed to follow suit, perhaps mak- ing Class 1 the standard Intel tried to create with CAS. There is some debate among vendors over performance claims for CAS versus Class 1, and some proprietary boards may ofTer higher performance as well. Class 2 may end that debate, but many observers believe it and Excel as their main applica- tions would receive Rapport documents in those file formats. Rapport’s E-mail has filters to automatically act on incom- ing mail. Mail from supervisors could be routed to an urgent folder, sales pitches could be au- tomatically deleted: other mes- sages, such as those with sales results, could trigger other programs. Rapport runs over Motif on Hewlett-Packard. Digital Equip- ment, IBM, and Silicon Graph- ics machines. It runs under will not be finalized for a year or more. Class 2, which will add over 40 AT-command set in- structions, puts more function- ality into the modem, requiring less effort from the host CPU. That makes it more complex to implement, but solves some critical problems of the Class 1 technology. Class 1 works best when the fax board can have full attention of the host CPU. This limits Class 1 devices to predominant- ly foreground tasks, while Class 2 modems will be better suited to multitasking or background use, Nixon said. The performance differences aren’t likely to be a major lim- iting factor for either class, according to Borden. Class 3 is fairly speculative at this stage, but the general con- sensus is that such a device would be capable of on-board file conversion, which is done on the host CPU in levels 1 and 2. But serious work on Class 3 has barely begun, with comple- tion possibly several years away, Nixon said. □ Open Look on Sun worksta- tions. Rapport will convert a vari- ety of PC, Mac, and Unix appli- cation files. Single-user convert- ers are $225 for the Mac and PC, and $450 for the server. Unix converters are $325 and $650 for the single-user and server versions, respectively. All three converters are available for $595 per single user and $995 for a server version. Clarity Software Inc.. 2700 Garcia Ave., Mountain View, CA 94043; (415) 691-0320. By Scon Mace With the cloud of Novell Inc.’s aborted merger with Lotus De- velopment Corp. a distant mem- ory, Gupta Technologies Inc. and Novell cemented their rela- tionship by announcing ties be- tween their database products last week. Gupta announced SQLWin- dows for Btrieve, Novell’s key- indexed record manager, a pro- duct Gupta previewed in Novell’s booth at Networld last month. SQLWindows is Gup- ta's application development system, which already allows creation of front ends for its SQLBase Server, IBM’s DB2, and Oracle Corp.'s server. Novell announced plans to develop an interface providing transparent access to NetWare SQL, its SQL database server, through SQLWindows. Because Btrieve is bundled with every copy of Novell's NetWare operating system, pur- chasers of SQLWindows for Btrieve can build applications for the more than 300,000 NetWare LANs already in- stalled. Gupta said. Btrieve developers have tra- ditionally created character- based front ends using languages such as C, Pascal, and Cobol. Gupta’s announcement follows the disclosure last month that Borland International's Win- dows-based ObjectVision visual programming tool supports B- trieve. SQLWindows for Btrieve is the first jointly developed prod- uct to be announced since No- vell purchased an interest in Gupta, a privately held compa- ny, in April 1990. “With the availability of SQLWindows for Btrieve, appli- cation developers now have a new, simplified way to create or customize Windows-based cli- ent/server applications for the NetWare environment,” said Nancy Woodward, vice presi- dent and general manager of Novell’s Austin development center. Gupta and Novell will jointly market SQLWindows for B- trieve. Both companies' sales and marketing personnel will be cross trained on the key techni- cal highlights and features of SQLWindows and Btrieve. Technical support for SQL- Windows for Btrieve will be provided by Gupta. SQLWindows for Btrieve is available immediately from Gupta for $ 1 ,595. It includes the standard SQLWindows Devel- opment Kit, five run-time ver- sions of SQLWindows, and the Btrieve library. The interface between SQL- Windows and NetWare SQL will be available from Novell at no charge in the third quarter on NetWire, Novell’s on-line infor- mation service. It will be includ- ed in the core NetWare SQL product in subsequent releases. Still unreleased is Gupta’s SQLBase Server as a NetWare Loadable Module (NLM), tak- ing advantage of Netware 386. Of all database server NLMs announced, only NetWare SQL is available today. Gupta Technologies Inc.. 1040 Marsh Road. Menlo Park, CA 94025; (415) 321-9500. Rapport s E-mail features provide filters to automatically route mail from particular sources to the appropriate file. Rapport Offers Document Control for Mixed Environment INFOWORLD When it comes networking solutions, An Efficient Way To Bridle Your Data. Whatever your needs may be, IBM has PS/2s that can serve as excellent client stations. And if you want to keep a tight Recognizing the full potential of networking is one thing — actually realizing it is another. To truly fulfill that potential, every com- ponent of your network needs to turn in a great performance. That’s why IBM offers a complete range of leading-edge LAN products in the desktop networking Field — giving you the broadest range of solu- tions available to continuallv advance your systems possibilities. Managers ThatTurn In A Great Performance. A New Breed Of Software. Software that hits the ground running— that’s our powerful new OS/2® V. 13, a high-performance, low-cost software package that supports both DOS and OS/2 clients on either a Token-Ring or Ethernet Network. Both the new OS/2 Extended Edition V. 13 and LAN Server V. 13 create an environment that delivers improved At the heart of IBM networking are the members of the Personal System/2® family that act as high-performance LAN servers. The PS/2® Model 95 XP 486, IBM’s sophisticated new 486 ’"computer, was especially designed to optimize network performance. The Model 95 features an Intel 33 MHz 486 processor or a 25 MHz 486 processor that’s easily upgraded to 33 MHz, which quickens the pace of your LAN’s operations. For your network’s storage, not only are the Model 95’s SCSI hard files lightning-quick, but the overall capacity is truly impressive — up to 1.6 gigabytes internally, and up to 8.96GB or more with IBM PS/2 External Enclosures. IBM also offers highly efficient, lower-cost server alternatives with the PS/2 Models 80 386 and 65 SX. All of IBM’s PS/2 LAN servers feature the Micro Channel™* architecture, with its 32-bit data path and bus- mastering capabilities. The Micro Channel busmaster adapters allow you to expand your networks capabilities by adding multiple processors — like adding “computers” to your computer. It all amounts to highly reliable and powerful managers that inspire the same kind of performance from the rest of vour network on your network’s information, IBM offers the PS/2 Model 55 LS, a medialess LAN station version of the best-selling Model 55 SX. A cost-efficient alternative to models with storage drives, the Model 55 LS provides a wide array of effective management controls, including enhanced data security, consistency in software levels, central software maintenance and central file backup. Not only is the Model 55 LS easy to hook up (it comes standard with a Token-Ring Network or Ethernet adapter), but should you need to modify your system, its easy to upgrade with diskette and file storage devices. to advanced IBM leads the way. performance, less memory requirements, fewer DASD requirements and support for Adobe Type Manager™ fonts. And with support for 128 DOS requesters, LAN Server V. 1.3 can provide significant cost benefits for DOS network users. Compatibilities between 1 BM DOS LAN requester and the current version of Windows® 3.0 (LAN Manager 2.0 enhanced) have also been added, capping off the manv ways IBM gives you greater flexibility in the LAN environment. Printing That’s The Best In The Field. For a great finish to any project. IBM offers a full range of printers for client stations, as well as the speedy, large-capacity IBM LaserPrinter, an efficient printing station with immensely attractive LAN benefits. With a high-duty cycle and fewer parts for fewer breakdowns, it offers extremely reliable printing while still boasting a 10-ppm printing speed. The optional paper bins allow for more efficient collation, so there’s no need to visit and rearrange the printing station prior to the particular job. You can also easily and inexpensively upgrade to Adobe PostScript® It all adds up to a range of complete, reliable printing solutions that can handle the kind of workload that any network, large or small, can generate. Step Up The Pace With Token-Ring Network. To optimize the link between your LAN server and client sta- tions, you need a hardware connection that gives you access to departmental and company data, as well as communication w ith your co-workers — in other words, you need access to a winner’s circle: the IBM Token-Ring Network, the winner four years running of the PC World Magazine World Class Award. It’s a reliable and flexible networking solution, one of the only connections with a data transfer rate of up to 16MB per second. You can also diagnose, isolate and correct prob- lems in one section of your LAN w ithout affecting the rest of your network. A svstem you can build on. IBM Token-Ring Network provides a reliable connection that’s as strong as vour need to keep in constant touch with the people and information around vou. Communicate With Horses Of A Different Color. Of course, I BM provides you with several ways not only to connect your PS/2 LAN to a multitude of mid- range and mainframe systems, but also to communicate with non-IBM systems as well. To conduct transactions such as hotel reservations, car rental and credit card authorization, an IBM communications adapter such as the IBM ARTIC Portmaster Adapter/A busmaster card, with the proper communciations soft- ware. can link your PS/2 w ith other companies’ computers. With an Ethernet adapter, you can also connect to most Ethernet LANs. The i n tegrated com m u n icat ions options of IBM OS/2 Extended Edition software can also allow vour PS/2 to send mail, transfer files and access applications on other systems concurrents. So it's easy to benefit from the strengths of an IBM network while still having access to the rest of the computing world. With the many compo- nents that constitute a Local Area Network, it’s plain to see why a LAN is only as strong as its weakest link. That’s why the IBM total LAN solution — LAN servers, workstations, networking software, printing stations and Token-Ring Network — is simply w ithout peer: because there are no weak links. To find out how IBM can keep your network ahead of the pack, contact your IBM Authorized Remarketer or IBM marketing representative. For a remarketer near you, call 1 800 272-3438. How re you going to do it? PS/2 it! BM. Pmou Sysacnv2. PS/2 ana OS/2 we tn Copyrighted material PAGE 32 NETWORKING MARCH A, 1 39 1 Lifting FCC Requirement Makes Packet Radio Networks More Accessible By Mark Stephens A recent change in FCC regulations on amateur radio licenses means it just got a lot easier to get into packet radio, the in- formal wireless data network that con- nects over 100.000 nodes nationwide. Learning Morse Code, the bane of ev- ery kid who ever wanted an amateur radio license, is no longer required to earn Before you run out and spend five or six thousand dollars for a 386SX notebook PC, we seriously suggest you take a close look at Samsung. We’ve just introduced the NoteMaster’ 386S/16. It has the features of a Compaq notebook PC for about half the price. NoteMaster has a better screen, a more responsive keyboard and can be upgraded with a coprocessor, modem or more mem- ory without even opening up the case. It’s also slimmer and lighter than Compaq. And it comes with our toll-free customer service hotline so you get answers directly from our product experts. As one of the world’s largest manufacturers, we make most of our own components, so you real- ize considerable savings with superior quality control. Call 1-800-624-8999, extension 85P for more information or the name of your nearest dealer. You’ll discover you can own the best without paying the most a Technician Class license. As of Febru- ary 14, the Federal Communication Commission eliminated the requirement that license applicants demonstrate Morse Code ability. Applicants still have to pass a 55-question written test that emphasizes rules and regulations. “The test is not difficult. It was the code requirement that kept people from getting into amateur radio,” said Paul Rinaldo, manager of technical develop- ment for the American Radio Relay League, the largest U.S. amateur radio organization. Technician Class license holders can communicate on VHF and UHF fre- quencies above 30 MHz, which support transmission distances varying from line- of-sight to several hundred miles and data rates up to 9,600 bits per second, accord- ing to Rinaldo. Packet radio is a network of nearly 100,000 users and more than 10,000 repeating nodes that can transfer data across town or across the country using AX.25, an extended version of the X.25 packet network protocol, according to Phil Anderson, president of Kantronics, a manufacturer of packet radio equipment, based in Lawrence. Kansas. The existing nodes already provide nationwide cover- age for the network, according to Ander- son and others. Packet radio requires a computer, a terminal node controller (TNC), and a radio transceiver. The cost of entry is not very high by computer standards, since TNCs start at just over $100. and hand- held transceivers are available for around $300, according to Ryan Hansen, head of marketing and sales at Advanced Elec- tronic Applications, another packet radio vendor, based in Lynwood, Washington. Just like telephone-based data net- works, packet radio supports electronic mail, file transfer, and 976 registered packet bulletin boards, Anderson said. And once the equipment is in place, pack- et radio is free. There is one drawback, however, at least undercurrent FCC regulations. You can’t use the network to take orders from customers or otherwise run your business, because packet radio is strictly amateur, a condition the FCC carefully enforces. Wall Data to Roll Out Gateway, LAN-to-Host Connectivity Package Lower your budget not your expectations. Samsung Compaq LTE NotMmatorSMSM 398/30 Processor 16 M Hz 386SX 20MHz3S6SX Dimensions SJ6 m xW xZT 8JS' x U' x22‘ 7Jbx 7J> lbs. Display VGASidelttCCFT VGA EdgelU LCD Paper Whitt VGA l-CD 16 grey shades support 256KB Video RAM 64 grey shade t support Keyboard Standard AT-onrnpatihle Enhanced keyboard 3 mm key trai el depth 2.5 mm key travel depth Memory I MB expandable '2 MB expandable to 5 MB to t0 MB Software IncL Laphnk III Not available MS-DOS Windows 30 Support Tbll-free HOO number Not available On-line modem support Price 20 MB - $3999 30MB-t6499 tOMB 54499 60MB S6999 cR SAMSUNG Technology that works for all of us. 8AMSUNG All brand and product names are Trademarks or Registered TYademarhs of their • SAN JOSE, CA — Wall Data will an- nounce today a LAN-to-host gateway and options for its Windows-based PC-to-host connectivity package that add support for mainframe graphics, AS/400 sessions, and customization capabilities. The Rumba Gateway System, a Win- dows 3.0 application that manages LAN- to-host communications, supports SDLC and Token Ring SNA interfaces, and Netbios LANs. It supports several PC connectivity packages, including Wall Data's Rumba, Attachmate’s Extra. DCA’s IRMA, and IBM’s F^rsonal Com- munications/3270 software. The gateway package, which is expect- ed to ship this month, costs $895. Wall Data is also shipping an option for Rumba 3.1 that adds support for AS/400s. including 5250 terminal and printer emulation. The option costs $ 100 in addition to the $495 cost for Rumba. The company also said it will be shipping Rumba Tools for the Admini- strator. four tool sets that let developers create customized Rumba applications that work with specif c host applications. Other tool sets provide customization using Windows’ Dynamic Data Ex- change, EHLLAPI, and Asymetrix’s ToolBook. Each set costs $ 195. Wall Data is also shipping Rumba Graphics, a $100 Rumba application that lets users access IBM mainframe graphics and integrate them into PC applications with cut-and-paste and editing tools. Wall Data Inc., 17769 N.E. 78th Place, Redmond. WA 98052; (206) 883- 4777. — Stuart J. Johnston Copyrighted material MARCH 4, 1 93 1 NETWORKING PAGE 33 Two Macintosh Ethernet Adapters Continue With Conventional Methods i I'limamma FLOPPYWORKS LINKS NEXT WITH MACIN- TOSH. Digital Instrumentation Technology Inc. is now shipping FloppyWorks, soft- ware that allows Next computers to ex- change files with Apple Macintoshes and other microcomputers. Once installed on a Next. FloppyWorks can format, read, and write Mac floppies, as well as MS-DOS and OS/2 files. It also has file transfer fil- ters that allow users to translate data be- tween word processing, graphics, data- base. and spreadsheet applications. The disk duplicator feature lets users make multiple copies of their floppy disks. Flop- pyWorks sells for $250. (505) 662-1459. i msmamm CABLETRON ADDS TO MONITORING PROD- UCTS. Cabletron has introduced the MacLANview Network Analyzer which moni- tors Macs operating in an Ethernet or LocalTalk network. Features include perfor- mance statistics such as a breakdown of errors, and packet and byte counts; visible and audible alarms: traffic-generation capa- bilities; and analysis of filtered packets. MacLANview sells for $3,995. Cabletron has also released Version 2.0 of LANview Network Analyzer, which increases monitor- ing capabilities. Users can now monitor traffic, return statistics, and arm alarms for as many as 1,024 Ethernet addresses. Version 2.0 costs $11,995. (603) 332- 9400. ASCI RELEASES NET EDMS 2.0. Automation Software Consultants Inc. (ASCI) is now shipping Net EDMS 2.0. A network-draw- ing database management system. Net EDMS 2.0 automatically assigns and en- forces users' rights in library directories. It also supports dBase IV-compatible, user- defined project, drawing, and time data- bases. These databases can then be shared with other applications. Other im- provements include enhanced plotter and printer management, and the addition of audit logs for tracking files and plotter ac- tivity. Site licenses are available for $ 1 .595: upgrades cost $300. (800) 669- 0842. ■ ADAPTERS GANDALF OFFERS NEW INTERFACE CARD. Gandalf is now shipping its LANIine/AT Ethernet network interface card. Used with IBM PCs and compatibles, the lOBaseT card sells for $385. (800) 426-3253. i iiiiHiiiimiiina CONNECTIVITY ACROSS TOKEN RING NET- WORKS. Sync Research has announced its SNA Network Access Controller for Token Ring (SNAC/TR). Each SNAC/TR can sup- port as many as 16 communications lines, each of which can support either a direct controller connection or a modem support- ing a multidrop network. Ports operate at speeds between 2.400 bits per second and 19.2 kilobits per second (kbps) with an option for a high-speed V.35 interface which supports speeds up to 72 kbps. The SNAC/TR is slated for second-quarter shipment and will cost from $5,000 to about $20,000. depending on the number Of ports. (714) 588-2070. In spite of Apple Computer Inc.’s recently announced Ethernet cabling system, two companies have introduced Ethernet adapters for the Mac LC and SI that continue to combine the transceiver with the network adapter. Asante Technologies Inc.’s MacCon + LC card supports both thin coax and lOBase-T. allowing users to migrate to lOBase-T. It also has a floating-point unit socket for a math coprocessor. The card is scheduled to ship February 28. with a suggested retail price of $379. Dayna Communications Inc. is ship- ping cards for both the LC and SI. The DaynaPort E/LC is a thin Ethernet card (scheduled for next quarter) for the Mac LC. and the DaynaPort E/LC-T is for lOBasc-T connection to the Mac LC. The DaynaPort E/SI is a processor direct slot card for the Mac II SI that does not require an additional adapter. The DaynaPort E/SI-T has an on-board RJ45 connector for lOBase-T. The lOBase-T cards cost $399; $549 with a math coprocessor installed. Asante Technologies Inc.. 404 Tas- man Drive. Sunnwale, CA 94089: (408) 752-8388. Dayna Communications Inc., 50 S. Main St., 5th Floor. Salt Lake City, UT 84144; (801) 531-0600. — Yvonne Lee Buy Ventura Software now and get an immediate return on investment. <4 $75 REBATE Now through April 15 -earn a $75 rebate on every Ventura Software product you buy. Ventura Publisher. The more you have to do, the more you need it. Pick your platform: Windows 3.0, DOS/GEM, OS/2— or our new Macintosh Edition. Ventura is the powerful desktop publishing soft- ware that automates steps other programs make you repeat over and over. It makes short work of long documents. FormBase 1.1. The easy-to-use Windows 3.0 database. FormBase is the relational database that also generates forms. Create a form and FormBase automatically creates the database. Enter data once and FormBase shares it with other forms you’ve created. No programming needed. FOR REBATE: Please enter your name and the product serial number. Mail with proof of purchase and original registration card to: Ventura Software, RO. Box 1462, Poway, CA 92074. for product information, call 1800) 822-8221 (US); (800) 228-8579 (Canada). Rebate may not be combined with upgrade or any other promotional offer. Only one rebate per package. Good only in US and Canada. Allow two to three weeks for processing. Offer begins 1/9/91 and expires 4/15/9LCoupons must be postmarked by 4/30/91. Ventura Software Inc. A Xerox Company Ventura Publisher* is a trademark of Ventura Software Inc., a Xerox company FormBase* published by Ventura Software Inc., is a trademark of Columbia Software. Inc. XEROX* is a trademark of XEROX CORPORATION. All other product names and trademarks are the property cd their respective owners. C 1991. Ventura Software Inc. Copyrighted material PAGE 34 MARCH A. 1331 MACINTOSH NEWS Oasis from Time Art is designed to give computer users the feel of painting on canvas, featuring a user-definable drying time. Time Art Offers Oasis Image Creation Program ■ TECHNOLOGY UPDATE Color Matching Is Not All Black and White Existing Solutions Are Somewhat Limited MACINTOSH PIPELINE ■ PROGRAMMING NEW VERSION OF COMMON LISP FROM APPLE. Macintosh Common Lisp 2.0 has been introduced by Apple Computer Inc. Among the new features included with the programming tool are support for the Common Lisp Object Sys- tem; an Interface Toolkit that en- ables users to graphically design application interfaces; and im- proved access to the Macintosh Toolbox. Common Lisp 2.0 re- quires a minimum of 2V6 mega- bytes of RAM. Apple intends to start distributing a beta version of the software through its APDA developers program in late March, with a suggested price of $495. (800) 282-2732. ■ SOFTWARE ACIUS SHIPS 4D WRITE. Acius is now shipping a word processing module designed to work in con- junction with its 4th Dimension database product. The 4D Write program includes extensions to the 4th Dimension procedural language, enabling programmers to incorporate the word process- ing program into customized ap- plications. 4D Write has a list price of $295 and joins 4D Calc and 2D Graph as available mod- ules for Acius' 4th Dimension. (408) 252-4444. FASTER VERSION OF SWINO SHIFT AVAILABLE. Swing Shift 1.2, an employee time-scheduling soft- ware program, is now shipping from Computed Designs. The software Is touted as being as much as 50 percent faster when compared to earlier versions, can track and schedule as many as 120 workers, and includes pass- word protection — full names and access to desk accessories. Swing Shift 1.2 requires 2 mega- bytes of memory, a hard disk, and HyperCard, and has a list price of $395. (818) 287-5496. ■ SECURITY NEW PASS PROOF SECURITY FOR MAC. Two new versions of Pass Proof for the Macintosh are ex- pected to start shipping from Kensington Microware in the second quarter. The hardware and software combination in- cludes a Pass Proof software disk, disk drive lock, floppy port plate, SCSI port plate, specially designed screws, and a custom- ized screwdriver. The software provides password protection and screen locking features, and Kensington intends to provide versions — both priced at $99.95 — for the Macintosh SE and Macintosh II lines. (800) 535-4242. ByLisaPicarille Time Art Inc. is now shipping its Macintosh-based Oasis im- age creation program, allowing users to produce illustrations, graphics, and video images, the company said. Oasis exploits Wacom Co. Ltd.’s pressure-sensitive stylus and tablet, which enables users to achieve the feel of painting by simulating the use of brush strokes on a canvas. The $795 program includes adjustable brushes with custom settings, allowing users to set attributes such as size, wetness, density, and dry-out speed of their strokes, according to Mike Shuster, an applications special- ist for the company. In addition. Oasis attempts to minimize the number of dia- By Tom Quinlan In apparent response to the expected introduction of a low- cost laser printer from Apple. GCC Technologies has started selling a $999 laser printer and cut the prices of some of its other existing laser printer prod- ucts as well. The $999 ftrsonal Laser Printer II features 4 page-per- minute (ppm) print speed and comes configured with six out- line fonts from Bitstream, which enables the user to reduce or enlarge text from 25 percent to 400 percent. GCC originally introduced the product at a price of $ 1 .399 last year. At the same time, GCC log boxes and on-screen menus, giving users the feel of real painting, according to Shuster. The program also allows us- ers to create images that can be incorporated into video. To en- sure that the drawing’s colors will be properly represented on video. Oasis includes an HLS color palette that locks out colors that can’t be recorded or broadcast on video, Shuster said. Oasis supports RasterOps Corp.’s ColorBoard 364 video display card and Truevision Inc.’s NuVista and NuVista Plus videographics cards, which en- able users to capture images for video. Time Arts Inc., 1425 Corpo- rate Center Parkway, Santa Rosa, CA 95407; (707) 576- 7722. reduced the cost of its 8-ppm Quickdraw-compatible laser printer, the PLP IIS, to $1,499 from $1,899. The printer fea- tures 1 3 font families for a total of 40 fonts. The company also lowered the price of its 4-ppm Postscript printer, the BLP II, to $1,999, down from $2,399. The BLP II comes with 1 1 font families. GCCs low-cost strategy is based at least partially on the large number of Macintosh Classic and LC buyers predicted this year, with First Boston estimating Apple will sell 735,000 Classics and 650.000 LCsin 1991. GCC Technologies Inc., 580 Winter St., Waltham, MA 02154; (617) 890-0880. By Kristi Coale T he dawn of desktop pub- lishing on the Macintosh gave users the notion that what they saw on the computer screen was what they would see in printed output. However, the state of the art of the Macintosh at this time was the Plus and the Laser- Writer, and Mac publishers lived in a black-and-white world. With the state of the art in Macintosh publishing now en- compassing color, things have become a little more convolu- ted, to say the least. Even for experienced individuals, work- ing in color is a hit-and-miss operation as colors appear dif- ferently from one display to another, and from display to printer. Such hit-and-miss activities include adjusting the monitor color to fit one set of printed output, or adjusting the ink weights for printing to match the monitor and such. But working to achieve color matching is largely experimental, according to Jonathan Seybold. publisher of the Seybold Report on Desk- top Publishing. ELIMINATING THE GUESSWORK. Be- cause of the guesswork involved, several vendors including Radi- us, Supermac, Adobe Systems, Tektronix and Electronics For Imaging (EFT) have developed products to give users a fighting chance at color matching, a means of generating output with the same colors as displayed on- creen. In spite of the promise of some of these products, these vendors see the limit of their individual efforts. “You could call ours incomplete,” said Amit Mazumdar, product marketing manager for Radius, which of- fers a color calibration system for monitors. “Ours is more for monitor drift.’’ Color matching involves the conversion of color spaces, from RGB (red, green, blue) on the monitor to CMYK (cyan, ma- genta, yellow, black) on the printer. But within color, there is a discrepancy over what to include in this process of match- ing as publishers often deal with spot and process color. Spot color refers to single- colored images that are not usually photographic-quality color. Process color encompas- ses the broad world of visible color such as color photographs. Pantone Inc., largely known for its system of spot colors, also offers a set of process colors. INTEGRATING PANTONE INTO THE COLOR-MATCHING SCHEME. Some vendors working on color- matching solutions, most nota- bly Radius and Supermac, have turned to the Pantone system for use in their products. Radius, which licensed Pantone’s color system, developed for Pantone the Professional Color Toolkit, a library of color look-up tables and device-description tables. Recently, Pantone an- nounced that this toolkit will support its Process Color Sys- tem and will be an open system, allowing for support of future developments such as the antici- pated proposal from the recently formed Association of Color Developers (ACD) for a color- matching applications program- ming interface (API). But Pantonc is seen by other developers as a side show to the issue of color matching. “Pan- tonc is a small step in this process, but it is limited” said Efi Arazi, president of EFI. He cited Kodak’s YCC Color space model as ideal for color match- ing and device-independent col- or, which is the next step beyond matching that affords similar output between monitor and printer, independent of the type or printer or monitor. □ The Case for Device-Independent Color Why Device-Independent Color is Important System ensures color on monitor (RGB) matches that of output (CMYK), either when outputting to low-end proofing device or high-end Image setter. Variables Affecting Color Matching • Complications in converting 256 4 colors from RGB space to CMYK • Ink color can vary from device to device depending on age of ink, etc. Several barriers s till exist for publishers trying to match colors between their monitors and printers. GCC Technologies Introduces Its Personal Laser Printer II INFOWORLD Copyrighted material LIKE A BOLT FROM THE BLUE, your hard disk will eventually come crashing down. Manu- facturers expect it. They even give hard disks an “MTBF” rating -the Mean Time Between Failures. Before you lose your valuable data, back it up with Fast- back Plus. backup diskette - and retrieved all the data! That’s security. And if you need help dodging even bigger bullets, our techni- cal support staff will surprise you with its courtesy and inge- nuity. Just call, and you’re guaranteed same-day service. GLOWING REVIEWS PC Magazine said it best in BACKUPS IN A FLASH With Fastback Plus, you can do things that DOS Backup never dreamed of. Like back up all your daily file changes in less than a minute. Or blaze through your entire hard disk at three megabytes a minute on 386 machines, or 10 megabytes in four minutes on an AT. It even formats your backup diskettes - automatically. giving Fastback Plus its prestigious 1989 Editor’s Choice j Award: “Fastback Plus has virtually everything a backup program needs: top-speed performance, clear menus, every imaginable option, even a built-in macro program for auto- i mating complex tasks. A superb achievement.” A POWERFUL GUARANTEE Use Fastback Plus STRIKING SIMPLICITY Fastback Plus has three user levels - beginner, intermediate and advanced. Simple menus tell you how long your backup will take, and how many diskettes you’ll need. And a unique data compression feature cuts the number of diskettes you need in half. You can even automate the entire pro- cess with one-touch macros. DAZZLING SAFETY Only Fast- back Plus gives you reliable Advanced Error Correction. To illustrate, we punched a hole larger than a 22 calibre slug right through a for 30 days, and if you’re not completely satisfied, return it for a full refund. You have nothing to lose. And everything to save. FREE PYRO For a limited time, get a FREE copy of Pyro!™, our popular screen-saving program just for writing “Pyro" on the Fastback Plus registration card before you return it. That’s a $49.95 value - free! Call now for complete details and the dealer nearest you. 1 - 800 - 873-4384 I Fifth Generation Systems, Inc. 10049 N. Rciger Road Baton Rouge, LA 70809 Sales Number: (800) 8714384 Technical Support: (504) 291-995,1 Monry tact Kuinmlm «t oflrrrd ti> mlum wily. Drukn ahiuM rrturn ill mnrhanlnr to Ihc ifathbuUir from which ii mu purrhawd This product Mn on way awn mini with or haMinginaOtin in Kidwr .Scientific <* Allied! orpuraUun. Copyrighted material PAGE 38 MARCH A. 1301 STATE OF THE INDUSTRY « By Rachel Parker IBM’s OS/2 2.0 Needs Strong Marketing to Face Competition and “interoperability,” such a request may seem mundane. But for IBM to recognize that customers may have non- IBM equipment represents once again that Big Blue realizes it no longer controls the computer marketplace. This philosophical shift, however, won’t be enough to sell copies of OS/2 2.0 to the companies currently looking at all the operating system options. If IBM wants to seriously challenge Microsoft’s vision — in which Windows APIs are supported directly in OS/2 3.0 — then it is going to have to rally its own significant marketing forces. Microsoft is actively discussing its upgrade path for Windows. The company holds almost-weekly briefings with deal- ers, ISVs, or the press, and at most of these discussions the Windows-to-OS/2 3.0 path is at least mentioned. As it nears completion on Windows 3.1, even more talk about networking support is certain to be heard from the Redmond company. Now look at IBM. The company has not outlined a path for OS/2 since the September briefings describing the new relationship with Microsoft. OS/2 2.0 has gone through several stages of comple- tion, including a beta release, without much fanfare at all. IBM will continue to lose the position- ing and mindshare battles unless it starts some aggressive publicity to promote OS/ 2 2.0 . . . soon. Right now, the software could provide complete multitasking, a wonderful graphic user interface, connec- tions up and down the line from PC Jrs to mainframes, and take out the garbage, but no one would know. IBM’s silence must be part of a policy to not promote products before they are released. We applaud that policy; in fact, many a column here has been devoted to criticizing the industry’s tendency to over promote products long before their time. In this case, however, it may mean that OS/2 2.0 is losing its chance to ever get off the ground as Microsoft in the meantime continues its publicity offensive for Win- dows and OS/2 3.0. Microsoft has also done what IBM has often failed to do: listen to customers and create a development path around those needs. In fact, the whole OS/2 migration plan from the start was IBM’s effort to move what had become a very unwieldy market. Having beta testers run OS/2 2.0 on other systems won’t solve these problems for IBM, but it is a start. The company will have to convince buyers that 2.0 is not a proprietary operating system, and that its capabilities are worth the invest- ment now, rather than waiting for 3.0. All of this, however, takes marketing savvy, something IBM has not been strong in lately. Without recommending that Big Blue simply indulge in its own round of vaporware and ambitious claims, it will have to do something to make OS/2 2.0 stand up to Microsoft’s vision. The operating system could be technically superior to all that has come before or after, but without support from a strong marketing machine, it will simply flop. IBM has a difficult task ahead of it: To convince buyers to consider OS/2 2.0 while Microsoft prepublicizes the merits of using Win- dows today and moving to OS/2 3.0 later. Last month, InfoWorld's Ed Scannell discovered that IBM had released OS/2 2.0 to beta sites. Though IBM has declined to comment on the product, which although well known has not been formally announced by IBM, beta testers say that OS/2 2.0 is in pretty good shape. This release is just about on schedule and suggests that IBM should be capable of meeting its earlier pledge to ship the operating system later this year. But the significant issue now is not code quality, but a new IBM attitude. In addition to testing the software on its PS/2s, IBM has asked its beta testers to test OS/2 2.0 on non-IBM equipment. In this age of multivendor networks Laptop envy And the cure. You see a notebook-sized laptop with the features you want, but it’s too expensive. You see a laptop you can afford, but it isn’t what you want Well, now you can have die features you’re looking for. In a laptop you can afford. It's time to let others be envious. So get a good night’s sleep, and call 1-800-742-8086 in the morning for your nearest Panasonic® dealer. Success. You carry it well. Computers, Printers, Peripherals, Copiers, "typewriters and Facsimiles. Panasonic, Office Automation^^^/j^ CF-150B • Backlit supertwist LCD display. • V20 processor running at 8MHz. • 3-5" 720K floppy drive. • Triple supertwist VGA display ( 640 x 480 resolution ). • 80C286 processor running at 16MHz. CF-170 • Backlit supertwist LCD display. • V20 processor running at 10 MHz. • 3 5" 1.44MB floppy drive. • Weighs about 6 pounds. LCf-IW • 3-5" 1.44MB floppy drive. • 20MB hard drive ( 25ms access time). • Weighs under 7 pounds. • 20MB hard drive ( 25ms access time). • Weighs under 6 pounds. Specifications ire subject to change without i Rachel Parker Is InfoWorld's executive editor of news. Comments are welcome via MCI Mail (I.D. number 340-4371, or InfoWorld) or through traditional mail. MARCH A. 1031 PAGE 33 O' to what Mene a close / they’ve been fS Wanl a nc / h«h spreadsheet* Drir« e ^ W '"' / ^nsive hardw£flT >and ^ “HI IhevmT, "*n>loW Wtadshee, lech^ i‘ h ' la,esl "TOim i b, “ m .» j , at a Price they “> one app/i^ 1 run on all of I extctly what I I re ^clion„„ 0 ■ a / yy s most popu 1 aSS 1 * l'° E "«live i mr > »"«ees(ed retai fie SuperCalc5 has |« ,r « S495.0O lo all- means d,., u, e n ui. SuKrC ‘lcS ff. / Lotus 1-2-3 c n. verylilc e/ybc '■ e j WBgreai I I "sera. | t me , ns “ n af/ord to u-ad'e' moat advanced 3 "' |U||da» Si ■"■nedialel,, , ht 1, b‘ !l for "~M re e.n£ ““ W *ffoni„d compaiibJe - wi ,J ‘ b ' ,r PCs. n a[ is , e under Sloo go « eivins n en , " Wiring strain- J."!' 3 '*» In* cri w spreadsheet v * , «« In t ev eryone “P to the ) - --'.“. l reaction . TECH STREET ■ By John Gantz Wholesale Clubs Offer Alternative for Price-Conscious Buyer I came across the newest personal computer distribu- tion channel quite by accident. A friend of mine, whose company supplies him with his work PC, was in the market for his home PC. Based on the demands of his job, he needed something with some beef — but his company's policy would not foot the bill for the PCs that employees took home. Then began a search befitting my friend’s Yankee heritage — a quest for value at the lowest price. After ruling out name brands at well- known computer retail chains (too expen- sive) and used computers (too risky), my friend started investigating mail order. Then he found out about wholesale membership clubs. These are those organizations that run warehouses and showrooms for the exclu- sive use of card-carrying members who pay modest annual dues for the privilege. More exclusive than warehouse stores or odd-lot discounters, they act a little like a military PX for civilians. In 1983, whole- sale clubs, or warehouse clubs as they are sometimes called, accounted for only $ 1 billion of total U.S. retail distribution, according to analysts at Salomon Bros. By 1990 that share was up to $22 billion. In the PC venue. Positive Corp. (of Chatsworth. CA) claims to be spearhead- ing the development of wholesale clubs as a distribution channel for PCs. While wholesale clubs have sold PCs before, typically they were underconfigured and underserviced; inappropriate for serious business computing. Positive’s philoso- phy has been to remedy that. Its PC Positive 486/33 features 64K cache mem- ory, 200-megabyte hard drive, Super VGA monitor, Microsoft Windows 3.01, DOS 4.01, Excel and Word, along with some other software for $3,999. Founded in 1989, Positive has proven the wholesale club distribution concept at least to the tune of $20 million in 1990 revenues and expectations of 1991 reve- nues of $40 million. The clubs that Positive distributes through include Sam’s (a Wal-Mart subsidiary), the Price Club, and the Wholesale Gub. Positive, by the way. is not the only vendor to use wholesale clubs as a primary distribution channel. Others include Emerson. Cordata, KLH, and Packard Bell. Some manufacturers even use liquidator catalogs as a primary means of distribution. While Positive’s two years of operating history is not enough to prove that 486s and high-end 386s have truly become commodities, the fact that the company exists at all is significant. For small businesses and individuals, wholesale clubs offer a lower price alternative to the big computer retail chains. Wholesale clubs were, for instance, once the primary distribution channel for fax machines, according to Positive. For volume PC buyers, wholesale clubs offer both a role model for internal distribution of PCs and a potential second source for PCs them- selves. John Gantz is editor of Tech Street Journal, which covers the high-tech stock market and business performance. The views expressed are his own. The role-model aspect comes in the energy wholesale-club suppliers put into determining best-selling configurations. Positive has a drop-ship system for club members ordering custom configuration and tracks these orders for insight into popular features and configurations. These, in turn, become the future pre- packaged systems. For computer retail and mail-order chains, the emergence of a new low-price commodity channel only means that there will be no letup in pressure on margins. Not everyone will buy a PC through this offbeat channel, but I suspect more will. Networks, no, but the things that hang on the networks — like PCs and printers — yes. As mail order was once a roguish and risky way to buy a computer — but is respectable today — buying through low-overhead operations such as wholesale clubs may develop similarly. Don’t dismiss the channel. CA90s It's the beginning of a revolution. The affordable spreadsheet revolution. Now every I user in America can afford the _ most advanced spreadsheet j technology. The latest break- I throughs. Newest features. ■ Hottest 3-D graphics. It's all there inside rhf 90s protects superCalc5. With Lotus 1-2-3 value of nay ca compatibility, presentation sqfrware solution q ua j j t y graphics and spread- sheet linking, SuperCalc5 has become one of the most popular, best-selling spread- sheets in the industry. CAs Computing More than 3,000,000 copies have been sold and unlike some others, SuperCalc5 runs on virtually every type of PC that exists. If you've been thinking about moving up to a more powerful, full-featured spreadsheet, now's the time. Move up to SuperCalc5 and get every- thing you've always wanted for hundreds of dollars less than Lotus 1-2-3, Excel or Quattro Pro. For the name of your nearest SuperCaIc5 dealer call 1-800- CALC-149. Do it right now. | After all. at this price, why wait? ( Computer Associates Software superior by design C 1991 Computer Associates International. Inc.. 711 Stewart Avenue. Garden City. NY 11530-4787. Lotus and 1-2-3 are registered trademarks of Lotus Development Corporation. Excel is a registered trademark and windows is a trademark of Microsoft Corporation. Quattro Pro is a registered trademark of Borland International, Inc. On Lotus 1-2-3, Excel Or Ouattro Pro, Read This. -*ecui,v e who iforM tai Spreads heet I World With 70 % Price Cat- ompuier A^r. f ,y I *WeVe . Copyrightec d mater i Northgate' makes it safe to buy business computers direct. 24-hour business hotline service for your 24-hour business. Many companies don’t realize the importance of ’round the clock technical support . . . until they need it. But, chances are, you or someone you know has had questions about computing after normal office hours. If you purchased your systems from one of our competitors, you probably had to wait to get help. Time-wasting. Inefficient. Costly. Northgate treats you right! Across town or around the world, Northgate’s business customers have a special hotline that gives immediate 24-hour access to Northgate’s team of technical experts. Compare this with our competitors. Many have limited hours (like 9 a.m. to 2 pm. on Saturdays; closed Sundays), some won’t answer the phone during lunch hour and close up shop at night. While others offer little or no support at all. Northgate’s commitment to customer service and support caught the attention of the 1990 Microcomputer Marketing Council who selected Northgate as the first winner of the Association’s Service and Support Award. When you buy from Northgate, rest assured we’re here to serve you— in person— all day, every day. And the call's always on us. From our spectacular Slimline 386SX to our our powerful Elegance 486™ file servers, Northgate backs them all with quality in every respect. Industry’s highest performing systems. In an industry overflowing with companies all claiming top performance, only one company is consistently ahead of the pack: Northgate Since January of 1989 when our first PC Magazine Editor’s that has positioned Northgate as the new industry leader. No matter what the price you just can’t buy better than Northgate choice was awarded, our name has become synonymous with pace setting performance Seven Editors’ Choice awards, eight Computer Shopper “Best Buy” Awards and three InfoWorld recognitions are proof. Quality systems through manufac- turing and testing. As a manufacturer, Northgate does not subscribe to the industry trend of taking shortcuts in technology to boost performance gains and keep prices down. Rather, we thoroughly test components for compatibility, performance and value In fact, if you were to order a hundred of our machines with the same configuration, every one would have the exact same performance From hard drives all the way to our ALPS keyboard switches. And every stop in between. No “parts of the month" surprises or compatibility problems. We stake our reputation on it. Unparalleled compatibility with your current industry standard systems and software One of our competitors recently announced they set up an “FCC Testing Lab.” At Northgate this is nothing new. For years, Northgate has gone the extra step to ensure that our systems are FCC Class B certified. And, we’ve invested hundreds of thousands of • dollars to make sure our systems are compatible with MS-DOS, OS/2, Novellf Banyan, UNIX, SCO and other software It’s no wonder why many major software developers use Northgate to design, develop and “debug” their new software Dollar for dollar, Northgate is your smartest business decision. No doubt you can pay less for computers. And you can certainly pay more But you won’t get the product, performance, service and support Free pre-purchase consultation. Nobody spends thousands of dollars on systems during the first phone call You know it, we know it. Instead, we offer a no-obligation pre-purchase consultation with one of our highly-trained Technical Consultants. You won’t get high-pressure tactics or commission-hungry salespeople Just friendly assistance in matching your business needs with the appropriate Northgate solution. CALL TOLL-FREE 800 - 548-1993 IN US A. AND CANADA Major corporations, volume purchasers and government agencies call OAA CJAQ ICI A National Business Accounts: OvU"J 70“ JJiv Notice to the hearing impaired: Northgate has TDD capability. Dial 800-535-0602. “Smart Tools For Business’”* 7075 Flying Cloud Drive, Eden Prairie, Minnesota 55344 i Copynjhl Nonhcate Computer Systems. In, 1«9I All rights reserved Nonhead; Slimline Elrjancr and the Nonhgsie N logo are regulated trademark, ol Northgate Computer Syurrru WUtand BOSS* are trademarks ol Intel All other products and brand names are trademarks and rrgiuerrd trademarks of (heir respective companies We support the r ducal use ol software To repon software copyr^ht violations call the Software Publishers Association's Antl.Plrecy Hotline at l-AOO- tnn-l'IHH Copyrighted material Copyrighted material k Number One! Elegance™ 486/25 & 33 MHz ISA InfoWorld ' s Product of the Year! After outscoring the competition in InfoWorld' s 1990 reviews, and being praised as “tops in support and value,"/ Elegance 486/25i was awarded the publication’s highest honor: Product of the Year. This was the fourth award given to an Elegance 486 system ... no other company comes close! PC Magazine says “Editors’ Choice!” When reviewing 486/25 systems, they said “Only one machine stands out . . . you could pay less for a 486 system, but not get the bonuses that are offered Eleganct 48623 t.Sepi II. 1940 with the Elegance” tt 11 In the February 12, 1990 issue, PC Magazine declared Elegance 486/33 Editors’ Choice saying the system was “a sure winner in its class.” T7^ EDITORS’ CHOICE I, PRODUCT* V OF THE V> if YEAR ,x 11 Computer Shopper readers agree! Elegance 486/25i breezed past the competition and captured a 1990 “Best Buy” award. This makes three years in a row, a Northgate Elegance system was voted tops by Computer Shopper readers. ISA 486 System Features: ♦ Intel 486/25 or 33 MHz processor ♦ 4Mb RAM; expandable to 8Mb on motherboard ♦ 200Mb IDE hard drive ♦ 1.2Mb and 1.44Mb floppy drives ♦ 64K SRAM read/write-back cache ♦ ISA bus ♦ One 32-bit, six 16-bit and one 8-bit slots ♦ One parallel and two serial ports ♦ Vertical “Power” case (desktop available) ♦ 16-bit VGA graphics adaptor with 512K video RAM (expandable to 1Mb) ♦ 14" SVGA color monitor ♦ OmniKey ®/ ULTRA keyboard ♦ MS-DOS 4.01 or 3.3 and GW-BAS1C software installed ♦ Microsoft® Windows'* 3.0 and mouse ♦ FCC Class B Certified 486 EISA gives you full 32-bit performance! Performance that rivals RISC-based minicomputers costing thousands more! New 32-bit EISA bus gives you the power to transfer data along your network at burst mode speeds up to 33 megabytes per second. That’s a 15-fold improvement over 16-bit AT buses serving medium-to-large networks. Complete compatibility! Elegance 486e is 100% compatible with UNIX, Novell® and DOS. Plus, Elegance is compatible with existing 8-bit and 16-bit ISA adapters, so you benefit from downward compatibility. Compare Elegance 486e performance and Northgate service and support with any other vendor's in the indus- try. You’ll find you can t buy better than Northgate! Call now... let Northgate build your system today! True EISA 486 System Features: ♦ Intel 486/25 or 33 MHz processor ♦ 4Mb RAM; expandable to 32Mb on motherboard ♦ 1Mb EISA caching SCSI controller ♦200Mb SCSI harddisk ♦ 1.2Mb and 1.44Mb floppy drives ♦ 128K SRAM read/ write- back cache ♦ EISA bus ♦ Eight 32-bit EISA slots; six bus master and two slave ♦ One parallel and two serial ports ♦ 16-bit VGA graphics adaptor with 512K video RAM (expandable to 1Mb) ♦ 14* SVGA monochrome monitor ♦ Vertical “Power" case ♦ 300 watt power supply ♦ O/nn/AcvV ULTRA keyboard ♦ MS-DOS 4.01 or 3.3 and GW-BASIC software installed ♦ Microsoft mouse ♦ 25 MHz FCC Class B Certified (33 MHz FCC Class A) WWW" Northgate wins 1990 Microcomputer Marketing Council’s Service and Support Award! ♦ 30 Day No-Risk Trial. To assure your complete satisfaction, Northgate gives you a 30-day No-Risk Trial. ♦ Full parts and labor warranties: 1 year on systems; 5 years on OmniKey keyboards. ♦ Overnight shipment of replacement parts when needed — at our expense ♦ Northgate’s unique 24-hour toll-free technical support leads the industry — most needs are met with just one call! ♦ Free on-site service to most locations if we can’t meet your technical needs over the phone ♦ Easy financing: Use your Northgate Big ‘N’, VISA, MasterCard or Discover Card. Leasing terms up to five years also available Free Pre-purchase Consultation Nobody spends thousands of dollars on systems during the first phone call. You know it, we know it. Instead, we offer a no-obligation pre-purchase consultation with one of our highly-trained Technical Consultants. You’ll receive friendly assistance in matching your business needs with the appropriate Northgate solution. CALL TOLL-FREE 800 - 548-1993 IN U.S.A. AND CANADA Fortune 1000 corporations, government agencies and education institutions call Accounts; 800-548-3510 Notice to the hearing impaired: Northgate has TDD capability. Dial 800-535-0602. “Smart Tools For Business”' 7075 Flying Cloud Drive, Eden Prairie, Minnesota 55344 jcbnvnghi Notthgaw Computer Sytiem, Iru 1 901 All right, rrwrrtd Virthgate. tWiKry and thr Virthnitr N low art rmtuernl trademark, ol Northgate c ompurrr Sywem, 8434B6 n a trademark of Imrl Corn IBM » a rraiurred trademark ol International Hu brand name, arc trademark, and tceiMtred trademark, ol thru retpeem* companies Wr yupport thr ethical tiv ol wfmre To re poet to (tware copyright violation! call the Software Publisher, Aswcialton, Anti Piracy Hotline at l-IMXI- MWPlItK ♦/iMAMwid.JulyW, 1990 ' r PC Magazine. Septembet 1 1 1990 Copyrighted material PAGE 44 MARCH <4,1931 The Power of the Pen In a high-stakes field, pen-based systems may be the next industry tug-of-war By Laurie Flynn It has been called the next "W PC revolution. The abili- | ty to use a pen to operate a personal computer — particularly one that fits across your arm as com- fortably as a clipboard — is on the horizon. But whether this emerging technology will gain wide acceptance or be relegated to the status of a niche product is still a matter of debate. What is certain is a small but technologically impressive start-up will face an uphill battle, volun- tarily pitting itself against the might of an industry giant. And depending on who you talk to, the stakes are either high or very high. If newcomer Go Corp. is right, the pen- based technology could reel in millions of new computer users, people who today carry legal pads and clipboards as they travel from gas meter to gas meter, or customer to customer. To these so-called “mobile workers,” it is assumed that using a pen to operate programs and input data into a personal computer — a computer that looks nothing like the ones they fear today — will feel as natural as filling out a form with a standard No. 2 pencil. And in the war for the hearts and minds of these potential customers, not to mention millions of PC owners, the battle lines are quickly being drawn. On the one side, Go is promoting its vision: To be truly intuitive, the pen must be the heart of the system (“the pen is the point,” goes the company motto), and its RmPaint I en-based technology could reel in millions of new computer users. operating system is its “from scratch” answer. Microsoft Corp., on the other hand, chides the newcomer for expecting PC users to tolerate two operating sys- tems — one for their desktop PCs and another for their portables — and to ignore their investment in Windows applications. Hence, Pen Windows, a set of extensions to Windows 3. 1 . “Go is a little off base to say you need a new operating environment because of a pen," said Jeff Raikes, Microsoft’s vice president of office systems, applications division. “It’s not necessarily clear that the world is out there demanding a new 32- bit operating system,” Raikes said. Forecast for Pen-Based Systems 2,000 1,500 500 Thousands of Units Shipped U.S. shipments of pen-based systems will grow from 43,000 in 1991 to about a million in 1994. Internationally , sales will be over twice that in three years. THE PEN VS. THE SWORD. There are two points of view: Go either has a huge development head start — a final devel- oper version of PenPbint was released last month, whereas Microsoft’s developer kit is only in beta form — or it is 3 million Windows users behind. Clouding the issue further is the question of hardware support. Despite Go’s lead in terms of the readiness of its operating system, Microsoft announced last week it has attracted support for Pen Windows from 21 hard- ware developers, including five of the Big Six in the laptop computer industry: Toshiba Corp., Sharp Corp., NEC Corp., Seiko-Epson Corp., and Grid Systems Corp. (Grid already offers a system based on MS-DOS.) Only three hardware developers have announced support for Go’s I^nPoint — but Big Blue is among them. Fujitsu, NCR, Hitachi, Samsung, Canon, Sanyo, and Wang are among Microsoft’s other sup- porters. Grid and NCR have announced support for both platforms. Though IBM is mum on the subject of P;n Windows, some observers feel IBM may be forced to support it. “IBM is going to be driven to Microsoft by customer demand, but I think they will be just as supportive of Go,” said Tim Bajarin, vice president of Creative Strate- gies Research International, a Santa Clara, California, market research and consulting company. Whether IBM supports one or both products could determine the sway of the market. Bill Cornfield, president of the New York-based Windows Support Group, contends that the only thing that could make the Go system interesting to his Windows customers is the existence of an IBM machine supporting it, but he’s skeptical that IBM will actually produce ONE OR BOTH? As with virtually every other new PC technology, the key is software developers: Will they take the plunge, investing millions of dollars and thousands of hours of labor in an all-new operating system or be scared off? And there are still question marks around other systems developers, primarily Ap- ple. According to Jeffrey Tarter, editor and publisher of the Softletter industry newsletter, and others, Apple will proba- bly take an approach similar to Micro- soft, adding the pen as an option. Twenty-one software developers and six companies that design networking hardware and software have licensed Go’s PenPoint; among them is Slate Corp. with its Pen Apps application develop- ment system. Only a handful of software developers have publicly announced sup- port for Pen Windows, but these include, for example, Contact Software Interna- tional and Da Vinci Systems Inc. Like most major players, Scotts Val- ley, California-based Borland Interna- tional Inc. will hedge its bets, according to Spencer Leyton, Borland vice president of business development. Borland has publicly committed to developing pro- grams for both PenPoint and Pen Win- dows; most other large developers are likely to do the same. However, smaller developers will probably have to choose between them. “The majority of soft- ware companies are under $10 million,” said Bajarin. “They’ve got limited re- sources so they can’t afford to do both.” But even with the support of software companies. Go faces enormous chal- lenges before its software can succeed in the market. To get there, this new technology must cross light-years of MIS momentum, challenge the prevailing metaphors of desktop computing, and convince corporate programmers to basi- cally start over in another operating environment. And, of course, there’s “The Microsoft Muscle Factor.” “If someone said they were developing a telepathic operating system, Microsoft would announce [it’s] been working on it for four years,” Leyton said. “Microsoft thinks operating environments are its birthright.” “If the market is going to be driven by technology. Go has the edge," Bajarin said. “But if it’s going to be driven by business, Microsoft will have the lead. Corporate clients are going to demand standardization.” As good as PenPoint is — even the most jaded technology junkies are thrilled by it — a technological edge may not be enough for companies with substantial 100% IBM compatible format. All standard ' - templates fltl At Last... AVintage 101 Keyboard! Announcing Northgate OmniKey/lOL. keyboard technology aged to perfection! Faster, more precise typing by design! Your new OmniKey features renowned ALPS click/ tactile mechanical key switches. These marvelous devices affirm every entry with feedback you can hear and feel. No moreU>S>A>! Imagine the convenience of being able to lock out these < > even when shifted. You’ll never type U>S>A for U.S.A. again! You get ‘N’ key rollover feature for speed typing accuracy and colon lock feature so you don’t need to hit Shift. Customize the CTRL, CAPS LOCK and ALT key configuration. Retain standard IBM enhanced layout or switch CTRL. CAPS LOCK and ALT keys where they suit your typing preferences. - gre t fea select feature that lets you change repeat rate from 3 to 120 CPS at the touch of a key. OmniKey !\0\ N1 has a sturdy metal base and weighs a hefty 5V3 lbs so it won’t slide around on your desk. Sample It For 60 Days ... Full Money Back Guarantee CALL TOLL-FREE TODAY! 800 - 526-2446 IN US A. AND CANADA CHARGE IT! We accept your Visa, MasterCard or Discover credit card. HOURS: MON.-FRI. 7 AM-10 PM; SAT. 8 AM-4 PM Central. Call for quantity discounts, dealer and dis- tributor prices. Se habla espanol por su conveniencia. Notice to the Hearing Impaired: Northgate has TDD capability: 800-535-0602. NORTHGATE COMPUTER SYSTEMS, /UC “Smart Tools For Business’’"’ 7075 Flying Cloud Drive. Eden Prairie. MN 55344 You get unmatched compatibility with IBM*-AT, XT, Tandy, Compaqf AT&T 6300 and other IBM type systems, lifetime quality double injected keycaps and industry-leading 5-year warranty. We’ve even included an OmniKey dustcover to protect your 101 when you’re not using it. FCC Class B certified, too. 1VVI All Rights Reserved Vjtthgrte O/nniKry and the North ic All other product end bnnd names ere trademarks end trgnterrtl trademarks o( rittlr re components o( euuel or prater qualify end performance All items subject •-*—’■ — Ann hracy Hotline at L800 M8 P1R8 * 89 ?° More than meets the eye! On the surface, OmniKey / 101 N1 may look like an exact duplicate of the standard IBM* 101. All the keys are in the same place But the similarities end there You get exclusive Northgate features that let you input data faster than you ever dreamed possible pile Edit View Insert Format Utilities Macro Window WIDEWORLD IMPORTERS Dear Bianca: I'm pleased to inform you that we've greatly increased the margins on the authentic native idols we are importing from Borneo. This is due to certain cost efficiencies we have been able to bring to the new manu- descrTptiom [ cpu ' facturing process. A softer, less ^^i.n ~Tsb~ expensive wood importedfrom Embroidered cushions 13.90 Thailand allows the native Pottery n«ckl»e»t II* .... carvers to work taster and more ^ re |ron ^ nootT effectively. We have obtained Reteblot 120.0a colored feathers from a firm in Mexico, as well as glass eyes front a prosthetics company in Philadelphia. We are shipping all the parts to L A. for final DESCRIPTION CPU Guatemalan cushions 7.50 Embroidered cushions 13.90 Pottery necklaces 2 80 Gourd bags 18 00 Fire Irons 250 00 Retablot 120 00 vironment for ower-hungry B Windows graphical j; environment version 3.0 makes it easy for you to do a lot more with your PC. That’s because the Windows environment has friendly icons, menus and dia- log boxes that make its powerful features very accessible. Windows lets you work with a variety of applications on-screen at the same time. Including your character-based programs. But it’s when you start using Windows applications that you get the most out of your PC. Windows applications are easy. In addition they all work essentially the same way. So once you learn how to use one, you generally know how to use them all. And they’re so intuitive that experimenting with them is fun. Windows applications let you For more tn/ormalum. call 1800) 5411261. Dept. P34 In Canada, call (416) 568-3503. Outside the US. and Canada, call (206) 936-8661. © IS trademarks Microsoft Corporation cut and paste text and graphics. And let you combine them right on your screen. They also let you print out exactly what you see. You can even establish links between Windows applications. Which means, if you change any numbers in Microsoft Excel for Windows, the chart you cut and pasted into your Microsoft Word for Windows document will be automatically updated. So call us at (800) 541-1261, Department P34, to find out more about Windows, Windows applica- tions or the big Windows World Conference and Exposition com- ing up May 20th-23rd in Atlanta. Because with Windows, you can start taking the work you do every day a little easier. And have more to show for it Microsoft Making it all mate sense - Copyrighted material PAGE 48 PERSPECTIVES MARCH A, 1 99 1 Windows investments. Although Microsoft has the benefit of thousands of Windows applications that could, at least theoretically, be controlled by pen gestures without modification, many observers contend that truly ele- gant Pen Windows applications will have to be written from scratch. At least some modification is required to optimize them for Pen Windows. Plus, argues Go chairman and co- founder Jerrold Kaplan, tacking additional capa- bilities onto Windows will only add confusion to the installed base. “Adding a pen onto an already complex system makes it more complex,” said Kaplan. “Unmodified Windows ap- plications are unlikely to get the benefit from the addition of a pen.” The willingness of companies to com- mit to two operating systems — one for the desktop and one for its more “mobile" employees — is a major issue for debate. Go and its proponents con- tend that users aren’t concerned about the underlying technology as long as they can transfer data easily between the two environments. Multiple platforms, they say, is a corporate reality. “ftople are willing to just share data and are not so concerned about operating environments,” said William Lempesis, editor and publisher of Pen Vision News. a newsletter published by Pleasanton, California-based IBIS Enterprises. Microsoft, of course, contests this argument. “There’s a lot to it [data exchange across platforms],” said Microsoft’s Raikes. “If it were that easy I’d sell a lot more word processors.” And, there are plenty of people for whom data exchange isn't enough, Raikes said. “Sure, you can have two different applications and have training and sup- port for two different operating environ- ments," he said. “There are a lot of people who don’t want to do that.” The idea of supporting multiple oper- ating systems doesn't phase State Farm Insurance, however. It has been evaluat- ing a prototype of the PenPoint system since the fall of 1989 and was instrumen- tal in the strategic pairing of Go and IBM. As a result, IBM has committed to developing a machine for the system. “Before we started working with [Pen- Point], we had reservations, but there seem to be a lot of valid reasons for rethinking the operating environment,” said Nancy Bicket, manager of applica- tions systems for the Bloomington, Illi- nois-based insurance giant. "We felt that it was good to rethink applications when they are put on this kind of platform, rather than porting them from a desktop, because you really do have to think about this new interface to get the most benefit." State Farm also prefers the notebook interface for pen applications, Bicket said. A MOBILE TARGET. Mobile workers are just part of the picture. The market for pen- based software is divided into three segments, according to Bajarin. First, standard desktop computers equipped with graphics tablets, including the 1.8 million already in use by graphic artists and other professionals, are potentially a huge market, though not a very elegant use of the technology. Next are tradition- al, though next-generation, laptop and notebook-type portable computers with keyboards attached. One key feature of these machines will be the capability to detach the pen-sensitive screen from the rest of the system. But the largest potential market, and that for which Go’s technology was specifically designed, is the so-called “clipboard” market, high-performance portable systems with integrated writing screens. This is the technology that will attract “mobile workers” such as State Farm’s insurance estimators, sales profes- sionals, delivery workers, and those in similar occupations. Go’s initial de- scription of its prod- uct as being for a specific class of users is not a new tech- nique, though which model it’s using var- ies with the observer. “They’re taking the Next approach: We’ll tell them we're an educational com- puter and we’ll sur- prise them by being a business computer,” Borland's Leyton said. “[Next] didn’t want to say ‘Hi, we’re another com- puter vendor.’ In the same way, Go doesn’t want to say ‘Hi, we’re another operating system,' at the risk that both users and developers would cringe at the very idea.” “What you want to do when you start out is have a very defined target.” said Bill Campbell, president of Go, and a former Apple executive. “You purposely under- estimate [the market].” The company is initially targeting “mobile workers” be- cause of PenPoint's “recognizable utility" for that market. Campbell said. But all the marketing aside, Go and Microsoft are for the most part going after precisely the same cus- tomer, and when con- fronted, both companies will admit it. The “mo- bile worker" Go de- scribes sounds suspi- ciously similar to the notebook-PC-toting salesman Microsoft chairman Bill Gates has described in his traveling “Information at your Finger- tips” presentation. “By and large they’re going after the same markets,” said Lempesis. “It’s going to become a lot more horizontal than people think. A lot of that will depend on price.” How fast it gets into the hands of consumers will indeed depend on how fast the price of dedicated pen-based systems comes down to the $1,500 to $2,000 range. Initially, machines will be at least twice that, ranging to as much as $6,000. (See sidebar, Page 49) BEWARE THE REVOLUTION. What worries some observers, even some of pen technology’s greatest enthusiasts, is that the roughness and inaccuracy of early pen systems will scare off the very computer neophytes it is intended to entice. Tarter compared it to the 1 28K Mac. "It’s safe to predict, we think, that pen-based comput- ing will have to endure as much as five years of choppy evolution and corporate shakeouts before it reaches its full poten- tial as a serious platform,” Tarter said, in the February 4 issue of Softletter. “And that kind of slow progress is bound to irritate a lot of customers and investors who like quick results.” Besides the pen technology itself, application developers will also take time getting it right. “Look back at how it took us to get good Mac tools, good Windows tools," Tarter said. “Software is created in two rounds.” Others think it will be even longer. “It [pen technology] is not going to be a major factor for four or five years,” said Bill Cornfield, president of the Windows Support Group. IT’S ALL IN THE GESTURE. One of the biggest myths of today’s pen technology is that the immediate goal is handwriting recog- nition. Although the capability to recog- nize handwritten text is clearly the direction things will ultimately take, in Kaplan's view the more elegant PenPoint applications will — at least initially — be those that require little handwriting recognition at all. In fact, the quality of some PenPoint applications will be judged on how well they eliminate free-form writing, said Go’s Campbell. Instead they will use a form or similar layout to minimize the actual recognition. Kaplan estimates that as much as half the ftnBoint applications that eventually appear won’t use any handwriting recognition at all, depending primarily on the recognition of basic B Tm^nauan EiteP«n.«iUL T tt» rmyron M .iH. pollcir by d«l«« mtMa ooUc* » te oter (I) WfWniotteiAillWpvflMalM ) 04 ay«tn PenPoint includes a word-proofing fea- ture allowing the input of corrected text. Pen Windows includes a personal information “ applet " that uses a notebook user interface metaphor. system layer includes an input and handwriting translation engine with replaceable elements. It will be compatible with Windows applications but will also encourage the development of new. pen-specific programs. INPOWORLD MARCH A, 1991 PERSPECTIVES PAGE AS gestures. “teople are not going to use pen-based machines for large volume data entry,” concedes Kaplan. “Not all that much handwriting goes on.” Clearly, the pen as a complete replacement for the keyboard is still a long way off. MORE THAN JUST THE PEN. Despite being the new kid on the block. Go has had the advantage of learning from everybody else’s mistakes. Because of this. Go has come up with an operating system that many observers and potential customers feel beats Microsoft at its own game. tenPbint uses a 32-bit flat-memory model, sup- ports pre-emptive multi- tasking, and is fully object-oriented. But its most impressive features, say many experts, are its capability to automati- cally configure networks and to store data transfer commands, and its single imag- ing model for screens and printing. It also offers the capability to create live com- pound documents to allow users to embed one document in another, regard- less of the application either was created in (similar to Microsoft’s Object Linking and Embedding technology). Another obvious — but significant — difference is Go’s choice of a notebook metaphor, rather than the now standard desktop metaphor, which people such as State Farm’s Bicket and many others consider more natural for pen applica- tions. (To address this issue, however, Microsoft plans to include notebook application of its own in the form of what Raikes calls an “applet.”) Pen Systems Will Be Fun, But They Won’t Be Cheap What’s it going to cost to buy a pen-based system? Plenty, at least initially. Estimates range between $3,000 and $6,000 for a dedicated pen-based ma- chine. NCR, for example, plans to sell a 386SX machine for pen-based computing for about $5,000. Until prices come down to under $2,000, most of the systems will be purchased for mobile workers such as sales and service professionals. By 1993 system prices will start to fall by about $1,000 a year, thereby making the systems more attractive to horizontal markets, according to Tim Bajarin, vice president of Creative Strategies Research International, a market research compa- ny in Santa Clara, California. Bajarin predicts that in late 1992 a major chip and BIOS manufacturer will release an off-the-shelf system to OEMs in order to create pen-based systems, hence bringing the cost of those systems down. Overall, however, pen-based computing won’t be a stable platform for about five years, according to Soft letter editor Jeffrey Tarter and others. Desktop users can buy graphics tablets as add-ons for about $ 1 ,500. — Laurie Flynn “With on-site service : --.luded, these Zenith ita Systems PCs give ? total confidence for 2 future.” GENETIC ENGINEERING? Overall, the race between ten Windows and tenPbint will not be unlike other competitions that Microsoft has engaged in. It always comes down to the same thing: fear of not being on Microsoft’s team. Despite the odds, Go’s executives say they are ready. “I think (Microsoft] should take notice, and they have,” Go’s Kaplan said. “[They] represent both an opportunity and a force.” No matter what happens, both compa- nies recognize the competition will do them good. “Our strong points will push them," Raikes said, and that’s good for customers. “The user always ends up benefitting,” said Borland's Leyton. “We always end up with a more robust gene pool." □ — Nico Krohn contributed to this story. ZENITH DATA SYSTEMS INNOVATES AGAIN ™ Now the Total Performance • TotalCare Bonus gives you on-site TbtalCare ™ Service with eligible Zenith Data Systems PCs! Today, you need confidence that the PCs you choose can carry your business into the future and stay up and running when you need them. Thatfc why some of our most advanced desktop PCs are now available with a very special feature— one full year of on-site TotalCare Service* at no additional charge. TotalCare protects your PC investment Just one toll-free call to our 24-hour National Response Center puts you in touch with a North American network of over 2000 employees. And if you need on-site service, an experienced Customer Service Engineer will travel to your business to make things right— the next day in most cases! \bu can even purchase TotalCare contracts to cover other manufacturers’ products. This special offer includes hard drive models of the Z-386SX/20™ PC, the Z-386/20™ and Z-386/25™ Workstations, the Z-386/33E™ File Server and the Z-486/25E™ Personal Workstation. All come with MS-DOS* 4.0 and Microsoft* Windows ™ version 3.0 pre-installed , plus a Microsoft Mouse. Add our award-winning Flat Technology Monitor or our advanced 16" (15" v) high-resolution monitor for our Z-486/25E, and you’ve got The Seamless Solution— our formula for total performance in todays graphical computing environment But you’ll have to hurry to take advantage of the Total Performance • TotalCare Bonus — offer ends May 24, 1991. For more information and the name of your Zenith Data Systems Representative, call 1-800-523-9393. Z-386SX/20 PC ZENITH data systems Groupe Bull •See TotalCare Service agreement and call your Zenith Data Systems representative lor details One year on-site service also good on monitor when purchased with eligible PC. A predetermined cash amount may be substituted lor one year on-site service Graphics simulate Microsoft Windows version 3 0. a product and trademark ot Microsoft Corporation lntel386SX, 386 and i486 are trademarks ol Intel Corporation MS-DOS is a registered trademark of Microsoft Corporation TotalCare is a trademark ol Bull HN Information Systems. Inc Copyright © 1991. Zenith Data Systems Corporation Copyrighted PAGE 50 INFO WORLD MARCH 4,1991 FROM THE EDITOR 'Next-Generation’ Windows Faces Obstacles BOBKAYNE Associate Managing Editor CAROUNE CRAIG EDWARD FOSTER (FEATURES) RAPHAEL NEEDLEMAN (REVIEWS) RACHEL PARKER (NEWS) Chief Technical Editor MARTIN MARSHALL LAURIE FLYNN (PERSPECTIVES) JODI MARDESICH (NETWORKING) PATRICIA J. PANE (INDUSTRY) TOM QUINLAN (HAROWARE) MARK BROWNSTEIN (LOS ANGELES) DAVID COURSEY PALLAS) STUART J. JOHNSTON (SEATTLE) SCOTT MACE (WASHINGTON) ED SCANNELL (BOSTON) Senior Writers KRISTI COALE. BARBARA DARROW (BOSTON) YVONNE LEE. USA PICARILLE. MARK STEPHENS LOUISE FICKEL. TUSEDA GRAGGS, NICO KROHN Chief Copy Editor TRICIA HARNEY Copy Editors LESLIE FELDMAN, REBECCA D. FREED BONNIE JACOBSON Associate Copy Editor SIOBHAN NASH Art Director LASLO VESPREMI Associate Art Director BENJAMIN J. BARBANTE GREG BOREN Graphics Editor SARAH BERTACCHI DANIEL SOMMER Associate Reviews Editors TRACEY CAPEN (COMPUTERS. GRAPHICS) ELIZABETH S. EVA (LANGUAGES. NETWORKING) CARLA MATHEWS PAT ABASES. CAD) SEBASTIAN RUPLEY (SPREADSHEETS. COMMUNICATIONS) Assistant Reviews Editor KYLA K. CARLSON (WORD PROCESSING. PRINTERS) Reviews Department Assistant SIOBHAN NASH Researcher HARRIET N. DARUNG Assistant to the Editor-In-Chief SHIRLEY FRENCH Fioid Editor ROBERT X. CRINGELY Contributing Editors STEWART ALSOP. JOHN GANTZ STEVE GIBSON. BRETT GLASS. ALEX KASK AUCE LAPLANTE. JERRY POURNELLE RUTHANN QUINDLEN. PAUL SAFFO Contributing Editors/Reviews DON CRABS. DENISE GREEN DOUG GREEN. JOHN LOMBAROI, JOHN WALKENBACH Manager, On-Line Services JO RAINIE RODGERS W hile a 32-bit version of Windows and OS/2 3.0 grabbed most of the headlines coming out of the recent Microsoft Strategy Seminar, the most interesting long-term announcement involved the future OS that Microsoft referred to as Windows: The Next Generation. Some of the elements of this next-generation operating environment seem fairly straightfor- ward, such as an external macro language. But other parts are much more ambitious. Compound documents would let users as- semble files using various individual tools. For instance, you might use a text-editing tool (or word processor) to create text and a table-edit- ing tool (or spreadsheet) to create a table. Both programs would act on the same document. Such an operating system would require an object-oriented file system, because rather than having separate files, users would have lots of little objects created in various tools. Their files would contain pointers to those objects. To keep these pointers up to date, the oper- ating system would have to create many index- es of the data on mass storage devices. The system would have to intelligently keep track of the links between various objects, because a user might not want to delete or change a spreadsheet that itself is part of a table in someone else's word processing table. This would let you more easily find infor- mation, but you would have to use the operat- ing system shell itself as a querying tool. Thus, it would need to function like an application, not like today’s program and file managers. Such a system could have many advantages. For instance, instead of having drawing tools included in a charting package, spreadsheet, and a word processor, a user could instead have one drawing tool that he could use in all these kinds of applications. And he’d be able to choose whichever tool was most appropriate to the task. This could improve productivity and cut down on training. But it would also raise all sorts of questions. To begin with, this significantly blurs the lines between operating systems and applications. How do developers sell individual tools, such as a drawing tool described above? Would it be sold as part of one of the main applications, as part of the operating environment, or both? How are users going to make sure all these tools work together? Will average users be able to set up this system or will it require a lot more knowledge about the tools and the oper- ating system? In one scenario, it might make sense to in- clude all the major tools with the operating system, but that would create an essentially closed environment — such as the old VisiOn system. One doubts that customers would want or accept this. If the tools are sold by individual develop- ers, all developers would be forced to work to- gether much more closely than they ever have before. How easy will it be for competitors to work together in that fashion? None of these are questions that can or will be answered quickly. Indeed, although Microsoft referred to this as “Windows: The Next Generation,” it’s probably five to 10 years away. Instead, you’ll probably see a lot of iterations to the existing operating systems — perhaps a Windows 4 and a Windows 5 — that slowly integrate some of these features. — Michael Miller Windows Is a Resource Drain 0S/2’s Printing Speed Corrections 0.-IRT. Imta SwiUl.U DRUM DUARTE, TRICIA ENGLERT ITTFOWORLD TEST CENTER Director LAUREN BLACK Tost Development Specialists NICHOLAS PETRELEY, GREGORY S. SMITH Test Supervisors STEVE IRVIN. ANDRE KVtTKA Test Center TedinkUits ERIC AZINGER. ZOREHBANAPOUR, ROD CHAPIN JEFF ECKERT. BOB GARZA. PATRICK LYONS JEROME PRICE. ANNE SAMBORN-KAUCZAK LINDA SLOVICK. TIM ZITTLE Inventory Controllers JEFF VAN CURA. JILL WELCH JONATHAN SACKS Publisher J. MICHAEL LOWE Vice President of Operations STAN VANOCUR Assodato PnbUsber/Saies I MarUttn EDITORIAL OFFICES: 1060 Marsh Road. Menlo Park. CA 94025. (415) 324-4602, (600) 227-8365. Telex: 176072 (InfoWohd MNPK). MCI Mail: 259-4127. CompuServe: 73267.1537. Washington bureau: (301) 374-9313. Seattle bureau: (206) 641-7770. Los Angeles bureau: (til) S94-S799. Dalas bureau: (214) 343- 4742. Boston bureau: (SOS) 679-0706, met 710. M fJDG Vbpa N ow that the Windows hype is over, let’s review what actually hap- pened. When Windows 3.0 came out, hundreds of thousands of people upgraded from Windows 2.X and a million or so copies filled the retail pipeline. Even today, my local software store has a small mountain of unsold, heavily discounted Windows software. A million or so copies were sold to corpora- tions and the government, again at a substantial discount, in some cases bun- dled with hardware. We now realize that Windows is only being used by people who previously used products that are available in Windows. A few have even changed back because they find the graphical interface confusing or too sluggish. Corporations are discover- ing that it is harder to document, teach, and automate Windows procedures. The cost of developing for Windows is prohibitive. Those who promote Win- dows are not interested in the most effec- tive use of resources, they are interested in the computer as a video game — and even there Windows has small value. Susan Temple S everal articles have been published describing the improvements that appear in OS/2 1.3. One issue that I haven’t seen presented is that of printing speed, an area where OS/2 1.3 exhibits dramatic improvements. After recently receiving our copy of OS/2 1.3, we performed a test comparing the printing speed between OS/2 1.2, OS/2 1.3, and Windows 3.0. The test consisted of printing identical text and graphics files from an IBM PS/2 to a Hewlett-Packard Co. LaserJet II (using Microsoft Word for Presentation Manager on OS/2 1.2 and 1.3, and using Microsoft Word for Windows on Win- dows 3.0). The results were rather star- tling. Under OS/2 1.3, the documents printed 3.73 times faster than under OS/2 1.2. and 3.87 times faster than under Windows 3.0. It appears that IBM is on the right track with OS/2, and despite the recent smoke screen from Microsoft, OS/2 is becoming a much more usable and desirable environment. Thomas Kent Sunnyvale, CA I n the February 1 8 issue, we identified a 24-hour support hotline as Novell’s (“Novell Unveils 24-Hour Hotline,” Page 34). The company offering the hotline is called US-Network, and it is a division of NSSI, a Novell reseller in New York City. In “Linker Ships for DOS, Windows, OS/2,’’ February 18, Page 16, the phone number is incorrect. SLR Systems Inc.’s phone number is (4 1 2) 282-0864. In our February 25 story “Windows’ Growth Spawns User Groups, Newslet- ters” (Page SI I), we incorrectly stated information regarding the newsletter AC- Knowledge, The Window Letter. The correct telephone number is (201) 543- 2273; yearly subscriptions cost $245, not $195. Please write to Letters, Info World, 1060 Marsh Road, Menlo Park, CA 94025; ( MCI Mail: 259-4127; CompuServe: 73267,1537; or The Source: TCX939). Include your name, address, and day- time telephone number. Letters ed for publication INFOWORLD MARCH A, 1 99 1 PAGE 51 FUTURE TENSE ■ByPaulSaffo First ‘Information War’ Will Affect the Computing Business PC World Paradox 3.5 Power Programming Techniques by Greg Salcedo & Martin Rudy Special Preface by Richard Schwartz. Borland International When war came on January 17, there was little doubt that computers had fun- damentally rede- fined the calculus of conflict. Our televisions displayed the video memento mori of smart weapons homing in on targets with eerie precision, and night-sky tracings of Patriots rising to meet Scuds were often replayed. Surprisingly, few PCs were noticeable in the images shown on the evening news. Reporters seeking a personal computing angle to the Gulf war saw little outside of battle-hardened laptops on command- center tables. This is a microprocessor- rich but PC-scarce conflict, and the scarcity hints at important trends for business in the peace to come. The Gulf war is not a computer war, but something more exotic. And the computers that matter are invisible. It is an information war in which munitions ride data streams into battle, and horren- dously expensive weapons are made horrendously effective by disposable computing power. One cruise missile packs more computer power than existed in the entire military prior to 1960. But the real difference doesn’t reside in warheads. This is a war permeated by C&C — computers and communications — a complex, interconnected electronic infrastructure that keeps the vast re- sources assembled in Saudi Arabia from gridlocking to a standstill. PCs are hard to spot because they are fundamentally stand-alone devices. Their place is taken by C&C tools embedded in military hardware, and by more powerful work- stations acting as windows into C&C networks. C&C is also the acronym for “com- mand and control,” which is Fentagon- speak for the central task that C&C systems are meant to support. The same task is referred to as “management” in the business world, which has repeatedly taken lessons from the military. The structure of the first corporations was inspired by that of the German army around the turn of the century, and World War II amounted to a graduate program in logistics for postwar multina- tionals. This time around, we will learn about global-scale C&C from the Rsnta- gon. Of course, the Pentagon is also learn- ing on the job, and this adds a whole new dimension of uncertainty to the already uncertain fortunes of war. Will smart munitions finally deliver on the decades- old promise of victory through air power, or will ground troops discover that the bombing was for naught? C&C has already allowed the coalition forces to strike with unprecedented intensity and violence, but can it provide the finely tuned command and control essential to the conduct of the military’s novel Air/ Land battle doctrine? The ground inva- sion is underway as these words are written, so answers are likely to come sooner than later. But C&C is certain to serve up yet more surprises, even after the smoke of battle clears. Executives will discover that Paul Saffo Is a Research Fellow at Institute For the Future, in Menlo Park, California. implementing C&C in their companies will require profound organizational changes. This will lead to the likely invention of entirely new kinds of corpo- rate structures in a decade or so. On the military front, the ’90s arc likely to be a decade of infatuation with the microprocessor and other familiars of the computer revolution. Current systems have performed impressively, but the computers at their hearts often are quaint relics compared to what can be had in PCs today. The temptation to build complex new devices and infrastructures will be too great to resist. This can already be seen in the enthusiasm that Patriot successes have generated for the revival of “Star Wars” research. Finally, the pivotal role of C&C in the Rjrsian Gulf will not pass unnoticed elsewhere on the globe. Having invented the information war, we are certain to see even stranger and more deadly conflicts in the years that lie ahead. PC Help Is Only a Phone Call Away Info World Test Center Software Buyer's Guide, 1991 by the Editors of InfoWorld Magazine “ The most mercilessly scrupulous reviews in the business" -The Washington Post of InfoWorld's Reviews Portable Computing Official Laptop Field Manual by Sebastian Rupley Special Preface by Jim McBrian, Group Publisher, Portable Office Features complete coverage of PAL, SQL link, Paradox Engine and the new release • Includes hundreds of step-by-step tips, utility scripts, and an advanced program editor on disk for fast programming • Special coverage of Power Reporting and Performance Techniques • Over 750 pages, indexed for easy access to material. Bonus Software: 1.4 MB 3.5" floppy disk inside- with over 2 MB of source code (in packed form) worth hundreds of $$! $ 39.95 tor easy 47 Official XTree MS-DOS & Hard Disk Companion by Beth Woods Special Preface by Jeffrey C. Johnson, Cocreator of XTree "If you have a hard disk you need this book" -Don Crabb. 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XTreePro, and XTreePro Gold and hard disk management • Illustrations throughout by Rich Tennant • 232 pages, indexed for easy access to material . $14.95 NATtONAT BESTSELLER Official SpInRIte II & Hard Disk Companion by John Goodman, Ph.D. Special Preface by Steve Gibson, President of Gibson Research » In-depth & up-to-date- includes all versions through II. 1.1! » Insider's guide to using SpinRite and hard disks * Hundreds of advanced tips, and undocumented features * 256 pages, indexed for easy access to material $14.95 . ‘ OFFICIAL GUIDE • In-depth reviews on word processing, spreadsheets, databases, and desktop publishing software • With comparison charts and analyses on each product, and for each category • Also available: InfoWorld Test Center Computer Buyer's Guide, 1991 • 256 pages/Software, 332 pages/Computer $14.95 each Exclusive Offer To PC World Readers: Satisfaction Guaranteed — If you don't get at least a dozen helpful tips and ideas from these books, simply return either, within 30 days, for a complete refund! • The Take-It-With-You-On- The-Road Instant Reference • Gives you references to 10 popular software packages: word processing, spread- sheets, communications and Windows 3 • Directories: software & computer support #s, on- line services, DOS refer- ence, & printer codes! • 216 pages, indexed for easy access to each reference $14.95 Available at select bookstores and software stores, or order direct Call (800) 282-6657 We accept American Express. MasterCard. & Visa Dealer Inquiries: Call (415) 358-1261 IWMX9143? From IDG — Publisher of InfoWorld. PC World. ComputerWorld and over 150 computer-related magazines. Copyrighted You no longer need the budget for a 486™ computer in order to own one. thanks to the Tandon SL 486/25 Slimline. That's because the SL 486/25 costs just $2,999. thousands of dollars less than most other 486's. But more than that. Tandon’s the first to offer a 486 at a 386™ price that includes exclusive Tandon features, as well as the quality that comes from fifteen years of industry experience and an engineer-design team with 16 patents to their credit. That's why the SL 486 is more than just a great buy. it's a great machine. To start with, we used the Intel® 80486 chip with its built-in numeric coprocessor and 8k memory cache. The cache provides faster memory reads and the coprocessor handles even the most difficult calculations with the utmost speed. Then, to help maintain the power of a big machine in a little package, we designed it with a Tandon exclusive called the PowerPoster™. It's an intelligent write buffer that accelerates most write operations to RAM at four times the rate of un- enhanced 486's. IF FIRST 486 \V1 • 3G-Dey Money Buck Guarantee • Tbil-Free Technical Support • l-\fc>ar Limited Warranty • On-Site Service To empower this slimline even more, we incorporated another Tandon feature. Our exclusive MIAT™ (Mapper-Integrated AT) chip for greater interpretation and reliability. Then we added the Tandon Memory Mapper, which provides Flex Shadowing of RAM for faster processor performance. Together, these innovations help to give you one fast machine in one attractive slim case for one really low price. Of course, with any Tandon Computer you also get the support you'd expect from a 400 million dol- lar corporation. Like prompt delivery, a one year limited warranty, on-site service, and helpful toll free tech support. We even offer a special leasing pro- gram. And if for any reason you're not pleased, you can get a full refund within the first 30 days. So if you're interested in a high powered, compact. 486 ma- chine that costs about the same as most 386’s, call us today and ask about the Tandon SL 486/25 Slimline. Its performance will truly impress you, almost as much as its price. Jancfon Tandon SL 486/25 Slimline SPECIAL OFFER: $ 2,999 Lease: As low as $105/month. H A 386 PRICE TAG. THE TANDON UPGRADE PACKAGE OFFER* AVAILABLE FOR JUST *1000. Includes: llOMB Hard Drive VGA Color Monitor (640x480 Resolution) Mkrow/t® Windows'™ 3.0/Mouse Tandon SL 486/25: S2,999 • Price includes: system unit. 2\1B RAM. 1.2 or 1.44MB diskette drive, VGA monochrome monitor. 16-bit video card, keyboard, power cord, Tandon MS-DOS software and man- ual, operating and installation manual. • Options: I MB or 2MB memory upgrade kits: additional 1.2MB and 1.44MB diskette drives: 1 10MB or 200MB IDE bard disk drives: VGA and Super VGA color monitors, 2400 baud modems, network cards, laser printers. Microsoft® Windows™ 3.0 and serial mouse. Additional options and features are available. *Available only with Tandon SL 486/25 systems. Call for details on our family of Slimline computers. Options .and Custom C< 3NFICSURATK INK • 1 lard Drives. Diskette • VGA and Super VGA and Optical Drives Mon itors. • Modems • Additional Options • Memory Expansion Available On All Systems. Please Call. • Coprocessors TO ORDER DIRECT, CALL NOW: 800-800-8850 FAX 805-529-8408 Tandon reserves thenghtto amend specifications without notice Tandon 486, Tandon 386. SL386s*. SL 486. IT/286. LT/38&J. 386s/N 286/N. Tandon Tower 386. Tandon Tower 486, Powerfoster. MiibCAOt and MIAT are trademarks ol Tandon Corporation Intel is a registered trademark and 486 and 386 are trademarks of Intel Corporator All other products or services are identified by the trademarks or service marks ol their respective companies. ©1991 Tandon Corporation, Moorpark, CA Leasing terms vary by system Copyrighted material Affordable 386SX performance in a true notebook-sized computer with twice the hard disk capacity & VGA screen clarity. VGA DISP1A Y 2.5 hr BA TTERY PACKS 32 (versus 16) shades of gray with With I hr recharging so you 640x 480 resolution. Compare and won't run out of power at the you'll see the contrast. wrong time 40 (versus 20) Mb HDD Gives you more file capacity and faster a access. KEYBOARD Full-sized with tactile-touch Feel the difference. 1.44 Mb FLOPPY For easier file transfers. \ Imagine. . . getting the power and features of the Supernote™ 386SX/16 for under $3,500. A larger hard drive, better display, smaller case, and a faster SmartCharge™ recharger. Sound like a dream? Let your imagination soar! The freedom to travel with this much power was the inspiration behind Twinhead’s new notebook system. Journey with the Supernote anywhere, any- time. Complete with a carry bag, MS-DOS, and a full 1 year warranty, this dream machine is ready to roll. Call today for a Supernote information packet. SMALLER SIZE Only a true 8 If x II" notebook size will fit this way in your briefcase 6.6 lbs with no power sacrafice. k » $3,495 Suggested retail price I -800- 545-TWIN West Coast I -800-552-TWIN East Coast Twin Stapno* MONK It feature, IN MHr 80W6SX promacr KB7SX Metre » MB hart dnve. ’ toe 4, MB. )2-<te Wither mi pin con haj. liter Manual and Pocket Guide «« Hu unh halier) I O'tHiii STDul I' tWi hill I .car trademark, « reported tndewaeti of Hint respectne hotter, Turn head. Supernote md SmartOiarpe are trademark' k. tuklii cm * 25“ LCD MOt-MO VO* I U MB lt«r, dint. St » pack, eaaemal 5 2)' Itepp, drrte pocket LAS adapter, pocket modem. MS Waad ahead Corpoann a I pinlkl A J tenal pent KHey kethoaad. MS-DOS 401. tnkotkiverv L1M £MS 4 1) EMM 4 Copyrighted material MARCH A. 1931 PAGE 55 PRODUCT COMPARISON Getting Your Wings InfoWorld tests 8 powerful 386SX notebooks that make great traveling partners. Bv Rod Chafin and Patrick Lyons Test Center INTRODUCTION BY SEBASTIAN RUPLEY ASSOCIATE REVIEWS EDITOR Li_ High-end notebook computers are so hot now that demand for them outweighs supply. Even such power- house system vendors as Compaq Computer Corp. have been unable to ship higher end notebook systems at a pace that keeps up with demand (See “Few Compaq LTE 386/20s In Channel; Market Lead Over IBM. AST Threatened,” January 14, Page 1 ). And even though every hardware company from Kennebunkport to Tokyo seems to be jumping into the notebook manufacturing race, some very big players in the portable computer arena are, surprisingly, not yet competitors in the 386SX notebook market. These vendors include IBM Corp., Toshiba, and NEC. The speedy and powerful 386SX-based systems that made it into this product comparison all arrived for testing at the last minute, and by the time this comparison appears, we expect several more 386SX systems to be added to this fast-growing market. In our last comparison of notebook systems (March 19, 1990, Page 55), which we usually define as weighing under 8 pounds, we found a lot of significant differences between the lower end systems we tested. For instance, last time we were unable to successfully run several of the software applications in our test suite with those less- powerful products. Also, workmanship and displays varied. This time around, things were different. Except for some minor configuration changes we made via setup routines, these 386SX notebooks flawlessly ran a software application suite that included Microsoft Windows 3.0 (which ran speedily on all the systems), Desqview, dBase, and Paradox; these frequently present compatibility problems even with more powerful desktop systems. If you are going to run high-end software applications on these systems, you’ll also be pleasantly surprised to find that most of these notebooks offer substantial RAM Products Reviewed ALR Venture 16-386SX Page 62 Altima NSX Page 62 Compaq LTE 386S/20 Page 62 Everex Tempo LX Page 62 Samsung Notemaster SX Page 63 Texas Instruments Travelmate 3000 ....Page 63 Twinhead Supernote SX Page 63 Zeos Notebook 386 Page 63 Executive Summary Page 58 InfoWorld Report Card Page 56 expandability — up to 10 megabytes for the Compaq, for example. They also come with optional 2,400-bit-per- second modems, and the Twinhead system even comes with an optional pocket LAN adapter. In fact, we weren’t able to trip up these systems at much of anything. The major differences between them turned out to be price — with a high of $6,499 for the Compaq and a low of $2,295 for the Zeos — speed, and battery life. (Remember that street prices on many of these systems are dramatically lower.) One scoring area where there was some interesting variation was support policies. Some companies offer outstanding and unusual support policies, such as Zeos’ 24-hour technical phone support and Everex’s 48-hour repair policy. If you’re looking to purchase a fleet of notebook computers, such policies may play a major role in your buying decision. As far as important day-to-day use issues go, we were favorably impressed with the designs and displays that these systems offered. We found none of the murky LCDs, flimsy workmanship, and merely passable designs that were typical of notebooks only a year ago. The keyboards, too, were all at least adequate, although quirky keyboard layout seems to remain a problem; we didn't rate any of the keyboards we looked at higher than satisfactory. Here they are — affordable computers that can do it all, and that you can throw in your briefcase when you’re through. INFOWORLD PAGE 5B PRODUCT COMPARISON MARCH 4 1991 INFO WORLD 386SX Notebook Computers ALR Venture 16- 386SX Altlma NSX Compaq LTE 386S/20 Everex Tempo LX Samsung Notemaster SX Texas Instruments Travelmate 3000 Twlnhead Supernote SX Zeos Notebook 386 Clock speed 16 MHz 16 MHz 20 MHz 16 MHz 16 MHz 20 MHz 16 MHz 16 MHz Battery life 2:33:10 1:20:54 3:03:44 2:36:48 3:19:51 1:32:25 2:21:53 2:36:48 System RAM 1MB 2MB 3MB 1MB 1MB 2MB 2MB 1MB Speed scores CPU-Intensive speed 0:08:06 0:08:04 0:05:19 0:07:44 0:07:51 0:06:41 0:08:31 0:07:45 Disk-intensive speed 1:16:44 1:19:52 0:52:44 1:19:04 1:18:31 1:03:19 1:25:37 1:19:31 dBase III Plus 0:37:42 0:40:07 0:26:15 0:38:33 0:38:24 0:32:07 0:42:48 0:38:48 dBase IV 1.1 0:20:59 0:21:56 0:14:21 0:21:21 0:22:14 0:17:29 0:23:20 0:21:24 Lotus 1-2-3 2.2 0:05:57 0:05:56 0:03:52 0:05:37 0:05:45 0:04:57 0:06:16 0:05:37 WordPerfect 5.5 0:02:09 0:02:08 0:01:27 0:02:07 0:02:06 0:01:44 0:02:15 0:02:08 Paradox 0:18:03 0:17:49 0:12:08 0:19:10 0:17:53 0:13:43 0:19:29 0:19:19 All times in hours:minutes:seconds. Fastest times are in bold. REPORT CARP INFO WORLD 386SX Notebook Computers (InfoWorld (Your weighting) weighting) ALR Venture 16-386SX Altlma NSX Everex Compaq Tempo LTE 386S/20 LX Texas Samsung Instruments Twlnliead Notemaster Travelmate Supernote SX 3000 SX Zeos Notebook 386 List price $2,795 $3,499 $6,499 $2,999 $3,999 $5,499 $3,495 $2,295 Performance Speed: CPU-inten- sive (100) ( ) Good Good Excellent Very Good Very Good Excellent Satisfactory Very Good Speed: Disk-inten- sive (100) ( ) Good Good Excellent Good Good Very Good Satisfactory Good Software compatibility (50) ( ) Good Excellent Excellent Excellent Good Excellent Excellent Excellent Size/weight (75) ( ) Good Poor Good Good Good Very Good Very Good Good Battery life (75) ( ) Good Satisfactory Good Good Good Satisfactory Good Good Capacity (100) ( ) Very Good Excellent Excellent Good Very Good Good Good Good Screen readability (75) ( ) Satisfactory Satisfactory Good Good Good Good Good Satisfactory Keyboard (50) ( ) Satisfactory Satisfactory Satisfactory Satisfactory Satisfactory Satisfactory Satisfactory Satisfactory Documentation (50) ( ) Good Satisfactory Excellent Very Good Good Very Good Good Satisfactory Ease of use (50) ( ) Good Good Very Good Good Good Very Good Good Satisfactory Serviceability System design (50) ( ) Good Satisfactory Very Good Very Good Satisfactory Good Good Very Good Support policies (50) ( ) Good Very Good Satisfactory Very Good Very Good Very Good Good Excellent Technical support (25) ( ) Satisfactory Very Good Very Good Satisfactory Satisfactory Satisfactory Very Good Satisfactory Value (150) ( ) Very Good Satisfactory Good Very Good Good Good Satisfactory Excellent ■inal scores 6.3 6.0 7.7 6.8 6.4 7.0 6.0 7.0 Use your own weightings to calculate your score InfoWorld reviews only finished, production versions of products, never beta test versions. Scores are summed, divided by 1 00, and rounded down to one decimal place to yield the final Products receive ratings ranging from unacceptable to excellent in vanous categories. Scores score out of a maximum possible score of 10 (plus bonus). Products rated within 0.2 points of one are denved by multiplying the weighting (in parentheses) of each critenon by its rating, where: another differ little. Weightings represent average relative importance to InfoWorld readers Excellent =1.0 Outstanding in all areas. involved in purchasing and using that product category. You can customize the report card to your Very Good - 6.75 — Meets all essential criteria and offers significant advantages. company’s needs by using your own weightings to calculate the final score. Good - 0.625 — Meets essential criteria and includes some special features. Products receive InfoWodd’s Buyer s Assurance seals if they meet the following conditions-. Satisfactory =* 0.5 Meets essential critena. The vendors offer 60-day money-back guarantees on the products, and the products also receive »oor 0 25 Falls short in essential areas no scores lower than satisfactory in our Report Card. Vendors who qualify have signed contracts Unacceptable or N/» - 0.0 — Falls to meet minimum standards or lacks this feature. with ' ntoWofld that detail these support policies. InfoWorld awards the Recommended seal to products that, in addition to the above criteria, receive a Report Card score of 8.0 or higher. INFOWORLD Re gional 3 . tic. ClMOKju Dallas. Miami tiso.nM' 1150000 *91 oon , ” 1 , 1 , 1 . 1 . *1 J «c tbir nnUbei White t tu«h < children', pUjf»o*i iwiffu >to InrflVUJvMl Ul» HJCl hftVQ be tiaie miCn tout floor uc* ireatwuy d» me ho«u inlUlUSJn ftnxmav The ImiS Oar- of *M TechTYle proJura *»« wo. ■ h«n,:r m«> . i. ■ *> I.lUu'llkl l 1 ounJ m pirrjti 1 uet..» 1 i ne nevs ▲ i look or power lust sot r nore tx>werful The new TravelMate 3000 notebook computer packs 386 SX power into 1.8" and 5*7 lbs* Finally. A truly portable 386SX notebook computer attractively packaged in a sleek, breakthrough design that complements your workstyle — TI TravelMate 3000. This latest addition to TT’s powerful new look of notebook computers packs 20 MHz, 386SX processing power into a convenient 1.8" thin, 5.7-lb. package. Portable power for power users. Now you can easily carry desktop performance in an exceptionally lightweight package. Run power-hungry applications with 2MB of RAM (expandable to 6MB) and a 20MB, 40MB or 60MB hard disk drive. Get the full effect of Windows* and graphics-intensive software on the TravelMate 3000’s big, bright 10" diagonal The new 20 MH: 386SX TM 3000 is just 8.5" x 11", a mere 1.8" thin and weighs an easy- to -carry 5.7 Ihs. (including battery)! VGA display with 32 shades of gray. Loading application software and file back-up are easy with the built-in 3.5" floppy diskette drive. The internal battery lets you work up to three hours nonstop. Plus, the TravelMate 3000s full- function AT*-enhanced keyboard lets you do it in comfort. Call today for power without compromise. To see die new look of 386SX power, call TI for the name of a TM 3000 dealer near you. 1 - 800 - 527-3500 Texas Instruments 01991 TI 66083 TravelMate is a trademark of Teas 1 nstnimcnts. 386 is a traJemarfc of Intel Corporation. AT is a registered trademark of I noemanonal Business Machines Corporation. Windows is a registered trademark of Microsoft Corporation. (_• C py t yh’.c I PAGE 5B PRODUCT COMPARISON MARCH A, 1 99 1 Executive Summary I t’s tough to dramatically knock any system in this comparison. Less than two years ago you were on the cutting edge of technology if you had a desktop system config- ured along the lines of the notebooks in this comparison. These notebook computers include power compara- ble to that found in desktop PCs but their size requires relatively few design and performance compro- mises. There were, however, some clear leaders in the categories we scored. The Compaq LTE 386S/20, which we’ve looked at before, is a superior product that represents the state of the art in notebooks. As you would expect with its 20-MHz clock — all but one of the other systems have 16-MHz clocks — the Compaq is still the fastest system we’ve tested by a considerable margin. It’s also an extremely well-designed system with top documentation, although it’s expensive. The Zeos Notebook 386, with its sleek black design and impressive CPU-intensive speeds, is also an outstanding competitor. Aside from being by far the least expensive system in this comparison, this note- book is backed by a number of unex- pected extras in the area of support policies, including a 30-day money- back guarantee and 24-hour tele- phone technical support. With its new Travelmate 3000, Texas Instruments has made a vast improvement on the old Travelmate notebook. As is the Compaq, this system is powered by a 20-MHz clock, and it’s a snappy performer with the second fastest times we found. The Everex Tempo LX isn’t the most expandable system, but it has a nice-looking display and high-quality documentation, and it is backed by impressive support policies, includ- ing 48-hour turnaround for repairs. ALR’s Venture 16-386SX is a low- price system that was a midrange performer on most of our tests without falling down in any signifi- cant way. The Samsung Notemaster SX, from a company known chiefly for its monitors, was a surprise. It did well on our tests, especially CPU- intensive speed timing and battery life — where it was the leader. It is a relatively costly system. The Twinhead Supernote SX was the slowest performer in both our CPU-intensive and disk-intensive speed tests. We did, however, run Windows 3.0 and several other high- end applications on it without trou- ble. Overall, this system was an average performer. The Altima NSX is a somewhat quirky notebook that is hindered by a weight — about 10 pounds — that may make it by definition more of a laptop system. Nevertheless, the company is marketing it as a note- book and it stood up fairly well in our tests. This machine does have a larger- than- normal keyboard, which could be an advantage for some users. The price could be lower, but this is a very expandable system. Testing and Scoring 386SX Notebook Computers U ntil recently, notebook computers included substantial design com- promises — especially in the areas of displays and keyboards. As is our practice, we conducted in-house “taste tests’’ in order to score these crucial issues. No machine seemed to be less than adequate. Size and weight, as it turns out, are not as crucial with notebook computers as they once were. Only one of the systems in this comparison weighs more than the 8-pound ceiling we have imposed on notebooks (we have included it because it is sold as a notebook), and most of the others weigh within a pound of each other and are thoroughly portable. The scoring category that included the most surprises in this comparison was capacity. If you still think a notebook with 640K of RAM and a 20-megabyte hard disk is state of the art, think again. Several of the systems compared here can be equipped with 60-megabyte hard disks, and one can be souped up with 10 megabytes of RAM. The capacity ceilings these systems offered were effective enough that we were able to run all our high-end software applications on each of these systems — an impressive feat if you consider that our test suite includes Windows 3.0, Desqview, and dBase tests. These are powerful computers, not min- iature novelties. Scoring criteria for this comparison are based on responses to a survey of more than 1,000 Info World readers. You can adjust weightings found in our report card to reflect the importance you apply to categories we score. PERFORMANCE: Performance is divided into eight catego- ries: CPU-intensive speed, disk-intensive speed, software compatibility, size and weight, battery life, capacity, screen readability, and keyboard. Speed: As with desktop computers. Info World's speed scores for notebooks test performance for CPU-intensive ap- plications and disk-intensive applica- tions. Our CPU-intensive scores are based on the times of a test suite that executes a series of typical business routines in Lotus 1-2-3 2.2 and WordPerfect, Version 5.1. The disk-intensive scores are based on test times of applications run in dBase III Plus, Version 1.1; dBase IV; and Paradox 386. For a more detailed explanation of the speed tests, see the “How We Tested” section of one of our desktop computer product comparisons (such as our com- parison of 486/33 systems, November 12, 1990, Page 89). Some of the software tests and file sizes are different in this test plan. All the systems we tested had adequate speeds, but we awarded scores relative to the specific times each system clocked. It should be noted that we could not obtain systems with exactly the same RAM configurations for this comparison, and many of them cannot be configured with comparable RAM at all. Software compatibility: To test soft- ware compatability, we ran the following programs: Desqview, Windows 3.0, Side- kick Plus, Microsoft Word 5.0, Crosstalk, Lotus 1-2-3 2.2, and Lotus 1-2-3 3.1. Machines that ran all components of our software test suite earned an excellent score. We dropped the score one grade for each program that wouldn’t run without requiring reconfiguration. Size/weight: We routinely define note- book computers as being under 8 pounds, but with higher end systems coming out, this ceiling is a bit more flexible. All systems were weighed with their batteries, and for systems that weighed under 8 pounds, we automatically awarded a score of satisfactory. For systems under 7 pounds, we awarded a score of very good. No system weighed under 6 pounds in this comparison, which is the line of demarcation for a score of excellent. Battery life: To simulate moderately heavy use, our battery test program writes a 3 1 '/jK file and pauses for 5 minutes (to simulate “thought” time). This series is repeated, but at every fifth cycle an additional 220K file is written (to simu- late occasionally loading a new program or overlay). This process is repeated until the computer halts operation. During this test any screen-dimming mechanism is disabled, but other power- saving features remain in the default state. Systems that run for at least 6 hours earn an excellent score. Products that run for at least 4 hours score very good. Over 2 hours rates a good score. At least I Vi hours is required for satisfactory. Less than three-quarters of an hour scores unacceptable. Capacity: Capacity scores started at satisfactory for any machine that offered a 20-megabyte hard disk and at least 1 megabyte of RAM standard. Additional hard disk capacity options were worthy of one full scoring boost (satisfactory to good, good to very good, etc.). For every 2 megabytes of RAM available above the baseline of 1 megabyte, we boosted scores a half a point. Screen readability: Screen readability was judged by a panel composed of several Test Center technicians and re- views editors. Issues include the display’s overall look under ambient lighting, ranging in efTect from bright office to dim airplane, as adjusted by any available brightness and contrast controls; adjust- ability for viewing from angles; how cursor size and blink rate affect the ability to find it on a full screen of text; bleeding (whether the clear areas above and below columns of characters show up darker than the other clear areas of the screen); thickness and shape of characters; ability to distinguish between different colors through use of different contrast or brightness levels or different character thicknesses. Most of the notebook systems we compare offer VGA resolutions of 640 by 480 with at least 16 shades of gray. All the displays were found adequate, and scores awarded by taste-test participants were averaged to obtain the final scores. Keyboard: Our panel evaluated such issues as reasonably positive keystroke (i.e., you can tell by feel when the keystroke has registered, though perhaps not with total accuracy), audible key- stroke, and no wildly improbable key positions compared to a standard desktop keyboard (AT standard or AT enhanced). We noted separate cursor keys and separate numeric keypads. Keyboard scores are averages of scores awarded by in-house taste-test participants. OTHER SCORES Scores for documentation, ease of use, system design, support policies, technical support, and value were awarded accord- ing to our usual criteria. See the “How We Test” section of our previous compar- ison on notebook computers (March 19, 1990, Page 55) for details. This product comparison was developed by Rod Chapin and Patrick Lyons, Test Center Technicians; Gregory S. Smith, Test Development Specialist; and Se- bastian Rupley, Associate Reviews Edi- tor. INFOWORLD That’s Intel’s. And our new family of Math Coprocessors is faster — up to 50% for the 287XL. In fact, working side by side with the Intel microprocessor already inside your computer, an Intel Math Coprocessor can increase the speed of your spreadsheet, graphics, CAD and database programs by as much as 500%. That’s good to know. And the fact that it’s made by Intel is also good to know. Because Intel developed the first Math Coprocessor in 1982, and we’ve shipped millions since then. Each one is manufactured by Intel in the world’s most advanced logic facility, and then tested and retested against an exacting set of criteria. And we can guarantee that every Intel Math Coprocessor lives up to the industry hardware standards we helped develop, delivering the same results regardless of what type of computer you’re doing calculations on. So call Intel at (800) 538-3373. Ask for Literature Packet #F6 on Intel’s new and im- proved Math Coprocessors. And put an Intel Math Coprocessor inside your computer. It’s the only one with the Intel name to live up to. Intel The Computer Inside:” ©1990 Intel Corporation. 386 and 387 are trademarks of Intel Corporation Copyrighted material PAGE 62 A LR’s Venture 1 6-386SX is the com- pany’s first foray into portable computers, and they’ve done a remarkable job. ALR has pulled several of the best features found in other notebooks together and combined them into one well-designed system. The Venture has a clamshell design, and its keyboard is a bit larger than those found on many other systems, with substantial key travel. The screen display is readable though smaller than the displays of other systems. The Venture comes with either a 20- or a 40-megabyte drive, 1 megabyte of system RAM, and was the only system in our comparison that shipped with Digital Research’s DR- DOS 5.0 instead of MS-DOS. PRODUCT COMPARISON MARCH A, 1 99 1 A ltima’s NSX notebook is the largest machine of all the systems we tested, and may even qualify as more of a laptop system than a notebook. The NSX weighs about 10 pounds, and it really could use a handle. This system runs at 8 or 16 MHz and comes with 2 megabytes of RAM stan- dard, expandable to 8 megabytes. The Altima includes a standard 20-megabyte hard drive (a 60-megabyte hard drive is an option), and it has an almost full-size 83-key keyboard. Expandability options are quite impressive with this system, but its weight and size are drawbacks. T he Compaq LTE 386S/20 is one of the hardest hitters in the notebook ballpark. We found this system to be the fastest in this comparison (though it must be kept in mind that this system has a 20- MHz clock, and most of the others have 16-MHz clocks). The LTE can actually be set to run at anything from 3 MHz to 20 MHz (for battery-life optimization), and it comes standard with 2 megabytes of RAM, expandable to a healthy 10 megabytes. Its weight, at 7 pounds, 13 ounces without modem, and its dimensions — 8% inches by 1 1 inches by 2.2 inches — are considerable for a notebook, but this is a very powerful system. E verex’s 7-pound Tempo LX is a high-quality machine. It is similar to the Compaq in terms of having a finished, well-rounded look and feel. The system is 12 inches by 10 inches by 2 inches and is easy to transport, but like many of the others, it could benefit from a handle. The Tempo can be run at 16 MHz or a power-saving 8 MHz. The machine comes with 1 megabyte of RAM standard that is expandable to 3 or 5 megabytes. The hard disk is 20 megabytes and is currently not expandable. The Everex also comes at an impressive price and is backed by top support policies. The Venture’s CPU -intensive speed score was slower than several others. Score: Good. The Altima’s times in this category were slower than some others. Score: Good. The LTE, with its 20-MHz clock, was the fastest performer in these tests. Score: Excellent. The Everex’s time on these tests fell short of those of the two 20-MHz systems we tested. This was an outstanding showing. Score: Very Good. The 16-MHz ALR fared well in disk- intensive tests. It was beaten only by the two 20-MHz systems in this comparison. Score: Good. The NSX was one of the slowest perform- ers. Score: Good. The LTE was the fastest performer at disk-intensive tests. Score: Excellent. The Everex’s disk-intensive times were midrange. Score: Good. The Venture ran all of our software but we had slight problems with Lotus 1-2-3 3.1 and Windows 3.0. We had 1 megabyte of RAM in our machine, and these programs required all of it in order to run. Score: Good. The Altima performed without errors when running our software test suite. Score: Excellent. The LTE flawlessly ran all our software tests. Score: Excel lent. The Tempo performed perfectly in our software compatibility testing. Score: Excellent. The ALR is relatively heavy at 7 pounds, 12 ounces but not as heavy as the Altima system. The Venture’s size — 12 '/j inches by 8.6 inches by 2. 1 inches — is smaller than several other systems, such as the Zeos and Everex systems. Score: Good. See ALR, Page 67 The NSX weighs about 10 pounds with its battery, which is quite a bit heavier than what is commonly thought of as a notebook weight. For many notebook users. 10 pounds may be too much, but we tested this system as a notebook because it is sold as one. Score: Poor. See Altima, Page 67 The Compaq machine weighs 7 pounds, 13 ounces, which may be a bit heavy for some users. Its dimensions are larger than some other systems. Score: Good. See Compaq, Page 67 At 7 pounds with dimensions of 1 2 inches by 10 inches by 2 inches, the Everex is easy to transport, but it would be easier with a handle. Score: Good. See Evorax, Page 67 INFOWORLD MARCH A, 1 99 1 PRODUCT COMPARISON PAGE S3 T he Samsung Notemaster SX, like the Texas Instruments Travelmate 3000, is tailored somewhat similarly to the Compaq LTE 386S/20. Al- though the Notemaster appears to be the same size as the TI and LTE, it is actually thicker and heavier. The Samsung does, however, mimic the LTE’s keyboard, with both the layout of the keys and the stiff keyboard fed. The Samsung’s CPU speed is slower than the LTE’s, using a 16-MHz clock instead of a 20-MHz. T I’s new Travelmate 3000 looks nothing like the old Travelmate, which we felt fell short in some areas in a previous review. (See product comparison, March 19, 1990, Page 55.) The system has been completely rede- signed. The new 3000 is smaller and lighter than the previous system and is more solidly constructed. The 3000 appears to have borrowed from the Compaq LTE’s clamshell design, but the Texas Instruments system has a some- what more logical keyboard layout. TI didn't stop there. They stepped up the innards of the system too, offering a 20-MHz, 80386SX processor with a standard 20-megabyte hard drive and 2 megabytes of RAM, expandable to 6. T he Twinhead notebook was an impressive entrant in all areas ex- cept speed, where it was the slowest performer in our CPU- and disk- intensive tests. Weighing just under 7 pounds, the Supernote SX is very lightweight and easy to carry, but it could use a handle. The Supernote SX comes standard with 2 megabytes of RAM, expandable to 4 megabytes. The standard hard disk is 40 megabytes. Z eos’ Notebook 386, powered by a 16-MHz clock, is a very solid system. Its light weight and impres- sive styling give it a sleek look and feel. This system is very comfortable to use, and it is also the lowest priced system in this comparison, backed by extremely impressive support policies. Although the Zeos is somewhat large, the system presents no real portability problems. The larger size allows for a fairly large screen and a keyboard that approaches full-size dimensions. The Notemaster SX was a quick perform- er in these speed tests. Score: Very Good. The Samsung was among the better performers in this category. Score: Good. With its 20-MHz clock, we expected the TI to outpace the other 16-MHz systems in this comparison, and it did so on CPU- intensive tests as well as disk intensive. The TI did not, however, outpace the Compaq LTE 386S/20, though it came fairly close. Score: Excellent. The Twinhead was the slowest performer on these tests. Score: Satisfactory. The Zeos’ CPU-intensive speed time was adequate for the group. Score: Very Good. The TI was somewhat slower than the comparable Compaq LTE 386S/20 in disk-intensive tests, but it was faster than the other 16-MHz systems. Score: Very Good. The Twinhead was the slowest performer on these tests. Score: Satisfactory. The Zeos’ disk-intensive speed time was among the slowest times. Score: Good. n i,hhm:h n iiiu.ii unzw i imti The Samsung ran all of our compatibility tests well. In order to run both Lotus 1-2-3 3.1 and Windows 3.0, we had to change the setup to convert 384K of high memory that was reserved for shadowing to extended memory. Score: Good. The TI passed all our compatibility tests with no problems. Score: Excellent. The Twinhead performed perfectly in our software compatibility testing. Score: Excellent. The Zeos, configured with 1 megabyte of RAM, ran all our software tests without problems. Score: Excellent. Jtiliiil'iM.lUHHflVUHIH The Notemaster SX weighs a midrange 7 pounds, 2 ounces. The system is 1 1 inches by BVi inches by 2 l U inches, which makes it nice and compact. Score: Good. See Samsung, Page 67 The Travelmate 3000 measures 1 1 inches by 8'/2 inches by 1.8 inches and weighs 6 pounds, 1 ounce with its battery. This makes it an extremely small and light notebook — lighter than any in this comparison — in spite of its power. Score: Very Good. See Travelmate, Page 67 The Twinhead weighs under 7 pounds with its battery, and its dimensions are 1 1 inches by 8.6 inches by 2.08 inches. It is one of the lightest machines we tested. Score: Very Good. See Twinhead, Page 67 The Zeos Notebook 386, at 7 pounds, 2 l h ounces, has a very manageable weight. The size — 12.3 inches by 10 inches by 2 inches — is larger than some other machines, but it is still manageable. Score: Good. See Zeos, Page 67 INFOWORLD ason is over. We created new font sizes a breeze. So your docu- Microsoff Word version uments will always hit the mark. 5.5 with a certain aim in Of course, if you do happen mind: make powerful to venture into unfamiliar territory, 5 / word processing fea- online help can lead you out of the tures easier for you to find and use. woods. Automatically 41 Which is why we’ve outfitted it with a new interface that’s both intui- tive and visual. Smartly designed pull-down menus and dia- log boxes now allow you to quickly access Word’s fa- miliar powerful features. Like dynamic tabs, pro- grammable macros, out- lining and styles. Then, to make everyone more productive, there are annotation and group document management features. But not only can you bag more features, you can also insert graphics from other applications, and preview your text on-screen before printing it out. Nothing is hidden from you. We’ve even added a handy new feature, called the ribbon. It will make tracking and applying your formats, font, and Easily and quickly create the most outstanding documents in your field. And you can do it all with a point and click. New Word 5.5 runs swiftly on virtually any PC. And because it fea- tures the emerging indus- try standard interface (CUA), you’ll have no trouble transferring your skill to other leading applications. For more informa- tion on just how simple it is to use our new Word, give us a call at (800) 541-1261, Dept. M89. ‘nat Utilities Macro Uindou Font: [Times-Roman- - - H Pts:[12 11 DC0Y.D0C 4 Our new ribbon lets you tie together anything from fonts to styles to formatting. And all it takes is just a point and click with the mouse. You’ll discover why, in the field of word processing, Microsoft Word 5.5 stands out from all the rest. Microsoft Making it all mate sense' Customers in Canada, tall (416) 673 7638. Outside North America, call (206) 9366661. C 1990 Microsoft Corporation. All rights reserved. Microsoft and the Microsoft logo an registered trademarks and Making it all make i 1 is a trademark of Microsoft Corporation PAGE SB PRODUCT COMPARISON MARCH A. 1 99 1 ALR Venture 16- 386SX (Continued) Altima NSX (Continued) Everex Tempo LX (Continued) The ALR’s battery lasted for 2 hours, 33 minutes, and 10 seconds on our tests, which put it in the middle of the pack in battery life. Score: Good. The Altima’s nickel-cadmium battery lasted only 1 hour, 20 minutes, and 54 seconds on our tests — the shortest bat- tery life we found. This time is just a few minutes above the 1 hour and 1 5 minutes we require for a satisfactory score. Score: Satisfactory. The LTE's battery lasted longer than any other in this comparison, except the Sam- sung at 3 hours, 3 minutes, and 44 se- conds. Score: Good. The Everex’s battery life of 2 hours, 36 minutes, and 48 seconds tied with the Zeos, and both systems were among the top scorers. Score: Good. The ALR Venture comes standard with 1 megabyte of RAM, expandable to 5 me- gabytes. It has a standard 20-megabyte hard drive, with a 40-megabyte option. The floppy drive is a 1 .4-megabyte inter- nal. Score: Very Good. The NSX comes standard with 2 mega- bytes of RAM, expandable to 8 mega- bytes. The system has a 20-megabyte hard drive, expandable to 60 megabytes, and a 1 .4-megabyte 3'/2-inch floppy drive. Score: Excellent. The Compaq comes standard with 2 meg- abytes of RAM, expandable to 10 meg- abytes. The standard hard disk is 30 megabytes, and there is a standard 1.4- megabyte floppy drive, as well as a 60- megabyte hard disk option. Score: Excellent. The Everex comes standard with 1 megabyte of RAM, expandable to 3 or 5 megabytes. A 20-megabyte hard disk is standard, and there is currently no larger hard disk available. Also included isa 1.4- megabyte floppy drive. Score: Good. The ALR's VGA display is 6V< inches by 5 inches by 8V2 inches and has 640-by-480 resolution. The display is somewhat small and could be bigger because there is a fair amount of unused space on the display half of the system. Although the screen is quite sharp when viewed head on, view- ing it at angles is difficult. On our screen taste tests, this system was judged to be middle of the road. Score: Satisfactory. The Venture’s keyboard is medium size and has a well-designed layout. Thd keys have a strong click and a fair amount of travel, which some users may not like. On our taste test the keyboard got mixed results: Some users loved it; some strong- ly disliked it. Score: Satisfactory. The indexed documentation for the ALR is easy to read, with multicolor headings and subheadings. The illustrations are detailed; however, the explanations are somewhat shallow. Included with the documentation is a portable guide with extra information for use on the go. Score: Good. j tiii.Lj.Lii a nm The Altima has the largest screen of any notebook in this comparison, and its font is not very bold. The NSX’s VGA card has an on-board memory of 256K, and there are 16 shades of gray at 640-by-480 resolution. The brightness and contrast controls for the VGA work wonderfully. The screen does wash out considerably from angles and is most comfortable to look at from directly in front of the ma- chine. The Altima’s display was judged to be average on our taste tests. Score: Satisfactory. The Compaq’s screen display is one of the best in this comparison. Its screen has a sharp, clear, bold, and readable look. The 16-gray-scale, VGA-compatible screen uses edgelighting. This type of lighting gives the screen very even dispersion and makes the contrast and brightness of the screen even and smooth. The screen can be viewed from virtually any angle with little or no washout. This display was one of the favorites in our taste test. Score: Good. The Altima’s 83-key keyboard has very spongy action that may be difficult to adjust to. However, the keys are full-size and the arrangement of the keyboard is very logical. The keyboard was fairly well liked on our taste tests. Score: Satisfactory. The 80-key keyboard has a very firm and tactile click. The keyboard could use some rearranging, as the cursor keys are not arranged logically. Overall, the key- board is one of the most comfortable to type on for long periods. The function keys are small and will take some adjusting to. The keyboard received middle-of-the-road ratings on our taste test. Score: Satisfactory. Timr.iLwn, Documentation for the Altima consists of a very small, indexed users' manual and a couple of DOS-related manuals. The us- ers’ manual covers most of the machine’s basics but could benefit from better illustrations. Score: Satisfactory. Compaq supplies the finest manuals and documentation of all. The documenta- tion for the LTE is clear, concise, and explicitly detailed with illustrations. There is a total of five manuals. They contain glossaries, indexes, and all the in- formation that a beginner needs to become familiar with troubleshooting. Score: Excellent. The LCD on the Tempo is very similar to the Twinhead’s. Both use the Stingray BIOS, but more importantly, they both use a rather thin font that is somewhat grainy. The resolution is clear and the screen does not wash out from angles. Members of our test panel preferred this display to several others. Score: Good. The Tempo’s 82-key keyboard has a rather soft action with long travel. Overall the keyboard action does not inhibit quick typing. The placement of the keys is logical and the cursors are arranged as they should be. Score: Satisfactory. Documentation for the Tempo includes manuals for the operating system and a separate users’ manual. The users’ man- ual does a great job, and the language is clear and easy to understand. Score: Very Good. mui'in The ALR’s floppy drive sits on the side of this system, toward the front. This allows easier access than those positioned to- ward the rear of the system. Although the contrast and brightness controls are locat- ed in plain sight, they are extremely small and very difficult to adjust. The Venture also comes with Digital Research’s DOS 5.0, which is very similar to MS-DOS. DR-DOS’ memory manage- ment is superior to DOS 4.0 1 ’s, allowing more space to load programs. Overall, the Venture includes some real ease-of-use extras. The only drawbacks are the con- trast and brightness controls. Score: Good. See ALR, Page 68 The Altima NSX is quite easy to use. and its large size may actually contribute to your ease of use, if you appreciate such extras as a full-size keyboard. The con- trols and their placement are logical. However, this system’s relatively heavy weight is an important factor in how easy you’ll find it to use. Score: Good. See Altima, Page 68 The LTE is very well balanced and can be propped on your knee for use during flight. The system’s long battery life and good-looking display should prove to be big boosts in ease of use. With outstand- ing speed performances and no real shortcomings (with the possible exception of weight), the LTE shouldn't represent trouble in day-to-day use. The LTE’s screen brightness and contrast sliders work smoothly. The flop- py drive can sometimes require extra effort to make sure the floppy is installed firmly. Score: Very Good. See Compaq, Page 68 The Tempo is easy to use and overall has all of its switches and controls in easy-to- reach areas. Everex includes contrast and brightness controls that make the screen very adjustable and easy to look at for lengthy periods. Score: Good. See Evarax, Page 68 INFOWORLD Copyrighted m MARCH A. 1 93 1 PRODUCT COMPARISON PAGE B7 Samsung Notemaster SX II T1 Travelmate 3000 II Twinhead Supernote SX (Continued) II ( Continued ) II (Continued) Zeos Notebook 386 (Continued) The Notemaster SX’s battery lasted for a very impressive 3 hours, 19 minutes, and 5 1 seconds in our tests. This time was the longest in this comparison. Score: Good. The Samsung comes standard with a 20- megabyte hard drive, expandable to 40 megabytes. There is 1 megabyte of standard RAM, expandable to 5 mega- bytes. A 1.4-megabyte floppy drive is included. Score: Very Good. The Samsung’s 640-by-480 resolution triple Supertwist, sidelit VGA LCD was one of the clearest and sharpest we saw. Its 7-by-5-by-8 '/ 2 -inch (diagonal) screen is bright and easily read at angles. It has 64 gray shades and was well liked in our taste tests. Score: Good. jui'Mi.i^Mar.ininUTT Battery life is affected by the Travelmate's CPU speed setting, which reverts to 10 MHz when on battery power. You can alter the setup routine so it will run at 20 MHz on batteries. Our battery life test at 10 MHz resulted in a time of 1 hour, 48 minutes, and 5 seconds. The 20 MHz speed resulted in only a slightly lower time of 1:32:25. Score: Satisfactory. The Twinhead’s battery life was 2 hours, 21 minutes, and 53 seconds on our tests, which put it near the middle of the pack. Score: Good. The Travelmate 3000’s 20-megabyte hard drive is not currently expandable. The system comes with a 1.4-mcgabyte floppy drive, and 2 megabytes of standard RAM are expandable to 6 megabytes. Score: Good. The Supernote SX comes standard with 2 megabytes of RAM, expandable to 4 megabytes (a lower ceiling than is found with some of the other systems). It has a standard 40-megabyte hard disk, and a 60-megabyte disk is optional. A 1 .4-meg- abyte 3'/2-inch internal floppy drive is standard. Score: Good. The Travelmate 3000 provides a 7 3 /4-by- 5 J /4-by-9 3 /4-inch (diagonal) VGA, 640-by- 480 resolution screen. This triple Supertwist screen is very clear with easy- to-read characters and 32 gray scales. The display was fairly well liked in our taste tests. Score: Good. The Supernote SX has a rather sharp screen display with a paper-white back- ground. There is a thin, somewhat grainy font, but overall the screen is quite clear and vivid even from angles. Twinhead supplies the Supernote SX with auto- switching VGA that can switch the type of display depending on your software. This display was well liked in our taste tests. Score: Good. The Zeos’ battery lasted 2 hours, 36 minutes, and 48 seconds in our tests. This tied it with the Everex Tempo, and both systems fell in the upper half of the pack for battery life. Score: Good. The Zeos comes with a 20-megabyte hard drive that is not yet expandable. This may be a significant limitation for some users. The base RAM is 1 megabyte, expand- able to 5 megabytes. A standard 1.4- megabyte floppy is included. Score: Good. The Zeos’ VGA screen measures 7'/2-by- 5V4-by-9'/2 inches (diagonal) with a resolu- tion of 640 by 480. The screen is sharp but difficult to see at some angles and proves to be a bit dark. The backlighting, which can be a necessity on those dimly lit plane trips, is only somewhat adjust- able. The Zeos displays 32 gray scales. Score: Satisfactory. The Notemaster’s keyboard has a very short key travel and a strong click. It does fall down in layout, with inlaid cursor keys, separate page up and down keys, and very small function keys. The key- board was judged to be average in our taste tests. Score: Satisfactory. The documentation for the Samsung goes into plenty of detail and is laid out with numbered subheadings and illustrations. The manual’s index is also complete. Score: Good. j4uiiM:na:<4Jini The Texas Instruments’ keyboard is very flat with a soft touch but a short key stroke. The function keys are especially small. The cursor keys sit in a diamond shape, but are undersized and there are no separate page up or down keys. This key- board got average scores in our taste test. Score: Satisfactory. The Twinhead’s 80-key keyboard has small keys and is almost an exact copy of the Compaq LTE’s keyboard. The action and keystroke on the Twinhead is far more forgiving than that of the LTE; in fact, it is quite soft and rather difficult to type on quickly because of the sluggish re- bound and long keystroke. This keyboard was judged to be about average in our taste tests. Score: Satisfactory. inii'niiuir The TI’s documentation is well laid out. The guides are printed with easy-to-read subheadings and clear, step-by-step in- structions. The books are peppered with many illustrations and charts. Also in- cluded are a glossary and very complete index. Score: Very Good. The Supernote SX comes with documen- tation for both the operating system and the machine. MS-DOS 4.01 is bundled with the Supernote SX along with user manuals for the operation of the ma- chine. The user manual is well organized and includes good illustrations that out- line the machine and its components in an easy-to-understand language. There is a glossary, and a thorough technical refer- ence, but no index. Score: Good. Ttmjpm The floppy drive for the Samsung is in the front of the machine. The brightness and contrast controls are all in plain sight where they are easily reached. The only real drawback to this system’s ease of use is the keyboard layout. Score: Good. See Samsung, Page 69 The very small size and weight of this unit makes for simple portability. Having the floppy drive in the front eliminates fumbling around when inserting floppies. The brightness and contrast controls are in plain sight, with easy-to-use controls that are not easily knocked out of adjust- ment. Score: Very Good. See Travalmate, Page 69 The Supernote SX is very easy to use, and the controls and placement of the con- trols are well thought out. At under 7 pounds, this system is lighter than some, and its display was one of the best of the group. Only relatively slow speeds might represent problems in day-to-day use. Score: Good. See Twinhead, Page 69 Although the keyboard has large keys, it also has considerably less key travel than many systems and feels slightly mushy. It is comfortable to type on. The Zeos’ keyboard was judged to be middle of the road in our taste tests. Score: Satisfactory. The Zeos’ documentation lacks detail, but is laid out in an easy-to-read format. The books are well illustrated, though they lack indexes. Score: Satisfactory. The Zeos’ mid- to large-size design gives it a comfortable, solid feel in use. The 1 .4-mcgabytc floppy drive is located on the right side, at the rear. This positioning may make it hard to find. The controls are all mounted on the side, which allows for easy access, but the contrast and brightness controls are easily bumped, and as a result often have to be readjusted. Unlike the other systems, DOS was not included with the Zeos system. The Zeos system’s lid hinge is mounted closer to the front than the hinges on the more common clamshell notebooks. This gives the lid room to open in tight spaces. Score: Satisfactory. See Zeos, Page 69 INPOWORLD PAGE 6B PRODUCT COMPARISON MARCH A, 1 99 1 ALR Venture 16-386SX g (Continued) I g Altima NSX | 1 (Continued) I | Everex Tempo LX 1 ( Continued ) m The ALR has a solid design. It has oversize hinges to keep the clamshell lid firm. The latches are tight, keeping them from coming loose when the lid is shut. There is, unfortunately, no handle with this system. Score: Good. The Altima is a bulky but well-designed machine. Attention to detail is evident on the case and its hardware. All of the controls work smoothly. The screen has very little play when adjusted and closes firmly. It can be difficult to open the cover because of the nonstandard work- ing of its latches. Score: Satisfactory. The LTE is extremely well designed. It is elegant looking, finished, and clearly a beautiful piece of technology. There is nothing about the machine that is unfin- ished or even underdone. The screen closes down snugly on the base and can be released via two spring clips located on either side of the screen. The motherboard and the frame con- struction are flawless. Score: Very Good. Workmanship on the Tempo is impres- sive, and the case and controls work smoothly. The screen closes down snugly and releases via two spring clips that are located on either side of the screen. The hinge assembly that holds the screen is firm. The motherboard is logically placed and spacious without overcrowding. Score: Very Good. There is a one-year warranty, and direct technical support is available from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. Pacific time on weekdays via a toll-free number. ALR also offers fax support. Score: Good. There is a one-year warranty on the NSX, and Altima offers toll-free technical sup- port between 8 a.m. and 6 p.m. Pacific standard time. There is also fax support. Score: Very Good. The LTE 386S/20 comes with a one-year warranty; service is provided through authorized Compaq dealers. Recently, Compaq added toll-free answers to such questions as upgrade paths and configura- tions. There will be questions that are re- ferred back to dealers. Score: Satisfactory. There is a one-year warranty on the Tempo LX. Everex also offers a 48-hour repair policy for the year that the system is covered under warranty. Technical sup- port is available 6 a.m. to 5 p.m. Pacific time, but it is not toll free. Fax support and BBS support are available. Score: Very Good. On one call to ALR’s technical support personnel, we waited more than 10 min- utes on hold, but subsequently, we re- ceived fairly prompt callbacks. We re- ceived very competent support. Score: Satisfactory. Altima’s technical support personnel were courteous and eager to help. We got through to them easily and found their knowledge of the system to be extensive. Score: Very Good. According to results from an InfoWorld survey on technical support for Compaq's laptop line, users are generally pleased with the technical support they receive from Compaq dealers. Score: Very Good. We contacted technical support on two occasions. On the first try, our question was answered quickly. On the second occasion, when asking the technician if CMOS setup could be accessed directly from a combination keystroke, the tech- nician was not familiar enough with the machine to give a quick and decisive response. Score: Satisfactory. The ALR Venture notebook is $2,795 with a 20-megabyte hard disk, which makes it an outstanding bargain, especial- ly because even lower street prices can be found. The display on this system was judged to fall short of some of the other systems in our in-house taste tests, but overall, this system was an impressive competitor. Score: Very Good. ALR Venture 16-386SX Company: Advanced Logic Research Inc., 9401 Jeronimo, Irvine. CA 92718: (714) 581-6770. List Price: $2,795 (as configured). Features: 80386SX, 16-MHz CPU; 2 se- rial ports: one parallel port: one VGA monitor port: one external keyboard port; 640-by-480 resolution LCD; 80387 coprocessor support. Options: 80387 coprocessor; external fax/modem module (shipping soon): ex- ternal hard drive (shipping soon); 20- megabyte hard disk, expandable to 40 megabytes; 1 megabyte of RAM, ex- pandable to 5 megabytes. Pros: Inexpensive; disk-intensive speed second only to 20-MHz systems. Cons: Less expandable RAM than some. Summary: An Inexpensive, midrange per- former on most of our tests. At $3,499. the Altima NSX is priced above some other comparable notebooks, but is much less expensive than the Compaq. This machine is about as large and heavy as notebooks get, but if you prefer large displays and full-size key- boards. the extra weight may be justified. Score: Satisfactory. PRODUCT SUMMARY Altima NSX Company: Altima Systems Inc., 1390 Willow Pass Road. Suite 1050. Concord, CA 94520; (415) 356-5600. List Price: $3,499. Features: 80386SX processor; 83-key keyboard: VGA-compatible backlit LCD; built-in 2,400-bit-per-second modem; one serial and one parallel port. Options: External 514-inch floppy drive; 80387SX coprocessor; 6 megabytes of additional RAM, in addition to 2 mega- bytes standard; external numeric keypad; 1.4-megabyte 3W -inch floppy drive; 20-megabyte hard disk standard with a 60-megabyte hard disk option. Pros: Quality design; expandable. Cons: Extremely heavy for a notebook; large; shortest battery life. Summary: This system's large display and keyboard may compensate for its extremely heavy weight and its large size. The 386S/20 is powerful, but you pay for it. The base system with a 30-megabyte hard disk is $6,499; the 60-megabyte hard disk model costs $6,999. You can find street prices up to 50 percent lower, but these list prices are daunting for a port- able system. If you can afford one, though, this notebook is an outstanding machine. Score: Good. PRODUCT SUMMARY Compaq LTE 386S/20 Company: Compaq Computer Corp., 20555 State Highway 249, Houston, TX 77070; (800) 231-0900. List Price: $6,499 (30-megabyte hard disk); $6,999 (60-megabyte hard disk). Features: 20-MHz 80386SX CPU; one serial, one parallel, one mouse port; 2,400-bit-per-second internal modem; 1 6-gray-scale. VGA-compatible, 640-by- 480 resolution Supertwist flat-panel LCD. Options: 2 megabytes of RAM, expand- able to 10 megabytes; 1.4-megabyte 3W-lnch floppy drive (external 1 .2-mega- byte or 360K 5 % -inch drive optional); Conner IDA 30-megabyte 2W-inch hard disk (60-megabyte drive optional). Pros: Fastest; impressive battery life: top screen readability. Cons: The most expensive system. Summary: Like its predecessors in the LTE series, this 386SX-based system is well designed, powerful, and fast. At $2,999, the Tempo LX is an impres- sive bargain. Its hard disk is 20 megabytes and you can’t go higher than that yet (Everex plans to offer a 40-megabyte option soon), but if you’re willing to tolerate that limitation, this machine is a great choice. It’s also backed by impres- sive support policies, including Everex’s 48-hour repair policy. Score: Very Good. Everex Tempo LX Company: Everex Systems Inc., 48431 Milmont Drive, Fremont, CA 94538; (800) 821-0806. List Price: $2,999. Features: 80386SX; coprocessor sup- port (80387SX); VGA-compatible, 640- by-480 resolution, 16-gray-scale backlit LCD; 82-key keyboard. Options: 80387SX coprocessor; internal 2,400-bit-per-second modem; additional battery packs: 1 ,4-megabyte 3 Vi-Inch floppy dnve; 1 megabyte RAM standard, expandable to 5 megabytes; 20-mega- byte Connor IDE hard disk (no other hard disk options yet). Pros: Impressive 48-hour repair policy; sharp, readable screen; logical place- ment of controls; relatively inexpensive. Cons: Not very expandable. Summary: This inexpensive system didn't fall down significantly on any tests. INFOWORLD MARCH A, 1931 PRODUCT COMPARISON PAGE 69 The Samsung’s case, hinges, and switches are rugged. Its major design drawback is the power supply DIN plug; it has seven very small pins that are easily bent. The power supply itself was also imperfect. On two separate units, the “quick charge" light would not go out. The units were charged over a two-day period and were found, regardless of the indicator light, to have a complete charge. Score: Satisfactory. MMRHBHREBZI The Travelmate 3000 is quite solid. The double-hinge clamshell design keeps the lid steady. The controls are tight and we found no rattles. Unfortunately, there is no handle provided. Score: Good. Twinhead Supernote SX (Continued) Workmanship on the Twinhead is quite impressive. All of the machine’s controls work in smooth increments, the mother- board is free of rework, the screen has very little play and settles once adjusted. All of the latches for the battery' and the I/O ports close snugly. The only detri- ment to the system is the flush screen opening latch, which requires a firm grip on the machine to properly force inward. Score: Good. Zeos Notebook 386 (Continued) The workmanship on the Zeos is quite impressive. We found it to be a sturdy unit. The system’s dual-hinge design is quite stable, and the cover is solid. The handle has a simple design that we appre- ciated. Score: Very Good. Samsung offers free, toll-free technical support during West Coast business hours. The Notemaster comes with a one- year warranty, and both fax and BBS sup- port are offered. Score: Very Good. The Travelmate 3000 comes with a one- year warranty, and Texas Instruments of- fers direct, toll-free support. There is also fax and bulletin board support. Score: Very Good. Free, toll-free technical support is avail- able for Twinhead systems. There is a one-year warranty with the system. Score: Good. Zeos has outstanding support policies, with a 30-day money-back guarantee, a one-year warranty and 24-hour direct technical support. These kinds of support extras are not even offered by many top software vendors; such extras from a hardware company are impressive. Score: Excellent. maaH.iii'iJcn Technicians from Samsung called back promptly, and we received fairly compe- tent support. Score: Satisfactory. We didn't get through to technicians immediately on our calls to T1 and had to wait for callbacks, but we did get competent support when we got through. Score: Satisfactory. We contacted technical support on two occasions and had questions answered quickly by knowledgeable technicians. Our second call required a call back, which came in 15 minutes, from a techni- cian who knew a lot about the machine. Score: Very Good. On our calls to Zeos’ support personnel, we got through fairly promptly but it took technicians a relatively long time to answer our questions. Score: Satisfactory. The Notemaster costs $3,999 for a system with a 20-mcgabytc hard disk. The system with the 40-megabyte hard disk is $4,499. These prices are relatively high, but the Samsung was also an impressive performer with the longest battery life. Score: Good. PRODUCT SUMMARY Samsung Notemaster SX Company: Samsung Information Sys- tems, 3655 N. First St.. San Jose. CA 95134-1708; (408) 434-5400. List Price: $3,999. Features: 16-MHz 80386SX CPU; one serial and one parallel port; external VGA monitor port; external numeric keypad connector; PS/2 mouse connec- tor; triple Supertwist LCD; 80387 copro- cessor support. Options: 2,400-blt-per-second (bps) modem card; 9,600-bps send-only fax/modem card; external numeric key pad; 1 megabyte of RAM standard, ex- pandable to 5 megabytes; 20-megabyte hard drive (optional 40-megabyte drive); 1 .4-megabyte. 316-Inch floppy. Pros: Longest battery life; impressive CPU-intensive speeds: better-than-aver- age display. Cons: Relatively expensive. Summary: This system's battery life and display are its best points and it didn't fall down in any significant way. The 20-megabyte Travelmate 3000 costs $5,499; a 40-megabyte system is $5,999. These prices nearly rival the Compaq LTE’s high prices and may be prohibitive for some buyers. You can definitely find less expensive notebooks, but the Travel- mate 3000 was a solid performer and is very small and light. Score: Good. PRODUCT SUMMARY Texas Instruments Travelmate 3000 Company: Texas Instruments Inc., P.O. Box 202230. ITG-065. Austin. TX 78720-2230; (800) 527-3500. List Price: $5,499 (20-megabyte sys- tem): $5,999 (40-megabyte system). Features: 20-MHz 80386SX CPU; one parallel and one serial port; one external VGA monitor port; external numeric keypad port; illuminated supertwist LCD; 80387 coprocessor support. Options: Internal 2,400-bit-per-second modem: numeric keypad: 20-megabyte hard drive (40-megabyte option); 2 me- gabytes of RAM standard, expandable to 8 megabytes; 1.4-megabyte, 316-inch floppy dnve. Pros: Fast (due to 20-MHz clock); very light and compact; expandable RAM; im- pressive support policies. Cons: Relatively expensive. Summary: This is an extremely light ma- chine that was almost as fast as the Compaq system, also a 20-MHz system. The Supernote SX costs $3,495 with its 40-megabyte hard disk and with 2 megabytes of RAM. This is a fairly inexpensive price relative to the other notebooks, especially since the hard disk is larger than some. We were impressed with this system, but it didn't perform as well as the others in our speed tests. Score: Satisfactory. PRODUCT SUMMARY Twinhead Supernote SX Company: Twinhead Corp., 1537 Centre Polnte Drive, Milpitas, CA 95035; (408) 945-0808. Ust Price: $3,495. Features: 80C386SX 16-MHz CPU; co- processor support (80C387SX); VGA- compatible, 640-by-480 resolution up to 32 gray shades; backlit LCD: 80-key keyboard. Options: 80C387SX coprocessor; spare nickel-cadmium battery; pocket fax/ modem; pocket Ethernet LAN adapter; external 5% -Inch floppy disk drive; ex- ternal numeric keypad; 1 2-volt auto DC/DC adapter; 1.4-megabyte. 316-inch floppy drive; 2 megabytes of RAM stan- dard expandable to 4 megabytes; 40- megabyte hard disk. 60-megabyte hard disk option; Smart Charge. Pros: Good-looking screen; light weight. Cons: Slowest performer on both CPU- and disk-intensive tests. Summary: The slowest system in this comparison does have a top-quality dis- play. The Zeos only costs $2,295 with a 20- megabyte hard disk and 1 megabyte of RAM. That gives it the lowest price of the notebooks we tested. We found it to be fairly average in most signif cant areas of testing, but we were extremely pleased with Zeos’ support policies, which are the best of the group (including direct, 24- hour technical support). Its support policies combined with its low price make it an outstanding value. Score: Excellent. PRODUCT SUMMARY Zeos Notebook 386 Company: Zeos International Ltd. 530 5th Ave., St. Paul, MN 55112; (800) 423-5891 (order); (612) 633-4591. List Price: $2,295 (20-megabyte hard disk). Features: 16-MHz 80386SX CPU; one parallel and one serial port; one external video port; 640-by-480 backlit LCD: 80387 socket. Options: Internal 2,400-blt-per-second modem; math coprocessor; DOS 4.01: 20-megabyte hard disk, not expandable; 316-inch, 1 .4-megabyte floppy: 1 mega- byte system RAM expandable to 5 me- gabytes. Pros: Inexpensive; sleek look and de- sign; backed by superior support policies that include 24-hour phone support; fair- ly long battery life. Cons: Relatively slow disk-intensive speeds; fewer expandability options than some other systems offer. Summary: The most inexpensive system we looked at is a sleek-looking, well- constructed product. Perfonnanoe That Draws Rave Reviews "One that stood out from the crowd, however, was the AST Premium Exec . . a lot of notebook for the money, and easily upgradable, too." — New \fork Times. Nov 20, 1990 'AST's new portable is going to hit a home run. It covers all the bases with its excellent screen quality, great weight and unbelievably low price” — Computer Reseller News. Nov. 26, 1990 "Loaded with desk- toplike features, AST's bargain-priced Premium Exec line brings you the best of 386SX and 286 notebook technology" >‘-n: world. Feb 1991 "AST blasted the competition's inflated with two new (^prices ■ offerings . . to compete head-on with Compaq, “Toshiba and TL" — U-mposis Report on IVrsonal Computing, Nov. 19 1 AST's new Premium* Exec " has stolen the show. Critics say it's . . the first If I notebook computer, with features simi- f I / ' ar to Com P ac l’ s model but at a price tag ILl# half the size." * And that it has ". . . bet- uaums ter features, such as a faster processor and more main memory than its counterpart from Toshiba . . yet costs $2,000 less."* * What makes the Premium Exec 386SX so pow- erful is its 386SX processor, 20 MHz speed and up to 8 MB of RAM. So it delivers the high per- formance you need for memory-intensive pro- grams like Windows 3.0. AST's other star, the Premium Exec 286/12, features 286-based pro- cessing that upgrades easily to 386SX power. Both Premium Exec models feature crisp graphics and a spacious keyboard, so you can work for hours without eye strain or finger fatigue The Premium Exec can go on the road with you, tucked away in your briefcase Yet it's versatile enough to function as your primary desktop com- puter too, with ports to connect to a full-size VGA monitor, keyboard, and mouse And to complete the ensemble, AST offers many portable options from modems to memory, chargers to keypads. AST’s service doesn't play second fiddle to any- one. All of our award-winning support programs extend to the Premium Exec. Plus, we've added a new option called ExeCare™ that guarantees you service on your Premium Exec within 24 hours. For a grand finale . . . the Premium Exec 386SX/ 20 costs $2000 - $3500 less than competitors. Clearly, it's curtains for Compaq, Toshiba and other higher-priced notebooks. AST's Premium Exec has taken center stage For more informa- tion, call 1-80O-876-4AST •Wall Street Journal. Dec 26.1990 * 'Daniel Benton. Goldman, Sachs 4 Co , PC Week, December 10. 1990. AST markets product! worldwide, ouutde of the United States And Canada call AST International on (714) 727-9292 or It* to (714) 727-9360 AST u a supplier lo U S government agencies, General Service Contract Number GSOOKB9AGS64IH- PS0I AST. AST logo and Premium registered, Lire and ExeCare trademarks AST Research. Inc All other brand and product names are trademarks or registered trademarks of their respective companies Copyright 0 1991 AST Research. Inc All rights reserved AST PREMIUM EXEC 386SX/20 COMPAQ HE 3861/20 TOSHIBA T2000SX Sue 9x114x225* 85x11x225’ 122x10x19* Weight (lbs.) 7 3 75 69 CPU Speed 20MH2 20MHf 16 MH/ Hard Drive (Models) 20 MB/40 MB/GO MB 30 MB/60 MB 20 MB/40 MB Display Resolution 640x480 VGA 640x480 VGA 640x480 VGA Gray Shades 32 16 16 Software Included DOS, Lapknk HIT Battery Watch' None DOS Price* $2995 $6499 $4999 •Manufacturer's suggested list pnees. 1/31/91, COMPUTERS The Power Of Ch^i^ MARCH 4.1991 PAGE ~ 7 1 IMPRESSIONS i odui i Sei < ice Fi le Haintenarn e Frayer PC Consulting Type Product I Parent Account I Purchase Information Unit Fractions 1 Cost Account List Price 0.OO( Discount Uendor Locat ion Negative Stock ? Ho Physical Inventory in Purchases; Units Sales Information Unit Fract ion 1 Sales Acct. Sales Price Q.0( Discount A UK Average Cost Last P. Price Standard Cost On-Hand $ On-Hand Units Received Assigned Available On Order Hinimun Reorder Taxable ? Ves Purchases Units Purchases Dollars Sales Units Sales Dollars FIRST LOOK ■ By Michael J. Miller Toshiba Has Strong Entrant in 386SX Notebook PC Arena I continue to be amazed by the rap- id progress in por- table computer de- velopment. Just over a year ago, about the best you could expect in a battery-powered notebook computer was an 8086 processor and a floppy disk drive. Today, so many vendors have introduced notebook-size computers with 386SX processors, VGA displays, and internal hard disks that it’s become a category unto itself. Just breaking into the 386SX note- book category is Toshiba, which probably has the most complete line of portable computers out there. I’ve recently looked at a prerelease unit, and found it to be a solid, if not surprising, performer — with one new innovation. Like most machines in the category, the T2000SX comes with a VGA display, I megabyte of memory standard, a 3'/i- inch floppy disk drive, and an internal hard disk. The machine I used had a 20- megabyte hard disk; the system will also be available in a 40-megabyte version. At 6.9 pounds, this system is competitive with most of the class; only the Texas Instruments Travelmate 3000 is signifi- cantly lighter. It measures 12.2 inches by 10 inches by 1 .9 inches, which makes it a bit larger, but a bit thinner, than the Compaq 386s/20, which may be its most direct competitor. The machine has a 16-MHz 386SX, which is fast enough for most tasks but is not as speedy as the 20-MHz version used in the Compaq and T1 laptops. Also, unlike those machines, it only comes with 1 megabyte of RAM standard, although you can add a memory card with an additional 1. 2, 4, or 8 megabytes, just as you could with Toshiba’s earlier note- books. The Toshiba ran most applications quite well. Unfortunately, the machine I tried had only a 20 -megabyte hard disk and 1 megabyte of memory. (I say only, but I do remember that last year that seemed like quite a lot in a 7-pound machine.) This is enough to run applica- tions such as Windows in real mode, but I suspect that anyone who really wants to run Windows will want to run it in stan- dard mode, with at least 2 megabytes of RAM and a 40-megabyte hard drive. As with most of the machines in Toshiba’s lineup. I found the keyboard on the T2000SX to be rather nice. I like both the feel and the layout, which includes 12 function keys and the arrow keys in the standard inverted “T” shape rather than the “L” shape used in some competitive models. The sidelit LCD panel offers VGA resolution of 640 by 480 with 16 gray scales, and measures 6.8 inches by 5.1 inches by 8'/2 inches, which places it in the middle of the pack. In general, 1 found it to be very sharp and quite readable. Mouse tracking on an LCD is never as good as it is on a CRT screen, but it seemed pretty responsive, even in appli- cations such as Microsoft Windows. The basic machine comes with a parallel and a serial port, plus a connec- tion for an external VGA monitor, and one for an internal modem. I was unable to test a new 2,400-bit-per-second modem, which supports advanced error correction protocols and connections to cellular telephones. Like the Compaq machine, Toshiba will make available a docking station that contains two full-size slots plus two serial ports and one parallel port. This Desk Station II has a list price of $1,199. Toshiba also sells an external 5 '/ 4 -inch floppy disk drive. Probably the most unusual aspect of the machine, though, is invisible to most users; it’s the battery technology. This is the first notebook I’ve seen that uses nickel-hydride batteries rather than the nickel-cadmium batteries used in most portable machines. This battery technol- ogy has several advantages: one is imme- diately apparent; the other benefit will take some time to show up. To begin with, Toshiba says the new battery has 22 percent more power capacity per pound than nickel-cadmium batteries, and they recharge rather quickly — with 1 x h hours required to fully charge, the battery will last about 3 hours. The other differ- ence in this battery technology is that it supposedly doesn’t show the “battery memory” effect, which shortens the battery life of nick- el-cadmium batter- ies unless they are completely dis- charged and re- charged regularly. With a list price of $4,999 for the 20- megabyte version and $5,499 for the 40-megabyte ver- sion, plus $549 for an additional mega- byte of RAM (which you will want if you want to run Win- dows), the T2000 SX has a list price below the Compaq system, competitive with the T1 Travelmate 3000, and well above the prices of most other compara- ble notebooks. For this cost, you get a solid, well-built machine with a nice display and a great keyboard. This solid system is a welcome addition to the field of 386SX notebooks. Toshiba America Information Sys- tems Inc., Computer Systems Division, W ith Dac Easy. Mexican business- man J. M. Hurtado created a capable accounting system that is enormously successful because of its ease of use and low cost. Now Hurtado, who sold Dac Easy and left to start M-USA Business Systems, is once again flying in the face of conventional software marketing practices by selling a LAN-based accounting package for only $49.95. Pacioli 2000 (named after Luca Paci- oli, a 1 5th century Italian monk credited with inventing double-entry accounting) has a lot going for it. A smooth blend of eight accounting modules in one pro- gram, Pacioli 2000 approaches computer- ized accounting with a refreshingly modem style. It replaces traditional full- screen menus with pull-down, pop-up, and text windows. You can use the keyboard or a mouse to make menu selec- tions. Accounting operations with similar methods use the same screen forms. For example, you use the same form to pre- pare purchase orders as you do invoices. If you forget an account number, a function key lets you browse through the accounts until you find the one you want. 9740 Irvine Blvd.. Irvine. CA 92718; (800) 334-3445. First Look examines new personal com- puter products before they have been through a formal review. Miller dis- cusses other products each week on the Business Radio Network's “Computing Success." Sundays. 1 p.m. to 3 p.m. Pacific time. You can even add an account on the fly. Pacioli 2000 offers nine password levels and will support as many users as your network permits, using both file and record locking. There are no multiuser or site-licensing fees. The program will keep the books for up to 999 businesses, with as many as 36 open accounting periods each. Pacioli has many of the same draw- backs as Dac Easy Accounting. It does not include any printer drivers. You must manually enter nonstandard control codes for condensed and expanded print. At first, Pacioli did not include a payroll module; neither does Dac Easy. Now you can order an add-on payroll module for the price of shipping and handling charges. Ironically, the biggest drawback to Pacioli may be the expense of forms. Though Pacioli 2000 itself is extremely inexpensive, it virtually requires you to purchase preprinted forms for invoices and merchandise receipts, unlike other accounting packages. M-USA Business Systems Inc., 18111 Preston Road, Suite 500, Dallas, TX 75252: (800) 345-4243. — Alan Frayer The T2000SX is a quite expandable system; up to 8 mega- bytes of RAM can be installed. Pacioli 2000 offers nine password levels and will support as many users as your network permits, with both file and record locking. Pacioli 2000 Offers Myriad Accounting Operations in an Unconventional Package INFOWORLD PAGE 72 IMPRESSIONS ■ mu i in Ask Me 2000: An Accessible Authoring System T hough multimedia has become a hot topic only recently, companies such as ICS have been developing multi- media products since 1988. ICS offers two multimedia authoring systems for DOS-based PCs: Ask Me 2000 and Ask Me Professional, which is geared to- ward serious developers of multimedia. For this impression, we took a look at Ask Me 2000. Version 2.02, which retails for $495 (compared to the professional ver- sion’s less-accessible price of $ 1 ,795). As a beta test site for Microsoft Corp.’s multimedia version of Windows, ICS is also at work on a Windows 3.0 version of Ask Me for release later this year. They plan to preview the Windows version at spring Comdex, in Atlanta, the week of May 20. Ask Me 2000 lets you create presenta- tions that can include text, color graphics, music, voice, still-motion video, anima- tions, and other eye- and ear-catching details. (You must purchase Ask Me Where to get an earful next Sunday. Tune in to the Business Radio Network each Sunday at one o'clock (PST), for "Computing Success" hosted by Thom Foulks. InfoWorld is the exclusive high tech news source for this popular talk show. Every week, you'll hear horn Michael J. Miller, InfoWorld editor-in-chief and other InfoWorld editors reporting industry and product news. Your local network affiliate is: Huntsville/Decatur/Florence WVNN-AM 770 Phoenix KFNN-AM 1510 Tucson KNST-AM 940 San Diego KCEO-AM 1000 Denver KNUS-AM 710 Colorado Springs/Pueblo KCBR-AM 1040 Danbury WLAD-AM 800 Hartford/New Haven WXCT-AM 1220 Washington WPGC-AM 1580 Ft Myers/Naples WDCQ-AM 1200 Miami/ Boca Raton WSBR-AM 740 Orlando/Daytona Beach/ Melbourne WBZS-AM 1270 Tampa/SL Petersburg WTKN-AM 570 Atlanta WFOM-AM 1230 Augusta WNTA-AM 1550 Macon WYGO-AM 1120 Honolulu KGIJ-AM 760 Chicago WNVRAM 1030 Kansas City KBEA-AM 1480 Baton Rouge WIBR-AM 1300 New Orleans WT1X-AM 690 Boston WMEX-AM 1150 Springfield WSPR-AM 1270 Portland/Poland Spring Minneapolis/St. Paul KJJO-AM 950 Jackson WJXN-AM 1450 St. Louis WCEO-AM 590 Charlotte WSTP-AM 1490 Raleigh-Durham WNBRAM 1460 Albuquerque KM BA AM 1050 Las Vegas KVEG-AM 840 Albany /Schenectady /T roy WPTR-AM 1540 Buffalo WWKB-AM 1520 Cincinnati WCVG-AM 1320 Cleveland WHK-AM 1420 Grand Rapids/ Kalamazoo/ Youngstown Battle Creek WFNV-AM WGRD-AM 1410 Traverse City/Cadillac VVMKTAM 1270 Oklahoma City KPRW-AM 1140 Tulsa KSKS-AM 1430 Portland KBNP-A.M 1410 Johnstown/Altoona WHUM-FM Harrisburg/York/ Lancaster/Lebanon WWII-AM 720 Pittsburgh WEEPAM 1080 Greenville/ Spartanburg/ Asheville WPCI AM 1490 Knoxville WUTK-AM 850 Nashville Austin KWVVB-AM 1530 Dallas/Ft. Worth KDBN-.AM 1480 Houston KSEV-AM 700 Salt Lake City KMGR-AM 1230 Norfolk/Portsmouth/ Newport News/Hampton WXRI-FM 107.7 Richmond WRBN-AM 1540 Roanoke/Lynchburg WJJJ-AM 1260 Seattle/Tacoma KEZX-AM 1150 Spokane KSBN AM 1230 Wenatchee KWWW-AM 1340 Charleston/ Huntington WNST-AM 1600 Mexico City VIP-FM Cancun HNUC-FM 105.1 Netherland Antilles PJF1 AM 1410 PJF2-FM 93.9 INFO WORLD MARCH 4,1991 Professional to get support for full-mo- tion video.) The Ask Me environment doesn’t offer any image creation tools, but you can import object-oriented or bit- mapped graphics and manipulate them, such as adding fill patterns, changing col- ors. etc. You can also import Autodesk Animator and 3D Studio FLI files and manipulate them. Ask Me 2000 supports a wide variety of sound boards, including Creative Labs’ Sound Blaster card. The program pro- vides an interface to the various boards that includes MIDI (musical interface digital interface) support. For creating scripts that link together all the pieces of your presentation. Ask Me 2000 supplies its proprietary author- ing language, Stratos, which uses such English-language commands as Show and Speak. ICS provides 100 Stratos com- mands and 32 special effects, including such transition effects as sparkle, pour, and diagonal. Every Ask Me 2000 application that you create is essentially a database file; by linking these files together with Stratos, you can create an interactive multimedia application. To distribute your presenta- tions, you must purchase ICS’ $195 Ask Me Display application. In addition to providing you with a license to distribute unlimited copies of your presentations. Ask Me Display includes a utility, App- scan, which will scan your presentation and create a list of the executable and image and sound files you used, as well as set up your master disk. It also includes a self-modifying installation program that enables users to easily and quickly install your application. The tools in Ask Me 2000 are decent, though you won’t mistake your Ask Me 2000 presentations for those you can make with more powerful tools such as Aim Tech’s more expensive Icon Author, or the Authorware system on the Macin- tosh. If you wish to create presentations of that caliber, you should consider Ask Me Professional. But the still-video, graphics, and sound tools in Ask Me 2000 work fairly intuitively, despite the fact that no one has yet set the standards for how mul- timedia applications are supposed to operate. Ask Me 2000 can be used by someone who has never designed a computer- based presentation before. The documen- tation is a little thin, but with enough practice, you’ll get the hang of it. In the hands of a more experienced multimedia person. Ask Me 2000 can really shine. However, to pull off some fancy effects, you’ll need some programming experi- ence, because the Stratos language de- mands a competent master. ICS is currently at work on an update to Ask Me 2000; the most significant enhancements to Version 2.2 will be a custom menu generator and the capabili- ty to import and export blocks of Stratos commands between the different Ask Me applications. Ask Me 2000 isn’t a replacement for business graphics, spreadsheet, drawing and painting, or personal programming software. Instead, the application func- tions as a meeting place for the products of all of these kinds of software, where they can be combined into a single unified presentation. ICS, 2534 26th Ave. S.. Fargo, ND 58103; (701) 293-1004. — Don Crabb Impressions are brief looks by InfoWorld staff and reviewers at newly announced and released products. Copyrighted material 50 % New Customers 509c Repeat Customers & Referrals Ted Main, (Men at 2000 President You know the saying. "What goes around comes around." It usually refers to nastiness coming hack to haunt the nasty. But justice works both ways. When a company clearly offers the best value in the personal computer industry, word travels fast. And what goes around comes around as skyrocketing sales for that company. That company is Gateway 2000. Inc. magazine listed Gateway 2000 as the second fastest-growing private company in America during 1990. The company's growth is fueled by a satisfied customer base. Satisfied customers buy again. Satisfied customers tell their friends and colleagues. That’s why 50% of Gateway's sales come from repeat purchases and referrals. “We built our business on value." said Ted Waitt. Gateway 2000 President. “Good prices on quality systems with old-fashioned, personal service. In the beginning, most of our sales came from individuals and small businesses." he said. “But now that Gateway is a major player in the PC industry, we're selling to many large corporations, too - including 78 out of 100 Fortune 100 companies. After all. corporate America likes a good buy as well as the next guy." Give us a call and find out why companies like yours are forsaking the traditional brands and coming around to Gateway 2000! 25X1 HZ 456 " VGA 33X1 HZ 356'" VGA MY 386SX 12MHZ286VGA I 64K Cache RAM I 8 MB RAM 1 1.2 MB 5.25" Drive I 1.44 MB 3.5" Drive I 200 MB 1 5ms IDE Drive with 64K Multi-Segmented Cache I 16 Bit VGA with I MB I 14" Gateway Crystal Scan I024NI Color VGA Monitor I I Parallel/2 Serial Ports I 101 Key Keyboard ■ MS DOS 3.3 or 4.01 I MS WINDOWS 3.0 $3995.00 1 64K Cache RAM 1 4 MB RAM 1 1.2 MB 5.25" Drive 1 1.44 MB 3.5" Drive 1 200 MB 15ms IDE Drive with 64K Multi-Segmented Cache I 16 Bit VGA with I MB I 14" Gateway Cry stal Scan I024NI Color VGA Monitor I I Parallel/2 Serial Ports 1 101 Key Keyboard I MS DOS 3.3 or 4.01 I MS WINDOWS 3.0 $3195.C ■ 64K Cache RAM ■ 4 MB RAM ■ 1.2 MB 5.25" Drive ■ 1.44 MB 3.5" Drive ■ 80MB 1 7ms IDE Drive with 32K Cache ■ 16 Bit VGA with I MB ■ 14" Gateway Crystal Scan I024NI Color VGA Monitor ■ I Parallel/2 Serial Ports ■ 101 Key Keyboard ■ MS DOS 3.3 or 4.01 ■ MS WINDOWS 3.0 ■ 4 MB RAM ■ 1.2 MB 5.25" Drive ■ 1.44 MB 3.5" Drive ■ 40MB 17ms IDE Drive with 32K Cache ■ 16 Bit VGA with 5I2K ■ 14" Gateway Crystal Scan 1024 Color VGA Monitor ■ I Parallel/2 Serial Ports ■ 101 Key Keyboard ■ MS DOS 3.3 or 4.01 ■ MS WINDOWS 3.0 I 80286-12 Processor I I MB RAM I 1.2 MB 5.25" Drive I 1.44 MB 3.5" Drive 140 MB 17ms IDE Drive w ith 32K Cache 1 16 Bit VGA with 5 1 2K I 14" Gateway Cry stal Scan 1024 Color VGA Monitor I I Parallel/2 Serial Ports 1101 Key Keyboard I MS DOS 3.3 or 4.01 $2695.00 $1895.00 $1495.00 I Same configuration as 25MH/ 386 Cache, without cache. GATEWW2O00 $2395.00 " Ynu've gni a fnemt in the business Ml prices are subject to change. Prices <l<> not include shipping. 3X9 and 4X9 are trademarks of Intel Corporation. 8 0 0 - 5 2 3 - 2 0 0 0 610 Gateu j\ Dmv • V Sioux Cits. SD 57IU9 • 605-232-2000 • Fax 605-232-2023 Uafcton Toolkit for Wintow^PM ©U*. t> $ UJa. ur&ilafao pt^r nmr-tor jtyor St PW trw«ii£Ui6LC>*’. P*w©1K mtf tt> use fccnp*^ ia**tMge ttonUtSU-lCLD* ....__, . _ _ _ 0*»*>«u a«4U (^o^to/ns.CAj'd** u.-*ed 4*U cxrrr^rvo'TXXaX ap«&u>«*w» £xrvr<i*cr •NoMyPrx**.'6&<rrA vlFsfl^ML • jTi Aaiiceya: Rio- * 9 Corr^QSc MUrtO> »<UOi72 5^3^SS=r Copyrighted material Windows Shopper Now Available Weekly in InfoWorld. INFO WORLD You’re only pages away from the latest display of Windows products. Turn to the InfoWorld Windows Shopper every week in our classified section and, at a glance, you can find out what’s new on die Windows market MARCH A. 1 991 PAGE 75 BUYER’S ADVISORY ANSWER LINE - By Brett Glass 486 'Burst-Mode’ Can Pack A Wallop, But Do You Need It? Question: Could you tell me something about the merits of "burst- mode ' ' technology and whether some systems being sold now have this feature? I've heard it accounts for thousands of dollars of difference in the price of a system. Name Withheld Response: The Intel 486 chip has a special way of accessing memory — called burst mode — which lets it do four rapid-fire memory accesses in as many cycles of the processor clock. Because the i486 is a 32-bit microprocessor, a burst- mode read pulls 16 bytes of code or data into the i486’s internal cache all at once. This is a very quick way to access mem- ory; however, many motherboards aren’t fast enough to support it. According to veteran motherboard designer Joe Qua of Arche Technologies, the RAM — usually part of an external cache — needs to have an access time of no more than 20 nanoseconds. Such fast RAM increases the price of the motherboard, so many vendors forgo burst mode and use slower parts instead. Is it worth the money to buy a motherboard that supports burst mode? As always, it depends on your applica- tion. The i486’s internal cache already does a good job of keeping the micropro- cessor fed with data, so the best external cache probably won’t increase perfor- mance by more than a few percent under DOS. But if you’re running demanding system software (such as Unix) that stresses the CPU’s internal cache, burst mode may be a worthwhile feature. Question: My AUTOEXEC.BAT file copies all of my smaller programs, utilities, and batch files to a 1 -megabyte RAM disk and sets the path so that everything looks at the RAM disk first, thereby executing faster than off the 150- megabvte hard disk. My problem is I can ‘t get COMMASD.COM for DOS 3.30 to work from the R.4M disk, even if I copy it there. Is there any way to have COMMAND.COM always execute from a RAM disk? Name Withheld Response: Changing your path isn’t enough to make DOS look elsewhere for its command interpreter, you also need to change a DOS environment variable called COMSPEC. To do this, put in your autoexec.bat the command: SET COMSPEC- X:\COMMAND.COM (where X is the letter of your RAM disk). Just to be safe, place this line after the lines that create the RAM disk and copy COMMAND.COM to it. Also modify your path (as you have been) so that the RAM drive comes before anything else. DOS (and applications that "shell out” to DOS properly) should look forcOMMAND.coM on the RAM disk from then on. Question: / recently purchased a 386 PC that works fine except that whenever I write to a low-density 360 K 5'A-inch diskette. I cannot read the diskette on my old XT-class Epson Equity. Is there anything I can do to transfer data to the old PC for testing and to exchange with other XT-class user? Hank Heyman Response: Writing to a low-density disk with a high-density drive is a risky business; the high-density drive writes narrow tracks that not all 360K drives can read. My recommendation: Install a 360K drive on any machine that needs to write to low-density disks. Such drives usually sell for $50 or so and will save you many disk-incompatibility headaches. Question: Several people at my loca- tion are trying to run two printers (usually an HP LaserJet II and an HP PaintJet) from a single computer. There is confu- sion as to how to do this with reasonable ease and cost. HP advises not to use any switch — mechanical or electronic. They say voltage spikes upon switching can wipe out the printer input. Our local dealer says that they do it all the time without problem. Is there a way to do this - short of buying a $500 black box? Roger Daisley Response: Older HP laser printers have been known to burn up if attached to switches, though the new ones don’t seem to have this problem. Still, the best way to handle a situation such as yours is not to use a switch at all. Why not give each printer its own port? A second parallel port can be had for as little as $20 from many retailers, and an IBM PC or compatible will accept up to three of them. You can also use a serial port to drive any printer with a serial interface. If you go this route, read the documentation on the mode command in your DOS manual to find out how to assign a printer name (LPT1, 2, or 3) to a serial port. Question: In a previous column, you mentioned a Modula-3-to-C translator. How can I contact Digital Equipment Corp. to get hold of it? Tom Bertolis, California Response: To get information on Modula-3, write DEC’S Systems Research Center at 1 30 Lytton Avenue, Palo Alto, CA 94301. The language is described in Research Reports 52 and 53. The transla- tor is available via anonymous FTP from a computer called gatekeepcr.dec.com. BIX also has a copy on-line. Readers can leave questions for contrib- uting editor Brett Glass to answer in this weekly column by calling (800) 227- 8365, ext. 622 or by messaging Compu- Serve (72267.3673). InfoWorld Buyer Services Got a question about PC hardware, software, or networking products? InfoWorld offers a variety of information services to help you make better buying decisions. al’s Guide 79 will offer more than 1 .200 6- 7, Washington: CTC ’91. The first annual conference on applying voice, data, image, and video to business. For information. Contact: Jess Seiple, Tech- nology Interchange Group, (201) 478- 3606. 7- 9, Washington: ECO ’91: The Oracle Users Conference. This conference will include minilessons on client/server ar- chitecture, CASE tools and techniques, etc. Contact: Les Pacca, (609) 231-1486. 7-10, San Antonio, TX: The ninth annual Computer-Based Training Conference and Exposition. Contact: Sue Deveaux, (617) 542-0146. 10-12, Anaheim, CA: Voice ’91 Confer- ence and Exposition. Contact: (713) 974- 6637. 13- 15, Seattle: The 11th Annual Tele- communication Northwest Teleconfer- ence. Contact: Bob Mannery, (206) 489- 5252. 14- 15, New York: Fourth annual com- puter virus and security conference. Location: World Trade Center. Contact: (202)371-1013. 17-22, Anaheim, CA: Guide Internation- sessions. Contact: Guide Headquarters. (312)644-6610. 19-21, San Francisco: 1991 AEC Expo West Conference. This conference will focus on advanced architecture, engineer- ing, and construction automation and management. Location: Moscone Con- vention Center. Contact: Expoconsul International, (609) 987-9400. 26-28, San Francisco: The third annual DB/Expo will focus on innovations in distributed databases, object-oriented da- tabases, tools, connectivity, and interop- erability. Contact: Norm De Nardi Enter- prises. (415) 941-8440, (800) 2DB- EXPO. i mum 3-5, Anaheim, CA: The I Oth annual Business Person’s Computer Conference and Exposition. More than 100 exhibitors will show the latest PC, midrange, and mainframe hardware, as well as software from the Pick and Unix markets. Con- tact: Monica Giobbi, (619) 578-3152. 10-12, Tucson, AZ: The Society for Information Management's 1991 Institu- tional Member Conference. The confer- ence will help executives prepare for the future. Contact: (312) 644-6610. 14-18, Salt Lake City: IUA ’91, spon- sored by the IDMS User Association. Location: Salt Palace. Contact: (312) 644- 6610, Ext. 6728. 16-17, New York: Lap and Palmtop ’91. Contact: Ffeter O’Conner, (212) 682- 7968. 22-25, Washington: The Usenix Associa- tion’s Unix C+ + Conference. Contact, Usenix Conference Office, (714) 588- 8649. 28-May 1, Atlanta: The Assist 1991 conference has the theme “Solutions and Strategies Through Communication.” Contact: Pam Stevens or Greg Dummer, (312) 644-6610. 28-May I, San Francisco: Borland Inter- national’s first annual International Lan- guages Conference. The conference will feature presentations on developing ap- plications for windowing environments, productivity, and OOP. Contact: CT Meeting Planners, (800) 942-TURBO, (203)452-5388. 30-May 2, Anaheim, CA: Third annual Federal Computer Conference West. This conference is sponsored by the National Council for Education on Information Strategies. Contact: Stephen O’Keeffe, (800) 343-6944. PC BUYER BASE. A one-call computer buying resource. PC Buyer Base provides you with technical specifications, comparative re- views, pricing information, and dealer loca- tions on a wide range of computer hardware, software, and networking products. InfoWorld's product comparisons, full re- views. and report cards, as well as abstracts from other publications such as PC Maga- zine, PC Week, Byte, Macweek, Macworld, and more, give you the product evaluations you need. Pricing information includes manu- facturer’s list price, and national and city av- erages. For information on rates and services or to open an account, call (800) 624-3301 to speak to a Product Information Specialist. INFOWORLD ON-LINE. Information from the pages of InfoWorld is available for electronic access on a number of on-line services. • CompuServe: On CompuServe, InfoWorld of- fers a searchable database of full-text com- parisons, reviews, and impressions. News from the current and previous week's issues of InfoWorld are also available on-line. Ac- cess is GO INF. • Prodigy Hardware Guide: Prodigy's hard- ware guide offers full text of InfoWorld hard- ware comparisons and reviews. Users can either access the current comparison or choose from a list of comparisons in the "Li- brary." Access IS JUMP HARDWAREGUIDE. • Nexis: Full text of InfoWorld news and re- views can be obtained through the Nexis searchable database. Access is INFWLD. INFOWORLD Power surges. Power spikes. They can corrupt or destroy your most valuable data. And while power strips may offer some protection, in most cases it is just not enough. But now you can have the kind of total pro- tection your data deserves. With Kensington’s MasterPiece’ Plus. More than just a power strip, it is an integrated and sophisticated power center. Most power strips are UL rated at 10 amps — MasterPiece Plus is UL rated at 12 amps. This translates into less chance of a circuit breaker opening with a resulting loss of data. 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MailerlVee Hid Kensington ere registe r ed trademarks of Kensington Micnraare Limited IBM is a registered trademark of [nlemstionsl Business Machines Corporation C 1900 Kensington Microsstrre Limited Copyrighted material MARCH A. 1 99 1 PAGE 77 REVIEWS W ordPerfect has long been the leader in PC word processing, while its Macintosh counterpart has struggled to win the hearts of Mac users. WordPerfect’s long-awaited Version 2.0 for the Macintosh attempts to bring more capabilities of the text-based PC version to a graphical platform. This update sports a more Mac-like interface in comparison to the previous version (1.04), and it includes simpler menus and improved dialog boxes. Although the program still doesn’t compete neck-and- neck with Microsoft Word, it is a solid word processor that will hold its own against competitors. We last reviewed Version 1.04 in our graphical word processor product com- parison (August 13. 1990, Page 55). This review is based on criteria established in that comparison. FEATURES: WordPerfect 2.0 includes several new features, as well as improvements to exist- ing ones. Formatting is now paragraph- based; when you make formatting changes, you can place the insertion point anywhere within the paragraph to effect the change. Version 2.0 also includes new drawing capabilities, and the program’s graphics handling has improved. Other new features include style sheets; text boxes; a sort capability; and improve- ments to macros, search-and-replace op- erations, and index and table-of-contents generation. PERFORMANCE: Basic editing: With this version, Word- Perfect offers more of the editing features you would expect in an office/profession- al word processor (that category was last reviewed January 7, Page 5 1 ). Version 2.0 contains a ruler, which gives the user paragraph formatting options that earlier versions lacked. However, WordPerfect's ruler does not have all of its features readily available, as does Word. In Word there are no pop-up menus, whereas WordPerfect has four menus for tabs, alignment, zooming, and line spacing. The program is also capable of merging files directly and of merging multiple tables of contents. A new sort capability lets you sort highlighted text within a document, numerically or alphabetically. An improved find/change capability lets you search for and replace text forward or backward through a document and is attribute sensitive. We rate basic editing very good. Spelling checking/thesaurus: Word- Perfect 2.0 offers a spelling checker that can suit a variety of needs. It offers both phonetic and typographic suggestions. WordPerfect also displays a list of alterna- tives automatically, so you don’t need to prompt the program to suggest words as you do in Microsoft Word. You can also prompt WordPerfect to ignore highlight- ed parts of the text (such as acronyms) by marking them as "generic.” You can also use that option to identify text in other languges. in which case WordPerfect automatically accesses the correct lan- guage module for checking the spelling. 4 File Edit Search Layout Tools Macro Font Style I Ooc 1: Market I etmg Update Preliminary figures indicate that Pacific Mutual ended 1990 with $40 4 billion in assets and funds under management. 14% mere than m 1989 The company exceeded 1990 plans by 3% Asset Management The As set Management business unit had a good year, meeting plan from an overall perspective Specific areas dad quite well, while others had more difficulty meeting objectives Guaranteed Investments made $925 million in 1990 sales, beating plan by mote than $10 million Already in 1991. $210 million in GIC sales has been made, more than 32% of the 1991 GIC objective Managed Funds, with $30 million in PIMCO was able to end the year with a very strong quarter Assets under management rose to $28 9 billion, over plan by a substantial margin PM Realty Advisors closed the year with a solid $31 million In De c e m ber sales, and $201 million in 1990 sales, which is 30% over plan. Lower interest rates stimulate the real estate market, which could well be to PMRA's benefit in 1991 Total managed assets came to $469 million at the years end Parametric Portfolio A s sautes had $41 million In sales for the month of December and $84 million for the year Negative performance in both domestic and intemaoceul stocks plagued Parametric throughout the year, preventing both sales and assets under management (which were $524 million) from reaching planned levels Cadence Capital Management finished the year with a bang, posting $39 milhcn in December sales, and $145 million for the year - putting total sales over plan Cadence produced outstanding returns in the fourth quarter, which did much to diminish the effects of the stock markers WordPerfect 2.0 lets you control, via its improved ruler, the number of columns in your document. WordPerfect for the Mac Sports Powerful Capabilities Version 2.0 improves its Mac-like interface, includes simpler menus and dialog boxes. By Barbara Assadi Review Board (These language modules are available separately from WordPerfect Corp. for $99 each.) Although WordPerfect doesn’t allow you to backtrack to previously checked words, the program will alert you to double words and unusual punctua- tion. WordPerfect’s thesaurus can be acti- vated via the Tools menu. This is much simpler than Microsoft Word, which uses Microlytics’ Word Find- er (accessed from the Apple menu) as its the- saurus. We rate spelling checking and thesaurus good. Mail merge: Word- Perfect sports a functional mail-merge capability that, with this revision, now supports named fields and prompts that let the user know when text needs to be entered. However, conditionals (“if-then” statements) are not directly supported in the mail-merge function. The program has a macro set up to use a template for three-up labels. We rate WordPerfect’s mail merge very good. Layout: WordPerfect’s layout capabil- ities, formerly solid, have been greatly improved with Version 2.0. The program includes support for mixed-column docu- ments, with columns that can be evenly spaced or set at varying widths. A new feature lets you create borders around a single character, a paragraph, a page, or a ALSO IN THIS SECTION set of columns. Another new capability lets you deter- mine whether graphics are anchored to a specific page or to a specific paragraph. WordPerfect doesn’t, however, contain an integrated table editor like Word’s. Rather, with WordPerfect you can use a columns feature on the document’s ruler to create tables that you can later add dividing lines to by using the Borders dialog box. The main drawback to this method is that it is difficult to edit data. A preview option lets you view your docu- ment as it will print. There is a solid feel to WordPerfect’s layout powers, and imple- menting the features is more straightfor- ward than in Version 1 .04. We rate layout excellent. Graphics: Graphics was an area in need of significant improvement. Version 2.0 has added an integrated drawing utility, and its tools incorporate a variety of box shapes, line weights, and fill patterns. The drawing utility operates by giving you three layers upon which you can create or import a graphic: behind text (as a "watermark”), within the text (as a typical graphic), or on top of text (as an overlay). WordPerfect displays the watermark only in page preview mode, which keeps the watermaiic from clutter- ing the screen. Graphics created with INF0W0RLD0N MACINTOSH Zenith Z-386/33E 80 Draw Overlay, however, are displayed even when the program is in the edit mode. We would like to see an option for turning off Draw Overlay during text editing. The program now allows you to import graphic files directly, rather than from the clipboard. And although earlier versions of the program treated graphics as paragraphs so they would move with surrounding text. Version 2.0 lets you select whether you want graphics to be anchored to paragraphs or to the page. However, one minor drawback is that the program does not let you click and drag a graphic between pages; to move a graphic from page 2 to page 1 , you must place it on the clipboard. Graphics can now be easily sized and scaled. WordPerfect’s graphics are extremely complete for a word processor. We rate graphics excel- lent. Outlining: WordPerfect includes a straightforward outlining feature that offers up to eight heading levels, as well as a variety of numbering options. Custom outline-numbering schemes are also sup- ported. Unlike FullWrite and Word, WordPerfect’s outlincr does not let you rearrange outline entries by dragging them into position. Another outlining feature that we’d like to see is the capabil- ity to collapse or expand outline text. WordPerfect's outlining is satisfactory. Table of contents and indexing: Word- Perfect 2.0 supports a table of contents for each document with up to five levels of entries, as well as indexes with entries and subentries. Marking a word or passage for inclusion in the table of contents, index, or other list is easily done via a dialog box that you can leave open as you edit the document. This release includes a num- ber of new options that allow you to cre- ate a table of authorities, cross-reference text in an index, and use a concordance (a document that contains a list of the words and phrases that you want to include in the index) for indexing. WordPerfect's table of contents and indexing capabilities earn a good score. Style sheets: WordPerfect Mac 2.0 has very powerful style sheets. You can store text in styles, which is useful for bullets and headers. An option lets you easily create new styles based on previously created styles. And there’s a unique “link” feature that lets you switch be- tween as many as eight styles by just pressing the enter key. Depending on the preferences you set, WordPerfect will either apply styles to the current paragraph only, like Microsoft Word; from the current paragraph down to the next style; or from the current cursor point down to the next style, like WordPerfect on the PC (this mode allows several styles in one paragraph). If you have highlighted text, in the character mode a style applies only to that text, whereas in either of the paragraph modes, if one word is highlighted, the entire paragraph will be affected. The three modes make the product complex, but provide remarkable flexibility. Unfortunately, we found a bug with line indents and styles; WordPerfect INFOWORLO The Official Conference and Exposition for Windows Computing. From the Producers of COMDEX in cooperation with Microsoft. SEE YOU THERE. MAY 20-23, 1991 In the fast changing world of Microsoft" Windows" you need to stay ahead just to keep up. Which is why you need to be at WINDOWS'WORLD ’91 this spring in Atlanta. WINDOWS WORLD ’91 at SPRING will open up extraordinary possibilities you’ve never seen before. For example: You’ll be exposed to every new Windows product, service and support program that currently exists. You’ll see special vendor presenta- tions that will help you decide what’s best for your company. You’ll find the latest productivity tools, along with tutorials on software applications. You’ll have access to all kinds of helpful mini-events, including user orientation, training, and support activities. And at the conference, Windows- specific topics— ranging from spread- sheets to word and document processing and from multimedia to networked computing— will be covered in-depth and in detail by some of the best minds in the business. We see large crowds attracted to this event, so plan to be a part of WINDOWS WORLD ’91. FOR A BROCHURE, CALL 617-449-8938, TELEX 174273, FAX 617-449-2674, OR MAIL IN THE COUPON. ^Windows World’^ The Official Conference and Exposition for Windows Computing I 3322BXC1 at SPRING Ye», I want to be part of WINDOWS WORLD ’91. May 20-23, 1991 * Atlanta, Georgia j Name , ■ Title 1 I Company ■ Address . City | State Zip | i Phone Fax i WINDOWS WORLD Conference and Exposition and COMOEX are properties ol INTERFACE GROUP - NEVADA. Inc. Microsoft and the Microsoft logo are regislered Irademarks and Windows is a trademark ol Microsoft Corporation <1991 INTERFACE GROUP - NEVADA. Inc f*EADf£IA IAIADI Complete and return to: WINDOWS WORLD ’91, VEVIIUIH WwHLI/ i 300 First Avenue, Needham, MA 02194 U.S.A. | CONGRESS CENTER ATLANTA, GEORGIA USA MARCH A, 1331 REVIEWS PAGE VB would not override a preset paragraph indent with a style’s indent. WordPerfect has a fix for this bug in beta, which is scheduled to ship March 1. Balancing the bug against overall flexibility and power, we rate style sheets very good. Font support: WordPerfect supports all fonts supported by the Macintosh. It also supports some extras such as strike- through, shadow, and outlining, as well as an extensive range of font sizes. We rate font support excellent. Footnoting: WordPerfect lets you use both footnotes and endnotes in a docu- ment, and offers a rich variety of formatting options. For example, you can use numbers, letters, or characters for numbering footnotes and endnotes. The program supports up to five different characters for footnotes and endnotes, and has an option that increases the count of these characters after they are used INFO WORLD GRAPHICAL WORD PROCESSOR WordPerfect for Macintosh VERSION 2.0 Criterion (Weighting) Score Performance Basic editing (60) Very Good Spelling checker/ thesaurus (60) Good Mail merge (20) Very Good Layout (60) Excellent Graphics (50) Excellent Outlining (20) Satisfactory TOC and indexing (20) Good Style sheets (20) Very Good Font support (60) Excellent Footnoting (25) Excellent Macros (25) Excellent Printer support (60) Very Good Compatibility (60) Very Good Speed (50) Good Documentation (75) Very Good Ease of learning (75) Good Ease of use (230) Good Error handling (40) Good Support Support policies (20) Excellent Technical support (20) Good Valuo (50) Good Final score 7.4 PRODUCT SUMMARY Company: WordPerfect Corp., 1555 N. Technology Way. Orem, UT 84057; (801)225-5000. List price: $495. Requires: Macintosh Plus, SE, or II com- puter; 1 megabyte of RAM; hard disk; System 6.0.3 or later. Pros: includes a robust drawing utility and an improved user interface. Cons: None significant, except the bug in the Styles function. Summery: A feature-filled program capa- ble of handling a wide range of sophisti- cated word processing duties. once (i.e., if the first endnote is identified by *, the second will become **, and so on). One of the new macros shipped with Version 2.0 allows you to convert all footnotes to endnotes, and vice versa. WordPerfect’s footnoting capabilities are excellent. Macros: WordPerfect's macro capa- bilities are now unquestionably the best of any product in its class. Previous editions of the program offered capabili- ties to pause a macro, nest other macros in a macro, chain to other macros, and invoke dialog boxes. Version 2.0 now includes a macro editor that lets you edit macros during or after their creation. It also comes with a library of predefined macros, some of which are useful for creating tables. You can have private libraries (of either styles or macros) that are unique to each user, and there can also be a common library that is useful for maintaining consistency within a group or corporation. We rate macros excellent. Printer support: WordRjrfect supports the standard Mac printers, including ImageWriters and PostScript devices. We rate printer support very good. Compatibility: WordPerfect supports the basic Mac document formats: ASCII, Mac Write, RTF, and WPG (Draw- fcrfect). It also accepts any WordPerfect document created on another platform (VAX, Unix, and IBM-compatible com- puters). The program imports any graph- ic created in another application, including MacPaint, EPS. and TIFF. We rate compatibility very good. Speed: For nearly every function, WordPerfect performs with reasonable speed. 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DOCUMENTATION: Documentation for WordPerfect 2.0 con- sists of several manuals, including instal- lation, reference, a tutorial, and separate manuals on macros and the drawing utility. There is also extremely informa- tive on-line help. Documentation is very good. Ease of Learning: Earlier versions of WordPerfect were closer in user interface to the DOS version, with many more code-intensive functions than 2.0. The tutorial work- book is a nice introduction to the pro- duct. and it is backed up by tutorial files on disk. We score ease of learning good. Ease of Use: We welcome WordPerfect’s decision to make the Mac program’s interface more like other Mac programs. To their credit, 2.0’s program designers have made the transition without compromising its long list of powerful capabilities. The addition of style sheets, and the move away from codes, make the program a good deal eas- ier to use than its previous version. With its new interface. Version 2.0 is easier to learn than its predecessor. Because capa- bilities are accessed via menus, it’s also easier to learn than the PC version. Whereas the PC version relies heavily on macros and function-key commands. Version 2.0 has pull-down menus and a friendlier interface. Ease of use earns a good score. Error Handling: WordPerfect prompts you to save your file if you’ve tried to quit without saving, and it also gives you the option of keeping a backup file each time you save. The program includes a timed backup feature that lets you specify how often you would like to have the current document saved to a different file name, and it has a single- level undo command. For nearly every error condition. WordPerfect advises you with a dialog box. However, we encountered one in- stance where the program should have had a dialog box and didn’t, when we tried to print a document with the printer turned off. Most Macintosh packages alert you to this condition by displaying a dialog box that tells you the program is unable to find the printer. In Wordfcrfect 2.0, no message is displayed. A fix for this will also ship March 1. Other than this one minor snafu, WordRjrfect’s error handling is above average. We rate error handling good. SUPPORT: Support policies: WordPerfect Corp. pro- vides unlimited toll-free technical sup- port from 7 a.m. and 6 p.m. Mountain time. Monday through Friday. The com- pany also offers 24-hour support via a toll call. A corporate support plan, fax sup- port, and BBS support are also available. WordPerfect offers a 90-day money-back guarantee. We rate support policies excellent. Technical support: In nearly every instance, our calls to WordPerfect techni- cal support were answered within the first three rings. For one call, we were on hold for 4 minutes, but during the wait a re- cording gave us an update on our wait status, letting us know that there were three Mac support calls ahead of ours and giving us an estimate of how much longer we would need to wait — a thoughtful touch. During our calls to technical support, the technicians with whom we spoke were all helpful. Technical support earns a good score. VALUE: At $495, 2.0 is now priced $100 higher than either Word 4.0 or FullWrite Profes- sional 1.5. With the inclusion of style sheets, the capability to create tables, editable macros, and the drawing utility, the program fares well in relation to its competitors. WordPerfect is a good value. Barbara Assadi is the manager of employee communications for a major financial services company. She also lectures and consults independently on desktop publishing. Zenith Z-386 Mixes Unusual Set of Features 33-MHz 386 desktop PC is primarily for file server applications. By Victor R. Garza Test Center And Tracey Capen Associate Reviews Editor Z enith Data Svstem’s Z-386/33E is an EISA-based 33-MHz 386 desktop PC designed primarily for file server applications. The system includes an unusual combination of standard fea- tures. It has has a caching disk controller for better server performance, but also comes with Microsoft Windows and a Microsoft mouse — items generally not used in on a file server. As a stand-alone workstation, the Z- 386/33E turned in mixed results. It tied NEC’s Powermate 386/33 for the second slowest CPU throughput, and it was 17 percent slower than Arche Technologies’ Pro-File 386-33 (the fastest in this catego- ry). The Z-386/33E had better disk speed, due in part to its DTC caching disk controller. Turning in the third fastest disk-intensive throughput in its class, it was 1 2 percent slower than AST’s Premi- um 386/33TE (our disk-intensive speed leader). What the Z-386/33E lacked in work- station performance, it made up in file server speed. It had the second fastest throughput among 33-MHz 386s — just one second slower than ALR’s Business VEISA 386/33. Except for one minor hitch, the Z- 386/33E performed well in our software and hardware compatibility tests. When exiting from Lotus 1-2-3, Version 2.2 to DOS, the system repeatedly hung. To fix this problem (a conflict between the Z- 386/33E, Lotus and QEMM 5.1.1), we had to add “EXCLUDE =E00O-EFFF’ to the QEMM386.SYS line on our configu- ration file. We have not seen this conflict with other PCs. Our attempts to run Novell’s NetWare 386 uncovered other uncommon features in the Z-386/33E. We discovered that it did not have drivers for NetWare 386. Version 3. 1 at the time of our testing and, consequently, we ran our file server throughput tests with Version 3.0. Although the Z-386/33E had no diffi- culty completing our network test suite under Version 3.0, downing and restart- ing the server proved to be clumsy. NetWare 386 uses a small DOS partition on the server's hard disk to boot the LAN operating system. The Z-386/33E, how- ever. cannot find the DOS partition when you down the server. Zenith Data's inelegant solution is to use a floppy disk to boot NetWare. The Z-386/33E is at the top of the price scale compared to other 33-MHz 386 PCs we’ve reviewed. The workstation configuration is about $600 higher than a comparable Compaq's Deskpro 386/33L. Prices for the file server configuration are approximately the same. Balancing price against performance, the Z-386/33E is a satisfactory value. BENCHMARKS INFP WORLD Graphical Word Processors WordPerfect Version 2.0 WordPerfect* Version 1.04 FullWrite Professional Version 1.5 Microsoft Word* Version 4.0 File 1 Load 0:06 0:03 0:07 0:02 Save 0:02 0:01 0:03 0:01 Import ASCII 0:11 0:04 0:11 0:01 Export ASCII 0:24 0:06 0:43 0:04 Cursor movement Top to bottom 0:03 0:06 0:03 0:03 Manual scroll 3 0:37/0:38 2:27/2:34 1:56 2:01/2:40 Search Last word 0:03 0:04 0:03 0:02 Global replace 0:17 0:05 1:05 0:07 Append file 0:04 0:25 0:12 0:20 Times are in minutesisecorxJs. 'Reviewed August 13. 1990. Page 55. 2 File size is approximately 50K. 1 7 pages. 3 The first time is using the keyboard, the second time is using the mouse. REPORT CARP INFO WORLD 33-MHz 386 EISA Computer Zenith Data Systems Z-386/33E Criterion (Weighting) Score Performance Speed — CPU-intensive (100) Satisfactory Speed — Disk-intensive (75) Very Good Speed — Multitasking (75) Good Speed — File server (100) Very Good Compatibility (175) Very Good Lacks Netware 386 3.1 drivers. Expandability (75) Good Documentation (50) Very Good Setup (75) Very Good Serviceability System design (50) Good A few patches on motherboard. Support policies (50) Poor Dealer -only support. Technical support (75) Very Good Value (100) Satisfactory Final score 6.5 PRODUCT SUMMARY Company: Zenith Data Systems Corp-, 1501 Feehanville Road. Mount Pros- pect. IL 60056: (708) 699-4800. (800) 553-0331. List Price: $ 1 0,599 for workstation con- figuration; $16,797 for file server config- uration; sold through dealer channels. Features: 33-MHz zero-wait-state 80386 CPU. switchable to 16 MHZ; EISA bus; two serial, one parallel port; Intel 80387 or compatible; Weitek math coprocessor support; 198-watt power supply; Win- dows 3.0; DOS 4.01; Microsoft mouse. Peripherals: Enhanced keyboard; Zenith 16- bit VGA board. Storage and Memory: Workstation: 1 50- megabyte Miniscribe drive with Zenith ESDI/SCSI caching 1:1 controller; 1.44- megabyte 3V5-inch floppy drive: 4 mega- bytes of 80-nanosecond RAM (SIMMs. 16 megabytes maximum); 16K of 15- nanosecond RAM cache (64K maximum). File server: Two mirrored 320-megabyte Seagate drives; 8 megabytes of RAM. Pros: Above-average file server speed; technical support. Cons: No NetWare 386 3. 1 drivers. Summary: Zenith Data Systems targets its Z-386/33E for file server applica- tions. and in that capacity, it is a solid performer. 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This high quality device pays for itself with the first box of diskettes. • Tool Steel Cutter • Full One Year Warranty • Industrial Quality Handle • Rectangular Sense Hole $39.95 + $3.50 for S/H MC/Visa accepted. Easy Envelopes & Labels NVELOPE PLUS Now you don’t have to leave your desk or word processor to create professional envelopes and labels. • Pop-up, grab and paste addresses. • Choose from more than 38 envelope and label formats. • Save, sort, import or export an unlimited number of addresses. • Search for any U.S. zipcode. • MS-DOS compatible. Supports Laser, Postscript and impact printers. $49.95 + 3.50 S/H, VIsa/MC/Checks $15.00 upgrade for NVelope users. Unix Business Applications! Let Archer Business Products. Inc. put the power of Unix to work for you. We sell and support the following Unix/Xenix products: • Operating Systems • Spreadsheets • Database Management Systems • Word Processors • Office Automation Call now to place an order or receive a free catalog. COMPUTERWISE, INC 302 N. Winchester Lane Olathe. Kansas 66062 800-255-3739 (913)829-0600 FAX: (913) 829-0810 CAJUN EDGE. INCORPORATED 117 S. Oak St., Ste. C, Dept. I, Hammond, LA 70403 (504) 542-0410 1-800-448-2970 (Outside Louisiana) CAJUN EDGE. INC. 117.S. Oak St., Suite C, Dept. I Hammond. LA 70403 800/448-2970 (504/542-0410 In LA) Archer Business Products. Inc. 427 S. Boston Ave., Suite 614 Tulsa, Oklahoma 74103 1-800-288-8996 FAX: 918-582-4823 “dSALVAGE ..the leader in dBASE file recovery.’ n LABELS BIG TEXT MttMMf UPCHSI.2ol5.128.Cod.39 ■ : II III meldettHsfTlTBVL / ! * 9 Track Tape 3480 Cartridge Conversion Systems IBM DEC SUN PC Read and Write any 9 track tape or 3480 tape cartridge with your PC (DOS/UNIX). 9 track tape subsystems: 1600 Bpi from $ 1795.00 6250 Bpi from $ 2995.00 3480 Cartridge from $ 1 8,995.00 Call today for the best data conversion systems available. (800) 266 4 TAPE (714) 367-0497 Laguna Conversion Systems 26941 Cabot Rd. Suite 131 Laguna Hills. CA 92653-7007 Fax (714) 367-0508 FAST dBASE dSASTER RECOVERY • Diagnose DBF file damage automatically • Menu Driven.. .easy to use. fast • Fix any damage. No file size limit • Header/Record/Byte-stream editors • Block handling, auto data realign • Recover ZAP'd files with 1 stroke • Recover cross-linked files • Built-in safety features PCWORLD Best Buy - DBMS Readers Choice For: dBASE FoxBase dBXL Clipper etc $99.95 + $5 S/H (US) check/VISA/MC Order dSALVAGE now: 800-456-7005 (PROFESSIONAL version $ 199.95) Comtech Publishing Ltd Box 12340, Dept M, Reno, NV 89510 NFO: 702-825-9000 FAX: 702-825-1818 Bar Code Readers for PC, AT, PS/2 Macintosh and RS-232 Terminals Read bar codes with No software changes needed. Acts as 2nd keyboard. Reads 2 of 5, UPC/EAN, MSI, 128, Code 39. Complete with metal wand $399. Models for IBM and clones, all Macs. & RS-232 terminals. Lasers, magstripe, badge readers. Easy programmable Portable bar code reader with 64K ram, display, and keyboard; easy upload via keyboard or RS-232. Two year warranty. 30 Day $$ Back Guarantee. Direct from manufacturer/developer. Same day shipping. WORTHINGTON DATA SOLUTIONS 417-A Ingalls St.. Santa Cruz, CA 95060 408-458-9938 800-345-4220 LABEL and BAR CODE PRINTING On Epson, Okl, IBM and LaserJet printers print BIG TEXT Readable at 100 Feet. Bar Codes: AIAG. MIL-STD, 2 of 5, MSI, UPC/ EAN, 128, Code 39. EZ WYSIWYG label design. Any size. Flexible format. Reversals. Print scanner images. Drive LaserJet at 8 ppm. File input. Above labels printed with LabelRIGHT - $279. Other menu-driven pro- grams from $49. Also "callable” programs any MS-DOS language - $179. 30 day $$ back guarantee. Same day shipping. WORTHINGTON DATA SOLUTIONS 417-A Ingalls St.. Santa Cruz. CA 95060 408-458-9938 800-345-4220 INFOWORLO PAGE 88 MARCH A. 1 30 1 ■ w □□□□□□□□ WRIST REST Unix® Software for Less It shouldn’t hurt to typo. Painful wrists and tingling Angers can end. Keyboard Wrist Rest”* supports, rests, and cradles your wrists while you type. Typing has never been easier and more comfortable. Durable, nylon top. no-slip base. 3"xl8". Match to your keyboard: For tabletop use**: #LP. 1" thick, low proAle keyboard; #IBM, 1 .5", most IBM; #MAC, 2", Macintosh. Order Today! $24.95 each ppd. Order two or more and save! Only $19.95 each. Visa. MasterCard Distributor Inquiries Welcome. •Patent applied for. ••With plastic extension to slip under keyboard when keyboard comes to desk edge. $34.95 each, two for $64,951 AllMed, Inc. 297 High St.. Dedham. MA 02026 800-325-3225 DragonNet 1 - 900 - 420-5454 Lotus 1-2-3 SysV $625 1 -user, System V or SUN Free Nintendo Gameboy with orders by March 1 0, '91 30 day refund policy Free Shipping. Quick Delivery Call for complete catalog of other Unix products such as Word, WordPerfect, Fax, Norton, etc. UniDirect Corporation 22995 Mill Creek Laguna Hills, CA 92653 (800) 755-UNIX 714/581-5966 9-TRACK TAPE FOR THE PC Exchange data between your PC or Macin- tosh and any mainframe or mini computer using IBM compatible 1600 or 6250 BP1 9-track tape. This unit can also be used for disk backup. Operates at transfer rates up to 4 megabytes per minute. Available In 7” or 10MT reel sizes. Systems Include tape drive, cables, and software. Call us todayl QUALSTAR CORPORATION 9621 Irondale Avenue Chats worth, CA 9131 1 818-882-5822 CUSTOM KEYBOARDS We specialize in custom keyboards and data entry devices and offer fast delivery and com- petitive prices. Virtually any key layout, key type, protocol, and size is available. We have developed proprietary techniques to connect to the parallel port, the keyboard port, or the serial port, directly or remotely. A myriad of key options is available - full/short travel, mem- brane or conductive, with en^aved, pad/subli- mation printed or molded, and in any color. * We welcome small to medium production runs * GE NOVATION. INC. 17741 Mitchell, North Irvine, CA 92714 (714)833-3355 Rhymes with Innovation Online Information Services USA TODAY Decisionline Boardwatch Magazine Online Multi-Player Interactive Games Special Interest Group Conferences TRULY PRIVATE Electronic Mail Online Shopping Mall Thousands of Files Available Download using any of eight protocols 65,535 Channel C.B. Simulator and Teleconference LmkUp w/Acbon Commands Dial Out to Remote Systems while online All lines 300-2400 Baud Caribbean Cruise for 5000th Registered Caller 1-900-420-5454 75 cents per minute Must be 18 or Older dBASE Reports - ON dMAND At last, a sophisticated report generator that anybody can use. Handle all DBF formats (dB II, III, IV. Foxbase, etc.) automatically without ever running your database program. Easy point/shoot selec- tion, popup menues & superb context- sensitive help. You control sorting, totals & subtotals, breaks, headings, field selection & placement. Derived fields let you perform special calculations. Powerful record selec- tion gets only the data you need. Save report defs for later use. On dMAND! $69.95 - check, P/0, all credit cards Applied Microsystems, Inc. 404-55P-Q000 P. 0. Box 832 Roswell. GA 30077 THE $79 GANTT MIRACLE ! PROTRACS offers the easiest project management at an affordable price for your PC/XT/AT/PS2. Track 2000 tasks In every project by responsibility and/or priority. Define your projects and produce a variety of business-quality reports and Gantt charts (in formats of your choice) in minutes. Scrollable windows, popups. custom calen- dar, filters, auto-scheduling, directed output. LAN support, its all here. $79.95 - check, P/O, credit card New Version 4.4 Now Shipping Applied Microsystems, Inc. 404-552-9000 404-552-1257 (BBS) PO Box 832 Roswell. GA 30077 CUSTOM IMPRINTED KEYS Customize Your Keyboard with SnapCap Keycaps and Replacement Keys for IBM imprinted to your exact specs. Available In a variety of key and imprint colors. Many brands supported. • Cut training costs • • Boost productivity • Many other keyboard enhancements available. Call for your FREE Catalog! HOOLEON CORP. P.O.Box 230, Dept. INFO Cornvllle, AZ 86325 602-634-7515 800-937-1337 Datafile Portable Hard Drive • High speed parallel interface • Use with any DOS PC or laptop • Rugged, compact, lightweight (3 lbs) • No slot required, no complex setup • 20. 40. 1 00 or 200 Mbyte capacity • Low cost - $599 to $ 1 499 • Easy, fast PC-to-PC data exchange • Fast backup for internal drives • Secure storage of sensitive data • One year warranty - 1 5 day free trial ORDER TODAY! AXONIX CORPORATION The Portable Peripherals People 1214 Wilmington. Salt Lake, UT 84106 Phone 800-866-9797 FAX 801-485-6204 DANCE OF XI IK PLANETS- From eclipses to chaotic comets and sublime views. Orbital simulation with great grephics- Spaca Travel for the Inquiring Mind. ‘Dance is an order of magnitude better than any other solar system simulator...' John Mosley, Sky & Telescope 'Stunningly powerful... comes closest (to the beauty of the starry sky)' Ed Mendelson, PC Magazine IBM compatibles. EGAJVGA, 640k. $195. Call for ordering/free literature/Dance Sampler. P.O.Box 1974N, Loveland CO 80539 NOW! PC’s can READ/WRITE 3480 AS/400 TK50 9-Track • PC/Mainframe Data Exchange • Data Exchange for IBM AS/400. SUN. DEC VAX. IBM 3480 and others • Transfer/Backup/Data Manipulation • Tape Duplication/Volume Initialization • Tape to Tape Transfers • Our Exclusive TPX” Tape Software • We also have 8mm, 4mm, 14" • Call us today at 800-248-3475 SHAFFSTALL CORPORATION 7901 East 88th Street Indianapolis, IN 46256 317-842-2077 Fax: 317-842-8294 DON’T LET IT END THIS WAY Our sen/ice is simple If you have a file, floppy, or hard disk that Is damaged or not accessible we can recover the data for you DO NOT USE THE DRIVE OR DISKETTE AT ALU!! DATA RECOVERY SERVICE San Francisco. California (415) 585-7448 INFOWORLD 486for $a991 33 MHz 486 Tower with 200MB Drive ASTRIX 486-33 PC/WORKSTATION— $3,991 Intel 486-33 Microprocessor 4 MB RAM 1.2 MB 5.25" Drive 1.44 MB 3.5" Drive 200 MB IDE Hard Drive IDE Hard Disk Controller 1 Parallel & 2 Serial Ports 14" 1024 x 768 Color Monitor 16 Bit VGA Card MS-DOS 4.01 Upright Case 275W Power Supply 101 Key Keyboard Guaranteed 100% IBM AT compatible. Lifetime technical support. 1 year parts & labor warranty. 30-day money-back guarantee. To get your 486 for $3,991, call ASTRIX, toll free: £ 1 (800) 445-5486 In CA: (408) 946-2883, Fax: (408) 946-1610 I uuuy i ASTRIX ii it I. 1' /. i i HIGH-SPEED PC/WORKSTATI * ASTRIX Computer Corporation, 1546 Ctyilre Ponte Drive M«pita». CA &503S ASTRIX • Other ncfcalM wat»m*1ts belong 'o me* respective owner* Pncea enr? sws^aions subiect Ip change t I •Uu CSTAT19NS™, llotpantfol 10 * AT s a JLjemark 1 CM •ted is a tradAiark ol In nge without notK* ® 1 990 fcy Four© fcorp Al twits reearV'i Li ' Copyrighted material LOWEST MEMORY PRICING GUARANTEED 2MB FOR IBMPS2 • Equivalent to 6450604 or 30f5360 • 5 Year Warranty Your Price 129"° Each HEWLET PACKARD MEMORY BD • 2Meg for HPII-IIP-III or III D (Specify) • Expandable to 4Meg Your Price 138 00 BOCA RESEARCH Boca Ram 50/60 (MMeg 99 00 Boca Ram 50Z 0-2Meg 99 00 Boca Ram XT 0-2Meg 129 00 BOCA AT PLUS MEMORY BD 16 BIT MEMORY BOARD FOR 286, 386 AT 0K-8Meg Bd • 4 0 LIM Compat • New 5 Yr, Warr • Conventional, Expanded & Extended Memory • Supports DOS, OS/2, LIM/EMS & EEMS OK — 129** 2 Meg - 229" 4 Meg - 319“ 8 Meg - 499" COMPAQ MODULES • Part Number 113132-001 • For Compaq DeskPro 286E 386/20E. 25E Your Price 239 00 INTEL COPROCESSORS SPECIAL 80387-16 249 00 80287-10 149»« • Special Price While They Last • COMPAQ (BOARDS 4 MODULES) : i ! j : TOSHIBA MEMORY FR :JJ : IBM PS2 (BOARDS 4 MODULES) { impaq Me iSKPRO 2 DESKPRO 286N. 386N 386SX/20 OESKPRO 386/20 25 286E DESKPRO 386/20e/25E DESKPRO 386/33. 486/25 SYSTEMPRO PORTABLE SLT/286 LTE/286 Memory Added 512K Kit 1MB Module 2MB Module 4MB Module 1MB Board 2MB Board 1MB Kit 4MB Board 4MB Kit 1MB Board 4MB Board 1MB Module 4MB Module 2MB Module 8MB Module 32MB Module » PORTABLES - 512K Kit INTFC BD EXP BO 2MB Kit 1MB Module 4MB Module 512K Board 1MB Board 2MB Board 1MB Kit INTFC BO 4MB Board 4MB Ext Board 1MB Module 2MB Module 108069 001 108069 W/71 108071-001 108070 001 108072-001 113633-001 113634 001 113646-001 112534-001 113131-001 113132-001 113644-001 113645-001 115144-001 116561-001 116568-001 107331-001 107808-001 107811-001 107332-001 110235-001 110237-001 117077-001 117061-001 117081 002 107651-001 107707-001 107653 001 107654-001 108303 001 108304-001 299*° 348" 138" 699" 318" 198" 448" 104" 258" 169" 965" 5800" 249" 228" 99" 799" Toshiba Model PORHBLE T1000SE 4 XE PORTABLE T1200xe PORTABLE T1600 PORTABLE T3100e PORTABLE T3100SX PORTABLE T3200 PORTABLE T3200SX PORTABLE T5100 PORTABLE T5200 DESKTOP T8500 2MB Kit 2MB BD 4MB BD 3MB BD 2MB Kit 4MB Kit 2MB BD 2MB Kit 8MB Kit Equlv. Part » PC14-PA8311U PC14-PA8312U PC13-PA8306U PC8-PA8302U 1PC9-PA8341U PC15-PA8308U PC15-PA8310U PC6PA7137U PC12-PA8307U PC12-PA8309U PC7-PA8301U PC10-PA8304U PC10-PA8313U IBM IBM PS/2 Model Added Equlv. Part » L PS/2 25/286 512K Kit 30F5348 30-286, 50 & 60 2MB Kit 30F5360 PS/2 50Z & 55- SX, 65SX 1MB SIMM 6450603 2MB SIMM 6450604 (Above Installed on Expansion Bd 1497259) 55SX 4 65SX 4MB Module 34F2933 or 87F 9977 (Above Installed on System Bd) 50.50Z.55SX460.65SX 2-8MB Board 1497259 or 6450609 1MB SIMM 6450603 2MB SIMM 6450604 2MB SIMM 6450608 IMS Module 6450375 2MB Module 6450379 4MB Module 6451060 Z386/33 1MB Module 2MB Module Z386/25. 20 1MB Module 2MB Module 4MB Module Z248. Z286LP. Z386SX 2MB Module TURBO SPRT 386,386e 1MB Kit SUPER SPRT 2M8 Kit SX 2MB Kit 2MB Kit SUPER SPRT 286 1MB Kit 286e. SX 2MB Kit ZA3600ME ZA3800MG ZA3800MK Z-605-1 ZA3034ME ZA180-64 ZA180-86 ZA180-87 ZA180-66 ZA180-64 PS 12 70-E61. 061. 121 PS/2 70-A21 AX1.BX1 PS/2 80-041 PS/2 80-111.121.311 321 80-A21. A31 PS/2 ALL 70s & 80s 256 x 1 " W \\W 256 x 4 JjL. OiV 1 Meg x 1 ™ 168" 378" 2-16MB Board 4-16MB Board 8-16MB Board 645605 OR 34F3077 OR 34F3011 mm 150NS 120NS 100NS SONS 70NS |N 1" 1" — — I i MSERJET jM EMQRlH 1 1 ! 1 : 1 l ilt! rrrTTT l ^Ti LLIJJJ :ription x 9 IBM 120NS 100NS 19" 24" 58" 61" 55" 57" SONS 70NS SONS 29" 26" 39" 64" 71" 79" 59" 69" 74" - 299" 319" RAM 3000 DELUXE Up to 3 Meg (EMS) 4 0 OS/2 Back up base QQflQ memory 6 expanded S/or extended memory Uses 256K D RAM yy uu RAM 8000 0-8MG capacity base, extended or expanded memory any combi- nation Compatible w/Lotus. Intel. Microsoft. EMS40.EFMS Support^ nnnn Multi-Tasking 4 DMA Multi-Tasking m hardware Uses IMG D-RAM l5Kr ,w RAM 10000 610MB extended or expanded memory Compatible 4 - 7 nnn with Lotus. Intel, Microsoft. EMS 4 0. Uses 1 MB D-RAM 1 /y uu 1MB Module 2MB Module 4MB Module 1MB Module 2MB Module 4MB Module 1MB Module 2MB Module 4MB Module 1MB Board 2MB Board Equiv. Part 9 33443B 33444B 33445B 33474A/B 33475A/B MR m — OVERSTOCKED. . .QUANTITIES LIMITED. . .CALL 800-645-7762 — • 65MB per minute • Wangtec 5099EN24 drive • Controller • Menu dnven • Software • DC600 cartridge • Easy installation ____ List 999“ Your Price 42 9 00 Wangtek 40MB backup works off floppy controller I DAISY WHEEL PRINTER • 14CPS Letter Quality • Manufactured by Silver Reed • IBM Centronics Parallel Interface • New 90 day warranty List 1149“ Your Price 99 00 12 CPS version for 79" 6 ft. Cable 71 MEG HARDDRIVE • MiniScribe 3085 • MFM • 20MS - Vi Height 5V4* • Works off XT or AT Harddrive Controller • 6 Month Warranty 9~ List 899“ Your Price 349 00 200 WATT POWER SUPPLY ; f 11 : : j : 10 MEG HARDDRIVE • { } 1 1 1 1 ( 1 .1 1 1 16 BIT HARDDRIVE CONTROLLER • Direct AT Replacemen' • UL Appr. 110/220V • 4 Drive Connectors List 99“ Your Price 49°° 150 Wall for XT 49" • MicroScience 612 • Vt Height 5VT • MFM 6 Month Warranty List 299“ Your Price 89°“ w/8 Bit Controller Add 55" CANON FLATBED SCANNER IX-12E • 300 DPI • 16 Secs per page • 32 Level Gray Scale • 1 year warranty • Ready to go Interface card and cable included List 1595 Your Price 799 00 w/o Interface 499 00 OPTIONS: OCR 199" PC Paint By Z-Soll 1 65 79" Sheet Feeder (also works w/HP) 299" • Western Digital 1003MMI • 2.1 Interleave • Works with all MFM Harddrives List 199“ Your Price 39 00 10 tor 30» each 10 for 69" each WD 1003 MM2 same with floppy W» fAX CARD W/ 24 00 BAU D MODEM : • Automatic Group III Digital Fax • Bkg operation • Send text, screen images. fl|| <i scann pages • Hayes compat modem built on • Fax 9600/7200/4800/2400 • Software-telephone cord 129" • New. factory sealed List 695 Your Price 149" m me T Baud Transmission Rate • Addressable COM 1,23.4 • Compatible w/IBM PC, XT. AT 4 Compatibles • 2 Yr. Manu. Warranty • Full Duplex Operation • Complete w/Software • Auto Dial/Auto Answer Internal 69" External 89" ,kSS ' FLOPPY DRIVES >Ntf 8 Bit 8087 5MHz or less 79" 8087-2 8MHz 104" 8087-1 10MHz or less 179" 16 Bit 80287 6MHz 124" 80287-8 8MHz 189" 8028710 10MHz 149" 8X287-12 Uplop m H MITSUMI: 360K Vj Ht 5V« 1.2 Meg 5'A Grey Face 720K 3Vi* Dnve w/5'A” mounting 1.44 Meg 3 ft " Drive w/Sft" mounting 360K Tandon TM 100-2 Full Ht (The original IBM) 32 Bit 80387-16 16MHz 299" 80387-20 20MHz 349" 80387-25 25MHz 449" 80387-33 33MHz 549" 80387-SX 298" 80387 SX20 328" 80287-XL 198" 204" ::::::: ST157A ST1102A ST1144A ST1239A ST22S ST238R (RLL) SIMM ST277R-1 (RLL) STUM ST4144 (RLL) 45mB 28msec 35" IDE 89mB 19msec 35“ I0E 125mB 19msec 35“ IDE 210mB 15msec 3.5" IDE 20mB 65msec 30mB 65msec 42mB 28msec 65mB 28msec BOmB 28msec 120mB 28msec AT KIT $229 $389 $489 $799 $199 $219 $249 $339 $549 $649 $249 $279 $319 SJSifii lllliilffl] 14" VGA MULTISCAN 1024 X 768 28 Dot • New 1 Yr Warr 389« 14" VGA DEMO 640 X 480 31 Dot • 3 Mo. Warr • Looks New 289" FOR HARDDRIVES 39" 8 Bit WD Controller 59" 109" 16 Bit Everex HD/Floppy 1.1 99" FOR FLOPPYS: Super Floppy Controls 1 2. 360K. 720K 4 1 44 Drives 69" 40 Meg 18 Mil Sec 349" 100 Meg 18 Mil Sec 499" 200 Meg 18 Mil. Sec 849" VIDEO CAROS EGA Card MonoGraphics (Hercules Compatible) with Par Port Cotor Graphics (Hercules Compatible) with Par Port Mono Card Text Only VGA Card 1024 x 768 (256K Exp 512K) STB mono/color card 800 - 654-7762 TECHNICAL / CUSTOMER SERVICE / ORDER STATUS: 702-294-0204 FAX 702-294-1168 ill Products 90 Day Warranty union staled otherwise. • WE ACCEPT INTERNATIONAL ORDERS • WE ALSO PURCHASE EXCESS INVENTORY-FAX OR CALL • NO SOFTWARE RETURNS ALL PRICES FINAL ftaVmurti «rt H cgvrtemf vM IMr irspeclm Co t JW. M7. 2«7 mi SX are IraUomarto at MW Cut NO SURCHARGE FOR MC/VISA TERMS' NIC • VISA • AE • COD CASH • NET • Purchase Orders Irom Universities. Fortune 1000 & Government Agencies • Personal Checks • COD add $5.00 • 204*1 Restocking Fee on Returns Within 30 Days • No Refuads Alter 30 Days - EXCHANGE ONLY 684 Wells Road Boulder City, NV 89005 SE HABLA ESPANOL PRICES SUBJECT 10 CHANGE SHIPPING: (min 8») UPS MMRUn z*. 133 1 I ffUL Computer systems/hardware Rodime 45MB '219 28ms • ST-506 • 3.5" • IwK Iwight Maxtor 36MB .. ....'299 26ms • SC SI » 1.5“ « half -height Rodime 144MB '399 2Sms • SCSI • 5.25" • half-height Micropolis 161MB '599 16ms » ESDI « 5.25" » hatf-height Maxtor 319MB *699 27ms » ESDI • 5.25" » ful l brigh t Adaptec Controllers ....'69 16-bit Cards for ESDI Hard Drives Call (800) 999-191*1 F1Q INTERNATIONAL CALLERS: (617) 2S4-1700 f WORTHINGTON \ DATA SOLUTIONS ' VALITEK, INC. \ BAR CODE READERS SERIAL TAPE BACKUP 1 800-345-4220 800-825-4835 V See ad in Showcase a iySee ad in New Products^ genSTMC 2000 $499 Kit. A CD-ROM Drive with all the desired features, a Full 12-Month Warranty and complete Other Multimedia Products Available: CD-ROM, WORM, M.O., Multifunction WORM / erasable. Jukebox, Sound boards. High resolution boards and monitors. BOFFIN LIMITED THE MULTIMEDIA SOURCE 2500 W COUNTY RD. 42 • #5 BURNSVILLE. MN 55337 612/894-0595 Sell your hardware in InfoWorld InfoMarket. Call now to reserve your space. 800/227-8365. or 415/328-4602. BACKPACK. IT'S A DRIVE OF A DIFFERENT COLOR. Add a disk drive without horsing around inside your computer - just plug Backpack into your par- allel port! Connect your printer to the Backpack drive. No tools. No hassles. No inter- lace cards. Backpack works with IBM and compatibles includ- ing PCs, XTs, ATs, PS/2s, PS/ls, and laptops. It's available in 5.25" and 3.5" and comes complete with every- thing you need. So see your dealer or get it straight from the horse's mouth and call us about Backpack today! MicroSolutions Computer Products 132 W. Lincoln Hwy., DeKalb, IL 60115 815-756-3411 Fax:756-2928 I INFOWORLD aterial DmtECT Connection DuxEct Connection Computer systems/hardware PC SCREEN TO BIO SCREEN VCR $1287— EDA $799 Save over $600 while they last! Project your computer software to a big screen for group viewing! • 8 Gray Scale Monochrome • 1 Year Warranty with Factory Service • 30 Day Money Back Guarantee • Easy to Use • Light-Weight • Portable ORDER TODAY! 206/697-4008 BOXLIGHT CORPORATION COMPUTER-BASED PRESENTATION | PRODUCTS SINCE 1984 I MASTERCARD-VISA AMERICAN EXPRESS THE SYSTEMS YOU CAN REL Y ON DEALERS PHERIPHERALS SPECIAL Minimum Quantity 10 Teac 1 .2 MB FD $60 Teac 1 .44 MB $60 101 Key Mitsumi $38 Segate ST 251-1 MFM $240 S 4b%80 MB MFM $540 MISCELLANEOUS MS DOS 3.3 $45 MS DOS 4.01 $55 Complete Acct. Software $155 Modem 2400 BPS (INT) $69 Send Fax/Modem 4800 BPS $80 Send & Receive Fax Card 9600 BPS $160 Phone & Fax Switch $1 25 DRAMS, SIMMS. SIPPS.& CPUS CALL Pnces SoCyocI to Change kVtoxxrf MoOce CA Residents Add 7% Salas Tax Sub/ect to A vaiatxtty Quantity Discounts an AvataUe A2 Systems International 1 - BOO-235 ■ 7484 FAX: 4 1 5-658-4522 SYSTEMS 386-20 = $1600 Includes: 1 MB Ram 42 MB HDD Seagate 1 .2 or 1 .44 Teac FDD 101 Enhanced Keyboard 200 W Power Supply 2SI IP/ 1G Port Real Time Clock; CMOS 14" VGA Color Monitor/ Card SYSTEMS WITH SAME CONFIGURATION 286-12 $1050 386-25 $1680 386-25 w/64K Cache $1825 386-33 w/64K Cache $1900 486-25 W/128K Cache $3200 Mini-Tower add $35 Full-Tower add $150 APPLIED COMPUTER SYSTEMS, INC. "LINK" Video LAN System 1 -800-237-LINK v See ad in Showcase J COMPUTER WISE INC. BAR CODE READER 800-255-3739 YSe^cHr^howcase | W9 TRACK TAPE SYSTEM FOR IBM PC'XT'AT A PS-2 • Mainframe fo PC Oata Transfer • High Speed Backup • All Software. Complete System • Service and Support, easy Installation call (til) 3434 MS or write to COMTECH Computet Corp. CONTECH Let Info World work for you. 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Paper Trays Letter/Legal $49 Envelope $59 Bitstream Fonts $79 Closeout - In stock onjy ^ Made In the USA • 1 year limited warranty \ 30 day money -back guarantee FRI 201-584-3663 AMI 386/486 Mother Board Specials This Week: ^ AMI MKIII 386-25 64k cadre *11 AMIMKII 386-33 64k cache AMI MKIV Screamer 386-33 64k exp 2S6k cache AMI Voyager 486-25 128k cache AMI Voyager 486-33 128k cache Micronic* 386-25 BMP. no cache Micron cs 386-33 at-aSc 64k cache «Je,2s/1p ports Mcrones 486-25 M 64k cache AM1/MCRONICS EISA 466-25/33 USM-PIXEL Ultimate 1024x768. 256 Colors Best For Windows 3.0, WP5.1. AutoCad Guaranteed lowest price Factory Authorized Distributor 415-952-5885 (Ramon) 408-980-0602 (Brian) 714-255-01 13 (George) 415-623-9040 (Danny) FOR BEST PRICE PERFORMANCE SYTEMS - CALL USM 2590 2790 3190 3390 850 1050 1350 1560 *195 USM DISTRIBUTORS »10» »14» '“^^735-“ 76*** | THE BEAST $1599 USA-Bu.H 386 MICRONICS. 25 MH< 125MB Toshiba Hard Drive 24 ms 1024K SIMM 70ns. 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It’s the stamp you need to buy with confidence. ^Vsoi'helnioWo^ INFOWORLD MMRL/R *4. 199 1 PALjg ; Computer Careers Readies more than 205,000 PC Professionals every week ************ *********** For more information call ( 415 ) 3284602 ( 800 ) 227-8365 INFO InfoWorld the leading PC newsweekly for personal computer professionals has the following position available: SENIOR EDITOR for their software section. This highly visible position is responsible for timely coverage of PC software news, breaking stories, technical and market analysis. Candidates should have (4) years experience covering PC software industry, must posses strong editing and organizational skills and experience dealing with writers and artists. InfoWorld offers competitive salaries, a comprehensive benefi Ls package and an opportunity to be part of a team of publication professionals. Send your resume to: INFOWORLD Human Resources Department 1060 Marsh Road Menlo Park, CA. 94025 EOE/No Phone Calls Please Our qualified readers are your qualified candidates. For details, contact Vic Kline at 800-227-8365. INFOWORLD, the PC ncwswcckly is seeking energetic candidates to work in its PC Buyer Base. PC Buyer Base is a new information service that assists callers in making PC buying decisions. Product Information Specialists work with telephone customers to identify their buying needs. An in-house database is used to access product specifications and InfoWorld Reviews. PRODUCT INFORMATION SPECIALISTS Responsibilities: Telephone contact with customers to assit them in assessing their hardware and software needs; Use the database to obtain information and generate a list of potential products for customers; Work with the database staff to develop and update the database. Qualifications: Extensive knowledge of various hardware and software used on the IBM PC required. Knowledge of Mac hardware and software a plus. Good verbal communication skills; 3-5 years telephone sales or technical supportcxpcricncc. B.S. in computer Science preferred or equivalent business computing experience. INFOWORLD offers competitive salaries, a comprehensive benefits package & an opportunity to be a part of a tern of publication professionals. Send your resume to: Jo Rainic Rodgers InfoWorld 1060 Marsh Road Menlo Park, CA. 94025 EOE/No Phone Calls Please FIND THE POSITION YOU’VE BEEN SEARCHING FOR. INFOMARKET COMPUTER CAREERS MAKES IT ALL POSSIBLE. Computer Careers Works... “Oregon Institute of Technology recently advertised in the Computer Careers Recruitment Section of InfoWorld. ..We received a substantial amount of applications in response to the ad and are pleased to report that we have hired a very qualified individual... Wc were pleased with the service provided by the staff and definitely plan to uti- lize InfoWorld in the future. Thanks for helping us in our recruiting process.” says Christian H, Eismann Dean of Academic Affairs Klamath Falls. OR CASE - OOP SOFrWARE ENGINEERING Profitable software vendor is currently in need of 3*5 intermediate to Senior level Software engineers to help with the design and devel- opment of an application development environment. This brand new project includes the latest in the use of and development of CASE tools, object-oriented design, multi-platform development. (DOS, UNIX, OS/2 and MAC). 4th GL/SQL aand graphical user interfaces (MS/Windows, Openlook and MAC). AH development will be in ‘C’ or C++. Experience with MS/DOS and/or UNIX is a must. Language/ compiler design and/or experience with DBMS products would also be a plus. We do not expect applicants to have all of these skills but if you do have some and consider yourself a top 5% type Software Engineer and want to work on a leading edge development project. Respond Now! Call or Send Resume: Mason Concepts, Incorporated 1111 West El Camino Suite 109-167 Sunnyvale, California 94087 (408) 288-5870 MASON CaU our Corporate Office at (213) 655 7555 Or fa* your resume to (213) 658-1547 DO YOU NEED A CHALLENGE? Are you bored? Feeling cooped up? Most importantly, are you good at repair of PCs? National Advancement Corporation is look- ing for a well -versed component level technician to teach classes around the country. You will travel extensively around the USA. Contact Eric Nay at (714) 754-7110 SYSTEMS TESTING ENGINEER: - Conduct tests on computer hardware & software looking for product stability and compatibility, & report to vendors, manage beta test lab. Teach beta testing methodology and LAN administration. Applicant must have 3-4 years exp w/Unix networking & communications, must have product development exp in the computer field, Novell exp desirable, MS-Dos exp essential. Proj. Mgt. exp desirable. This is a no rank faculty appointment, applicants must have a 4 YR. college degree. Salary $32, 000-37, 000. Send resume & references to College of Business, OSU, Bexell Hall 200, Corvallis, OR 97331-2603, Attn: Greg Scott. Closing date is 3/22/91. OSU is an EEO/AA employer & has a policy of being responsive to the needs of dual-career couples. INFOWORLD, the PC newsweekly is seeking energetic candidates to work in its PC Buyer Base. PC Buyer Base is a new information service that assists callers in making PC buying decisions. Product Information Specialists work with telephone customers to identify their buying needs. An in-house database is used to access product specification and InfoWorld Reviews. RESEARCH ANALYST Rcsponsiblities include: research hardware and softwrae product information. Create features lists and text files; Enter data into databases; Telephone contact with manufacturers and vendors; Work with the Customers Support staff to develop the database; Serve as backup for telephone support personnel. Qualifications: Knowledge of IBM hardware and software for PC's required. Knowledge of Mac hardware and software a pi us. Database experience preferred. Word processing; good verbal communications skills; Degree in Computer Science preferred or equivalent business computing experience INFOWORLD offers competitive salaries, a comprehensive benefits package & an opportunity to be a part of a team of publication professionals. Send your resume to: Jo Rainic Rodgers InfoWorld 1060 Marsh Road Menlo Park, CA. 94025 EOE/No Phone Calls Please O 't: d s 5 r, o INFOWORLD PAGE 96 MARCH A, 1991 IIMFC3 WORLD President A Publisher JONATHAN SACKS Administrative Assistant KAY WANGELIN Vice President Operations J. MICHAEL LOWE Associate Publisher/Sales and Marketing STAN VANOCUR Research Analyst ALEX DAUNYS Production Services Director DENNIS J. O’DONNELL Production Manager DEBRA GUILFOYLE Print Purchasing Manager ELLEN B. MARKOFF Art Director MARI ELIZA Studio Manager RACHEL E. WASSER Reprints Supervisor JANET PARKS Production Project Coordinator CAROL BENIOFF InfoMarket Production Coordinator JUDY S. MALLMAN Director of Information Systems JEFFREY G. DEBALKO Publishing Systems Manager MARK HOUTS Systems Technician DAVE H. JOHNSON PC/LAN Manager NANCY DURLESTER Training and Support Specialist FRANK PONTES Facilities Manager STEVEN BROWN Communications Coordinator SCOn TANNER Office Services Coordinator JANELL BROWN Mailroom Coordinator OLIVER LAWRENCE Receptionist LINDA SIMON Director of Human Resources DONNA VIERAITIS Human Resources Administrator CARLA M. SCHNEIDER Ad Coordination Supervisor CHRIS ERICKSON Ad Coordinator CHRISTINA KELLER Special Supplements Ad Coordinator MING OU InfoMarket Advertising Supervisor JANET OHLSSON InfoMarket Design Coordinator ELIE GOLDSTEIN InfoMarket Advertising Coordinator DONNA KENT InfoMarket Administrative Assistant GINA BARTELLA Director of Circulation PAT CROTTY Assistant Circulation Director NANCY STERLING GRANT Circulation Manager II DELIA QUARTEY-DANIELS Circulation Manager LUCINDA FORMYDUVAL Data Base Manager PETER PERRY Distribution Manager MICHAEL McSHANE Distribution Assistant STEPHANIE BEACH Marketing Events Manager CAROL CZYZEWSKI Creative Director BOB SCHONFISCH Copy Writer STEVEN YOUNG Junior Art Director CHRISTINA RIDGE Account Executive JO OLSON Reprints Account Representative NANCY WHITFORD Marketing Assistant PAUL SMITH Director of Finance CAROL SO Business Manager BOB PETERSON Financial Coordinator JEANNIE FIOTI Advertising Billing Supervisor MARY PETERSON Billing Assistant GRACE DUARTE BUSINESS OFFICE 1060 Marsh Road, Menlo Park. CA 94025. (415) 328-4602, (800) 227-8365. Telex: 176072 (InfoWorld MNPK). MCI Mail: 259-4127. NORTHERN CAUFORNIA PACIFIC NORTHWEST 4163284602 Northern California Idaho Montana Wyoming Alaska Oregon Washington British Columbia SO. CALIFORNIA ORANGE COUNTY 714-250-1305 Southern California Colorado Utah SO. CAUFORNIA LOS ANGELES SANTA BARBARA 213-312-8018 Southern California Arizona Hawaii Nevada New Mexico ADVERTISING DISTRICTS MIDATLANTIC & CENTRAL 201-967 1350 Connecticut Delaware Illinois Indiana Iowa Kentucky Maryland Michigan New Jersey New York Ohio Pennsylvania South Dakota Tennessee Washington DC West Virginia Wisconsin Canada NEW ENGLAND 508620-7750 Maine Massachusetts New Hampshire Rhode Island Vermont SOUTHEAST 404394-0758 Alabama Florida Georgia Mississippi North Carolina South Carolina Virginia MIDWEST 214-233-3498 Arkansas Kansas Louisiana Minnesota Missouri North Dakota Nebraska Oklahoma Texas DISPLAY SALES SUSAN FILLHOUER WEST Southern California/Orange County 714-250-1305 Advertising Director/West JOE KERWIN District Manager JILL STEVENS SUSAN EGAN Southern California e Angeles & Santa Barbara 213-312-8018 Regional Manager KAREN NILES Sales Assistant DEBRA WRIGHT DISTRICT SALES OFFICES: MENLO PARK 1 060 Marsh Road, Menlo Park. CA 94025. (415) 3284602. (800) 227-8365 IRVINE 18008 Sky ParkCircle. Suite 145, Irvine CA 92714(714)250-1305 LOS ANGaES 11835 West Olympic Blvd. Suite 1055 East. LA. CA. 90064 (213) 312-8018 ROCHELLE PARK 365 West Passaic St. Rochelle Park. NJ 07662. (201)587-0090 NATICK 4 Chrysler Rd.. Natick. MA 01760. (508) 620-7750 ATLANTA 1400 Lake Heam Drive, Suite 330. Atlanta. GA 30319 (404) 252-5008 DALLAS 14651 Dallas Parkway. Suite 304. Dallas TX 75240 (214) 233-3498. CHICAGO (312) 803-1769 Please call your area representative for advertising information or to request a media kit AD INDEX REINELLE HICKS Seles Assistant SHEILA HURNEVICH NORTHWEST Northern California/ Northwest 4163284602 Advertising Director/Northwest LYNN BACKUS Sales Assistant KELLY NADIR Regional Manager DEBRA SILVER Sales Coordinator KELLY FLANAGAN Regional Manager JERRY PARSONS Sales Assistant JAN DAVIS AST Research Advanced Logic Research Astrix Computer Boca Research Borland Calera Cardinal Computer Associates . . . DCA DMA Data Preference Fifth Generation Future Soft Engineering . Gateway 2000 Hewlett-Packard IBM IDG Books Intel Interface Group Kensington Microsoft NEC Nevada Computer Northgate Pacific Data Products . . . Panasonic Samsung Seiko Tandon Texas Instruments Twinhead Ventura Software/Xerox . Zenith Data Systems . . . 70 100 89 26 2 16 27 39 24-25 12 6 35, 37 17 73 9 7,30-31 51 59-61 78 76 14-15,46-47,64-65 4, 10-11,28 90 40-43,45 99 18, 38 32 20 .... 22-23,52-53 57 54 33 49 This index is provided as a service. The publisher assumes no liability for errors or omissions. EAST Mid Atlantic/Central 201-587-0090 Advertising Director/East HARRY VERSEN Regional Sales Manager JOANNA BROOME-PARKER District Manager DAN FERRO Account Manager ROSEANN LABRUNO Sales Assistant FLORENCE MISHAW New England 508620-7750 Regional Manager VICKI GONIN Sales Assistant TANIA HOWES Southeast 404-394-0758 Regional Manager JIM SHANNON Sales Assistant GAYLE MALICKI INFOMARKET 4153284602/800-227-8365 InfoMarket Advertising Director DIANE TEMPUN InfoMarket Sales Staff MICHAEL HAMILTON SHIRLEY TAFOYA TONY REAL VIC KUNE SHARON CHIN MARC CAIVANICO InfoWorld it a publication oT International Data Group: the World’* Leader In Informal ion Sendees On Information Technology Inter- national Data Group publishes over 130 computer publications in Data Group s publications include . ARGENTINA S Computeiworm Argentina: ASIA'S Aslan Computerworld; AUSTRALIA'S Computerworm Australia. PC World, Macworld: AUSTRIA'S Computerwelt Oesterretch. BRAZIL S DamNews. PC Mundo; CANADA'S ComputerOata: CHILE S mtormatlca. Computation Personal; COLUMBIA'S Computerworld Columbia; DENMARK S CAD/CAM WORLD.Computerworld Denmark. PC World. MecvrorM, Unix Work); FINLAND s Minro PC. Twtovnkko. FRANCE'S Le Monde IntormatiQoe. Distrlbutique, InfoPC, Telecoms International: HUNGARY'S Computerworld SZT. Mikrovilae; INOtA'S Computers & Communications: ISRAEL'S People & Computers. ITALY'S Computerworld Kalla. PC World Italia; JAPAN S Computerworld Japan. mfoWorW. Publish; KOREA'S Hi-Tech Information/Compu- terwortd; MEXICO S Computerworld Mexico. PC Journal; THE NETHERLAND S Computerworld Netherlands. PC World. Amiga Worm: NEW ZEALAND'S Computerworld New Zealand. PC World New Zealand; NIGERIA'S PC World Africa. NORWAY'S Computer world Nome. PC Worm Norge CAD/CAM. Macworld Norge: PEOPLE’S REPUBLIC Of CHMA China Computerworld. China Computerworld Monthly; POLAND'S Computers; SPAIN S CIM World. Communrcaciones Worm, Computerworld Espana. PC Worm. Amiga World. SWEOEN'S Computer Sweden. PC/Nyh'etherna. Mikrodatom. PC Worm. Macworld. SWITZERLAND SComputerworld Sehwelt: TAIWAN'S Computerworld Taiwan. PC Worm. UNTTED KINGDOM S Graduate Computerworld. PC Business Worm. ICL Today. Lotus UK. Macworld UK. UNITED STATES Amiga Worm. CIO. Computerworld, Digital News. Federal Computer Week. Game Pro, mCider. InfoWorld, International Custom Publishing. Macworld. Network Worm, PC Games. PC World. Portable Comput mg. PC Resource. Publish!. Run. Sun Tech Journal; USSR'S PC Worm USSR. Manager, PC Express. Network, VENEZUELA'S Computerworld Venezuela. Micro Computerworld: WEST GERMANY'S Compulerwoche. information Management. PC Woe he. PC Welt, Amiga Welt. Macwelt. INFOWORLD Copyright® PAGE 97 HP and Sun Submit Proposal for Compound Documents on Nets MARCH A, 1 93 1 First Look Continued From Page 1 Like Ami, Professional Write Plus allows you to add graphics to your documents by placing frames in the text, then bringing in graphics. You can place either text or graphics in a frame, make the frame transparent or opaque, and choose whether you want text to wrap around the frame. ProWrite Plus supports a huge variety of graphics formats. For most formats, you can rotate, scale, and crop the im- ages, depending upon the limits of the image format. You can set the number of columns for a document, but changing them within a docu- ment (so that one section has a different number of columns than another) requires using frames. This can create some limitations. Other word processing fea- tures include multiple rulers, a basic mail merge, footnotes, inserting variables and annota- tion notes, and a multiple-level undo. You can import and export files from many popular word processing formats, in- cluding WordPirfect. Word, Word for Windows, and Profes- sional Write (it will read Ami files directly). Like Ami, it has several different views to choose from, including a draft mode and several layout modes, including working (which shows your full text at 91 percent) and standard (which shows your project at 100 percent). What’s missing, compared with the high-end word proces- sors? The biggest limitation is probably the lack of macros or even a glossary feature. Also, the program does not have a table- creating and editing feature, outlining, or the capability to Pen Continued From Page 1 the motherboard and storage devices in these machines will be housed behind an LCD screen, Singh said. The keyboard will be detachable, so that users can go into a meeting with only the screen portion and later plug in the keyboard to use the comput- er for data entry. Microsoft will make Pen Windows capable of switching between landscape and portrait screen-display modes, but users will have to reboot each time they change modes in the first release. Singh said. Singh expects some early machines to cost as little as $400 to $500 more than notebooks currently on the market, he said. Users will likely see three or four new pen-based systems available before year end, he added. The list of companies an- create indexes or tables of con- tents. One annoyance it shares with Ami Professional is that you can only open one docu- ment at a time in the primary word processing window. How- ever, you can open another copy of Professional Write with a second document. On the other hand. Profes- sional Write Plus has two fea- tures I hadn’t previously seen in a Windows word processor. The first of these is the Grammatik grammar checker. By pulling down “Grammar” from the same menu you’d choose for running the spelling checker or thesaurus, you move into the grammar checker with your current document. In general, Grammatik is a very good grammar checker with many options, but it hasn’t been customized to work with ProWrite Plus. For instance, it uses different editing keys and won’t let you delete ProWrite paragraphs (and complains when you delete extraneous spaces). Still, I suspect this could improve many business letters. The other innovative feature is built-in electronic mail. With this option, you can send and receive electronic mail directly from within the word processor, if you connect to a network that is running the Novell/Action Message Handling Service (MHS). The E-mail feature lets you send your current document immediately, send a message or just selected text, read messages, and maintain an address book. In summary. Professional Write Plus, at a price of $249, is a great choice if you want to produce basic letters, memos, and reports; include graphics, and check the spelling and grammar. Software Publishing Corp., P.O. Box 7210, 1910 Landings Drive, Mountain View, CA 94039-7210; (415) 962-8910. nouncing support for Pen Win- dows includes four of the six largest laptop computer manu- facturers: Toshiba, NEC, Grid Systems, and Seiko-Epson; as well as consumer electronics giants Sanyo, Fujitsu, Hitachi, and Samsung; and systems ven- dors NCR and Wang. A handful of start-ups have also pledged support for Pm Windows, in- cluding Momenta. Scenario, Summagraphics, and the Eden Group. But most of the companies on Microsoft’s support list say they haven't decided whether their future pen-based comput- ers will use Pen Windows or Go Corp.’s PenPoint. In fact, no machines have been announced yet, and some hardware manufacturers, such as Toshiba, say they are still in the laboratory development phase. Several manufacturers said they are keeping their options open, and their systems may NEWS IBM Continued From Page 1 shown an expertise in such tools, was rumored to be providing such a tool. Company officials declined to comment. Though IBM will dominate this campaign, it will not have an anti-Windows or anti-Micro- soft theme to it, sources said. It is designed to reach the hearts and minds of its hard-core corporate accounts — a market Microsoft does not fully under- stand, sources added. IBM, however, does realize “certain marketing opportuni- ties” in the DOS and Windows markets but will pursue them from a “decentralized level.” Sources indicated that Windows will probably never be as signifi- cant as OS/2 in IBM’s plans. In its upcoming seminars, IBM will emphasize OS/2 2.0, the 32-bit version, over version 1.3, the 16-bit version. It will stress that 2.0 is where much of the product’s future lies. With the 32-bit version. IBM believes it can leverage its strength against competitive offerings, including Windows. Top IBM officials believe a successful OS/2 could bring IBM as much as $500 million in revenues a year or two after its release, sources said. “IBM realizes it is a chicken- and-egg time for OS/2," said one source familiar with the company’s upcoming plans. “Users won’t buy it because there aren’t enough applications and ISVs won’t develop because the user base isn’t there.” After muddling its message for almost four years, top IBM officials have recently said they plan to be much more vocal about the positioning and long- term importance of OS/2 to their plans. However, IBM de- clined to comment on its mar- keting plans for OS/2 this year. also support fcnPbint. Two of the computer manufacturers who announced support for Pen Windows last week — Grid and NCR — have also announced support for PenPoint. “It can’t cost them much to stand up there and put their arms around Bill Gates.” said Richard Shaffer, editor of New York-based Computer Letter. “This is part of the psychologi- cal warfare. What really matters is how much ground you cap- ture — and that remains to be seen." “We have selected Pn Win- dows as one of the platforms for development in the pen-based arena." said Tom Martin, vice president of marketing for To- shiba America Information Sys- tems Inc.’s computer systems division in Irvine, California. “Our approach is essentially an agnostic one. Both systems have benefits and drawbacks,” he said. By Stuart J. Johnston Hewlett-Packard Co. and Sun Microsystems Inc. last week submitted a proposal to the Object Management Group (OMG) that would make it easier for users to create com- pound documents that include objects on different platforms on a network. The two companies have asked OMG to consider their object management facility as its standard Object Requester Bro- ker (ORB). The group is expect- ed to decide this spring. The HP/Sun proposal com- bines the Object Management Facility of HP’s New Wave with the ONC networking protocols of Unix International, as well as the NCS protocols adopted in the Open Software Foundation’s DCE. Initially, the two network operating systems will not be capabale of interoperating using the ORB, said David Cardinal, Sun’s director of desktop appli- cations and environments. Down the road, “Wc can have both [ONC and NCS) co- resident on a common Ethernet wire,” said HP’s Jeff Liotta, 386 Continued From Page 1 ing rationale to help users justify the choice,” he added. AMD’s 386 has passed com- patibility tests from five vendors and is being considered by 20 more manufacturers, said one analyst. “We have the latest version, and I would say it’s ready to ship,” said one manufacturer who will ship a product in April. While AMD’s plans to chal- DOS Continued From Page 1 what users would pay for the equivalent in LAN hardware. DR Multiuser DOS supports a range of terminals through a bundled emulation program. The number of users supported is limited by the number of ports available and users’ needs for certain performance levels . Employing the same memo- ry-management techniques used in DR-DOS 5.0, users can move most of the operating system, as well as terminate-and-stay resi- dent programs and device driv- ers, above the 640K memory barrier. This gives each of sever- al concurrently running DOS applications about 570K of me- mory. DR Multiuser DOS is sched- uled to ship by the end of March and will carry a suggested retail operations manager for HP’s Cooperative Object Computing Division/East, This could bridge a major gap between the Open Software Foundation’s DCE and Unix International's ONC. The winning technology must be demonstrated in mid- April, according to Richard Soley, OMG’s vice president and technical director. Six other companies have proposed tech- nologies for the ORB, he added. Although OMG is primarily composed of Unix companies, the HP/Sun submission is also intended for other environ- ments. said Bill Crow, chief architect of HP’s New Wave. Microsoft has recently joined OMG, sources say, prompting speculation that Microsoft might adopt the ORB in order to extend its Object Linking and Embedding capabilities across networks, and possibly abandon efforts to use Dynamic Data Exchange. Soley would not confirm Microsoft’s membership, but said that both Microsoft and IBM have attended committee meetings. Novell has not joined the OMG. lenge Intel’s lock on the 386 are well known, big PC manufac- turers will likely wait to see how the chip shakes out before com- mitting to anything. One smaller manufacturer is already committed to using the 40-MHz AMD chip rather than Intel’s stripped-down 486. Intel has yet to disclose what will be in the stripped-down 486 or how much it will cost. “I think we can build a system around the AMD chip that will be just as fast for the same cost as a stripped-down 486 system,” the manufacturer said. price of $695. Microsoft , in the meantime, will make two versions of its upcoming DOS 5.0 available — one for OEMs and a generic upgrade that will be distributed by dealers — by mid-June, according to dealers briefed by the company. The generic retail version of DOS 5.0 is expected to cost just under $100, and it allows all users with DOS 2.1 or later to upgrade. This generic version, however, is not the complete product that Microsoft’s usual network of OEMs will sell, sources said. Microsoft has extended the beta period in order to test the operating system with Novell Inc.’s and other vendors’ net- work drivers. A Microsoft spokeswoman declined to comment on the reports. — Stuart J. Johnston contribut- ed to this article. INFOWORLO PAGE SB MARCH A. 1 BB 1 QSA: QUINDLEN AND ALSOP »By Ruthann Quindlen Is IBM Overcoming Its ‘Wimp Factor’ Image With OS/2? Remember when everyone was call- ing George Bush a wimp? National magazines ran ma- jor stories about what they called the “wimp factor” in national politics. But just as Americans have discovered a definite backbone within a seemingly self- effacing and cautious person, so has the personal computer industry discovered a certain steely resolve within the formerly indecisive bureaucracy of IBM. The first and most telling indication of this new resolve is the recently announced strategic relationship between IBM and network giant Novell Inc. There are many implications arising from IBM’s new support of NetWare. The first positive result is a quid pro quo for both parties: Novell gets to move Net- Ware out of the tactical solution category and into the strategic solution category with both its customers and IBM. In the same vein, IBM gets to move OS/2 out of the tactical solution category and into the strategic solution category, hopefully with its customers, and now definitely with Novell. Where previously Novell had been providing only token support of OS/2 on the client, it is now committed to eventually supporting OS/2 on both the client and server. Similiarly, though IBM has pledged that OS/2 LAN Server will continue as a strategic networking prod- uct. it has also committed to supporting both LAN Server and Novell’s NetWare equally. The second interesting aspect of IBM's new resolve is that it has shown some real initiative vs. its major hardware competi- tors. primarily Hewlett-Packard and DEC. At any time during the last few years, either of these two hardware manu- facturers could have undertaken such a relationship with Novell, and their cus- tomers would have welcomed it. Instead, both manufacturers chose to ignore customer requests, stick to a proprietary formula, and only marginally support NetWare. Only Apple has so far attempted to match IBM with its new focus upon open networking. Much like IBM has done with Novell. Apple has done this through a relationship with an independent third- party software developer — Farallon Computing — dominant in Macintosh networking. IBM’s bold stroke with Novell has also significantly changed IBM's relationship with Microsoft. This aspect is important, not because of the politics or personalities involved (although those make for enter- taining stories), but because this move reveals how determined IBM is to sup- port OS/2. IBM will no longer rely upon Microsoft either to market OS/2 or to attract independent software developers to develop applications for it. Instead, IBM clearly plans to undertake those tasks itself. The agreement with Novell is its opening move. There are rumors circling in the industry that IBM is making major efforts to corral software developers into under- taking significant new development projects for both OS/2 and Presentation Manager. And supposedly, IBM is plan- ning a major announcement about OS/2 and its future within the next few months. Most customers and application software developers, however, having been burned by Presentation Manager and OS/2 be- fore, are naturally wary. But IBM is showing a new resolve: that it is prepared to do whatever it takes to make OS/2 a success. The IBM/Novell agreement may be a good indicator of the lengths to which IBM is prepared to go. As some industry analysts have been quick to point out, this agreement is the first time IBM has agreed to sell and support a strategic logo product on a non- exclusive basis. Another important outcome of the agreement between IBM and Novell is that it may break up the networking logjam created by the battle between Microsoft and Novell. IBM, by also choosing to work with Novell, may become the mediating influence between these two warring factions. This is a good thing for customers. Previously, custom- ers were afraid to bet on NetWare because of concerns about where IBM and Microsoft were going with OS/2. And Novell had been ignoring OS/2 in order to deny Microsoft an easy entry into networking via OS/2. The end result has been confusion and apprehension among both customers and applications software developers. The final and most critical outcome of the IBM/Novell agreement is that it will improve IBM's relationships with its customers. IBM customers have suppos- edly requested for years such features as Novell’s IPX standard in IBM routers, ftrhaps IBM has finally discovered that it cannot dictate SAA — that this strategic umbrella must be from the bottom up and driven by customers. IBM's efforts to shore up its struggling OS/2 position, along with its wimpy image, are positive in any number of ways. After all, power vacuums, in business as in international politics, do not encourage stability. And who knows what new gains this resolve on the part of IBM may bring? Rjrhaps IBM will go so far as to end its tiff with Microsoft and embrace Windows just as it has embraced NetWare. After all. it appears that the relationship of Windows to OS/2 Presentation Manager differs little (from a customer point of view) from the relationship of NetWare to IBM’s LAN Server. Ruthann Quindlen is a vice president at Alex. Brown & Sons. She alternates each week in writing this column with Stewart Alsop, industry analyst and editor of PC Letter. The views expressed are her own and do not represent the position of Alex. Brown & Sons. NOTES FROM THE FIELD ■ By ROBERT X. CRINGELY Death to the Infidels! Microsoft Declares Holy War on Windows ISVs P resuming that Operation Desert Storm is really over, that America has pulled its record up to 11-1, what’s rolling off into the history books is much more than just a military victory, it's also the mother of all excuses. ‘‘The dog ate my homework,” is nothing compared with, “We know you’ve been waiting three months for your Sparcstation 2, but all production is going to Operation Desert Storm.” How can you argue with that? COLLATERAL DAMAGE. The 1989 earth- quake was a good excuse around here. 1 milked it for weeks, cultivating the image of Pam my and me, struggling out from under the splinters of our former home. But Desert Shield was even better, since it worked nationwide. I’ve had reports of at least a dozen companies using Desert Storm to explain late shipments. Some of them were probably telling the truth. But there is no excuse for Microsoft. Salesfolk from Redmond were last week talking to a select group of large resellers, offering lump sum rewards of up to $100,000 per store for meeting newer/ higher market share quotas for the next trimester in product categories such as spreadsheets and presentation graphics. According to these retailers, the slated goal of this operation is to make Micro- soft the only surviving Windows develop- er two years from now. I wonder how Bill's Windows evangelists will handle this one? HELPI The word from Lotus, where all late product excuses are beta tested, is that 1- 2-3 2.3 is still quite bulky, with the help files alone taking up 700K. Also, there’s a Lotus group working on an Improv-to- Windows port to go with the Next, OS/2- character, and OS/2-PM versions already up and running. Not late at all is 1-2-3 for Windows, code-named Rockport. which will fall into beta tester's hands in late March. MAN BITES COMPUTER. Lateness itself isn’t so bad. Everything I do is late. This column is late. What bugs me is when the product is not only late, but ends up missing lots of promised features. At the other extreme, and completely beyond my experience, is when a product appears offering significantly more than was promised. That’s the happy case with Momenta; folks who are working on a killer pen-based computer. Momenta's hardware is reportedly better than Go’s or any of the other com- panies that have so far displayed their pen-based systems. And Momenta's soft- ware (like Go, they’ve done their own OS) is supposed to be even better than Go's, which means it’s stupendous. The only problem for Momenta is that they can be a hardware company or a software com- pany, but they don't have enough money to be both. They’re trying right now to decide what business they’re really in. HABITUAL MEANS MORE THAN ONCE. Pammy understands late too. No, the rabbit didn’t die, but her 30-page report on nerd mating habits may never be born. “What am I going to do, Bobby?" she asked, staring, panic stricken, into a blank computer screen. “With that topic, I think you have a good argument that 30 pages is just too long," I suggested. “Offer them 10 pages and an appendix." “Your appendix or mine?" Pammy thinks everything is negotia- ble, and she usually gets her way. She could teach IBM a thing or two about negotiation, though Big Blue seems to be doing a pretty good job on its own lately against Intel. The issue is pricing for 386 processors, which IBM buys from Intel and also builds itself. Trying to get a better deal, the kids in Boca are threaten- ing to jump to the AMD 386 clone, which would produce no royalties at all for Intel, whose resistance to the idea of price cutting is rapidly fading. FRATERNIZING WITH THE ENEMY. Another good technique for explaining why a product is delayed is to link it to someone else’s delayed product. Microsoft Word 4.0 for the Mac has supposedly been sitting on the shelf for months in Redmond, waiting for Apple's System 7.0 to ship. Then there's DEC’S killer $5,000, 33- MHz R3000-based color DECStation, which is apparently ready to go, except that Digital, in another retarded market- ing move, has delayed the machine for several months so it can be released along with some new VAX hardware. "There's no way I can get this paper done in time, Bobby! What if I tell my teacher that the computer ate my home- work?” “Better still," I suggested. “I’ll drop off a note saying you’ve enlisted.” Wouldn't THAT be a morale booster! To discuss industry secrets and the pros- pects for world peace, give me a call at (415) 329-3555, or MCI:CRINGE. Copyrighted matei INFOWORLQ There's more to comparing LaserJet printer sharing options than just the name Pacific Data Products Pacific Connect"' Hewlett-Packard HP ShareSpool® Price $399 $495 Upgradeable memory buffer Yes Cables and adapters included* Yes Centronics interface Yes Warranty Lifetime Two Years Don't settle for less just to buy the HP name. For LaserJet printer sharing devices that offer you more features for less cost, choose Pacific Connect from Pacific Data Products. It's the low cost way to give up to five PC or four Macintosh users access to a LaserJet Series II, IID, III or HID printer. Completely transparent to users, Pacific Connect is easy to install and use. It even comes with four cables and serial adapters. And to handle large print files or to spool documents sent simul- taneously to the printer, its memory buffer is upgrade- able from 256k to 1.25 MB. To learn how you can get more for less, call your nearest dealer or contact: Pacific Data Products, 9125 Rehco Road, San Diego, CA 92121, ( 619 ) 597 - 4615 , Fax (619) 552-0889. PACIFIC Pacific Connect includes two 25 ft serial cables, two 50 ft serial cables and four DB-25 to RJ-ll connectors. I “rices are suggested retail list price. Pacific Connect is a trademark of Pacific Data Products, Inc. Share-Spool is a registered trademark of bxtended Systems, Inc. All other company and product names are trademarks of the company or manufacturer respectively © 1990 Pacific Data Products. Inc. Copyrighted material ALR Introduces The Three Day Work Week With the new VENTURE™- 16 notebook PC from ALR. you don't have to be in the office five days a week to get all your work done. The VENTURE- 16 gives you high-powered. 16-MHz. 386SX performance, so you can design your morning presentation while you ride the train to work, write a report while your car is being repaired, and set up next year's budget during the layover from Dallas to New York. With all those projects out of the way. you can begin ALR COMPAQ' VENTURE-16 LTE/286™ Processor 386SX 286 Speed 16-MHz 12-MHz RAM 1-MB 640-KB Hard Drive 20-MB 20-MB Display Type VGA CGA 640x480 640x200 Price $2,795 $3,499 your weekend a little earlier. And with prices starting at just $2795. you can begin it with more money in your pocket too. This seven pound portable power- house gives you the features you'd expect to see in a full-size desktop PC. in a size that's small enough to let you work anywhere. Even the keyboard has nearly the same layout and tactile re- sponse as a desktop, so your lingers may not realize that you’ve left the office. You also have the choice of 20- or 40-MB. light weight, fast-access hard drives to give you up to 20.000 pages of portable storage. , IL. And with the rechargeable battery \ P° wer of the VENTURE- 16. you can keep working for up to three hours. Anywhere. Travel with the ALR VENTURE- 16 into a new world of PC convenience. See your authorized ALR Power Partner reseller, or call: The VENTURE- 16 has an 8.5" diagonal backlit screen for easy readability as well as full tilt adjustment for minimizing glare. You can clearly see your word processing documents, spreadsheets, and project planning in full VGA™ resolution. 1-800-444-4ALR ALR VVi Advanced It&r Rnoich Inr La0c Reaouch. Inr 9401 Jeronimo Irvine, CA 92714 (714) 581-6770; FAX (714) 581-9240 Pnces and conl^urations sub,ect to change without notice Pr«« based on U S dollars ALR .» a 'entered trademark of Advanced look: Research Inc A* other brand and product names are trademarks or registered trademarks ot their respedrve owners 1 990 by Advanced Logic Research Inc *